OCTOBER 2016

BRUNING-DAVENPORT U.S.D.

Trudy K. Clark, Superintendent Erik Sokol, Principal

106 North Juniper Ave. 340 Carroll Street

Davenport, NE 68335 Bruning, NE 68322

402-364-2225 402-353-4685

F ROM THE SUPERINTENDENT: On September 14th, the Unified Board adopted the 2016-2017 budget of

$4,223,050. The total tax request was $3,830,131 of which $493,082.85 is designated for the Special Building

Fund. The Unified Board approved a tax levy of .388387 and the Special Building fund tax request of .050000 for a total

tax request of .438387. The total valuation for the district is $986,164,749, an increase of 8% from last year.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held October 6th-7th from 5:00-9:00 PM in the Bruning

building and 9:00am-1:00pm in the Davenport building. This is the only scheduled parent/teacher conference. All coach-

es will be available at 5:30. We hope you can take advantage of this configuration. It was felt with the student numbers

we have, especially in the elementary, that providing additional time and providing parents a chance to visit in their

home district would benefit all concerned. We hope you take advantage of the opportunity for direct communication

about your child’s performance in the classroom. Ask questions of both your child and your child’s teacher regarding

his or her performance in the classroom. By having those conversations, as a parent you may be a positive force in your

child’s educational career.

District Social Media: Bruning-Davenport USD has a District Facebook page. You can find it under a button on our

District website or here: https://goo.gl/1Ec1ed. We will provide information that is similar in content with what is found

on the District’s website (http://www.bruningdavenport.org). It is used to announce notifications that are of a more im-

mediate nature such as school closings and changes in schedules as well as celebrate our students’ accomplishments.

There are also links to Facebook pages that are directly associated with our Preschool, music, FCCLA, and FFA pro-

grams.

Notification System: If you would like your contact information amended in the parent notification system, please con-

tact the Bruning office (353-4685) or the Davenport office (364-2225). Parent’s contact information will come from

PowerSchool. This information comes from the emergency contact sheet parents completed at the beginning of the

school year. The new information will be uploaded by October 14, 2016.

Junior High Health Fair: On Tuesday, September 20th, Davenport hosted the junior high health fair coordinated by

Thayer County Health Clinic. Thanks to Marissa Bongers, Wellness Coordinator, students from Bruning-Davenport,

Deshler, and Thayer Central attended sessions on The Alexis Project (Todd Calfee), Nutrition for Sport, Thayer County

Sheriff Department, Eat it or Toss It, York Correctional Facility Inmates, Spin the Bottle, Yoga, and Heart Rate and

Health. This is an opportunity for our students to learn about health related topics. Students have indicated they enjoyed

the sessions, especially hearing from Todd Calfee. Todd Calfee and his wife established The Alexis Project for their

daughter who was killed by a drunk driver.

Grade Name Date 9 Isaac Else 15 8 David Lee 16 Mrs. Freitag 17 12 Noel Gines 18 12 Josh Hinrichs 20 12 Colleen Wassom 20 Mrs. Remmers 21 8 Kyle Ardissono 22 1 Emma Hoins 22

Grade Name Date 10 Logan Schroeder 23 Mrs. Ardissono 23 12 Randi Yaney 27 Mrs. Barney 27 Mrs. Meyer 27 Mrs. Kowalski 29 1 Eva Oltmans 29 4 Addison Brase 30

F ROM THE PRINCIPAL: I hope you have noticed that we are in the process of building a new school website to

better communicate the great student stories that are taking place at Bruning-Davenport. Within that website, I

have asked our teachers to share a little of their passion for teaching by sharing a response to the following ques-

tions: Why do I teach? Why do I teach the way that I teach? What does it feel like to be taught by me? Composing an

answer to these questions is a deeply reflective endeavor. However, I strongly believe that answering them will help our

teachers clarify their vision and purpose for being in the classroom each day. I also think it is a great way for parents to

understand the expectations and teaching styles of our staff. I am hopeful to have this information posted to the website

by mid-October.

I would also like to share with all of you my response to similar questions:

Why Am I a Principal?

Years ago my mentor teacher Ernie Molina, made the decision to move beyond the classroom, beyond the coaching, and

into a career as a principal. At the time, I was just getting started in my career and was puzzled why someone who was

so good for students would make such a move. So I asked him. His response was that he could impact the students in his

class each day or he could try to increase his influence and reach the entire school: staff and students. In his mind, it was

time to challenge himself, his ability, and his passion to lead. After 13 years in the classroom, I had reached the same

viewpoint. While this is only year 2 of my administrative career, I humbly admit that I am probably learning more than

leading. My goal is still the same. I want to help students grow and mature into honest, responsible, and productive citi-

zens. I love the rural schools of Nebraska where small class sizes, great resources, and committed staff members create

outstanding opportunities for students every day. I believe that good grades, good test scores, winning extracurricular

programs are a by product of a school that values relationships and fosters a growth mindset. When we take the time to

do things right, care about one another, have a humble heart, and a servant attitude, our students will respond. As a prin-

cipal, I hold myself responsible to try to lead our school to be the very best it can be. I am well aware that I do not have

all the answers but I promise you that I have the passion and the desire to work at figuring it out. Thanks for entrusting

your kids to us. I can't wait to see the life stories they will create as they build lives beyond the halls of Bruning-

Davenport USD.

