If communities want safe schools, they need to be safe communities

"If communities want safe schools, they need to be safe communities." This quote is from Nebraska Commissioner Dr. Roger Breed and gets at the heart of the school safety issue that has received national attention following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. If there are problems in the community those problems will eventually be brought into the school.

Bancroft-Rosalie School has been vigilant about addressing student safety. We have 27 security cameras that record and store video for up to 30 days. All four of the main entrances to the building are recorded as well as stairwells, hallways, the gymnasiums, parking lots and the playground. The system is web-based so the cameras can be viewed from locations outside the school if so desired.

The new entry system has made access during the school day inconvenient for some, but it will help keep "bad guys" out. Our safety committee meets quarterly to discuss safety issues in the school. We have a full-time school nurse and two half-time guidance counselors to address student mental and physical health. We have a good relationship with local law enforcement and Fire and Rescue. School personnel are care about providing a "safe environment for students" as evidenced by including safety in the recent draft of the revised Bancroft-Rosalie School Mission Statement.

But there is still work to be done, particularly regarding student-student relations. With social media, students have found a new way to- "pick on", "give a bad time", "bully"- other students. Many believe that what is done outside of school cannot be addressed by school officials, but they can. For example- if a Facebook posting leads to a disruption in the school, then the poster can be disciplined by the school. We ask that anyone who sees online bullying of our students to print a copy of the posting and give it to the administration. All accusations of bullying will be addressed. Most bullying occurs when adults are not around. In those situations, we need other students to stand up to the bully rather than encouraging them or being a bystander.

What can communities do to make it a safe place?
- Provide adequate law enforcement and Fire and Rescue services.
- Report suspicious behavior to the proper authorities. This includes mental instability or suspected abuse. At Columbine the perpetrators had planned the incident for some time and others knew about it. In Newtown the shooter had mental issues that were not addressed.
- Follow the law. Do not provide alcohol to minors and don't let other drink and drive.
- Support the school. If your own children are involved in an incident, help school officials deal with the problem so that it does not occur again. Don't believe gossip or rumors. When something is brought to our attention, we investigate it and many times the stories are not true or greatly exaggerated.
But most of all set good examples for our students.

  

Latest State Aid estimate

The latest Model for State Aid shows Bancroft-Rosalie receiving $522,378 for 2013-14.
This is a loss of $185,791 from 2012-13.
This reduction will put us back to the 2011-12 amount.
Nice to have that extra $185,000 for one year.

Lunch March Madness Update

The Lunch March Madness student poll is in progress. Today my four top seeded meals are competing.
#1 Hamburger is taking on BBQ Rib, #2 Chicken Fried Steak is barely ahead of Chicken Wrap,
#3 Lasagna is being upset by underdog Stromboli, and #4 Chili and Cinnamon Roll is way ahead of Goulash. Not too late to vote for today's meal match-ups.

Go To:
http://www.bancroft-rosalie.org/vnews/display.v/ART/51486acef3906

Chemistry class commercials

Chemistry students made commercials on household products that are acids or bases. You probably won't drink Powerade again after watching this.

Speech team places 5th at State

Pictures from the state speech meet.
Medalists were-
 Olivia Nottlemann 2nd in Extemp
Brianna Wegner 3rd in Persuasive
Kylita Gomez 6th in Persuasive
Amanda Brummond 6th in Humorous

B-R students receive their Black Belts

Congratulations to three B-R eighth grade students who received their Black Belts in Karate last night. The students are Shannon Johnston of Rosalie, Wyatt Hennig of Rosalie, and Joe Lonewolf of Walthill.

Community Club Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday at the B-R playground

Baseball clinic moved to Saturday April 13

The baseball clinic that was scheduled for this Saturday March 23 has been moved to Saturday April 13 because of the field conditions. The clinic will be run by the high school baseball players from Bancroft-Rosalie, Pender and West Point-Beemer. Proceeds from the clinic will go toward the purchase  of a baseball pitching machine.

