North Platte Public Schools

2018-2019 Elementary Intra-District Transfer

Available April 1st, 2018

North Platte Public Schools offers families the opportunity to transfer within North Platte Public Schools elementary schools. The Intra-District transfer form is available online (www.nppsd.org) until May 18, 2018. Final determination will be made in early June. Please complete a form for each student. Students who have been approved in the past do not need to submit a transfer request annually.

NPPSD Elementary Intradistrict Transfer Request 2018-2019

March Staff Member of the Month

March 16th 2017

Contact: Jodi Howard

308-696-3325

jhoward@nppsd.org

written by Bryce Harvey-Student Intern

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

North Platte Public Schools awards Staff Member of the Month

The North Platte Public Schools Foundation in conjunction with North Platte Public schools is excited to announce that Janette Kammerer is being honored as the NPPS Big Award Bulldog Staff member of the month for March. Janette is the music teacher at Eisenhower and Washington

"Both of my Grandfathers were very musically inclined with the abilities of singing and playing the guitar. I have always loved music and I love teaching. Teaching music is truly a passion of mine. I believe that every child should have music education. Not to make them the next star but to help them be more human. Music is the universal language that touches every single one of us." says Janette. Janette has her Bachelor’s in Education with a K-12 Vocal /Instrumental endorsement from Chadron State College and in 2003 she received a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Doane College. Janette was nominated by Principal Greg Fruhwirth.

The North Platte Public Schools and North Platte Public Schools foundation developed the BIG Staff recognition promotion to provide incentives for deserving teachers and support staff. The program is designed to recognize outstanding teachers and support staff for their contributions to NPPS. The nomination symbolizes the esteem and appreciation that everyone has for our school district employees.

Teachers are rewarded with a gift basket, balloons and a gift card to the Bulldog store at NPHS. The North Platte Public Schools Foundation is facilitating the program and takes nominations from principals and administration. Staff members are awarded monthly throughout the school year and will be recognized at the end of the year Education After Hours in the spring.

NPPS Staff Members of the Year

March 14, 2018
Contact: Jodi Howard
308-696-3325
jhoward@nppsd.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NPPSF Announces Staff Award Winners

The North Platte Public Schools Foundation is pleased to announce their 2018 “Teacher of the Year”, “Staff Member
of the Year,” and “Administrator of the Year;” award winners. These exemplary district employees will be honored at
our upcoming Education After Hours event on April 6th
.
There are two Teacher of the Year award Winners.
The 2018 6-12th grade “Teacher of the Year”, is Madison Middle School Math Teacher Lane Swedberg
Lane Swedberg graduated from Wallace High School and then continued his education at Chadron State College.
He has his Bachelor’s degree in Middle School Education with Field Endorsements in both Math and Science. Lane
is heavily involved outside the classroom coaching middle school football and basketball as well as a varsity track.
He assists with quiz bowl, student council and FCA. He is also active in community theater most recently starring as
Mr. Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory.
The 2018 PreK-5th grade “Teacher of the Year”, Lake 4th Grade Teacher Tara Foster.
Tara Foster is originally from Tryon Nebraska. She graduated from McPherson County High School in 1998 and
graduated from Chadron State College in 2002. She taught at Our Redeemer Lutheran school for three years,

before taking a job at Lake Maloney School teaching 3rd and 4th grade. Mrs. Foster started a STEAM team of third-
fifth graders that meet every Monday after school to build their skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and

Math. She is also part of the NPPS science curriculum writing team and technology team, HAL coordinator for Lake
and is very active with the schools PTO.
The 2018 “Staff Member of the Year” is McDonald Elementary Custodian Dan Koehler
Affectionately called “Big Dan” by students and staff at McDonald Elementary, Dan Koehler was nominated
and awarded staff member of the year. An avid musician Dan brings his songs alive for the students by
singing happy birthday with his guitar and even giving guitar lessons to students who earn them by doing good.
Dan not only cleans the school, he is an active participant in assembly’s and school projects. He is excellent at
his job and creates a culture at McDonald that includes and appreciates everyone.
North Platte Public Schools Foundation, Inc.

