Lincoln Public Schools Communication Services continues to look for the most effective way to provide you with information.  EdNotes is written and published specifically for the faculty and staff of Lincoln Public Schools.

If you have information you would like to include, please email Mary Kay Roth at mkroth@lps.org.

New principal named at Lux < Updated

Lincoln Public Schools announced today that Duane Dohmen will be the new principal at Lux Middle School, following Bill Bucher who is retiring at the close of this school year.

Dohmen is now the K-12 principal of Dorchester Public Schools and has worked with Norris High School, Waverly High School and Creighton Community Schools. He earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

 

"Mr. Dohmen brings great passion and instructional strength to the position - and we are thrilled to have him joining LPS," said Eric Weber, associate superintendent for Human Resources at LPS.  "He was formerly a teacher and coach at both Norris and Waverly, and his wife is currently a music teacher for us here in LPS."

 

Dohmen says: “During the time at Dorchester, I have worked to create a culture of learning and improvement for all stakeholders. I strive to be an administrator at Lincoln Public Schools because it is my belief that I can have a greater impact on students in a larger organization."

Posted on April 18, 2014

---

---

Maxey Elementary Enjoys Education in “Skyros” Style

You can learn a lot from a string quartet! Maxey Elementary School students were both educated and inspired when they had the opportunity to hear a performance by the Skyros Quartet. First they got started with a call and response activity:

“We are Skyros! We are Skyros!”

“We are Maxey! We are Maxey!”

Then students listened for the same rhythm in the music. They learned about musical terms and playing techniques. They learned about music history and great composers.

Yes, you can learn a lot from a string quartet.

The Skyros Quartet took students on a trip to countries all around the world. While visiting Finland they discussed the biosphere, tundra, the Laplander and reindeer. While in Spain they imagined what the bullfighter was saying as Skyros Quartet performed, La oración del torero by Joaquín Turina.

Yes, you really can learn a lot from a string quartet. While listening students thought about their future. “When I go to college, I will study the subjects that interest me the most. Just as the musicians of the Skyros Quartet have chosen to study music, I will choose to study what I am most passionate about.”

The Skyros Quartet is the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Quartet members are pursuing Doctorates in Chamber Music Performance under the guidance of the Chiara String Quartet. Their members include Sarah Pizzichemi, Justin Kurys, William Braun, and James Moat.

Posted on April 10, 2014

---

Story of the Honor Flights - Freedom Is Not Free

Kathi Mercure, social studies teacher at Lux Middle School, recently traveled with the Honor Flight program and wrote about her experiences, the program, and her personal connection.

The Honor Flight program begin in Ohio when a retired Air Force Captain saw this as a way for WWII veterans to see their memorial which was completed finally in 2004. The average age of a WWII veteran was 80 years and it was difficult for many of them to travel there on their own.

Mr. Bill Williams and his wife Yvonne saw this story and made several attempts via private and corporate airplanes and jets to pay for the first flights. Dan Whitney, aka Larry the Cable Guy, known for his support of his home state of Nebraska, donated $70,000 for the first flight. That helped the flights get off the ground, and the stories, funding and volunteers followed. The Heartland Honor flights took almost 1,500 Nebraska WWII veterans to see their national WWII Memorial, thanks to the countless efforts of the many volunteers and the donations from so many all over the state and some beyond, which raised $1,200,000. The most substantial donor was the Peter Kiewit Foundation, which donated $365,000.   There was a dinner for the veterans and their guests the evening before each flight. Governor Dave Heineman came to each dinner not only to speak but also to meet many of the veterans.

While the veterans were gone for the day in Washington, D.C., many of their wives would enjoy their time “On the Home Front”, hosted by volunteers which would include lunch and visits to area museum or places of interest.

The pre-flight breakfast usually kicked off at 3 or 4 am in the morning and the buses would quickly be loaded, and according to one’s bus color to board the charter jets. The itinerary would include visiting the WWII Memorial; Lincoln, Vietnam, and Korean Memorials; Arlington Cemetery and the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns; and Iwo Jima Memorial, before boarding the charter jet to return to Nebraska.

The seven flights for WWII veterans took place from May of 2008 through April of 2009. Those who volunteered to help said it was an honor and a privilege and many have made life-long friends.

The on October 29, 2013, 135 Korean War Veterans from all corners of Nebraska made a one-day trip to Washington, D.C.   There were over 350 donors who made this trip possible for our Korean War Veterans from Nebraska.

Bill and Yvonne then set out to make one more attempt of sending Korean War Veterans to Washington, D.C. knowing that with their age and failing health, this would be the last Honor Flight from Nebraska. As the numbers of veterans enrolling increased, the amount of funding needed eventually reached $500,000, of which the cost of the chartered flights alone was $360,000. There were over 500 donors for the 460 Korean War Veterans headed for Washington, D.C. on three chartered planes early on the morning of March 25^, 2014.

As each of the 460 veterans walked through the glass doors of the Ramada Plaza on Monday, March 24^th, middle school students from St. Mary’s School in Lincoln greeted them, shaking their hand and saying: “Thank you for your service. God bless.” Each veteran was presented a book entitled “Korea Reborn, A Grateful Nation”, a shirt, jacket and Korean Veteran hat. 

Over 1,450 veterans and their guests were treated to a banquet at the Ramada Inn in Omaha. As they lined up for roll call and later during the banquet, the thank-you's continued, from University of Nebraska Board of Regents member Hal Daub, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, World War II veteran Rev. Gil Hill, Gov. Dave Heineman, South Korean representative Lt. Col. Kang Moon Ho and Mandy Freitag, a young woman born in Korea and raised in America.

The trip the next day took less than 24 hours.

