McPhersonCountySchools
P.O.Box38,Tryon,NE69167
308-587-2262
March,2017
First Grad e Teacher
Hosts Leprechau n’s
Ann ual Visit
EveryyearonMarch17,thefirstgrade
classroomhouses evidence of thevisit
from a seasonal icon, the St. Patrick’s
Day Leprechaun. Leprechauns are
mischievous little creatures, and
although this classroom is well-kept
and orderly when the students leave
on March 16, the room is disorderly
and chaotic when the students return
on March 17. Books are on the floor,
and desks are turned over. The
teacher explains that the leprechaun
came in during the night to make the
mess in an ornery way. The students
mustcleanupafterhim.
Joy C row , A Favorite
Teacher Ms.JoyCrowisthefirstgradeteacher
who,bypersonality,lovesagoodjoke.
She previously taught her students
aboutadjectiveplacementbyassigning
them to draw depictions of sentences
withmisplacedadjectives,suchas“The
children rode their horses with their
tails flying behind them.” April Fools’
Dayisanotherofherfavoriteholidays.
Studentsremember Ms.Crowand her
antics with the leprechaun well into
high school. Senior Brianna Powers
remembers, “…we had to spend the
wholemorningcleaninguphismess.”
Senior Kyon Neal apparently took a
boxandsticks,baitedwith‘goldcoins’totryto
catchtheleprechaun.”
Student Reactions Vary
Most first grade students love the idea of a
leprechaun, but some students get agitated
withhavingtocleanupafterhim.Aninvisible
leprechaun may never get caught and may
never be given fair consequences. Some first
grade students say, “I didn’t make this mess;
I’mnotpickingitup.”Ittakessomeconvincing
on Ms. Crow’s part to get all students to
participateinthisgratuitousgooddeed.
Thefirstgradershavenotyetcaughtontothis
practical joke, but by the time they enter the
third grade, they get wise to Ms. Crow. Some
of them return to the first grade room on this
memorable day to see the mess and to watch
the current first graders clean up. But to this
day,noonehasruinedthefuninthefirstgrade
classroom.Shhhh.
TeacherJoyCrowposeswithafigurineofher
favoriteholidayicon.
SportsUpdate
byKamiFlorea,AthleticDirector
We have finished winter sports with a valiant
effort from our students, and Speech is in full
swing. Town Hall Meetings about the cooperationofsportswithStapletonarescheduledfor
February 27inStapleton, and March 2 inTryon at
the high school at 6:30 pm. I hope everyone can
attend at least one meeting. It is vital to keep
communications open. So far, our discussions
havebeenontheJuniorHighprogram,butwealso
want to discuss the High School program. Your
inputisveryimportanttous,andifyouhaveany
questions,pleasecontactmeattheschool. Anti-Bullying
byLisaTuenge,GuidanceCounselor
School bullying is a form of aggression which
doesn’t only have impacts on the student being
targeted, but also on the child who is bullying,
theclimateoftheclass,theteacher,theparents,
and the community. I have given a number of
anti-bullying lessons this year. Students have
learned that there is a bullying triad. On the
triadareBully,Victim,andBystander.Bystanders
arethemostinfluentialinthwartingbullying,as
they can give the victim hope for a positive
school experience. It is important for everyone
inthecommunitytoleadbyexampleandmodel
positiverelationshipskills.
NewsFromtheLibrarian
byMekaMelvin,Librarian
This school year, the goal has been to get an
updated library management system that both
the elementary and high school libraries could
run. In December, the school board approved
thepurchaseoftheDestinyLibraryManagement
System. This is not only a book inventory
system, but also a hub for many search engines
tobeusedbystudentsforresearch.Asofright
now,weareintheprocessofretrievingdataand
migratingthatdataintothenewsystem.Itwill
take many hours to enter all of the book titles
that cannot be electronically migrated into
Destiny. Hopefully, Destiny will be up and
running within the next month. Thank you to
Superintendent Lorrie Miller and the school
board for allowing this much needed system to
bebroughtintoourschools’libraries.
Four-DaySchoolWeekBeingConsidered
byDebBrownfield,Principal
The School Board is debating the pros and cons
ofafour-dayschoolweek.Thismayrequirea7
period high school schedule instead of the
current 8 period schedule. We want to keep
starting and ending dates and vacations as
comparable to this year’s calendar as possible.
In a recent meeting with board members from
Cody-Kilgore, their 4-day school week was
discussed.Weweretoldthatoneofthebenefits
wasthatattendancehasgoneup.Ourconcerns
are losing some programs, and fewer course
choices for students. The community of
McPherson County, the parents of option
students, and the teachers will all have input to
thefinaldecision.
SnowDaysMeanMake-UpDays
byLorrieMiller,Superintendent
So far this year, we have had three snow days.
Ourschoolyearcalendarputusattheminimum
of instructional units for the high school,
according to the Nebraska Department of
Education’sRule10.Thismeansweneedtoadd
instructionalhoursinordertomaintainourstate
accreditation.Wecanaddthesehourseitherby
adding 3 days to the original end of the school
year,orbyholdingclassesondaysthatwerenot
originally scheduled for students, namely the
staff development/parent-teacher conference
dayonMarch13andEastervacationonApril14
and 17. The School Board will discuss these
optionsattheBoardmeetingonMarch9.
KindergartenRound-Up
byLorrieMiller,Superintendent
To be eligible for Kindergarten next year,
childrenshould be5 years old on or before July
31, 2017. If you know of a child who will be
attending Kindergarten next year, please ask
his/her parents to call the office to enroll the
childatthistime.Whenwehavethenumberof
incoming Kindergarteners, we will schedule a
springdateforKindergartenorientation.