Issuu

December 2017

Lux kicks off week filled with LPS Veterans Day activities World War II veteran Loren Bonneau barely paused when a student asked why he decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps back in 1944. “I felt it was my obligation to join,” said the 93-year-old Lincoln resident. “I thought America was a great country and I wanted to be part of it.” Bonneau was one of 42 military veterans who spoke to 8th-graders at Lux Middle School on Nov. 3, part of the school’s annual Veterans Day Celebration. The event, now in its 20th year, kicked off in the school’s multi-use room with patriotic songs performed by the 8thgrade band and choir, as well as speeches by veterans and students. After that, students split up into small groups and heard the stories of multiple veterans, each for about 20 minutes. “Our goal for this as a school was to share with our 8th-grade students these veterans’ stories, to teach them about patriotism, pride, civic responsibility, and maybe to inspire them, as well,” said Lux Principal Duane Dohmen, himself an Army veteran. Students were certainly inspired by Bonneau, a radio operator and mechanic who flew missions aboard B-29 Superfortresses during World War II. At age 19, he worked on a farm and was originally granted a deferment because of a farm labor shortage during the war. So, he quit his farm job and started working at a grocery store. Then, when we showed up at Offutt Air Force Base to enlist, he only weighed 118 pounds - two pounds short of the limit. “They told me to go eat a couple bananas and a hamburger and come back,” said Bonneau, who did exactly that.

I thought America was a great country and I wanted to be part of it.

One of the Lux students, Sadye, said it was great to hear firsthand about so many historical events they study in class. “Just talking to someone who was there, it’s so cool and such a great experience,” she said. Other schools across LPS celebrated Veterans Day the following week, culminating with a variety of events Nov. 10, including:

• Riley Elementary School embraced an extended military family with a powerful Veterans Day ceremony that honored military members – past and present – who were spouses, mothers and

fathers, aunts and uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers of Riley staff and students. • Students from kindergarten through 5th grade at Randolph Elementary School wrote thank-you letters to veterans. • More than 30 military veterans walked hallways lined with students waving American flags and raising homemade patriotic signs at Belmont Elementary School. After they took part in the hallway parade, the veterans were invited to the school’s multi-use room for breakfast. • Students at Kloefkorn Elementary School heard from Lt. Col. Thad Fineran from the Nebraska Army National Guard’s 1-376th Aviation Battalion. Fineran’s son attends Kloefkorn; his wife teaches third grade at the school. • Goodrich Middle School hosted a special assembly for students and veterans that included performances from the North Star High School orchestra, Goodrich Middle School 8th-grade band and the Goodrich select choir. Winners of the “Patriotic Pen” essay competition read their winning essays, and the audience heard from featured guest speaker Lauren Taylor, a current LPS music teacher and a member of the Army National Guard. • All week during morning announcements, McPhee Elementary School students learned about Veterans Day. They also heard examples of how to thank a veteran and were challenged to find a Veteran to thank. • Morley Elementary School students wrote letters to veterans to thank them for their service. • Lincoln Southeast High School proudly displayed information about veterans who are, or are related to, staff. • Fredstrom Elementary School students enjoyed the company of more than 80 veteran family members for lunch. What’s Inside Section A: • Northeast Honors Society. . . . . . A2 • Stock Market Challenge. . . . . . . A3 • Culinary Conference . . . . . . . . . . A6 • Reasons PLCs are Important . . . A7 • Teacher Uses Polka Stardom . . . A9 • Bubba’s Closet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11 What’s Inside Section B: • Lux Club ‘Frankentoys’ . . . . . . . . B1 • Celebrating CLC’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 • Learning Lunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 • NASA Technology at LPS . . . . . . B3 • TeamMates of the Month . . . . . . B3 • Music with Ukulele . . . . . . . . . . . B6 • Irving Community Service . . . . . B7 • Movement Boosts Learning . . . . B7 • Pound Essay Contest. . . . . . . . . . B9 • Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B10 • Beattie Fundraising Effort . . . . B11

Community News is a publication of Lincoln Public Schools. If you have any questions about this publication please contact Mary Kay Roth, 436-1609; or Mindy Burbach, 436-1619; Lincoln Public Schools, P.O. Box 82889, Lincoln, NE 68501-2889.