Buses rolled out of the Ramada Plaza parking lot bound for Eppley Airfield at 3 a.m. packed with veterans sporting black hats, blue polo shirts and jackets courtesy of Mutual of Omaha with the words, “Korean War Honor Flight,” embroidered over their hearts.

More than 100 volunteers, dubbed guardians, pushed wheelchairs and oxygen tanks through security screening points, onto the planes and kept the wheels of the tour rolling smoothly throughout the day.

At Dulles Airport, volunteers and active duty soldiers welcomed the veterans to Washington and ushered them onto buses headed to the Korean War memorial, the Vietnam wall and Lincoln Memorial.

Veterans also toured Arlington National Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Air Force Memorial and the World War II Memorial.

For a day, the veterans were stars. Police escorted their buses and members of Nebraska's congressional delegation dropped by to shake hands at the Korean War Memorial.

At the National World War II Memorial, a handful of guardians broke off from the main group and boarded a bus to Arlington National Cemetery -- Section 60 -- where more than 800 war dead from Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. These guardians carry a second title -- Gold Star Parent -- as the mother or father of an American soldier killed serving their country.

Kathi Mercure was honored to be selected as one of the guardians on this final Korean War Honor Flight. Her uncle, Frank Joseph Gilbert was killed in action in Korea on April 14, 1952 and in May of that same year Kathi was born. Her mother was deeply affected by the death of her little brother, who was a Marine, in that far away land called Korea.   Ironically, Kathi and Steve adopted two daughters from South Korea, Megan in 1982 and Mary in 1985. Megan went on to serve in the Marines, following graduation from high school. Even though Kathi leads the 8^th grade Washington, D.C. trip each spring break for Lux Middle School, and has visited the Korean War Memorial many times, this time she stood there among hundreds of veterans and felt the real presence of her uncle among the heroes standing there.   It was such an amazing yet emotional experience for the veterans to be in the presence of the memorial created in their honor. The 19 larger than life stainless steel statues depict a squad on patrol and evokes the experience of American ground troops in Korea. The windblown ponchos reminded the veterans of the harsh weather that they endured while serving there. Many of the veterans spent time near the granite wall with the reflected images of hundreds of faces reflecting the Americans who answered their country’s call to duty. The memorial was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd year of the armistice that ended the war.  

Friends and family packed Eppley Airfield in Omaha to welcome home the veterans nearly 60 years after their return from war. Hundreds of people carried signs, cheered, clapped and thanked the veterans for their service. Upon their return to Omaha, the veterans were presented with medals from the Republic of South Korea that were forged from old barbed wire from the Demilitarized Zone that still divides the Korean peninsula more than six decades after an armistice stopped the fighting in 1953.

These two days were truly an experience of a lifetime for everyone involved and an opportunity to say Thank You to these remarkable veterans who served America graciously and heroically.

Bill and Yvonne Williams also created “Remembering Our Fallen” to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the The War on Terror, while wearing our country’s uniform.  Its legacy will be that these men and women will never be forgotten and that their names will be remembered and spoken. 

This project was inspired after reading a story in the Omaha World-Herald in September, 2010, about a father whose pain and grief were even greater four years after his son, Joshua, had died in Iraq.   Why?

Because he felt that his son had been forgotten…and the war was not even yet over.

Man Does Not Die Until He is Forgotten

"Remembering Our Fallen" memorial displays have been created for Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Arizona, North Dakota, Kansas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia. A display will soon be completed for Florida with plans to unveil to families in the spring of 2014. If you have any questions about the Tour or upcoming states, please contact us at:  info@rememberingourfallen.org

To see the “Remembering Our Fallen” Tour Schedule, visit:  www.rememberingourfallen.org

Posted on April 09, 2014

---

Link N Leaders event features students, Husker athletes

The first Link N Leaders event, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletic Department and the Lincoln Public Schools Special Education Department, will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 27 at the Hawks Championship Center. 

The purpose of the event is to recognize students in Lincoln Public Schools who exhibit core values of Loyalty, Trust, Teamwork, Respect, and Integrity. These students do the right thing every day, make healthy choices, and exhibit leadership potential.The students selected from each school will have the opportunity to interact with Nebraska Student-Athletes from every sport and learn more about the core values. 

Please contact Cindy Brunken (cbrunk@lps.org) or Stacey Burling (sburling@huskers.com) if you have any questions about Link N Leaders.

Posted on April 09, 2014

---

Prescott Walkathon back for improved outdoor classroom

The public is invited to join in the fifth annual Prescott Walkathon from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 9^th at Prescott Elementary School, 1930 S. 20^th St. Over the last four years, Prescott students and supporters have walked more than 5,000 miles while raising funds for Prescott Park and Outdoor Classroom.

This project is transforming a barren gravel playfield into a community green space for outdoor education, healthy family activities and neighborhood festivals.

The public can help by participating in the Prescott Walkathon on May 9^th or making a donation towards the project.

Checks can be mailed to Prescott School, 1930 S. 20^th Street Lincoln, NE 68502. Additional information can be found at www.prescottpark.info

Posted on April 09, 2014

---

Vocal arts academy accepting applications for students in grades 3-6

The Nebraska Academy of Vocal Arts provides music education and performance opportunities. NAOVA is accepting registration for students in grades 3-6 at their website, http://naova.org.

For more information, visit the website or call 402-202-0565.

Posted on April 09, 2014

---

LSW speech, debate teams hosting garage sale

The Lincoln Southwest Speech & Debate teams are hosting a garage sale and silent auction from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 26 in the school's commons.

The public can also drop off items on April 25 from 3 to 9 p.m. in the west parking lot area of the school. Suggested items include: books, small appliances, toys, bikes, freshly laundered or new clothing, craft supplies and holiday items. Items that can not be accepted include computers, TV's, car seats, chemicals or house paint, recalled or expired items, food (unless it is specifically for sale by Forensics). Donated clothes should be freshly laundered and in good condition.

