Parent Teacher Conferences

By | | ,
Comments Off on Parent Teacher Conferences

Hay Springs Public Schools will be hosting parent/teacher conferences on Thursday, February 2nd from 4:15 PM until 8:15 PM. If parents are unable to make it during this time frame, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher to set up another time to visit. Looking forward to seeing our parents on February 2nd!

Girls On The Run

By | |
Comments Off on Girls On The Run

3rd-5th Grade Girls – Please let us know if you are interested in restarting the Girls on the Run program here at Hay Springs!

It runs from mid-March-May with a celebration 5K for all panhandle teams in Chadron in May. This program promotes healthy habits through exercise, social emotional well being, and building friendships. The team meets twice a week after school (we would work around youth volleyball schedules during April). There is some running but it is so much more than that and it is worked into games and activities!

3rd-5th grade parents, please contact Mrs. Heiting ASAP if your daughter is interested so we can get things set up!

China Presentation

By | | ,
Comments Off on China Presentation

On Monday, January 23rd, Bev Wellnitz was at Hay Springs Elementary to give our students a presentation about China. Accompanying Mrs. Wellnitz as an observer was Mrs. Jeanie Snyder, who taught for 28 years before retiring. Bev read the kids a book about China, passed around some chopsticks for the kids to look at, and spoke about the Chinese zodiac. Each year of the 12 year Chinese Zodiac cycle is represented by a certain animal and many Chinese believe that a person’s personality traits are determined by that animal. The students also learned about the Chinese New Year which is on January 22nd and how this year is the year of the rabbit. Several short videos were shown to the kids as well, the first about “pinyin”, the art of paper cutting. The second video was about how about silk material is produced from silkworm cocoons. The last video was about Chinese shadow art or shadow puppetry. And what presentation about China would be complete without forturne cookies for the audience?  Thank you Mrs. Wellnitz and Mrs. Snyder!

Strategic Planning Survey

By | |
Comments Off on Strategic Planning Survey

Hay Springs Public Schools will be taking part in Strategic Planning this year, similar to what our district did last year. We are partnering with the Nebraska School Boards Association again this year and will be sending out surveys to the parents whose email addresses that we have on file. We ask you to take the survey and share your view point on all aspects of our district.

Employees, Board Members, Parents and Students (5-12) will be provided the opportunity to take the survey starting on January 23rd. The school district will utilize the feedback from the surveys to set goals to keep improving the educational process and experience for our students. Names of those who take the survey will not be shared with the school.

Thank you for your support of Hay Springs Schools, and thank you for giving us your perspectives on how we are doing. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Sincerely,
George Clear

Trout In The Classroom

By | |
Comments Off on Trout In The Classroom

On Thursday, January 12th, the fifth grade class received our Rainbow Trout eggs! We received approximately 100 eggs from Nebraska Game & Parks as part of the Trout in the Classroom program. We will raise them in our classroom tank until April when we will release them at the pond at Chadron State Park.

Equine Therapy

By | | ,
Comments Off on Equine Therapy

To the Lakota people the Sunjkawakhan(horse) is a four legged friend and companion that provided transportation, friendship, and pride. The horse is revered in Sioux culture for its grace and courage. On Thursday, January 19th, Hay Springs Elementary students had the opportunity to learn about the impact the horse has had on Lakota culture and the impact the horse is making today in the area of mental health. Patty Coleman, an equine therapy specialist with St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota, developed the school’s equine therapy program from scratch and has enjoyed watching the program grow and positively impact youth of all ages. Patty discussed with students a horse’s ability to listen and make no judgments which allows students to make a deep connection, process their emotions and become much more productive in and out of the classroom.

 

Busy Kindergarteners

By | | ,
Comments Off on Busy Kindergarteners

Kindergarten is exploding with excitement! We are adding, subtracting, working on our shapes (2D and 3D) as well as reading CVC(consonant vowel consonant) words and writing stories. Each week we study new spelling words and learn 3-5 new vocabulary words. So if you see a Kinder please ask them what they have been learning and be prepared to have a great conversation! Ms. Meeks is super proud of all of her Kinders!

First Grade Receives Grant To Study Food Sources

By | | ,
Comments Off on First Grade Receives Grant To Study Food Sources

First grade applied for and was awarded a $100 grant through the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation to study where our food comes from and where it is produced in Nebraska. Our first lesson this week was about milk. We learned about a dairy farm and milking machines in Diller, Nebraska. Locally we also were fortunate to have community member Megan Reimann send us a video about how to care for and milk a dairy cow! She also sent us fresh cows milk. It was very interesting to see the difference between fresh milk and store bought!

We also used some of our grant money to buy the ingredients to make homemade ice cream in a bag! Our main reading story this week was “From Cows to You.” We are able to tie in our Agriculture in the Classroom activities to include reading and social studies content as well!

Our curriculum has 10 different food items raised and produced in Nebraska so be looking for more updates!