Northeast inducts first members of business honor society chapter Lincoln Northeast High School inducted the first members of its newly formed chapter of the National Business Honor Society during a recent ceremony. Northeast is only the second high school in Nebraska with a chapter of the honor society. For a school to have a chapter, its business teachers must be members of the National Business Education Association. For a student to be a member of their schoolâ€™s chapter, they must be a junior or senior, have at least a 3.0 GPA overall and a 3.5 for their business courses. Teachers and family members were on hand to celebrate the induction of the following students into the Northeast chapter: Huda Abdu Nasab; Rana Aribi; Thomas Brennan; Valentina Fowler; Jennifer Hidalgo-Romero; Molly Houser; Heidi Jones; Abby Kudym; Jacob Meyer; Abby Neill; Nancy Nguyen; Hannah Ochsner; Ryan Secord; Taylor Swenson; and Aaron Wulf. The chapterâ€™s advisors are business teachers Jocelyn Crabtree, Jeff Fagler, Dave Mercer and Deb Wolken.

Sell, sell, sell! Students compete in Stock Market Challenge Students from all six Lincoln Public School high schools and The Career Academy competed in the Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge at the University of Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center. By the end of the day, teams from Lincoln Southwest High School were rolling in the fictional money.

Southwest placed first and third in the afternoon session. Members of the morning’s first-place team were Caleb Bowman, Jake Bowman, Luke Nolley and Jack Nolley. The second-place team consisted of Jae Hyun Lim, Conrad Cronin, Jack Schirner and Ransom Sterns. In the afternoon, Bryant Russell, Jared Fleck, Sam Sundquist and Chase Tucker were members of the winning team. The third-place team was Ben Weber, Ruzbeh Ghaffar, Dan Nguyen and Zach Schroer.

LPS Students joined others from across the city and state for the annual event, which pits teams of four against each other to see who can post the highest return on investment from a common starting amount of $1 million. A ballroom at the conference center was set up much like an actual trading floor, with a large screen at the front of the room that flashed information about the 26 different stocks the teams could buy and sell, the fluctuations in their values and the constantly shifting team standings.

“There is truly no way to describe this experience for the students,” said Southwest business teacher Josh Hinrichs, who joked that he may have these students manage his own portfolio. “Watching how they interact and how they make their decisions and work together as a team is truly impressive.”

Lincoln Southwest teams took first and second place during the morning session, while teams from

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Culinary students put skills to real-world test More than 100 Lincoln Public Schools culinary students sliced, simmered, diced and drizzled their way through the 13th Annual LPS Culinary Conference on Nov. 16. The conference, held at The Career Academy at Southeast Community College, involved individual competitions in categories such as fruit and vegetable carving, knife skills, salads and scratch desserts. There also were team competitions, in which students collaborated to prepare entrées such as skin-on wild caught sockeye salmon served on a bed of tri-colored quinoa, pan roasted asparagus, with creamy garlic sun-dried tomato and spinach sauce. “This allows our students the chance to step out of their comfort zone and demonstrate a skill set that is necessary in the career field of hospitality and management,” said event organizer Denise Haag, LPS assistant curriculum specialist for Family and Consumer Sciences/Health Sciences. “It helps bring real world experiences to what they are learning in their culinary classes at the high schools and at The Career Academy.” The event also included breakout information sessions led by culinary instructors from Southeast Community College and a local restaurant owner. Here are the winners from the competition portion of Wednesday’s conference: Team Event - High School Division 1st place: North Star - “Gator Chefs” - Daylaen Ellis, Gracie Smith, Phu Pham Tran 2nd place: Southeast - “The Un-fig-gettable Four” - Elora Maxwell, Autumn Hanson, Kira Mills, Evangelia Lengel Team Event - Academy Division 1st place: The Career Academy - “Not Salty, But Classy” - Morgan Rief, Francisco Chavira Gonzalez, Corbin Reinhardt 2nd place: The Career Academy - “Spice Girls” - Hanna Christiansen, Melissa Bockman, Allie Fanton Individual Competitions Knife Skills - Grant Detlefsen, Southeast Salads - Autumn Hanson, Southeast Tapas - Ariana Larson-Pool, Lincoln High Scratch Dessert - Megan Strodtman, The Career Academy Fruit and Vegetable Carving - Alexa Thompson, Southeast Garnishes - Jenna McCarter, East

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Family Activity: Invention Convention! Introductory Paragraph: Inventions have solved many of the world’s problems through the centuries. Inventing uses a person’s creativity and problem-solving skills. And, it’s just plain fun! So have a family invention convention, and invent, invent, invent!

