DATES TO REMEMBER:

May 30 - June 1: Elementary Basketball Camp June 6-9: HS Basketball Camp June 23: Mead Team BBall Camp July 10-14: Volleyball Camp July 18-20: Football Camp August 7: Kindergarten Round Up August 16: First Day of School

Inside this issue:

Community Service 5

Mead Days 9

Messenger 11

2017-2018 Calendar 15

FFA 10

Citizenship 4

BOE Meeting Minutes 6

Supply List 7

From the Superintendents Desk

SENIORS GRADUATED ON MAY 13: Fifteen Seniors walked through the gymnasium for the last time as students of Mead Public Schools on Saturday May 13 and left as alumni of the Mead School District. They will take their places in the world as students and members of the work force. Members of the graduating class will be supported in their future endeavors by the gen-erous contributions of friends, family and notably the Mead Educational Foundation. The total scholarships earned by the Class of 2017 were $467,035. Thanks are offered to all members of the community and elsewhere for their support of the students and school district in this way. 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR ENDS: The 2016-17 school year ended for students on Wednesday May 24. Following teacher workday activities and closing down classrooms, teachers finished their duties on May 25. The building office will be open during June and the district office will be open dur-ing normal business hours throughout the summer. Since vacation schedules can result in the office being closed on some days, please feel free to call 402.624.2745 prior to coming to the office to ensure someone will be available. Hope for a safe, restful and enjoyable summer is offered to all. 2017-18 SCHOOL YEAR WILL BEGIN AUGUST 16: Classes for students will begin on Wednesday August 16. The first day classes will dis-miss at 11:30 and no lunch will be provided. Full school days begin on Thursday Au-gust 17. CHILD FIND NOTIFICATION: The Mead Public Schools requests your help in locating handicapped children. The schools implement the Federal Handicapped Children's Act (PL-94-142), which guaran-tees a free appropriate educational program for all children between the ages of 0 and 21 years. If you have a student or know of any young person with special needs between 0-21 years of age who is not enrolled in an appropriate educational program, please call (402) 624-6465, or write to Mead Public Schools Attn: Special Education Services, P O Box 158, Mead, Nebraska 68041. SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORD RETENTION/DESTRUCTION NOTIFICA-TION: The Special Education/Speech-Language Department of Mead Public Schools has rec-ords on file for students that no longer receive services. We are required to keep records for five years past the last service date. These records are no longer necessary to provide services and the district wishes to destroy these records. If you are or had a student that received services prior to August 2008 and would like to have the special education stu-dent records sent to you, please contact Mead Public Schools not later than August 1, 2016 at 115 North Elm, P .O. Box 158, Mead, NE 68041; or call and leave a message with the secretary indicating your name, the student’s name and a current mailing ad-dress. If we do not hear from you prior to August 1, the district will destroy these rec-ords. Dr. Dale V. Rawson, Superintendent

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Newsletter

Raider News

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As you may know, Mead Public Schools maintains accreditation through an organization called AdvancED. Ad-vancED requires member schools to participate in a continuous improvement process that works on a five-year cycle. The cycle culminates in an external-team visit in which educators trained by AdvancED do an on-site evaluation of a school and the education in provides. Each school receives a Improvement Priority from their external team, and the school provides progress report two years after receipt of the Improvement Priority. The following information is taken from an update provided to AdvancED to show the progress Mead has made on its Improvement Priority: “Developing, aligning, and implementing a Response to Intervention (RtI) process through staff development.”

After receiving the current Improvement Priority (IP), school improvement and elementary faculty meetings revealed a need for better data use in regard to the RtI process. Thus, the goal of using data to better inform the RtI process was established. One of the first steps to using data involved the universal screening procedures that are common to the RtI process. Early data meetings, which were guided by Dr. Kelly Georgius of Educational Service Unit #2, were dedicat-ed to deciding what data to use for screening purposes and how to record it. Data from the Northwest Evaluation Asso-ciation’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments was regarded as appropriate screening data for reading, math, and language, the Nebraska State Accountability (NeSA) assessment data for reading and math. When MAP or NeSA data suggests elementary students may struggle in reading, the Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) is administered to provide another data point and to monitor progress. The elementary reading and language program (Reading Mastery) is data-driven, which provides teachers with excellent progress monitoring data as well as some diagnostic data.

Elementary teachers quickly realized that such data would be more efficiently analyzed if recorded in a single docu-ment. With guidance from Dr. Georgius, teachers created a spreadsheet to track student data. That document came to be known as the “data dashboard.” Teachers also had to determine the cut scores to identify the risk level of students. The data dashboard became the at-a-glance reference sheet for data meetings. In conjunction with the data collection, each class has an “RtI” tab as part of the spreadsheet. This tab houses information about interventions and who is to implement them.