Posted on April 09, 2014

---

Lincoln Board of Education: Highlights of April 8 meeting

The Lincoln Board of Education met on April 8 at Lincoln Public Schools District Office, 5905 O St. Highlights are below. The next regular Board meeting is April 22.

Policy changes

The Board of Education discussed policy changes that involved a wide range of subjects including: student fees, student attendance, student transfers, extracurricular activities code of conduct, and more.

Counseling grant

The Board was presented with a grant that would provide funding to add four new full-time elementary school counselors at LPS – allowing the school district to expand services through the use of more counselors.

“We think this is appropriate given the growth we’re experiencing and the needs we’ve seen,” said Jane Stavem, associate superintendent for Instruction at LPS.

Memo of intent with YMCA

The Board approved a memo of intent related to the local YMCA, establishing the intent of LPS to work collaboratively with the YMCA in the development of a new middle school to be built in southeast Lincoln.

National School Board conference

Board members commented on lessons learned in recent attendance at the recent national conference of Boards of Education – and LPS Superintendent Steve Joel thanked them for their participation.

“Thank you for your commitment to continued education,” Joel said. “I always come out of this conference feeling really good about what public education represents. If we don’t stand up for public education then who will…More and more emphasis gets placed on public education – what we get blamed for, what we get more responsibilities for….But we never apologize in our school district. We put our heads down, surround ourselves with good people, address goals and get busy. We have the highest of expectations in Lincoln, and we have the results.”

 

Posted on April 08, 2014

---

UNL hosting sports communications panel

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the College of Journalism will host a panel presentation by award winning national and local journalists, PR and advertising professionals. It will be two hours of narratives of how these individuals got their jobs, rose to the top and what advice they have for an aspiring reporter in TV or print, or advertising executive or producer in sports TV production.

The event is at 4:30 p.m April 10 at 15 Andersen Hall at 200 Centennial Mall North. It is a free event and open to the public. Moderated by four-time Emmy Award winning ESPN reporter, Shelley Smith, the panel includes:

Panelists:
--Bryan Burwell, an award-winning journalist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch and ESPN’s Sports Reporters.
--Elizabeth Conlisk, the Big Ten Network’s vice president for communications and university relations.
--Dirk Chatelain, award-winning columnist for The Omaha World-Herald.
--Paula Lavigne, an award-winning TV and print reporter for ESPN.
--Elizabeth Merrill, an award-winning long-form writer for ESPN.com.
--Dan Gibson, creative director of Archrival, a youth marketing agency that makes brands relevant with youth culture.

Topics of discussion include:
--How has coverage and business of sports changed with regards to the many platforms that now exist, including social media?
--In what way has intensified media coverage of athletes caused too much intrusion into personal lives and lives of their families?
--What’s next? What is the future?

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications began offering students the opportunity to obtain a sports communication emphasis this spring. Students may elect a traditional reporting track or do their coursework in advertising and public relations. Students interested in sports are already presented with professional opportunities unique to the university, such as working at HuskerVision, interning with sports marketing groups or working with ESPN when the network broadcasts in Lincoln.

Posted on April 03, 2014

---

Growth in 50s, 60s led to many new schools

Ed Zimmer capped his architectural historian's viewpoint on Lincoln Public Schools with his April Learning Lunch in the LPS District Office. Zimmer, an LPS board member and Historic Preservation Planner for the City of Lincoln, began last fall with his monthly presentations on the history of LPS. Here are a few highlights:

Very dramatic population growth in the 1950s and 1960s leads to a lot of new schools in Lincoln, including Mickle Junior High, Morley Elementary and McPhee Elementary in the early 60s.

Student population in 1970 was slightly more than 30,000, but by 1980 it had dropped to about 25,000, near the same enrollment number of 1960. This led to the closing of schools like Hayward, Havelock, Whittier and Bethany in the 1980s, mostly schools that were built independently of LPS. Yankee Hill became part of this district in this era, and is still used for an LPS program today.

By 1990, growth has resumed and has continued through today, though the pace is both steadier and more moderate than in the 50s and 60s.

McPhee sits on the original block as assigned in the original plat of the city from 1867. This school sits just a block to the south of the Nebraska State Capitol.

School architecture was not as distinctive, according to Zimmer, in the 60's as opposed to earlier decades, with buildings not featuring the strong front entrances that define older schools.

In 1967, Lincoln East High School become the fourth high school. It lacked windows overall, but some have been added.
In the 1990s, the configuration of grades changed from junior high (7-9) to middle schools (6-8), and names of the schools accordingly changed as well.

Kahoa Elementary and Zeman Elementary was built in the 1970s based on an open plan, with few walls. Updates since have created more traditional classrooms with defined classrooms.

Humann Elementary School doesn't look like an old school, as Zimmer noted, but mechanically it needs updates. Not all updates are obvious to the outside eye.

The phrase Campbell-Cavett-Maxey-Roper is common in LPS-ese, with the four elementary schools using a nearly identical architectural plans and geothermal heating and cooling system. Today, 85% of school square footage in LPS use geothermal to heat and cool the buildings. It is now possible to heat and cool a building for the same price that it used to cost to just to heat the building.
Bonds issued in 1999 were used for Lincoln Southwest High School and Lincoln North Star High School, using the same plan adapted to their respective sites, and opened a year apart.

Posted on April 02, 2014

---

VNA offering shot clinic

A staff immunization clinic has been scheduled for April 29, 2014 4:30-6:30 PM at LPSDO. The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) will be offering Tdap, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B immunizations for employees, their spouses and dependents.

Click here for Registration Information and details regarding cost, date, time and location. 