Each month, an additional way our PLC – Professional Learning Communities – help students in Lincoln Public Schools.

Materials Needed: The more “stuff” you collect for your invention convention, the more creative your final products will be. Grab things from the junk drawer, the garage, bring some tape, glue, paper, paper towel tubes, paper clips, and whatever you can find.

Time for teams to touch base with other school supports

Procedure: • Gather materials around the house. • Everyone gets 30 minutes to think about, plan, and create their invention. • Present your inventions to the whole family. Explain what the invention is called, what is its purpose, how does it work, what problem does it solve or need does it meet? • Have the family vote on winners of the challenge. Award categories could include: Most creative; Best solution to real-world problem; Best prototype; Best presentation. Follow-Up Discussion/Questions: • What were the challenges to this activity? • Why did you want to solve this problem? • What materials do you wish you had? • Who could you market your invention to?

PLC time is the perfect time for classroom teachers to brainstorm with Special Education teachers, ELL teachers and other support groups to discuss the best strategies for students.

Family Challenge/Extension Activity: • Identify a problem ahead of time, such as a poorly designed pill bottle or birds flying into the glass window panes and getting killed. Challenge everyone to solve the problem by creating an invention that would address the problem.

In LPS every PLC is responsible for answering 4 questions. While these questions may seem simple, they represent complex planning, analysis and decision making on the part of each PLC team. The four questions include... • What do we want each student to learn? • How will we know when each student has learned it? • How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? • How will we respond when a student has already learned essential knowledge and skills? When we set aside time to provide skilled professionals an opportunity to discuss these 4 essential questions, student benefit from the collective knowledge of the PLC team.

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GIVE THE GIFT OF

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THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

M U E L L E R P L A N E TA R I U M

Winterfest

Sunday, December 17 1-4 p.m.

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Explore the Night Skies over Nebraska

Regular Showtimes SAT | 11am SUN | 2pm

Annual afternoon of creativity, fun and hands-on holiday art projects for the whole family. Admission is free and open to the community! Join us and celebrate the season by making holiday cards, ornaments, and other winter inspired works and browse our galleries and gift shop to find the perfect gift for your loved ones.

Regular Showtimes SAT | 12pm SUN | 3pm

Family Holiday Workshops

Carve clay snowmen, make fused glass ornaments, create Santaâ€™s cookie plate & cup, and more! Visit our website for a full list of workshops offered this winter. Cost: $24 for 2 people, $12 for each additional participant.

Regular Showtime SAT | 1pm

ADDITIONAL SHOWTIMES DURING THE HOLIDAY BREAK! December 26, 27, 28, 29 & January 2, 3, 4, 5: Firefall at 11am Solar Superstorms at 12pm

Have a large family or group? Book a private family workshop or holiday party at the LUX!

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Giftmaking Workshop

Saturday, December 9 & 16 2-5 p.m. Three projects, three hours, three gifts for kids to make and wrap. There will be a painting project, a jewelry project, and a 3D art project. All projects are designed to display the students artistic ability in a way that parents, grandparents, and friends can use or be proud to display. A light allergen-free snack wlil be provided. Cost: $30 per child per session Note: both sessions will make the same gift.