State Speech schedule

Students/Staff get chance to vote for favorite lunches

March Madness

The NCAA basketball tournament draws a lot of student interest. The school would like to capitalize on the tournament enthusiasm by having a tournament of School Lunches. Students and Staff will vote on which lunch advances to the next round, to eventually identify the students favorite lunch.

The tournament has 48 lunches served in our school lunch program. The lunches have been divided into four brackets- Sandwiches, Mexican/Italian/Chinese, Chicken/Turkey/Corn, and Miscellaneous.

Each day four "games" will be played- students and staff will vote on their choice for each game on the school website. The winners will advance to the next round.

Top seeds selected by Dr. Cerny are: Hamburger (sandwich), Chicken Fried Steak (Chicken/Turkey/Corn), Chili/Cinnamon (Miscellaneous), and Lasagna (Mexican/Italian/Chinese). 

Recent Research on Programs Of Study in High School

Programs of Study are 2-4 course sequences taken in high school in a particular career field (Industrial Technology, Business, Health Science, Agriculture, Human Services and Education, etc). 

The National Research Center for Career and Technical Education just released results of a study to identify the key components of Programs of Study that support students' transition to college and careers, including whether and how participation affects students. The researchers looked at community colleges and their feeder schools that had well-established Programs of Study. 

Some Findings:

- The number of Program of Study courses taken in high school was significantly related to staying in the same career field in college and to earning a college credential.

- Although the majority of study students did not continue with the same high school Program of Study in college or work, participation did have a positive effect on a variety of high school and college outcomes.

- High school transcript analyses showed a positive relationship between Programs of Study credits, academic credits, and grades, and the majority of students reported that being in a Program of Study made them more motivated to stay in school and better prepared to make choices about college and career.

What this means. 

The fact that students in Programs of Study reported being more motivated in school and ready to make college/career decisions demonstrates the value of promoting Programs of Study to high school students. Although most students did not end up following the same exact same program in college, many chose careers within the same Career field. For example, many of our students that complete the Health Science program at Bancroft-Rosalie and are certified Nurses Assistants do not choose to complete a nursing program, but may pursue Dentistry or Pharmacy instead. 

And there is value in finding out early what it is you want to do, and also what you do not want to do after high school.  

Kindergarten Round-up April 24 at 1:30 pm

Dear Kindergarten Parents or Guardians

The Bancroft-Rosalie Community School Kindergarten Round-up for the next year’s class will be Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 1:30 pm in the Bancroft-Rosalie old gym. You may enter the school from the main doorway.

Kindergarten is open to all students who will be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2013.  Parents are encouraged, but not required, to bring eligible children to Round-up activities.

We need the following on file in the school office:

1.     A completed  “Application for Student Admission” form.

2.     Your child’s birth certificate. (Requirement by State Law)

3.     An up to date “Immunization Record” card. (Requirement by State Law)

4.     A completed physical examination and vision screening.

Students attending the Bancroft-Rosalie Pre-school should already have these on file. We need to update our files if new immunizations were completed during the past year.

 New students should bring the forms to round-up.

Students living in the B-R school district may participate in Kindergarten Round-up even though their parents may not be planning to have them start school next fall or may be sending them to a different school.

Please feel free to call the school if you have any questions about Round-up activities, Bancroft-Rosalie School Office.  648-3336

Preschool Round-up May 2 at 6:00 pm

Bancroft-Rosalie Preschool is holding an application night for 3 and 4 year olds on Thursday, May 2^nd from 6-7pm in the old gym. 

Please bring your child’s birth certificate and immunization records. 

If your child will be 5 before August 1^st, they are not eligible for preschool. If your child will be turning 3 during the school year, we would love to have you come as well, so we can get your child on the waiting list to start after their birthday. 

If you are unable to attend, but wish to fill out an application, please contact the school office at (402)-648-3336.