Why do I lead the way that I lead?

There is an age old question of whether it is better to be loved or feared. While fear might bring about a quicker change,

I believe love is far more powerful in the long term. I do not believe any of us are perfect but that we are all a work in

progress. I feel it is imperative that I lead by example and by my actions. I hold high expectations for myself and there-

fore hold high expectations for our students and staff. As a public school, there are many stakeholders involved in what

we do each day. I hope that we all understand that we are a part of something much bigger than any one of us and that

together, we must continually ask ourselves the question: What is best for our students? I try to bring about a culture

within the school that values relationships along with a continuous desire to seek improvement. I would like to think that

my personality is fun and lighthearted. Sometimes I wonder if I am too good at coming off as fun and lighthearted and

people overlook that fact that I have a serious side that deeply wants to provide the best educational experience for our

students as possible. I hope that students and staff find me to be humble and approachable. I hope I lead in such a way

that everyone feels a part of the team, working together, striving to improve every day.

What does it feel like to be lead by me?

If you were to ask members of the staff about my style of leadership, I hope they would say that I do a good job of creat-

ing a great place for the staff to work and for our students to learn. I hope that all of the members within the school feel

that I value each of them individually and that I show them respect. I believe in people and I believe that there is tremen-

dous potential in all of us. I know that I have a strong desire and passion to always seek ways to grow and improve.

Hopefully I display an attitude that is encouraging in trying to bring out the best in each of us while at the same time ac-

knowledging all of the work and effort being put forth already. Integrity, Belief, and Character are pillars I hope I always

exhibit. I may not always tell others what they want to hear but I hope students and staff feel that I am firm, fair, and

consistent.

STUDENT OF THE MONTH: NOEL GINES

C OUNSELOR’S CORNER: October is the time to attend a College Fair!

Talk to representatives from colleges across the state, region and nation during upcoming college fairs.

Grand Island Area College Fair, Sunday, September 25, 1:00-3:00 p.m. – Heartland Events Center

Lincoln Area College Fair, Sunday, October 9, 1:00-3:00 p.m. – Southeast Community College

Omaha Area College Fair, NOTE NEW DATE! Sunday, October 23, 1:00-4:00 p.m. – University of Nebraska at Omaha

For more details and a list of colleges at each fair, see the College Fair article at EducationQuest.org.

If you can’t make it to a College Fair, attend an Educational Planning Program (EPP), which are smaller college fairs held statewide.

See “Upcoming Events” at EducationQuest.org for dates and locations.

Register for a barcode: Before attending a college fair or EPP, visit NebraskaCollegeFairs.org to register for a barcode. Print the

barcode and take it to the fair so that college reps can scan it. This will save time spent completing college information cards.

It’s FAFSA time!: Beginning October 1, you and your parents can complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student

Aid). Follow these tips to prepare:

Create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID for you and one for a parent at fsaid.ed.gov. You and a parent will each need an FSA ID to

access and sign the FAFSA. Review the FAFSA Checklist at EducationQuest.org to determine items you’ll need to complete the

FAFSA. See FAFSA Tools at EducationQuest.org for helpful resources.

October “To Do” List

Juniors and Seniors:

___ Attend a College Fair or Educational Planning Program in your area.

___ Attend a Financial Aid Program.

___ Sign up for Countdown2College to receive monthly college planning tips (on EducationQuest website.)

Seniors:

___ Create an FSA ID for you and one for a parent. You’ll need them for the FAFSA.

___ Be aware that you can complete the FAFSA beginning October 1.

___ Narrow your college choices and be aware of application deadlines and criteria.

M s. Hergott’s second grade classroom was visited by Jakki Drohman and her hedgehog, Bubbles. Their class-

room theme this year is hedgehogs, so it was fabulous to learn facts and be able to see and touch a real hedgehog.

Bubbles had fun playing with a toilet paper tube and the students especially liked watching her play. Thank you Jakki

for taking time to visit our class and teach us about hedgehogs. We will never forget our insect eating, nocturnal friend.

M ILO DAYS: Bruning-Davenport USD Foods Class entered three baked good items into the Carleton Milo

Days Sorghum Baking Contest on Saturday, September 10. We received 1st Place with Peanut Butter/

Chocolate Chip Cookies, and 2nd Place with Gluten-Free Sorghum Brownies

F FA: It is only the 6th week of school and the Bruning-Davenport FFA chapter has already done some

very neat things to kick off their year. The first thing that the chapter did was attend the Davenport

Achievement Day parade, where they road on a float and tossed candy out to the local kids. The next

event that was on their agenda was the Milo Day parade, where they also rode on a float designed by their

own members, and tossed out candy to the kids. Five members attended Ag Venture Day in Geneva on

September 12th, where they served as group leaders and assisted local 4th graders in learning about agriculture. The most recent ac-

tivity the Bruning-Davenport FFA chapter has completed was attending Husker Harvest Days, where almost the entire chapter was

in attendance. They participated in fun scavenger hunts and learned many new things from the many booths. It’s still pretty early in

the year so the chapter is expecting to participate in more things along the way. It has been a wonderful start to a new year.

