Board Of Education - Gibbon Public Schools

Vocal Music News
ELEMENTARY MUSIC:
2nd Graders really loved their unit on “Trash Can Bands!”
My room was full of awesome homemade guitars, maracas,
shakers and all sorts of drums. It concluded with a “Trash Can
Band” program at noon on January 26th, followed by a trip to
the Good Samaritan Rest Home to perform for our friends there.
3rd Graders are preparing several patriotic songs for their
annual “President’s Day Program” on Monday, February 21st
at 2:00 p.m. in the auditorium.
4th Graders are working hard on their recorders again. A
couple of our favorite songs are “Beethoven’s 9th Symphony”
and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” March 16th will be their
Recorder Recital.
6th Graders are working on their annual composer reports and
presentations. They are due the 2nd week in February. They
found out that not all composers are 400 years old. Check out
John Williams, he is really cool!
MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOIR:
They had a GREAT time at Henderson-Heartland M.S. Choral
Festival in Henderson on Friday, January 28th. It included 12
6th Graders. It is an event that the students look forward to
every year! I don’t know if it is the singing they like best OR
the food, other school kids and bus ride. What do you think?
On Saturday, February 19th at Grand Island Central
Catholic, 10 students will be participating in “Singing Youth
of Nebraska!” Each school in Nebraska can select between
4-10 7th-9th grade students to participate. It is a full day of
rehearsals, concluding with a concert at 4:00 p.m. Students
Mrs. Sinnard
from Gibbon are Blake Brown, Logan Giddings, Genesis Grado,
Aubrey High, Nisha Oltman, Madisen Peterson, Clint Richards,
Bradyn Snell, Cody Spencer and Jazzy White.
HIGH SCHOOL CHOIRS
January was a busy month with 3 Honor Choirs.
Doane College Honor Choir - Jan. 9-10 (Cody McGregor,
Jordan Wadkins-Meyer and James Witt) UNO Honor Choir -
Jan. 21-23 (Jacob Cooper, Elliot Gangwish, Ashley Kaestner,
Megan Lafferty, Cody McGregor, Kristen VanMatre, Jordan
Wadkins-Meyer and James Witt) 8 students - WOW, our 8 new
CHOIR ROBES came in handy! THANKS!
UNK Honor Choir - Jan. 24 (Yoce Avina, Mikalah Brown,
Jacob Cooper, Elliot Gangwish, Kaelin Hynes, Ashley Kaestner,
Kaleb Kraenow, Megan Lafferty, Cody McGregor, Jericca
Pearson, Kristen VanMatre, Jordan Wadkins-Meyer and James
Witt) February has one more Honor Choir!
Hastings College Honor Choir - Feb. 3-5 (Cody, Elliot, Jordan
and James) This is a special one for me, because this is “my
hometown and college!”
The H.S. Choir is very busy working on District Music.
This will be in April, but all soloists are chosen. There are
14 students working on vocal solos, plus duets, a quartet and
other ensembles.
Both Show Choirs are BUSY working on their musical shows
at 7:00 a.m. each morning. They are very dedicated to the
groups and having fun too.
Juniors to Pilot Online State Writing Test
Parents of juniors, mark your calendars! On February 1, 2011,
from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., your students will be participating in
Nebraska’s pilot version of the state writing test (NeSA-W).
Traditionally, the juniors have completed this testing with paper
and pencil in two days. However, the structure will be changed
this year to a one-day, 90-minute format.
I encourage you to be sure your students are well prepared
for this important test. In school, they are working to have the
standard essay format so clearly engrained in their thinking that
the form will be natural – all they will have to do is provide
their own convincing ideas of persuasion.
At home, students need to prepare as well. Before the test,
they will need to get a good night’s sleep. Turn off the Wii, turn
off the TV, turn off the computer, turn off the cd player, store
the cell phone in your kitchen, and send those kids to bed at
10:00! Students this age work best on at least 8 hours of sleep.
The morning of the test, be sure they eat a healthy breakfast
including grains, dairy, and fruits, with a little protein added
for sustainability. They will need to be in school, ready to go,
with their brains on full power. A good night’s rest and a good
breakfast will assist them in reaching that goal.
Later in February, I will be attending a two-day analytic scoring
workshop, taking the juniors’ papers with me to be scored.
Names will not be included, thus identities will be confidential.
Data gathered will be used to drive future class instruction,
which can only help our students achieve more.
I look forward to seeing our juniors take advantage of this
opportunity to exhibit their best writing skills.
Belle Williams, English
State Income Tax Return
Public school district data is very important in the distribution of state income tax dollars that come back to the school district in which
you reside. Make sure you follow the directions on your Nebraska State Income Tax return and list “Buffalo County District No. 2”
as the school district that you reside. If you have any questions please contact the Superintendent’s office at 468-6555 or the Nebraska
Department of Revenue.