As we approach the end of the first semester, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your continued support and commitment to Ashland-Greenwood Public Schools. It has been an incredible journey so far, filled with growth, learning, and unforgettable moments.

Each school year, students and staff participate in the “Giving Tree” activity. Food and supplies are collected for area families in need. The Intermediate Student Council will deliver these items to our local food pantry and they are made available to families that live in Ashland and the surrounding area. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to give to those in need. Students may bring donations to their classrooms through December 12th.

November 27-29th Thanksgiving Break No School for Students and Staff

Dec 2-13th Giving Tree Food Drive

Dec 6 POPS event

Dec 9: K-3 Music Concert

6:30-7:00 K-1 Concert and 2nd-3rd Concert 7:15-7:45 @ AGMS Performing Arts Center

Dec 11: The elementary Choir & 5th Grade Band will perform at 2:30 PM in the elementary gym. This mini concert offers our students an opportunity to share what they have learned during 1st Semester. Parents of performing students are welcome to attend.

Dec 17: Gingerbread Preschool Family Night @ Riverview Community Church - 6:00-7:00

Dec 20 : Staff & Student Sing-a-long; Early Out (Intermediate 12:50 & Primary 1:00); & end of 2nd Quarter

Dec 21: January 6 - Holiday Break

Jan 7: School Resumes

Jan 10: Second Quarter Report Cards sent home with students

The K-3 Winter Concert will be held on Monday, December 9 at the Performing Arts Center. K-1st will start at 6:30pm and go until approximately 7pm. There will be about a 15 minute break following the K-1 portion for any families who do not have a 2nd or 3rd grade child to exit the auditorium so other parents and family members may attend their student's portion of the concert and for all K-1 students to be picked up. The 2nd-3rd portion of the concert will start around 7:15pm.

We are excited to kick off the winter sports season with events at our varsity gym. Please review the expectations below. Thank you for supporting our AG Bluejays!

• Students of all ages should be in the gym to watch the game and cheer on the Bluejays!

• High School Students will have a defined ‘student’ section in the gym.

• Middle School Students (grades 6-8) will have a defined ‘student’ section in the gym.

• Students in grades 5 or younger should sit near their parents and be supervised while attending events.

• No outside balls should be brought into the gym/facility by young students or children.

• No running or playing in the hallways, cafeteria, or other spaces in the building.

• Students are not allowed to stay after school unsupervised, waiting for any event to begin.

• The elevator is not to be played on or ridden on by students unless permission is requested. The elevator is for those with mobility challenges.

Beginning Tuesday, January 7, bus routes for Mike Simpson, Rod Kissel/Virginia Clark, Lori Spethman-Twiford, Andy Pfeiffer, and Brad Pfeiffer will be reversed. Students who are currently picked up first will be picked up last and students who are currently picked up last will be picked up first. This change applies to drop off times as well. Bus students are also reminded to be at their pickup location on time. The bus driver cannot wait for late comers as this alters bus schedules and causes other students to wait in the winter weather for an extended time.

Starting as early as preschool and kindergarten, regular attendance is essential for students gaining the academic and social skills they need to thrive. Research shows that when students are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year or 18 days over an entire school year), they are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, achieve in middle school and graduate from high school.

In addition to the well-publicized learning losses, students also lost opportunities to develop socially and gain skills in problem-solving and self-regulation, all which are needed to grow and learn.

We understand that there can be many reasons a student needs to miss school. Please know, we still want kids to stay home if they are sick with a fever or vomiting. We want to work together to help students attend and thrive at school. If there are challenges you or your child are facing, if your child is avoiding school, or if there’s any support we can provide, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your building principal. When we collaborate we can overcome attendance and engagement at school. Thank you!

AGPS would like to thank our elementary PTO and Rack Room Shoes for helping our students get a new pair of shoes. Every year, Rack Room generously gives a gift card from their Shoes That Fit Program to offer to our students. This year, the PTO contributed an additional $1,200 to make sure every kid could get shoes. WOW! THANK YOU!

Ashland-Greenwood Public Schools is looking for dedicated individuals to join us as substitute paraprofessionals. This flexible opportunity is perfect for parents who want to spend time in the school environment, support our students, and make a meaningful impact.

