Superintendent Briefing
January 2019
North Platte Public School District Strives toward GREATNESS
The North Platte Public School District is working collectively to become a great school district. It is a district that collaborates to create and improve an effective integrated district-wide system to ensure adults have the capacity to support students and learning in collaboration with family, businesses, and community members.
The North Platte Public school staff understand what it takes for students to succeed and be prepared for the next phase of life and to help create schools to educate and prepare the students of today and tomorrow.
Greatness occurs when we work collectively as a team. We build positive relationships based on mutual respect, trust, loyalty, honesty, and integrity. We work hard continuously to accomplish our purpose of preparing students to be productive responsible citizens in a schools that are safe, caring and supportive – every day – every year matters. Great things happen when we make culture our top priority.
Staff Member of the Month
Ginger Rivera December Staff Member of the Month
Ginger is a special eduation teacher at Washington Elementary. “Ginger is a special person who cares about students all year long. She goes the extra mile to make sure each one of her students get the love and respect they deserve by being there for them. It doesn’t make a difference to Ginger if it is after school, summer or an outside event; she’s always there. I love how she encourages her kids (as she calls them) to believe that they can do anything that they set their mind too. Ginger’s loyalty is unmatched. She is never scared to tell you what is on her mind when it comes to the education of her kids or the education of North Platte students. Ginger’s determination is what makes her so successful.
She’s not scared to fail and tells (models) her students that life has many failures and you just need to get tough and show grit. Ginger has high expectations of herself, colleagues, administrators and students. This quote sums up what Ginger’s philosophy is about: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt. I will end this nomination with what I think Ginger is all about:
Ginger is one of the most special people in the world, for who else could spend day after day giving of herself to someone else’s children to guide and direct and put forth the energy to make them believe in themselves. She is a counselor, a role model and most of all a FRIEND!” --Greg Fruhwirth, principal, Washington Elementary.
School Business Partner: A Cut Above
The December award was sponsored by A Cut Above Salon. Staff members are awarded a gift basket full of items donated by the sponsor and a gift card, candy and balloons from the North Platte Public Schools Foundation as well as a bouquet donated by Prairie Friends and Flowers. Staff members are awarded monthly throughout the school year and are recognized at the annual Education After Hours each spring.
NPPSD Safety Committee
If you have a building safety/security request that should be considered, please send it to Stuart Simpson the safety committee chair and the committee will discuss it at the next monthly meeting.
The safety committee meets monthly to discuss safety and security around the district.
Staff members that serve on the committee:
Stuart Simpson, Chair
Tami Eshleman, Education Representative
Brian Tegtmeier, Technology Representative
Jeremiah Johnson, SRO, Law Enforcement
Brandy Buscher, Student Services
Lori Coburn, Custodial Director, Building surveillance
Dan Simms, Maintenance, Buildings
NSCAS Overview
The Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS), pronounced “en-skass,” is a new statewide assessment system that embodies Nebraska’s holistic view of students and helps them prepare for success in post secondary education, career, and civic life. It uses multiple measures throughout the year to provide educators and decision makers at all levels with the insights they need to support student learning.
Washington 5th Graders learning Fine Dining skills from the Sodexo staff.
Bonifacia Barnhill & Stephanie McConnell
Larry Young & Ashley Werkmeister & Karsyn Buttler
Brandy Buscher & Stephanie McConnell
Lanelle Stumpf's 5th Grade Class
Buffalo Elementary 5th Grade DARE
Allison Goodenow 5th Grade Class
Lincoln Elementary 5th Grade DARE
Officer Kirk & Mayor Livingston
NPHS Students Sharing their GREATNESS
On Monday, November 19th, 8 students from NPHS sang the National Anthem at Memorial Stadium for the Class D1 State Football Championships. They were selected by audition from a pool of 200 applicants.
Singers included: Maggie Lashley, Brandi Fisher, Chloe Hoaglund, Kiera Rhodes, Elliott Purdy, Thomas Bartling, Jack Carlson, and Joel Bradley
Thank you to Leah Purdy and the NPHS students for sharing your greatness! Ron Hanson, Superintendent.
