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A Few Words From Dr. Sellon, Supt. Welcome to APRIL 2011! The Spring season is underway and we can see the annual transformation from winter to spring taking place right before our very eyes. Everything begins to grow…the trees bud, the grass turns green and the flowers bloom. The landscape across our region changes before our very eyes from what was once cold, brown and dormant to warm, fresh, and colorful countryside…a true transformation! VOLUME 1, ISSUEIn 2 the Santee Community Schools, we have been undergoing a transfor- mation this year as well….focusing on changing our commitment and our focus to April 2010 Volume 1, Issue 7 1, Volume April 2010 continuous school improvement and enhanced student achievement. This transfor- mation includes doing our business of educating students differently than we have in the past and using student achievement data to determine whether or not we are successful in this endeavor. The transformation of the Santee Community School comes as a result of the district’s inability to increase student success in reading and math scores while increasing graduation rates as required in the Federal Legislation of No Child Left S INFORMED Behind. Due to these circumstances, the schools were named to the list of persis- tently low achieving schools (PLAS). Last year, PLAS schools were eligible to develop a plan and request funding (School Improvement Grants) to address these needs through a process outlined by the Nebraska Department of Education. Last August, the Santee Community School was notified that we had been granted the funds to implement transformational school improvement in our schools. Since that time, we have been taking steps to address the school improve- Warrior News Warrior ment models required under the school transformation process. The goal of this school improvement process was to significantly change the way that we were go- KEEPING OUR FAMILIE ing about doing our educational business in Santee. The new process included us- ing proven, research-based methods of teaching and professional development to achieve improved student learning results and specifically student success reflected by increased reading, math and graduation rates. The School Improvement Grant (SIG) has identified four major areas of focus for our school improvement efforts. They include the following: Developing and Increasing Teacher and School Leader Effectiveness. Implementing Comprehensive Instructional Reform Strategies. Increasing Learning Time and Creating Community-Oriented Schools. Providing Operational Flexibility and Sustained Support. Warrior News Within these parameters and the requirements of the grant we are working diligently each day to make a significant difference for each student at Santee. Our teachers are the recipients of on-going, high quality job embedded professional development to enhance their teaching skills. Our principals are pro- moting the continuous use of student data to inform and differentiate instruction in order to meet the academic needs of individual students. Our school is implementing a fully comprehensive approach to substantially improving student achievement outcomes and increase high school graduation rates. As we implement these school improvement initiatives, the Santee Community School will be providing increased opportunities and on-going mechanisms for family and community engagement. I want to personally invite you to partner with our school and to participate and become involved in our school improvement process. Only with your help can we truly transform our school into a place of em- betterment; and only through transforming our school and the way we do business can we make the difference necessary for long term student success! I look forward to working with you for transformational school improvement! Have an awesome April! From the Desk of the Elementary Principal Mrs. Bilbrey Spring is finally here. I don’t know about you, but I am definitely ready for warmer weather! With Spring comes NeSA and MAPS testing. The NeSA test is administered in grades 3, 8 and 11, and the MAPS test is ad- ministered to grades 3-12. All parents want to see their children perform well in school. Parents play an im- portant role in helping their children give their best performance on a test. The following thoughts will help you in preparing your child to do their best on the test!!!! The night before: Help your child get to bed on time. Research shows that being well rested helps students do better. Help children resolve immediate arguments before going to bed. Keep your routine as normal as possible. Upsetting natural routines may make children feel insecure. Mention the test, show you’re interested, but don’t dwell on it. Plan ahead to avoid conflicts the morning of the test. The morning of the test: Get up early to avoid rushing. Be sure to have your child at school on time. Have your child eat a good breakfast. Research shows that students do better if they have breakfast before they take tests. Have your child dress in something comfortable. Be positive about the test. Acknowledge that tests can be hard. Explain that doing your best is what counts. Remember, these tests are important. By working together as a home/school team we can make test taking a positive experience, one that reflects all of the hard work students have put in throughout the year!! Warrior News From the desk of Principal Mr. Doud Notes from the High School….. The third quarter is in the books and we begin to brace ourselves for the final quarter push. I would like to continue to stress the importance of your child’s attendance. There are less than 40 instructional days remaining in the 4th quarter and each day is so important for your child’s success in the classroom. Please work with the school to make sure your child is on time and in school for the remainder of the year. NeSA testing for math and reading will begin for our students March 29th. We would like to give a BIG thank you to Roger Trudell and Redwing Thomas for giving inspirational presentations at the Testing Kick-Off Assembly on March 28th. Please help your child be successful during this critical time by encouraging them to do their best, make sure they get plenty of rest each night and to start each morning with a healthy breakfast. Being here every day and on time helps reduce the stress they will have for the day. These tests will help provide a better picture for our schools transformation process. Students failing classes the first semester will have an opportunity to recover their credits during Saturday School beginning April 2nd from 9:00-12:00 and will conclude May 28th. Students can use odyssey computer software and/or packets developed by their teachers to recover credits needed to graduate. Students that choose not to par- ticipate in Saturday School will have to repeat their failed class in its entirety the following school year. This becomes very difficult for students as they are taking additional “core graduation classes” instead of choosing to take an elec- tive class. Summer School WILL NOT be offered to recover credits this year. The school encourages you to make sure your child makes up their failed credits during Saturday School if needed. The School Store opened its doors for the first time to all students earning “Warrior Bucks” for attendance the first three quarters of the school year. Students can earn the schools “warrior bucks“” by simply attending school. Students earn a “buck” each day they are in school and it doubles if they have perfect attendance for the week. Warrior Bucks will double during testing time as we need our students here and ready to test! The store will open its doors again at the end of the year. The basketball season has ended and it is important to recognize these student-athletes for their efforts during the season. The teams experienced several positive experiences and represented our school with pride. The Niobrara Valley Conference recognized three student-athletes for their individual contri- butions to their respective teams. Tyral Denney received honorable mention all-conference honors for the boys. Tia Whipple was selected to the 1st team all-conference team and Monique Sheridan received honor- able mention. Monique will also represent Santee as an all-star selection for the spring basketball chal- lenge between the Niobrara Valley Conference All-Stars and the Loup Platte Conference All-Stars on May 26th at 8:00 in Sargent. Come support Monique as she plays her last high school basketball game! We would like to continue to encourage you to come see the many changes that are taking place in the high school. Together we are making a difference! Warrior Pride! Warrior News Science News from Ms. Avery The 9-12 Science classes have been spending time in the computer lab using the explorelearning.com website. It allows students to perform experi- ments on the computer. The simulations are called Gizmos. On Friday, April 15th, Winnebago will be hosting a science fair. All 9-12 students with a science class will be competing. Ask them what their project will be! PRIDE groups have been working on transcript reports, test readiness, a pi (3.14) celebration and challenges (athletic and academic). We will be having speakers in to lead discussions on drug abuse (including over the counter and prescription drugs), alcohol abuse, and sexual health education. We are still re- warding students with weekly perfect attendance and good grades. It is now called a FLEX pass and gives students an opportunity to use their time for edu- cational pursuits outside of the building. English From Mr. Canning The students are continuing to work hard on their Expressive Writing, Comprehension, and Decoding programs.

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