Public Meeting Scheduled to Discuss Activities Co-op with Arcadia Schools

At a strategic planning meeting, scheduled to be held at the Loup City JSH Commons on February 6, 2013 at 7:30pm, the Loup City Board of Education would like to hear from district patrons regarding a proposed activities co-operative agreement with the Arcadia Public Schools.

Facilitating the discussion will be Todd Beck, principal at Greely-Wolbach Public Schools along with Arnold Public Schools Superintendent, Pat Osmond and Jarod Rush, activities director at the Arnold Public Schools.

The Board and district administration will field questions, hear comments, and consider suggestions on the possible co-operative sponsorship of school activities with the Arcadia Public Schools. Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) guidelines, which are listed below, will be used as discussion points during the strategic planning meeting:

1.     If you already have a program, are students from another school going to replace students from your community?

2.     Who will pay the cost of equipment and travel?

3.     How will gate receipts be dispersed?

4.     Who is responsible for the cost of travel to and from practice?

5.     Where will practice be held?

6.     Where will contests be played?

7.     Which school’s identity will be use? Mascot, colors, ect.

8.     Are local eligibility rules, lettering guidelines, ect., the same at both/all schools?

9.     Selection of cheerleaders. Who’s eligible?

10.  Will activity tickets and or season tickets be honored?

11.  How will coaches be employed and paid?

12.  Insurance.

13.  If students are combined for girls basketball, for example, the boys’ teams may be assigned to different districts-possibly even different classes.

14.  Expenses for facilities, lights, heating, showers, towels, laundry, ect., including maintenance of practice and playing facilities.

15.  Expenses for scouting, coaches’ meetings, ect. Who is responsible?

16.  Contracts with other schools, officials, ect.

17.  Responsibilities for hosting and supervising events.

18.  Resolution of disputes.

19.  Which school will handle eligibility?

 The strategic planning meeting  is an opportunity for district patrons to express opinions, get the facts, and ask questions. Please join us on February 6^th and be part of the discussion as we explore this exciting opportunity for our students.

LCPS Board Schedules Special Meetings in January & February

At their January 14, 2013 meeting, the Loup City Board of Education scheduled two special meetings to focus on specific district issues:

·       The first meeting, to be held on Monday January 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm in room 316 will address the appointment of a person to complete the Board of Education term of the late Steve Badura.

·       The second special meeting, to be held on Wednesday February 6, 2013 at 7:30, will be a strategic planning meeting to invite public comment on a school activities co-operative agreement with the Arcadia Public Schools.

Public Participation: Board of Education meetings and Board of Education public forums are open meetings, which patrons are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Following a short introduction by Superintendent Tom Hinrichs, Board President Mike Rademacher will invite comment and questions from the public, utilizing the following guidelines:

·       Any person wishing to address the board will be asked to sign-in before speaking or in advance, by contacting the superintendent’s office.

·       Comments must be limited to issues at hand.

·       We ask that comments be limited to five (5) minutes in length.

·       For groups with the same special interest, we request that a spokesperson be appointed.

·       We are requesting that, if possible, a copy of patron comments is provided in writing, to the Board via the Superintendent’s office, before the meeting, or provided by the speaker at the meeting.

A record of all questions, comments, and suggestions will be compiled and added to the information on these topics, which will be made available to the public.

Please join us on January 14^th and February 6^th for these important discussions

Following 2-day school visit

LCPS Receives AdvancED Recommendation for Continued Accreditation

Following a two-day visit by an AdvancEd accreditation team, lead by Jeff McQuistan of Educational Service Unit #17, the Loup City Public Schools received the team's recommendation for continued AdvancED accreditation. The AdvancED process is voluntary and represents a commitment on the part of the district to embrace higher accreditation standards than required by the Nebraska Department of Education for school accreditation.

The accreditation team was very complementary of the Loup City community, teaching and support staff, administration and Board of Education. The report lists powerful practices of the district,  ratings according to the five AdvancED standards, and actions required to maintain AdvancED accreditation.

The complete AdvancED Accreditation Team Exit Report, which was provided to LCPS staff and Board Members at the conclusion of the team's visit is available on the district website.

LCPS Joins Arcadia Public Schools in Junior-High Boys’ Basketball Co-op

At their December 10, 2012 Meeting, the Loup City Board of Education approved the co-operative sponsorship of junior high boys’ basketball with the Arcadia Public Schools for the 2012-13 season.

