With the end of March comes the final stretch run for school (lame pun intended); we have managed to avoid most of the weather concerns we tend to get March. I'm not sure what happened to the "Lion" but it appears we will be going out like a "Lamb". I appreciate the pleasant weather pattern and hope it continues for the remainder of the school year, but I also know April can be just as challenging. I also know most everyone would like to see some moisture before spring planting gets into full swing. We have lots of things going on during the last several weeks of school and all the activities will make the days go by faster than normal.
Testing: we are currently working through the state assessment requirement; 3rd--8th grades and Juniors are completing multiple tests to satisfy state mandates. The tests this year take a little more time since everything is on the computer and our elementary students have to share the computer labs. The process itself is working with minimal delays, which is a good thing, Mr. Gunn and Mrs. Goldade are diligent in making sure folks stay on schedule and equipment continues to work. The work they put in to complete this task is consuming and demanding; we appreciate everything they have done and continue to do to make this process as seamless as possible.
Fine Arts: students are currently preparing for 2 different performances. The 3rd and 4th Grade classes are preparing their SD Play, which will be performed April 24 at 1:30. Being a former History/Social Studies Teacher; I'm excited to see what put together to celebrate our great state. The High School is also preparing for the Spring Three Act Play. Ms. Herrboldt is directing the cast in a performance of "Murder's in the Heir" on May 4, with a 12:30 Matinee and an evening showing at 6:00. We also have 5th-8th grades participating in a Music Contest in Redfield on April 18th. I was enjoy seeing our students show off the great diversity of opportunities we have here in Warner.
Track: the greatest benefactor of our pleasant weather has been the track teams. We have a terrific turn-out for track and field; hopefully everyone gets a chance to get a full slate of meets in this year. Track is the only sport that helps all the other sports and every athlete benefits from being out from track (even if they don't place at any track meets; not everyone is fast, but everyone can get faster and track helps you do that).
I wish everyone the best in their upcoming performances, both on the stage and the track.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Amazing Teachers
Good Afternoon,
Those of you who have been part of the Warner School District for more than the nine months I have been around are already aware of this fact but for me it becomes more and more clear everyday. We have tremendous teaching staff that show up everyday with wonderful ideas to engage student learning and create lasting impacts on our students. I know when I took the job the staff had a great reputation based on academic performance and assessment. It didn't take long for me to witness all the little things they do to make learning a wonderful experience.
We have staff that put on weddings from Romeo and Juliet, staff who arrange to have books made from student projects, models in social studies, demonstrations from SD HP, and everything in between. The amount of time, thought and effort that our staff members contribute to this school is amazing. I've seen wreaths made from peppermint candy and chariots in the hallways and donuts shared with dads. We have a staff that embraces the meaning of teaching and learning and helps students focus on those same principles. Classrooms are where the magic of learning happens and teachers are the magicians.
The stress of state assessments are right around the corner; focus of staff will now move to getting the most out of the students' academic ability. The mood of building will become more serious, patience may be a bit shorter, recesses may even be shorter. Rest assured however, your children are in good hands as we tackle this annual practice. With the Smarter Balance testing (which was introduced last year), we will also be facing "new" or different results; the results will be difficult to compare to the high standards set during past years. The results will all be sorted out over the following years as everyone gets a better handle on what the new numbers relate to. Have some patience with us and the system if the numbers appear significantly or even marginally lower.
The staff here is amazing and they all do terrific work with the students. Of course, all of you knew that already; I'm the new guy on the block getting made fully aware.
Those of you who have been part of the Warner School District for more than the nine months I have been around are already aware of this fact but for me it becomes more and more clear everyday. We have tremendous teaching staff that show up everyday with wonderful ideas to engage student learning and create lasting impacts on our students. I know when I took the job the staff had a great reputation based on academic performance and assessment. It didn't take long for me to witness all the little things they do to make learning a wonderful experience.
We have staff that put on weddings from Romeo and Juliet, staff who arrange to have books made from student projects, models in social studies, demonstrations from SD HP, and everything in between. The amount of time, thought and effort that our staff members contribute to this school is amazing. I've seen wreaths made from peppermint candy and chariots in the hallways and donuts shared with dads. We have a staff that embraces the meaning of teaching and learning and helps students focus on those same principles. Classrooms are where the magic of learning happens and teachers are the magicians.
