Substitute teachers/staff members are important people. In an average year, YPS will spend over $165,000 on substitute teachers and support staff. These folks are given the task of working with our students and it's important that we support them and provide them with the tools they need to be successful.
With that in mind, we are once again having a "Substitute Teacher Meeting" on Monday, August 11th at 6:00 PM at York MIDDLE School. We highly encourage anyone that wants to be a sub teacher in 2014-15 to attend this meeting. Our administration and payroll office will go over a multitude of topics to include effective classroom management ideas, lesson planning, school safety, discipline expectations, and more.
ALL sub teachers are encouraged to participate in this meeting that typically takes about 45-minutes. As a reminder, our sub teacher pay rate increases to $105 per day in 2014-15.
Go Dukes!
Monday, July 28, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
THANKFUL to be a DUKE
There is NO PLACE I'd rather be than York, Nebraska! As we prepare for the 2014-15 school year, I'm so excited about the tremendous staff, students, parents, community members, and school board that I get to interact with on a regular basis. York is a special place. It's just that plain and simple!
I'm thankful for our teachers and staff that work so hard to meet the needs of our students. I'm thankful for our students that represent themselves, their families, our school, and community in such a positive way. I'm thankful for all of the supportive parents we have. I'm thankful for the community members that attend our school events and show their Duke Pride on a daily basis. I'm thankful for our school board for their commitment to the young people of our community.
York Public Schools has a tremendous past full of rich traditions and worthy accomplishments. I'm thankful that we continue to build upon that as we move forward. Buckle up York Duke Nation because our best is yet to come!
We are....YORK DUKES!
I'm thankful for our teachers and staff that work so hard to meet the needs of our students. I'm thankful for our students that represent themselves, their families, our school, and community in such a positive way. I'm thankful for all of the supportive parents we have. I'm thankful for the community members that attend our school events and show their Duke Pride on a daily basis. I'm thankful for our school board for their commitment to the young people of our community.
York Public Schools has a tremendous past full of rich traditions and worthy accomplishments. I'm thankful that we continue to build upon that as we move forward. Buckle up York Duke Nation because our best is yet to come!
We are....YORK DUKES!
Thursday, July 17, 2014
York Youth Football
The York Duke Youth Football organization will once again make Pee Wee tackle football available to all boys in grades 4th-6th in the 2014-15 school year. The York Duke Pee Wee tackle football team will be a competitive youth football team that will compete in the Blue Valley Football League.
Registration forms are due by August 8th and can be found on the YPS website at www.yorkpublic.org.
Even though this is a competitive league, a strong emphasis will be placed on player safety, FUN, and character development. The main goal that our coaches have is to help each child develop a love of football and make them want to play again next year. This team will also be using the same schemes that the York high school and middle school teams run, so it will prepare them for the future.
Character development will be stressed on a daily basis and your sons will be taught themes such as loyalty, work ethic, integrity, and manners. These are themes that we take very seriously, and feel they are just as important as football lessons and techniques that they will acquire.
Your child will be taking part in a competitive environment, working hard, and learning valuable life lessons in a safe environment. This WILL BE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR SON! Every player will play in every game, but the playing time may not be equal.
In an effort to increase playing time on our 4th/5th grade team; it is our intent to split up into grade level teams if we have enough kids that sign up. A 5th grade only team would play our league schedule while our 4th grade only team would have 2-3 intra-squad scrimmages to ensure everyone is playing against other kids of similar age/size and skill set. Both squads would practice together each week.
Pad Check out will be Sunday, August 10th at 6:00 PM at the high school practice field by the track. The first practice will be Thursday, August 14th at the YMS practice field. Practice will always be from 6:00-7:30 or 8:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at YMS. Games are always on Sunday afternoons. We will have a parents meeting on Sunday, August 10th at the high school practice field after pad check out to discuss the season.
Go Dukes!
Registration forms are due by August 8th and can be found on the YPS website at www.yorkpublic.org.
Even though this is a competitive league, a strong emphasis will be placed on player safety, FUN, and character development. The main goal that our coaches have is to help each child develop a love of football and make them want to play again next year. This team will also be using the same schemes that the York high school and middle school teams run, so it will prepare them for the future.
Character development will be stressed on a daily basis and your sons will be taught themes such as loyalty, work ethic, integrity, and manners. These are themes that we take very seriously, and feel they are just as important as football lessons and techniques that they will acquire.
Your child will be taking part in a competitive environment, working hard, and learning valuable life lessons in a safe environment. This WILL BE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR SON! Every player will play in every game, but the playing time may not be equal.
In an effort to increase playing time on our 4th/5th grade team; it is our intent to split up into grade level teams if we have enough kids that sign up. A 5th grade only team would play our league schedule while our 4th grade only team would have 2-3 intra-squad scrimmages to ensure everyone is playing against other kids of similar age/size and skill set. Both squads would practice together each week.
Pad Check out will be Sunday, August 10th at 6:00 PM at the high school practice field by the track. The first practice will be Thursday, August 14th at the YMS practice field. Practice will always be from 6:00-7:30 or 8:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at YMS. Games are always on Sunday afternoons. We will have a parents meeting on Sunday, August 10th at the high school practice field after pad check out to discuss the season.
Go Dukes!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
The IMPORTANCE of Birth-to-Five Programming
York Public Schools is proud to be a member of STANCE; which is a coalition of mid-sized school districts that work together on legislative and educational issues. We are in the midst of working on "white papers" and trying to help lead the visioning process of public education in our great state. We've identified several "pillars" to focus on. Early childhood education is definitely a priority!
If you have never done so, please take a minute and visit First Five Nebraska's website at www.firstfivenebraska.org. They are a tremendous resource!