Visit www.LUXcenter.org to see a full list of classes, workshops, and events! 2601 N. 48th Street | 402.466.8692

Teacher uses polka stardom to connect with students Kevin Koopmann has played with nearly 60 different polka bands throughout Nebraska and the country, including gigs in Chicago, New York City and Las Vegas. The Goodrich Middle School music teacher has released his own CDs. He plays with one polka group - the Mark Vyhlidal Band - that was featured in the New York Times and performed on the NPR radio show “Prairie Home Companion.” To top it off, he recently was inducted into the Sokol Omaha Polka Hall of Fame, the highest honor for Nebraska polka musicians. But perhaps his greatest musical accomplishment came last year during one of the Goodrich orchestra concerts. The 7th-grade grade orchestra played a polkastyle version of “There is No Place Like Nebraska,” the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s fight song. And Koopmann made the 8th-grade boys dance the waltz with their female classmates. “Oh they were horrified!” Koopmann said. It’s just one example of how Koopmann has introduced his lifelong passion for polka music to his band and orchestra classes - groups that include students of Vietnamese, Sudanese and Japanese descent. His band students occasionally play polka songs, including the popular “Jingle Bell Polka.” For that song, so many students volunteered to play the button accordion that he had to hold tryouts. “It’s two different worlds,” he said, comparing his musical background to his students’. “We’re just connecting in the middle.” Koopmann has taught band and orchestra for more than 20 years and currently serves as the middle school state director for the Nebraska Music Educators Association. He’s won numerous teaching awards along the way, but his students didn’t pay much attention until a local TV station visited the school for an interview about his hall of fame honor. “Now a lot of kids ask me if I’m famous,” Koopmann said.

WINTER REFLECTIONS

5 P.M . S U N D AY D E C E M B E R 17, 2 0 1 7 S A I N T PA U L U N I T E D METHODIST CHURCH

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NEBRASKA ACADEMY OF VOCAL ARTS The Nebraska Academy of Vocal Arts (NAOVA), a place to explore, discover, and refine the singing voice, is now enrolling for the 2017-18 season students in grades 2 to 8. The academy has a spot for any boy or girl, regardless of level of singing ability. There currently are two groups of singers: the Nebraska Children’s Choir for more capable singers (requiring some vocal music experience) and the Pillar Choir for singers with less experience or skill. Both choirs learn from a dedicated and experienced director and perform in settings and with other choirs at a level appropriate for their level of skill. For more information, visit www.naova.org or call

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START SMALL WHILE THEYâ€™RE SMALL, TO GROW A BRIGHTER FUTURE

A11

Bubba’s Closet opens its doors to more than 300 students More than 300 elementary school students can bundle up and stay a little warmer this winter, thanks to Bubba’s Closet. The annual clothing giveaway program held its culminating event Nov. 11 at McPhee Elementary School, where families stood in line outside starting at 6:30 a.m. - an hour and a half before the doors opened and children could pick out a winter coat, as well as gloves, hats, scarves and other articles of warm clothing. As usual, Lincoln Public Schools elementary principals spearheaded the collection efforts and volunteered on Saturday, along with other LPS employees and community members. For more than 20 years, Bubba’s Closet has typically collected between 500 and 1,200 donated winter coats every year. This year that number dipped to about 300 and, as is often the case, there were not enough coats for every student who showed up at Saturday’s distribution event. But there are still ways to help.

COLORING PAGE

You can still donate new coats and other articles of clothing by contacting Norwood Park Elementary and arranging a time to drop off the items. The clothing can be stored at Norwood Park until a child with a need is identified at any Lincoln school. You also can make a monetary donation through the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools.

A12

December 2017

It’s alive! It’s alive! Lux Club creates ‘Frankentoys’ For two days in October, the Lux Middle School Media Center morphed into the Land of Misfit Toys. Members of the after-school MakerSpace Club took part in “Frankentoys,” an activity that challenged students to create a new toy by using parts from other toys. The resulting “Frankentoys” were a little frightening: a pig nose on a gorilla; a shark’s head attached to a lamb; a lamb’s head with the body of a chicken and the legs of a human. The club held the “Frankentoys” event Oct. 24 and 26, with 20 students participating each day. Students had a table of stuffed animals and dolls at their disposal, as well as a collection of spare parts from other toys. They tore into the toys with scissors and pieced together their new creations with hot glue, needles and thread, and power drills. (East High School student volunteers handled the hot glue and power drills.) The MakerSpace Club’s goal is to introduce or reinforce future-ready skills in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and math - STEAM for short. One of the club’s advisors, school librarian Kay Paulsen, said the Frankentoys activity met that goal in every way: • Science - the deconstruction and reconstruction of the toys • Technology - the use of unplugged technology and parts • Engineering - how various pieces fit together and were balanced • Art - using a variety of materials to create a product • Math - estimating the materials necessary to complete the task “Each student approached the activity in a different way, but all were challenged to use computational thinking and being willing to hit the wall and find where the error was made and fix it,” Paulsen said. Paulsen and co-advisor Lori Feldman, an instructional coach at Lux, have a number of activities planned for the club this year, including cardboard marble runs, circuits, murder mystery and crime scene investigation, coding and jewelry making.

