BOARD BRIEF
Platte County School District #1 Board of Trustees held their regular meeting March 16, 2015
in the District Board Room in Wheatland, Wyoming
I. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Chuck Ruwart called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and invited those in attendance to join in the
Pledge of Allegiance. Other Trustees in attendance were Greg Meyer, Travis Lockman, Doug Wiggins, Shawn Shepard, Beth Hendon,
and Bob Catchpole. Administrators in attendance were Superintendent Dennis Fischer, Business Manager Joel McDaniel, SPED
Director Katie Carmin and Assessment/Instruction Director Scott James. Principals in attendance were Sharon Swanson, Steve Loyd,
George Kopf, Vicki Begin, Stanetta Twiford, Frank Jesse and Associate Principal Josh Sandlian. Others in attendance were Tricia
Sagner, Liesl Sisson, Melissa Peasley, MK Burnett, Jana Strahan, Janelle Hester, Sharon Utter, Peggy Suko, Shannon Buchanan, Brandy
Crowley, Kaylah Maue, and Ton Winter.
II. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: Hendon recommended approval of the agenda with additional bill and additional agenda item
under District Business and 2 additional items of information. Wiggins seconded, motion passed.
III. APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA: The consent agenda is used for those items on the agenda, which usually do not
require discussion or explanation as to the reason for board action. At the request of any individual school board member, an item
shall be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda for discussion. Meyer moved for approval, Catchpole
seconded, motion passed.
A. MINUTES – Minutes of February 16, 2015 regular meeting are enclosed for board approval.
B. CLAIMS – Claims to date for the month with additional bill and additional District Business item are in Google Drive and
in hard copy hand-out for board approval.
IV. GOOD THINGS HAPPENING/PUBLIC FORUM: See all Positive Happenings after “Adjournment”
V. VISITOR’S COMMENTS: Mrs. Kaylah Maue, Glendo/Chugwater Music Instructor, invited the Board of Trustees to help celebrate
30 years of music in our schools. Mrs. Maue shared essays from her music students explaining why music is important to them.
VI. ITEMS ON WHICH BOARD DISCUSSION AND ACTION ARE REQUESTED:
A. Old Business: None.
B. New Business:
i. District Business
1. Approval of Changes to Bank Signature Cards at Approved Depositories
The administration recommended approval of the updated list of approved signers at all approved depositories. Business Manager
Joel McDaniel did explain the needed updates to our accounts to identify approved account signers. Hendon moved for approval,
Shepard seconded, motion passed.
ii. Personnel
1. Approval of Special Education contract with Peak Wellness Center
The administration recommended approval of the Special Education contract with Peak Wellness to provide counseling, extended
school year and other services to Platte #1 students. Wiggins moved for approval, Lockman seconded, motion passed.
2. Approval of Non-Continuing Teacher Contracts
Per Wyoming Statutes 21-7-104∼109 and 21-3-110, the administration recommended the approval of the non-continuing contract
teachers for the 2015-16 school year. An updated contract list was provided in hardcopy. Shepard moved to vote individually on the
2nd year contracts. Lockman seconded. Chairman Ruwart called for a vote resulting in a 5-2 defeated motion. Hendon moved for
approval of the non-continuing teacher contracts, Wiggins seconded, motion passed with a 6-1 vote.
3. Approval of Continuing Teacher Contracts
Per Wyoming Statutes 21-7-104∼109 and 21-3-110, the administration recommended the approval of the continuing contract teachers for
the 2015-16 school year. An updated contract list was provided in hardcopy.
Vice-Chairman Meyer moved to approve the continuing contract list with the exception of WHS teacher Dave Hatten and requested to
meet with Mr. Hatten prior to the April 6th work session in Executive Session to capture Mr. Hatten’s goals for the WHS Agriculture,
FFA and Vocational programs and would be a follow-up from last year’s discussion with Mr. Hatten, Hendon seconded. After
discussion, the ultimate decision was reached to invite Mr. Hatten into Executive Session on Monday, April 6th, 2015 @5:30 pm with a
regular board meeting @6:30 pm with a work session to be held after the regular board meeting, motion passed.
iii. District Policy Review:
1. Approval of Policy KL (Public Complaints) on second reading
The administration recommended approval of policy KL (Public Complaints) on second reading. Meyer moved for approval, Lockman
seconded, motion passed
2. Review of Policy IKF (Graduation Requirements) on First Reading
Policy IKF will be reviewed further and brought before the Board of Trustees for 2nd reading approval at the April Board Meeting.
