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Graber Elementary School News
Convocation opens 2010-11 school year
Aug 16, 2010The nearly 900 Hutchinson Public Schools staff members formally began the 2010-11 school year with the annual opening convocation Monday (Aug. 16, 2010) at the Salthawk Activity Center on the Hutchinson High School campus.
Superintendent Jan Strecker talked about her educational experiences as a student and as a young teacher as she kicked off the school year with her presentation titled "Roots and Wings." Keynote speaker for the event was Hutchinson Community College Instructor Carolyn Parson, who spoke on the importance of diversity. Diversity is one of the district's focuses in 2010-11.
Several
educators were honored during the event. The
Davis Foundation made its a
nnual Teachers of the Year Awards. The
elementary
school winners were Karla Pruitt, kindergarten teacher at McCandless Elementary School, and Pam
Allender,
second grade teacher at Graber Elementary School.
The middle school winner was Chanin Aumiller, social studies teacher at Hutchinson Middle School -- 8.
The high school winners were Nancy Williams, special education teacher, and Nathan Henry, social studies teachers. Both educators teach at Hutchinson High School.
Each winner receives $4,000. The Davis Foundation has contributed millions of dollars to Hutchinson Public Schools' staff and students since its first scholarships were awarded to HHS seniors 53 years ago.
Also recognized during the even were the USD 308 Kansas Teacher of the Year nominees -- Martin Vieyra, first grade teacher at Wiley Elementary School, and Lori Meis, reading teacher at Hutchinson Middle School -- 7.
Recognized during the convocation as the Classified Employee of the Year for 2009-10 was Valerie Armstrong, secretary at HMS-7.
This week, staff will have in-service training and room preparation for the 2010-11 school year. Students in grades one through nine return on Aug. 23. High school sophomores through seniors begin the year on Aug. 24. Kindergartners and students in the 4-year-old program begin on Aug. 25.Online enrollment opens
Jul 30, 2010Many of the families of Hutchinson Public Schools students will have the opportunity to enroll their students online for the 2010-11 school year.
The district has opened an online enrollment portal on its website, www.usd308.com.
Families who have emails on record in the district's student records database received an email Friday morning (July 30, 2010), inviting them to participate in the process. The emails went out to about 2,800 of the district's 4,500 students.
The pilot project, however, is not limited to families with email addresses in the student database. Any USD 308 parent or guardian who has his or her student's PowerSchool user name and password as well as the student's district ID number from the 2009-10 school year also can enroll online.
As part of the online enrollment, parents will be able to apply for free- or reduced-priced lunches online.
As of noon Friday, about 100 families already had taken advantage of online enrollment.
Walk-in enrollment for all USD 308 students (pre-K through 12) will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, and Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010, at the Salthawk Activity Center on the Hutchinson High School campus.
For walk-in enrollment, families are asked to park in the east Sports Arena parking lot. Families who only have HHS students are asked to enter from the southwest doors of the Salthawk Activity Center while all other families should use the southeast doors of the facility.
Jan Strecker named interim superintendent
Jun 21, 2010The Hutchinson Public Schools Board of Education Monday (June 21, 2010) hired Jan Strecker to be the district's interim superintendent for 2010-11.
The selection represents Mrs. Strecker's third tenure with the district. Mrs. Strecker retired as assistant superintendent for student learning after the 2008-09 school year.
The educator's first teaching position was as a fifth grade teacher at Grandview Elementary School in January 1967. She taught 12 years in the district, including fifth grade, second grade, kindergarten, language development classroom and the developmentally delayed first grade.
In 1985, Mrs. Strecker's family moved to Great Bend, and she was hired to finish the year in fifth grade. In 1987, Mrs. Strecker became a teaching principal at Shady Grove, a two-room school in Great Bend. In 1988, Mrs. Strecker became full-time principal at Jefferson Elementary School in Great Bend.
In 1992, Mrs. Strecker became Hesston Middle School principal, a position she held for three years. In spring 1997, Mrs. Strecker served as interim principal in Sterling.
In 1997, Mrs. Strecker began her second tenure with USD 308, becoming principal at Graber Elementary School, where she spent seven years before becoming director of elementary education and then to assistant superintendent.
The superintendent's position becomes vacant this summer as current Superintendent David Flowers takes over the superintendency at West Fargo, N.D. The Board had advertised for the position this spring but decided to go with an interim superintendent after interviewing three candidates.
The Kansas Association of School Boards will work with the school district during the 2010-11 school year to find a permanent replacement for Dr. Flowers. Under its contract, KASB will not charge any additional fees for the extended search.
Mrs. Strecker formally takes over July 1, 2010.
Superintendent search changes Board's June meeting schedule
Jun 7, 2010The search for the 30th superintendent of schools for USD 308 will mean major changes in June Board meetings.
The list:
June 11: 5:30 p.m. at the Administration Center, 1520 North Plum. The Board will meet briefly in open session to handle some items of district business, and then will move into executive session to discuss finalists for superintendent of schools.
June 14: 5 p.m. at the Administration Center. The Board will move into executive session to meet with Candidate No. 1.
June 15: 5 p.m. at the Administration Center. The Board will move into executive session to meet with Candidate No. 2.
June 16: 5 p.m. at the Administration Center. The Board will move into executive session to meet with Candidate No. 3.
June 17 (if needed): 5 p.m. at the Administration Center. The Board will move into executive session to meet with Candidate No. 4.
June 21: 7 p.m. at the Administration Center. The Board will have a regular meeting. At this meeting, the Board is expected to receive the Boundary Task Force Report and its recommendations.
