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The Warrior
P.O. Box 206
Weeping Water, NE 68463-0206
Phone: 402-267-2445
http://www.weepingwaterps.org
Winter 2014-2015
‘TWAS THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS
‘Twas the week before Christmas
And all through the school
From the second floor of the building (1965)
To the first floor they’ll go
The students and construction workers
Were all looking cool
To make room for the workers
And enjoy the new rooms below
They hurried and scurried
And to pass all their tests
They will move to the new media center
With two sets of doors,
To make room for new classrooms there
And so much more
With the end of the semester
And the completion of first floor -1965 bldg
The work will continue
On the new East Addition
Time and quality were of the essence
Before they walked out the door
It’s going to be great
And that’s fact, not fiction
When students and staff return
After the first of the year
As the project moves forward
Each one doing their best
To complete all their projects
They will move once again
With much joy and much cheer
In the cold and the light
A Merry Christmas to all
And to all a good night!
Alright, so a poet I’m not! But I had to try to tie it into Christmas somehow. As the Christmas poem — and I
use the term loosely — above implies, the renovations and additions project is moving along very nicely. The
workers will finish up the renovation of the first floor in the 1965 building and the new media center over
Christmas break, allowing us to return and move into those areas right after the break. Once that move is
completed, the staff who teach on the second floor of that building will move into their new locations, some
temporary and some permanent, to allow the renovation on the second floor to begin. This renovation will
allow work to begin on the two new science classrooms and labs and the new FCS classroom and lab. The
remainder of the East Addition continues to be under construction and the Career Education wing and the
new drop off area in the front of the building will begin as soon as classes are done this spring. I have to tell
you that in spite of a few frustrations, i.e. working through the balancing of the HVAC system in the new
areas, the long time coming in getting the new lights in the auditorium (being installed this month), etc., I really
have been pleased with the overall progress of the project. I am so proud of our students and staff for their
great attitudes and for rolling with all of the inconveniences that have come with it. Did I ever mention that
we have great students ?!!! I’m so happy and proud to be the Superintendent in a district with such
outstanding students, staff, and parents, and in a community that I truly enjoy and appreciate!
My sincerest wishes to all of you for a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Ken Heinz
From the Desk of Mr. Gary Wockenfuss,
HS Principal
RESPECT: -Yourself - Others - Property - Learning
It seems like just yesterday we were preparing for the new school year, and all of the opportunities that spread
out with a fresh beginning. Now we are turning our energy to the holiday season, which includes a push to those
crucial final exams, holiday shopping, and a much needed break. As the year 2014 comes to a close, there are
some amazing moments to highlight from the fall semester at Weeping Water High School.
· We had student-athletes sign letters of intent to Bellevue University-VB, Iowa Central=CC, Chadron
State=Wr
· Congratulations to the 7th grade quiz bowl teams for bringing home 1st place plaques from the Cass
County Quad Quiz Bowl
· Winning the WW downtown scarecrow contest in October with the help of Denny and the Sampson
crew for the outfit
· We had 2 qualify for state Class D Cross Country competition.
· 1 student had All-State Music/Chorus Selection.
· The Weeping Water Robotics team competed in the Omaha North Rookie Challenge and finished 2nd
and 5th with Class A schools.
· 1 WWHS student out of 3600 students was selected for the ACDA National High Mixed honor choir
to be held in Salt Lake City, UT in February.
· We had student-athletes on the volleyball 2nd team all conference VB, 2nd Team All-conference FB
and Honorable Mention.
· Student actors receiving Outstanding Festival Cast at the One-Act Festival!
· Student selected to the UNK Honor choir.
· And many, many more congratulations to all.
· Successful Quality Food Drive for our local food pantry, over 3500 points earned.
· 70 plus on the 1st, 2nd quarter, 1st semester honor roll.
2nd quarter-Semester report cards Dos and Don’ts
If you are unpleasantly surprised by your child’s 2nd quarter/semester grades, don’t get upset. Here are some
dos and don’ts when your child fails to meet the grade:
Do:
a. Be calm and talk to your child about the problem.
b. Accentuate the positive no matter how small it is.
c. Talk about how things can be better for their future.
d. Make a plan with them --- suggestions, homework, and check over work.
e. Look behind the grade. Could it be an eye problem, attention issue, learning disability, or hearing issue?
f. Encourage your child always to try their best, regardless of the grade earned.
