Thursday, April 30, 2015

District Baseball Bracket- Games at Elkhorn


Ashten Reil wins of the 1st Congressional District Art Competition for 2015

For the 3rd year in a row, a Bancroft-Rosalie Art student has won the Congressional art competition. Ashten Reil will travel to Washington DC to see her art project displayed in the Halls of Congress.
B-R Art teacher Cory Meyer continues to instruct and inspire his students.

Float Your Boat Down Logan Creek


Fall Musical Beauty and The Beast Cast announced


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Fixed mindset vs. Growth mindset.

Schools need to emphasize student growth rather than a "fixed" mindset. Growth is seen as coming from hard work and effort. Fixed is the concept that students are "smart" or not smart. In a growth culture, students work hard to improve themselves. In a fixed culture, students see their abilities (smart/not smart) as inherent and can't be changed.

From research by Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck

"A “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any meaningful way, and success is the affirmation of that inherent intelligence, an assessment of how those givens measure up against an equally fixed standard; striving for success and avoiding failure at all costs become a way of maintaining the sense of being smart or skilled. A “growth mindset,” on the other hand, thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities."

Northeast Nebraska Career Education Collaboration First Meeting Notes

 April 16, 2015 at Tekamah Herman Media Center


8 Schools represented – Oakland-Craig, Lyons-Decatur, Tekamah-Herman, Pender, Logan View, Bancroft –Rosalie, West Point-Beemer, and Wisner-Pilger


Northeast Career Academy Goals
1.     Learn skills and gain hands on experiences that will give them an advantage when applying for college and/or jobs
2.     Encourage students to attend college and/or work in Northeast Nebraska
3.     Facilitate the process of students returning to the area to live and work upon college graduation
4.     Give students a head start in future careers


Revisioning Process – looking at Career education in Partnership of communities or in communities.  What do we need to provide in our schools, communities?   How can we prepare young people for 4 year, 2 year, Career, Internship etc.  
Great opportunity for what is happening with AQueest (new state accountability system) to participate in Re-visioning Process.

Nebraska ReVision Program $5000 grant in first year and then an Action Grant ($50,000 over a course of 3 years) to assist in the process.

All eight schools agreed to each apply for the $5000 grant and go through the ReVision process in the 2015-16 school year. After the process is complete, the schools can decide whether or not to continue working together and apply for Action Grants or continue on their own.

Possibilities- Working together to offer Welding and Manufacturing programs to high school seniors so that they are prepared to enter the workforce after high school graduation or continue on to complete an Associates Degree at Northeast Community College.


Saturday, April 18, 2015

School Technology Action Plan 2015-16

Bancroft-Rosalie School
Technology Action Plan 2015-16

Goals-
1. Meet the needs of each student
2. Improve student achievement
3. Increase student engagement
4. Use data to make instructional decisions

 1. Transition staff to new learning management system – Canvas
     a. All 7-12 staff will have one course on Canvas for the 2015-16 school year.
Responsibility- Principal and Tech coordinator
     b. Increase the use of digital intervention programs for reading and math that integrate with       Canvas.
Responsibility- School Improvement teams.

2. Contract with BrightBytes to survey of staff, parents, students and community on technology use. Responsibility- Educational Service Unit Professional Development director

3. Technology team attends the FutureReady Schools Summit in Chicago June 15-16.
     a. Team will develop a detailed plan for Digital Learning in the school
Responsibility- Superintendent

4. Increase the number of teachers using Blended Learning- Station Rotation Model or Flex Model- in their classrooms.
     a. Improve the use of Discovery Education Techbooks in Grades 3-6 Science.
Responsibility- Science Instructional Coach
     b. Increase the use of digital content in the curriculum- Odysseyware or other online content providers.
Responsibility- Technology Coordinator

5. Use the Data Dashboard Early Warning System to identify students in need of intervention and refer them to the Response To Intervention Team.
Responsibility- SAT Team and Technology Coordinator

