Supts On!

Gibbon Public Schools continues to deploy precautionary measures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Students and staff are still required to properly wear masks as they enter the facility and throughout the entire school day. In addition, we will continue to use hand sanitizers as students enter the facility and when they enter each classroom. Wearing masks and using hand sanitizers are two of the most important strategies proven to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, there have been a couple of changes based on what we learned through the CDC and NSAA Guidelines. Recent information from CDCs points to the following: CDC does not currently recommend schools conduct symptom screening for all students in grades K-12 on a routine basis. Parents, caregivers, or guardians should be strongly encouraged to monitor their children for symptoms of infectious illness every day through home-based symptom screening. Students who are sick should not attend school in-person. Ad...

 Since March 16, 2020, Gibbon Public Schools, like all schools across the nation, has grappled with COVID-19 and the challenges of ensuring quality educational experiences continue to be delivered to students.  Remote learning, alternate learning environments, face masks, hand sanitizers, and Return to School Protocols have become the new normal. From the school’s perspective, we have realized a minor impact on the number of students and staff placed in quarantine or who have tested positive for COVID-19.  At this time, we have had just one staff member test positive and there have been five students test positive for COVID-19.  Currently, we have 17 students home in quarantine and who attend school via ZOOM.  Although the school district has seen positive cases, we can definitely claim these cases are not traced back to the school.  We can confidently say folks were exposed to the virus through relatives or when attending special events such as weddings....

Gibbon Nation, The school district has closed a history-making end to the school year, and it is important that we celebrate all that was accomplished in response to a monumental challenge called COVID-19.  Teachers were thrown into an alternate learning environment with little time to prepare, students were thrown into an environment and asked to manage their own time while attending to academic requirements, and parents were asked to monitor learning while they also tended to the needs of their families.  OUR collective response has been overwhelmingly positive and I wish to thank students, parents, teachers, and our community for their tremendous effort. What can parents, students, and the community expect for the start of the 2020-21 School Year? We are hopeful that we can start school in a “normal environment” with students arriving at school on August 12th.  However, news and conditions associated with COVID-19 changes daily requiring us to consider a number o...

Hi Gibbon Nation.  Wow.  These past several weeks have been interesting and panic associated with COVID-19 challenged a sense of normalcy for the entire world.  What was considered normal a few weeks ago is no longer normal today.  That is especially true for educators and public schools. Students, families, educators, and support staff left for spring break and the world was somewhat normal.  I venture to say no one thought March 12th would be the last day school would operate in the traditional sense.   On March 16th, the COVID-19 Pandemic immediately threw the school district into a new normal, “alternate learning environments,” without an opportunity to adequately prepare for this experience.  As a result, students, parents, families, educators and entire communities were thrown into a world where folks were asked to stay home and education would occur … “differently.” Overall, I am extremely proud of the way parents, students and the sc...

I am sad to share Gibbon Public Schools will continue to operate without students in the building, and we are preparing for the fact this might be the case the remainder of the school year. While the building may be closed in the traditional sense, PLEASE COUNT ON INSTRUCTION TAKING PLACE TIlE REMAINDER OF THIS ACADEMIC YEAR. This means learning for all students will continue in an alternate setting, and instruction will occur through Zoom, instructional packets, and other venues identified by the classroom teacher. Gibbon Public Schools just finished our first week in an alternate learning environment, and we understand the Coronavirus Pandemic has placed additional burdens on our families. After all, parents and guardians must work to provide shelter, clothing and food for their children. However, we can’t ignore the ethical obligation to continue your child’s education. It is extremely important that your children participate in the learning experiences designed by teachers. Failu...

Gibbon Nation, I am confident you have had several opportunities to listen to multiple news reports on the Coronavirus Outbreak, and I am also confident folks have many questions about how your school district is responding to this crisis.  This version of SUPTs On is intended to share the district’s approach to this public concern. This past Sunday, every superintendent in the state of Nebraska participated in a video-conference call with the Commissioner of Education to learn more about the outbreak, specifics associated with the virus, and how school districts across the state of Nebraska are responding to a particular incident.  These conference calls will occur each Sunday until we have weathered this particular storm. Today, superintendents from school districts across Central Nebraska, met at Educational Service Unit #10 in Kearney to visit with Jeremy Eschliman, the Health Director at Two Rivers Public Health Department.  During this meeting, I recommended t...