Fun-filled event celebrates Community Learning Centers Hundreds of students, relatives and community members gathered at Park Middle School Oct. 26 to celebrate Lincoln’s Community Learning Centers (CLCs), part of a national day of recognition for afterschool programs called “Lights on Afterschool.”

Park is one of 26 CLCs, located at 19 elementary schools, six middle schools and one high school. They offer a variety of afterschool programming and resources through partnerships with 12 lead agencies and hundreds of community partners.

The event at Park, “Come Kick It with the CLCs,” included basketball and soccer, free dinner, free t-shirts and presentations by all 26 Lincoln CLCs highlighting their programs.

The Lincoln Community Foundation, the City of Lincoln and Lincoln Public Schools share oversight of the CLCs. Together, they strive toward a shared goal: Smart students, thriving families and strong neighborhoods.

Learning Lunch gives the scoop on school meals Lincoln Public Schools Director of Nutrition Services Edith Zumwalt has witnessed plenty of change during her 27 years with the district: An increased emphasis on serving locally grown fruits and vegetables; the use of technology to communicate school menu options; a growing number of specialized meals catering to dietary restrictions; and certainly the expanding maze of federal regulations she navigates when planning school meals. Zumwalt spoke about these myriad changes Oct. 24 during the third Lincoln Public Schools Learning Lunch of the 2017-18 season. Her presentation was titled “School Meals: So Much More than Chili and Cinnamon Rolls,” delivered to an audience in the Board Room at the LPS District Office. One thing that hasn’t changed, Zumwalt noted, is the unpredictability of what students like to eat. She was confident that ranch-flavored fish sticks would be a hit - nope. Veggie lasagna - no. But anything involving breaded chicken? Yes. “You live and you learn,” she said, adding that popcorn chicken is currently the district’s most popular entree. Zumwalt also offered an overview of the size and scope of the LPS Nutrition Services Department and its mission to provide “enticing, appetizing and nutritious meals that enhance our students’ ability to excel in the classroom and assist in establishing lifelong healthy eating habits.” Some numbers to chew on: • 26,800 lunches served daily - 4.645 million annually • 7,800 breakfasts served daily - 1.3 million annually • 26 customized diets available to students with special dietary needs, including peanut-free, lactose-free and gluten-free • 15,000 square feet, which is the size of the school district’s freezer and cooler facility • 18,000, which is the number of students who participate in the federal free or reduced lunch program • 29, the number of schools that participate in a grant-funded program that supplies students fresh fruit and vegetables as snacks • $21.355 million, which is the department’s annual budget. Nutrition Services is self-sustaining, meaning it receives no money from the LPS General Fund. Besides Zumwalt’s presentation, Learning Lunch attendees also were treated to free chili and cinnamon rolls.

Registration Deadline: February 9, 2018 (Registration is required for each participant)

Exhibitor’s Name: ______________________________________________________ (Please print first and last name)

Partner with: ___________________________________________________________ (Optional. Print first and last name)

Grade Level: __________ School: _________________________________________

Will be held on

March 1, 2018 at the Lancaster Event Center Pavillion 1 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. Open to all LPS 5th-8th graders All registrations due Feb. 9, 2018 For more information contact:

James Blake (402) 436-1802 Rochelle Settles (402) 436-1140 On-line Registration: www.lps.org • Jump Code PTBV or Mail registrations to: Rochelle Settles Fredstrom Elementary School 5700 NW 10th Street • Lincoln, NE 68521

Teacher’s Name: _______________________________________________________ Question to be answered: _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Field of Science (check one):

❑ Life ❑ Earth ❑ Physical Sustainability Project: ❑ Yes ❑ No T-Shirt Size (adult sizes): ❑ Small ❑ Medium ❑ Large ❑ X-Large NOTE:

I agree to set up my exhibit between the hours of 4:15 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on March 1, 2018. I will stay until 7:30 p.m. and dismantle my exhibit by 7:45 p.m. that evening.

