Educational Service Unit # 13
SERVING THE PANHANDLE OF NEBRASKA
September, 2015 Newsletter
Scottsbluff Site
Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Phone: (308) 635-3696
FAX: (308) 635-0680
Chadron Site
Crites Hall
Chadron State College
Chadron, NE 69337
Phone: (308) 432-6495
Sidney Site
1114 Toledo Street
Sidney, NE 69162
Phone: (308) 254-4677
FAX: (308) 254-5371
Mission Statement
Educational Service Unit #13...
Striving to achieve educational excellence for all learners
through strong partnerships, service, and leadership.
ADMINISTRATION
ESU 13 officially kicked off the 2015-16 school year on Tuesday, August 11 with new employee orientation. Various staff trainings continued on Wednesday, August 12th with CPR/First Aid, Emergency Asthma Protocol and Medication Administration training. Thursday, August 13th was a staff work day as well as department meetings.
Friday, August 14, was the all staff in-service day with this year’s theme being “Be a Part of it! Success.” We begin the year with a renewed focus on our mission of “Striving to achieve educational excellence for all learners through strong partnerships, service and leadership.” ESU #13 Goals for 2015-16 are:
· Enhanced learning by promoting best practice, innovation and systems of support.
· Expand collaboration and communication.
· Commit to accountability by implementing systemic and systematic methods for collecting, analyzing and reporting impact.
Focusing on our three goals helps ESU 13 to meet AdvancEd accreditation requirements.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Kimball, Garden, Cheyenne and Deuel counties will be administered through Educational Service Unit #13. On April 8, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) officially notified ESU #13 of its successful application for the $2.8 million program. The award includes Head Start and Early Head Start services to nearly 350 children annually in the counties.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs have been important to children and families in the Panhandle for many years. ESU #13 is pleased to be able to fill the important role of working with parents and schools in maintaining this resource.
In September 2014, a funding opportunity announcement was posted by ACF. In early November, Head Start Partners, including the schools in Bayard, Minatare, Scottsbluff, Morrill and Mitchell and Volunteers of America along with the Panhandle Public Health District and Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska unanimously agreed to request that ESU 13 apply for the grant. The success of the ESU $#13 application was clearly due to the collaborative efforts of so many in this region.
We are pleased to welcome a total of 71 new staff members to ESU 13 this year with 65 of them being Head Start/Early Head Start staff and the other 6 being new to the other 8 departments at ESU 13.
Educationally yours,
Jeffrey D. West
Pam Hebbert
Fiscal Officer, Head Start/Early Head Start Programs. Pam worked with the Head Start grant as a member of the Finance office at Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Iowa State University.
Machelle Marcoe
HR for 25 years (Cabelas, Kurt Mfg., and current ESU), 2 sons, Seth (17) and Mykin (12) both attend Mitchell Public Schools, Avid, (reader, motocross family, trap shooting family, and attend St. Theresa Catholic Church, and a new member of the CASA Volunteer department),
My goal, in life, “Is that my children, are kind, and compassionate and do well with others and themselves in society.”
Luke Pankonin
I am the Quality Assurance Specialist for the ESU 13 and Head Start Program. I was raised in western Nebraska and graduated college from Chadron State with a degree in Business Management/Finance. My wife, Kristin, is a Special Education Teacher in Mitchell. We have two children together. Aubree who is a fourth grader this year and Rykin who is three and always on the go. My family enjoys spending time outdoors, camping, fishing and watching Husker Football. I am excited to be given the opportunity to be part of the team here at the ESU.
SOAR (Sharing Opportunities and Achieving Results)
The SOAR department would like to WELCOME
Amy Trauernicht
After 20 years in education, Amy is beginning her first year as a staff developer. During the past 18 years at Mitchell Public Schools, Amy has been an elementary teacher as well as Title Math and keyboarding instructor. Her last ten years were spent as Assessment/Curriculum Director for the district. She holds a MA in Education as well as a Specialist Endorsement in Assessment Leadership. She is certified to train staff in many areas of assessment as well as review schools for accreditation through NDE and AdvancED. Although her expertise lies in assessment, curriculum, and accreditation she looks forward to expanding her knowledge to better serve our schools.
