Certified Nurse Assistant class a success

All three students that took the CNA class at Bancroft-Rosalie school this spring passed the state test and are now certified CNA's. All three have been offered employment for the summer as well.

Next year we have six students signed up for the class. This year it was taught through distance learning, but next year we hope to have a school nurse to teach it face to face.

"Jump Start" summer school begins July 26

Thus summer, Bancroft-Rosalie summer school will be a "Jump Start" at the beginning of the year instead of a remedial program in June. "Jump Start" will focus on firming up the math and reading skills of students so that they are ready to start the new school year.

The schedule for the "Jumpstart" summer school has been finalized. "Jumpstart" will be the last week of July and the first two weeks of August Mondays-Thursdays.

I want to get the list of summer school students together today and mail out letters Friday so that parents can start planning.

"Wash Your Troubles Away" at the Bancroft Community Theater

At last night's community theater meeting, the group decided to perform a musical- "Wash Your Troubles Away" by Tim Kelly. The next group meeting will be Tuesday June 1 at 7:00 pm in the school library to look over the script and finalize parts.

Performances will be October 2 and 3.

Special school board meeting minutes

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School Board of Education Minutes

President Brummond called the special meeting to order Monday, May 17, 2010 at 8:03 p.m. Notice was posted four days prior to the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss laptop computers for the high school and vinyl tile replacement in the school restrooms.. Members present were Anderson, Brummond, Hennig, Neumann, Ostrand and Reil. President Brummond informed the public of the location of the ‘Open Meetings Act’.

Motion by Ostrand, second by Hennig to approve a one to one computer initiative in grades 9-12 with notebook computers and use the net-book computers in the junior high. Motion carried 5-1 (Reil).

Motion by Hennig, second by Ostrand to accept the bid from Apple Education for MacBook computers with the possible exclusion of line items 7 and 14. Motion carried 4-2 (Neumann, Reil).

Motion by Anderson, second by Neumann to accept the bid from Baumert Furniture for vinyl tile. Motion carried 6-0.

Motion by Ostrand, second by Reil to adjourn. Motion Carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:30 pm.

Bancroft-Rosalie Football meeting information

Bancroft-Rosalie Football 2010

Summer Weight Room Hours- Monday through Friday 7:00 – 9:00 am
June 1- July 30

Quarterbacks and Running Backs Meet twice a month to go through Reads

Wayne State Team Camp June 27-29
Players attending will meet June 17 and June 24 from 7:00-8:30 pm to run
through plays

Preseason Conditioning August 2-6 8:00- 9:00 am or 8:00-9:00 pm.

Equipment check-out will be the week of August 2nd.

Regular football practices begin Monday, August 9.

Practice schedule:
August
9 4:00- 6:30 pm
10 4:00- 6:30 pm
11 4:00- 6:30 pm
12 4:00- 6:30 pm
13 4:00- 6:30 pm

16 4:00- 6:30 pm
17 4:00- 6:30 pm
18 4:00- 6:30 pm
19 4:00- 6:30 pm
20 4:00- 6:30 pm
21 9:30 am scrimmage

23 4:00 p.m. -6:30 p.m.
24 4:00 p.m. -6:30 p.m.
25 4:00 p.m. -6:30 p.m.
26 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm
27 Scrimmage 8:00 p.m.

Varsity Schedule

Sept. 3 Omaha Christian Home
Sept. 10 at Osmond
Sept. 17 Hartington Home
Sept. 24 Pender Home
Oct. 1 at Omaha Nation
Oct. 8 at Emerson-Hubbard
Oct. 15 Winnebago Home
Oct. 22 at Walthill

JV Schedule
Sept. 7 Howells Home
Sept. 13 Dodge Home
Sept. 20 at Emerson
Sept. 27 Pender Home
Oct. 4 at Omaha Nation
Oct. 11 Winnebago Home
Oct. 18 Lyons-Decatur Home

Bancroft vision and goal setting report

Fifteen members of the Bancroft community met the past two Wednesday nights to discuss the future of Bancroft. These meetings were publicized and open to anyy community members.

The group came up with a vision statement "Bancroft- Building Opportunities For All."

The group identified as a short term goal to get buy in and support for this vision and explaining what it means to other community members.

The long term goal is to address housing in Bancroft. This goal includes doing something about uninhabitable houses in town and providing affordable housing opportunities for current residents and those who want to move into Bancroft.

