Sidney administrators prepare for new school year

With Sidney students returning to school on Thursday, teachers and administrators have been busy preparing classrooms and buildings.

At a Sidney School Board meeting Monday night, district principals – many of whom had spent the entire day in meetings – provided an update on the preparations and expected enrollment numbers.

Central Elementary School Principal Brent Jeffers said there's currently 95 kindergartens enrolled at his school, though he expects the number to climb to 100 by Thursday. The students will be divided into six sections, he added.

Belinda Westfall, principal at North and South elementary schools, said student numbers are up and growing. At South, there are 232 students and she said she just learned there were four more to place.

"Our teachers have been working hard to get their rooms ready," she said. "They're looking great, and the buildings look great."

Sheri Ehler, principal at West Elementary School, said her school currently has 220 students enrolled. She added, new teachers in the district had been paired with mentors to help offer assistance throughout the year.

Sidney Middle School Principal Brandon Ross said maintenance and improvements to the school's facilities made over the summer look great, including a new gym floor.

"Teachers love it," he said.

Three busses will be used to transport students to and from school this year, he said, up from two busses and one van last year.

Sidney High School has 406 students enrolled as of Monday, principal Chris Arent told the board.

"We're prepared for that," he said.

Also at the meeting:

• Arent said a plan for the use a coach bus purchased last year had been drafted. The vehicle is used to transport students to games and activities. Arent said he, along with activities director Mike Brockhaus and superintendent Jay Ehler, created a list of three priorities to determine which sports team or activity group will have access to the coach bus in the case of conflicting events.

The considerations include the number of miles, the number of riders and the amount of equipment.

Board member Randy Miller suggested the number of travels also be evaluated, and used as an example a sports team with numerous away games versus a activity group which only has one or two events a year.

• The board unanimously approved new state language arts standards. Ehler said all school districts in Nebraska are required to adopt the standards by September. Among the changes is the addition of writing modes, information fluency and digital citizenship.

• A change to the policy for suicide prevention training for staff members was tabled. Ehler said because of action taken by the Legislature, every district staff member who has contact with students is required to undergo one hour of suicide awareness and prevention training every year.

Board member Steve Mattoon asked since the training is required by the state, why does the district need a separate policy. He also had questions about the way the policy was drafted.

Ehler said he would talk with the district's lawyer to determine if the policy is needed.

• The next Sidney School Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the district's administration building. The meeting is being moved from the normal first Monday of the month because of Labor Day.