A data dashboard has also been constructed for grades 7-12. This dashboard includes NeSA, MAP, and ACT data. Like the elementary dashboard, it included sub-scores for the tests. For example, MAP math includes a score for Num-ber Sense, Geometry and Measurement, Algebraic Concepts, and Data Analysis and Probability. A next-step for the 7-12 data is the addition of cut scores and formatted cells that use color to indicate performance levels for students. This method allows teachers to quickly identify students who have difficulties in one or more of the goal strands included in the data. An RtI tab similar to that of the elementary also needs to be applied to grades 7-12. A section of the data dashboard, with students names removed from the tabs, is included as an attachment.

Student Learning Objectives (SLO) were implemented for the first time in 2016-17 to better familiarize all teachers with data-driven decision making. Each teacher was required to submit a semester-long SLO for administrative ap-proval. Teachers had considerable freedom to design an SLO, but they were required to establish growth-targets based on pretest data, check student progress at least once per semester, posttest students, and reflect on the process.

Part of the RtI structure is to provide high-quality instruction to all students, with the basic goal that roughly 80% of students will succeed without additional interventions. To provide effective Tier 1 instruction, the School Improvement Leadership Team (SILT) focused professional development for 2015-16 and 2016-17 on the high-yield instructional strategies supported by Robert Marzano’s work. SILT created a schedule to educate all teachers about the strategies and require that they be used in classrooms. The schedule was built around the district’s inservice schedule. Inservice time is scheduled nearly every month, and alternates between full days and two-hour early dismissals.

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Principal’s Point of View

AdvancED Progress Report

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The following are representative of the monthly expectations placed on teachers during the 2015-16 school year:

ESU 2 will provide instruction for Identifying Similarities and Differences on August 17

1st Segment, August 17/18-September 18(21 Days, ~4 Weeks)

Use strategy 3 times before September 18

Include strategy on Planbook lesson plan

Prefer once per week, not 3 times in last 3 days!

Write brief reflection each time strategy is used.

Basically, each segment began with training from Dr. Georgius, who returned to meet individually with teachers for planning or observation purposes during the professional development segment. Minutes from an August 2016 SILT meeting state, “Discussion of Tier 1 instructional strategies focused on continued use of high-yield (Marzano) instruc-tional strategies. SILT believes continued support of these strategies is the best way to build instructional capacity. The team believes a next step for teachers is to become more intentional in the use of reflection to influence lesson planning. The concern is that teachers often reflect on what they might do differently in lessons, but rarely make actual changes. SILT also believes the Generalization step of GANAGA is difficult for most teachers. Time to discuss and share strate-gies would build instructional capacity.” As a result, a schedule similar to that of 2015-16 was created for 2016-17, with a few additions. To encourage teachers to be more reflective and collegial, they were assigned to small groups of four or five teachers. During each professional development segment, teachers were required to write a reflection and share it with their small group. On the next inservice date, small groups met to discuss their reflections, including any changes they would make to the lesson in the future. For every two segments, teachers were also required to video record their use of the assigned strategy and view the video before writing the reflection.

In another effort to provide high-quality Tier 1 instruction, the core math program at the elementary was replaced. The replacement occurred earlier than planned by the District’s schedule to review curriculum and instructional resources. The early review was a result of Nebraska’s most recent iteration of the state math standards. After their preliminary examinations of the new standards, elementary teachers expressed concern that the core math program in place at the time would not provide students with adequate opportunity to learn the new standards. Teachers felt so strongly about this that they recommended the early search for a new core program. This program ranked well in Number Sense, which is an academic focus for school improvement.

SILT also recognized the need to better systematize the use of Tier 2 interventions, especially for K-6 math. Elementary reading interventions were more systematic because of the involvement with consultants from the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). During early data team meetings with Dr. Georgius, K-6 faculty discussed the Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention process. Tier 2 interventions would be administered to students identified as needing some extra time and support.

As we stated at the beginning of this narrative, we realize we have plenty of work to do regarding our Improvement Priority. We feel we have made significant progress and have made the IP an integral part of our improvement process.

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The students in the elementary building are being recognized for random acts of good citizenship. Citizenship is based on the characteristics of scholarship, responsibility, leadership, and respect of peers and staff. At the end of each month, students who most consistently display good citizenship are given a certificate. The recipients of the citizenship award for the month of May are Myles Anderson, Noah Heinen, Olivia Lee, Jersey O'Brien, Leigha Divoll, Kember Mittan, Jacie Brabec, Ethan Engelmeyer, Eva Georgoulopoulos, and Randal Steinbach.