Don’t:
a. Lose your cool.
b. Focus only on the bad things.
c. Use the report card to judge your child’s future: “You will never amount to anything”.
d. Leave it totally up to your child to figure out how to do better.
e. Forget to look at all the reasons why your child isn’t doing well.
f. Assume A’s reflect the student’s best.
g. Think a poor report card means you’re a poor parent.
DO remember you can create a good home where your children can learn and grow. The rest is up to them.
Report cards will be mailed out for 7-12 grade students. Please watch the mail for them.
*****
The staff-led professional development is an organic movement pursued by teachers. We have tremendous
talent on our staff. The staff at WWHS is leading this charge and working together in a synergistic motion that
certainly makes us collectively more effective, as we are collaborating for our students. It is impossible to point
at one thing that identifies as the “one thing” that makes WWHS so special. Success comes in all shapes and
sizes, and we have a countless number of incredible indicators of success. We also have 150 plus students who
are successful and talented in some individual aspect, and we strive to help students develop those skills to be
competitive in a global economy. Just as our mission statement states: to empower students and provide
opportunities to be successful, responsible life-long learners. The synergy with which we move forward is
growing, as we continue to make the experience of being at Weeping Water High School the best we possibly
can. The “we” is everyone who has some affiliation with WWHS. We must continue to do this together, as we
are all part of WWHS in this moment. These are times that will be remembered forever, but experienced by us.
Be part of the “us”!
Thank you to all of the parents who have helped make this 1st semester of the school year a success. Without
your dedication to your student and their academic success, none of this would be possible. We appreciate
you and all that you do for our campus community!
Finally, I would like to take a moment and wish you and your family a warm and happy holiday season. I hope
you get to spend time with those who are important to you, and I look forward to our spring semester! Take
care and Go Indians!
Mr. Wockenfuss
From the Desk of Mrs. Dawn DeTurk,
Elementary Principal
Dear Parent/Guardian and Patrons,
The federal education legislation, No Child Left Behind, mandates that all students must be proficient on
reading and mathematics academic standards by 2014. Schools are expected to make Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) toward that goal. The state reading goal for last year was to have 100% of all students in
grades 3-5 proficient on the reading standards and 100% of all students on the mathematics standards. Additional
information about our school compared to other schools in the state is available on the State of the Schools
Report on the Nebraska Department of Education website (http://www.education.ne.gov/).
If a school does not meet the state goal two years in a row, in the same subject, they are identified as “In Need
of Improvement.” A school can be removed from School Improvement Status after all subgroups meet the
AYP goals for two consecutive years.
Weeping Water Elementary is in Year 1 of Title I School Improvement Status. The following table illustrates
our students’ overall performance over the past two years in reading and mathematics for grades 3-6.
Reading
2012-13
81% proficiency
Not Met in one
subgroup
Mathematics
2013-14
2012-13
72% proficiency 69% proficiency
Not Met
Not Met in one
subgroup
2013-14
57% proficiency
Not Met
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires each school identified for Title I School Improvement to offer
Public School Choice to all students who attend the identified school. Our students do not have another choice
of schools within our district and as a result our students do not qualify for Public School Choice.
Because of the status, our school is developing and implementing a two-year plan to help all subgroups meet
goals and raise student achievement. The school Improvement team, with support of the district, has developed
a plan that includes such strategies as engaging students through increased instructional time, promoting parent
involvement through family nights and conferences, a multi-tiered system of support for students facilitated by
our Response to Intervention process, focus on collaborative planning, analyzing data and implementation of
research-based interventions, and ongoing professional development regarding most effective instructional
strategies.
All students benefit greatly from parents being involved in many ways. Asking questions, having students read,
setting aside a time and place for homework, volunteering, and attending parent conferences are only a few
things that you can do. Your child’s teacher can give you additional strategies to work on at home. Student
achievement is a partnership between school and home and a strong partnership has been proven to be
effective in helping student achievement.
If you have any questions regarding this information, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Dawn DeTurk
Elementary Principal
School Closing & Late Start Info
WWPS will once again use our ALERT SOLUTIONS
phone system this year to notify parents of school closings and late starts due to inclement weather. The
ALERT SOLUTIONS system is able to call your
home, cell, or work phone number, or send a text or
e-mail to get the information out as fast as possible. If
you’ve changed any of these phone numbers or would
like to change your mode of notification, please contact the office so we can update the system. We will
also post school closings on KMTV-channel 3,
WOWT-channel 6, and KFAB radio.