 

 

 

 

Posted on April 02, 2014

---

Lefler’s new grab-n-go style breakfast gaining popularity

Welcome to Lefler Middle School. Grab your breakfast, change out books at your locker, and head to class.

Complete the objective written on the board, finish your juice and yogurt, and we’ll begin the rest of class in a few minutes.

Grab-n-Go breakfasts at Lefler, 1100 S. 48^th St., are the first of its kind for the school and Lincoln Public Schools. Students wait outside their grade-level entry door, then at 7:50 a.m., the breakfast eaters get in line for cereal, a drink, and other nutrition-minded food.

When students eat breakfast at home, they may go five to six hours before they have lunch at school. But, even more likely, middle school students skip breakfast, which means they don't eat anything from bedtime to lunchtime the next day.

That had Principal Jessie Carlson concerned.

School nurse Sharon Baker noticed it. Teachers, too. Students would complain of hunger, lose focus easily and disrupt others. Teachers would either provide some small snacks of their own, or send the student to the nurse’s office where some snacks were available.

A lost breakfast had once again turned into lost instruction time.

The Lefler leadership team began picking up ideas from others schools, both nationally and in-state ones like Grand Island Public Schools and Norris Public Schools. Those schools provided models that show breakfast at school can lead to more focus, better academic achievement and improved behavior. Lefler also gets help from the YMCA, Community Learning Center, an internship program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and from nursing students at the Bryan College of Health Sciences.

These best practices – which in education means it’s backed by evidence – told Carlson and Baker it not only could be done, it had to be done.

To get it done, it required the school leadership team, nurse, nutrition staff, custodial staff and teachers, and school district staff. The models suggest students should have breakfast available at the door when they arrive, and eat in the first few minutes of class. 

Students typically spend the first part of class working on a short assignment, warm-up activity, turning in papers, or writing in planners. That gives them enough time to eat, do their school work and clean up before the rest of the class continues.

“It works really well,” said sixth-grader Karlee Alrdridge. “It helps people get breakfast because sometimes they can’t come early, but now they come at the normal time and they still get breakfast.”

There were no models, however, for the physical layout of Lefler. There’s no elevator, some hallways features a few stairs up followed a few steps later by a few steps down. Carrying food and drinks up-and-down stairs or hauling them on wheels outside aren’t safe for people or food.

Thanks to a make-this-work attitude, it is now possible for students to grab their breakfast immediately after coming inside the school.

“I used to eat in the cafeteria but when they started doing this I thought was an easier way for getting everybody,” said sixth-grader Morgan Weier. “For some people, they don’t want to walk all the way up to the cafeteria and then all the way back.”

The hallway serving plan required extra work:

- internet connection was improved so computers could log-in their breakfast from the hallway just as they would for lunch in the cafeteria,

- spaces were made available for coolers and food storage,

- food distribution is made to each doorway every few days,

- coolers were purchased through various grant funding, 

More one-time funding will be needed to purchases warmers to expand menu options. 

“It’s a healthier breakfast for them and that’s the more important thing,” said P.E. teacher Jefferson Pappas. “They are getting good food in their system to start their day and that’s making them more successful.”

The earliest indications from parents, staff and students are positive. Baker said her long-term view dictates a culture change: students who eat breakfast in middle school are more likely to eat breakfast in high school. So students who start eating breakfast as sixth-graders are more likely to continue in seventh and eighth grades.

“Kids are developing their behaviors and their health-styles now, so if we don’t catch them now, that’s going to continue on into high school,” Baker said. “So this can be a big changer in terms of their grades and how they function.” 

The numbers through two weeks show popularity is gaining quickly. On the first day, the first Monday after Spring Break, 89 students ate breakfast. The following Monday 142 students ate breakfast. The two-week high was 187, a 47 percent increase from day one. 

Just eight eighth-graders ate breakfast the first morning, compared with 60 sixth-graders. But that number has risen too, with 37 eating by the end of the first week.

Making breakfast cool will be a challenge that Baker hopes will get easier each year.

Students pay $1.30 or less for each breakfast depending on their participation in the free-and-reduced lunch program. It will take about 200 students to make the program sustainable, but Carlson and her team have set 300 students as the goal.

Carlson said teachers will read more about engagement next year by reading ‘Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind’ by Eric Jensen. While poverty itself may be a factor beyond teacher control, there are ways to help all students to be more engaged and successful at school, she said. One such factor - in fact, the first such factor in the book - is a healthy breakfast. 

As family lives have increased in speed, Baker said, and some students prefer sleeping in instead of eating breakfast at home, an unhealthy trend has developed. 

Staff will use the book and ensuing conversation to improve engagement and instruction. 

If offering a grab-n-go breakfast, at the door, at the beginning of the school day, is one way to accomplish that, then breakfast is served.

Posted on April 02, 2014

---

Firearms amnesty day

NeighborWorks Lincoln and the Lincoln Police Department are hosting a gun amnesty day from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2014. 

Firearms should be transported in the trunk or back seat of a vehicle in an open box, bag or container. Once at the drop off site tell the person that contacts you at your vehicle where the firearm is located and let them retrieve the firearm. It is preferred that firearms be surrendered unloaded and any breaches, slides, bolts, cylinders or actions should be open. However, if citizens are not familiar with how to unload their firearm and attempting to do so would create a hazard, transport the firearm to the site and inform the person that contacts you at your vehicle that the weapon may not be unloaded.

DRIVE UP – DROP OFF – DRIVE AWAY – NO QUESTIONS ASKED

For information contact: Captain Koluch 441-7751, Sergeant Sheridan 441-6000, Officer Ripley 441-6000

Posted on April 01, 2014

---

State Treasurer encourages savings for college with NEST

Parents and grandparents of students in Lincoln Public Schools can learn about saving for college through the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST), thanks to a new online program offered by the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office.