VII. ITEMS OF INFORMATION AND/OR DISCUSSION ONLY:
a. Reports:
i. Park and Rec Agenda for March – Agenda in Google Drive
ii. Enrollment – Numbers have decreased (5) this month.
iii. Resignation of Certified Staff
iv. Move June board meeting to Glendo – The August board meeting will be held in Chugwater and both changes will be advertised
in the local paper.
v. Senate File 008 and ECA – There was discussion covering the components of the ECA model which included professional salaries,
non-professional salaries, educational materials and pre-pupil resources.
VIII. ADVANCED PLANNING
a. Next Board of Trustees Meeting will be April 20, 2015 in Wheatland at 7:00 pm
b. Next Board of Trustees Work Session will be April 6, 2015 in Wheatland with an Executive Session beginning @ 5:30 pm with a
regular board meeting beginning @ 6:30 pm and a work session to follow the regular board meeting.
IX. ADJOURNMENT
Wiggins motioned for adjournment @8:00 pm, Hendon seconded, motion passed.
X.
GOOD THINGS HAPPENING/PUBLIC FORUM:
Steve Loyd, WMS Principal, reported “Congratulations” to the follow students for being selected to participate in the Honor Band
held February 23rd in Glendo: Katie Currier, Elyse Rutherford, Matt Wilhelm, Noah Crowley, Danielle Britz, Clayton Iacovetto, Jackson
Anderson, and Stetson Griffis. Mrs. Harnish, WMS Science Educator, and her team of 11 super scientists attended the State Science Fair
in Laramie on March 1-3rd. WMS students represented their school and community in an exemplar fashion. Projects receiving awards
are as follows: 3rd place Katie Currier, Materials and Bioengineering and winner of the Broadcom Masters Award, 1st Place Noah
Crowley in Chemistry. Noah also won the Broadcom Masters Award. Mr. Loyd would like to congratulate all of their students and
Mrs. Harnish for a job well done! 40 of Wheatland Middle school’s finest mathematicians competed at the District Math contest held in
Torrington last week and performed extremely well. Award winners are as follows: 7th grade: 9th, Kaleb Peterson; 8th, Gage Brown;
4th, Brock Tamlin; 3rd, Alexandria Mathews, 2nd, Coleter Mount. 8th Grade: 5th, Carlos Garcia; 4th PaolaTeleohea; 3rd, Katie Currier;
2nd, Elyse Rutherford; 1st, Cole James. WMS held it first Krypto Tournament on Thursday, February 26th after school hosted by Mr.
Collins and assisted by Mrs. Gale and Mrs. Hays. Krypto is a fast pass math card game that asks participants to create a solution to a
problem using any or all of the basic math facts. Thirty-three students competed in an elimination type tournament. When the cards
finally settled, it was 7th grader Elizabeth Crowley who finished on top. Other notable players from the tournament were: Chadron
Hockley, Abby Ferguson, Ethan Read, Coleter Mount, Kye Hicks, and Bradley Stelzner. Mrs. Birt, WMS Social Studies Educator, will
be traveling to Cheyenne with 12 students to compete in the district history day competition. Top projects will be invited to participate
in the state competition on April 13th. Results of the competition will be shared in April. WMS PAWS testing begins March 17th. Mrs.
Kelley will take the WMS FBLA team to Casper on March 18th for the state meeting and competition. Everyone at the WMS wishes the
best to the 35 students competing at the state competition.
Vicki Begin, West Principal, reported they had 3 students that were recognized as the Taco Johns student of the week; Week of Feb 23rd: Raegan
Ehde is a 4th grader in Mrs. Stone’s class. She is great friend to everyone who knows her. She is always making sure that everyone is included in
anything she is playing at recess, and makes sure to include everybody. She is very nice, and her classmates say she is friendly. She is such a hard
worker and is always trying her best. She is very deserving of this award. Week of March 2nd: Treyton Megeath is a 5th grader in Mrs. Bjelkevig’s class.
