Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 No School

2 No School

3 Late Start

4 5 6 7

8 9 10 MAP testing

11 MAP testing

12 Map testing

13 MAP testing

14

15 16 Late Start

17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 Late Start

31

January 2017

Another year has literally blown by here at Chalk Butte as we find ourselves closing out 2016 and the end of the first semester. I would like to start off by thanking Mr. Brase on all of his & the students hard work in putting on another fabulous Christmas program. “Jingle Bell Jukebox” had the students singing their hearts out as they danced to the oldies to put on a wonderful show for our guests here at Chalk Butte. Thank you to all of the friends and family who attended & celebrated the season with us. It made for a memorable time. It is with heavy hearts we say goodbye to the Thomas family who will be leaving the area this month. We were so blessed to have Saige & Chloe with us for the last few years. It will be hard to imagine what the school will be like without them. Good luck Thomas family. We will miss you! January, as always, will be a very busy month here at Chalk Butte. Classes will resume from Christmas break on January 3rd at 9:00. We will have MAP testing beginning January 10th & it will run through the 13th. We are lucky enough to have the Environart program visiting the school on January 12th which will provide a nice break from the testing that day to practice drawing our wildlife as well. Happy New Year to everyone!

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 School Resumes 9:00

4 5 6 7 JH b-ball vs Hay Springs @ 10

8 9 10 JH b-ball vs Glendo @ 4

11 12 13 14 JH b-ball @ Crawford @ 9:30

15 16 Late Start 17 18 19 JH b-ball @ Lusk @ 4:30

20 21

22 23 JH b-ball @ Edgemont @ 4

24 25 26 27 28

29 30 Late Start JH b-ball PHC @ Crawford @ 9

31 JH b-ball vs Oelrichs @ 5

4 JH b-ball vs St Agnes @ 10

January 2017 Pink Elementary

2016 Christmas Program: Jingle Bell Jukebox

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 No School 3LEGO League

at the Court-house

4Scheduled

Tutoring 5LEGO League

at the Court-house

6 7

8 9NO ASP—Mrs.

Dunn at training in Scottsbluff

10LEGO League

at the Court-house

11Scheduled

Tutoring 12Tour of

Sandhills State Bank

13 14

15 16Reading

Volunteers

17LEGO League

at the Court-house

18Scheduled

Tutoring 19Science

Experiment Stations

20 21LEGO

League competi-

tion in Sidney

22 23Reading

Volunteers

24LEGO League

at the Court-house

25Scheduled

Tutoring 26Sheriff

Chad

29 30Reading

Volunteers

31LEGO League

at the Court-house

With families gathering and social events galore, Jamie Goffena, University of Nebraska Extension Agent, presented to our After School Program about etiquette. She taught us the proper way to set a table, which utensils we should use, and more! The students had fun acting out and critiquing each other on proper manners at a meal. They also practiced introductions. Thank you, Jamie, for your time and expertise!

Tuesdays are our regular LEGO League night at the Sioux County Court House. The students have been working hard to build the challenge items and program the robot. This year’s theme is Animal Allies, and we are discovering ways that animals and humans work together. Everyone is also working on cooperation skills. Thank you Casey and Skylar for your help!

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2No School-

Christmas Vacation 3Classes Resume-

Late Start 9:00 AM

4 5 6 7JH Boys BBall vs.

Hay Springs 10:00 AM

8 9 10 JH Boys Bball

@ Glendo 4:00 PM

11 12 13 14JH Boys Bball

@ Crawford 9:30 AM

15 16 17 18 19 JH Boys Bball

@Lusk 4:30 PM

20 21

22 23JH Boys Bball

@ Edgemont 4:00 PM

24 25 26 27 28

29 30 JH Boys Bball

@ PHC in Crawford TBA

31JH Boys Bball

vs. Oelrichs 5:00 PM

January 2017

Harrison Grade School

“Run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m the gingerbread man.”

In December, the preschool and kindergarten class had fun saying this rhyme while listening to the classic tale The Gingerbread Man. The students also had fun singing the following song:

“Tapping, tapping little elf, As you work upon your shelf, Working hard to make some toys, All for little girls and boys, Tapping, tapping little elf, As you work upon

your shelf.”

By incorporating rhyming activities into the daily routine, students are not only learning a skill that leads to reading preparedness, but are improving oral language skills. Rhyming is a precursor to learning how to read and write.

Preschool parents, please remember that beginning in January, preschool will be in session Monday-Thursday.

All Harrison Grade School students go outside for recess almost every day. With the arrival of winter, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather including a coat, a hat, gloves, and snow boots. MAP testing will be January 9th– 13th for grades K, 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th. Grades 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th will be testing the following week, January 16th-20th. Please help your child to do his or best by making sure he or she is well rested and has a nutritious breakfast.

The preschool and kindergarten class is all dressed up and ready to sing at the Christmas concert.

New School Board Policies

At the December School Board meeting, the school board voted unanimously to accept and approve new school board poli-

cies. The new policies were adopted by suspending the two reading policy and to adopt the entire Board policy series 1000

through 9000 as presented; and repealed and rescinded all existing Board policies not set forth in the newly adopted Board

policy book. The policies were written by the PGH&H Law firm in Lincoln, NE. The law firm provides free annual updates as

policies are affected or created by legislative action.

