Thank You Dollar General

On Friday, December 1 representatives from Dollar General presented the Fort Calhoun Special Education department with a donation in the amount of $2000. The donation was specifically designated for classroom sensory supplies, aimed at enhancing the educational experience for students with disabilities in order to create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. 
Pictured Left to Right: Joseph Hunter (Dollar General), Deanna Royuk, Jessica Fleischman, Jackie Beckman, Ashley Dougherty, Tara Mueller, Delaney Bruening, Jill Weyer, Amy Wilson, Jerry Green (Superintendent) and Jesse Schulze (Dollar General). Not pictured Delaney Appel.

FCS Hosted the North Community of Practice for Special Education

On Wednesday, November 15th FCS hosted the North Community of Practice for Special Education presented by ESU #3.  The COP included special education teachers and directors from the Arlington, Blair, DC West, and Fort Calhoun school districts. The purpose of the COP was to build the skills and practices of special education staff through networking, collaboration, and exploration of evidence-based practices. This event was a great opportunity for our staff to increase their knowledge of a variety of topics related to special education while building connections with other special education staff in the area. Miranda Adams and Ashley Dougherty were able to showcase the PBIS Program in grades Preschool-6th grade, including our digital program Live School, and the School Store which is run and managed by the Young Adult Program. 

PLC Young Adult Program Students Attend VR Job Expo

On Tuesday, November 7th the PLC Young Adult Program students attended the Nebraska VR Job Expo. This event allowed the students the opportunity to try out a variety of job tasks in different career fields such as order filling, restaurant server, retail clerk, car detailer, and hardware specialist. Students also participated in mock interviews, and small group discussions about topics such self-advocacy, workplace accommodations, and work readiness.

HS Students Attend Career Fair

A career fair was held in Herman at the Anbe Event Center and included area employers featuring entry-level skilled laborer/technician positions varying from surveying, roofing, car detailing, welding, electrical, and machine operation.

Mrs. Hernandez, the FCHS counselor, took ten pioneer students to the event.  Student Westin Buckley said he enjoyed it because it was an opportunity to learn about the businesses and ask them questions.

Students attending included

Seniors – Westin Buckley, Jacob Sundberg, Xander Bender, and John Reeh 

Juniors – Wes Short and Fred Altstadt

Sophomores – Mason Wright, Dylan Kruse, Matthew Smith, and Cooper Daude. 

Way to Go Ali Dill!

Congratulations to FCHS sophomore Alison (Ali) Dill on being selected to participate in the 2023-24 Youth Leadership Omaha program at Creighton University, YLO class #28! This means that Ali will be joining sophomores from around the Omaha Metro area for career and leadership opportunities throughout this school year. 

Art Club Face Painting

On Friday, September 22nd, the Art Club hosted a face painting fundraiser during the home football game against Platteview. The Art Club had many members on hand to help make the event successful. There were many requests for flaming footballs and other designs for fans to show their Pioneer pride. Thank you to everyone who contributed to and supported the event.

Shadow is Back

Therapy dogs are trained to work with students in schools to promote social-emotional wellness, communication and interpersonal skills, and increase academic motivation and performance. Sarah Eades Hamilton is the part-time ESU #3 mental health therapist who serves FCCS students. Sarah and her four-legged partner, Shadow the Labradoodle, operate as a certified therapy dog team in the provision of services for students. Sarah’s and Shadow’s time will be dedicated to targeted groups of students, and these specific students’ families will be notified. There will be a sign posted to communicate whenever Shadow is in the building. Parents who have any concerns with their student(s) coming into contact with Shadow the therapy dog should contact the office.

Games on the Green 2023

Fort Calhoun Unified Athletes had the pleasure of attending Bennington’s Games on the Green on September 14th. Students from Fort Calhoun and surrounding areas came together to play games and get to know one another. Athletes played a variety of games and ended with a big game of freeze tag on the football field. Our students had so much fun! Thank you Bennington for hosting this event.

 

New Liveschool Program at the Elementary School

We’ve adopted a new program called Liveschool in the Elementary intermediate grade levels. Staff can electronically give students points when they are meeting our school-wide expectations. Each student also has their own account where they can view a timeline of their behavior. This portion is essential in providing students feedback on when/how they earned merits and demerits. Students can then save their points to buy items from our PBIS store that the PLC then fills.   There are some new, fun rewards this year. These new rewards include “Uber” requests, lunchroom table reservations, 1/2 homework passes, lunch fast passes, and lunch with Deputy Byelick or Mr. Wagner. These rewards have been extremely motivating for our students and it has created a sense of fun at school!