Monday, January 31, 2011

School Closed Tuesday due to Weather

No school Tuesday, February 1 due to the winter weather that is passing through Eastern Nebraska tonight and tomorrow.

Early Dismissal

Bancroft-Rosalie will dismiss at 2:30 pm this afternoon. No after-school activities.

Conference Basketball games postponed tonight

The boys basketball conference tournament games have been postponed until Tuesday, February 1st and the girls 2nd round games have been moved to Wednesday, February 2nd.

Girls consolation basketball games

Here is the information for the girls consolation basketball games at Wakefield Tuesday (if weather permits)


5:30 Wausa vs Winside

Game 2 Walthill vs Bloomfield

Game 3 Hartington vs Bancroft-Rosalie

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Dodge Ball

Many elementary schools have banned Dodge Ball as an activity in physical education classes and at recess. Here are two differing opinions on the issue.


Is There a Place for Dodgeball in Physical Education?

by Michael T. ed. Shoemaker

Understanding I am committing professional heresy, I believe there is a place for dodgeball in physical education. There are very few activities, if any, that are inherently good or bad. It is how an activity is used, with whom it is used, and how it relates to our goals that dictate its relative value. Such is the case with dodgeball.

The most fundamental criticism of dodgeball is that it is an elimination game. While this is a fair criticism, there are many variations of the game where elimination does not occur. Another criticism is that children should never be made into targets. Again, a fair criticism; however, there are many young people who very much enjoy this aspect of the game and relish in making throwers miss them. In other words, the game is not for everyone. The same can, and should, be said of basketball, football, soccer, etc. Yet, these activities have been questioned very little. The irony here is that these "traditional" sports are potentially more damaging to many students than dodgeball. Skill in these sports is highly valued by many in society. Thus, very few unskilled students are excited about playing these activities and facing the ridicule that often follows poor performance. So, the real question is not just "Why dodgeball?" but also "Why football, soccer, basketball, baseball, etc.?" Everything we do as teachers must be done with a goal in mind, and that goal should never be to make students into better football, soccer, basketball, or baseball players. It should be to help them appreciate and understand the health and social benefits of being active.

So, my answer is that no activity is inherently good or bad--it just is. How we group our students and how we structure the activity is the key. Dodgeball can be useful if the students are grouped homogeneously and choose to play as part of a comprehensive physical education pro gram that focuses on developing a healthy, active lifestyle. As with all activities, though, dodgeball is simply a means to an end. The physical educator must ensure that students are learning about target heart rate, agility, throwing mechanics, catching skills, etc. while playing any game. When taught from this perspective, dodgeball becomes a valuable learning tool, not a lesson in humiliation
--that is generally saved for the basketball court.



--Stephen Goodwin, associate professor, Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716.

On many levels and from many perspectives, I can find few re deeming qualities in dodgeball. In elementary school, my wife dreaded dodgeball days in physical education class because she couldn't throw and was almost always the victim of a hard-thrown ball that stung on contact. Neil Williams includes dodgeball in his three "Hall of Shame" articles-in JOPERD 63(6), 65(2), and 67(8)--and makes a strong case for its permanent exclusion from physical education. COPEC's position statement on developmentally appropriate physical education explicitly identifies dodgeball as inappropriate. Finally, a detailed look at dodgeball reveals why it has become reviled by many students and educators. When one uses only one ball, dodgeball gives individual students few opportunities to participate; thus, the skills of throwing, fleeing, and dodging--which are worth acquiring--are not sufficiently practiced for learning to occur.

Furthermore, there is the social stigma of being "beaned" because one is nerdy, unliked, or an easy tar get. There is the physical pain of being struck with a hard ball thrown as violently as possible, most probably by a macho boy who hogs the ball and delights in "pegging" his classmates. Once hit, students are eliminated and wait on the outside for another round to commence and another dose of embarrassment--of being hit and out of the game early while watching peers get eliminated one-by-one, leaving a lone winner amid a multitude of losers. I highly doubt that we wish to provide experiences composed of zero-sum competition, elimination, low engagement, coeducational inequity, high risk for injury, and wounded psyches; however, that's exactly what we're doing by keeping traditional dodgeball in the curriculum. Should practitioners wish to retain it, they might consult Morris and Stiehl's Changing Kids' Games as a resource for modifying any game--even dodgeball--into a more appropriate form.

Neihardt Young Poets Contest

The Neihardt Young Poets Contest entries are due Friday, January 28. First prize is $50 in both the junior high and senior high categories.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Foundation Brochure 2010



Here is the Bancroft-Rosalie School Foundation brochure for 2010. I will post the 2011 brochure when it is finished.

If you would like to make a donation to the foundation, complete the form at the top of this blog.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Bancroft-Rosalie School Foundation Board Meeting

The annual meeting of the Bancroft-Rosalie Community School Foundation was held Monday January 24 in the school library.