The stress of state assessments are right around the corner; focus of staff will now move to getting the most out of the students' academic ability. The mood of building will become more serious, patience may be a bit shorter, recesses may even be shorter. Rest assured however, your children are in good hands as we tackle this annual practice. With the Smarter Balance testing (which was introduced last year), we will also be facing "new" or different results; the results will be difficult to compare to the high standards set during past years. The results will all be sorted out over the following years as everyone gets a better handle on what the new numbers relate to. Have some patience with us and the system if the numbers appear significantly or even marginally lower.
The staff here is amazing and they all do terrific work with the students. Of course, all of you knew that already; I'm the new guy on the block getting made fully aware.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
March
March is always an interesting month; the weather is never easy to understand or get patterned out. We have wind chill warnings this morning and they are saying we could get to 50+ next week. So, as some folks say, "...if you don't like the weather in SD, just wait an hour or so and you'll see something different..." Weather decisions are always difficult to make as well; I try to make the decision on weather delays and/or cancellations as soon as possible. Tuesday morning was one of those difficult days because you never know where the snow will begin and where it will end and we were right on the edge. Please know; I make the decision based on what is in the best interest of the students and school, and it is not a decision I take lightly.
We have lots of activities going on the next several days; boys basketball in Aberdeen Thursday for the District 2B Championship versus Langford, girls basketball in Milbank Friday for the Region 1B Championship versus Summit, Rozell JH BB Tournament Friday and Saturday here at Warner, Middle School All State Band is in Huron with Mrs. Schwan, and that only covers the next 3 days. Things continue the rest of the month at a constant pace and the Spring Break Fridays only add to the mix of hectic and fun month of "March Madness" (if I can borrow the line from CBS). Please show your support for our students at all the events with your positive attitude and energy.
March also brings us to the end of the SD Legislative session, and as they near the end budgets start to become real. As normal, school seem to be left wondering what the final budget number will be until the very end. There are also some key measures left to be decided from the final percentage increase, to the possible changes for capital outlay, to the proposed scholarships for private school students, just to name a few. I encourage you to voice your opinion to your representatives; they need to hear from their constituents.
I hope to get back into the habit of posting regularly on the blog; I know I dropped the ball for a couple of months. I like using this medium to share information with the public in a more informal method. It also allows me to discuss more aspects of the school and share some thoughts and opinions on issues that are outside of the normal school realm. So have some patience with me as I get back in the swing of things, thanks.
We have lots of activities going on the next several days; boys basketball in Aberdeen Thursday for the District 2B Championship versus Langford, girls basketball in Milbank Friday for the Region 1B Championship versus Summit, Rozell JH BB Tournament Friday and Saturday here at Warner, Middle School All State Band is in Huron with Mrs. Schwan, and that only covers the next 3 days. Things continue the rest of the month at a constant pace and the Spring Break Fridays only add to the mix of hectic and fun month of "March Madness" (if I can borrow the line from CBS). Please show your support for our students at all the events with your positive attitude and energy.
March also brings us to the end of the SD Legislative session, and as they near the end budgets start to become real. As normal, school seem to be left wondering what the final budget number will be until the very end. There are also some key measures left to be decided from the final percentage increase, to the possible changes for capital outlay, to the proposed scholarships for private school students, just to name a few. I encourage you to voice your opinion to your representatives; they need to hear from their constituents.
I hope to get back into the habit of posting regularly on the blog; I know I dropped the ball for a couple of months. I like using this medium to share information with the public in a more informal method. It also allows me to discuss more aspects of the school and share some thoughts and opinions on issues that are outside of the normal school realm. So have some patience with me as I get back in the swing of things, thanks.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Grand Opening Week
What a wonderful and exciting week we just experienced here in Warner and it was a pleasure to be part of something that was so long in the making. Opening the new gym and having five large crowds for the basketball game was great sight to see. In my haste to make sure I didn't forget anything, I forgot to thank some very important people, so let me do that now.
School Board members--current and past--have committed countless hours to the project, starting from the very beginning with encouraging people to vote, providing informational meetings, determining the proper budget, adjusting the plans and making decisions on the final project. They have been involved with various meetings prior too and during construction, establishing priorities for the project, gathering support and finalizing what will be the best use of school funds. Everyone from the Warner School District should commend them for their efforts and commitment to the school; they were a significant force for the betterment of the school while fostering what is also in the best interest's of the local taxpayers and patrons. Our current five member board, consisting of President Wade Young, Vice President Brenda Dreyer, Brad Oye, Chad Fischbach and Angie Bakeberg, along with past board members who have served; should be commended for their work to our school and community.