The new policies are current, more comprehensive and user friendly than our previous policies. Our school board members

will now begin reviewing each policy one at a time during their monthly meetings. The policies can be found on our school

web-site and will be revised as approved by the school board at their monthly meetings.

SCHS Graduation Ceremony and Part-time Students

The school board, at the December meeting, approved a request to allow part-time students to participate in the Sioux

County High School graduation ceremony. Previously, SCS policy had not allowed part-time students to participate in the

academic ceremony since they did not meet all academic requirements for graduation as defined in school board policy. Over

the course of several of meetings, the school board heard from local parents, teachers, and patrons before making their

decision. This decision is unprecedented as it now allows part-time students to participate in the ceremony. Part-time

students will not receive a SCHS diploma or receive the designation of being considered an SCHS graduate, but they will be

included in the ceremony.

Open Fitness Center at the High School

The public is welcome to use our fitness center at the high school. We have a variety of free weights and machines that will

help keep you in shape. We also have an elliptical machine, treadmill, and a bike to improve your cardio. Walkers are

welcome to walk around our basketball court. Please wear clean walking shoes, stay off the polished wood floor, and wear

shoes that do not leave black marks.

Inclement Weather Notice-Be on the Lookout

The Superintendent of Schools is authorized by the Board of Education to close public schools or initiate late starts in case of

severe weather. The superintendent will notify staff and local news media when the weather warrants such action. The

information is regularly broadcast by radio stations KQSK 97.5 FM, KCSR 610 AM, KNEB 960 AM/FM and websites

Chadrad.com and KNEB.com. Teachers will notify families of children enrolled in Sioux County Schools.

If parents do not feel that the conditions are safe for travel, then they should make the decision to keep children home even

if school is in session or call the school to have the children released for an early dismissal.

Stay Connected and Informed Stay connected with all of our scheduled activities by visiting our web site at: http://siouxcountyschools.org.

PowerSchool for High School and Elementary Students

Parents and students can access grades and attendance in PowerSchool with accessibility through the school website. It is

recommend students and parents access PowerSchool on a regular basis to stay abreast of grades and missing assignments.

Monthly Newsletter

The newsletter is mailed to each patron in the county each month during the school year. A copy can also be found on the

school website. http://siouxcountyschools.org.

Dr. Brett Gies Mr. Barry Swisher

Superintendent of Schools Pk-12 Principal & Athletic Director

January 2017 In past years, Sioux County High School students’ assessments depended upon the NeSA system. In 2017 that will change. For this school year, the State of Nebraska has determined the ACT will be the assessment tool of choice. Over the years our students have done well on the ACT, and I do not foresee any difficulties this year. In English classes we will begin the New Year with a new semester of literature. Freshmen will read To Kill a Mock-ingbird, Sophomores will read 1984, American Literature students will be reading The Call of the Wild, and British Literature students will be reading Pride and Prejudice. Novels class students will read a multitude of World Literatures. As of this writing, I have yet to determine what books we will read; I will accomplish formatting this course over the Christmas break. Further, the beginning of 2017 brings the beginning of speech season. We have been building for a few years and this year we can compete for Panhandle Conference and District 6 championships. If your student is interested in speech, have them contact me in the English room to set up a cutting, speech, or Duet Acting piece. We will also set up practice times.

Be sure to check the school website to find deadlines and links for all scholarships at http://

siouxcountyschools.org/.

Winter break: a good time for college prep!

Take advantage of free time over the holidays to do some prep work for college. Here are a few things you can do!

Seniors, complete your FAFSA If you haven’t already, complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Need help? Use the free

FAFSA Tools or call EducationQuest to make an appointment for free help: Scottsbluff - 800.303.3745, ext. 6654.

Juniors, prepare for the ACT All Nebraska high school juniors will take the ACT college entrance exam this spring. Here’s a list of resources to

help you prepare.

Search for scholarships Use the EducationQuest free ScholarshipQuest tool to find Nebraska-based awards. You’ll also find links to national

scholarship sites. Check our school website http://siouxcountyschools.org/ for local scholarships

Update your Activities Resume The free Activities Resume at EducationQuest.org is an easy way to track your extracurricular activities,

accomplishments, volunteer work, and part-time jobs. The information is then readily available when you apply for

scholarships and employment.

Volunteer In addition to giving back to your community, your volunteer work can lead to scholarship opportunities. Make sure

you track your involvement on your Activities Resume.

Juniors…get psyched for a busy spring!

It’s critical that you participate in college prep activities this spring so you’ll be ready to apply for college and

financial aid early next fall.

Activities include:

taking the ACT

attending a college fair

going on campus visits

narrowing your college choices

January “To Do” List

Seniors:

Seniors:

__ If you haven’t already, complete the FAFSA.

__ Apply for scholarships; see ScholarshipQuest for Nebraska-based awards.

__ Update your Activities Resume.

Juniors:

__ Update your Activities Resume.

__ Register by December 21 for the January 21 SAT.

__ Register by January 13 for the February 11 ACT.