The Treasurers Report for 2010 showed receipts of $3999.00 and expenditures of $900.26. The balance as of December 31, 2010 was $44,278.56.

Officers for 2011 are President Jon Cerny, Vice president Jon Bailey, Secretary Judy Ross, and Treasurer Lori Archer.

The board discussed posting foundation donors and the donor form on the school website in addition to annual mailings that go out.

The scholarship selection committee for 2011 is Bev Zwygart, Patty Wegner, and Marjorie Vogt.

The board voted to give five $250 scholarships this year, with one going to a student attending a community college.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Teacher shortages in Nebraska

The Nebraska Department of Education has received notification that the following endorsement areas have been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as teacher shortage areas in Nebraska for the 2010-2011 school year:

Art
Business Education
ESL/ELL
Family and Consumer Science
Foreign Languages
Industrial Technology Education
Language Arts
Mathematics
Natural Science
Special Education
Speech-Language Pathology

Teachers currently teaching in these areas can qualify for student loan forgiveness or payment deferment depending on the type of loan they received.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Conference Basketball Tournament Brackets


Girls Bracket



Boys Bracket

Plan for new Football Crows Nest completed


CJH Custon Designs in Wayne has completed the drawings for a possible new crows nest at the Bancroft football field. The plan includes a three story building. The bottom level will be used for storage. The upper floor will have three rooms, one for the scoreboard operator and announcer, and one for each of the teams to film and scout. The middle level will have a room for the radio station and a large room for spectators.

The estimated price for materials is $23,871. We are currently seeking prices for labor from local contractors. With village approval, the school will submit a grant application to the Donald E. Nielsen Foundation to help fund the project.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Matt Stansberry selected to 8-man all-star team

Matt Stansberry has been selected to play for the East team in the Nebraska Sertoma Eight Man All-Star game. Alex Berg and Aaron Brown are alternates. As alternates, they may be called if one of the 24 players selected for the East decide not to play. The game will be played in June at Hastings College.

Other area players selected include Corey Brester and Sam Schlautman from Howells, Anthony Ridder and Cody Stalp from West Point CC, Michael Koehler from Osmond, Zach McPhillips from Humphrey St. Francis,Kucera from Clarkson, Hanzel from Humphrey High, and Jindra from Bloomfield.

Players selected from teams we played this year or last are Clayton Moore from Friend,Conrad Sell from Bruning Davenport Shickley, Graham Butler and Jonathan Wenzl from Johnson Brock, and Michael Marr from Pawnee City

Friday, January 14, 2011

Possible high school class schedule changes for 2011-12

We are considering some high school class schedule changes for next school year. A final decision will be made and presented to the school board at the February meeting.

1. Requiring all 10th grade students take Spanish I. Spanish I is required for graduation. Currently students can take Spanish I as a sophomore, junior, or senior. This has led to scheduling problems for some students who don't take it as sophomores. This year all sophomores elected to take Spanish. It makes sense to now make it required during the sophomore year. It was also discussed to possible move it to freshman year so it will continue on from Spanish in grades 7-8, but we believe that moving computer applications to 9th grade would be more beneficial.

2. Moving Computer applications to 9th grade. It is currently required in 10th grade.
Reason to move: Since we are 1:1, it will give students an additional year to use their computer skills.

Reason not to move: Having a 6th required class will reduce the number of electives to one. Ninth graders will be able to choose only one of the following: Art, Band, Chorus, and Drafting/Woods I. This will effect the number of freshmen students in these classes.
We do not want students to drop band because they want to take drafting/woods, so we could make drafting-woods available to sophomores. Smaller numbers in art and chorus are not a concern right now.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

January School Board news

Bancroft-Rosalie School Board news

The Bancroft-Rosalie Board of Education met Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 3:00 pm in Bancroft. Board officers elected for 2011 were Kent Neumann- president; Naomi Brummond- vice president; Gary Anderson - secretary; and Marlon Hennig- treasurer.

Superintendent Cerny presented the December transportation report, Superintendent evaluation forms, and information on board workshops. Principal Sjuts reported honor roll.

In old Business, the board approved the cooperative agreement renewal for softball with Wisner-Pilger and confirmed Mr. Sjuts as Athletic Director.

In new business, President Neumann appointed the following board committees:

1. Negotiations – Anderson, Browning, Neumann
2. Citizenship/Instruction/Americanism - Hennig, Brummond and Neumann
3. Personnel – Browning, Brummond and Reil
4. Buildings and Grounds – Hennig and Anderson
5. Transportation – Reil and Browning
6. Insurance - Brummond and Neumann
7. Reorganization- Neumann and Browning

President Neumann also appointed Lori Archer, Laurie Soll, and Judy Ross to three year terms on the Bancroft-Rosalie Educational Foundation.