June 28: 7 p.m. at the Administration Center. This is the regular second meeting for June. Regular end-of-fiscal-year district transactions will occur at this meeting.
On June 14, 15, 16 and 17 (if needed), individual candidates will be brought in for a day-long interview process. The name of each candidate will be released the day before his/her interview at noon.
As part of the process, the public is invited to a reception each day of the interviews from 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy, 800 15th Circle.
Superintendent David Flowers announced he was taking a similar position with West Fargo, N.D., May 10. The Board contracted with the Kansas Association of School Boards to assist it in the search for a new superintendent.
The interview by the Board, itself, will be done in executive session each evening of the interviews.
The Board has set a goal to name the 30th superintendent for the district in its 138-year history by June 18.
The
Schedule
- Noon the previous day: Candidate's name and a brief biography released
Interview Day
- 10 to 11:30 a.m.: Tour of school district facilities
- 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Lunch with central office administrators
- 1 to 2 p.m.: Interview with district administrators
- 2:15 to 2:45 p.m.: Meet with members of the media at H-CTEA, 800 15th Circle
- 3 to 3:30 p.m.: Public reception at H-CTEA
- 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Meet with teacher representatives at H-CTEA
- 4:30 to 5 p.m.: Unscheduled time
- 5 p.m.: Formal Board interview and dinner at the Administration Center, 1520 North Plum (executive session)
Davis, Horning receive Kaleidoscope Awards
May 27, 2010Two veteran educators were honored Thursday (May 27, 2010) with third trimester Kaleidoscope Awards from Hutchinson Public Schools.
Donna Davis, science teacher at Hutchinson Middle School -- 7, and Sondra Horning, elementary art teacher, received the award Thursday during professional development gatherings of staff. Superintendent David Flowers made the awards.
The award, which is made three times each year, includes a hand-made kaleidoscope.
Davis has taught
in USD 308 since the 1995-96 school year.
In a nomination letter, a colleague of Davis wrote, "... Donna dedicates hours of her extra time helping students who don't understand a lab procedure or how to organize their thoughts to draw and write a conclusion. She doesn't question a child's ability to learn, but rather operates under the assumption that if a student isn't performing at the expectation -- no matter the reason -- there must be a disconnect, and it is up to her to work with the student to fix it."
Horning joined the school district
during the 1995-96 school year as well. She was nominated by seven
members of
the Graber
Elementary School
staff, which is one of
the elementary schools she serves.
"She transfers her love of art directly onto the children, turning their 'I can't' attitude into 'I can create beautiful art projects!' " the educators wrote. "We believe that Mrs. Horning encourages our students to become lifelong learners of art. The future of our children depends on Mrs. Horning!"
All staff and district patrons were able to nominate district employees for the Kaleidoscope Award. Qualities and abilities of nominees include:
- Helping to create a system that values every child, no matter how gifted, no matter how broken;
- Seeing potential where others see defeat;
- Reflecting what our beliefs say we are made of;
- Personal courage, to see hope rather than fear; and
- Uncommon vision that transforms ourselves, our staffs or our children into even more than we have dreamed to be.
Mass Bands set for May 20
May 13, 2010In terms of sheer numbers, the biggest musical event of the school year sounds off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 20, at the Salthawk Activity Center.
The 23rd annual Mass Bands Concert features about 600 USD 308 students in grades six through 12. There will be performances by elementary bands, a combined middle school band, the high school band and both middle and high school jazz bands before the actual mass bands performance, which brings together all the students.
The high school uses the concert to preview its marching music for the 2010 fall season.
As with the previous Mass Bands Concert, all students come together for the song, "A Mighty Fortress."
The district has been doing the Mass Bands Concert since 1988. The event is a chance for students to play with what may be the largest group they ever will in their lives. It also gives parents a chance to hear what their children are doing as well as what others are doing in the district. For younger students, the concert provides an opportunity to see what is in store for them in the future in band.
For more information, contact Daryl Koestel, HHS band teacher.
Post-construction open houses set
May 10, 2010Three more open houses are being conducted on Tuesday, May 25, to celebrate the completion of construction at the schools.
The schools received improvements and addition as part of the $78.8 million bond issue USD 308 voters approved in 2006.
The schedule for May 25:
- Hutchinson Magnet School at Allen, 403 West 10th: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. with a short formal program at 5 p.m.
- Graber, 1600 North Cleveland: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with a short formal program at 6 p.m.
- Avenue A, 111 South Madison: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. with a short formal program at 7 p.m.
BOB returns
May 6, 2010For the past eight months, teams of students from USD 308's eight elementary schools have been reading books from a list of two dozen.
Their goal? To win the Battle of the Books.
The annual Battle of the Books begins at 1 p.m.Thursday, May 13, at McCandless Elementary School, 700 North Baker.
Two teams of four to six members answer questions about the two dozen books with the team scoring the most points advancing to the next round of competition.
For
more information, contact Denise
Neighbors
principal, Faris Elementary School
USD 308 announces end of year calendar changes
May 3, 2010Because of the construction calendar and teacher training, the final days of school have changed for USD 308 schools from the original district calendar.
The two schools undergoing the most summer construction will see the earliest final day. The final day for classes at both Lincoln Elementary School and Hutchinson High School will be Friday, May 21.
The other district school with major construction work is Faris Elementary School. Faris' final day will be Tuesday, May 25.
For all other K-8 schools, the final day of classes will be Wednesday May 26.