301 W. F Street
North Platte, NE 69101
www.nppsf.org

The 2018 “Administrator of the Year”, is Washington Elementary Principal Greg Fruhwirth.
Greg Fruhwirth graduated from Larimore High School and received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of North
Dakota in Elementary and Special Education, and a Master’s degree is in Educational Leadership from Colorado
State.
He is married to Barb who is employed as a 1st grade teacher at Eisenhower. They have 3 children. In 2013 He
became the Principal at Washington Elementary. Before Washington, he was a principal at Wray Elementary for 8
years in Wray, Colorado. His teaching career lasted 25 years, he taught Special Education, 4th and 6th Grade in
Fowler, Colorado. Greg also coached Girls Basketball, Football, Baseball and Track. Greg’s contribution to NPPS
has led to Washington Elementary becoming a district leader in student performance. Greg is often seen participating
in school events throughout the district and running distance races around the state.
Nominations for these outstanding staff members were made by students, parents, community members and
employees from the North Platte Public School District. These awards recognize and encourage superior
professional effort to improve instruction and to cultivate the continuation of education excellence in our
schools. Teacher and Staff Member Award Winners will receive a plaque and a $250 cash award.
Administrators will receive a plaque and $1000 extra budget authority for their building/administrative area.
Awards will be presented at North Platte Public Schools Foundation “Education After Hours” event on Friday
April 6th from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express. Tickets are $25 each ($20 for NPPSD staff) and
available online at nppsf.org or at the Foundation office. Please call 696-3325 in advance to schedule pick up.

Student Advisory Council Application

Applications must be submitted on or before May 1, 2018 to Mr. James Ayres, Principal, North Platte High School. You may also email your application to jayres@nppsd.org. Appointees will be notified by May 2018.

Click Here to Access the Application

ThoughtExchange District Profile

The results of the 2017 ThoughtExchange Survey are in and available at the link below. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's survey.

2017 ThoughtExchange

Previous Year(s) data:

2016 ThoughtExchange

School Attendance Matter

August is the time of the year where we begin to think about those last minute summer projects, the start of school, and fall sports. North Platte Public Schools started school on August 14^th. It is a good time of the year to begin setting routines for your children. This will give your children the opportunity to establish a routine of getting up in the morning and going to bed at the appropriate times and eating meals at a scheduled time. An established routine will help the student adjust to the start of the school year and avoid any absences due to not feeling well or not being rested.

Research has revealed that school attendance matters for doing well in school and life. Improving attendance and reducing chronic absences takes commitment, collaboration and a planned approach to the particular challenges families and schools face yearly.

The North Platte School District acknowledges the importance of student attendance and has identified improving student attendance as high priority goal. The District is monitoring chronic absence data, developing attendance awareness campaigns for students and families, creating a community toolbox, recognizing student attendance champions and establishing program interventions to support students and families. The school district and the North Platte community are working together to promote regular attendance and reduce chronic absence.

Principals and teachers are ensuring all classrooms are nurturing and engaging so children want to come to school every day. Each school is ensuring that teachers take roll regularly so students know someone cares when they miss school. The District is collecting and analyzing chronic absence and good attendance data to determine patterns for students and schools. The district has developed and is implementing a school-wide incentive and reward program in partnership with Right Motors and Wild Bill’s Wings & Bowling. Principals will be sending home to all students’ attendance letters and a School Attendance Matters brochure educating parents, guardians and children about the importance of attendance.

The impact of chronic absenteeism hits low-income students particularly hard, especially if they don’t have the resources to make up for lost time in the classroom and face barriers getting to school – such as unreliable transportation, poor access to health care and unpredictable work schedules for parents. District staff will reach out to frequently absent students to find out in a supportive manner why they are missing and what would help them attend more regularly.

Our goal is to start the school year off engaging everyone in raising awareness about the importance of attending school and conveying the right message to the parents and students. No attendance initiative is complete without attention to parents, who are crucial in turning around chronic absence. In some cases, especially in the early grades, parents may not understand the importance of good school attendance or realize how quickly absences can add up. Improving student attendance is an important, cost-effective but often overlooked strategy for ensuring our students are on-track to learn and succeed. Nationwide, as many as one out of 10 students is chronically absent, meaning they miss 10 percent or more of school days, or nearly a month. Chronic absence is a leading, early warning indicator of academic trouble and dropouts.

NPPSD Reaches for and Accomplishes Goals

Email Superintendent

The North Platte Public School District has worked hard during the 2016-17 school year on goals and strategies in the NPPSD’s strategic plan. The goals and some of the major accomplishments are stated in this brief summary of the 2016-17 school year.

Goal 1: The school district maintains and communicates at all levels of the organization a purpose and direction for continuous improvement that commits to high expectations for learning as well as shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning.

Accomplishments: The Board of Education set the purpose and direction for the district in January 2016 based on student, staff and community input. The district developed a strategic plan for the next five years. The district’s focus for the 2016-17 school year was to improve student success by providing high-quality professional development for teachers and principals; developing and implementing processes that affect teaching and learning in every classroom; and planning, developing and implementing programs that prepare students. A community survey was administered in October 2017 to understand public perception of the district.

Goal 2: The school district provides the governance and leadership that promotes and supports its purpose and direction; student performance and system effectiveness.