When you look up the definition of caring and trustworthy you should see a picture of Treyton! He is always ready to lend a hand to his classmates and
his teacher. Treyton is also a very talented Lego engineer. His smile and kind heart have helped many of us get through a rough day. We are proud to
call Treyton our friend and classmate! Week of March 9th: Braiden Nooney is a 5th grader in Mrs. Skoog’s classroom. She has done such a nice job of
adjusting to a new school. Her friendly attitude has made her easy to get to know. She is also a very conscientious student who works hard to do work
correctly and to understand her work. On February 20th fifth grade teachers met for a day to grade writing prompts. To complete the prompts students
wrote about their favorite movie. The goal of the writing was to have the students write an opinion paper without simply retelling the story. Teachers
felt that students were showing remarkable growth as only a handful of students did not meet the objective. On February 20th 4th grade students
participated in NAEP testing. Recently a family of one of our fourth grade students lost their belongings in a house fire. At West, students and teachers
worked to raise money to help the family. During the week of February 23, students were given the opportunity to pay .50 per day to wear their hats in
the school. Students also turned in character counts tickets to take advantage of a $200 matching donation provided to the school. Students were not
the only ones that contributed to the efforts. Teachers and other community groups also pitched in. In all over $1500 dollars was raised. Parents were
invited to West on the evening of Feb 24th to watch students in the Lego Robotics demonstrate what they had learned during the year. During the event
students ran their robots through the program course, and individually modified computer programing for the machines as parents looked on. This
was a culminating event for the program which is now finished for the year. On Feb 26th 3rd grade teachers met for a day to grade writing prompts.
During this round of prompts students wrote opinion papers. As teachers noted there was an increase in score results over last year. Last year we had
64% of the students score at the proficient to advance level and this year we had 70% at that level. In addition last year we had 4 papers that scored at
the advance level and this year we had 13. On the evening of February 26th the 5th grade band and West singers presented a concert. The program was
well attended and the students did a fabulous job! We would like to congratulate fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Danielle Parker on the birth of her new baby
boy. During the Weeks of March 2, and March 9, all students at West took PAWS tests. Prior to testing each day students were provided with a snack
courtesy of the West PTA. On Friday March 13, West Teachers and Students celebrated PI (3.14) day. If you happen to walk through the library this
next month you will see two sets of tournament brackets posted on the wall. These are being used for our March Madness Tournament of Books. The
event, designed by Jana Bjelekevig and supported through the work of Sue Sluss provides students with the opportunity to read and vote on their
favorite books.
Frank Jesse, WHS Principal, reported Congratulations to Abbi Suko as she was selected to be a member of the WHSAA Student Advisory board.
She will meet with other students from across the state in Casper multiple times to discuss activities and sportsmanship issues and be part of the process
for providing suggestions and improvements.State Wrestling Results were: Michael Shmidl---3rd place; Josh Calvert---4th place; Wyatt Dunlap---5th place;
Lane Peasley---6th place. State In-door Track Results were: Nathan Willis---5th place pole vault; Cole Weatherill---6th place high jump; Lexi Hernandez--7th place long jump. State Speech competed in Buffalo. They turned in some great performances but unfortunately WHS did not have anyone place this
year. Speech team will be showcasing their talents on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 pm for the community. Emily Wright has submitted her historical
paper, Audrey Hepburn’s Legacy of Remembering the Children, for State competition in the Senior Division. If she wins she will qualify for nationals in
Washington, DC. Basketball results are as follows: Boys and girls both placed 4th at Regionals qualifying them for the state tournament. Boys finished
4th at state with girls finishing 6th at state. Academic Decathlon competed at State on Mar 16th, in Casper. Results of the Decathlon will be revealed at a
later date. February was reading month at Libbey Elementary and WHS had several high school groups volunteer to read to the students. Student
groups who read include National Honor Society members, Student Council members, Peer Counselors, and the members from the wrestling team.
John Baylor Test Prep curriculum began on March 10th with all juniors during their study labs. This will continue until Apr 28 with the state ACT test.
ACT math review also continues until the week prior to April 28. Trained actors from the University of Wyoming presented Shakespeare’s Merchant of
Venice at the WHS auditorium on Tuesday, Mar 10th as part of the statewide Shakespeare project. Approximately 70 students attended this two hour
long production. Students from Newcastle High School also attended the event. After lunch the UW students and instructors presented a theatre
workshop for about the same number of students during 4th hour. Here is a link to the PBS video; http://video.wyomingpbs.org/video/2365411716/
Sharon Swanson, Libbey Principal, reported students of the week this last month of school were: Mikayla Durland, Rylee Griffis, Ben Tatro, and
Tylen Foland. Libbey is very proud of their students. All Libbey students participated in Jump Rope for Heart activities at the end of February. Sixty
nine of their students participated in fund raising and raised just over $6400 for the organization. Teachers focused on learning how to keep your heart
healthy through exercise during PE classes. Congratulations to all Libbey students and Mrs. Fitzwater!! The week of March 23, Libbey will have
Kindergarten registration. Parents can come in on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th from 7:30 am until 10:00 am and 3:30 pm until 5:00 pm to register their children
for school.