I was recently made aware of Facebook posts claiming the school district is not allowing representatives of the community to use the school facility. This claim is highly inaccurate and using social media to make posts of this nature creates confusion, frustration and sometimes anger that unfortunately places the school district in a negative light with the community. This version of SUPTs On is intended to address this false information. I’ve listed several “FACTS” that supported the district’s decision to tighten up safety and security through a keyless entry system and a facility use form. FACT: Given events that have occurred internationally, nationally, and within the state of Nebraska, we can no longer ignore the reality that violence can occur in our community or in our school district at any time. Think back to this past summer when an incident that involved a shooting occurred in Gibbon. This reality demands a practice and the commitment to co...

In the October 2019 version of SUPTs On, I mentioned the school district’s efforts to strengthen our ability to respond to emergency or crisis situations.  Given events that have occurred throughout the world and the amount of harm encountered in all kinds of settings, Gibbon Public Schools believes it is necessary to constantly review how we maintain a safer learning environment. A step we are taking is to arm students and staff with the “See Something, Send Something” App. This app is free and offers students and staff the ability to report suspicious and criminal behavior, safely and securely, anonymously or self-identified, from their smart devices.  Once a tip is submitted, an individual can receive updates as local law enforcement moves through the investigation.  We chose this app in collaboration with the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department and the district’s Operations Team.  In addition, the National School Security Information Sharing System has partne...

We take safety and security seriously in Gibbon Public Schools.  A sign of this behavior is reflected in our efforts to stay abreast of best practices and current trends, and enhancing our ability to respond to potential threats made to students, staff, guests, and our school district. Gibbon Public Schools utilizes an “Operations Team” that focuses on four areas – Safety, Security, Medical Response, and Tragedy Response.  Members of the Operations Team are divided among these four areas and develop plans to improve procedures and protocols.  For example, we review the number of individuals on our staff trained in CPR and we use that information to design the necessary training.   Members of the Operations Team include – Samantha Schemer (Nurse) – Medical Response Amy Danielson (Classroom Teacher) – Security Deanna Stall (Technology) – Threat Assessment Ed Oden (Technology) – Threat Assessment Troy Lutz (Secondary Principal) – Secu...

Providing ongoing training for educators is absolutely critical to building knowledge and skill in the use of technology, curriculum development, instructional practices, classroom management, and keeping abreast with changes to federal and state accountability measures. Time is required to provide training experiences so educators can build these skills, and time is necessary for teachers to collaborate with their peers on effective practice. Gibbon Public School’s has implemented a concept called Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to provide that needed time. Experts and researchers have identified PLCs as a powerful school improvement strategy that improves student achievement, increases the level of academic performance expected for all students identifies interventions to help students who struggle, and provides enrichment opportunities for students who have already experienced academic success. Implementing PLCs is a journey and Gibbon Public Schools has begun our jo...

We are excited to welcome our families to the 2019-2020 school year, and we can’t wait until we see students walking in the halls of Gibbon Public Schools. Gibbon Public Schools is committed to raising expectations for student performance, increasing the level of academic rigor for all students, and cultivating a safe learning environment. It is the last comment, a safe learning environment, that we wish to emphasize in this version of SUPTs On. As we begin the new school year, school safety continues to be a major theme and a source of attention for Gibbon Public Schools. Given the events of these past several weeks, and most recently in Texas and Ohio, it behooves us to remain diligent with our efforts to ensure a safe learning environment exists for students, staff, parents, and guests. One strategy intended to improve the level of safety is to limit and control access into the facility. Gibbon Public Schools has implemented a keyless lock system that requires folks enter the ...

Gibbon Public Schools takes the safety and security of students, staff, and visitors seriously, and because of this, we are constantly looking at methods that improve our practices, procedures, and policies.  We also take seriously our partnership with the community, maintaining an aesthetically pleasing environment, and being an excellent steward of the taxpayer’s dollar.  Considering this behavior, Gibbon Public Schools has moved to a keyless card system with the purpose of raising the bar on expectations associated with safety and security. Shortly after the conclusion of this school year, any individual who wishes to access our building will no longer be able to do so using the typical key.  Individuals will be required to use a fob or a card to access our building and will only be able to do so at specific locations, during specific times.  Using fobs or a card gives the district greater control over the groups requesting access to the facility and when certai...