The program provides basic information about 529 college savings plans including a section on myths vs. facts and a section for users to check their knowledge. Another feature is a calculator that suggests how much parents or grandparents should be saving based on a child’s age. Audio is provided during part of the presentation.

State Treasurer Don Stenberg launched the new online program to provide information about state-sponsored 529 college savings plans in general and NEST in particular. The new program, introduced Oct. 1, 2013, is called Nebraska NEST Financial Scholars for Families.

The easy-to-follow, interactive program was developed by EverFi, an educational technology company in Washington, D.C. The 15-minute tutorial can be accessed through the home page on Treasurer’s website at www.treasurer.org. There is no charge. Visitors can return as often as they like to seek answers to specific questions or to review the content.

The Nebraska NEST Financial Scholars for Families program is supported by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust. EverFi is continuing to work with local banks, foundations, and corporations to secure additional funding for the program.

As State Treasurer, Stenberg is Trustee of NEST. First National Bank of Omaha is Program Manager. All investments are approved by the Nebraska Investment Council.

NEST has received national recognition for its fund selection by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Also, two NEST plans were among 32 college savings plans nationwide to receive medals from Morningstar, an independent investment research firm. The two NEST plans moved up from Neutral to Bronze in Morningstar’s 2013 ratings. The same two plans also received the top five-cap rating from the website, savingforcollege.com, in 2012, the latest year for which those ratings are available.

Effective for taxes due in April 2015, Nebraska NEST account owners will enjoy a $10,000 state income tax deduction for couples filing jointly, up from the current $5,000 deduction. The increased income tax deduction was approved by the Legislature in 2013.

NEST has more than $3.4 billion in assets with 214,000 accounts nationwide. More than 61,000 of those accounts are owned by Nebraskans.

For more information about Nebraska NEST Financial Scholars for Families or the NEST college savings program, contact Rachel Biar, director of college savings for the Treasurer’s Office, at 402-471-1088 or at Rachel.biar@nebraska.gov.

 

Posted on April 01, 2014

---

LARSP presents funds for Fund-A-Need

Lincoln Area Retired School Personnel recognized local philanthropy groups at their Philanthropic Presentation program. On the list of those groups acknowledged was the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools. LARSP presented the Foundation with a check of $312.00 on Monday, March 3rd.

FLPS President Wendy Van was present to accept the award on the Foundation’s behalf. The contribution funded Fund-A-Need classroom grants which provided take-home books to Mrs. Schurman’s Kindergarten class at Arnold Elementary and Junior Scholastic Readers to help Mrs. Catlett at Park Middle School share history, geography and current event lessons with students in vibrant, thought provoking ways.

Van speaking at the presentation stated, “The Foundation for LPS’s goal is to build and strengthen relationships with people like you who work hard on behalf of our students. You do great work. I’m here today give you a huge thank you for what you have done and continue to do for Lincoln’s children.”

Posted on April 01, 2014

---

---

Southwest hosting speaker on Rwanda situation

Lincoln Southwest High School will host Philip Gourevitch in an interactive Q&A format designed to help our students further explore and understand the tragedy and the recovery that is taking place in Rwanda. The speaker will visit at noon on April 17. 

Philip Gourevitch is a long-time staff writer for The New Yorker, the former editor of The Paris Review, and the author of three books: The Ballad Of Abu Ghraib / Standard Operating Procedure (2008), A Cold Case (2001), and We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda (1998), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the George K. Polk Book Award, the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction, the New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Award and, in England, the Guardian First Book Award. He has written extensively on politics and culture for The New Yorker and other journals, reporting from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and his reportage, essays, criticism, and short fiction, too, have appeared in numerous publications at home and abroad. In 2010 he was named a Chevallier de l’Ordre des Arts et Des Lettres in France. In 2011, “We Wish To Inform YouThat Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families” was included in the Guardian’s list of the hundred greatest non-fiction books from the past two thousand five hundred years. His new book – You Hide That You Hate Me And I Hide That I Know, in which he revisits Rwanda twenty years after the genocide - will be published in 2014.

 

Posted on April 01, 2014

---

Summer Technology Program

The 2014 summer schedule for the Technology program is now available.

The Lincoln Public Schools Summer Technology Program is provided for students entering grades 5 through 9 in the fall of 2014. The goal of the program is to provide upper elementary and middle level students a fun, exciting, and challenging opportunity to explore their interest in computers and technology. To see the full schedule, see the brochure.

Session Dates for 2014

Posted on April 01, 2014

---

LHS, LNS advance to semis in poetry competition

Lincoln High School and Lincoln North Star High School are both advancing to semifinals of "Louder Than a Bomb Great Plains," a poetry competition.

LHS won both of their preliminary events, while North Star got a second place and a first place to move on in the state championship process. 

Posted on April 01, 2014

---

East wins state speech

Lincoln East High School won the Class A State Speech Championships.

Three individuals also won gold:

• Humorous Interpretation: Trisha Miller
• Persuasive Speaking: Shuowei Qin
• Poetry Interpretation: Prestyn Hartman

Other individual gold medalists from Lincoln Public Schools are:

Lincoln Southwest’s Oral Interpretation of Drama with Margaret Gies, Michael Goberling, Johnna Guernsey, Jala Howard, Edward Welles; and Southwest’s Duet Acting with Hunter Maude and Mattison Merritt.

It is the 13^th straight title for the Spartans. East has finished first or second in every state speech meet but one since it began in 1976.

