Our Journalism students are thrilled to announce Cardinals Soar, a web series celebrating outstanding students, inspiring programs, and powerful stories that make DT special brought to you by DT Journalism students! Each episode highlights the incredible achievements, resilience, and community spirit of our Cardinals.

This week we want to introduce you to art 🎨 student, junior, Emma Hoppe.

Don’t miss the full article for a deeper dive into this episode’s feature! https://www.dtcardinals.org/article/1857638

Join us as we celebrate what makes DT soar! #CardinalsSoar #DTjournalism

1. Elementary
   
2. Preschool Happenings
3. Special Education Update
4. Secondary News
5. Activities Celebrations

Doniphan-Trumbull represented well at this year’s conference at UNK! We had six 6th grade students who attended with Mrs. Breckner. These students were picked by their teachers for having great leadership qualities. They are also students who teachers felt would participate and take in all of the information presented. They had an amazing day with Mr. Erikson learning about the 4 pillars of leadership. They learned that by including others, encouraging one another, celebrating success, and trusting that they can all be incredible leaders in their communities. These students did many engaging activities with students from other schools while learning about the pillars of leadership. They had lunch on campus and even got a tour of the college! They came back and created a short video sharing what they learned and liked about the conference! They are so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to attend the conference! Way to go DT!

Students attending the leadership conference included (L-R), Claire Johnson, Olivia VanDiest, Harper Volk, Luke Carmin, OIivia Saltzman & Emmett Dzingle.

Red Ribbon Week at DT was awesome! WE learned about ways to keep our brains and bodies healthy. Students had the option to participate in a poster contest and we had 55 entries! Elementary Student Council members judged the posters and picked the winners.

We are so proud of everyone!

K: Madelyn Bengston, 1: Kollyns Stratton, 2: Ridley Hatt, 3: Braxton Spencer, 4: Annistyn Dyer, 5: Jaylee Hatt, & 6: Quincey Bennet & Zoriah Johnson.

Most Unique: Diezel Uhrich | Most Creative: Avery Gohner | Top Pick: CJ Nickerson

6th Grade had the most participants and got a popsicle party!

5th & 6th Grade Band & Choir Concert

Monday, December 9 @ 6:15 PM - DT East Gym

K-2 & 3-4 Music Program

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - DT East Gym

K-2 @ 6:15 PM

3-4 @ 7:15 PM

We are proud to announce our October students of the month! These students were recognized for being safe, respectful, and responsible at DT. We are very proud of them.

Keep up the great work!

How cool is this? Our very own Berkley Hansen was picked as 1 of 16 winners to name a snow plow from the Nebraska Department of Transportation. There were hundreds of entries. Berkley chose Mr. Freeze as the name and was honored yesterday with an award. The 6th graders were all able to see the snow plow, sign the blade, and watch Berkley honk the horn! You can follow Mr. Freeze on the NDOT app to see where he goes during the winter months! Way to go Berkley!

We are excited to share the latest developments in our preschool program! Our enrollment continues to demonstrate steady growth and strong community interest.

Prospective Enrollment Survey

Our preliminary interest survey shows promising numbers for the upcoming school year, with over 35 families expressing an interest in their 3 or 4-year-olds attending our program.

These numbers reflect families' continued trust in our early childhood education program and the community's growing recognition of our comprehensive approach to early learning.

Current Enrollment Highlights

Our current student population is robust. We have 43 students in our preschool program. This demonstrates the dynamic and welcoming environment we've cultivated for young learners.

Home-Based Early Childhood Intervention Program

Our specialized Birth to Age 3 program remains a cornerstone of our comprehensive early childhood services. D-T is currently serving 6 families with services and had 2 new referrals this month. Our dedicated team provides individualized care in children's home environments outside of school hours. This program reflects our commitment to supporting families and children during critical developmental stages, ensuring every child receives the attention and resources they need to thrive.

We're excited to share updates on our student job site placement program and transition activities, which continue to provide valuable real-world experiences for our students.

