mission statement · the media outlets meridian public schools will use for late starts and school...

The most active form of

communication between the school and

the community is School Messenger,

our automated phone calling system.

We placed a test call on the morning of

November 2, 2015. If you did not

receive this call, please contact the

district office at 402-446-7265 and

inform us of the proper phone number

to use.

NDE Report

The State of Schools Report from the

Nebraska Department of Education can

be found at the following website:

http://www.education.ne.gov/. This site

allows everyone to compare our

district’s information and academic

results to other districts across the state.

If you have any questions about this,

please feel free to contact either Mr.

Kort or Mr. Scott.

Winter Sports

Students are beginning practice for the

winter sports season, which will begin

with a Jamboree basketball game at

Meridian vs Superior on November 24.

The girls’ game begins at 5:00

followed by the boys’ game. The

Wrestlers will travel to High Plains on

December 3rd, for a triangular. Please

support our student athletes with

positive remarks and actions.

Reminder of Rule Changes

On a free throw attempt, players along

the lane spaces now may enter the lane

on the release of the ball by the free

throw shooter. The free throw shooter

and the players outside of the 3-point

line must wait for the ball to hit the

ring or backboard, or the free throw to

end, before moving into the lane area.

The definition of an intentional foul

was expanded to include excessive

contact with an opponent while the ball

is live or until the airborne shooter

returns to the floor.

I want to wish everyone a Happy

Holiday.

It is amazing how fast the year is moving

along. As you read this, we are at

Thanksgiving and have 3 weeks left until

Holiday Break. Please help your kids

stay aware of their grades and

assignments as the 1st semester comes to

an end.

Last Wednesday’s snow covered the

ground to let us know a winter storm can

move in at anytime. Here are some

reminders as we enter the cold weather

season in Nebraska:

1. If possible have a cell phone fully

charged and with you

2. Use the cell phone – call when you

leave and expect to arrive home

3. Have a blanket or extra clothing in

your vehicle

4. Keep your vehicle in working

condition

5. Be careful and leave yourself extra

time to arrive at your destination

The media outlets Meridian Public

Schools will use for late starts and school

closings:

KLKN – TV: Lincoln

KHAS – TV: Hastings

KOLN/KGIN TV: Lincoln/Grand Island

KUTT/KGMT 99.5 FM / 1310 AM

Radio: Fairbury

The following acts constitute a foul when

committed against a handler/ dribbler:

Placing two hands on the player

Placing an extended arm bar on the

player

Placing and keeping a hand on the

player

Contacting the player more than once

with the same hand or alternating

hands

Board of Education

Meridian Public Schools

District 48-0303

Daykin, Nebraska 68338

Monday, November 16, 2015

Regular November 16, 2015 Meeting -

7:30 P.M.

Meridian Public School Board of

Education met on November 16, 2015, as

per notice in the Fairbury Journal-News.

President VanWesten called the meeting

to order at 7:30 p.m. The open meeting

law information was presented.

Members present were Sobotka, Bartels,

Miller, Scheer, Vorderstrasse, and

VanWesten. Also present were

Superintendent Kort, Principal Scott, and

Mrs. Houchin.

Vorderstrasse moved and Bartels

seconded to approve the consent agenda

as follows:

1. Minutes of the Monday, October 14,

2015 Regular Meeting

2. District Financial Report

3. Activity Fund Report

4. Hot Lunch Report

5. Bills

Vote taken: Vorderstrasse-aye, Miller-

aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye, Sobotka-

aye, and VanWesten-aye. Motion

carried 6-0.

Scheer moved and Bartels seconded to

approve the Annual Audit Report for the

Newsletter www.meridianmustangs.org December, 2015

Newsletter-December, 2015 Superintendent

Randy Kort

Mission Statement: Meridian Public Schools will educate all students in a safe, nurturing environment while challenging them to develop their integrity, knowledge, and unique talents to become responsible, productive citizens.

Meridian Public School, District 48-0303 December, 2015

Hail to the varsity… Cheer them along the way…

In connection with Red Ribbon Week,

our secondary students travelled to

Davenport on November 3rd, for a

presentation. Our elementary students

will be attending the Rock – n –

prevention program on November 24th.

Junior high wrestling began competing

on Monday, November 9th. Junior high

basketball begins competition on

Wednesday, December 2nd.

High School wrestling and basketball

practices begin on Monday, November

16, 2015.

On November 5, the sheriff’s

department brought the drug dog to the

school at 1:00pm. They did a sweep of

the secondary lockers and locker

rooms. The sheriff spoke with the

secondary students afterwards, talking

with them about the dog and

importance of staying drug free.

On November 6th, teachers from

Meridian attended the ESU5 in-service

in Fairbury. The day was spent

attending technology breakout sessions,

along with job-alike sessions where

teachers met with other teachers in their

curricular area from different schools

Some great discussions came about

from these meetings, and staff will

continue to follow up.

Charlotte Endorf was guest speaker at

the school on Monday, November 9th.

She is a graduate of Meridian Public

School. Her program was “A Salute to

Veterans: A Canteen to Remember.”