The changes do not impact HHS' graduation. HHS' graduation will be at 2 p.m. May 23 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Certified staff remain on contract through May 28 and will be involved professional development related to district initiatives and end-of-year recordkeeping.Hutchinson students qualify for International FPS
Apr 23, 2010Both teams and individuals representing Hutchinson qualified for the International Future Problem Solving Competition during a recent state competition.
Qualifying from Hutchinson were the following individuals or teams.
Junior Division Team Global Issues:
First Place: Hutchinson Elementary School
Team members:
Emily Fan, Morgan Elementary; Isabella Wintamute, Avenue A Elementary; Alicia Seems, Graber Elementary; Sofa Garcia, Holy Cross Catholic Elementary; and Shannon and Shayla Bellamy, Faris Elementary.
Middle Division Team Global Issues:
First Place: Trinity Catholic Junior/Senior High, Hutchinson
Team Members: Charlie Garcia, Logan Hughes, Luke Kicklighter and Ellis Ruback
Junior Division Individual Global Issues:
First Place: Sofia Garcia, Holy Cross Catholic Elementary, Hutchinson
Middle Division Individual Booklet:
First Place: Charlie Garcia, Trinity Catholic Junior/Senior High School
Hutchinson coaches are Nancy Birgen and Karla Degner from Hutchinson Public Schools. USD 308 provides gifted services to Hutchinson Catholic Schools.
About 50 student problem solvers from across Kansas competed in the state competition in Hutchinson on April 19. Students worked in teams to complete booklets during a two-hour time period, which demonstrated their application of the six steps of the creative problem solving process to a futuristic scenario associated with the topic "Food Distribution."
The International Future Problem Solving Conference will be held at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, Wisc., June 9 to 13. The topic of the International Competition is "Green Living."
For more information, contact Birgen.
Students learn about career opportunities
Apr 16, 2010The second annual Sixth Grade Career Day will be from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 23 at the Salthawk Activity Center on the Hutchinson High School Campus.
Half the USD 308 elementary schools will attend sessions in the morning with the other half attending in the afternoon.
During the event, students will learn about career training opportunities available to them in Hutchinson through the Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy on the HHS campus, Hutchinson Community College, the Quest Center and the Hutchinson Police Department.
Programs to be highlighted include the automotive mechanics program, law enforcement, medical science, automotive body and collision repair, engineering and computer graphics. Additionally, Promise Regional Medical Center will help with the medical science program, and YouthFriends will do a presentation on learning styles.
For more information, contact Kent Blessing, career counselor in H-CTEA.
Day focuses on healthy living
Apr 16, 2010An event that will draw hundreds of third graders to Don Michael Field will return for its 12th running Thursday, April 29.
The Kansas Kids' Fitness Day is a statewide event, sponsored by the Kansas Council on Fitness, to increase awareness of physical activity and safety for third graders across Kansas.
In Hutchinson, the 12th Annual Kansas Kids' Fitness Day will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Thursday, April 29 at Don Michael Field, 17th and Severance in Hutchinson.
Hosted locally by USD 308, the event is expected to draw more than 650 students from 16 schools in Reno County. Statewide, the event draws 18,000 students each year at more than three dozen sites in Kansas.
A project of USD 308 elementary school physical education teachers, more than 100 volunteers will be working on the project, including Junior and Senior Leaders from Hutchinson High School under the direction of Cindy Knox, physical education teacher at HHS. The volunteers will staff activity and safety stations during the afternoon.
Others involved in the project include the elementary and high school physical education staff, local firefighters, police officers, Red Cross, Hutchinson Recreation Commission, YMCA and USD 308 Nutrition Services.
For more information, contact Kyle
Welliver, physical education teacher.
USD 308 Participates in Week of the Young Child
Apr 8, 2010The annual celebration of the Week of the Young Child will be observed in Hutchinson April 11 to 17.
A different event is scheduled each day. On April 11, for example, there will be a naturalist-led nature hike and snack from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Dillon Nature Center, 3002 East 30th.
Other events include:
- Monday, April 12, Kansas Kids Museum at the Hutchinson Mall, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 13, Hutchinson Public Library, 9th and Main, a story hour from 7 to 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 14, Parents as Teachers play group at 330 Charles in the Hutcherson Center.
- Wednesday, April 14, Hutchinson Zoo, from 2 to 4 p.m.
- Thursday, April 15, Gallery 7, 7 West B, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Thursday, April 15, Reno County Museum, 100 South Walnut, a Chalkfest from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Friday, April 16, Family Children's Theatre presents Take Flight with Peter Pan, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Memorial Hall, 101 South Walnut.
Kindergarten, Pre-K pre-registration set
Mar 19, 2010Hutchinson Public Schools will have its pre-registration for kindergarten and the 4-year-old at-risk program from 4 to 7 p.m. on April 15 at the Salthawk Activity Center.
This program replaces the traditional kindergarten roundups in the district.
Parents are asked to bring their child's record of immunizations, physical and birth certificate to the event.
Families need to bring proof of residence for the child's legal guardian. Legal proof includes a recent utility bill, recent payroll stub showing an address or lease agreement.
Staff from the elementary schools will be on hand during the come-and-go event to answer questions and to get pre-enrollment information. Families who participate in the pre-enrollment will receive enrollment information for their child in July by mail.
All children who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2010, are eligible to enroll in kindergarten in Hutchinson Public Schools for the 2010-11 school year.
Enrollees in the 4-year-old program must be 4 on or before Aug. 31, 2010. Students are enrolled for kindergarten in their neighborhood school. The 4-year-old at-risk program, meanwhile, is offered at Avenue A, 111 South Madison; Graber, 1600 North Cleveland; Lincoln, 315 East Bigger; and Hutcherson Center for Early Education, 330 Charles.