PLEASE NOTE: The Alert Calls that you receive
from the WWPS will now come up on your caller
ID as 402-267-2445. This is a change from the
411-000-0000. This will become effective
beginning in January, 2015.
Pre-K
Mrs. Heath
Time is flying by as we have been learning about our
community and farms. When we return from the
holiday break, we will continue our learning as we
discuss the desert and the jungle.
Learning through play is our specialty as the majority
of our day is spent in center time. This offers
students the ability to learn at their own rate but
allows the teachers to help expand on their knowledge and move them along the developmental scale.
We continue to learn about letters and numbers on a
daily basis along with writing our names and following school rules. Learning to compromise and
recognizing other people’s feelings are also addressed daily.
Kindergarten
Mrs. Schafer & Mrs. Wilson
Kindergarten is now in the main building! We are enjoying more space, better lighting, staying dry, and being
part of the main building atmosphere. Our new math
series is challenging us with addition, subtraction, and
numbers to 100 already. The kindergarteners are taking learning new sight words seriously. Our goal for
each of them is to earn the 3R Award each and every
month by practicing respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness.
First Grade
Mrs. Jording
We have been working extra hard in first grade! In
math we are just starting to count with tens and ones
in expanded form and study numbers all the way to
120! The students have found our new math series
exciting and challenging at the same time. I have been
astonished by their growth in math as well as in reading.
In reading, the students have been working really hard
on fluency and have come a long way this year! Their
reading scores are AMAZING! I have enjoyed getting
to know each and every one of them in class and can’t
believe the school year is almost half over! I am proud
of all my students!
Second Grade
Mrs. Bickford & Mrs. Meeske
The second graders have been very busy. Our calendars are finished, and we are selling them for $4.00 a
piece. If you wish to purchase one and are not contacted by a second grader, please contact the school
and we will make sure that you get one.
We hosted our Holiday Family Night on Dec. 2nd in
the multipurpose room for our friends and families.
We sang holiday songs, enjoyed cookies and hot
chocolate, and made crafts with our families. Family
time is now often limited so it was great to see so
many take advantage of spending time as a family
and enjoying this special time of year.
We have been very busy in all of our subjects. We
have been studying erosion and natural resources in
science, and we are currently working on addition and
subtraction in math while using both pencil & paper
and mental math. Math has been a little challenging for
the students and teacher as we are exploring our new
curriculum, but we are confident it will pay off for us
all in the end! We are talking about our country’s
capital—Washington, D.C. in social studies, too.
Stop on in for a visit. We are always looking for
extra hands or book readers!
The second graders and teachers would like to wish
you a wonderful Christmas holiday season!
Third Grade
Mrs. Weber & Ms. Thomassen
into will be multiplying two-digit numbers by two-digit
numbers.
As the semester ends, you can find all of the third
graders working hard on their reading and math skills. We hope you are able to enjoy your Christmas break
with family and friends.
In math, the emphasis has been on mastering our multiplication facts, and we are also learning the meaning
of division. We have learned to think about division
as sharing or as repeated subtraction. Along with
mastering the basic facts, we are also focusing on some
very important vocabulary words and math concepts
such as associative, commutative, and distributive
properties.
Our reading unit is all about people and nature. The
stories are linked by one question; how are people
and nature connected? The stories are teaching us a
wide variety of things, everything from raising a raisin,
to saving whales, to the constellations. At this time of
year with all the talk about Santa and the North Pole,
who doesn’t want to look for the Big Dipper?
From all of us in the third grade, we wish you a happy
and healthy new year!
Sixth Grade
Mrs. Lindau
Some sixth graders just can’t get enough of reading!
Fifteen students and their teacher, Mrs. Lindau, are
meeting after school one day a week for a Reading
Powwow. They are currently reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. This powerful novel is set
in suburban Long Island during the late ’60s. On
Wednesday afternoons, while his schoolmates attend
religious instruction, twelve-year-old Holling
Hoodhood is alone in the classroom with his teacher,
Mrs. Baker, who assigns Shakespearean plays for
Holling to read and discuss. In this Newbery Honor
Book, the author explores the cultural chaos of the
’60s, the trials and tribulations of early adolescence,
and the timeless wisdom of William Shakespeare’s
words.