We're proud of our students' involvement in various transition activities:

• CCC Transition Day on Nov 6th

• Lakeside Church Craft Show on Nov 8th

• Project Search Open House on Nov 20th

• DT Warehouse open on Tuesdays from 2:30-5:30

• Veteran Day Cookies for Bryan Health at Grand Island Regional Hospital

• Doniphan Hometown Christmas on Dec 3rd

• Savannah Lawrence, a graduate of the CCC Early Childhood Development program, will be starting as a paraprofessional the week of November 18th.

Communication Boards Upgrade

We are excited to announce a significant improvement in our communication infrastructure, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Dallas McClain, our tech support from ESU 9. After careful research, we've implemented Rise Vision, a cutting-edge digital display system that revolutionizes how we share information.

Rise Vision Benefits

- Operates on four screens without hard-wiring

- Accessible from any computer

- Allows real-time content updates

- Features pre-made thematic slides that update automatically

Now, we can simultaneously display:

- Concession stand items on the screen above the office

- PBIS celebrations

- Announcement information on alternate screens

- Easily updated lunch menus and daily announcements

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Highlights

Recent Equipment Acquisitions

- Mrs. King received a new Kitchen Aid mixer through Perkins funds

- Mr. Kelley ordered new Natural Resources textbooks

- A new sheet metal press was purchased with State CTE funds in July

Innovative Student Projects

Mr. Kelley's welding students are actively building a custom table for the new sheet metal press, demonstrating their practical skills by cutting metal and welding the frame.

These updates reflect our ongoing commitment to providing state-of-the-art technology and comprehensive career and technical education for our students.

Austin Harris, Aiden Stone and Luke Askey were honored as October Students of the Month.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the businesses and organizations that participated in Doniphan-Trumbull's inaugural Career & Job Fair for our 7th-12th grade students. Your willingness to share your time, expertise, and opportunities with our students has made a lasting impact on their future career perspectives.

Special thanks to our participating organizations:

• Bryan Health for sharing healthcare career pathways
• Cardinal Tool and Dye for representing manufacturing excellence
• Central Community College (CCC) for showcasing educational opportunities
• Corteva for highlighting agricultural innovation
• GI Express for presenting transportation industry insights
• GIX Logistics for demonstrating supply chain careers
• H and H Construction for exhibiting construction opportunities
• Head Start for sharing early childhood education careers
• Health and Human Services for presenting public service positions
• King Construction for showcasing building industry careers
• Little Cardinals for representing childcare professions
• Rob Feed Yard for displaying agricultural operations
• Southern Public Power for presenting utility sector careers
• Titan Machinery for demonstrating equipment and sales opportunities
• Big Red Bunks for sharing manufacturing perspectives
• U.S. Army for presenting military career opportunities

A special thank you to the Doniphan Event Center for providing the perfect venue for this important event. Your facility helped create an ideal environment for meaningful connections between our students and local employers.

The diversity of career paths represented at this fair gave our students valuable insights into the various opportunities available in our region. Your participation has helped bridge the gap between education and employment, providing our students with real-world perspectives on their future career choices.

We look forward to building on this success and hope to partner with you again in future career development events.

Thank you for investing in the future of our students!

The fall athletic season has been remarkable for our school's sports programs. Our winter sports practices kicked off the week of November 18th, setting the stage for an exciting new season.

Cross Country saw significant achievements, the team was runner-up at the conference meet, with Sevyn Russell as conference champion as a freshmen, and she also qualified for the state meet with an an impressive 14th place individual finish at the district meet. The men's team also demonstrated strong performance at conference and district levels. See full results below:

Softball had an exceptional year, claiming the conference championship and becoming the B2 District Runner-up. The team's hard work and dedication were rewarded with a coveted state tournament qualification. Senior Logan Rainforth has been honored as a Omaha World Herald Honorable Mention All-State selection as well as 1st Team All-Conference. Avery Robb & Addy Bishop were honored as Honorable Mention selections. Future honors team have not been named as of yet.

Our football program reached a milestone this season, earning its first playoff appearance in five years. The team set multiple individual and team records while finishing as district runner-up, showcasing tremendous potential and skill.

Volleyball is looking forward to next season, and it plans to focus on leadership development and growth. Upcoming skill-builder camps will provide opportunities for team improvement. Addison Macijewski was honored as a 1st Team All-Conference Setter selection. Teammate, Charlee Richter, was selected as an honorable mention All-Conference outside hitter.