COPA this Friday night

March Biz Buzz Calendar

Notice that the Good Will trailer will be here March 18-25. Big sellers for them are ugly Christmas Sweater. I have seen a few being worn in the area. Now is a good time to clean out the closet.

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B-R are District Speech Champions, Qualify 13 for state

The Bancroft-Rosalie Speech team won the District championship today, scoring 125 points. Humphrey St. Francis finished second and Humphrey High third. There was tension in the Bancroft-Rosalie Gym when Mrs. Ras walked in to present the speech awards. She kept a straight face, not wishing to reveal how the B-R team had finished. But when Mrs. Bray entered the gym, I knew we had done well.

Individual champions were Olivia Nottlemann in Poetry, Brianna Wegner in Persuasive, Suzanne Ras in Informative, and the OID team of Shelby Ostrand, Kennady Grinvalds, Dylan Slaughter, Suzanne Ras, and Tim Browning.

Other state qualifiers were Olivia Nottlemann- second in Extemporaneous, Kylita Gomez- third in Persuasive, Amanda Brummond- third in Humorous, Jerrica Tietz- third in Poetry, and the OID team of Ian Nottlemann, Ryan Wellman, Jerrica Tietz, Chase Bonsall, and Kylita Gomez.

Other finalists were Kennady Grinvalds- 5th in Extemporaneous, Amanda Brummond- 4th in Serious, Jennifer Marr- 5th in Serious, Shelby Ostrand- 6th in Informative, and Duet Acting of Austin Bruning and Brianna Wegner- 5th.

Administrative Assistant position

Due to retirement, Bancroft-Rosalie School is seeking applications for an Administrative Assistant. Applicants need to have a positive personality and provide friendly services to students, staff, and families. Responsible for clerical support of the Principal, attendance duties, correspondence, data entry of referrals and student information, and other duties as may be requested by principal.

Requirements: Strong people skills, oral/written skills, word processing and data entry skills. Preference will be given to those with strong computer skills and some postsecondary education.

The regular workday shall be: 7:30 am- 4:00 pm. Benefits include single insurance. 

Send letter of application and resume to:

Dr. Jon Cerny, Superintendent, Bancroft-Rosalie School, Box 129, Bancroft, NE. 68004.

Interviews will scheduled the last week in March.  The position will be filled at the April board meeting and will begin work in May. 

School Board summary

The Bancroft-Rosalie Board of Education met Monday, March 11, 2013 
at 7:30 pm in Bancroft.

Superintendent Cerny presented the February transportation report, 
the NRCSA Spring Conference, and Lewis and Clark Conference 
activity hosting rotation. Principal Sjuts presented the winter and 
spring activities summary and spring sports participation.

In old business the Board reviewed bids for a compact tractor.

In new business the board named the Superintendent authorized representative 
for federal, state and local programs, approved a contract with Peters Lawn 
Service, approved a contract with Roxanne Raasch for driver education, and 
accepted the resignations of Vickie Slaughter, Rob Smith, and June Hawk. 
The board reviewed plans for an Academic Wall of Fame and for career field 
completer recognition at graduation.

The board went into executive session to discuss the evaluation and hiring of 
teachers and administrator salaries and benefits. Following executive session, 
the board voted to offer contracts to the teaching staff based on the recommendations 
of the administration and settled negotiations with the administrators for 2013-14.

Wednesday District Speech at B-R: No School

Sunday at the Museum program postponed

The Neihardt Sunday Afternoon at the Museum celebrating Woody Guthrie's life and music has been postponed until Sunday April 7th.
The performers are from Kearney and the storm is supposed to hit there this evening. They did not want to chance bad driving conditions.