The students enjoy sharing their favorite parts of the
novel and learning about literary devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, and onomatopoeia. If
you’d like to brush up on your figurative language, just
Writing, Writing, Writing!! From transition words to
ask a member of the book club for a little insight and
active verbs to juicy describers to excellent sentence
advice.
fluency, the fourth grade has been working very hard
to hone in on improving our writing. As teachers, we Elementary Resource
have been very impressed with the progress and enjoy Mrs. Hartman
reading their writing samples. We will continue with Dear Students:
this practice until our assessment in January.
I recently read an excellent letter written by a man
We continue to practice our reading fluency, as well. named John Lewis Horton to “Dear Annie” in the
It has been fun to see their progress over the year with newspaper. Yes, important information can be obtained
oral reading fluency as well as their comprehension. even in an advice column! This letter was written to
Please take time to listen to your child read aloud; it students of the 21st century and addresses many issues
helps them immensely with their reading progress.
that I, and other educators, truly believe in. Some of
the information is paraphrased from this letter, and some
Math has begun to be a much easier routine for us as of it includes my own philosophy.
we learn the new vocabulary terms. The past couple
of months have been spent working on multiplication An education is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
concepts such as compensation, compatible numbers, Education will determine what your lifestyle, your
estimation, and mental math. We are beginning to standard of living, and your eventual outcome in life
understand how important it is to master our basic will be. It is more difficult for some students to remain
multiplication facts. The next step we will be working in school. Those who have difficulty learning or who
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Mozena & Mr. McGill
lack family financial or emotional support will need
extra doses of motivation, courage, discipline, and
persistence to achieve the goal of an education.
Nothing really worthwhile is achieved without struggle
or failure at some point along the way. Learn from the
struggles and the failures and work toward a better
future for yourself and your future family. Education is
truly the great equalizer. It will allow you to catch up,
stay up, or get ahead. Once knowledge and
information is in your possession, it can be used to
explore, create, and inspire. Money and fame may
disappear, but knowledge and information that you
have acquired can never be taken away from you.
Did you know that educated people are more likely to
live healthier and longer lives?
student. Students currently lift 5 days a week focusing
on core lifts with auxiliary lifts to supplement their
workouts.
The Lifetime Sports classes started the school year
off with volleyball and football units. Each unit covered the basic rules, skills, and strategies of the game.
These units were followed with badminton, pickleball,
and team handball units. The students have also used
the beginning of each class period to improve cardiovascular endurance and strength.
The JH classes have completed football, volleyball,
badminton, and pickleball units. The majority of their
time in these units has been spent on sport specific
skill development. Tuesdays and Thursdays have been
John Lewis Horton stated that the three secrets to spent in the weight room. These days are geared toward learning and practicing proper lifting technique
acquiring a good education are:
in addition to improving physical strength.
1. attend school every day
2. behave properly when in school
3. do the class work and homework to the best of
your ability
ATTENTION:
All you have to do is take pride in yourself and your
work. Education is all about PRIDE: Personal
Responsibility in Daily Efforts.
I’m sure you have heard advice similar to John Horton’s
from multiple teachers during your school career. Your
teachers share this with you because we all want you
to have a productive, happy, successful life. I’m sure
you all have dreams, and hopefully you want to make
a difference. Education is your means to impact your
future, and it is up to you to make it happen. Others
can assist you along the journey to obtain an education,
but no one else can do it for you! Your future is truly in
your own hands.
Mrs. Hartman
Physical Education
Mr. Larson
With the semester nearing an end the Athletic Conditioning classes will be testing out on a 1 rep max weight.
Each student established a base this past fall for bench
press, squats, hang clean, and dead lift. This go-round
of testing will include 2 lifts to be determined by each
Weeping Water Public School
declares all of our school
building and campus tobaccofree (smoking and/or chewing
tobacco, E-Cigarettes, or the
like). We would appreciate your
help in meeting the goal of a
tobacco-drug free environment
for everyone in attendance. When
you attend school events,
including athletic events, please
remember that our campus is
smoke and tobacco-free and
abide by our Weeping Water
District policy. Any violation of
this policy will be at the
administration’s discretion.
