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April 2017 Hershey Publ ic Schools, P.O. Box 369, Hershey, NE 69143

The Nebraska Unicameral is looking at ways to reduce their budget. One of the bills LB409 will

reduce the amount of net option funding to be paid to our district in the 17-18 school year by $78,367

dollars. This amount equals 1.4 cents on our current levy. If you recall, in my February newsletter I

outlined the reduction of state aid that our district has received from the state since the 2007-2008

school year. It was a loss of $1,195,176. To put that dollar amount into perspective, in this year’s

budget that would be 21.7 cents on the levy. We are no longer an equalized district for purposes of

the TEOSSA formula because of the increased value of agricultural land. Currently the only funds

that we receive in the form of state aid is for net option. If you have any questions on the budget,

TEOSSA, or how any of the legislative bills will affect our district, please give me a call or stop by my

office.

We have just entered into our final nine weeks of the 2017-2018 school year. There are a lot of

activities during the fourth nine weeks to enjoy. Make sure that you take the time to come and

support the students and staff.

We celebrated our eighth annual “Academic Pep Rally” which was titled “NeSA Round Up” on March

31th to kick off the state assessment testing season or NeSA testing. World Champion Bull Rider,

Dustin Elliott, spoke to the students about the importance of setting SMART goals. Students in

grades 3-8 will test in Reading and Math. Students in grades 5, 8 will be tested in Science as well.

Juniors will take the ACT test on April 19th. This will be the first year that the Juniors will use the

ACT test as a replacement for the NeSA reading, math, writing and science tests. Please make sure

your child gets plenty of rest the night before their test event. These test results are recorded at the

Nebraska Department of Education and will be used to grade both your child and our school district.

We utilize these test scores to determine if we need to change our curriculum or to determine if we

need to offer additional classes or sections to meet the needs of our students.

I would like to thank the HELP Club for sponsoring the Kids Carnival that was held on March 30th. It

was a huge success! Thank you to all of you who help to make this event happen! It was wonderful

seeing so many smiling faces and families enjoying a fun evening together!

We will be hosting the ‘Mike Troxel Invitational Track” meet on April 22nd. If you would like to help

time, pick or help with a field event it would be greatly appreciated. Please give Mr. Thomas a call to

let him know if you can help.

Please give me a call or stop by office if I can ever be of assistance to you!

Mrs. Jane Davis, Supt.

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News from your Principal

We will begin a month of testing in April to meet the requirements of the state of Nebraska’s standardized testing. All 7th and 8th grade students will be taking the NeSA (Nebraska State Assessment) test. There are three areas that are tested, they are Reading and Math for all students and 8th grade students will also take a Science test. All 11th grade students will take the ACT test that is provided by our state at no cost to students.

The testing schedule for our students is as follows:

All juniors will take the ACT online on April 19th.

Our 7th and 8th grade students will be testing in the areas of Reading and Math on April 4th, April 6th, April 11th, and April 13th. Our 8th grade students will take the NeSA test in Science on April 20th.

A couple of tips for having your child prepared for the upcoming tests are: Talk with your child about the importance of taking their time on the test and doing their best. Results for the tests will be available to parents in September. It is important for students to show yearly growth.

Students should have a good breakfast and lunch on the days they are testing. Our school has a breakfast and lunch program to provide these meals to students. Please encourage your child to have a good meal each day that they come to school.

It is important for students to get plenty of rest during the weeks they are testing. Encourage your child to get adequate rest and to be to school on time.

Please try to schedule any appointments around the days that your child is scheduled to test. Students that are absent on the testing days will be required to take their NeSA test in a make-up session. This will create more time that they will be absent from their classroom instruction. If there is no way to avoid being absent on a testing session, please notify your child’s teachers, so we can make advance accommodations for your child to be tested.

If you have any questions about the upcoming NeSA tests please contact your child’s teachers or the administration at Hershey High School. We will be happy to discuss your child and their testing at any time.

Please take some time to discuss your child’s progress in the 4th quarter with them. All grades and assignments can be viewed on PowerSchool. If your child is struggling in a class, please contact the appropriate teacher or the administration.

Easter break will be April 14 and April 17 with students returning to school on April 18.

One final reminder is that we will be having our activity and honors banquet for the senior high on April 24 at 6:00 pm. We will also be doing an academic awards presentation for 7-12 students during the school day May 10th at 2pm. Please plan on attending to honor the accomplishments of our students.