 Tentative practice plans call for one combined weekly practice at Loup City and one at Arcadia. Athletes will practice separately at their home schools on Wednesdays (church night). Friday night’s practice schedule will be determined by early outs and home varsity games at each school. Games are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Coaches for the combined squad are Kirk Harrington and Dusti Van Slyke

2013 Arcadia-Loup City JHBB Schedule

1-10-13 ENLS @ Arcadia- 2:30p,

1-14-13 Spalding/Spalding Academy @ Arcadia- 2:30pm

1-21 & 22-13 Ansley-Litchfiled Tournament @ Ansley- 3:30pm

1-24-13 @ Burwell- 4pm

1-28-13 Centura @ Loup City- 4pm

2-4-13 St. Paul @ Loup City-4pm

2-11-13 Ravenna @ Ravenna-4pm

2-18-13 Gibbon @ Loup City-4pm

LCPS Receives Excellent Audit Report

 At the November 12, 2012 Loup City Board of Education Meeting, Gary Hinrichs and Mick Puckett of Dana F. Cole and Company, the district’s auditors, reported on the outcome of the yearly district audit.  According to the auditors, the Loup City Public Schools received an, “unqualified audit report, which is the best report available as the results of an audit.”

The audit report went on to explain that an unqualified opinion “means that in our opinion the financial statements are presented fairly in all material respects in accordance with the basis of accounting as reported on.”

The audit report went on to praise district business manager, Janelle Swanson, stating that, “We encountered no difficulties in dealing with management and the staff in performing and completing our audit. The records were in great shape.”

The complete audit presentation is available on the district website, http://blog.loupcity.k12.ne.us/

Governor Heineman Recognizes LCPS Test Score Improvement

 The Loup City Public Schools have been recognized by Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman in a news article entitled: A salute to schools with top test scores. In this article, the Governor recognizes our high school students for, improving our reading scores (on the NeSA) each of the past three years.

Governor Heineman explains that, “The State of Nebraska conducts statewide reading, math, science and writing assessments so that parents, citizens, school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers and elected officials can compare results from one district to another. This data can be very helpful in improving both student and school academic achievement performance.”

 The governor’s article goes on to state: “We now have three years of reading data and I want to note that among smaller (class D1 and D2)  schools,  Alma, Axtell, Creighton, Elm Creek, Emerson-Hubbard, Loup City, Palmer, Shelby, Southwest and Winside have all improved their reading scores every year.”

We are proud of the hard work of our students and staff as we continue to strive for excellence in all things LCPS.

The complete article can be found here.

 http://fremonttribune.com/news/opinion/columnists/a-salute-to-schools-with-top-test-results/article_cefc63e8-1de6-11e2-9b5b-001a4bcf887a.html#.UIoghAyV58k.email

LCPS Technology Rundown

LCPS is currently in the second year of our 24/7 Learning program. The program began with the addition of student laptops and computer carts in 2011.  The initiative to utilize technology in our curriculum has continued to grow and develop as we look for new and better ways to engage students. A lot has happened in those two-years including:

•     Adding another 30-laptop cart to keep up with the needs of our K-8 students
•      Demonstrating  new digital Social Studies curriculum to our Board  (by district social studies  teachers
•       Establishing student Google, email and Moodle accounts
•      Introducing computer skills as early as kindergarten (ipads are now being used at the pre-school)
•     Teaching classes in Keyboarding and computer skills at the 4^th, 5^th & 6^th grade level
•      Requiring computer applications classes for all 7^th & 8^th grade students
•     Establishing a Computer-based elementary assessment-prep class
•     Delivering assignments, assessment, & feedback  online via Moodle in many classes 
•     Adding clickers, ipads, & ipods to supplement our curriculum
•     Creating podcasts of many literature texts.
•      Providing online copies of math & social studies textbooks. We will continue this practice as we adopt new curricular materials.
•      Using podcasts, books-on-CD, instructional websites, and other online resources for student accommodations
•        Providing staff technology training: including (MAP assessment, Moodle, DIEBELS Next, Check4Learning, Atomic Learning, Lan School, web-based Lessons, elementary curricular resources, Storia,  etc.)
•      Conducting One-on-one and small-group technology training ,by our technology director, at teacher request
•       Creating  staff blogs  using Google docs & Word Press
•     Providing on-line Library access to students and patrons
•     Sponsoring training opportunities for students, staff and parents in digital citizenship.

Our curriculum is based on state standards, and our staff by far make the greatest contribution to the success of our students. Technology will never replace a good teacher, but it can be a valuable resource. Our staff uses many tools to provide opportunities for students. Technology is powerful tool that we use to engage students, drive instruction, and facilitate learning.

Please feel free to stay informed of all things LCPS by following our progress on the school web-site, the school Facebook page or by visiting our classrooms.

I would invite any interested patron to visit our schools and get a first-hand look at the great things happening in technology and other areas. You will be impressed.