World Traveler Dean Jacobs at Neihardt Site

The Neihardt State Historic Site is pleased to present Dean Jacobs, photo journalist and world traveler for the May 16th Sunday Afternoon at the Museum at 2:00 P.M. Jacobs, originally from Wahoo and a graduate of Wayne State College, gave a fascinating program here in 2008 after returning from his third round the world trip of 13 countries in 10 months on $25 a day. It was on that trip, while in East Africa, he became intrigued by the plight of not only the people in Kenya and the Congo, but that of the mountain gorillas and the work of the Dian Fossey Foundation in protecting them.

He returned early in 2009 to spend six months living at the Karisoke Research Center documenting for the foundation. The civil war in the Congo is still not over, rebel forces still inhabit and patrol the highlands and borders, and poachers still kill whole families of the endangered gorillas as political statements (see the July 2008 issue of National Geographic). Jacobs’s photos are breathtakingly beautiful and poignant and, while he does share many exotic anecdotes of his travels, his purpose in giving these programs is to afford others the opportunity to learn from his experiences. You can follow Dean’s adventures on his website at www.travel4life.org.

His book, “Marvelous Journey,” the account of his first two trips, will be available for sale and signing, as will be many of his photos. The presentation begins at 2:00 PM and is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. The John G. Neihardt State Historic site is located at 306 W. Elm Street in Bancroft, Nebraska.

Bancroft Community Meeting tonight at 5:30 pm

All community members are invited to attend a goal-setting session in the lower level of the Bancroft community building tonight from 5:30-7:30 pm. Work on the Bancroft Vision statement will be completed, then goals will be written for five years, ten years and beyond.

School Board meeting synopsis

Here is a synopsis from last night’s Bancroft-Rosalie School Board meeting.

1. Discussed moving the Senior Sneak trip so it does not conflict with State Powerdrive and District baseball

2. Approved the purchase of a 9 passenger suburban to replace the 2002 Dodge Ram van

3. Approved payment to Mr. Conroy for assisting with high school and junior high track

4. Increased wages for bus drivers to $10.50 an hour and wages for substitute cooks, custodians, and paraprofessionals to $8.50 an hour.

5. Approved advertising for a full-time school nurse.

6. Approved the Powerschool Cooperative agreement for technical support of the student information management software.

7. Accepted the resignation of preschool teacher Katie Garth.

8. Offered contracts to Jason Smith for Music and Ashley Bessmer for Preschool.

9. Set a special meeting for Monday May at 8:00 pm to decide on laptop computers for 2010-11.

10. Approve the first reading of policy 0591 Dating Violence, mandated by the Nebraska Legislature.

11. Approve the remaining activity sponsors for 2010-11, including cheerleading sponsor Jolene Brummond.

May School Board meeting agenda- Tonight

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School
Regular Board of Education Meeting Agenda
Monday, May 10, 2010 --- 7:30 p.m. in Bancroft

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Read and approve the minutes of the April 12, 2010 Board Meeting.

4. Treasurer’s Report
A. Approve the Bills
B. Financial Review

5. Review Agenda
6. Public Hearing

7. Administrator’s Reports:
A. Superintendent’s Report
B. Principal’s Report
C. Athletic Director Report

8. Old Business:
A. Van replacement

B. Assistant Track Coach

9. New Business:
A. Set wages for activity bus drivers and substitute cooks.

B. School nurse

C. Approve Southeast Nebraska Powerschool Cooperative Agreement

D. Accept resignation of Katie Garth

E. Offer teaching contracts for Music and Preschool

F. Student laptop computers for 2010-11

G. Approve activity sponsors for 2010-11

H. Approve Board Policy 0591, Dating Violence

10. Discussion Items
A.

11. Executive Session-
12. Future Planning- Next scheduled meeting- June 14, 2010 at 7:30 pm in Bancroft.
13. Adjournment.

Mac vs PC

You have all seen the commercial featuring Mac versus PC. Bancroft-Rosalie School will need to upgrade the server for next year. Now is the time to discuss whether to continue with PC’s or make a switch to Macs.

The trend is education is for high schools to provide their students with computers. Bancroft-Rosalie School experimented this past year with netbooks for juniors and seniors. Now the students have had the computers for one year, and the response has been mixed. They like the fact that they had access to a computer 24/7. But most were disappointed with the netbooks. The comments on the size of the screen and the keyboard were very negative. The battery life was positive.

