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