 6. 1:1 IPads grades 3-6. Take home policy for K-6.
Responsibility- Technology Coordinator and Science Instructional Coach

 7. Computer Science Club in afterschool program.
Responsibility- Afterschool Program Director

Friday, April 17, 2015

Students attend Nebraska Indian Community College Career Fair

NICC hosted a career fair for Bancroft-Rosalie School Freshman and Sophomore students at the Bancroft Community Building yesterday. Several colleges were there to talk to students and some local businesses, such as Steiny's and Brehmer Manufacturing, provided information to students about possible careers. NICC had activities for students that helped students identify their personal strengths and how those strengths can be utilized in possible careers. The student response was very positive when they arrived back at school.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

School gets approval as Day Care provider

There are several reasons why this is a benefit to the school. An important one is that we can have 3 and 4 year olds in the after school program. We also will have the option to charge parents for the afterschool program.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Bancroft-Rosalie School Board news

The Bancroft-Rosalie Board of Education met Monday, April 13, 2015 at 7:30 pm in Bancroft. Superintendent Cerny reported on transportation and the dual credit program. Beginning this Fall Bancroft-Rosalie School students will be able to take dual credits courses through the school at no cost to the students. The school staff currently teaches eleven dual credit courses for a total of 32 credit hours. In old business the board directed the athletic director to work with Pender School on a cooperative agreement to share Fall girls golf in 2015-16. The agreement will be brought back to the board at the May meeting for approval. In new business the board approved B-R-L-D Wolverines as the name of the new sports cooperative team with Lyons-Decatur. The team colors will be black, yellow and light blue. The board voted to offer teaching contract for 2015-16 to Shareen Hulstein. The board also approved five teachers and five paraeducators for K-8 summer school in July and August and reviewed the Special Education and Title I programs. The senior sneak trip to Kansas City was given approval and up to $500 was approved for the annual recognition luncheon and awards. In other new business the board approved a music program request for new chairs, risers and microphones, approved administrative recommendations for wages and benefits for classified staff for 2015-16, and approved administrator recommendations for coaches and sponsors in 2015-16.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Friday, April 10, 2015

2015 B-R National Honor Society

B-R-L-D Wolverines, UCLE colors (Black, light Blue, Yellow)

The new sports cooperative will be known as BRLD Wolverines, pending the approval of both school boards. We Are.... B R L D.

New Nebraska School Football Contact Rules

Fans of High School football will be interested in the new contact rules approved by the Nebraska School Activities Association (below). There is to be no more than 2 consecutive days of live or thud contact (see definition of thud) and no more than 4 days of live/thud contact a week. These limitations include games. This will mostly effect junior varsity players. If they have a game on Monday, then Tuesday or Wednesday must be no more than "control" drills (see definition of control). This policy should reduce the amount of full go live contact at practices and decrease the risk of concussions.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Mission of school on banner in the library

The mission of Bancroft-Rosalie School is "Striving for Growth and Excellence". A banner with this mission hangs in the library to remind everyone what we are about as students and staff (and parents).