Elementary Citizenship

Elementary Student Council News

SUMMER CHALLENGES

The Elementary Student Council is challenging students to collect Box Tops over the Summer. Put your Box Tops in a baggie, label with your student name and grade for the Fall 2017. Students that return Box Tops will be entered into a drawing for a $10 Gift card to Dairy Queen for each 10 Box Tops returned. Return your Box Tops by Friday, August 25, 2017. Top Collector in each class will receive an ice cream cone at lunch.

Thank you for your support by submitting Box Tops for Education and the UPC codes from the Campbell Soup labels. The Campbell’s Soup program is being discontinued. As long as the UPC codes include the point value they can be accepted.

Remember, collect pop tabs for the Omaha Ronald McDonald House over the summer. That competition goes all school year long.

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Community Service Project Staci Charles recently received grant money from Thrivent Financial to fund a service project. She teamed up with the High School Advanced Ag Studies Class to improve the park shed. The students in the class did ALL the work. Thrivent provided the shirts and $250.00 seed money. Mead Days picked up the rest of the expense as the Ball Associa-tion uses the shed for equipment storage.

School Physical Information for the 2017-2018 School Year. Nebraska Law requires a physical examination prior to entrance into kindergarten, 7th grade, and all students transferring into the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) also requires a sport physical prior to participation in any NSAA spon-sored activity. Sport physicals performed anytime after May 1, 2016 will cover the entire 2016-2017 school year. Saunders Medical Center/Ashland Family Clinic will be providing spor ts physicals for a fee of $25.00. (After August 1st the fee will go to $40.00) Sports physicals are able to be scheduled during office hours Monday thru Friday. Please call SMC at 402-443-4191 or the Ashland Family Clinic at 402-944-2201 to schedule an appointment. Fremont Health will provide a FREE Pre-Participation sports screenings for student entering 9-12 grades on June 6th and 7th from 5:30-8:30 pm. Mead’s official time is 5:45 pm on June 6th. Each of these facilities require a Sports Physical Consent Form signed by a parent or guardian prior to the physical. Both a physical form and the Physical Consent Form can be obtained from either school office or on line at www.meadpublicschools.org. (Click on “Forms” and “Pre-participation Sports Physical Form”)

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Congratulations to the sixth graders on their DARE graduation.

A Regular Meeting of the Board of Education, District 72, Mead Nebraska, was held Monday May 8, 2017 in the Jr.-Sr. High IMC. President Kuhr called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The following board members were present: Nate Mongan, Janeen Felty, Kevin Hough, Stephanie Langemeier, Rich Kuhr and Brenda Halbmaier. The following is a condensed version of the minutes. A complete copy is available for inspection in the Mead Ele-mentary Office. Mr. Battiato of Youth Service System, introduced himself to the board. Mrs. Engel reported on her Spanish classes. Principal Quinn reported on attendance, graduation, Senior Sneak, Musical, gate admission, NeSA and MAP testing, academic awards night and instructional report. Superintendent Rawson reported on food service, upcoming meetings, Board of Education issues and board policies. The following other action was taken by unanimous vote of members present: approval of the minutes, bills and finan-cial reports; consent agenda with changes, motion to accept the resignation of Esther Parkins with regrets. Recess into closed session for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual with recongniton that such indi-vidual has not requested a public meeting at 7:55 pm, out at 8:05 pm, adopt board policy 5130.2. Motion to approve the revisions to policy 4154.1. Vote 5-yes; 1-no. President Kuhr declared the meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.

Board of Education Meeting Minutes

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Mead Public Schools PO Box 158

115 No Elm St Mead, NE 68041

Phone: 402-624-3435 Fax: 402-624-2069

www.meadpublicschools.org

Summer Weights 6:30 am & 6:30 pm Monday-Wednesday-Friday in June & July

Mead Raider Football Camp July 18-20 HS 8:30 am to 10:30 am; JH 10:30 am to Noon

First Day of Varsity Football Practice is August 7th

Physicals must be turned in prior to the First Practice

Football Questions: Contact Coach Hickman at thickman@esu2.org, On Twitter @MeadRaiderFBall, or through the Mead Raider Football Facebook page

Basketball Team Camp June 6-9 Grades 10-12 (2017-2018) @ 8:15 am to 10:00 am Grades 7-9 (2017-2018) @ 10:00 am to 12:00 am

Neumann JV League—Monday nights in June

Bergan Varsity League—Thursday nights in June

DC West Varsity Camp—Monday, June 5th.

Wahoo JV Camp—Wednesday, June 14th

Wahoo Freshman-Sophomore Camp—Thursday, June 22nd

Yutan-Mead Camp—Friday, June 23rd

Basketball Questions: Contact Coach Quinn at pquinn@esu2.org

NEWSLETTERSUMMER ATHLETIC REMINDERS