School Board Agenda March 11, 2013

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School
Regular Board of Education Meeting Agenda
Monday, March 11, 2013 --- 7:30 p.m. in Bancroft
 1. Call to Order
2. Open Meetings Act
3. Roll Call
4. Read and approve the minutes of the February 11, 2013 Regular Board Meeting.
 5. Treasurer’s Report
 A. Approve the Bills
 B. Financial Review
 6. Review Agenda
7. Public Hearing
 8. Administrator’s Reports:
 A. Superintendent’s Report
 B. Principal’s Report
 9. Old Business:
 A. Purchase of compact tractor
 B. Administrator salary and benefit negotiations
 10. New Business:
 A. Name the Superintendent authorized representative for Federal, State, and Local programs, including Title programs, Special Education, Food Services, NSAA, and Lewis and Clark Conference. B. Accept bids for lawn service.
 C. Approve Academic Record Board Plan. 
D. Approve Career Field Completer Recognition Program
 E. Offer driver education contract to Roxanne Raasch.
 F. Accept the resignations of June Hawk, Rob Smith, and Vickie Slaughter.
 G. Offer continuing employment contracts to teachers based on the recommendation of the administration.
 H.
 11. Discussion Items:
 A.
 12. Executive Session- Evaluation and hiring of teachers.
13. Future Planning- Next scheduled meeting- April 8, 2013 in Bancroft.
14. Adjournment.

Career Field Completer Recognition Program

Last year students that completed the Career Field requirements in Health Science and Human Services-Education received colored honor cords to wear at graduation to recognize their achievement. This year Bancroft-Rosalie is planning to expand the recognition program to include the Career Fields of 1) Skilled and Technical Services, 2) Business, Marketing and Management, and 3) Communication and Information Systems. The Skilled and Technical Services Area includes options for a) Architecture and Construction, b) Manufacturing, and c) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The Communication and Information Systems would have three options for qualifying: a) AudioVisual Technology and Journalism, b) Performing Arts, and c) Visual Arts. Each student will be able to receive only one color cord and must decide which option they would like to be recognized for.

From Norfolk Daily News

Norfolk Public Schools announced this morning that they have hired Dr. Jami Jo Thompson of Beatrice as their new Superintendent.

Bancroft Fire and Rescue Soup Dinner Sunday

The annual Soup Dinner will be held this Sunday starting at 11:00 am in the Bancroft Community Dinner. Soups include Chicken Noodle, Chili, and Arlan Petersen's famous bean soup. It is a free will donation. While in town stop at the Neihardt Historic Site for the "Sunday Afternoon at the Museum" program on Woody Guthrie and his music. The presenter will be playing a few songs. The program is offered free to the public.

ED COMMISSIONER BREED ANNOUNCES JUNE 30 RETIREMENT

From a press release issued by the Nebraska Department of Education. Personal note- Dr. Breed has been an excellent educational leader in his role as Commissioner. I always enjoy listening to him at conferences because he can deliver his message and entertain at the same time through his use of humor. He always takes the time to recognize B-R school board member Naomi Brummond and visit with her. Dr. Breed will be tough to replace. Nebraska Education Commissioner Roger Breed today announced his retirement from public service effective June 30. In an emotional statement, Breed read his letter of resignation to the State Board of Education, saying it has been his “highest professional honor to serve as Commissioner.” “Please know, my retirement at this time is totally driven by my desire to spend more time with my family,” Breed said, smiling as he individually named each of his six grandchildren who live in Missouri. State Board of Education President Pat Timm said Breed’s longtime leadership on behalf of Nebraska students would be greatly missed. “Roger has been a strong leader and advocate for the education of all Nebraska students. Our students and their schools have benefited from his leadership and his focus on student achievement, learning standards and student attendance. His influence has been far-reaching in the areas of school improvement.” As Commissioner, Breed has been committed to improving student achievement and supporting students and schools statewide, overseeing the Nebraska Department of Education and working with the Nebraska Legislature and education policy partners statewide. Breed has served as Nebraska Education Commissioner since October 2008. He led the implementation of statewide reading, mathematics and science tests, established a new state accountability system and worked with the Nebraska court system to address excessive absenteeism in public schools to improve attendance and student achievement.

