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There has been a little confusion regarding a calendar change that switched two days of student attendance in February. Please note, there will be a full day of school and activities on Wednesday, February 1. There will be no school on February 22, as ECNC Speech will be hosted in our district.  Again, there WILL BE SCHOOL ON FEBRUARY 1. There will be NO SCHOOL ON FEBRUARY 22, due to District OR-1 hosting ECNC Speech.

We look forward to seeing all of our students on February 1.

Click HERE to See the Calendar

District OR1 Weekly

(Bennet Elementary and Palmyra High School) News
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January 27, 202 3 

January 20, 2023

January 13, 2023

January 6, 2023

December 16, 2022

December 9, 2022

December 2, 2022

November 18, 2022

November 11, 2022

November 4, 2022

October 28, 2022

DISTRICT OR-1 BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE
SUMMARY OF JANUARY 16, 2023 REGULAR MEETING

Download Paginated Document HERE.

 Special thanks to Mrs. Beth McCreight, Mr. John Furrow, and Drew Moyer for their presentation on our music programs here in the district. Mr. Furrow shared his work with our instrumental programs, Mrs. McCreight highlighted our vocal music programs, and high school senior Drew Moyer showcased his outstanding musical talents by playing the “Panther fight song” and “Narco” by Timmy the Trumpet. Brief videos of other student group performances were also shared.

 The board welcomed Mrs. Dee Moore to the Board of Education and celebrated the re-election of Mr. Dean Busch and Mr. Josh Penterman to the board. Our current board members are Mr. Dean Busch, Mrs. Jaimi Calfee, Mr. Tim Cheney, Mr. Brandon Desh, Mrs. Dee Moore, and Mr. Josh Penterman.

 Please note that January 22nd–January 29th is School Board Member Appreciation Week. Special thanks to our board members for their outstanding service and dedication to our students, our staff, and our community patrons. If you get a chance, please thank these folks for the work that they do!

 The board also completed its annual reorganization to select its board president and vice president for the 2023 calendar year. As a result of the reorganization, Mr. Brandon Desh was re-elected as the board president and Mrs. Jaimi Calfee was re-elected as the vice president. Board committees, policies, and various annual designations and resolutions were also approved.

 The board approved the letter of resignation for Mrs. Denise Knutson. We appreciate Mrs. Knutson’s service as a district full –time substitute over the years, and we wish her well in her future endeavors.

 Superintendent Hart presented an overview of his superintendent goals and actions steps to accomplish these yearly goals.

 After receiving additional feedback from staff, the board reviewed an updated “draft” district calendar for the 2023-2024 school year. The “final draft” of the calendar will be presented for approval at the Monday, February 13th, 2023 regular board meeting. The approved calendar will be posted on the school website at www.districtor1.org and distributed to parents and made available to community patrons after the February regular board meeting.

 Updated building expansion site plans for Bennet Elementary and Palmyra High School were reviewed at the meeting. A list of upcoming community information meetings regarding these building updates is currently posted on our school website at districtor1.org. Current copies of these plans were attached to the agenda.

 Superintendent Hart and board members provided updates on current legislative bills, strategic planning, negotiations, and the recent 6th grade parent meeting.

 The board also approved action items related to staff compensation, policy, and authorization for federal and state programs.

 Superintendent Hart provided an update on student enrollment as of January 16th, 2023. Current total district student enrollment (Pre-K-12) is 725 students. This is a 64 student or 9.7% increase in enrollment from the last school year.

More information regarding this meeting is available at https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Organization/174

Weather Announcement for Wednesday, January 18th 2023

Out of an abundance of caution based on current information from the National Weather Service, District OR-1 will not have school tomorrow, Wednesday, January 18th. The probability of freezing rain and sleet impacting road conditions and early morning travel plans, mixed with the timing and potential for snow accumulation throughout the day presents safety concerns for our students, staff, and families.   

Additionally, both buildings will be closed all day for activities, community functions, and practices.    

Thank you in advance for your flexibility and support of our district. 

Please tune into your local news outlets and continue to check on our district website at www.districtor1.org for additional updates.

As always, the safety of our students is our top priority at District OR1. Have a safe snow day, and

Go Panthers! 

Download the Paginated Document HERE

District OR-1: Home of the Panthers!
Updated January 13th, 2023
Community Information and Business Leader Meeting Schedule for Spring 2023

These meetings are opportunities to hear district updates. Notice of these meetings will also be distributed on
our social media channels and our district website.

● Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
○ District OR-1 will be hosting a Community Information Meeting to provide updates on the
building expansion projects at Bennet Elementary and Palmyra High School.
■ The meeting will be held at Palmyra High School in the media center.

● Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
○ District OR-1 will be hosting a Career Technical Education (CTE) and Business Leader
meeting.
■ The meeting will be held at Palmyra High School in the media center.

● Wednesday, March 15th, 2023 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
○ District OR-1 will be hosting a Community Information Meeting to provide updates on the
building expansion projects at Bennet Elementary and Palmyra High School.
■ The meeting will be held at Bennet Elementary School in the cafeteria.

● Monday, May 15th, 2023 beginning at 6:00 p.m.
○ District OR-1 will be hosting a Community Information Meeting to provide updates on the
building expansion projects at Bennet Elementary and Palmyra High School.
■ The meeting will be held at Palmyra High School in the media center.

Please note: Additional meetings may also be scheduled and posted in the future.

Upcoming Regular Board of Education Meetings:
● Monday, January 16th, 2023 at Palmyra High School beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the media center
● Monday, February 13th, 2023 at Palmyra High School beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the media center
● Monday, March 13th, 2023 at Palmyra High School beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the media center
● Monday, April 10th, 2023 at Palmyra High School beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the media center
● Monday, May 8th, 2023 at Palmyra High School beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the media center

We thank you in advance for your support of our district and we look forward to seeing you at these
meetings!

The regular board meetings are usually on the second Monday of each month, but due to the holiday break and high school activity schedules, the meeting was pushed back one week. I also want to make sure we get some parents to the meeting on Wednesday night. One of the main topics at the parent meeting on Wednesday will be Social Media.

• The next meeting of the District OR-1 Board of Education will be Monday, January 16th at 7:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School in the media center.

• Reminder about our 6th-grade parent meeting on Wednesday, January 11th beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the high school in the media center. During the meeting, Mr. Johnson will deliver a presentation on social media and provide parents with information about how to stay proactive, informed, and aware of their child's digital presence and communication.

Thank you!

DISTRICT OR-1 BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE
SUMMARY OF DECEMBER 12, 2022 REGULAR MEETING

Download the formatted document below:
December 12.2022 BOE Summary Update.

 Special thanks to Mr. Austin Lahmon for his board presentation regarding counseling services at the elementary school. Other information included updates on Bennet Student Council, our elementary Second Step character education curriculum, and the Teammates program. Mr. Lahmon also provided insight about our how our district is implementing socio-emotional supports for our students and families. Student projects and activities were also highlighted!

 The board presented a plaque to Mr. Clayton Maahs for his 16 years of dedicated service to the Board of Education. Mr. Maahs will be retiring from the board effective January 9th, 2023 and his last “official” board meeting was December 12, 2022. We wish the best of luck to Mr. Maahs in his future endeavors!

 Board members were able to review a summary of the results of the NASB Superintendent Evaluation document. Board President Desh provided board member feedback from the evaluation instrument and new superintendent goals will be developed and shared at the next regular board meeting on Monday, January 16th 2023.

 The board reviewed a “draft” district calendar for the 2023-2024 school year. The “draft” calendar received feedback from board members and a “final draft” will be presented for approval at the Monday, January 16th, 2023 regular board meeting. Staff members will also be provided more opportunity for feedback.

 The board approved the Construction Manager at Risk Committee Selection of BIC Construction and also approved the district architect selection of Clark & Enersen. These companies will lead our upcoming building expansion projects. Community meetings related to project updates are scheduled for the spring.

 The administrative team provided an overview of our latest district performance scores on the NSCAS and ACT assessments. District OR-1 was classified as “Great” in the NDE AQueSTT ratings. More specific information related to our district can be located at the following website: https://nep.education.ne.gov/

 Superintendent Hart provided an update on student enrollment through the end of November. Current total district student enrollment (Pre-K—12) is 715 students. This is a 54 student or 8.2% increase from the last school year.

 More information is regarding this meeting is available at HTTPS://MEETING.SPARQDATA.COM/PUBLIC/ORGANIZATION/174

Happy Holidays to all of our community patrons!

Hello Parents and Guardians,

Parent feedback is a critical component of a successful school district.  As a parent in our community, your input is extremely important to us, as we continue to find ways to make our school district even better. Your feedback is also critical to helping us effectively prepare our students for the challenges and opportunities of the future. The information you share will be utilized as we continue to develop School Improvement Plan and Processes. Thank you in advance for taking part in this important parent survey!

This survey is designed to help the Continuous Improvement team at your school better understand student experiences.

Your responses are confidential, and the survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. To complete the survey, please go to https://forms.gle/LcbJG9YRFD9P9Jnz9