Dear students, staff, parents and Guardians,

Spring is about to begin. March 20th is recognized as the beginning of the spring season. The remainder of the school year will go by quickly. As of Mar 1, 2022, we only have 54 teacher days and 49 student days remaining. The third quarter ends on March 9th. We appreciate all your hard work and support for the first three quarters of the school year. We need to finish strong!

As we enter into the last quarter of the school year, our focus is to reflect upon and continue to build on the greatness occurring within our schools. We have so many great happenings because of the many dedicated staff members and wonderful parents and guardians supporting our daily efforts.

Continue focusing on all the positive actions that have occurred this school year. We are better together, and together we accomplish great things. You have exemplified this statement over and over again throughout this school year. Our challenge is to remain positive, supportive of each other, and finish strong.

You are the best. WE ARE NPPS!

Sincerely,

Ron Hanson, NPPS

Superintendent

Status is subject to change at any time based on the COVID-19 spread.

The following updates apply to those not experiencing symptoms or are positive for COVID-19.

1. CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (ages 2 years and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

2. All North Platte Public School staff and students are encouraged to wear face-covering during school hours regardless of vaccination status in areas of known COVID-19 cases.

3. Employees who work in multiple buildings have the choice to wear face-covering for the protection of themselves and others.

4. Building visitors have a choice to wear face-covering to protect themselves and others.

5. Weekly, NPPS will monitor the classroom and school positives and exposures. We will continue to communicate with parents, who will then make the decision if their student/s will wear face-covering.

6. As of now, face-coverings at NPPS are optional.

If you have questions, please address them with your direct supervisor or building administration.

Remind your neighbors and friends to enroll their kindergartners for the fall 2022 school year.

Visit https://www.nppsd.org/page/kindergarten-registration to complete the online application.

Need assistance? No Worries!

Stop by the NPPS Welcome Center Located at 301 West F Street, in North Platte.

Come Grow With Us at North Platte Public Schools!

STEM teaching and learning goes beyond the mere transfer of knowledge. It engages students and equips them with critical thinking, problem-solving, creative, and collaborative skills, and ultimately establishes connections between the school, workplace, community, and the global economy. (1)

Here at McDonald we are enjoying dipping our feet into STEM. Our students are not only learning how to critical think, problem-solve, create, and collaborate but also how to fail, yes, fail. In STEM we like to celebrate when we fail. Our students are realizing that to fail means to grow and growing and learning is what it is all about. Students enter the STEM program with a fear of independently thinking. They worry about things like “what if I get it wrong? What if my team isn't as good as the others. These are very real concerns that most students have however when our students leave STEM they have an understanding that it is ok to be different. They leave knowing that there is always more than one way to solve a problem and that it is ok if their way is completely different than anyone else. They build confidence in themselves and their ability to achieve things they never thought possible.

We have enjoyed using our imaginations to build catapults and bridges. We have had to be creative in the building of parachutes and ziplines. We are now working on building and coding robots and are looking forward to seeing what other STEM experiences may come our way.

We would like to thank the Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation and NPPSD Foundation for their much-appreciated grants. We have had so much fun exploring and building and are looking forward to what the upcoming months and years will bring.

(http://www.sfaz.org/stem-stem/#:~:text=STEM%20teaching%20and%20learning%20goes,community%20and%20the%20global%20economy.)

Measures to Support Learning and Instruction

The Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) was developed to support the connection between curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It includes formative, interim, and summative (proficiency) measures, with the recognition that educators need different types of data to inform teaching and learning

.

The goal from day one has been to make assessment more useful in the classroom, so the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) has been working with Nebraska districts to increase the instructional relevance of summative data and reduce the challenges teachers and students face in managing both interim and summative tests.

As part of this effort, Nebraska is transitioning to NSCAS Growth, an adaptive, through-year assessment for grades 3–8 in English language arts and mathematics that produces instructionally-relevant information and also measures proficiency to increase testing efficiency and utility of assessment results.

North Platte Public Schools will take part in the NSCAS Growth Spring 2022 Assessment. Students in grades 3-8 will be testing in Math and Reading. Additionallly, students in grades 5 and 8 will be testing in Science. The window for testing begins March 21st and ends April 29th. The make-up testing window begins May 2nd and ends May 6th for students who may be absent during the testing window. During these windows, the NSCAS Alternate Assessment for students that qualify under a Special Education IEP will also be testing. All juniors with the graduation co-hort year of 2023 will participate in in the NSCAS ACT on March 22nd. All assessments are mandatory. Should you have questions regarding these assessments, please contact your building administrator or the Secondary Director of Teaching & Learning.