This presentation was brought through

the Nebraska Humanities. Thanks to

Craig’s Auto for sponsoring the

program. The program was attended by

students in 4th through 12th grades.

Several patrons from the district were

also in attendance.

We celebrated Veteran’s Day on

November 11th with a program in the

gym. Members of the community that

have served or are serving in the armed

5. K-9 Drug Inspection

6. Teacher In-Service

7. A Salute to Veterans: A Canteen to

Remember Program - Charlotte

Endorf

8. Veteran's Day Program

9. Play Production – Isaiah Ellis,

Andi Kort, Brianna Miller, and

Seth Noel

Superintendent Kort reported:

1. NASB Conference

2. Projected 2016-2017 Football

Numbers

3. Staff Room Beverages

4. Buildings and Grounds Committee

- track supplies and projects

5. CRC Honor Vocal

6. CRC School Members

6. NSAA Proposals and Updates

7. NSIAAA Meetings – Athletic

Directors’ liabilities and

classification

8. Junior High Basketball

9. Winter Calendar

10. Superintendent In-Service

Vorderstrasse moved and Bartels

seconded to go into executive session

at 8:35 p.m. to discuss the 2016-2017

Negotiations. Vote taken:

Vorderstrasse-aye, Miller-aye, Frank-

aye, Scheer-aye, Sobotka-aye, and

VanWesten-aye. Motion carried 6-0.

President VanWesten stated that it has

been voted to go to executive session to

discuss the 2016-2017 Negotiations.

The Board reentered open session at

9:22 p.m.

The next Regular Meeting is set for

Wednesday, December 16, 2015-7:30

p.m.

Miller moved and Vorderstrasse

seconded to adjourn at 9:31 p.m. Vote

taken: Vorderstrasse-aye, Miller-aye,

Scheer-aye, Sobotka-aye, Bartels-aye,

and VanWesten-aye. Motion carried 6-0.

J. Scott Sobotka, Secretary Meridian District # 48-0303

2014–2015 school year. Vote taken:

Miller-aye, Sobotka-aye, Vorderstrasse-

aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye, and

VanWesten-aye. Motion carried 6-0.

Sobotka moved and Miller seconded to

approve the 2015 Multi-Cultural Report.

Vote taken: Vorderstrasse-aye, Miller-

aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye, Sobotka-

aye, and VanWesten-aye. Motion

carried 6-0.

The Board reviewed and discussed

Handbook Policy 7000 series. The two

areas of recommended change include

removing the deadline for the date to

have Board approval from item 1 of

Policy 7021 and updating policy 7050 to

meet the state legislative change.

Review and updating of the handbook

will continue throughout the year.

Sobotka moved and Miller seconded to

approve the Meridian Education

Association as the bargaining agent for

the district’s nonsupervisory certificated

staff for the 2017-2018 contract school

year. Vote taken: Miller-aye, Sobotka-

aye, Vorderstrasse-aye, Bartels-aye,

Scheer-aye, and VanWesten-aye.

Motion carried 6-0.

Principal Scott updated the Board on the

use of social media by Meridian Public

School.

Superintendent Kort stated a letter was

sent home to parents as required by

NDE. The letter discusses the fact that

Meridian Public School is on the PLAS

list. There was discussion about the

process and what Meridian Public School

is doing to improve performance.

Superintendent Kort provided the Board

with a summary of his evaluation which

was completed in November.

Superintendent Kort continues to meet or

exceed expectations with the budget,

communication, positive school culture,

and instructional leadership.

Principal Scott reported:

1. Red Ribbon Week and Rock-n-

Prevention Program

2. Junior High Wrestling

3. Junior High Basketball

4. High School Wrestling and

Basketball

Mustang MEMO Mr. Harold Scott

Principal

Juniors and seniors…it’s time to start

preparing for the FAFSA (Free

Application for Federal Student Aid)!

Seniors, you’ll need to complete the

form after January 1 but before the

college’s priority date (typically March

1 or April 1) to apply for federal, state

and college-based financial aid. Senior

parents: plan to prepare your taxes as

soon as you can in 2016. You should

receive your tax documents by

February 1, 2016. There are some

scholarships that need the FAFSA

information and you cannot accurately

complete your FAFSA without your

taxes. Juniors, you’ll want to start

learning about the FAFSA now as

changes are happening with the form

next year. New to the FAFSA? Go to

http:// www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

To learn about the FAFSA, take

advantage of these free EducationQuest

programs and resources:

Financial Aid Programs:

Attend a Financial Aid Program with a

parent or guardian to learn about the

financial aid process and the FAFSA.

The programs are free and open to the

public. Talk to Mrs. Kroon to find the

program nearest you. If you attend, you

will be eligible to register for a $500

Financial Aid Program Scholarship!

Financial Aid Program Webinars:

EducationQuest will conduct free

Financial Aid Program Webinars on

the following dates:

Tuesday, December 8 – 7:00 pm (CT)

Webinar link: http://eqf.org/1MOIiXW

Wednesday, December 16 – 7:00 pm (CT)

Webinar link: http://eqf.org/1P9LFv4

Monday, January 11 – 7:00 pm (CT)

Webinar link: http://eqf.org/1LYxtnE

Wednesday, January 13 – 7:00 pm (CT)

Webinar link: http://eqf.org/1LYyjRj

To join the Webinar, click on the link

under your desired date. The password

is college.

