Hershey Public School Newsletter

Hershey Public School | Hershey, Nebraska

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August 2009

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year at Hershey Public School. I am anxious for the school year to begin. I am looking forward to a great year serving as the Superintendent of Hershey Public Schools.

I want to welcome the following new staff members to Hershey Public School. Jeremy Thomas will be teaching business. Jeremy graduated from Wichita State and is in the transition to teaching program at UNK. Kassandra Epke is a recent graduate of Chadron State College and will be our new science teacher. Brendan Calahan graduated from the University of Nebraska – Omaha and will be teaching in the social science area. Staci Gilmore graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and has been teaching elementary in Curtis, and will be teaching fifth grade.

Our monthly newsletter will be available on our school website at www.hpspanthers.org. If you would prefer to receive a hardcopy of the newsletter please call Merle at 368-5574 informing her of your mailing address and we will continue to send you a paper copy. The student handbook will be available on our website rather than in paper form unless requested by a student or parent. I am hoping that this change will make our newsletter and handbooks more readily available to you and also save cases of paper.

We are in the final stages of our geothermal project. The old boilers have been removed, a well dug and new air and heat units placed in each room. The project will not be totally completed when school starts. I have been informed by Trane that we will not have interruptions during the school day. Patience will be very beneficial as we complete this worthwhile air quality and energy efficiency project.

The facility survey explanation letter and return postcards were sent out in June and have been very slow coming back in. We mailed out approximately 775 explanation letters with a blue postage paid return postcard seeking your opinions on future building needs at Hershey School. The community facilities committee and school board felt that it was crucial to get the opinions of patrons of our school district as to the future facility needs in our school district. We have received 187 cards back which is a 24.1% total return. The school board has been informed of every comment made by the patrons who returned cards. Please make every attempt to return your card so your voice can be heard. If you have misplaced your blue postcard simply call the school and we will send you another postcard.

I want to explain a few things about the option enrollment program and how Hershey Schools handle option requests. Option requests and class sizes are acted upon by the school board. If we have an option request that would put us over the class size limit and would cause us to add another staff member the request is denied. Some area schools go into North Platte to pickup option students. We do not feel that it is professional to travel into another school district to transport option students. Option students may meet a school bus at the farthest pickup place that our bus travels if space is available. We are paid in our state aid the approximate per pupil cost for the option students. Our option reimbursement for the 2009-10 school year is $744,201.44. We have 123 students opting into the district and 30 students opting out of our district for a net of 93 students. If we did not take any option students we would lose the state aid amount and we would not be able to make enough reductions to come close to making up that amount so taxes would need to be increased.

Have a great month and feel free to stop by my office or give me a call if you have any questions or comments.

Educationally,

Michael J. Cunning, Ed.D.

Superintendent

News from the High School:

The high school secretary, Mrs. Walz, just asked me why Jimmy keeps cracking corn if no one cares. This could be a long year! We want to extend a special welcome to all of our students. It's the goal of our staff each year to make the educational experience at Hershey better than the previous year and you have our promise that we will work hard to offer all our students the best possible education.

Each family with students in school will have access to a Student Handbook on the school webpage. To be informed of the behavioral expectations the school holds for all students it is important that students and parents take the time to read through the Student Handbook and keep it available for future reference. Because students generally return to school with a very positive outlook we have a minimal amount of discipline problems at the beginning of the year. One area that becomes an immediate concern however is dress code violations. To improve the educational atmosphere at school the Hershey Board of Education has approved some changes to the dress code. The dress code now reads as follows:

Student Appearance: Students at Hershey Public Schools are expected to dress in a way that is appropriate for the school setting. Students should not dress in a manner that is dangerous to the health and safety of anyone or interferes with the learning environment or teaching process in our school. The following is a list of examples of attire that will not be considered appropriate. This list is not exclusive. Other forms of attire reasonably determined by a teacher or administrator to be a distraction from the educational atmosphere may be deemed inappropriate:

Clothing that shows an inappropriate amount of bare skin or undergarments (midriffs, spaghetti straps, sagging pants) or clothing that is too tight, revealing or baggy, or tops and bottoms that do not overlap or any material that is sheer or lightweight enough to be seen through, or otherwise of an appropriate size and fit so as to be revealing.
Shorts and skirts that do not reach mid-thigh when the student is standing.
All shirts must fit well in the arm pit area, and not have a plunging neckline.
Clothing, tattoos or jewelry that advertises or promotes beer, alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.
Clothing or jewelry that could be used as a weapon (chains, spiked apparel) or that would encourage “horse-play” or that would damage property (e.g. cleats).
Head wear including hats, caps, bandannas, and scarves.
Clothing or jewelry or tattoos which exhibits nudity, makes sexual references or carries lewd, indecent, vulgar, or double meaning.
Clothing, tattoos or jewelry that is gang related.
No pierced jewelry, other than earrings in the ear and inconspicuous nose studs may be worn at school.
Clothing usually worn as undergarments shall not be worn as outer garments.
Clothing that is characteristic of a costume or is considered unusual and normally not worn during the school day is prohibited unless approved beforehand by the administration.
Pajama bottoms, bathrobes and slippers shall not be worn. Shoes must be worn at all times.

Consideration will be made for students who wear special clothing as required by religious beliefs, disability regarding, or to convey a particularized message protected by law. The final decision attire and grooming will be made by the Principal or Superintendent. In the event a student is uncertain as to whether a particular item or method of grooming is consistent with the school’s guidelines, the student should contact the Principal for approval, and may also review such additional posting of prohibited items or grooming which may be available in the Principal’s office.