Spring Break
Mar 18, 2010 Hutchinson Public Schools will observe Spring Break the week of March 22.The district's Administration Center will be closed for business from 5 p.m. March 19 until 8 a.m. March 29.
Additionally, there will be no classes on April 2, the Friday before Easter.
Spring String Fling slated
Mar 11, 2010USD 308 will host the largest symphony concert of the year in Hutchinson next week.
The annual String Fling will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 16, at Memorial Hall, 101 South Walnut. The event will feature all the district's orchestra students from sixth grade through high school. Admission is free.
About 200 musicians will be involved in the event.
The event provides all the district's stringed musicians a chance to perform together. Younger students have the opportunity to see what is in store for them as they advance in orchestra.
The first and last pieces of the performance will be performed by all the students. The first piece is March Heroic while the final piece is Nobel Dance.
The students are under the direction of Bruce Boyd, Ashley Holbrook and Jay Hawkins.Nominations being taken for Davis Teacher
Feb 4, 2010 Each
year, the James A. and Juliet
L. Davis Foundation honors Hutchinson Public Schools educators with the
Davis
Teacher of the Year Award.
The
foundation is taking
applications for the award until March 19.
The
Davis Foundation will grant five awards this year for outstanding
classroom
teachers. Two will be selected from grades K-6, one from grades 7 and 8
and two
from grades 9-12.
Teachers
must be currently serving in the Hutchinson Public Schools system to
receive
consideration. Administrators and other non-classroom and non-teaching
personnel are not eligible to receive these awards.
To obtain a nomination form, call (620) 615-4029.
Graber to raise funds for Haiti
Jan 21, 2010 Personally touched by the
During an assembly at 8 a.m. at the
school, 1600 North Cleveland, parents of two Graber
students who were adopted from
The presentation is part of a larger
HUTCH effort in the district -- Hawks United to Comfort
Money raised
will go to the Haitian orphanage where the Yoder children once lived -- A New
Arrival's
For more information, contact Principal Jo
McFadden.
Ediger named one of top new teachers
Jan 15, 2010 Jesse Ediger, third grade teacher at
Ediger received a telephone call Friday afternoon from
Acting Kansas Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker informing her she was a
winner of the Kansas Horizon Award.
The Horizon Award program, currently
in its eighth year, allows all school districts in the state an opportunity to
nominate one elementary and one secondary teacher for the award. To be eligible
for a Horizon Award, teachers must have successfully completed their first year
of teaching and have performed in such a way as to distinguish themselves as
outstanding. The Horizon Award program is a regional competition with four
regions corresponding to the state's
Ediger is the third USD 308 teacher
in four years to receive the honor. Angela McDonald, third grade teacher at
"This is a great honor for you, your
students, your school, your district and your community," Dr. DeBacker told
Ediger. "We literally get hundreds of applications but only 32 get chosen
statewide."
USD 308 Superintendent David Flowers
read Horizons applications on behalf of the Kansas Department of Education for
a different part of
"I know the caliber of people she's
up against and how impressive they are," Dr. Flowers said.
Jo McFadden, Graber principal, said
that while the
For her part, getting to teach at
Graber was a chance to come home. Ediger attended Graber as an elementary
student. To this day, she has trouble calling some of her colleagues in the
building by their first names.
"I had Theresa Corcoran," Ediger
said. "Talk about an inspiration. Pam Allender was here as was Diana Wendell
and Stephen Gauthier. It was coming full circle for me to come back and teach
here. My teachers at Graber made so much of a difference in my life. Mr.
(Richard) Fritschen was my principal."
As a recipient of the Kansas Horizon
Award, Ediger will be invited to join the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network
(KEEN), a network of educators from around the state who have been formally
recognized for exemplary performance. Members of KEEN have an opportunity to
network with other outstanding educators and participate in a number of
professional development programs throughout the year.
Allender, Yantes receive Kaleidoscope Awards
Jan 14, 2010Two educators were honored this week with second trimester Kaleidoscope Awards from Hutchinson Public Schools.
Pam
Allender, second grade teacher at Graber Elementary School,
and Lisa Yantes, social studies teacher and department chair at Hutchinson High School, received the award
during
events at their schools this week. Superintendent David Flowers made
the
awards.
The award, which is made three times each year, includes a hand-made kaleidoscope.
Mrs. Allender has been with the district since the 1986-87 school year.
"Pam has the gift of taking a group of students with very different backgrounds, experiences and abilities and bringing them together to build a culture of learning in her classroom," wrote Jo McFadden, Graber principal, in the award nomination. "Pam values each of her students as she knows they are capable of learning. She uses a very calm voice and is very gentle."
Mrs. Yantes, who has been with the district since the 1995-96 school year, also is an International Baccalaureate teacher at HHS.
"She
(Mrs. Yantes) has reflected on the belief that
teachers do make a difference to student achievement and that success
comes
from within, not from an outside mandate," wrote colleague Adelyn
Soellner, who
nominated Yantes for the honor. "... She has organized the teachers into
PLCs
(professional learning communities) where they analyze assessment
results by
indicator, plan remediation and further develop the content knowledge
of
teacher. In this way, she is working to transform not only student
success, but
the success of every teacher in the department."
All staff and district patrons are
able to nominate district employees for the Kaleidoscope Award.