The women's golf team demonstrated significant improvement throughout the season, performing notably at the Conference Golf Tournament, where Kayli Nickerson placed in the top 15.

Winter sports competitions are just around the corner. Basketball will host a jamboree on November 30th against Fillmore Central and Lincoln Christian, with the regular season home opener against St. Paul on December 7th. Wrestling teams will compete in a dual meet at Ravenna on December 5th and an invitational at York on December 6th.

Exciting improvements are also planned for our weight room. A comprehensive five-year upgrade process begins this month, with each rack being enhanced to include new equipment such as bumper plates, barbells, collars, and adjustable benches.

We congratulate all our fall athletes on their outstanding performances and look forward to the upcoming winter sports season!

1. Community Coffee
2. Tax Request and Budget Approval
3. Surplus Equipment to Auction
4. Save the Date: D-T Education Foundation
5. Facility Planning

Another incredible turn out for our Veterans Day program here at DT! We would like to thank everyone who has sacrificed for our freedom. Thank you to Mr. Matthew Greathouse for his heartfelt speech. Thank you to the band and choir for sharing their gifts. Thank you to all who made this program happen! What a great day to be a Cardinal!

Community Coffee Dates:

We love connecting with our Cardinal community and families! Our first community coffee on August 9th was a great start. Come and grab a cup of coffee or a cookie from 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM in the high school commons. It is an open house as well. If it has been awhile since you have been in the building, feel free to look around and take a tour. Here are the upcoming dates:

• November 27th
• January 3rd
• March 7th
• April 18th
• May 21st

These informal gatherings are perfect for chatting with district leaders, asking questions, and sharing your thoughts. We hope to see you there!

Your engagement helps make our district stronger. Go Cardinals!

On Tuesday, November 12, our students benefited from an important educational presentation on online safety featuring experts from KSB School Law and the Nebraska State Patrol.

Presentation Details

Bobby Truhe from KSB School Law delivered targeted presentations to our 5th through 8th grade and then another session to our high school students. Lt. Monty Lovelace of the Nebraska State Patrol shared age-appropriate online safety information with our 2nd through 4th-grade students during the afternoon and also provided a parent session at 5:30 PM.

Key Takeaways from the event:

The presentations focused on critical online safety tips, helping students of all ages understand how to navigate the digital world more safely and responsibly. We demonstrated our commitment to protecting our students in an increasingly connected world by bringing in professional experts.

Ultimately, the message shared with our 5th through 12th grade students was the following from KSB’s Bobby Truhe:

1. Did you post it?

2. Did it cause a disruption in school? By students, adults, or community members?

3. Once you post it, you lose all control of how it is interpreted.

We appreciate Bobby Truhe and Lt. Monty Lovelace for educating our school community about these important issues.

Join the conversation and share perceived needs, desires and provide feedback for school leadership on comprehensive facility needs at Doniphan-Trumbull. If you can't make it, a virtual and in person option are available. More details were provided in the postcards mailed to houses.

The meeting will take place in the West Gym at 7:00 PM.

Winter weather is quickly approaching, as such, I want to help inform the families, students, and community about the process for making a snow / cold day decision. As with any rural district, covering lots of square miles, the conditions may vary where you live and families are always able to keep their children at home if they don’t feel safe sending them on the road.

The process for postponing or canceling school is governed by the Doniphan-Trumbull Public School Board of Education Policies below, specifically the “inclement weather” portion of Policy No. 2410.

• 1500--Emergency Closing -- Rev 06-16-22.docx

• 2410--Administrative Action in Emergencies - Revised 07-13-22.docx

Some key points of that policy are listed below:

• School district buses will not operate when weather conditions due to fog, rain, snow, or other natural elements make it unsafe to do so.

• As weather conditions vary around the school district, we use the best information we have with our best professional judgment at the time we need to make a decision.

• The final decision to determine that conditions are unsafe to operate is made by the superintendent.

• This final decision is informed by “on-location” reports from other drivers and professionals, including the National Weather Service.