CLASS A SWEEPSTAKES (From nsaahome.org)
Champion, Runner-Up
2013-Lincoln East, Lincoln Southwest
2012-Lincoln East, Lincoln Southwest
2011-Lincoln East, Millard North
2010-Lincoln East, Millard North
2009-Lincoln East, Millard North
2008-Lincoln East, Millard North
2007-Lincoln East, Bellevue East
2006-Lincoln East, Millard North
2005-Lincoln East, Bellevue East
2004-Lincoln East, Millard North
2003-Lincoln East, Papillion-La Vista
2002-Lincoln East, Papillion-La Vista
2001-Papillion-La Vista, Lincoln East
2000-Lincoln East, Papillion-La Vista
1999-Lincoln East, Papillion-La Vista
1998-Lincoln East, Papillion-La Vista
1997-Millard South, Lincoln East
1996-Millard North, Lincoln East
1995-Lincoln East, Millard North
1994-Papillion-La Vista, Lincoln East
1993-Millard North, Lincoln East
1992-Papillion-La Vista, Millard North
1991-Lincoln East, Papillion-La Vista
1990-Lincoln East, Papillion-La Vista
1989-Lincoln East, Norfolk
1988-Lincoln East, Millard North
1987-Creighton Preparatory, Lincoln East
1986-Lincoln East, Millard North
1985-Lincoln East, Millard North
1984-Lincoln East, Millard North
1983-Lincoln East, Lincoln High
1982-Lincoln East, Norfolk
1981-(AA) Norfolk, Lincoln East
1981-(A) Gering, York
1980-Lincoln East, Norfolk
1979-Lincoln East, Lexington
1978-Lincoln East, Seward
1977-Lincoln East, Seward
1976-Lincoln East, Bellevue

Posted on March 31, 2014

---

Sister inspires brother to educate friends on syndrome

Bennett, a third-grade student at Adams Elementary School, shared valuable information with his fellow students about Down syndrome last October for the 2013 Capital City Step Up for Down Syndrome walk at Antelope Park.

Bennett is an "expert" on Down syndrome as his Kindergarten sister, Claire, was born with Down syndrome.

Prepared with print and digital resources, Bennett educated his classmates about Down syndrome. He focused on the importance of getting to know a person with Down syndrome because they have the same interests, feelings, and dreams as their peers.

Posted on March 31, 2014

---

---

---

Seven students qualify for state geography bee

The Nebraska state Geography Bee competition will be held on April 4 at the University of Nebraska - Omaha. Seven students have qualified from Lincoln Public Schools.

Ethan Bruha, Irving Middle School

Divith Rajagopal, Lux Middle School

Christian Russert, Mickle Middle School

Colby Slukam, Park Middle School

Lorenzo Catalano, Lefler Middle School

Thomas Casburn, Pound Middle School

Eli Bryan, Goodrich Middle School

Posted on March 27, 2014

---

National School Nurse Day May 7, 2014

May 7th will be deemed National School Nurses Day at the Nebraska Capitol with a proclamation from Gov. Dave Heineman. All proclomations are signed on one day, so the actual signing ceremony will be May 14.

The Proclamation
Whereas, children are the future and, by investing in them today, we are ensuring our world for tomorrow; and

Whereas, all students have a right to have their health needs safely met while in the school setting; and

Whereas, children today face more complex and life-threatening health problems requiring care in school; and

Whereas, school nurses have served a critical role in improving public health and in ensuring student’s academic success for more than 100 years; and

Whereas, school nurses are professional nurses that advance the well-being, academic success, and life-long achievements of all students by serving on the frontlines and providing a critical safety net for our nation’s most fragile children; and

Whereas, school nurses act as a liaison to the school community, parents, and health care providers on behalf of children’s health by promoting wellness and improving health outcomes for our nation’s children; and

Whereas, school nurses support the health and educational success of children and youth by providing access to care when children’s cognitive development is at its peak; and

Whereas, school nurses are members of school-based mental health teams; and

Whereas, school nurses understand the link between health and learning and are in a position to make a positive difference for children every day, therefore be it

Resolved, that the Nebraska School Nurses Association and the National Association of School Nurses celebrates and acknowledges the accomplishments of school nurses everywhere and their efforts of meeting the needs of today’s students by improving the delivery of health care in our schools and offers gratitude for the nation’s school nurses, who contribute to our local communities by helping students stay healthy, in school, and ready to learn, and keeping parents and guardians at work, not just on this National School Nurse Day, but at every opportunity throughout the year.

Now, THEREFORE, I (Name), Governor of (State), do hereby proclaim May 7, 2014, as “School Nurse Day” in (State), and commend its observance to all citizens.

Posted on March 27, 2014

---

---

20th Annual Multicultural Leadership Institute: The Emotions of Cultural Proficiency

20th Annual Multicultural Leadership Institute
“The Emotions of Cultural Proficiency”
Wednesday – May 28, 2014 at Southwest High School

2 Recurrent Sessions

AM Session 8:00-11:30
PM Session 12:30-4:00
Registration
An A.M. and P.M. session will be offered, please register for ONE session only.

IF APPROVED BY PRINCIPAL OR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR, 3.5 HOURS OF DISTRICT FLEX OR BUILDING FLEX CAN BE OFFERED. 1.4 PROFESSIONAL GROWTH POINTS WILL ALSO BE GIVEN.

Register online through the Lincoln Public Schools staff development website.

Registration ends on May 9th.

Questions?
Please contact Lameakia Collier (lcollie@lps.org) in the LPS Multicultural Department. Her phone number is 402-436-1605.

Our Speaker
?Lee Mun Wah

Lee Mun Wah is an internationally renowned Chinese American documentary filmmaker, author, poet, Asian folkteller, educator, community therapist and master diversity trainer. For more than 25 years he was a resource specialist and counselor in the San Francisco Unified School District. He later became a consultant to private schools, working with students that had severe learning and behavioral issues.

