Parents/Guardians,

Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. It is hard to believe we are at the first of December and Christmas is right around the corner. Here are a few reminders and events coming up at 1R. 

First, our Kindergarten through 5th grade Christmas Concert will be held on Thursday, December 7th at Northwest High School. The concert will start at 6:30p.m. Please see link for additional information K-5 Winter Concert.  Remember this is only a K-5 concert.  There will be no 6th-8th program this year. On Monday, December 11 we will hold our 5th through 8th grade District-wide BAND concert, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Northwest High School.  

PTO poinsettia delivery will possibly be on Thursday, December 7th. Please watch for specific information regarding pick-up to come.  There will be a Dining Night Out at Runza on December 12, 5-8PM. PTO will not meet this month. The next meeting will be on Monday, January 8 at 6 PM.

Each year the Nebraska Department of Education releases the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) results and the Accountability for a Quality Education System Today and Tomorrow, or AQuESTT classifications. Both these reports provide insight into how students are performing academically on Nebraska’s state standards. 

NSCAS English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics and Science are rigorous assessments with high expectations for postsecondary readiness. NSCAS ELA and Mathematics are given in grades three through eight. NSCAS science assessments are given in fifth and eighth grades. We are  super excited to share that as a district and school we showed tremendous growth in 2022-23. The Northwest district in ELA grew from 52% in (2021-22) to 68% in (2022-23) students at or above grade level. 1R school grew in ELA from 45% (2021-22) to 64% (2022-23) students at or above grade level benchmarks. This very positive trend line as we are rebounding from the COVID years. In math the Northwest district grew from 66% (2021-22) to 81% in (2022-23). In Math 1R school grew from 64% (2021-22) to 85% (2022-23) students at or above grade level benchmarks, great growth!

The NSCAS scores along with attendance trends and many other factors equate to an AQuESTT Classification as well. Because we are a K-8 system two classifications are given one for K-5 and one for 6th-8th. There four classifications are 1.) Needs improvement, 2.) Good, 3.) Great and 4.) Excellent. The 1R K-5 elementary received a classification of Excellent. The 6th-8th grades received a classification of Great. We are super proud of all the hard work our students, teachers and district staff put in to assure our students are learning and growing.     

K-8 students will be completing a variety of winter assessments over the next few weeks. These assessment give us insight into where our students at the midpoint the school year.  K-1 will complete their middle of year DIBELS and Math MAP benchmarks. 2nd grade will complete winter MAPS & DIBELS assessments. 3rd-8th will be taking the NSCAS assessments in Math & Reading. Teachers are discussing student and class goals. We encourage you to discuss and share the importance of giving their best effort. Please have your children get a good night sleep, eat a healthy breakfast and give them some positive reinforcement.

We utilize PowerSchool as our mass communication delivery system. Please ensure your information is up-to-date in PowerSchool so you receive important school and district information. If you have questions, please contact the office for assistance.  School closings will also be announced on KOLN/KGIN (Lincoln) and KLKN-TV (Lincoln) and on social media. Students will continue to go outside when temperatures feel like 20 degrees or higher. They must have coats, mittens, snow pants, and boots to play in the snow. Otherwise they are restricted to the concrete area. 

Winter Break will begin on Friday, December 22nd.  Students will return on Thursday, January 4th, 2024. 

Family Tech Tip from Mrs. Callihan: Conversations around technology use are important for families.  This tip will help establish routines for your child to carry over to their own technology use.

 

Mrs. O’Boyle Nurses Tips: We are in the flu and cold season. Here are some simple tips to try and keep everyone healthy over the holiday season. Nurse Tips If your child has a temperature over 100 they need to stay home. 

Mrs. Erickson’s Counselor Corner: Patience is a hard concept to learn and one that I am always given a lesson on. It can be especially hard to teach to kids.  Here are some helpful tips to use with your kids as you teach them about patience. 

Winter Middle School sports are off and running. Girls basketball teams are having a great season and improving each week. Our wrestlers are finding a lot of success on the mats. Boys Basketball will begin immediately after break with the first practice on Friday, January 5th.

On behalf of the staff at 1-R School, we wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. If you have questions regarding your child’s education, please do not hesitate to contact the office at 385-6352. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Retzlaff

Principal