• Cancellation notices will be sent via the “all call emergency notification” via Infinite Campus, TV, school website, DT Cardinals APP, and social media. Please make sure you have the most up-to-date information in Infinite Campus. Log in to confirm or contact your building secretary.

The following information provides a look inside the process and consideration of deciding on cold / snow days.

BEFORE WINTER WEATHER

• I connect with local superintendents, bus drivers, and operations staff to ensure we are still on the same page with communication and processes

COLD DAY PROTOCOL

• When projected wind chills are between -25 and -30 we go on high alert. This means I am up through the night monitoring whether or not those projections are accurate. If we hit the -30 mark, the school will likely be postponed by 2 hours, or potentially canceled for the day.

• Meetings occur as early as 48-72 hours out of the weather event and include text messages, zoom calls, and multiple instances of collaboration with local authorities including the National Weather Service.

• For a cold spell in 2022, I consulted with local schools including Kennesaw, Giltner, Aurora, South Central Unified, Wood River, Gibbon, Shelton, and Centura, in addition to the National Weather Service.

• The most reliable source and valuable information I utilize; in addition to local experts, is the www.weather.gov website, and then click on the local map to drill down to local conditions.

• During the 21-22 winter, at 24 hours out, the forecast indicated that the low for wind chills would be -21 from 6:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. and would rise from there. While -21 below windchill is nothing to scoff at, it doesn’t meet the level of severity to cancel or postpone school.

• When projected wind chills are below -30 we likely will proactively decide to cancel or postpone.

COLD DAY ARGUMENTS

• -30 is just an arbitrary number so why do you use it?

• Per the National Weather Service, skin can freeze in approximately 10 minutes in those conditions.

• As a school system and me personally, I feel confident we can get a van out to pick up kids in 30 minutes or less depending on the location of the stalled bus, stranded students, or otherwise. At 10 minutes, this is much more concerning.

• https://www.weather.gov/safety/cold-wind-chill-chart

• We should never close because of the cold. Tell kids to bundle up.

• We try, but the majority of our JH and HS kids wear hoodies or shorts to school despite the temperature and likely despite their family or parent's warnings to not do so.

When weather conditions deteriorate during the day after school has begun, cancellation

notices will be announced by TV, Infinite Campus, DT Cardinals APP, and the district website. Students will be returned to their regular drop-off sites unless weather conditions prevent it. In that case, students will be kept at or returned to school until they are picked up by their parents.

SNOW DAY / ROAD CONDITIONS PROTOCOL

• Each week during the winter months I touch base with our Transportation Coordinator and Supervisor of Maintenance, Grounds, and Custodial about any potentially inclement days.

• Sometimes it is easy and we get to make the call the night before – that is the ONLY time I like snow days. Oftentimes, that is not the case.

• If an inclement weather day is approaching, we touch base the night before and institute “the protocol”

• If the information we get is a NO GO – then I immediately inform the BOE and Leadership Team and send the all-call to go as soon as that decision is made, potentially the night before.

• If it is an ‘iffy’ situation, the transportation department and I drive the roads to inspect them.

• By 5:45 am, after driving and conferencing with the road officials, the National Weather Service, I decide with a recommendation with the driver’s input in mind.

• On rare occasions, Transportation has gotten back to me after 5:45 a.m. to change the recommendation.

• This can happen as conditions change.

• This can happen as more buses get on the roads and report back

• This can happen if roads we thought would be able to plow open prove more difficult to open than expected

• This can happen as our partners change the feedback they have previously given

• Yes, the rumored panicked superintendent text group exchange exists. No, we do not all make the decisions together. Although it is true, there is safety in numbers. Most districts have their protocol and follow them. The text chain is a communicative courtesy.

• And ice – every decision-maker in these situations is terrified of ice. It is less predictable and more hazardous.

• If students are ever picked up and then school is postponed or canceled, students will be returned to their pick-up location for families to pick up.

SNOW DAY ARGUMENTS

• If you have school on a day when roads are questionable you do not care about the safety of students and staff.

• Nothing could be further from the truth. If our buses can safely travel, then we choose to operate them in most cases.

• Moreover, I have served alongside leaders who have lost students tragically in a school-related accident on a typical weather day, but the water had re-froze on the road. As with all decisions, I make them as if my own children were driving or riding. If anything, we are hypersensitive.