Required: Student Signature: _________________________________________________ Parent or Guardian Signature: _______________________________________ Parent Email: ______________________________________________________ Teacher Signature: _________________________________________________

REGISTRATION FORMS ARE TO BE SENT TO: Rochelle Settles • Fredstrom Elementary School 5700 NW 10th Street • Lincoln, NE 68521

Some LPS classrooms will soon include NASA technology Lincoln Public Schools teachers and students will soon have access to cutting-edge science technology developed by NASA, thanks to a federal grant awarded to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that includes a partnership with LPS. The National Science Foundation awarded the $1.7 million grant to UNL to develop climate literacy curriculum for Nebraska high schools that utilizes an online modeling tool commonly used by NASA but only once before by K-12 educators, in Texas. Before they implement the curriculum in other school districts, researchers from UNL and NASA will work with LPS to incorporate the technology into one of its existing high school courses, Geoscience. The Nebraska State Climate Office also will advise on the project. James Blake, K-12 science curriculum specialist for LPS, called it a tremendous opportunity for the school district’s teachers and students. “Students can model Earth’s climate future using real data with this project,” he said. “The computing capability allows LPS students to ask their own questions as authentic scientists, instead of reading someone else’s information about the subject, as all students in the nation have been able to do to this point.” The Nebraska State Board of Education has required all school districts to include climate literacy in their science curriculum since at least 2010, though the Board did adopt standards with updated language in 2017. With this new technology, LPS can continue to teach climate literacy - but in a groundbreaking way. “This tool will help make our lessons on climate more dynamic by allowing the kids to analyze the climate models and make predictions based off those models,” said Pete Stone, a science teacher at Lincoln Southwest High School. The project’s researchers are currently working with a group of six LPS science teachers - including Stone - to clarify the goals of the grant. These teachers plan to use the software in their courses by spring 2018. By the grant’s fourth and final year, researchers hope to have all 20 geoscience teachers and 3,000 students across LPS using the technology in their classrooms.

TeamMates of the Month: Being There Through Transitions

As Nola Derby-Bennett cleaned out her office at The HUB, preparing to transition to a new career as director of the Lincoln Public Schools Community Learning Centers, she rediscovered years’ worth of photos she took with her mentee, Ashlie. Nola and Ashlie started meeting as TeamMates when Ashlie was in fourth grade at Meadow Lane Elementary School and each week they would take a series of photo-booth photos in the media center. The media center specialist would print off two copies that they each could take as a keepsake from their weekly meetings.

Naug hty or Nice

“Half of one of my walls at home is all our pictures,” shares Ashlie. Nola adds, “It’s fun to look back because you were so little!” After Ashlie moved from Meadow Lane to Arnold Elementary, she and Nola continued to meet weekly, but their photo-booth sessions became less frequent. Nola was also by Ashlie’s side as she transitioned to middle school. “It was overwhelming at first,” says Ashlie. “I’d talk to her about it and she’d tell me, ‘You’re going to be okay.’” Doing her homework on the Chromebook was a change that took Ashlie about the first quarter to adjust to, but she appreciated being able to just talk to or ask advice from Nola as she settled in to middle school. Now an 8th grader at Schoo, Ashlie and Nola talk about everything – friends, family, homework, etc. – and of course the occasional drama that comes along with being in middle school. “We meet right after lunch, so sometimes the drama is fresh,” Nola says. “So we kind of process where to go from there, what to take seriously and what to let go, and how to take the high road.” During their years together, Ashlie has found it easier to open up and Nola notices she has gained more of an ability to trust. “I think there were times she would lay stuff out there to see how I would respond, to see if there would be judgment, and there isn’t.” But Nola is most impressed by Ashlie’s resiliency. “She just rolls with stuff. She’s really kind to her friends and I see that despite some of the drama that goes on in their lives, she knows she wants to be a good person and a good friend. She tries hard and seeks out opportunities for growth. I don’t think she lets some of the stuff that happens define who she is as a person.” They’re both excited to see what the future holds for Ashlie. “I want to open a bakery. I’m actually really good at baking.” She enjoys finding new recipes online to try and has some family-favorite recipes she knows by heart, including one her mom taught her for peanut butter cookies. They have started to talk more about what that transition to high school will look like and the different opportunities available, like The Career Academy, which can help her get a head start on achieving her dream of opening her own bakery. Nola thinks the best way she can help Ashlie is by “just being here. It’s really about being somebody who’s non-judgmental and who just wants good things for her and wants to see her be successful in life. I think that’s how I can help her, just being here for her and being consistent.”