Mun Wah is now the Executive Director of Stirfry Seminars & Consulting, a diversity training company that provides educational tools and workshops on issues pertaining to cross-cultural communication and awareness, mindful facilitation, and conflict mediation techniques. Thousands of people from government and social service agencies, corporations and educational institutions have taken Lee Mun Wah’s workshops and partnered with Stirfry Seminars & Consulting on their diversity initiatives.

His first film, Stolen Ground, about the experience of Asian Americans, won honorable mention at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and his most famous film about racism, The Color of Fear, won the Gold Medal for Best Social Studies Documentary. Part Two of this film, Walking Each Other Home, won the Cindy Competition Silver Medal for Social Science. In 1995, Oprah Winfrey did a one-hour special on Lee Mun Wah’s life and work that was seen by over 15 million viewers internationally.

In 2005, Lee Mun Wah directed and produced the film, Last Chance for Eden, a three-part documentary on sexism and racism. His newest book, Let’s Get Real- What People of Color Can’t Say & Whites Won’t Ask About Racism, was released in 2011, and in 2013 he will be releasing his latest film, If These Halls Could Talk, a documentary that focuses on college students and their dialogue about race and racism, as well as other diversity issues, in higher education.

It is Lee Mun Wah’s belief that we cannot wait until tomorrow for some charismatic leader to appear who will bring us all together. We each must take a stand and personally participate in this important journey of confronting our fears and beginning a conversation not only with those we love but also with those we have been taught to fear. We cannot continue being separate and unequal without there being a cost to each and every generation. Our survival and the very future of our children depend on all of us embracing our differences as well as our mutuality. If we can accomplish this in our lifetime, we can then look back and know that we have found a way to live together authentically and harmoniously, using and honoring all of our gifts and special contributions. To Lee Mun Wah, that is the true meaning of multiculturalism.

Posted on March 27, 2014

---

Red Cross has emergency apps available

The American Red Cross has apps available in iTunes or Google Play for emergency situations. For more information, search American Red Cross in the app store of your choice.

Posted on March 27, 2014

---

Vision for digital learning classrooms at LPS takes shape

The Lincoln Board of Education met for a work session and a regular meeting on Tuesday, March 25, at Lincoln Public Schools District Office, 5905 O St. The next regular meeting for the Board is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8.

Highlights of Board of Education’s work session

Technology Plan highlights

This school year the vision for digital learning classrooms for Lincoln Public Schools is beginning to take shape, according to an update on the LPS Technology Plan presented to the Lincoln Board of Education Tuesday.

“We feel very strongly, we’re confident in our approach, that we are letting instruction drive what digital conversion needs to look like in our classrooms,” said Jane Stavem, associate superintendent for Instruction at LPS.

Kirk Langer, director of Technology at LPS, described the many steps and stages that were started – and in some cases finished – during this school year in what has been titled the CLASS Action Plan (CLASS: Connected Learning Achievement Students Staff).

Those include projects such as:

• Laptops for teachers (in addition during this conversion, LPS moved 6.24 million files into a private LPS “Cloud”)
• Web conferencing software
• New Student Information System/Synergy
• Program Evaluation Software
• Online Assessment System
• Instructional Technology Specialist
• Instructional Technology Coaches/2 (advertising now)
• System Support Specialists/5
• Digital Learning Environment Pilot
• Wireless Upgrades
• Fiber Construction for Science, and Arts and Humanities focus programs, Seacrest and Copple Athletic Center

Langer also explained what he sees as three major recommendations for use of bond issue funds related to technology:

• Increase the capacity of the fiber network to ensure timely delivery of curriculum content to all district locations, and support anywhere/anytime use of collaborative and creative software environments.
• Upgrade the wireless network infrastructure in every classroom and instructional space.
• Provide every classroom with infrastructure essential to create a learning environment that supports interaction with digital curriculum content.

Langer said the approach is sensible and efficient, summing it up this way: “Technology-ready classrooms: Infrastructure is the stuff in the ceilings and the walls.”

Construction work inside the first two groups of schools that will receive technology infrastructure will begin late this spring – and be completed before the new school year begins this fall. The technology projects in all schools will be completed by the beginning of the 2015-16 school year.

Digital math program

Langer is also recommending that the school district conduct a pilot program for a digital mathematics program in one middle school during the 2014-15 school year with every student in mathematics – grades 6-8 – excluding algebra. (Algebra is excluded because the algebra program was implemented in 2010-2011, and is the same as the high school program).

“We would like to bring the digital classroom into reality,” said Matt Larson, curriculum specialist for mathematics at LPS, “as we plan on middle level math curriculum delivered digitally…This is about high quality instruction, first and foremost, and technology is a tool to provide it.”

Larson explained that two conditions are converging in the next few years: The current middle school math curriculum and textbooks are aging dramatically – and the LPS student population is growing with significantly large numbers of students moving into middle school.

A Middle Level Math Study Review Committee has started reviewing publishers of digital math curriculum – and will make recommendations for the top choice in April. The selection of curriculum will guide the selection of personal devices that will be purchased for delivering lessons.

By doing this in one building with all students will allow LPS to realistically evaluate the curriculum, Larson said, as well as evaluate the issues surrounding the implementation – such as teacher workload and professional development, infrastructure, necessary support and devices – and what it would take to move beyond the pilot and scale the program district-wide.

Final selection of the middle school for the pilot has not been made, but factors will include: Building readiness, building leadership, size and demographics of middle school, willingness to take on technology, current use and enthusiasm for technology.

Highlights of Board of Education’s regular meeting

Summer School 2014

Lincoln Public Schools Summer School 2014 will look much like last year with some minor changes, Jane Stavem, associate superintendent for Instruction, told the Board in an informational report.