School Personnel--Angie Vetter (Business Manager), Stewart Bohle (Athletic Director), Gene Smith (Head Custodian) and Missy Reeb (Food Service Coordinator and Concession Stand Director), all of these folks helped make the week a success. Mrs. Vetter has been involved from the very beginning, helping with budgeting and planning, but she also helped with organization and ordering of materials, planning the grand opening and making sure everything was paid for. Mr. Bohle coordinating the change of venues when we knew the building would be ready to go, facilitating the building needs from seats to basketballs to sideline equipment. Gene was very helpful during the entire building process, making sure construction workers had access to existing parts of the building, maintaining continued use of our classrooms and grounds and helping clean up all the messes. Missy was able to coordinate the changes for the new concessions and even handled a faulty pop cooler with ease and little stress. I don't think anyone realizes how much work running a concession's stand is and she makes it look easy. They all do amazing work and should be applauded for their efforts and commitment to the Warner School District.
I also want to thank everyone who helped with after game clean-up; we had five large crowds over the eight days we hosted games and lots of folks helped pick-up garbage, sweep, and clean. Having staff, community members and others pitch-in to make large tasks easy makes it wonderful to be part of such a caring community.
I'm sure there are still others that I forgot to thank and over the coming days I will be adding more to the list. Please know your commitment to the betterment of the school and facilities doesn't go unnoticed and we appreciate everything, everyone does to help.
School Board members--current and past--have committed countless hours to the project, starting from the very beginning with encouraging people to vote, providing informational meetings, determining the proper budget, adjusting the plans and making decisions on the final project. They have been involved with various meetings prior too and during construction, establishing priorities for the project, gathering support and finalizing what will be the best use of school funds. Everyone from the Warner School District should commend them for their efforts and commitment to the school; they were a significant force for the betterment of the school while fostering what is also in the best interest's of the local taxpayers and patrons. Our current five member board, consisting of President Wade Young, Vice President Brenda Dreyer, Brad Oye, Chad Fischbach and Angie Bakeberg, along with past board members who have served; should be commended for their work to our school and community.
School Personnel--Angie Vetter (Business Manager), Stewart Bohle (Athletic Director), Gene Smith (Head Custodian) and Missy Reeb (Food Service Coordinator and Concession Stand Director), all of these folks helped make the week a success. Mrs. Vetter has been involved from the very beginning, helping with budgeting and planning, but she also helped with organization and ordering of materials, planning the grand opening and making sure everything was paid for. Mr. Bohle coordinating the change of venues when we knew the building would be ready to go, facilitating the building needs from seats to basketballs to sideline equipment. Gene was very helpful during the entire building process, making sure construction workers had access to existing parts of the building, maintaining continued use of our classrooms and grounds and helping clean up all the messes. Missy was able to coordinate the changes for the new concessions and even handled a faulty pop cooler with ease and little stress. I don't think anyone realizes how much work running a concession's stand is and she makes it look easy. They all do amazing work and should be applauded for their efforts and commitment to the Warner School District.
I also want to thank everyone who helped with after game clean-up; we had five large crowds over the eight days we hosted games and lots of folks helped pick-up garbage, sweep, and clean. Having staff, community members and others pitch-in to make large tasks easy makes it wonderful to be part of such a caring community.
I'm sure there are still others that I forgot to thank and over the coming days I will be adding more to the list. Please know your commitment to the betterment of the school and facilities doesn't go unnoticed and we appreciate everything, everyone does to help.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Good Luck Volleyball Team
Just a quick note for the weekend.
I would like to wish the girls and coaches good luck this weekend at the State Volleyball Tournament. They will get the State B Tournament started on Thursday when the face Jones County at 12:00 noon in the Aberdeen Central High School Gym. We hope everyone can come out and support the team as they work towards achieving their goal of defending their title.
Good luck, have fun and enjoy the experience.