Jeff Steinbeck

Hershey High School Principal

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April Newsletter from the Activities Director/7-12 Assistant Principal

The last quarter of the school year is here and activities will soon become busy again. Weather has been nice at times but also a thorn in our side on some days. Through it all our activity programs are working hard at finishing strong.

I would like to congratulate Mr. Rolofson and our Speech team on a very successful season. We had 2 students qualify for the state speech meet in Kearney. Erica Schufeldt in Persuasive and Lanie Allen in Entertainment. Erica has qualified for the state tournament 3 years and Lanie Allen has qualified the past two years.

Hershey won the championship trophy in the jazz band competition once again at the 2017 Southern Platte Valley Conference Music Competition. The contest was held Perkins County Schools on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. There were vocal and musical entries from all 7 conference schools. Our instrumental and vocal music students all performed well and are looking forward to District Music on April 21st at Sutherland High School. As well as winning the SPVA championship, our instrumental music and vocal music received superior ratings.

Instrumental Music Results:

Superior and Best of Conference:

Jazz Band Percussion Ensemble #1 (Trio) River, Reagan, Dalton Percussion Ensemble #2 (Large Ensemble) Clarinet Solo - Lanie Allen Snare Drum Solo - River Hudson Clarinet Duet - Lanie Allen, Ericia Schufeldt Clarinet/Flute Duet - Lanie Allen, Kendal Naranjo Saxophone Quartet - Celie Childears, Katie Compton, Kelsey Folchert, William Stone Trumpet Duet - Christian Folchert, Reace Anderson

Superior Solos and Ensembles:

Percussion Trio - River Hudson, Reagan Hudson, Dalton Zeigler Alto Sax Solo - Kelsey Folchert Tenor Sax Solo - Katie Compton Bari Sax Solo - William Stone

Excellent Solos and Ensembles:

Clarinet/Flute Duet - Ashlyn Banks, Raychel Banks Flute Solo - Kendal Naranjo Trumpet Solo - Christian Folchert

Vocal Music Results:

Superior Solos:

Andie Venzor

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Superior Ensembles:

Kelsey Folchert and Andie Venzor Josh Eshleman and Andie Venzor

Excellent Solos:

Kelsey Folchert Avery Fischer Marissa Newman Ben Fischer Aaron Melvin Trey Legas

Excellent Ensembles:

Show Choir Andie Venzor and Varsha Huebner Lexi Melvin and MacKenzie Wolken Boys Ensemble-Sam Mackley, Josh Eshelman, Dawson Seamann, and Aaron Melvin Girls Ensemble: Marissa Newman, Sydney Reed, Katie Compton, Ericka Adkins, Danise Sianiqui, and Natali Rojas We will be hosting the annual Mike Troxel Panther Track Invitational on Saturday, April 22rd. The annual Hershey/St. Pats JH Meet on Wednesday, April 12th. If you are interested in helping with our track meets please contact the high school office and ask for Sherri or myself. Tennis and Golf have both began their first meets of the year and look forward a very exciting season. Tennis has competed versus McCook and North Platte. Boy’s golf had their first meet of the year on March 30th at Augusta. That is Augusta Hills in Stapleton not the “Masters at Augusta”! There is just a little difference in the golf courses!

Our Quiz Bowl team both in JH and HS have been going strong and have brought home some trophies. The HS team placed 1st place at the Hershey Invite. The JH team placed 1st at the meet in Arthur County Invite. Our HS JV and V teams just placed 1st at the Paxton meet. Great job Quiz Bowl team!!!

Jeremy Thomas

Activities Director/Assistant Principal

NEWS FROM THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL

It’s hard to believe that spring is already here and as the weather begins to warm up it will

remind us that summer is just around the corner! Many outside activities will be starting for

children and it can become difficult to remain focused on their academics. It will be important to

continue to monitor homework and attitudes to insure that students are continuing to show

responsibility, respect and a readiness to learn. With just over seven weeks of school left, I ask

parents to maintain the school routine as much as possible. Summer will be here soon but

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there is certainly time for more goals to be set so that continued growth can be seen before

summer break.

During the month of April we celebrate our wonderful volunteers but we appreciate you all year

long! We know how crucial volunteers are to the running of a school. Our H.E.L.P. Club is one

of the best PTA organizations in the state and these wonderful people continue to support our

students, staff and community in many ways! We have parents, grandparents and community

members who help our students and staff individually, each and every day. We have one of the

strongest TeamMates Mentoring Programs anywhere that provides support and encouragement

to many of our students. We also have a large number of volunteers who help us for specific

events and activities. I know we can never say it enough, but thank you to all of you. Our

children grow emotionally and academically because of what you do.