Highlights:

• The six-week high school session will again be held at Lincoln North Star High School from May 29-July 10, and offer general education, English Language Learner and Special Education classes.
• Summer school courses will cost $65 for 2.5 credit hours - $130 for 5 credit hours – with free opportunities for students in need. There is no tuition for LPS special education students participating in special education courses.
• Preschool classroom-based programs will take place at four elementary schools this year, an increase of one school over last year, with one classroom operating throughout the summer for children who receive continuous services.
• LPS will offer two-week Read Ahead! Programs for K-5 students at four sites (instead of three) across the school district.
• Summer elementary literacy/numeracy programs will be offered at multiple sites in the school district.
• LPS will offer middle school instrumental and vocal music camps – and an elementary vocal music camp.
• A limited summer technology program will be held for elementary and middle school students.

Update on LPS/SCC Career Center Board

Lincoln Board of Education member Richard Meginnis gave an update on the new joint Board – with LPS and Southeast Community College – governing the developing High School Career Center

The inter-local Board convened last week and will govern development and operation of the new High School Career Center. The Board will continue to meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.

The Board includes: Jack Huck and Dale Kruse, representing SCC; and LPS Superintendent Steve Joel and Meginnis, representing LPS.

Major decisions from the inter-local Board meeting from last week:

• The Board voted to move ahead to find and hire an administrator to lead the new Career Center. The search will begin this spring with a plan of hiring the administrator by summer.

• The Board considered the name of the new Career Center and talked about the possible title of Capital Career Academy. LPS and SCC communications officials will work toward name proposals for the next meeting.

• The Board approved plans and specifications, construction costs, construction schedule and initial construction budget for the Career Center. The Board voted to establish a construction fund, operating fund, operating budget development and insurance plans.

Superintendent Update

LPS Superintendent Steve Joel highlighted the recent recognition events for teachers and staff in the school district, from the board meeting resolutions to the ‘Thank You Teacher’ event earlier this month.

“It was just so neat to be able to acknowledge some of the great work of our professionals. We truly have some very, very talented people who work for LPS. It’s why we are a successful school district. We are able to attract great talent, and develop great talent, and retain great talent. They view their work as a mission, and not just a job.”

In preparing for technology upgrades, Joel said the school district has learned from many schools across the country about what has worked, and what hasn’t. He said although there will be bugs, there is a lot of positive anticipation in the school district on moving away from print and toward digital content.

Board Recognition

The Board recognized:

* Alicia Davis, a mathematics teacher at Scott Middle School; and Katie Soto, a mathematics teacher at Lincoln Southeast High School, for Professional Teaching Standards National Board Certification.

* Troy Baker, a psychologist at Cavett Elementary School and Pound Middle School, for the honor of Nebraska School Psychologist of the Year.

* Karen Saunders, curriculum specialist for Elementary Reading and Language Arts, for receiving the Nebraska State Reading Association’s Distinguished Educator of Reading Award.

 

 

Posted on March 25, 2014

---

---

---

Local center offers tips on spotting gambling problems

A note from the Choices Treatment Center in Lincoln:

March Madness is now one of the biggest gambling events of the year. Filling the brackets and betting on sports may seem harmless, but can lead to problem gambling. For Nebraskans who do choose to play, it's important to know what is legal and set limits on time and money spent. When individuals spend more time gambling, playing to relieve stress, lie about gambling, or borrow from others to play, they are engaging in problem gambling.

More than 55,000 Nebraskas along with their families or concerned others will be affected by this disorder. Governor Heineman signed a proclamation on February 12, 2014, declaring that March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month in Nebraska, so that information about this issue will be spread throughout the state. More information can be obtained at www.nebraskacouncil.com or the local 24 hour help line - 402.476.2300.

For more information, visit www.choicestreatmentcenter.com.

Posted on March 19, 2014

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Art and Storytelling: Jordan Buschur at Elliott Elementary

Re-published with permission from the Lincoln Arts Council

The month of February was an exciting one for 1^st and 3^rd graders at Elliott Elementary School. With funding from the Nebraska Arts Council, AmeriCorps members at the Lincoln Arts Council were able to bring Jordan Buschur, local artist and teacher, to Elliott to teach bookmaking. 

During the 3-week residency, more than 100 students learned the technique of folding an accordion-style book, wrote and illustrated their own story about an animal, and created hard covers for their book with mat board and decorative paper. Third graders also learned how to make a book with a spine. The students at Elliott were thrilled to meet a “real live artist” and had fun inventing fantasy stories to tell and illustrate, including a cat and a pig that move to the moon, a cheetah who fights a dragon, and a snake who has an adventure. For many of the students, this was their first chance to explore the process of story development, and they practiced a new vocabulary word: “pagination.” During the final session, several students mentioned wanting to teach their siblings the bookmaking process that they learned with Jordan – one first grader proclaimed “I know how to do something my big brother doesn’t!”

On the final day of the residency, the Lincoln Arts Council hosted a reception to display all the books created, and families and friends came to see and appreciate the hard work that these students did. Many thanks to the Nebraska Arts Council, Elliott Elementary School, and the AmeriCorps program for making this program possible for these Elliott students. A special thank you to Elliott Art Specialist Benjamin Jochum and LPS Art Curriculum Supervisor Lorinda Rice for helping coordinate the details and make this residency a success and a pleasure for everyone involved. 

Photos from Jordan Buschur’s residency at Elliott Elementary School can be found on the Lincoln Arts Council’s Flickr page.  A video of the residency is also in the works. Lincoln Arts Council AmeriCorps members are looking forward to their next artist residency of the year – artist Janine Copple will be teaching printmaking at Everett Elementary in mid-April.

Posted on March 04, 2014

---