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BE NICE.

BECOME A MENTOR! Learn how to become a mentor at:

LincolnTeamMates.org/mentor 1APPLY 2TRAIN 3MENTOR

Graduating? Donâ€™t wait, get your Go Po done early. Find volunteer needs at Volunteerlinc.org/GOPO

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FREE Family Support Group For friends or family with loved ones struggling with drug and alcohol use • Open to the public

This support group provides support to families affected by addiction. When: Where:

• Offers a unique mix of personal experience, problem solving suggestions and information

Meets Thursdays, 6-7 p.m. Bryan Independence Center, 1640 Lake St., Lower Level Cost: Free Registration: No registration required

• Receive support from a professional counselor

This support group is led in the English Language

• No registration required

This support group is led by Brenda Moes, Bryan Independence Center community outreach liaison. If you have questions or would like more information about this support group or resources in our community, contact Brenda at 402-481-4895 or brenda.moes@bryanhealth.org.

Brenda Moes

Introducing students to music through the ukulele Most adults probably remember being introduced to music in elementary school by using a recorder - a small woodwind instrument with a small whistle mouthpiece and seven finger holes. While recorders are still a great way to teach beginning music students about theory, some Lincoln Public Schools music teachers are finding that ukuleles are also a fantastic way to get students excited about music. “Kids naturally gravitate towards the ukulele,” said Lance Nielsen, LPS music curriculum specialist. “Our teachers are using it successfully as a vehicle for beginning music instruction and kids see it as a hip new instrument they can play and sing at the same time.” Presley, an 8th-grader at Scott Middle School and member of the ukulele club, loved finding an instrument that was singer friendly. “You can play it and sing along and I’m a singer so I enjoy having something I can play and sing.” She was also excited to sit in on an afterschool demonstration of the ukulele by Canadian artist James Hill. Hill was invited to perform at several elementary school assemblies and at the ukulele club, as well as be a featured speaker at a workshop for Nebraska music teachers. Azalia, 4th-grade Hartley Elementary Student, said of the performance, “I’m in ukulele club at Hartley, and I want to play like that. I also play the piano and the cello.” And the trend is catching outside of school music classes, as well. Just walk into any local music store and you will see walls and display cases lined with a wide selection of ukuleles. “The ukulele is the new recorder,” added Nielsen.

Fund a Need. A new platform for giving. A smart-marketplace connecting community and schools in partnership.

Our dynamic new Fund a Need platform FoundationGIVE connects LPS teachers to donors and community partners to fulﬁll unmet classroom needs. Creating opportunities to enhance education provides meaningful experiences for students. Make a diﬀerence for students today! Support a classroom need that is near and dear to your heart.

Join the Adventure of Cub Scouts Learn more at BeAScout.org

Browse our list of current projects and give a gift the entire class will love. Find out more at:

FoundationForLPS.org/Fund-a-Need

FREE Fun for the whole family!