We ask parents for support and assistance in enforcing these changes. Parents are also reminded that shot records should be updated by the start of school and that 7^th grade physicals are to be completed and delivered to the high school office.

The halls are a mess right now as crews are working tirelessly to get the new geothermal heating and air conditioning system up and running. Improved temperature control, greater efficiency, and cleaner air are the goals. With concerns about the spread of the H1N1 virus the timing for this improvement couldn’t be better. The first three year cycle for the student laptop computers ended in May; students will be given new laptops on August 20^th, at 7:00 PM to start the school year. We are pleased to welcome new members to our teaching staff, Ms. Cassandra Epke in science, Mr. Brendan Calahan in social studies and Mr. Jeremy Thomas in business.

We are all looking forward to a great year and if you see Jimmy cracking corn tell them that Pat says it’s really not necessary.

NEWS FROM THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL:

Welcome back! The summer is over and it’s time to get back to the routine of the school year. I always look forward to the start of a new school year. Both staff and students come back refreshed and eager to take on the challenges that always accompany a new year.

On the elementary side of the building, we welcome to the staff Mrs. Staci Gilmore who will be teaching 5^th and 6^th grade social studies. Mrs. Gilmore brings 7 years of teaching and coaching experience with her to Hershey. Also new to the staff is Mrs. Shawna Naranjo who will be serving as a Para-educator in the special education department.

I encourage all parents and patrons to attend the elementary Open House scheduled for Wednesday, August 19, 2009 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The 5^th and 6^th grade will begin in the old gym with an explanation of the departmentalization format that is used in those grades. All students are asked to bring their new school supplies that evening so everything will be ready to go for the opening day on Thursday, August 20, 2009. It will also be a good time to meet your child’s new teacher and see the classroom.

You are always encouraged to stop by the office anytime if you have a question, a concern or to let us know what you like (we need to know that too so it can be continued and promoted). It is good for the system to keep the line of communication open in order to serve the students, parents and patrons of the district.

Educationally Yours,

Thomas M. Hain,

Elementary Principal

SUBSTITUTES

From time to time substitutes are needed to take the place of staff members who are unable to report to work due to illness, funerals, etc. If you would like to have your name on our substitute lists, please contact the school office at 308-368-5572. Substitutes are needed in the following positions: Teachers, Para-educators (teacher aides), kitchen help and custodians.

SAFETY PATROL

During the first couple weeks of the school year, the 5^th and 6^th grade students will be asked to serve on the school’s Safety Patrol. This group is responsible for the safe crossing of students across the highway west of the school. Students who are interested in being a member of the Safety Patrol must be committed to being on time, able to follow rules and procedures, show leadership, and willing to serve the entire school year. If interested in serving, students need to contact Mr. Hain.

Parents are asked to visit with their child and encourage them to be part of this vital group. By being on the Safety Patrol, students will develop leadership skills, responsibility, and a sense of pride and worth in volunteering their time to helping others.

The Safety Patrol needs members to work before and after school. Students who ride the bus after school can serve on the patrol in the afternoon and still catch their bus ride home.

OPEN HOUSE

On Wednesday, August 19, 2009, Hershey Elementary School will be hosting a grades K-6 Open House. The Open House will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to come and see the classrooms as well as meet and visit with the teachers. Parents of 5^th and 6^th grade students are asked to come to the old gym at 6:30 for an explanation of the departmentalized format that will be used with those grade levels. After that, and for the other grade levels, there will be no formal program or time limits in any room, so come and go as your time allows. This format will allow patrons to visit as many rooms as they wish.

TITLE 1 ANNUAL MEETING

The Title 1 Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 in the elementary library beginning at 7:00 p.m. Parents and students involved in the Title 1 program are encouraged to attend. Information about the Title 1 program will be shared.

DESTINATION IMAGINATION

Students in grade 3 and above who are interested in participating in Destination ImagiNation are asked to sign up in the elementary office. An organizational meeting will be held sometime in September to get the program off and running.

DI is a community-based, school friendly program where young people take what they know and what they do well and learn to apply it to solve Challenges. They work cooperatively on a team and push the limits of imagination to best not their competition, but themselves.

In the last two years, the DI teams competed very well at the local and state levels. Hopefully a tradition has begun and more students will get involved in this program.

Mrs. Deb Pederson will once again be coordinating the program and she is in need of parent volunteers to become team managers to help with the student teams. If you want a rewarding and lasting experience, please consider becoming a team manager.

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FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING

Students in grades 5 and 6 will have an opportunity to participate in the Future Problem Solving program again this year. The FPS program is designed as a way of helping capable students think more creatively and productively about critical issues. Mrs. Ransdell will again serve as leader for this program. Fifth and sixth grade students interested in joining a FPS team can sign up in the office or with their classroom teachers.

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ACCELERATED READER – DOG TAG PROGRAM

The AR Dog Tag incentive program will continue this year for all K-6 students. Students in grades K-3 receive AR certificates at every 10 point increments (up to 40 points) by reading and passing a comprehension test on AR library books.

Beginning at 4^th grade (and any younger student who has earned the points), students who accumulate 50 points will receive a dog tag. From then on, each additional increment of 50 points will result in earning more dog tags.

Points earned last year will carry over to this year. So, students will begin the new school year with the points they accumulated at the end of the last school year.

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