All-Conference Basketball teams for Lewis and Clark Conference

Congratulations B-R athletes that were selected as All-Conference and Honorable Mention.

Eighth grade Career Day at Northeast Community College Wednesday

The Bancroft-Rosalie 8th grade students just finished researching careers as part of their Life Skills class and now they will go to Northeast Community College for a Career Day. The trip is funded through a grant from Education Quest. The grant application was written by Guidance Counselor Mrs. Ras. At Career Day, the students will take the Caps/Cops/Copes interest survey, which will provide information to students about which careers fields match their current interests. This trip serves two important purposes: to get students thinking about college and thinking about what careers they want to explore. High school students that have personal goals make better decisions regarding classes they take are more motivated in school.

The Legacy of Woody Guthrie this Sunday 2:00 pm at Neihardt Site

Language achievement testing grades 3-8 this week and next

Wednesday 6th grade 1:30- 2:50 (1:32 kind recess, 2:00 1st recess)

Thursday 3rd grade 2:00- 3:18 (2:00 2nd grade recess, 2:25 kind recess)
 7th grade periods 3 and 4 with Mr. Grinvalds
 8th grade periods 5 and 6 with Mr. Grinvalds/Mrs. Nolting)

Friday 5th grade 2:00- 3:18 (2:00 1st grade recess, 2:25 kind recess)

Monday 4th grade 2:25- 3:43 (2:25 2nd grade recess)

Monday- Freshmen to Career Day at Northeast Community College

Bancroft-Rosalie School believes that all students must graduate and be college/career ready. This challenge includes providing opportunities for students to visit college campuses and explore different career pathways.

 Monday the 9th grade will attend Career Day at Northeast Community College. The day starts at 9:30 am and ends at 1:50 pm. Lunch will be at Godfather's.

Each student will attend six sessions. They registered online for the six areas that most interest them from the following:

Accounting Baseball – Business
Automotive Engines – Automotive
Become a Nurse – Nursing
Build a Computer in 60 Minutes – Information Technology
Build the Tallest Tower – Engineering
Create-A-Story Medical Terminology
Activity – Administrative Assistant
Do You Want to Make the Big Time? – College Basketball
Does Your Hear Beat for Veterinary Technology? – Veterinary Technology
Drafting in the Real World – Drafting
EEEWWWW! Gross but Awesome – Biology
Electrical Circuits – Automotive Technology
Electrical Control for Industry and Residential – Electromechanical Technology
Environmental Career Opportunities – Biology
GO on an Adventure – Global Opportunities
Green Screen Weather – Broadcasting
TV Green Thumbs – Agriculture/Golf Course Management
It’s All in Your Head – Psychology
It’s Better in the Wind – Wind Energy
Lend Me Your Ears – Mathematics
Marketing 101 – Business Marketing
Move It! - HPER/Personal Training
Moving in the Right Direction – Physical Therapy Assistant
Nutrition Bites – HPER/Nutrition
Paramedic Skills – EMT Paramedic
Photo Manipulation – Graphic Design
Plasma Cutting – Welding/FAB
Precision Agriculture Using Autotrac – Agriculture
Scenes from Nowhere – Theater
Sound Studio Recording and Audio-for-the-Video Post Production Speech
Biz on the Fly! - Communication
Sustainability! – Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning
We Got the Beat: How Radio News Works – Broadcasting Radio
What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up? – Career Discovery
What is it like to drive an 18-wheeler? - Truck Driving
Who wants to be a Media Millionaire? – Mass Communication

School Staff dressed in Red

Bancroft-Rosalie staff paid to wear red today to raise money for the Tom Knutsen family. Tom's daughter, Tayrin, is hospitalized at Madonna in Lincoln. Tucker Knutsen is a sixth grade student at Bancroft-Rosalie and red is his favorite color.