Qualities and
abilities of nominees include:
- Helping to create a system that values every child, no matter how gifted, no matter how broken;
- Seeing potential where others see defeat;
- Reflecting what our beliefs say we are made of;
- Personal courage, to see hope rather than fear; and
- Uncommon vision that transforms ourselves, our staffs or our children into even more than we have dreamed to be.
Gas line break alters routine at Graber
Oct 27, 2009
A construction crew working on bond issue improvements at
On the recommendation of Hutchinson Fire Department
command, USD 308 staff sheltered students in the building, according to
the
district's crisis plan. Firefighters from HFD monitored air quality
inside the
building during the incident.
The incident took about an hour to resolve. The leak was
on the north side of the building with a strong south wind, blowing any
natural
gas away from the building. Students were relocated from the north side
of the
building to the far south end of the facility. Additionally, all
outside air
handling units were turned off during the leak.
In addition to HFD, school resource officers from
Hutchinson Police Department and Reno County Emergency Management
responded.
District uses online auction to sell surplus property
Oct 15, 2009 Looking for
USD 308 has a deal for you -- make
that 59 deals.
Actually,
All the items have been declared
surplus by the district's Board of Education. Unlike auctions of old, however,
you need a computer to bid on the items in 2009 as you have needed to do for
the past several auctions.
The district is employing the Purple
Wave online auction. Purple Wave is the state-approved auction vendor. The
online auctions have allowed the district to reduce handling of auction items
and broadened the potential bidder pool.
The district's auction can be found
at http://www.purplewave.com/cgi-bin/pwdetails.cgi?091208.
The auction closes Dec. 8.
Award nominations being taken
Oct 8, 2009 Nominations
are being taken for the
second trimester Kaleidoscope Award in USD 308.
Theresa Brown, elementary instructional specialist for
the district, received the first such award in the district earlier
this year
in front of 900 of her colleagues during the opening convocation at
the
The district will have two more recipients this year for
the "Kaleidoscope Award." The award is designed to recognize
staff members who are reflections of the districts beliefs, and for
"uncommon
vision" in advancing the vision for the district embodied in the
strategic
plan.
Nominations should include the nominee's name, and
a couple of paragraphs about why he or she should receive the award.
Nominations should be sent to flowersd@usd308.com.
Staff members nominated for the Kaleidoscope Award should
exhibit the qualities of:
- Helping
to
create a system that values every child, no matter how gifted, no
matter how
broken;
- Seeing
potential
where others see defeat;
- Reflecting
what
our beliefs say we are made of; and
- Seeing
hope
rather than fear.
District teachers honored in KTOY process
Sep 21, 2009 A
Theresa
Corcoran, a fifth-grade teacher at Graber, was a
semifinalist for the Region 1 honor. Region 1 comprises the portion of
Blaine
Murphy, auto collision repair teacher in the
Career and
Statewide,
91 educators were
nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction. Nominations
are made
in each of four regions in the state. The Kansas State Department of
Education,
sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appointed regional
selection
panels to select semi-finalists and finalists from each region.
The
selection panels are comprised
of teachers, education administrators and higher education
representatives.
Each panel selects six semi-finalists, three elementary teachers and
three
secondary teachers. From those semi-finalists, the panel in each region
then
selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas
Teacher
of the Year will be selected from among the regional finalists and
announced
during a ceremony Nov. 21 in
Teachers recognized during opening convocation
Aug 17, 2009 A 25-year veteran educator received the first-ever
Kaleidoscope Award during the opening convocation of
Theresa Brown, elementary instructional specialist for
the district, received the award in front of 900 of her colleagues during the
first-of-the-year celebration at the
The award, which will be given out three times each year,
includes a hand-made kaleidoscope. Dr. David Flowers, superintendent of
schools, used the kaleidoscope as a metaphor for the district's strategic and
operational plans.
With individual components of a kaleidoscope positioned
on a table in front of him, Dr. Flowers explained how individually the
components may have some limited use. When put together as a system to create a
kaleidoscope, the parts together create beautiful images.
In much the same way, different staff members and initiatives
of the district are brought together in the strategic and operational plans to
serve students and the community in ways individual programs or staff could not.
Mrs. Brown has shown her ability to build capacity for
excellence in others within the district and community, Dr. Flowers said. She
"walks the talk" of educational excellence.
Dr. Flowers asked staff members to nominate colleagues
for the award. Qualities and abilities of nominees include:
- Helping to create a system that values every child, no matter how gifted,
no matter how broken;
- Seeing potential where others see defeat;
- Reflecting what our beliefs say we are made of;
-
Personal courage, to see hope rather than fear; and
- Uncommon vision that transforms ourselves, our staffs or our children
into even more than we have dreamed to be.
Also during Monday's convocation, the Davis Foundation
recognized its Teachers of the Year for 2008-09.
Winners were Janie Hoefer, Hutchinson Magnet School at
Allen, and Melissa Thomas, Avenue A Elementary School for the elementary
division; Cindy Beshore, HMS-7, for the middle school division; and Tobie
Henline and Theresa Smith, both of Hutchinson High School, for the high school
division.
The Davis Foundation was formed in 1953. It first gave
college scholarships to
The district's Kansas Teacher of the Year nominees were
recognized. Theresa Corcoran,
Teachers will spend this week in professional development
and getting their classrooms set up for the 2009-10 school year. School begins
Aug. 24 for grades 1 through 9; Aug. 25 for grades 10 to 12; and Aug. 26 for
kindergartners and 4-year-olds.
District unveils new phone system
Jul 10, 2009 Hutchinson Public Schools begins the new school year with
a new telephone system and new telephone prefix.