• Snow days impact the continuity of learning.

• We know. We don’t like it.

• Snow days burden parents with child care.

• We know. We don’t like it.

D-T Public School recently purchased a new bus to move into our transportation fleet as our other busses continue to age. This was a planned expense out of our depreciation fund where we deposit money (much like a savings account) to support larger expenditures, like busses.

We also welcome a new bus driver to our staff. Dave Zavala, who recently drove for Grand Island Public Schools, will be filling in as a substitute route drive and an activities driver for our transportation department. David is a Wood River native and we are especially excited given his deep history of service to schools in both the custodial and transportation arenas. Dave has been riding along our routes to learn the locations of stops for when he is called upon to fill in.

D-T welcomes Kendra Skarniak as a 2nd shift custodian. Kendra came on board in the last couple of weeks and you have likely seen her in the building. Her "area" is primarily in the secondary end of the building.

Launching Great Minds Trivia Night

📆 November 23, 2024

🚀 Launching Great Minds Event sponsored by the D-T Education Foundation to support student scholarships!

💰All proceeds go directly to student scholarships, please consider supporting this tremendous cause.

🎫 Tickets $30.00 or Table of 8 for $200.00

🏣 Doniphan Event Center

⏰ 5:00 PM - Happy Hour | 6:00 PM - Dinner | 7:00 PM - Trivia

1. Exterior Door Replacement
2. Safety Team Update
3. NDE School Safety YouTube Channel

D-T was awarded a NDE Safety & Security Infrastructure Grant this past spring. During their September board meeting the BOE solicited for bids and during their October board meeting accepted bids and approved proposals for two projects regarding exterior doors and locks.

Island Glass from Grand Island will be replacing exterior doors at entrances #1, #2, #5, #6, #8, #11, and #14. This plan would utilize the existing closers and door frames but replace all other components. This would be an update from our current door system and go from two points of lock to one central lock. This will provide much more consistent functionality of the doors, using a center mullion (removable if necessary) and manual intervention to ensure the door is locked, which will be done at a height that all staff can complete. This purchase is accomplished through no taxpayer dollars but rather the successful awarding of the NDE Safety & Security Infrastructure Grant. The total bid is for $132,715.00

The second portion of this grant will be utilized to enhance the controlled access portion of our exterior door functioning. This portion will update to locks and locking mechanisms to improve the safety and awareness of our exterior doors openings, including door closure sensors, updated camera intercom for the main entrance, and new controlled access mechanisms to match the new exterior doors. The door sensors will communicate with offices so we know which doors may be open. The part of the project is estimated in the proposal at $35,479.50.

In totality, this exterior doors project is funded at 97% NDE Safety & Security Infrastructure Grant funds and 3% general funds, $161,949 & $6,245.50, respectively.

During our last safety meeting, one of the items the district safety & security team reviewed was the safety and well being pillar that support the vision and mission of our school district. As you can see from the graphics below, the safety & well-being of our students, staff and families are critical to supporting the vision and mission, and should be done in such a way that is aligned to our core values of respect, integrity, and growth. It is important to realize these core values are expected to be in place where ever we are, as educators are educators all of the time. Especially in a small community.
The team reviewed the Pillar for Progress connected to Safety and the items of improvement and strength last year linked here.

The NDE School Safety and Security team vision is to provide guidance & support to all Nebraska schools in prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts to keep educational communities safe and secure. This YouTube Channel serves as one way to support educational communities

Nov 22 - Pizza Bingo Night

Nov 23 - D-T Education Foundation Launching Great Minds

Nov 25 - D-T Master Facility Planning Meeting

Nov 27 - Cardinal Community Coffee

Nov 27 - Nov 29 - Thanksgiving Break

Dec 1 - Trumbull Community Christmas - 5:00pm-7:30pm

Dec 3 - Doniphan Hometown Christmas - 5:30pm-7:30pm

Dec 19 - 1:30 PM Early Dismissal

Dec 20 - No School Professional Development

Dec 20 - Jan 3 - No School Winter Break

Jan 6 - 2nd Semester Begins