Monday, April 6, 2015

34th Annual Neihardt Conference to Focus on Letters

BANCROFT, Neb. (March 31, 2015)—The 34th annual Neihardt Spring Conference will be held April April 25, 2015, at the Neihardt State Historic Site in Bancroft, Neb. This year’s conference, “Correspondence on the Great Plains: Historic Letters from the 19th and 20th Century,” will focus on the role of letters in the lives of individuals with vastly different experiences living in the Great Plains region in the 19th and 20th century and will illuminate the role of letter writing in American history and in our personal lives. We will explore the correspondence of John Neihardt and Willa Cather and the collections of lesser known individuals whose letters bear witness to the struggles of frontier settlement or of displacement, as in the letters written by Dakota men imprisoned in Iowa after the Dakota Wars of 1862. Letters are often deeply personal, private exchanges that reflect the complex cultural norms of the time period and the life happenings, both tragic and celebratory, of the subjects who author them. Feature presenters include Dr. Pam Gossin, Co-Creator of Across the Spectrum: The Interdisciplinary Life and Letters of John G. Neihardt; Dr. Clifford Canku, author of The Dakota Prisoner of War Letters; Dr. Andrew Jewell, author of The Selected Letters of Willa Cather; Steve Kinsella, author of 900 Miles from Nowhere: Voices from the Homestead Frontier; and Cheryl Dyer, professional calligrapher from Omaha. We will also open an exhibit of postcard-inspired artwork by nationally recognized Impact Nebraska Artists. This “Postcards from the Plains” exhibit ranges from the traditional to the unusual in style and content, and these miniature gems—all works no larger than postcards—provide a big impact in a small space and create a perfect pairing with this year’s conference. Artwork will be available for sale. Come celebrate the art and act of letter writing! Registration can be made by mail, phone, or e-mail. Cost is $25 per person and $18 for students. Lunch reservations at $10 must be made by April 18th. The conference day begins at 8:30 a.m.; presentations start at 9:15 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. Funding has been provided by the Neihardt Foundation, Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Cuming County Visitors Bureau, and Wayne State College School of Arts and Humanities. To register, call 402-648-3388 or toll free 1-888-777-4667; by mail: PO Box 344, Bancroft, NE 68004; by e-mail at Neihardt@gpcom.net ; or through the website at www.neihardtcenter.org . “Like” us on Facebook for more information about the presenters. The Neihardt State Historic Site is located at 306 West Elm Street, Bancroft, Nebraska and is a branch museum of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Panther Pad Update

Work on the Panther Pad is still underway. Some electrical work needs to be completed before Total Fire & Security can install the fire alarm system. The Upstairs will be a Student Center. Remodeling is nearly completed. The exterior wall needs to be insulated and finished and the interior wall needs to be finished. The restrooms also need to be finished. Junior High and High School students will be able to use the Student Center after school and on weekends. The Student Center will have a video game area, a computer area, a television area and a game area for a pool table. The Downstairs will be a preschool for three year olds if the state approves the preschool expansion grant that was submitted. If the grant is not approved, the space will be a daycare for the half-day preschool students, 4 year olds in the morning and three year olds in the afternoon. The Downstairs still needs flooring and some remodeling. The kitchen will be closed off and used for storage. There will be a small food preparation area for preschool/daycare. One front window is in the process of being replaced. The Outside area needs a new fence. This area will be the preschool/Daycare playground. Grant funds will be used to purchase a small playground set and some other equipment. The Panther Pad will be ready for the 2015-16 school year.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Fifth and Sixth Grade Field Trip to Strategic Air Museaum

Considering offering Dual Credit Courses for 2015-16 free for our students

The administration has been looking at ways to provide each student up to 12 hours of dual credit classes per year at no cost to the student. It will be discussed at the April Board meeting. We feel strongly that all students should be taking some college courses during high school and don't want cost to be a factor. Students can apply for an ACE scholarship that provides tuition assistance to low income students. Bancroft-Rosalie School will offering the following College Credit courses next year: From Northeast Community College Math 1150 College Algebra (3 hours) Math 1220 Trigonometry (3 hours) Math 2000 Analytical Geometry and Calculus (5 hours) Math 2030 Introduction to Statistics (3 hours) English 1010 English Composition I (3 hours) English 2200 British Literature (3 hours) HLTH 1110 Certified Nurses Assistant (3 hours) HLTH 1120 Medication Aide (3 hours) From Nebraska Wesleyan HIST 1020 American History II (4 hours) HIST 1110 World Civilizations (4 hours) GEOG 1510 Physical Geography (4 hours)

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Mrs. McPhillips has a baby boy

Mrs. McPhillips, B-R Fifth grade Teacher, gave birth to a baby boy, Isaac Logan McPhillips. Mrs. Bacon will substitute teach fifth grade while Mrs. McPhillips is on maternity leave.