It is that time of year when Nebraska’s Unicameral convenes to consider, debate, and take all necessary action to form new legislation and settle on a state budget. At some point, State Senators participate in conversations that focus on property taxes and funding public education. I have been a superintendent for several years, and the common themes surrounding the funding of public education traditionally include school spending, a heavy reliance on property taxes, and the state of Nebraska’s contribution to education as compared to all states across the nation. There has been finger-pointing, the alarming willingness to alter facts, and a commitment to undermine board members who have been elected by their constituents to make decisions for their school district. This version of Supts On is intended to offer specifics regarding the condition of a budget for Gibbon Public Schools. I do not intend to point a finger; however, I do wish to highlight the reality of our particular situ...

Regardless of the occupation, keeping up with current trends, learning new skills, staying abreast of rules and regulations, and mastering new techniques are behaviors exhibited in all successful organizations.  Finding time when you can train staff on new techniques, introduce new skills, or learn changes to existing practice is always a challenge.  This challenge exists in the world of education as well.  Providing ongoing training for educators is absolutely critical to build knowledge and skill in the use of technology, curriculum development, instructional practices, classroom management, and keeping abreast with changes to federal and state accountability measures.  Time is required to provide training experiences so educators can build these skills, and time is necessary for teachers to collaborate with their peers on effective practice.   Gibbon Public Schools will be implementing a concept called Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to prov...

It has been a few weeks since I offered a SUPTs On and I apologize for failing to connect with you prior to today. However, Gibbon Public Schools has been very busy participating in planning activities designed to enhance the learning environment and educational experiences for EVERY member of our family. Since our last edition of SUPTs On, parents, students, community members, teachers, and our board of education have developed a Strategic Plan, created a collaborative planning process, and increased the number of voices involved in decisions that impact our school district and our wonderful community. The next several editions of SUPTS On will highlight decisions made through this collaborative effort, and we want to emphasize initiatives that will be implemented during the 2018-19 school year. The reason for this approach is connected to communication and informing the community how new initiatives will impact the school district. All decisions are aligned with best practice and r...

Gibbon Public Schools is taking a serious look at the protocols and procedures associated with School Safety. This serious look involves revisiting language and expectations for students and staff, reviewing information for different drills and our response to each situation, and setting the stage that being familiar with our safety protocols and procedures is the responsibility of our entire family. Students and Staff. The past two weeks, representatives from our safety and crisis teams presented information on Gibbon Public School’s Standard Response Protocol to staff and secondary students. Our goal is to strengthen our approach to school safety while increasing the level of knowledge connected to the Standard Response Protocol. Reviewing information is the first step. Practicing different scenarios will be our next step, and learning from each time we practice a drill will help us improve procedure and protocol. On March 28th,  we practiced our processes and proto...

The Gibbon Public Schools is committed to continuous school improvement and dedicated to raising the level of academic performance required of all students. Providing professional development where educators are trained in the areas of unpacking academic standards, creating a strong curriculum, identifying levels of performance expected of all students, and developing classroom assessments to determine that students achieve the level of performance established for them is absolutely critical in the support of this commitment. We share this information because a change in the district calendar will take place to offer the time necessary for quality professional development. April 11, 2018, was originally scheduled as a 1:00 p.m. dismissal for school improvement. The change, there will be NO SCHOOL on April 11th so that our education family can participate in a full-day of professional development in the areas mentioned above. We value your support and appreciate your patience while w...

Gibbon Public Schools is constantly focused on successfully preparing our students for life after high school.   Accomplishing this meaningful task requires school districts to continuously examine current practices and determine if those practices reflect what is occurring in the real-world.   We are looking at increasing academic and behavioral expectations, redesigning courses required for graduation, and connecting our curriculum to real-world experiences to determine if these experiences truly prepare students for life after high school. These goals will prove to be rewarding work that contributes to the quality of life for our students and for our community.   In the spirit of community, Gibbon Public Schools designed a process to informally collect information from local businesses, students, faculty and staff, parents, community members, and our board of education on what they want for our school district.  This “visioning” process is the initial step to...