Stanetta Twiford, Glendo Principal, reported that 3rd grader, Tyler Sanborn, and 4th grader, Anne Buller, placed first with their “Create an
Ad” for Platte County Record Times, at their age level. Sydnie Eller was awarded a $1000 scholarship to attend the FFA Washington Leadership
Conference in Washington, DC. Only 2 scholarships are awarded in the state of Wyoming. She will be gone June 2nd through the 7th. Sydnie Eller
received All Conference Basketball (1A Southeast Conference). The K-1/Pairing with the High School was involved in activities that included students
for Science Fair Projects, school-wide Main Idea/Key details kickoff and follow-up activities, Special Olympics presentation, Dr. Seuss activities and a
special visit from Officer Sandy. Tess Palen’s dad, Eric Palen, visited Glendo 4th & 5th grades to tell about Tess’s 3x great-grandpa, John A. Reiner, who
was the 1st federal judge in the state of Wyoming. He came to WY when it was a territory and not a state, and was President of the committee to form
WY into a state. He served as a U.S. District Judge. He also became a legislator after WY became a state. Eric Palen was John Reiner’s first grandchild to
become a lawyer, so he inherited the gold and ivory gavel that his 2x grandfather used as President of Wyoming’s first State Senate. He shared this gavel
with us, and each student got to hold it! Both classes also went on a field trip to the WY Pioneer Museum at the State Fairgrounds in Douglas, in
preparation for the Pioneer Association Essay Contest, that the 4th grade class is invited to take part in every year. Students select an artifact in the
museum to write about, and their essays are submitted to the Pioneer Association for judging. Winners receive a cash prize and also read their essays
during Pioneer Day at State Fair in August. On March 5th, the 3rd – 5th grades went on a field trip to the Legislature and State Museum, in Cheyenne. We
were able to observe the final sessions of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as took a tour of the Capital building. At the State
Museum, students took part in educational activities, identifying details about natural resources, soldiers, Indians, buffalos, Wyoming, and much more.
George Kopf, Chugwater Principal, reported that Chugwater Science Educator, Mrs. Sally Nichols and students Kelby Hays,
Nicole Sagner, and Jolie Strahan competed at the State Science Fair in Laramie on March 1st – 3rd. The students represented Chugwater
schools with class and pride. Upon arrival on March 1st, students set up their science fair exhibits at the University of Wyoming
Student Union. They were then able to attend a presentation at the planetarium on campus. Following the show they engaged in
several interactive activities set up by the University of Wyoming Physics Department. On March 2nd the students participated in
three informational tours about various disciplines in science. They were able to listen to: a Meteorology graduate student who
explained his study on lake-effect storms, an Ecology graduate student who enlightened them on his study of birds in the Faulkland
Islands, as well as a Mathematician who discussed the spread of measles. Following their tours the students were judged for over 3
hours. Each had to patiently wait for at least two judges to discuss their projects with them. The evening concluded with a dinner and
guest speaker, who happened to be the president of the University of Wyoming. On March 3rd, students attended the award
ceremonies. Nicole Sagner earned a 2nd place finish for her category; Microbiology. Jolie Strahan received a STEAM award for
incorporating art into her project. Kelby Hays also participated and did a fantastic job. Way to go Chugwater students!
Congratulations to Kimberly Witt for winning the Platte County Record Times 5th Grade award in the Advertiser Competition.
Congratulations to Nichole Sagner who placed second at District Speech and will compete at Regionals in Wright on March 18, 2015.
Sabryna Schaffer placed fourth at District and will be an alternate for Regionals. Mrs. Caster, Chugwater Business Educator, will be
taking 2 Junior High students and 2 High School students to FBLA Conference in Cheyenne on March 18-20. Mrs. Sally Nichols will be
taking three students to Yellowstone from March 26-31 along with the Wheatland Middle School. Coach Sally Nichols has 12 Junior
High and High School athletes out for Spring Track.
Katie Carmin, SPED Director, reported the “Young Athletes” Special Olympics for ages 2-7 will be held on April 12th, 2015 from
10:00-11:00 am at the Old Jr High located at 1150 Pine St, Wheatland. The event is geared for the cognitive and motor skills of the
special needs child.