The Macbooks are more expensive than netbooks or full size PC’s. But they are more user friendly. The life expectancy of a netbook is 3 years. The Macbooks is at least 6 years. Lyons-Decatur uses Macbooks. Wisner-Pilger and Oakland-Craig are providing students with Macbooks next year. In a poll or our 9-12 teachers, they all felt that they could work with either system.
What I would like to do is provide all high school students with a computer next year. My preference is a full-size computer. I like the Mac because it is very user friendly, but more expensive. The netbooks we have would be passed down to junior high students. Teachers in grades 7-12 who want their students to have computers for a class period will not be tied to the movable cart or the computer lab.

Mac also has excellent professional development workshops for teachers. If we go with PC’s, Mrs. Nolting and I will have to find someone to provide teacher training for our staff. Why do we need teacher training? We want teachers to go beyond using computers for e-mail and Internet. Student projects can be more than giving a powerpoint presentation. Research projects can be more than paraphrasing what they read in a book or on the Internet.

A senior in advanced computers spends as much time in the computer lab as possible working on the Macs we purchase 3 years ago for students in that class. He said that he likes to go in there to play on the computers. He used the word “play” because he said that doing schoolwork on the Macs isn’t work, its play.

Garry Clark recommended as Director of Cuming County Economic Development

Garry Clark has been recommended for the position of Director of the Cuming County Economic Development Board. Garry has worked for the last three years in Bowie, Maryland, which is close to Washington D.C. He has experience working with housing grants, NIFA, and the Main Street program, which emphasizes “mom and pop” businesses.

The Cuming County Board of Supervisors will need to approve Garry Clark as Director at a special meeting held this month. Garry is a graduate of Dana College in Blair. He and his wife have a one year old daughter and they will be looking for a three bedroom house for rent in Cuming County. Mrs. Clark is an elementary teacher.

Nebraska School Activity Association Summer rules

1. Summer activities can only be conducted between June 1 and July 31. Any attempts for coaches to work with students before June 1 and after July 31 are covered by the organized practice rule.

2. Local school clinics, school camps, summer leagues, and other similar activities can only occur between June 1 and July 31. If students participate in such activities prior to June 1, coaches are subject to the organized practice rule.

3. No head, assistant, or volunteer coach, nor any other adult associated with the program, may have coaching contact with students before June 1 or after July 31, unless the limits spelled out in the organized practice rule are followed. The organized practice rules allows no more than five football or soccer players; or four basketball, wrestling, softball, volleyball, or baseball athletes; or three track, swimming, golf, tennis, or cross country athletes.

4. If summer leagues starts before June 1, coaches cannot coach their athletes in those leagues until after June 1 unless the organized practice limits are enforced.

5. No coach or school representative may directly or by implication direct a student to attend camps, clinics, conditioning sessions, or other such sessions as a condition for membership on a high school team, nor may attendance be tied to being able to make a particular level of team participation (varsity, junior varsity)

Bancroft Community meeting Wednesday night 5:30 pm

Bancroft community members are invited to attend a community planning meeting this Wednesday night from 5:30 7:30 pm in the lower level of the community building. The purpose of the meeting, entitled "Basics of visioning", is to help develop a vision for the future of Bancroft. The meeting will be led by Dr. Barrett from the University of Nebraska.

A follow-up meeting will be held on Wednesday May 12, 5:30- 7:30 pm. and we be for planning and goal-setting.

We need people of all ages and occupations to help set the course for the future of Bancroft.

Lydia Brasch to speak at May meeting of Bancroft Betterment

Here is the agenda for the monthly Betterment meeting this Monday night at 5:15 pm at the Pub.

Bancroft Betterment Monthly Meeting Agenda
May 3, 2010
5:15 pm at the Country Pub

Call to order.

Thank you to this month’s host- Steiny’s

Read and approve minutes of April 5, 2010 meeting

Guest speaker- Lydia Brasch, candidate for state senator.

Reports
1. School
2. Village
3. Betterment Corporation
4. Cuming County Economic Development
5. Neihardt Center
6. Community Theater

New Business
1. Pender Community Hospital Town Hall Meeting, 6:30 pm May 5 in the Upper Level
2. Neighborhood Stabilization Program
3.
4.

Old Business
1. Community workshops-
May 5, 5:30- 7:30 pm, Basics of visioning, Bancroft Community Bldg
May 12, 5:30- 7:30 pm, Planning and Goal-setting

2. Benefit for Trenton Schmeckpeper

Public comments


Next meeting June 7, 5:15 pm at ________________. Host ___________________.

Meeting adjourned