North Platte Public Schools College and Career Initiative
North Platte Public Schools is working on developing a NPPSD Career & College Initiative. Each year, components of the initiative will be implemented in order to accomplish the district’s purpose of preparing students to be productive, responsible citizens.
North Platte Public Schools College and Career Initiative is a concept that focuses on preparing our students to become productive responsible citizens. We have a short period of time, thirteen years, to accomplish this purpose. Elementary schools are focusing on career awareness, middle schools are focusing on career exploration, and the high school is focusing on academies and internships to prepare student to be career and college ready. All ninth graders are enrolled in a career class to jump start their academic and career pathways. Every ninth grade student will take the YouScience assessment [www.youscience.com] that identifies a person’s aptitude, interests, career interest and educational recommendations. The data from this assessment will assist the students, counselors, and parents in developing an academic and internship plan during the high school experience. The high school is currently developing career academies in the following areas . . . Animal Science, Veterinary Technologist, Health Science, Computer & Digital Media, Education, Agriculture, Construction, and several others are emerging.
NPHS Career Coach
Adam Reed is the NPHS Career Coach. Adam has spent the previous two (2) years at Adams Middle School as the ENGAGE instructor. Previously, Adam was in the Air Force, where he worked in different positions, but the majority of the time was spent as a recruiter and recruiting coordinator.
The High School Career Coach will work collaboratively with the school administrators, secondary and elementary directors of teaching and learning. The Career Coach will be primarily based in high school and is responsible for helping high school students define their career aspirations and identifying college programs and/or training to meet those aspirations and achieve their educational goals. The Career Coach will empower students to make informed decisions regarding career and educational plans in preparation for success in post-secondary education and training.
NPHS Career Internship Program
Amy Sabatka, NPHS Careers Instructor/Internship Facilitator, is creating some great internship opportunities for NPHS students. The purpose of the career internship program is designed to provide students with on-the-job training that will empower students as they pursue their career goals.
There are 52 students who have or currently participating in the program. First semester, there were 24 students participating and 26 students signed up for second semester. There are 36 businesses providing internship opportunities. Great Plains Health 3 students experience Athletic Training, Speech Therapy, and Physical Therapy Assistant.
For Information about the NPHS Internship Program . . .
Amy Sabatka
308.535.7105 (school)
308.530.9609 (cell)
North Platte School District School Improvement – The Nebraska Framework
A school improvement process is a systematic on-going process involving planning, implementation, evaluation and renewal of school improvement activities to meet local and statewide goals and priorities. All accredited schools in Nebraska must have a school improvement process in effect according to Rule 10-009.01. The process includes a periodic review by visiting educators who provide consultation to the local school/community in continued accomplishment of plans and a goals. In accordance with Rule 10-009.01B each school must have an external team visit at least once each five years.
The North Platte School District will be hosting the External Team on April 29, 30, 31, 2019. All North Platte Schools will be visited on Monday, April 30, 2019. Principals and school CIP team members will be preparing for the visits.
NPPSD Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support
North Platte School District is working with Nebraska Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support (PBiS) by planning and training for an implementation target of 2020-21. All schools are developing school-wide behavior plans via school based PBiS teams during the 2017-18-19-20 school years.
North Platte Public Schools is focusing on improving attendance by implementing interventions -- “Dare to go Five Below”. A NPPSD Attendance Task Force has been assembled that includes key leaders within the community. Mayor Livingston wrote and signed NP Community Proclamation challenging the NP Community to collectively support this initiative. The police chief, the sheriff, the county attorney, and other city and county officials are participating on the task force team.
NPPS - MTSS
NPPSD is currently in the process of developing a more effective and efficient Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) process that is systemic using our current problem solving process at all levels – district-school-PLT-teacher-student. The first challenge is ensuring everyone in the district understands the district’s purpose and having structures and processes in place to implement the MTSS process effectively and efficiently. The district is currently going away from the traditional SAT model to IDEAL Student Plan (ISP) using the district’s current continuous improvement process at the student level. We are integrating this process into our Professional Learning Team meetings.