F CCLA: In Kearney, Nebraska - Six high school FCCLA Officers from Bruning-Davenport recently attended the Nebraska Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America Fall Leadership Work-

shop. All students at this event heard from members of the State Officer Team, and Peer Officer Team, and other chapter leaders about state and national programs, leadership development, and chapter man-agement. Students attended Chapter Leaders and Next Level Leader Track. A highlight for students was hearing from keynote speaker Rhett Laubach. Rhett spoke on the importance of finding opportunities to serve and taking advantage of them. He emphasized that Career and Technical Student Organizations, like FCCLA, are poised to "Live to Serve" and provide for those around them.

MEET A SENIOR

MORGAN LOWERY is the daughter of Debbie & Tim Lowery of Davenport. She has two sisters, Kelli and Gerrica and one brother, Colton. Morgan is involved in volleyball, basketball, track, speech, drama, FFA, FCCLA, band, NHS, Letter Club and Quiz Bowl. She is a member at the United Methodist Church in Davenport where she is a Sunday school teacher and participates in the church youth group. Morgan was the Cornhusker Girls State representative for the Dav-enport Legion Auxiliary. Morgan enjoys playing sports, hanging out with friends and going to Starbucks. Her future plans are to attend UNL or Nebraska Wesleyan and to become a pediatrician. Morgan’s favorite food is chocolate cov-ered strawberries, her favorite TV show is Pretty Little Liars, her favorite song is Little Nebraska Town by Rachel Price and her favorite place to go to be alone is her room. The most influential person in her life has been her mom, because she has shown her how to stay positive and optimistic about any situation.

JOSH HINRICHS is the son of Carm & Bert Hinrichs of Bruning. He is active in football, basketball, NHS, Letter Club and Drama. He enjoys hunting and fishing in his free time. His future plans are to farm. His favorite food is prime rib, his favorite TV show is Ice Road Truckers, his favorite song is Middle of a Memory. He likes to go to the tractor to be alone. The most influential people in his life have been his parents because they are always there for him and point him in the right direction.

CHARACTER COUNTS FAIRNESS TRUSTWORTHINESS CITIZENSHIP CARING RESPONSIBILITY

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is

what you really are. Your reputation is merely what others think of you.” John Wooden

Emma Hoins, Grade 1, recog-nized by Mrs. Carlson. Em-ma did a great job of staying on task and following direc-tions the first week of school!

David Lee., Grade 8, recog-nized by Mrs. Ardissono David has been very helpful to me and his partner. He always asks his partner if he needs a calc. and offers to put

other classmates’ materials away

Shakira Sunday, Grade

8, recognized by Mrs.

Catlett. Shakira is help-

ful to students in Middle

School. She always has

a positive attitude.

Destiney Donohoe, Grade 12, recognized by Mrs. Hand/Mrs. White. Des-tiney is always very cour-teous to all. She is ex-tremely helpful to those

incoming new students at our Bruning building.

Karolyn Ozenbaugh Grade 4, recognized by Mrs. Freit-ag. Carolyn stays on task, is responsible, holds doors for classmates, says please and thank you for everything, all

while having a smile on her face and a spring in her step!

Hunter Krehnke, Grade 12, recognized by Mr. Sokol. Hunter came to school over the summer to help me cre-ate school posters using Adobe Photoshop.

Morgan Bolte, PreK, recog-nized by Mrs. Wolfteich The first week of Pre-K we had new students who were unsure of our preschool and their new surround-ings. Morgan showed compas-sion and friendship to these students by helping them and

letting them know that it was okay and even offered to play with them. It helped these students relax and be more comforta-ble in the classroom.

Tobby Voss , Grade 3, recog-

nized by Dr. Clark. He was

helpful in music by helping

Mr. Drews put away chairs

and music.

Parker Durflinger, PreK, recognized by Mrs. Phi-lippi. Parker always fol-lows directions the first time and is a great exam-ple for other students to look to. I frequently com-pliment him on his great

behavior and his willingness to lead and be kind to others.

Keenan Dickson, Grade 8,

recognized by Mrs. Wil-

liams. Barb would like to

recognize Keenan Dick-

son for helping Sam with

his books, locker, and

generally helping him .

Cora McBride, Grade 8, rec-

ognized by the Middle School

teachers for being helpful to

others.

Samantha Enghau-

ser, Grade 6, recog-

nized by the Middle

School teachers. Chris Ardissono HS

Math Teacher & FB

Coach, recognized by

DeEtta Christensen.

Mr. Ardissono

changed a student’s

flat tire in the school parking lot after

returning from the MUDECAS VB

Kyle Ardissono, Grade 8, rec-

ognized by the Middle School

teachers.

Congratulations to the September

recipients! We look forward to rec-

ognizing a new group each month!