To our Westside families and community,

I serve on the Future Ready Team organized by the Nebraska Department of Education. We are working to ensure that Nebraska’s students have access to technology and online learning. We understand that 70% of the jobs in 2030 have not yet been created. We know that artificial intelligence and algorithms will drive learning and work in the near future, if they are not already. From self-driving cars to reviewing medical scans, technology will impact our lives and create new jobs. Consequently, our students need to be prepared to work with technology as it continues to evolve.

This has been a very exciting week for educators throughout the state of Nebraska. Teachers and administrators gathered in Omaha for the Annual NETA Conference, the Nebraska Educational Technology Association. I am proud to say that District 66 is a leader in educational technology, as several of our staff members demonstrated this week.

District technology leaders such as Director of Professional Learning Dr. Greg Betts, teachers Dustin Carlson (Rockbrook) and Allison Pontious (Oakdale), librarians Deb Saetveit (WMS), Kelly Kenny (Hillside) and Alex Essen (Prairie Lane), and Personalized Learning Collaborator Andrew Easton were among the presenters at this conference, attended by hundreds. Educators exchanged ideas on everything from using Apple classroom apps to engage students to personalizing learning through technology to enhance and redefine the learning experience for students.

The learning of our staff doesn’t stop once the bell rings at the end of the day or when the school year ends. Many of our teachers, administrators, and educational professionals attend conferences like this, pursuing their own degrees or certifications, and they are participating in online networking opportunities to help colleagues across the country.

When I begin my tenure with Westside Community Schools seven years ago, I promised the BOE that we would become a learning organization. An organization that is generative and constantly learning; not a reactive organization stuck in the past or afraid to innovate.

This is exactly what I had hoped to see from Westside staff members; that they are lifelong learners, improving themselves and, therefore, improving the teaching they provide to our students. Teachers like Westside High School’s Michael Fryda, who comes to school each day with thoughts like ‘Improve the message you send to students about their value with two simple responses: "What do you think?" and "Tell us more!"’

Small reminders like that reinforce our philosophy of getting to know students as people first, and learners next. We are teaching the whole person, and molding good human beings and citizens ready for life, not just more school.

We are constantly designing and reevaluating how we teach in our schools. Albert Einstein once said, ‘a person who never made a mistake never tried anything new’. We’ve all made mistakes, but we are confident that in thinking creatively and constantly evolving how we learn and teach, we will see greatness in our results and, most importantly, through our students.

I applaud all of our educators who continue to push themselves in the pursuit of knowledge. And I hope all of you, our staff members and students alike, are refreshed from Spring Break and ready for our final quarter of learning and growth in our schools.

Yours in education,

Blane McCann

CONGRATULATIONS to Westside 6th grade District speech contest winners:
1st Place: Elaina Kratky, Prairie Lane
2nd Place: Marina Drelicharz, Oakdale
3rd Place: Joseph Simon, Paddock Road

Each elementary school sent a representative to the District competition, a speaker who had to win at the building level first. All were terrific!

Westside Middle School 7th grader Claire White qualified for the Irish Dance World Championships being held in Greensboro, North Carolina April 14-21! Claire is the only dancer at any age level from Nebraska that qualified for this world competition, in only the third global event held in the United States. Claire dances for Dowds Irish Dance Academy. Congratulations and good luck, Claire!

Do you have creative students in grades K-12 who also have an interest in science and helping the environment? If so, please encourage them to participate in the Chemists Celebrate Earth Week illustrated poem contest sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS). This contest is a great way to engage K-12 students in this year’s paper chemistry theme. Please see the attached flyer and entry form for more details. Winners of each grade category will receive a Periodic Table of Moles poster! To enter, download the contest flyer and entry form below and email Erin Gross, Professor of Chemistry at Creighton University, at ErinGross@creighton.edu