Timeline for NSCAS Growth Transition:

2021–2022: Nebraska districts will administer MAP Growth in the fall and will have the opportunity to participate in an NSCAS Growth pilot in the winter. In the spring, all districts will administer NSCAS Growth in lieu of the NSCAS General Summative test. As this is a transition year, districts may still wish to administer MAP Growth in the winter and spring terms.

2022–2023: NSCAS Growth will be fully operational. All Nebraska districts will administer NSCAS Growth in the fall, winter, and spring.

SEE IF YOUR FAMILY QUALIFIES FOR A DISCOUNT ON YOUR MONTHLY INTERNET BILL

The $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November, has enrolled 10 million households to help provide broadband to low-income families, the Biden administration has announced. The program provides financial assistance up to $30 per month for internet service for eligible households, and $75 per month for households on qualifying tribal lands. Eligible households can receive up to $100 in a one-time discount to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if the household spends between $10 and $50 toward the purchase.

One way to enroll a household into the ACP is to prove if a child qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. To see if your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch you can apply online through the NPPS Campus Parent Portal.

Go to ACPbenefit.org for more information about the Affordable Connectivity Program and to see if you qualify and enroll.

Important Notice: There is no connection between ESSER Funding eligibility in regard to safety or health, including face-covering mandates. Please visit the link above to view the ESSER Allocation guidelines.

February was a month of great excitement at Kids Klub!

We hosted our annual Musical Mega Day with Mrs. Purdy’s NPHS cast of Anastasia and received a generous donation of over 100 ballet costumes from Alexandra Thompson, Miss Alliance’s Outstanding Teen 2022.

https://nptelegraph.com/news/local/photos-kids-klub-gets-the-royal-treatment-with-visit-from-miss-alliances-outstanding-teen-2022/collection_e3c6e4c8-911e-11ec-96d3-3b39c6f32ab3.html#1

We rolled out our new SEL (social emotional learning) curriculum with local therapists, Jackie Yenni and Sammi Byrns at the helm.

Thank you to Student Services Director, Brandy Buscher for your outstanding leadership in this collaboration.

Hear all about it in this Podcast with Scott Carlson:

https://northplattepost.com/posts/cdd8c82d-7d44-4f52-9c75-c94a3edc2845

And finally, we are heading straight into our 20th Anniversary Celebration this March.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 20 years! We couldn’t do it without you!

Carrie Lienemann & The Kids Klub Staff

Welcome to the North Platte Area

The North Platte area is a wonderful place to live, work, play, and retire. We are pleased to bring you this website to show you what North Platte offers its citizens and businesses.

On this site, you will find information on the North Platte & Lincoln County area, Chamber & Development members, programs and events, and links to important community resources, projects and organizations.

Visit the website at http://www.nparea.com/

Nebraska Game and Parks offer a host of events and virtual events throughout the year.

For a complete list of events, visit https://calendar.outdoornebraska.gov/

Virtual events https://calendar.outdoornebraska.gov/events/photo/?tribe_filterbar_events_virtual=yes

See Everything That North Platte Has To Offer And Start Planning Your Trip Today.

Explore North Platte. The home of Buffalo Bill has tons of great options for anyone looking to have fun and if you want a sure-fire good time just look for Buffalo Bill’s Buffalo of Approval. Bill’s bestowed it on the attractions, activities, and events that are sure to leave a smile on your face. From great outdoor activities, to sipping locally crafted beverages, to exploring the area’s unique history you’ll find something for everyone in North Platte.

Visit the website at https://visitnorthplatte.com/

When: February 14, 2022

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Webinar ID: 994 6782 5841

March 4, 2022: No School

March 10, 2022: Staff Professional Development

March 11, 2022: No School

March 17-18, 2022 Parent-Teacher Conferences

April 14-18, 2022

April 19, 2022: Staff Professional Development

Are you looking for a position with NPPS? If so, please visit https://nppsd.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx to see a list of available positions.

Sodexo Is Also Hiring~

Sodexo @ NPPSD

Are you looking for a family-friendly schedule that offers competitive pay, insurance, and 401K? Sodexo Nutrition Department is looking to hire part-time, and sub positions for the upcoming school year. www.sodexo.jobs

Make an Impact in a student’s Life

• Part-time and sub positions available

• Excellent schedule – no weekends or evenings

• Opportunity for advancement

• Competitive pay

Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer

Sodexo is an EEO/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran employer. Sodexo is committed to upholding the spirit and principles of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the 1998 amendment to the Act. If, due to a disability, you require a reasonable accommodation to navigate this site and/or complete the online application process, please contact USASodexoFrontlineApplicationSupport@sodexo.com for assistance.