After training this week, the district began using its
new telephone system. The new main number for the district is (620) 615-4000.
All phone numbers for district staff begin with the "615"
prefix. The district was able to obtain a block of 2,000 numbers to accommodate
existing and future growth.
The new system is a voice over internet protocol system,
more commonly known as VoIP. The VoIP
system runs on the district's extensive computer network backbone. The new
telephone system replaces a 20-year-old Plexar system with 509 phone lines.
Because the new system has about a $4,000 a month lower
cost and with federal e-Rate assistance, the new system should pay for its
$250,000 cost in less than five years, said Larry Frederick, USD 308 director
of technology.
While costing less, the new system has more capabilities.
It has 60 out-bound phone lines, compared to 35 on the old system.
Even though the system allows for automated attendants,
the district will continue to use receptionists during regular business hours.
While the district has a new phone system, old telephone
numbers published in commercial telephone books will continue to work for the
next year or more, including the former main number of the district, (620)
665-4400.
The numbers have been updated in parent-student handbooks
and other publications families will receive this fall.
A list of the new building phone lines is below.
|
Building |
Number |
|
|
615-4000 |
|
Avenue A Elementary |
615-4950 |
|
Early Head Start |
615-5810 |
|
Educational |
615-5500 |
|
|
615-5000 |
|
|
615-5050 |
|
|
615-4900 |
|
HMS-7 |
615-4700 |
|
HMS-8 |
615-4800 |
|
|
615-5750 |
|
|
615-4100 |
|
|
615-5100 |
|
|
615-5150 |
|
|
615-5200 |
|
|
615-5575 |
|
Wiley Elementary School |
615-5250 |
Summer feeding program expands
May 26, 2009 Hutchinson Public
Schools will provide summer meals in June and July with the program expanded in
2009 to include breakfast at more places. The meals are free
for anyone age 18 and under. No reservations are needed for the meals. The 2009 summer feeding program will
be June 1 through July 31 at Lincoln
Elementary School, 315
East Bigger. In a first, the "neighborhood" feeding site will have breakfast
all summer. Breakfast hours at Lincoln
are from 7:30 to 8 a.m. each day with lunch served from 11 a.m. to noon. There
will be no lunch on July 3, a district holiday. The second all-summer site is at
Boys and Girls Club, 600 West 2nd. Breakfast there will be from 7:30
to 8 a.m. with lunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Both the Lincoln and Boys and
Girls Club sites will serve meals Monday through Friday during the summer,
except on July 3. Meals will be served at Faris Elementary
School, 300 East 9th, during the
Summer Scholars Program, which will run Mondays through Thursdays, June 22
through July 16. There will be no meals served at Faris on Fridays. Serving
time will be from 7:30 to 8 a.m. for breakfast and 11 a.m. to noon for lunch. While meals for youth 18 and under
are free, adult lunches cost $2.85 with adult breakfasts priced at $1.70. The meals are
similar to those provided during the school year, providing an entree as well
as plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Menus will be available on the district's
website as well as Cox Cable Channel 20 in Hutchinson. The program is
funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader? How About a Sixth Grader?
May 18, 2009
Part of the school's end-of-year activities was a Quiz Bowl between students in the fifth and sixth grades.
In 12-question rounds hosted by Nancy Birgen, USD 308 teacher of gifted and talented students, the students were asked to answer questions from a variety of areas from grammar to world geography.
Students from Theresa Corcoran's fifth grade class defeated a group of sixth graders from Angie Williams' class for the championship.
The activity is just one of many year-end activities in USD 308. While the district's seniors completed coursework May 14, the final day for all other students is May 20.
Mass Bands draws thousands
May 15, 2009
The
22nd annual Mass Bands Concert May 14, 2009, feature about 600 USD 308 students
in grades six through 12 and drew a crowd of nearly 3,000 to the Salthawk Activity Center on the Hutchinson High School campus. There were performances by elementary bands, a
combined middle school band, the high school band and jazz bands before the
actual mass bands performance, which brings together all the students.
The
district has been doing the Mass Bands Concert since 1988. The event is a
chance for students to play with what may be the largest group they ever will
in their lives. It also gives parents a chance to hear what their children are
doing as well as what others are doing in the district. For younger students,
the concert also gives them a chance to see what is in store for them in the
future in band.
After the Mass Bands Concert, there was a reception in the Hutchinson High School Cafeteria for two Music Department staff members who will retire this year. Honored will be Sid Showalter, director of bands at HHS, and Stephen Washington, music and student records secretary.
Both Showalter and Washington were recognized in front of the entire crowd at the concert as well.
Showalter was an organizer of the original Mass Bands Concert. Each concert ends with an arrangement of "A Mighty Fortress" and includes all 600 musicials.
School to end a day early in 2009
Apr 23, 2009 USD 308 is gearing up for unprecedented building construction
across the district this summer. As a result, USD 308's final day for students
will be May 20, a day earlier than earlier scheduled.
Teachers will prepare their rooms for the construction
process or other end-of-year activities. Non-teaching staff will assist or have
the option of starting summer a day early.
The district will turn several buildings over to
contractors on May 26 for asbestos abatement and remodeling work.
Future Problem Solvers qualify for international competition
Apr 13, 2009 Teams of
The team of Emily Fan, Morgan
Elementary; Ellie Rumback,
Also competing for Hutchinson in the
state Junior Division and placing second was the team of Shannon Bellamy, Faris
Elementary; Chloe Miller, Wiley Elementary; Sarah Hansen, Morgan Elementary;
and Jon Hornbaker, Graber Elementary.