A request to use the school for Hunter Safety was approved pending the approval of the school attorney. The board approved an appeal made by Kevin Bonneau to allow him to attend home athletic contests.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Texting/Sexting/Facebook assembly for grades 7-12

Today's internet assembly was presented by Karen Haase, school attorney for Harding and Ogburn law firm. She presented court cases that have resulted from inappropriate use of internet by students. I don't believe that younger students realized that if they were to send a nude picture of one of their classmates, they would be participating in child pornography which could result in being required to register as a sex offender for the rest of their lives.

Some other interesting information was aimed at cyber-bullying. Ms. Haase gave examples of sentences that judges gave to cyber-bullies. It isn't just the person posting the web site that gets punished, but anyone who might add a negative comment to the website.

Judges have sided with the school districts when students have been suspended or expelled for cyber-bullying.

If you know of anyone who is being cyber-bullied, please save any comments and report them to the school administration.

Friday, January 7, 2011

External Team visit to West Point

I have been asked to chair the external team visit for West Point-Beemer Schools. The school asked me because they wanted someone with knowledge of Direct Instruction, which West Point-Beemer Schools is implementing in the elementary school.

Bancroft-Rosalie School has been using Direct Instruction (DI) in the elementary school with the help of outside consultants for the past three years. DI is used for teaching Reading, Language, Math, and Spelling at B-R.

Direct Instruction is a systematic approach to teaching and maintaining basic academic skills. It involves the use of carefully designed curriculum with detailed sequences of instruction. Students are taught individually or in small groups that are made up of students with similar academic skills. Instructors follow a script for presenting materials, requiring frequent responses from students, minimizing errors, and giving positive feedback for correct responding.

Direct Instruction has been identified as one of only three programs that have "strong" evidence of positive effects on student achievement by the American Federation of Teachers (1999), the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (2002), and the American Institutes of Research (2002).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

School Emergency Plans in place

We never know when or where a crisis will occur. Bancroft-Rosalie School has an emergency response plan in place in the event of a crisis. There is a "core" crisis team with the administrators designated a school crisis coordinators.

The Crisis Plan includes plans for 1) Fires and tornadoes, 2) Chemical spills, 3) Sudden Death of a student, staff member or immediate family, 4) Bomb Threat, 5) Intruder or hostage situation, 6) Medical emergencies, and 7) Bus or van accidents.

The school has an off-campus evacuation plan in place should it become necessary to evacuate the building. The details of these plans are not made public for security reasons.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

B-R School Foundation update

The Bancroft-Rosalie Education Foundation has a balance of $44,278.66 as of December 31, 2010.

Expenditures for 2010 were $900.26. The expenditures were for five scholarships to B-R seniors and for advertising (brochures, printing and postage).

Receipts for 2010 were $3999.00.

The purpose of the Foundation is to support Bancroft-Rosalie Community School. In 2009 the Foundation worked with donors to fund the purchase of the record boards on the wall of the school commons area.

Contributions are always welcome. Keep us in mind when a former resident, student, or teacher is memorialized.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Housing committee and Housing Plan

At Mondays Betterment meeting we accepted volunteers for a Housing committee that would meet once a month and develop a plan for addressing housing issues in Bancroft.

Committee members are: Tim Spoeneman, Roger Anderson, Marie Vogt, Janet Smith, Amber Bridges and Jon Cerny. The committee is on the February Village Board agenda for approval.

I presented a beginning Housing Plan to start the planning process.

HOUSING COMMITTEE


Committee Priority

Develop and improve housing in the Village of Bancroft.

Committee Strategies and Goals

1. Organize Housing Committee and get committee approved by Village Board.
2. Conduct Housing Market Study.
3. Establish Housing priorities and make recommendations to Village Board.
4. Work with Three rivers Housing to identify and implement Housing programs.


Committee Action Plan

ACTION TASKS
Organize Housing Committee

Village Board approval of Housing Committee

Submit proposal for CDBG funding for a Housing Market Study through NENEDD

Obtain CDBG award for Housing Market Study

Contract with NENEDD for Housing Market Study


Conduct and complete Housing Market Study

Public input on Housing Market Study and recommendations

Evaluate recommendations of Housing Market Study and develop priorities

Meet with Three Rivers to identify potential housing options

Monday, January 3, 2011

Betterment meeting agenda Jan 3 at 5:15 pm

Bancroft Betterment Monthly Meeting Agenda
January 3, 2011
5:15 pm at the Country Pub

Call to order.

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

Discuss housing goals and start on action plan.

Read and approve minutes of December 2011 meeting

Reports
1. School
2. Village
3. Cuming County Economic Development
4. Neihardt Center
5. Recycling

Old Business
1.
2.

New Business
1. Food pantry
2.

Public comments


Next meeting February 7, 2011 , 5:15 pm at Country Pub. Host -

Meeting adjourned