School Pshychologist
Ms. Routley
Understood...We All Want to Be Understood
We all want to be understood, especially in our areas
of difference or weakness. I also think we most easily
feel compassion for another when we have an
appreciation for another person’s situation, difference,
weakness, etc. I think appreciation is most likely to
occur when we get a glimpse of walking in someone
else’s shoes, or when we realize that our journey may
not have the same experiences, but we have shared
longings and emotions. So, we can understand one
another because of our shared experience and
emotions, and learn and grow together in love and
respect through our similarities and differences.
Fairness; Oral Expression; Reading & Decoding;
Reading Comprehension; Processing; Risk Taking;
Visual Perception; and Visual Motor Coordination.
In addition, I just recently learned of a website called
Understood. “Through Your Child’s Eyes” is a segment
of the website that provides 2-3 minute simulations to
gain an appreciation of reading, writing, math, attention,
and/or organization issues.
I have links to these YouTube clips and simulations, as
well as a few additional simulations related to autism
(sensory overload), hearing impairment, and visual
impairment. Check out one or more at: http://
msroutleylps.weebly.com/blog/understoodwe-allwant-to-be-understood. I believe that you will find
this well worth your time as you gain a better understanding and appreciation for your loved one, friend,
Having a hearing loss, I can appreciate the difficulty of or student who has a difference/disability in one or
different disabilities. There is some overlap of more of these areas.
symptoms or common struggles even if they are based
on different reasons. I may not have autism, but I can Vocal Music
appreciate being overwhelmed by sensory stimuli. I Mrs. Hammer
may not have an intellectual disability, but I understand The Vocal Music Department has had a busy 2nd quarthe need for additional processing time. I may not ter. Many students have auditioned for and been achave a speech-language impairment; but I have had cepted into honor choirs. The first honor choir of the
moments when I know I want to say something, but I year was the ECNC honor choir, which was held at
don’t know what or how to say it. Or I have had Louisville this year. Twenty-six Weeping Water stumoments where I took good notes, but I was not able
dents participated in this event and
to understand/process the information simultaneously.
performed in a packed house conI may not have an attention problem, but I understand
cert that evening. Travis Grafe was
struggling to try to focus in on the important things
selected to participate in the Allwhen there are many other noises going on. I may not
State Choir this year, which was
have a reading disability, but I grasp the need to read
held November 19-21 in Lincoln.
something again and again to comprehend it.
Coinciding with the All-State Choir
In graduate school, F.A.T. City by Rick Lavoie was
one of the first ways I gained further understanding of
learning disabilities. Check out some of the 2-7 minute
videos found on YouTube....and consider pretending
to be the student. Though it’s addressing learning
disabilities, some of the videos can relate to other
disabilities as well: anxiety disorder, intellectual
disability, speech-language impairment, hearing
impairment, etc.
was the Middle School Boys AllState Barbershop Choir. There were
8 boys representing Weeping Water in this choir. After Christmas, the Doane Honor Choir, UNO Middle
School Honor Choir, and the UNK honor choirs will
be held. And in February the ACDA National Honor
Choir will be held in Salt Lake City,
Utah.
Immediately after the holiday season is over, the vocal students will
F.A.T. City YouTube clips include: Experiencing begin auditions for the Spring AllFrustration, Anxiety, and Tension; Auditory and Visual School Musical which will be held
Capabilities; Effect of Perception on Behavior;
in March.
FBLA
Mrs. Heinz
Spanish
Mrs. Henson
The Weeping Water High School FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) chapter has had a busy first
semester. Our group is now 36 members strong. In
September, the
group joined with
FCCLA and Skills
USA to take part in
our annual highway
litter pick up along
Highway 50. A
week later 9 members attended the
Fall Leadership
Conference in
Omaha, a day-long conference aimed at giving officers and members ideas to bring back to their chapters
as well as working on leadership and communication
skills.
November was an exciting month for the students of
Spanish 2! With the Mexican holiday El Día de los
Muertos, or Day of the Dead, taking place on November 1st
and 2nd, we
were able to
spend several
days talking
about the cultural and ritualistic traditions that the
holiday is associated with.
The students
then had the
opportunity to
visit el Museo
Latino
in
Omaha in order to further educate themselves not only
on Día de los Muertos, but also on information pertaining to the Latino history of Omaha! Finally, we ate
at Guaca Maya, a restaurant known in Omaha for its
traditional food and atmosphere. Overall, it was an
excellent experience for all!