College Funding Estimator

forces were recognized. The high school

band played a medley of armed forces

themes, and the high school choir sang a

song about heroes. Cassie (Sabatka)

Balzer, former Meridian teacher, was the

guest speaker. She spoke about her work

in the Air Force Reserve. A meal was

served to the veterans.

Play production season is in full swing.

The team competed at the Osceola

Festival on November 12th. They

performed Monday, November 16th, at

Friend. They will compete in the

Crossroads Conference meet on

Wednesday, November 18th at Cross

County. We will be attending the D1-1

play production district on Wednesday,

December 2nd at Johnson-Brock.

2nd Semester Schedule Changes

All 7-12 students interested in making

changes to their 2nd semester schedule

should do so before the holiday break.

Meridian offers different electives each

semester, and dual-credit classes are

available for juniors and seniors. Parents:

If you have questions on your child’s

schedule, please call or email Mrs. Kroon

at school.

Seniors…have you submitted your

college applications?

If you haven’t submitted your college

admission applications yet, it’s time to

get serious! Contact your top college

choices for application deadlines and

procedures. Ask if the admission

application is also the application for

college-based scholarships. If not, ask

about the scholarship application

process. By now, you should have

applied to your top three colleges, and

you should also be working on upcoming

scholarships. The counseling webpage is

updated with scholarships weekly! Please

make sure you know deadlines for

scholarships offered by the college(s) of

your choice.

To estimate your FAFSA results now,

use the College Funding Estimator at

EducationQuest.org.

“Paying for College” section at

EducationQuest.org: Visit the website for

information about the financial aid

process and the FAFSA.

ACT Registration

This is a reminder that to register for the

ACT, an account needs to be created at

www.actstudent.org. From here, you will

fill in specific information and also select

your testing date and site. Each ACT

costs $39.50, but if you qualify for free

or reduced lunches, you may request a

fee waiver. Our school code is 282-345.

Please feel free to contact Mrs. Kroon

with any questions or concerns. Juniors,

earn the best possible ACT/SAT scores

by taking the exam in the spring of your

junior year and again in the fall of your

senior year. You must register by

January 8th for the February 6th ACT, by

March 4th for the April 9th ACT, and/or

by May 6th for the June 11th ACT.

Seniors December TO DO LIST:

· Submit College Applications

· Estimate FAFSA results using the

College Funding Estimator at

www.educationquest.org

· If you have not already attended a

financial aid program, attend one in

your area

· Continue to Apply for Scholarships

· Make a FAFSA Appointment at

EducationQuest if you need help:

Omaha – 888-357-6300

Lincoln – 800-303-3745

Kearney – 800-666-3721

Juniors December TO DO LIST:

· If you have not already attended a

financial aid program, attend one in

your area

· Research College Choices

· Search for Scholarships

· Register by January 8th for the February

6th ACT

Onward to victory… May they win again today…


COUNSELOR’S CORNER

by

Gina Kroon

http://eqf.org/1MOIiXW

http://eqf.org/1P9LFv4

http://eqf.org/1LYxtnE

http://eqf.org/1LYyjRj

https://www.educationquest.org/resources/college-funding-estimator/

http://www.educationquest.org/

At Osceola our outstanding actors were

Isaiah Ellis, Andi Kort, Breanna Miller,

and Seth Noel. At conference our

outstanding actors were Baxter Beals,

Josh Traynor, Brooke Massa, and Jake

Vanwesten. We are looking forward to

the competition at districts on

December 2nd, at Johnson-Brock and

are going to be practicing and putting

our critiques and experiences this

season into doing our best and having

fun, which is what theater is all about.

All of the students are having fun and

are looking forward to acting again in

the spring play!

ONE-ACT UPDATE The One-act season has been fast and

furious. On November 11th, and the week

of November 16th through the 20th, we

had two competitions, Osceola and

Conference, a workshop at Friend, and

our public performance. While the kids

and I were exhausted at the end of these

weeks, I am very proud at how they’ve

performed. At Osceola we placed 6th out

of 9 schools and Conference we placed

8th out of 13 schools. While these places

may sound average, we performed very

well and had some very great outstanding

actors against some fierce (and much

larger school) competition.

CRC VOLLEYBALL

The Crossroads Conference volleyball

coaches meeting was held on November

17th, 2015, in York. During the meeting

the All-Conference Volleyball Teams

were voted on. Congratulations to Rylee

Pieper, Erin Johnson, and Allison Klipp.

Rylee earned First Team All-Conference

recognition, while Erin and Allison

received Honorable Mention All-

Conference.

We’ll give a cheer for the varsity… Long may they reign supreme …


Shout ‘til the echoes ring… For the glory of our team!


Go Mustangs!!


mission statement · the media outlets meridian public schools will use for late starts and school...

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