2011

As 2010 winds down, it is a time to reflect on the past while preparing for the future. York Public Schools, like most districts, is curious to see what happens in Lincoln during this important legislative session. Will state aid to schools be cut as severely as some have indicated?

York Public Schools has worked very hard to shave off $1 million in disbursements over the past two years so we're hopeful our receipt and disbursement totals continue to mirror each other instead of us getting back into a rut of spending more money than we receive annually.

We have our spending under control. Time will tell if our lawmakers can get revenue for public school districts under control. Good luck to Senator Adams and others as they embark on this difficult process next week.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. York Public Schools will be dismissing today at 2:00. Classes resume on Tuesday, January 4th. We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday.

The district office will be open December 27th-30th. We'll be busy preparing for our January 10th board meeting and January 17th in-service day.

Things YPS is Working On....

York Public Schools is committed to trying to get better each and every day. Currently, we are working on:

* Moving to an 8-period day at YHS (currently have 7 periods)
* Increasing YHS graduation requirements in math and science
* Adding more dual credit course at YHS
* Providing summer remediation and enrichment opportunities for 1st-12th graders
* Pursuing a "21st Century Learning Grant" that would be worth $500,000 over the next five years and would allow us to run a highly effective after-school program
* Pursuing a free lunch program to run over the summer months where ALL 3-18 year olds can get a free lunch regardless of their family's income level

Please check out www.yorkpublic.org to monitor our progress. We're excited about our future and very proud of our past.

GO DUKES!

Community Coffee

Thanks for the 20+ patrons that attended this morning's "Community Coffee" at York Elementary.  It was great to visit with you about our school system.  The kindergarten students from Mrs. Samuelson's class were so proud to say the Pledge of Allegiance for you, as well as to sing their songs.

Mrs. Friesen and our teachers are proud of the technology integration intitiatives they've put into place.  I'm glad they were able to show off the i-pods and netbooks.

We are excited to report that we've spent $224,000 LESS so far this fiscal year when compared to what we spent through the first quarter of last year.  In addition, our receipts have increased over $300,000 when you compare this year's first quarter to the first quarter of 2009-10.

One fact that should not go unnoticed is that York Public Schools will spend $1 million LESS in 2010-11 than it spent in 2008-09.  We're certainly doing our best to slow down and cut spending!

Great Students in this "Kid Business"

Most school administrators and teachers often catch themselves saying they're in the "kid business" and "we need to do what is best for kids."  I totally agree on both fronts.  I'm so proud of the wonderful students we have here in York.  Just today I was lucky enough to serve as a "portfolio judge" for Ms. Holder's English Rhetoric class.  I was able to interview three talented seniors about their portfolio, how they put it together, what they learned, etc.  I then was able to serve as a "pinata judge" in Mr. Haack's Spanish class.  It was great to see the language skills the students are working on, not to mention their artistic abilities with the pinatas.

There are plenty of "challenging days" as a school employee.  However, when we can stay focused on the wonderful and talented young people we get to work with, things get put back in perspective rather quickly!

Eventful Day

Had a productive meeting at ESU 6 this morning.  We're working on making some adjustments to the Career Academy Program and our partnership with Southeast Community College.  We also learned of an exciting professional development opportunity for our staffs as Toby Boss is bringing in Robert Marzano and other educaitonal specialists to train up to 150 educators from ESU districts.  York was the first district to secure a 10-person spot in this exciting endeavor that will begin in June, 2011.

Headed to Waverly in a little while to watch the York Dukes boys' basketball team take on the Vikings.  Should be a good game between two solid programs.

BAND CONCERT

The middle school and high school bands, under the direction of Mr. Forsch, are putting on an outstanding holiday concert right now.  Thanks to the Band Boosters for such a delicious soup supper beforehand.  It is so exciting to see and hear the talented musicians we have within our school system.  I took some great pictures but was unable to load them to this blog.  The auditorium is almost full so we're blessed with a large crowd to show these students that their hard work doesn't go unnoticed!

Don't forget the middle school and high school choirs have their concert on Tuesday, December 14th at 7 PM in the YHS theater.

Go Dukes!

School Activities

It's a great time to be a York Duke.  We have so many wonderful activities for our students to choose from.  Look at some of the highlights below:

* YHS One-Act Play earned 2nd place at Districts this past Friday
* YMS/YHS Band Concert is on December 7th at YHS at 7 PM
* YMS/YHS Choir Concert is on December 14th at YHS at 7 PM
* Mrs. Jane Brogan and the YHS Mock Trial Team are competing for a state championship on December 6th and 7th in Lincoln!
* YHS Wrestling hosted their Invitational this past Saturday.  Coach Chad Mattox and his team are working hard and will get better each week.  (Check out the picture below).
* YHS Basketball teams are off to 1-0 starts and will both host Lexington on Saturday.
* The greenhouse being built by a generous donation from the Terpstra Foundation will be completed this month.  It will be a great asset to our FFA and Agriculture Education programs!

School activities are an important part of the educational process.  We are proud that close to 80% of our 9th-12th graders and 96% of our 6th-8th graders are involved in at least one school sponsored extra-curricular activity.  Get out and get involved.

Go Dukes!

School Improvement

York Public Schools is excited to begin a new five year cycle of school improvement.  We're busy disaggregating student achievement data and developing potential goals.  We look forward to the challenges that lie ahead in helping improve our students' math and reading abilities. 

You can check out our newly updated (and constantly changing) curriculum maps on our website at www.yorkpublic.org.  We've also established our "Principles of Learning" that can be accessed via the website as well.

This is an exciting time to be a professional educator.  Go Dukes!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the York Dukes out there.  We have many things to be thankful for within the YPS family.  Thanks to all of the alumni and former staff for making York Public Schools a special place.  We must continue to work hard to carry on the York Duke tradition.