Thank you all for your support for Hershey students, families, and staff! It is truly a privilege to

work with such a great community.

Jason Calahan

Elementary Principal

DRESS CODE REMINDER

With the nice weather upon us, parents and students are reminded to check the Student

Appearance section which begins on page 41 of the Parent-Student Handbook. By doing so, it

could avoid a problem.

APPRECIATED!

Our appreciation goes out to:

The officers and members of the H.E.L.P. Club for all the hard work and dedication in putting on the annual Fun Carnival. The Carnival seems to get better every year due to your planning and execution. Your hard work never goes unnoticed and you provided a great night for many of our students and their families.

All who came to the Carnival Fun Night and bought tickets, donated food and other items, volunteered to work a game, ate dinner and bid on silent auction items. Your effort and generosity went to a good cause and we can’t thank you enough.

NeSA TESTS

Students in grades 3-8 and 11 will be participating in the state reading, math and science tests

during the month of April. These tests are given in every school in the state. Since

comparisons will be made, we want Hershey students to do their best. Parents are asked to

see that their child gets a good night’s sleep, eats a healthy breakfast and comes to school with

a positive attitude.

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The school has done several things leading up to the testing dates that we hope will motivate

the students. Along with individual classroom goals and an all-school pep-rally, the students are

being challenged to do their best with incentive packages for high scores. All we ask is that

students take the tests seriously and do their very best. Parents, please help us reinforce this

from home as well.

ACCELERATED READER POINTS

Students who have earned AR (Accelerated Reader) points since the last newsletter include:

10 Points

Tyce Didier KM

Jessie Knoles KM

Marcella Willard KM

Hadley Etherton KJ

Benjamin Frame KJ

Calvin Schaffert KJ

20 Points

Brekkyn Baker KM

Macin Summers KJ

Alise Odean 1J

Toby Sward 2T

30 Points

Adalyn Magill KM

Zane Morgan 1J

Jacob Koch 2T

Kora Addleman 3R

Timothy Caudillo 3R

40 Points

Johnathan Kucera 1W

Theo Caudillo 1J

Mavrik McConnell 1J

Sawyer Willard 2H

50 Points

Noah Murdock KJ

Ryan Rawles 1W

Brady Odean 3T

Kara Selken 5K

100 Points

Ty Vaughn 1W

Khia Romero 2H

Landon McNeel 3T

John McNeel 3R

Tatume Rink 4K

Blaine Schrotberger 4K

150 Points

Madison Haddow 2T

Jensyn Hampton 2T

Rachel Simonson 2T

Jacob Kreiling 3T

Samantha Hill 4D

Landon Farmer 5K

Ruby Nutter 5K

Kason Bruns 5G

200 Points

Cole Murdock 2H

Jase Long 3R

Zoe Schmitt 4K

Krysta Eckhoff 5K

250 Points

Lilian Huegel 3T

Riggin Hutchison 3R

Shelby Smyth 4K

Ethan Elliott 4D

Pake Dewey 6K

Eva McConnell 6K

300 Points

Bailey Bell 5K

Ali Vaughn 5K

Addilyn Wilson 6K

350 Points

Quintin Pinkerton 3T

Emma Hall 5K

Gracie Seamann 5K

400 Points

Emma Elliott 4K

Ceiden Childears 5K

Maci Cox 5G

450 Points

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Logan Fletcher 4K

500 Points

Lauren Haddow 6K

550 Points

Madison Guernsey 6H

800 Points

Natalia Toribio 3T

900 Points

Peyton Fischer 5G

Kaitlyn Hendricks 6K

950 Points

Bryce Bode 4K

1200 Points

Brodey Hund 5K

1250 Points

Brodey Hund 5K

Congratulations to the students for their effort and dedication to reading.

Congratulations

Erica Schufeldt and Lanie Allen for qualifying to compete at the state speech tournament at the

University of Nebraska at Kearney on March 23. Erica finished in 8th place of a field of 18

contestants in Persuasive Speaking. Lanie finished 15th of 18 overall in Entertainment

Speaking.

Post-Season Basketball Honors

Congratulations to Clay Frels & Jason Davis for making the Lincoln Journal Star C1 State

Basketball Team as Honorable Mention Selection.