During November the members completed their Go
Green Challenge by making posters encouraging recycling activities and holding an elementary coloring
contest with the students coloring
recycling-related pictures. The
members all wore green one day
and recycling facts were in the
daily bulletin. In addition to the
paper recycling the group does at
the high school, we have implemented a new plastic bottle recycling program this year. A container will be placed by the door in the gym. Anyone
attending ball games at the school is asked to place
their plastic bottles in this recycling container. Also
during November, 11 members of the FBLA attended
the Path to Success conference at UNL.
At the January 10th basketball game vs. JohnsonBrock, as part of our Feed Nebraska Project, WWHS
FBLA is asking everyone to bring a non-perishable
food item. These will be donated to Tabitha’s Thread
and anyone bringing an item will receive a coupon for
half off a bag of popcorn. We will also be taking monetary donations that evening. We would appreciate
your support!!
Counselor’s Corner
Mrs. Dawn Bickford
2. “Encourage time limits on leisure activities. –
Electronic games are not horrible, but healthy
Wow, it is hard to believe that the year is coming to an accountability might be necessary to help them stop
end and it will soon be 2015. I was always told growing wasting too much time on screen games.”
up to stop wishing my life away because as I got older 3. “Talk about the future on a regular basis.– The
I would only wish for time to slow down. Wow, were majority of Generation Y think about the future every
they absolutely right!
week, but we need to help them think out loud about
As we close out the first semester, I would like to
remind parents and students that course credits for
the 7-12 come from the semester grade. Please take
a look at your students’ grades; if they are failing for
the semester or do fail for the semester, they will not
receive any credit for
that course. If you
have any questions
please do not hesitate
to email or call me.
Also as the year
comes to an end I
would like to remind
senior families that
you will want to get
your taxes completed as soon as possible so that you
can get the Free Application For Student Assistance
(FAFSA) finished in a timely fashion. If you have any
questions on that, please let me know, and if I cannot
help you, I will get you to the person who can.
their future. Even if they change their mind five hundred
times, help them move in some direction. “
4. “Help them develop coping strategies. – They
need to know how to deal with setbacks, stresses,
and feelings of inadequacy. They must learn how to
resolve conflict and solve problems, realizing that
problem solving is a normal part of everyday life.”
5. “Make sure that childhood is not an impossible
act to follow.” – What parents don’t realize is that
when they go to great lengths to create the perfect
childhoods for children, they are actually setting them
up for some pretty serious letdowns later in life. Instead,
start inserting age-appropriate responsibility into your
children’s lives right away. Avoid indulging and
overprotecting them and creating hyper inflated egos.
We are doing a disservice to young people if we
remove the chance to fail.”
6. “Nurture leadership qualities and skills in them. –
Every young person will need leadership skills.
I attended a conference back in November, and the Leadership is not just for the elite, but for everyone
guest speak there was Dr. Tim Elmore from Growing who wants to get somewhere in life.”
Leaders. If you ever have the chance, visit his website
at www.growingleaders.com and see what he is about
and all the books that he has written; they are truly FCCLA
amazing. One of his books that I have found to be Mrs. Roehl
wonderful is Artificial Maturity. In this book, he talks Twelve FCCLA members got the opportunity to atso much about our young people and helping prepare tend this year’s Cluster Meeting in Little Rock, AR on
them for the world. I’d like to leave you with one part November 13-15.
of the book of ideas on how we can help these young National Cluster Meetings provide an opporadults get ready for life:
tunity for students to
1. “Help them identify their strengths and match come together for fun,
their gifts with real-life work.– A clear sense of identity for inspiration, to exgoes a long way in preparing a student for life. Once pand leadership and
they know their strengths, personality, and style, give communication skills, to sharpen talents, and to exthem assignments or responsibilities that match who plore career pathways. At Cluster, students meet and
interact with a diverse group of students from all over
they are.”
the U.S. They were able to listen to motivational
speakers and attend workshops that focused on personal development, leadership skills, and career preparation. Students also got the special opportunity to
experience Little Rock along the way. While not at
the conference, students enjoyed ice-skating at Little
Rock Skatium, horseback riding through Pinnacle
Mountain State Park, and taking a stroll through
Riverfront Park. This trip was both educationally and
personally rewarding!