Students worked in teams to complete
booklets, during a two-hour time period, demonstrating their application of the
six steps of the creative problem solving process to a futuristic situation
associated with the topic "Counterfeit Economy."
The booklets were evaluated on the
students' use of the creative problem solving process, their ability to
communicate their ideas in written form, critical thinking, creativity, application
of research and futuristic thinking.
The topic of the international competition
is "Pandemics."
The team of Fan, Rumback, Sofia Garcia
and Charlie Garcia also placed first in the Junior Division Presentation of
Action Plan competition.
The Future Problem Solving Program
International involves more than 250,000 students from
For more information, contact Nancy Birgen,
facilitator for elementary gifted for USD 308, at 665-4760.
Career Exploration Day set
Apr 3, 2009 As sixth graders prepare to move from elementary to
secondary school, Hutchinson Public Schools will hold a Sixth Grade Career
Exploration Day April 24 in the
Half the district's sixth graders will attend a morning
session with the other half attending in the afternoon. In all, more than 320
students are expected for the event.
For many of the students, this will be their introduction
to the Kansas Career Clusters, 16 general areas for careers. Coursework in many
of those career clusters is offered at
The day is a "first step" for many students to identify
future career choices. It is designed to bring career awareness to the
students. In all, 10 of the clusters will be represented at the April 24 event.
Interactive displays will include the BEST Engineering
Team from HHS on science, engineering and math; North Central Kansas Technical
College on manufacturing; Wichita Area Technical College on aerospace; the
Hutchinson Fire Department on health sciences and human services; the HHS
Career and Technical Academy's Building Trades Program on architecture and
construction; University Technical Institute on transportation, distribution
and logistics; Hutchinson Credit Union on finance; and Hutchinson Community
College on information technology.
For more information, contact Kent Blessing.
All district schools open Tuesday
Mar 30, 2009 After roof re-inspections by the Hutchinson Fire Department
and interior inspections by Hutchinson USD 308 staff, four schools closed
Monday as a precaution after the weekend snow will reopen Tuesday.
Three district elementary schools -- Faris,
A facility run by a partner agency, the
The wintry weather has prompted two activity
postponements. The final performance of
Additionally, junior varsity boys' golf, initially set
for Monday, has been postponed to 3 p.m. April 13 at
All other USD 308 facilities were in normal operation on
Monday.
District changes pre-enrollment for kindergarten/4-year-old at risk
Mar 6, 2009 Hutchinson Public Schools
will have its pre-registration for kindergarten and the 4-year-old at-risk
program from 4 to 8 p.m. on April 16 at the
This program replaces the
traditional kindergarten roundups in the district.
Staff from the elementary
schools will be on hand during the come-and-go event to answer questions and to
get pre-enrollment information. Families who participate in the pre-enrollment
will receive a packet of enrollment information for their child in July by
mail.
All children who will be 5
years old on or before Aug. 31, 2009, are eligible to enroll in kindergarten in
Hutchinson Public Schools for the 2009-10 school year.
Enrollees in the 4-year-old at-risk
program must be 4 on or before Aug. 31, 2009, and are identified using multiple
criteria, including:
- Poverty;
- Single parent families;
- SRS referral;
- Teen parents;
- Either parent lacking a high school diploma or GED;
- Child qualifies for migrant status;
- Limited English proficiency; or
- Developmentally or academically delayed based on
assessments.
The day of the
pre-enrollment, parents are asked to bring their child’s record of immunizations,
physical and birth certificate to the event.
Families may be asked for
proof of residence for the child's legal guardian.
Hutchinson Public Schools
has half-day kindergarten programs at Faris, Graber,
The 4-year-old at-risk
program is offered at Avenue A, 111 South Madison;
Families also will have
the opportunity to make an application to attend
Bid opening March 11 for Graber/McCandless
Mar 6, 2009 The opening of bids for additions and improvements at
Graber and
The bids are being part of the $78.8 million bond issue
district voters approved in November 2006.
Individual members of the Board of Education may attend
the opening of bids, but the Board, itself, will not meet March 11, and no
action will be taken on the bids.
The next regular meeting of the Board will be at 7 p.m.
March 23 at the
String Fling set
Feb 26, 2009 USD 308 will host the largest
symphony concert of the year in
The annual String Fling will be at
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at Memorial Hall, 101 South Walnut. The event will
feature all the district's orchestra students from sixth grade through high
school.
About 200 musicians will be involved
in the event.
The event provides all the
district's stringed musicians a chance to perform together. Younger students have
the opportunity to see what is in store for them as they advance in orchestra.
The first and last pieces of the
performance will be performed by all the students. The first piece is Telemann
Sinfonia while the final piece is Shawnee Stomp.
The students are under the direction
of Bruce Boyd, Shelly Duell and Jay Hawkins.
Sixth grade parents' meeting set
Feb 4, 2009 Parents of sixth graders interested
in attending Hutchinson Middle School are invited to attend a parent meeting at
7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, in the commons of at HMS-7, 210 East A.
The parent meeting is part of a
larger pre-enrollment process through which sixth-grade students are going as
they make their selections for the 2009-10 school year.
During the Feb. 12 meeting, parents
and care givers will have the opportunity to meet HMS-7 administration, the
counselor, activities coordinator, school resource officer and International Baccalaureate
Middle Years Programme coordinator.
Additionally,
families will learn about
-
HMS-7 course
offerings, expectations, activities and athletics;
-
the Middle Years
Programme (MYP);
- enrollment
process; and
- see an
electronic presentation and question and answer time.