The research regarding the value of quality early childhood services is undisputed. First Five Nebraska estimates that there are over 62,000 Nebraska children ages 0-5 who are at risk of failing in school because of lack of early childhood programming opportunities. STANCE members are unanimous in supporting public schools providing the opportunity for preschool services to all children.
As the State Legislature seeks public input towards a vision for the future education of young Nebraskans, let’s not forget our most vulnerable citizens. Achievement gaps don’t begin in kindergarten.
• The development of the brain in the first five years literally shapes the learning capacity for the rest of a child's life.
• The first five years of life are a time unlike any other in the development of the human mind. During this brief period, a child's brain creates and conditions synaptic connections at an astonishing rate as it prepares itself for a lifetime of learning and growth. The relationships and experiences a child shares with its parents and caregivers in the earliest years are crucial to the acquisition of communication and reasoning skills, the capacity to regulate emotions and behaviors, and the development of self-confidence and motivation for learning and achievement.
• As children grow older, their capacity to learn continues - but they will never have quite the same opportunity to lay such crucial neurological foundations again.
• Forty-one percent of our youngest children are subject to risk factors that threaten their ability to thrive in school and beyond. These children can be found in every county throughout the state, and although the greatest concentrations occur in metropolitan areas, Nebraska's rural counties are showing the greatest increase in their at-risk populations of children 0 to 5 years of age.
• On the whole, positive, supportive and stimulating early learning experiences and environments benefit not just the children themselves, but society in general.
o In fact, Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman calculates that high quality early childhood experiences can yield $7 for every $1 invested.
o Yet, Nebraska’s investment in early childhood continues to lag far behind what we spend each year on SPED, behavioral health, corrections and public assistance. Children who enter Kindergarten lacking the cognitive skills of their peers are likely to lag behind for the rest of their time in the K-12 system, despite the availability of costly special education programs.
• Children who are limited in their ability to regulate their emotions and make intelligent social decisions are more likely to require behavioral health services and enter the criminal justice system later in life.
The time is right for our great state to make a renewed commitment to quality early childhood programming for all Nebraska children. Partnerships with organizations like First Five Nebraska, UN-L and Dr. Sam Meisels, as well as numerous other public and private organizations can create a world class educational system in Nebraska.
We believe:
• Expanded early childhood programming will be an effective use of limited educational dollars resulting in improved academic performance, higher graduation and lower dropout rates and improved social behavior.
• Expanded early childhood programming will assist in stimulating the state's economy by attracting businesses to an area with skilled labor and a supportive family environment.
• Quality early childhood programs require quality teachers using researched based curriculum which must demonstrate positive results via accountability systems.
If you have never done so, please take a minute and visit First Five Nebraska's website at www.firstfivenebraska.org. They are a tremendous resource!
The research regarding the value of quality early childhood services is undisputed. First Five Nebraska estimates that there are over 62,000 Nebraska children ages 0-5 who are at risk of failing in school because of lack of early childhood programming opportunities. STANCE members are unanimous in supporting public schools providing the opportunity for preschool services to all children.
As the State Legislature seeks public input towards a vision for the future education of young Nebraskans, let’s not forget our most vulnerable citizens. Achievement gaps don’t begin in kindergarten.
• The development of the brain in the first five years literally shapes the learning capacity for the rest of a child's life.
• The first five years of life are a time unlike any other in the development of the human mind. During this brief period, a child's brain creates and conditions synaptic connections at an astonishing rate as it prepares itself for a lifetime of learning and growth. The relationships and experiences a child shares with its parents and caregivers in the earliest years are crucial to the acquisition of communication and reasoning skills, the capacity to regulate emotions and behaviors, and the development of self-confidence and motivation for learning and achievement.
• As children grow older, their capacity to learn continues - but they will never have quite the same opportunity to lay such crucial neurological foundations again.
• Forty-one percent of our youngest children are subject to risk factors that threaten their ability to thrive in school and beyond. These children can be found in every county throughout the state, and although the greatest concentrations occur in metropolitan areas, Nebraska's rural counties are showing the greatest increase in their at-risk populations of children 0 to 5 years of age.
• On the whole, positive, supportive and stimulating early learning experiences and environments benefit not just the children themselves, but society in general.
o In fact, Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman calculates that high quality early childhood experiences can yield $7 for every $1 invested.
o Yet, Nebraska’s investment in early childhood continues to lag far behind what we spend each year on SPED, behavioral health, corrections and public assistance. Children who enter Kindergarten lacking the cognitive skills of their peers are likely to lag behind for the rest of their time in the K-12 system, despite the availability of costly special education programs.
• Children who are limited in their ability to regulate their emotions and make intelligent social decisions are more likely to require behavioral health services and enter the criminal justice system later in life.
The time is right for our great state to make a renewed commitment to quality early childhood programming for all Nebraska children. Partnerships with organizations like First Five Nebraska, UN-L and Dr. Sam Meisels, as well as numerous other public and private organizations can create a world class educational system in Nebraska.
We believe:
• Expanded early childhood programming will be an effective use of limited educational dollars resulting in improved academic performance, higher graduation and lower dropout rates and improved social behavior.
• Expanded early childhood programming will assist in stimulating the state's economy by attracting businesses to an area with skilled labor and a supportive family environment.
• Quality early childhood programs require quality teachers using researched based curriculum which must demonstrate positive results via accountability systems.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Independence Day -- 4th of July
We would like to wish everyone a wonderful and safe 4th of July. Independence Day is an awesome day to celebrate the outstanding country we live in. Enjoy some fireworks, spend some time with family and friends, and celebrate our awesome country! As a father of four and a school administrator, I am very thankful for the freedoms and opportunities we have in the USA! Happy birthday America!
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