Once again, Weeping Water pulled together, and
through many generous donations, we reached our
food drive goal! This year, we focused on QUALITY
rather than quantity of items donated in order to keep
the food pantry shelves
stocked with the needs
of our community. Each
food item was assigned
a point based on the
need of that item. Our
goal was to reach 3,000
points total. It’s always
fun to have a friendly
competition between
classes to up the ante a
bit! Syngenta Seed
Company and Horace Mann agreed to sponsor a pizza
party for the elementary class and high school class
that collected the most points. The winners of this
year’s food drive competition were Mrs. Jording’s
class who averaged 20 items per student and the junior class who averaged 15 items per student. Congratulations to all who participated as each class made
a huge contribution to our donations this year!
One-Act and Speech
Mrs. Lofing
This year’s one-act play was a huge success! We had
18 students participating this year in our production of
The Dancers by Horton Foote. We went to several
competitions, including one in Osceola, Neb. and one
in Pawnee City, both of which were new additions to
our schedule this year. With every competition in which
we performed, we earned a number of individual acting awards. We ended the season placing 5th overall
at our district competition, which was held at The Lofte
in Manley, Neb.
Now that the one-act season is over, speech practice
has begun. We have 20 great students out for speech
this year, and we are excited to begin competing in
January! Each student who participates in speech has
the opportunity to
choose up to two
categories in which
to compete. These
categories include
persuasive speaking, entertainment
speaking, extemporaneous speaking, informative
public speaking,
oral interpretation of poetry, oral interpretation of
drama, oral interpretation of serious prose literature,
oral interpretation of humorous prose literature, and
duet acting.
Speech is a fun and interesting way to encourage students to excel in the area of public speaking and performance. The skills developed during this time translate into the “real world” as students pursue different
paths of life.
If you would like to support our speech team, be on
the lookout for upcoming competitions. You will be
able to find this information on the school website under Activities>Speech. Competitions will also be
posted on the school calendar as they come up.
Notice of Nondiscrimination
Yearbook Information
Mrs. Lofing
Once again, you will be able to upload your own photos to
be considered for the yearbook! Visit the WWPS webpage,
www.weepingwaterps.org. Simply click on the “Want to see
your photos in the yearbook?” banner, located throughout
the website.One of these banners can be found in the “News”
section of our site
You may also order your 2014-2015 yearbook right from the
comfort of your own computer! Simply click on the banner
entitled “Yearbooks are great now, priceless later. Buy your
yearbook today.”
If you ordered a 2013-2014 yearbook, you may pick it up in
Mrs. Lofing’s room, or you may talk to Shirley in the front
office. We still have extras for purchase, if you are interested, for $48 each.
If you are looking for a yearbook from a previous year, we
still have several extras dating as far back as 1985. If you
would like to purchase any of these older issues, they are
$35 each.
For more yearbook information, please
e-mail Emily Lofing: [email protected]
Any parent may request, and the Weeping Water School District
will provide to the parents in a timely manner, information
regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s
teacher.
The Weeping Water Public School District does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, disability, religion, age or other protected
status in its programs and activities and provides
equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated
youth groups.
The following persons have been designated to
handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination
policies:
High school students: Gary Wockenfuss, 7-12
Principal, 204 West O St., Weeping Water, NE 68463
(402) 267-4265 ([email protected]).
Elementary students: Dawn DeTurk, Elementary
Principal, 204 West O St., Weeping Water, NE 68463
(402) 267-2445 ([email protected]).
Employees and Others: Ken Heinz, Superintendent,
204 West O St., Weeping Water, NE 68463 (402) 2672445 ([email protected]).
Complaints or concerns involving discrimination or
needs for accommodation or access should be
addressed to the appropriate Coordinator. For further
information about anti-discrimination laws and
regulations, or to file a complaint of discrimination
with the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department
of Education (OCR), please contact the OCR at 8930
Ward Parkway, Suite 2037, Kansas City, Missouri
64114, (816) 268-0550 (voice), or (877) 521-2172
(telecommunications device for the deaf), or
[email protected].
Weeping Water Public Schools
P.O. Box 206
Weeping Water, NE 68463
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S Postage Paid
Permit #12
Weeping Water, Ne
68463
ECRWS
Car-Rt-Sort
Boxholder
Weeping Water, NE 68463