2016-17 Yearbook

The 2016-17 Yearbook is on sale and orders are being taken at the school or on-line

through josten.com. Cost for the yearbook is $35.00 for advanced orders prior to May 15. After

the deadline, the cost of the book is $45. No orders will be taken after the publisher's cut-off

date of May 20. Please refer to the order form on the school web page. Contact Rich Rolofson

for additional information.

Retirement Party

Come and celebrate the RETIREMENT of: Leona McConnell, Bob Mark, Merle Konken and

Lori Evans. There will be a retirement party held on Monday, May 22nd from 3:00 p.m.-6:00

p.m. in the Hershey School cafeteria. Cake, nuts, and refreshments will be served! Please help

us honor and recognize the years of service they have given to our school and community!

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Name ___________________________________________________

Grade Entering _____________________________________

T-shirt Size

Please Send This Form Back ASAP To Receive A T-shirt!

Dustin Jorgenson HERSHEY BASKETBALL

Box 18 or PO BOX 369

Hershey, NE 69143 HERSHEY, NE 69143

**OR DROP OFF AT EITHER OFFICE AT HERSHEY SCHOOLS

HERSHEY BASKETBALL CAMP

K - 6th Grade Boy’s & Girl’s

Date June 26-28

Time 9:30 am -12:00 pm

Tuition $45 (Includes Camp T-shirt)

Campers are taught all aspects of the game with an emphasis being placed

on fundamentals. Campers will learn new drills to help improve their overall

skills while enjoying a fun, energetic, and positive camp atmosphere.

Campers will also participate in contests and games.

Send this form ASAP to get your camp T-shirt reserved.

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EducationQuest Foundation

College Planning Bulletin A monthly college planning guide for Nebraska high school students

April 2017

Seniors…Important FAFSA information for you and your parents

The IRS recently took down its Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) due to security concerns. The DRT allows

students and parents to transfer income tax information into the Free Application for Federal Student Aid

(FAFSA).

If you already filed your 2017-18 FAFSA and used the DRT to input your tax information, this

outage should not affect you.

If you and your parents have NOT completed your 2017-18 FAFSA, follow these steps:

1. Complete the FAFSA at fafsa.gov. If you get an error message when you try IRS Data Retrieval (“page not

found” or “access denied”), manually input your 2015 tax data.

2. Request an official tax return transcript of your 2015 income tax data from the IRS. You will need the

transcript if the college(s) you list on the FAFSA request verification of your tax data.

3. Respond to verification requests as soon as possible and send all requested documents to the college.

Colleges will not award financial aid until the verification process is complete.

For free help with the FAFSA or verification process, contact EducationQuest to make an appointment. See

locations and phone numbers at the bottom of this bulletin. You may also submit questions via Facebook and

Twitter. We will quickly respond!

College fairs happening across the state

Talk to representatives from colleges across the state, region, and nation during upcoming college fairs.

Juniors…these events will help you narrow your college choices before taking the ACT this spring and applying for

college and financial aid early in the fall.

Seniors…attend if you haven’t made your final college decision.

Lincoln Area College Fair – Sunday, March 19, 1-3 p.m., Southeast Community College

Grand Island Area College Fair – Sunday, March 26, 1-3 p.m., Pinnacle Bank Expo Center

Scottsbluff Area College Fair – Sunday, April 2, 1-3 p.m., Western Nebraska Community College

Omaha Area College Fair – Sunday, April 9, 1-3 p.m., University of Nebraska Omaha Sapp Fieldhouse

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Tri-State Area College Fair (South Sioux City) – Sunday, April 23, 1-3 p.m., Marina Center

Before you attend, register for a barcode at NebraskaCollegeFairs.org. Print the barcode (or download it to your

smartphone) and take it to the fair so college reps can scan it.

Seniors…It’s decision time!

Here’s how to decide on the college that’s the right fit for you.

Compare your college acceptance letters, financial aid award notifications, and campus visit notes. List the pros

and cons of each school using the following criteria:

Location – Is the college too close? If you come home every weekend, you won’t experience true campus life. Is

the college too far away? If so, you may not make it home as often as you’d like.

Cost – Can your family afford the school? What can you expect for financial aid beyond your freshman year? Did

you receive renewable scholarships? How much in student and parent loans will you need to cover expenses?

Academic program – Does the college offer the program that interests you? What happens if you change majors?

Does the college offer other programs that interest you?

Student life – Does the school offer activities you will enjoy? Do you like the living arrangements provided by the

school? Will you have an opportunity to work on or near campus?