As part of the pre-enrollment
process, students will have multiple opportunities to learn more about HMS-7.
Through February, administrators and the counselor from HMS-7 will visit each
sixth grade class in USD 308 to provide enrollment information and answer any
questions.
Then on Feb. 25, district sixth
graders will be able to tour HMS-7 and watch an electronic presentation on the
school. At that time, students will be able to turn in enrollment cards, learn
more about HMS activities and athletics and get questions answered.
HHS students present health project to elementary students
Jan 29, 2009 A trio of
Junior Brittany Athavichitchanyaraks,
senior Alexis Schul and junior Chelsea Sollberger will make the presentations,
beginning at 9 a.m. at Graber, 1600
The students are making the
presentation in conjunction with Family, Career and Community Leaders of
America. FCCLA is a nonprofit national career and technical student
organization for young men and women in family and consumer sciences education
in public and private schools through grade 12. The presentations are part of
Star Event for FCCLA.
STAR Events (Students Taking Action
with Recognition) are competitive events in which FCCLA members are recognized
for proficiency and achievement in chapter and individual projects, leadership
skills, and career preparation.
In the project, the HHS students
talk about good nutrition and how it benefits the heart and
brain. The presentation also examines parts of the brain and heart to
give the younger students a better understanding of how they work. The
trio will perform a dance and a song about the brain.
The Graber presentations will be to
three different grade levels -- kindergarten, second and fifth grade.
USD 308 to test AlertNow
Nov 13, 2008 Hutchinson Public Schools will have a test of its parent notification system, AlertNow, the evening of Nov. 17. The message will be sent at about 7 p.m.Parents of K-12 students and staff will receive a test telephone message through the system that will introduce the system to parents and staff.
AlertNow is a high-speed, automated parent notification system that can be used for both emergency and routine messages. Highly customizable, the program will allow district staff to send out notices ranging from school closure information to all parents to reminders about grade-level music programs involving small groups of students.
Families of USD 308 students who do not receive the message should contact their student's school to make sure the school has the correct telephone number.
For more information, contact Ray Hemman, district public information officer, at 665-4429.
Graber to host health fair
Nov 13, 2008 Students at
The first-ever Graber Health Fair will be from 8 to 10:50
a.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the school. Topics for the fair are tailored to the
needs of students.
- Handwashing by
Terri Jones, school nurse
- Germs by Dr.
William Unsderfer,
- Nutritional
Snacks by Hilary Hanvey, district director of nutrition services
- Bicycle
Safety/Cross Walks by Kramer Siemens, elementary school resource officer
- Dental Hygiene
by a dental hygienist from Dr. Kricket Young's practice
- Fitness by Michael Vernon, student teacher in physical education
Students will rotate through the stations and hear
presentations from all of the speakers. There also will be a drawing for
some fitness, health and safety items.
For more information, contact Kristi Cook,
physical education teacher at Graber, at 665-4630.
Graber hosted Body Venture
Oct 20, 2008 An innovative new way to learn about
the importance of good nutrition and physical fitness visited students at
Body Venture centers around a 35-foot
by 40-foot walk-through exhibit 
representing the human body. The exhibit is set
up in the gymnasium or lunch room of the schools it visits. The program offers
classroom activities for use prior to and following the students' walk through
the exhibit. Students also receive a take-home book to read with their families
and are provided with a list of additional nutrition education resources.
The tour begins when students enter the school lunchroom/gymnasium
and figuratively become a food such as a carrot, low-fat milk or a piece of
cheese. In the second station, they walk through a giant ear into the brain. Inside
the huge brain dome, students experience "brain waves" and learn about brain
function. The "foods" step into the exhibit's larger-than-life mouth, are
"swallowed" through the esophagus tunnel and move into the stomach
dome. From the stomach, the students travel through the small intestine where
they are "absorbed" into the blood. Then they follow the path of the nutrients
to the heart, lungs, bones, muscles and skin stations.
Students leave the body through a
cut in the skin and proceed through Pathway to Life. This final station recaps
key health concepts from each of the 10 previous stations.
Throughout the exhibit, students
will learn how to apply the event's slogan, EAT SMART. PLAY HARD. At each of
Body Venture's 11 stations, a volunteer presenter engages the students in a
five-minute activity focused on healthy choices.
The traveling Body Venture exhibit
was developed and is operated by Child Nutrition and Wellness, Kansas State
Department of Education.
"Body Venture provides a unique and exciting
opportunity for
Joyce Kemnitz, former Body Venture project
director, said the exhibit was developed to address increasing national
concerns about the lack of physical activity and the declining nutritional
status of young children.
Last year,
For information on Body Venture,
contact Kathy
Starks at 665-4456. For general information about the Body Venture, go to http://www.bodyventure.org.
Schools, classrooms receive SOE recognition
Oct 14, 2008 Five USD 308 schools received the Kansas Standard of
Excellence in eight different areas while 21 grade levels in the district
received the state's SOE for the 2008 Kansas Assessments.
The Kansas State Board of Education will formally release
its Standard of Excellence list this week. The SOE is determined by a formula
that includes the percentage of students in scoring the top two assessment
categories as well as only a small percentage of students in the lowest
category. The SOE standard varies by subject and is different for elementary
schools and secondary schools.
"Our staff is amazing, and these results are just one
indicator of the hard work they do every day in the classroom," said Donna
Davis, executive director of secondary education and assessment. "As a
district, our goal is continuous improvement for all students. By bringing all
students up, we are able to meet individual student, classroom, school and
district goals."
As a school,
At the secondary level,