Saturday December 9th, 9am – 1pm Cornhusker Council Outdoor Education Center (600 S 120th Street, Lincoln, NE 68461) www.CornhuskerCouncil.org/Holiday

Visit Santa – Cookies – Stations for kids shop local art and craft booths

Irving students learn value of community service Irving Middle School students recently took part in three weeks of community service as part of Irving Community Outreach, the annual fundraiser organized by the Irving Parent Teacher Student Organization that focuses on giving instead of receiving. Irving Community Outreach - or ICOR - involves students volunteering their time and effort in the community through either organized group activities or projects students create themselves and complete at home or with their families. The students ask for donations from family and other community members in conjunction with their activities - but it’s really about giving back to the community, said Irving Principal Jason Shanahan. “It’s fantastic that we are able to encourage students to volunteer and take part within their community and fundraise at the same time,” he said. “ICOR also offers this age group the opportunity to take part in community efforts. All too often, middle school age students are not thought of by adults when looking for volunteers. However, middle school kids have a ton of energy and when channelled in the right direction can be incredibly powerful for both the community and the student.” ICOR, now in its 8th year, offers students a variety of service opportunities. This year’s activities included: Washing trucks at the Lincoln Fire Department’s Station #8; distributing food to families at a neighborhood church; cleaning up after the Lincoln Children’s Zoo’s “Boo at the Zoo” event; and cleaning, shelving and doing yard work at the South Branch Library. Proceeds from this year’s ICOR will go toward the purchase of a 3-D printer for student use, as well as the development of an outdoor classroom. Besides such tangible items, Shanahan hopes that students also benefit in other ways. “My best hope for what students will take away from the ICOR experience is a better understanding of community and their positive place within it,” he said. “I want students to experience the intrinsic sense of satisfaction that comes from paying it forward. “Ultimately it is not about the money raised, but the values learned that make ICOR a special school event at Irving.”

2 Million Minutes and Counting: Classroom Movement Boosts Learning by Michelle Welch If you have a K-8 student, you might have already heard, brain boosting movement activities have become a powerful classroom strategy to better learning across Lincoln Public Schools. Often referred to as brain breaks, these meaningful movement activities are built to get the wiggles out for kids and often integrate learning. Teachers may refer to this approach it by its more technical name, kinesthetic learning.

Make Time for Active Play

Schools have been using movement activities for several years, though they picked up steam in 2015 when they were a quarterly challenge focus. Teachers instantly recognized the power of movement to engage students, regain focus on learning and build student success. They haven’t looked back. Go Noodle, a web-based activity resource targeting K-8 students, has been a significant game changer for classroom movement. Free for teachers and families, it allows teachers to target their specific age of student and the resource bank recommends appropriate activities, songs and even calming and focus activities. For each activity completed, classroom avatars morph a bit, which students love. There is plenty of silly incorporated, which helps engage more students. Thanks to Children’s of Omaha and the Kohl’s Cares Foundation, all Lincoln and Omaha schools now have access to the next level of Go Noodle, called Go Noodle Plus for all teachers registered within the system as teachers of K-5 students. The Plus allows teachers to further customize Go Noodle activities to enhance movement-based learning in their classroom. It allows teachers, for example, to add question sets into movement activities and incorporate spelling words in a program that lets students practice spelling the words through body movements. This expanded resource will be available to Lincoln schools through July 2019. Though teachers use other, less measurable active learning strategies with students, there is strong evidence of Go Noodle being a bit hit in the classroom. From Mid August-mid November, LPS teachers had already logged over 2 million minutes of movement-based activities. Some students have also used Go Noodle at home for activity and fun for those days where they can’t play outdoors. This is a great resource to improve learning while also decreasing the length of sitting time for student in class. The more research tells us about the health risks of extended seat time, the added benefits of movement based learning and transition activities is apparent.

15 Minutes

60 minutes of active play every day = healthier kids

Cardiovascular fitness and classroom success have been shown to be linked in LPS data for seven years now. What we have learned: Students who are fit, regardless of their weight status, race or income level, are shown to statistically have more success in math, reading and science than their less fit classmates. All the more reason to celebrate this shift toward movement-based learning benefiting LPS students. P.S. Students think of these activities as brain breaks. Shhh…. Don’t tell them that they are actually brain boosters. It’ll ruin the fun.

HealthyLincoln.org Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln

TAFK.org