District Newsletter
August, 2009
Welcome from the Superintendent
Summer break is once again coming to an end as another school year is upon us. We look forward to the 2009-2010 school year with great anticipation and look forward to seeing all of those bright and smiling faces on Monday, August 17.
I am amazed at how fast the years fly by and this coming year will be no different. When I started teaching many years ago there seemed to be much more time between the first and last day of school.
I encourage all parents and students to make the most of your school experience. Before you know it your children will be out of school and out in the real world. This is a very important time in your lives and the lives of your children.
I wish you all a great school year!
New Teachers and Administrators
This year we will welcome 5 new teachers to Seward Public
Schools.
Below is a brief introduction of each.
Brittany Hajek will be teaching mathematics to the seventh grade students this year. Mrs. Hajek graduated from Doane College and spent the past two years teaching 8th grade math at Mission Middle School in Bellevue.
Casey Makey will be teaching middle school health and physical education classes. Mr. Makey recently finished his student teaching at Seward Public Schools and is a graduate of Concordia University.
Jocelyn Gray will be teaching Title I at Seward Elementary. Mrs. Gray graduated from Concordia University and is getting back into education after spending a number of years in child day-care.
Carly Weisgerber will be teaching special education at the elementary this year. Ms. Weisgerber recently finished her student teaching at Lincoln Public Schools and is a graduate of Doane College.
Janni Hanson will be teaching 6th grade reading this year. Mrs. Hanson has four prior years of teaching experience and has recently been substitute teaching in Seward.
We will also have a number of new classified staff members, but are presently trying to fill vacancies. Please help all of our new teachers and staff members feel welcome.
Student Handbooks Available Online
Communicating with the public is an important part of what we do at Seward Public Schools. One of the main mediums we use for that purpose is our school website http://www.sewardpublicschools.org. In an effort to save paper, we have decided to put our student handbooks online this year. High School and Middle School students will be given signature pages to take home for students and their parents to sign stating that they have gone on line and read the handbook. Those forms will then need to be returned to the school. There will also be a place on the form for parents to check indicating that they do not have access to the internet or would prefer a hard copy of the handbook. We will send home a printed copy for any parents requesting one.
The Elementary School handbook will be available online, but we will be sending home hard copies with all elementary students as well.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Bluejay Alerts
When you go on the internet to our school website listed above, at
the bottom you may find a link to “Bluejay Alerts.” We
encourage parents, students, and patrons to go to our website and
sign up for this free service. In order to sign up you must
either have an email address or a cell phone to which text messages
can be sent. Once you enter your email address or cell phone
number you can then enter your home phone to receive voice messages
as well.
We will use this system to notify those registered of snow days, late starts, early dismissals for weather, etc. We will also use this system in emergency situations, so the more people we have signed up, the better communication will be.
Hot Lunch and Breakfast Program
All Elementary, Middle School and High School hot lunches will be served beginning Monday, August 17. Breakfast at the Elementary and Middle School will start on Tuesday, August 18. The cost of breakfast and lunches:
Daily
K-4 Lunch $1.80
5-12 Lunch $1.95
K-8 Breakfast $1.20
Free and Reduced price meal application forms will be sent home with students the first day of school on August 17. If you wish to apply for free or reduced priced meals, please fill out the application and return it to the school. Please follow the directions and fill out the application as accurately as possible. Accurate and complete applications will speed up the determination process.
Busing
Seward Public Schools has numerous bus routes traveling many miles
each day. We do what we can to ensure that students do not
ride an excessive amount of time, yet we know some students are
going to spend a good deal of time on the bus each day. We
try to do the best we can with the limited resources that we have
available, and we appreciate the cooperativeness of the parents and
students.
COMMUNICATION is an important aspect of our transportation program. It is important for us to be notified of any changes. If your child or children regularly ride the bus and for some reason do not plan to on any given day, please call ahead and let us know of the change. In the morning you may call the bus garage after 6:30 AM at 643-6069. For changes in the afternoon route you may either call the bus garage, the district office at 643-2941, or your child’s school office. The phone numbers are: Elementary School 643-2968, Middle School 643-2986, and High School 643-2988. If we do not answer the phone, keep trying—other people may be calling in too and we might be on the other line. Parents may also send a written note in advance to the bus driver or the school office describing the bus route changes.
Bus routes for the 2009-2010 school year will soon be scheduled and bus drivers will be contacting parents to let them know times for the morning and afternoon routes. If you plan to ride the bus and do not receive a phone call from a bus driver by August 12, please call us and make sure we have you placed on a route. Also, if you are new to the district or if you have changed addresses, please call and let us know where you live and phone numbers where you can be reached so we can get you on a route.
Bus evacuations drills will be conducted once per semester for all students with the first drills being conducted during the last week in August.
SHUTTLE BUSING will be provided for students to shuttle back and forth between school buildings before and after school. Please see the enclosed schedule, remove it from the newsletter, and save it for future reference.
Elementary Open House
Seward Elementary “Open House” will take place from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on August 13th. This will be a great opportunity for parents and students to meet teachers and other staff members. Parents may also bring in meal money, immunization records, vision evaluations, and physicals if you have not already done so. Marty Telecky, busing supervisor, will also be present to answer any busing questions parents might have.
Ninth Grade/New Student Orientation
Ninth grade/new student orientation, for students and their parents, will be August 13th at 7:00 p.m. at the Seward High School Theater.
Pre-Registration Information
Kindergarten: Children must have reached the age of five years on or before October 15 to be eligible to enter school. Birth Certificates and Immunization Records are Required for Registration for all new students. Students enrolling in Kindergarten or transferring from out of state must have a visual evaluation. Students will not be allowed to begin school without these records.
K-12 students who did not attend Seward Schools last year should register in the principal’s office starting August 3, 2009. Each Kindergarten student, 7th grade student, and students moving into Seward School District from out of state, must have a physical before the start of school.
Starting on August 3th, all school offices will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to answer any questions.
Grades Grades Grades
K-4 - Elementary School 5-8 - Middle School 9-12 - High School
200 East Pinewood 237 South 3rd 532 Northern Heights
643-2968 643-2986 643-2988
Athletic Practices and Physicals
Varsity Football and Softball practices will begin on Monday, August 10, 2009. Organized practices for all other 9-12 athletics will begin on Monday, August 17, 2009. All Middle School equipment check outs will start August 19. Each student in grades 7-12 must have a physical in order to participate in practice. Athletic physicals will be provided August 6th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. for students entering 7th through 12th grade at the Seward High School. The cost is $25 with checks made out to Seward Public Schools.
Notice of Nondiscrimination
The School District of Seward does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, marital status, disability, religion or age in admission or access to, or treatment of employment, in its programs and activities. The coordinators listed below have been designated to handle inquiries regarding complaints, grievance procedures or the application of these policies of nondiscrimination.
Specific complaints of alleged discrimination under Title VI (race, color, and national origin) Title IX (gender) and Section 504 (handicap) should be referred to:
School District of Seward School District of Seward School District of Seward
Elementary Principal Middle School Principal High School Asst Principal
Lana Daws Kirk Gottschalk Steve Borer
200 East Pinewood 237 South 3rd 532 Northern Heights Drive
(402) 643-2968 (402)643-2986 (402) 643-2988