I would like to wish the girls and coaches good luck this weekend at the State Volleyball Tournament. They will get the State B Tournament started on Thursday when the face Jones County at 12:00 noon in the Aberdeen Central High School Gym. We hope everyone can come out and support the team as they work towards achieving their goal of defending their title.
Good luck, have fun and enjoy the experience.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
State Volleyball Tournament
A couple of quick notes for the upcoming State B Volleyball Tournament in Aberdeen:
1) Warner will face off versus Jones County at 12:00 noon on 11/20/14 at the Aberdeen Central HS
-Yes the games are in Aberdeen, they had been originally scheduled for Mitchell but the Corn Palace is undergoing some remodeling and was not going to be ready in time
2) There will be No School on Thursday and Friday for fans to attend games and cheer on the Monarchs VB Team
3) A pep fest will be held on Wednesday at 8:35 am, prior to the team traveling to Aberdeen for practice
More information will be forthcoming in announcements and other forms of communication from the school. We will also post material to the school website and school Facebook page. You can get official tournament information, including the bracket at www.sdhsaa.com
Good luck to the girls and coaches, and we look forward to seeing everyone in Aberdeen cheering on the Monarch Volleyball team.
1) Warner will face off versus Jones County at 12:00 noon on 11/20/14 at the Aberdeen Central HS
-Yes the games are in Aberdeen, they had been originally scheduled for Mitchell but the Corn Palace is undergoing some remodeling and was not going to be ready in time
2) There will be No School on Thursday and Friday for fans to attend games and cheer on the Monarchs VB Team
3) A pep fest will be held on Wednesday at 8:35 am, prior to the team traveling to Aberdeen for practice
More information will be forthcoming in announcements and other forms of communication from the school. We will also post material to the school website and school Facebook page. You can get official tournament information, including the bracket at www.sdhsaa.com
Good luck to the girls and coaches, and we look forward to seeing everyone in Aberdeen cheering on the Monarch Volleyball team.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Winter Weather
I guess 'Mother Nature' wouldn't leave us alone any longer; with yesterday's snow storm and subsequent 'snow day' we have officially entered winter. When it comes to 'School Closing' information, we will be using the 'One Call' phone system again; please make sure you listen to the message when the call comes in or check your voice-mail after the call has ended. Please note, the call will originate from the 225-6397 school phone number. If you had problems receiving the call please let the office know and we will try to help you out. It's an excellent service for reaching a large number of people. We will also post the information on the school 'Facebook' page, Keloland, KDLT, and KSFY.
In other news, the High School Oral Interp team was able to qualify 5 individuals for Regional competition; good luck to the students and Mrs. McCord in Webster on Nov 18. The Volleyball team continues to advance and will play Summit tonight in Groton for the Region 1B Championship. Good luck to the girls and Coach Jung as they work towards another state tournament appearance.
Construction continues on the gymnasium, thankfully they were able to complete much of the exterior work. They only have a little bit of work on the lobby and roof line. Much work is left to be completed on the interior however, with lightening, tiling, flooring, lockers, plumbing, and cabinetry all being installed. It takes a lot of organization and coordination to get everyone working together in the same small spaces. The final details are always the things that take the most time; so have some patience and rest assured that the project will be completed and look great.
Lastly--please take some time today (if you have the chance) to thank a Veteran. The sacrifices those individuals have made and are currently making are amazing; their dedication to the nation, honor, and commitment are truly astonishing. Thanks to all Veterans, may your service be celebrated everyday.
In other news, the High School Oral Interp team was able to qualify 5 individuals for Regional competition; good luck to the students and Mrs. McCord in Webster on Nov 18. The Volleyball team continues to advance and will play Summit tonight in Groton for the Region 1B Championship. Good luck to the girls and Coach Jung as they work towards another state tournament appearance.
Construction continues on the gymnasium, thankfully they were able to complete much of the exterior work. They only have a little bit of work on the lobby and roof line. Much work is left to be completed on the interior however, with lightening, tiling, flooring, lockers, plumbing, and cabinetry all being installed. It takes a lot of organization and coordination to get everyone working together in the same small spaces. The final details are always the things that take the most time; so have some patience and rest assured that the project will be completed and look great.
Lastly--please take some time today (if you have the chance) to thank a Veteran. The sacrifices those individuals have made and are currently making are amazing; their dedication to the nation, honor, and commitment are truly astonishing. Thanks to all Veterans, may your service be celebrated everyday.
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