Make your final decision by May 1 – and then notify the colleges you’re rejecting so they can offer your spot, and

any financial aid, to another student.

April “To Do” List

Seniors

___ Continue applying for scholarships.

___ Make your final college decision.

___ Start purchasing dorm essentials now to avoid sticker shock in August.

___ Start looking for a summer job.

Juniors

___ Attend a college fair in your area. ___ Schedule campus visits while colleges are still in session. ___ Register by April 7 for the May 6 SAT. ___ Register by May 5 for the June 10 ACT. ___ Start looking for scholarships.

For free help with college planning, contact EducationQuest Foundation:

Omaha Lincoln Kearney Scottsbluff

402-391-4033 402-475-5222 308-234-6310 800-303-3745 ext. 6654

888-357-6300 800-303-3745 800-666-3721

EducationQuest.org

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Your Journey to College Begins with Us

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HERSHEY PUBLIC SCHOOL

REGULAR MEETING

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017

The Hershey Public School Board of Education held their regular meeting on Monday, March 13, 2017 in the board

conference room. Official notice of the meeting was advertised in the March 9th edition of the Courier Times and

posted in three places within the Village. The meeting was called to order @ 7:00 pm followed by the Pledge of

Allegiance and the notification to those in attendance of the posted Open Meetings Law Poster. Members present

were Brenda Johnson, Lucas McConnell, Yvette Troyer, Bob Arnett, Jodi Seamann and Steve Koch. Also present

were Superintendent Davis, Bookkeeper Konken, Principals Steinbeck and Calahan. Principal Thomas was absent.

No guests were present.

**Approved the consent agenda which consists of minutes of the February 13 regular meeting, bills for payment in

the amount of $497,570.63, all financial reports and resignations of Tyler Cronin and Jeremy Thomas, retirements of

Merle Konken and Bob Mark.

**Approved the 2017-2018 school calendar.

**Approved the contracts for Jessica Giesellman (middle school special ed) effective February, 2017 for the remainder

of the 2016-2017 school year and for Sam Siegel (history) for the 2017-2018 school year.

**Approved the option “IN” of Knox Demaree (kindergarten), Bryce Butterfield (9th gr) and Carter Butterfield (7th

gr) from North Platte Public School Dist #1 effective the 2017-18 school year.

Discussion was held on KSB board policies #3012, #3014, #5032 - #5067 and 6000 series.

Review of 2016-2017 goals in preparation of the upcoming board goal setting session.

Principal’s Reports: Mr Steinbeck report: Enrollment and graduation update; Fourteen seniors have earned a Red

Cross red cord to wear at graduation to signify they have donated at least 3 units of blood or recruited at least 10 first-

time blood donors and Congratulations to Colton Clark who was named HPS Education Foundation Student of the

Month for March. Mr. Thomas reported we hosted the SPVA speech meet. Congratulations to Lanie Allen who

placed 3rd in her event. We also hosted the SPVA Quiz Bowl. Congratulations to Bryan McGahan for his 3rd place

finish at the State Wrestling Meet. Also his 2nd place at the AAU event qualifying him a spot on the National Dual

Team which will be held this summer at Disney World. Mr Calahan reported on pre-school and kindergarten

orientation. Destination Imagination - all 8 teams will be competing at the state competition in Kearney on April 8th.

Congratulations to Ashton Lambert the March HPS Education Foundation Student of the Month.

No Board Reports:

Superintendent Report: Mrs Davis reported that Stephanie Apple of Ogallala was offered the bookkeeper position.

Update on Legislative issues. Reminder of Board Retreat / Training of Wednesday, March 15 at Rivers Edge. NRCSA

conference in Kearney on March 22-24th, NSBA national conference in Denver on March 25-27 and NASB School

Law Seminar in Kearney on June 8-9.

Next meeting will be held on Monday, April 10, 2017 @ 7:00 pm in the board conference room.

Meeting adjourned @ 8:35 pm.

I t i s t h e p o l i c y o f t h e H e r s h e y P u b l i c S c h o o l D i s t r i c t n o t t o d i s c r i m i n a t e o n t h e b a s i s o f g e n d e r , d i s a b i l i t y , r a c e , c o l o r , r e l i g i o n , m a r i t a l s t a t u s , a g e o r n a t i o n a l o r i g i n i n i t s e d u c a t i o n p r o g r a m s , a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , p o l i c i e s , e m p l o y m e n t o r o t h e r a g e n c y p r o g r a m s .

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