Schools – Page 77 – Fairbury Public Schools

Construction Tech Rebuild

Students in Construction Tech are busy with their first project of the year. In between rain storms and high winds, the boys have been busy at the home of Taylor Biehl taking down an existing garden shed. Upon inspection of the building, the students came to the conclusion that much of the frame of the building was still usable, so they decided to replace any rotten boards with new ones. The bottom sill plate was replaced with a green treated one and the siding and roofing will also be replaced. The building may even get some overhang to help make the siding last longer.

Plans include to put a new roof on and shingle the building to match the house. The boys are having a good time with the demolition phase. I am sure that the rebuilding phase will be rewarding as well. There is a lot of construction going on in Fairbury like our new pool and the “H” street project. The weather certainly has been an issue with all projects around town weather big or small. Included are some pictures that were taken while the students were removing the battered materials. More to come!!!

Fairbury Community Food Market

Friday Flashlight Read It, Sing It

On Fridays students in Mrs. Shinn’s classroom enjoy turning off the lights and using their flashlights to read and sing some of their favorite motivational and educational songs.

BlendEd Learning in 5th grade

This year is off to a great start incorporating BlendEd learning into our daily routines. The students are actively engaged in the content through integrating technology as part of our everyday lessons. Using tools such as Quizlet, Nearpod, Kahoot, and Wonders online resource. We are able to have the students actively participate and interact with one another as they learn. Through the use of flexible seating we are observing an increase in student engagement and lesson completion. Students are able to move about the room and select seating options that best fit their learning need.

10 Years of TeamMates

TeamMates of Fairbury was recognized at the Annual Partnership Meeting on July 24th for reaching its 10th year of mentoring. Fairbury, among other communities, has been making quality matches based on shared interests and the school and community has benefited from the program’s presence. Statistics based off of data collected last school year showed some promising numbers; over half of our local matches are staying together for at least 3 years, 90% of students in the program had fewer disciplinary referrals, and 100% of matches in Fairbury had fewer unexcused absences. The goal of the Mentor is not to tutor or fix the student, however, our statistics show that TeamMates helps engage both students and volunteers alike with 95% of Mentors claiming to leave their weekly visit in a better mood than when they arrived. If you would like to become a part of this fun and advantageous program, please contact coordinator, Tiffany Ebke at tebke@fairburyjeffs.org to learn about the application process and learn about upcoming training dates!

2018 TeamMates Promo Video

Saving Fred!

On the first day of school Mrs. Shinn’s third graders had to learn to work together as a group to figure out how to save Fred!

Fred is a worm and he loved to sail the sea. However, Fred never learned to swim so he always takes his life preserver with him in his boat. He was sailing along on his boat when a strong storm capsized his boat. Fred ended up on top of the upside-down boat. Unfortunately for Fred, his life preserver was under the boat. Their job was to save Fred by figuring out how to get the life preserver out from under the boat and firmly around Fred’s body, The students couldn’t touch Fred, the boat or life preserver with their hands. They could only use four paper clips. Each group was able to complete the task of saving Fred and had a lot of fun learning to work as a team.

Elementary Back to School Night

Families are invited to attend Central and Jefferson Intermediate’s Back to School Night on Tuesday, Aug. 14th between 5-7 pm. This is a great opportunity for students and their parents to meet teachers and visit the new classrooms.

Strategies For Keeping Your Sanity With Homework

Welcome back to the new school year! For some parents, homework can be a nightmare so here are a few tips to help make homework time more efficient and less stressful for you, as well as more productive for your child(ren)!

Identify a space in your house for homework completion. This might be the kitchen table, the student’s room or an office space. All spaces have advantages and disadvantages and it’s really up to you and your child to identify the best space. If your child is easily distracted, it might be the best space is his room or an office area. If your child needs more supervision, a kitchen table might be a better space.
Keep a schedule for homework and maintain it. For many families coming home right after school and completing homework is the best plan for them. For example, your child might come home and have a snack from 3:45-4:00 and then have “Homework Hour” from 4:00-5:00 every day. Choose a time that works for your child and family. Even if your child says they don’t have homework, keep the schedule. This is a great time for students to do some personal reading if there is no homework!

*A good rule of thumb is for every grade they should have 10 minutes of “homework time” after school. So first grade = 10 minutes and their “homework hour” is only 10 minutes long. Second grade =20 minutes so their “homework hour” is 20 minutes long, and so on.

Pre-correct for obstacles in getting homework done. For example, if your child is disorganized and will “forget” pencils and paper, have them ready to go. If your child will “forget” their reading book have a book or magazines for them to read stored in your homework space. If your child puts everything off until the end of the day and THEN remembers he or she has homework, schedule your homework time for right after school and not in the evening. You could even make a rule that there is no free time, video games or time with friends until homework hour has been completed.

If this is something new you are trying for the first time, don’t be surprised if your child tries to ignore, argue or escape from this new routine. But be persistent! This is not only helps them get homework done and reduces your stress, it also teaches them good study habits for whatever is next for them, Intermediate school, Junior high, High School and post-high school education.

Finally, if you ever need any help, I’m here to provide it. Call me or email me anytime!

Jill Timmons, Ph.D. NCSP
School Psychologist
Fairbury Public Schools

Fairbury FFA Attends 90th State FFA Convention

The 90th Nebraska State FFA Convention was held April 4th-6th in Lincoln, Nebraska. This year, the Fairbury FFA had 28 members attended the state convention. We had several members qualify for state CDEs at our district competition back in March.

The Ag Sales team was made up of all sophomores including Devin Wanamaker, Dalton Petersen, John Kerwood, and Kennedy DeBoer. None of them earned a ribbon, but it was a great learning experience! The next contest was Agriscience which is a freshman or first year contest. It was made up of Riley Wood, Taylor Gustafson, Harlie Blas, and Sarah Engelman. Riley Wood and Taylor Gustafson both earned red ribbons. The agronomy team did extremely well this year! The team was made up of senior Ashley Griffee and juniors Michaela Buchli, Tori Likens, and Delaney Miller. Griffee placed 2nd overall and earned a purple ribbon while Buchli earned a blue. The Natural Resources team was made up of seniors Jake Maschmann, Brock Barton, junior Trevin Arnold, and sophomore Dalton Petersen. Maschmann earned a blue ribbon while Barton earned a white. The next contest was floriculture. This team was made up of seniors Jordan Ruhnke, Shavara Kroeker, Paige Livingston, and freshman Brooklen Bear. Ruhnke earned a red ribbon in this contest. Junior livestock judging also went to state this year! To be in the junior division, you must either be a freshman or sophomore. The team was made up of freshmen Shelby Klaumann, Sarah Engelman, and Konnor Hasselbring. While none of them earned a ribbon, they all learned a lot about livestock judging! The Meats & Technology team was made up of juniors Jared Engelman, Kane Hasselbring, Colton Starck, and sophomore Taylor Runge. The final contest was Welding. This team was made up of sophomore John Kerwood and seniors Jesse Graves and Brock Barton. Taylor Runge was also part of the 2017-2018 Nebraska State Chorus. He had to audition back in December and was talented enough to be selected. Fairbury Jr/Sr High School Principal Mr. Nicholas Kroon received the Cornerstone Award. This is awarded to school leaders who have a school wide vision for Career and Technical Education and support Career Education Programs within their school. The Fairbury FFA Chapter also had four seniors earn their state degrees including Brock Barton, Jesse Graves, Miranda Heidemann, and Paige Livingston! It was a great year and an amazing experience!