Accomplishments: The newly elected North Platte Board of Education had its organizational meeting in January 2017. The board meets monthly to ensure the district is operating effectively and efficiently. In compliance with state and federal laws, the board updated all policies, approved new math curriculum, supervised the budget and has updated facilities throughout the district according to the district facility plan.

On April 10, the board conducted a self-evaluation facilitated by Marcia Herring, director of board leadership for the Nebraska Association of School Boards. The board discussed areas for improvement.

The board revised its policy on public comment at meetings as a result of its discussion. Patrons wishing to address the board during the public comment period will be allowed five minutes to express their view. To ensure the board has adequate time to complete other items on the agenda, the board will decide at the end of 30 minutes of public comments whether to continue. The board may exceed the 30 minutes if the majority of the board agrees to extend the time. At the end of the public comments, the board president may acknowledge a member of the board or the administration to address any concerns or answer questions from the public.

Goal 3: The school district provides a rigorous, relevant, and coherent curriculum; delivered by high quality educators who use innovative, researched-based strategies; supported by school leaders to ensure success for all students.

Accomplishments: The district developed a new K-12 math curriculum and selected and purchased new K-12 math instructional resources to be implemented in the fall 2017. The district has been working on a college and career readiness initiative, which included the development of a career academy program. The district will implement the career academy program in fall 2017. The district has been working collaboratively with Mid-Plains Community College, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln West Central Research Center to explore the possibility of offering students career academy programs. In addition, NPHS is launching a program in which students can spend a class period in an internship based upon a career field of choice.

The school district will implement a new elementary instructional schedule next school year. The schedule will provide equitable instructional time for all subject areas for elementary students across the district. Revised grading and reporting procedures will be implemented in fall 2017.

Math outcomes have improved in all grades 3-8. The high school ACT composite and math readiness scores improved.

The school district implemented interventions to improve attendance via “Dare to Go Five Below.” The district improved the overall school attendance by 8 percent compared to 2015-16.

The school district will receive training on implementing the Nebraska Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports model on July 24-25. All schools will develop school wide behavior plans during the 2017-18 school year via school-based PBiS teams.

The school district administrated the Gallup Student Engagement Survey to all fifth- through 12th-graders in the fall of 2016. The results have been shared with schools’ continuous improvement teams and plans are being developed to address building-specific concerns.

Goal 4: The school district will utilize best practices to recruit, hire, mentor, retain and develop qualified certified and noncertified staff.

Accomplishments: The recruitment team attended teacher recruitment fairs at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and UNL in spring 2017. The district has recruited and hired 23 teachers, one elementary and one high school administrator due to retirements and job relocation.

Goal 5 : The school district demonstrates strategic resource management that includes long-range planning in support of the purpose and direction of the district. The district ensures appropriate levels of funding and sustainability of resources, as well as evidence of long-range capital and resource planning effectiveness.

Accomplishments: The school district’s leadership team implemented the Essential Finance Planning process in October 2017 to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of the school district operations. The district is challenged with a budget shortfall due to decline in student enrollment, levy limitations, reductions in state aid and the state’s economic conditions. The district reviewed all current programs and services and has reduced the district budget by $980,122. The district sold a parcel of land adjacent to Buffalo Elementary to Habitat to Humanity.

Goal 6: The school district provides safe, healthy and efficiently operated facilities and manages resources in all schools that support its purpose and direction to ensure success for all students.

Accomplishments: All the schools in the district have required limited access to schools and have installed a buzz-in system at each school. The high school implemented a closed-campus rule for students in grade 9-11. The school resource officer and the coordinator of student services trained all students and staff on the Standard Response Protocol.

A new, energy-efficient HVAC system will be installed in summer at Lincoln Elementary. The high school nurse treatment center will be relocated in the summer to accommodate the health needs of students and staff. The 1976 cooling tower at Adams Middle School will be replaced with a more efficient system.

Pursuant to Nebraska Department of Education regulations, the district will provide free lunch for students during the summer at Cody, Madison and Jefferson schools. This is an opportunity to keep our students healthy throughout the year.

Goal 7: The school district provides an effective communication process at all levels of the organization and to the community that promotes and reflects its purpose, values and beliefs about teaching and learning and the systems effectiveness to ensure success for all students.

Accomplishments: The ThoughtExchange community survey was administered in fall 2016. The survey data was analyzed and included in areas of improvement with the current strategic plan.

A “staff member of the month” recognition program was implemented. It is designed to recognize outstanding teachers and support staff for their contributions to the school district.

The district created a “North Platte Public Schools — Handy Facts” document to communicate district information to the community.

Dr. Ron Hanson
Superintendent
North Platte Schools