SOAR (Sharing Opportunities Achieving Results) is the professional development department of ESU #13. Sharing increases resources for all. Opportunities can abound even in rural areas when community partnerships are the rule. Supporting teachers makes students achievement soar. And, results are what matters.
Amy Trauernict
ESU #13 Theme for 2015-2016
PARA Training 101
SPED Department
Ashley Meyer - Western Region Autism Spectrum Disorders Coordinator
Pam Brezenski - Secondary Transition Specialist
Sarah Schaaf - Speech Language Pathologist
Pam Uhl - Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
Providers are out in schools working with families and teachers to provide quality services to students with disabilities living in the panhandle.
Student programs are up and running. Students are back in the halls at LifeLink and Meridian. There are some new faces and some that have been with us for years. Stop in and say hi to the students! We have great business partners this year for our adopt a school partners. We have Safeway and Riverside Zoo for Meridian and Panhandle Coop for LifeLink. Stay tuned for highlights from the programs this year!
Migrant
It was a BUSY summer for Migrant Education staff and students. We held a total of 9 migrant summer school programs at the following sites. We also welcomed two bi-national teachers from Mexico. We sent them out to 7 school districts as well as to Head Start Centers. Most of our programs were before or after regular summer school hours. We provided transportation for migrant students so that they could attend both the district’s summer school and the additional migrant-only instructional time.
Bayard Elementary (May-June)
Gering - Lincoln Elementary (May-June)
Gordon Elementary (June)
North Platte Summer Science Camp (June)
Scottsbluff - Roosevelt Bi-national Program (June)
Scottsbluff - Bluffs Middle School Student Leadership program (June)
ESU 13 - students from 5 districts bussed in (July)
Cody Kilgore - (July)
WNCC Discovery Lab for middle school students - (July)
In addition, we sent several students to Latina Summer Academy focusing on S.T.E.M. activities at the College of St. Mary, and to Horses of the Plains summer camp, a local camp sponsored by Agate Fossil Beds, Riverside Discovery Center, and Chadron State Park.
Below are "photo highlights" of the summer!
Virtual Field Trips
WNCC Discovery Lab
Bi-national Teacher Exchange Program
Psychological Services
The Psychological Services Department is off to a good start this year! We are providing counseling, consultation and diagnostic/assessment services for children and youth from birth through 21 years of age. Our services are currently being contracted by 17 of our 21 districts and used by others as needed. In addition we are providing services to students in our Meridian School, LifeLink-NE program, and Western Nebraska Juvenile Services.
As with many services, there are new skills to acquire, new ways to implement them and new professional partnerships to develop, this is true of the Psychological Services Department as well. We are currently using newly updated versions of some of our cognitive, academic and social-emotional instruments; learning and beginning to use new measures of autism and adaptive behaviors; and, implementing new therapeutic counseling techniques, especially as they pertain to the effects of childhood trauma.
We welcome back to our staff Dr. Katherine Carrizales. Katie previously worked at ESU #13 and recently returned from a sabbatical. There will be more information about Dr. Carrizales and her new position at ESU #13 in next months’ newsletter.
If your child, or a child you know, needs help adjusting to the “back to school” demands, homework completion, or other school related challenges, contact your school psychologist or counselor.
TECHNOLOGY
Like us on facebook!!
https://www.facebook.com/ESU13
ESU13 has made the move into social media in the past month and already have over 150 likes.
Please let the tech department know if you have anything you would like to add.
News from the Wellness Committee
Most people think of an extreme when it comes to achieving one or all of the above. The truth is, the more fit you are the better your health. The wellness meter shifts, illnesses and injuries are not as devastating as they could be. Yes, there are many fads on the market today. So to decide, where do I turn, what do i do to shift this in a more positive health and wellness meter? The answer is simple! Small healthier changes to any lifestyle can have grand effects on health and wellness. No you don't have to be super fit to achieve great benefits. Choosing healthier meals, even only 80% of the time; increasing activity to better elicit the cells of the body to regenerate normally and even better.
So the next time someone tries to get you on a bandwagon of extreme exclusion of foods, or saying the only way to better fitness and health is to do their program, ask yourself if this is the right fit for you. Everyday, make the conscious decision to be healthier for you
-Crystal Stock, owner of CrossFit Impel