With a schedule that works around your availability, you'll help fill a vital need in our school community. Apply today and make a difference for AGPS students! Apply online: https://agps.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

https://forms.gle/hdqg1iumdTHagbBY9

Various assessments and tests are used over the course of the school year to measure students’ academic growth and progress. All students in K-5th grade take the MAP Tests in the fall, winter, and spring. Students are assessed in the areas of Reading and Math. Additional math and reading skills assessments may be given to students to determine qualification for intervention and/or REACH programs. Further information about student testing can be found in the Student-Parent Handbook. Please contact your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions about student assessments.

Thank you to all of our families, community members, staff, and students who attended our Veterans Day events and helped honor our Veterans!

It has come to our attention that more students are being dropped off in the west parking lot cause students to have to walk through traffic to get to the entrance. Students should not be dropped off in the parking lot west of the school. The west parking lot is designated as a drop-off location for buses only.

The safety of students is of the utmost importance. All motorists are asked to follow the procedures below when dropping off and picking up children from the intermediate elementary school.

DROP-OFF Procedures:

1. Approach the elementary school using Clay Street.

2. Turn right after the bus barn and travel along the road around the building until you are south of the elementary building and playground. You will be facing west on Boyd street.

3. Students should exit the vehicle on the right side and use the sidewalk to walk into the playground.

4. If you need to exit your vehicle for any reason, you are asked to park in the east parking lot near the football field.

All students enter the building through the east or west cafeteria doors just off of the playground.

Motorists should not stop traffic along the roadway or in the parking lot east of the playground to let children out of their vehicle. Using the procedures outlined above will provide a safe way to drop off students and minimize traffic congestion.

As motorists near the school, they are asked to drive slowly and cautiously. There is a crosswalk directly across from the school on Clay Street. Many students use this crosswalk to get to and from school.

Ashland's very own Astronaut Clayton –“Astro Clay”– Anderson, Nebraska’s only Astronaut visited Mrs. Gude-Rung's class on National Young Readers Day to share his stories with the group. Students were excited to hear more about Mr. Anderson's story of perseverance and hear him read from his award winning books. Ashland-Greenwood Intermediate proudly displays Clay's accomplishments throughout our building and it was awesome to have him visit in person!

The Ashland-Greenwood Elementary PTO organized for several volunteers from the Ashland-Greenwood community to come read to our students on November 12th! We are grateful for their organization and to the volunteers for their time and sharing their love of literacy with our students!

Students in 5th grade have been learning about informational writing, including the importance of research. Students researched and wrote a biography in class. A culminating activity for the project was to use a pumpkin to depict their chosen person and why they are important. The pumpkins were displayed in the library for all students to see. Great job, fifth graders!

Congratulations to our 2024 Girls on the Run team for completing their fall season with a 5K run on November 3rd! Thank you to our coaches for bringing this opportunity to AG Intermediate!

This year, yearbook orders will be placed online. Please use the link or QR code below to order a yearbook online (CODE: 1413625). We will not be selling yearbooks at school this year. All orders must be placed online by January 10th. Yearbooks will be distributed to students in March. The yearbook will continue to be one elementary preschool-5th grade memory book. Thank you!

TAGG is an easy way to help our school raise money. Ashland NE's Runza is a participating location on TAGG! Uploading your receipt gives 5% back to our school. Details for how to use TAGG and other fundraising opportunities are below.

AG Intermediate Student Council members attended a Life Skills Leadership Pep Rally at UNL. At this event, students were able to hear from a variety of UNL student athletes from basketball, volleyball, and track and field as well as Miss Nebraska. They shared many important messages about persevering, working hard, being kind, and setting goals. After the rally, students were able to watch the Husker women's basketball game.

In November, third grade students travelled to Lincoln to learn more about Nebraska history and science at Morrill Hall. The field trip offers a variety of educational exhibits and experiences for students to explore.

On Tuesday, November 19th, the Ashland-Greenwood Primary students and staff participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the AG Primary School playground expansion. This expansion was generously funded by the donations from private donors as well as the Ashland-Greenwood Public School Foundation.

Thank you to Dostal Construction for their efforts in putting together this great space for our students.

Throughout last week, many students earned Bluejay tickets by demonstrating positive behaviors as part of the Bluejay Way. These Bluejay tickets were then entered for a chance to be selected as a Bluejay Flyer for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. What a memorable way for students to celebrate their efforts—being among the first to enjoy the new playground features like the swings, basketball court, and turf! Hundreds of students entered their tickets and excitement was high among all students for the expansion.

This project demonstrates the importance of community and the positive impact of the generous support like that of the Ashland-Greenwood Public School Foundation. The new playground will undoubtedly be a valuable space for students to grow physically, socially, and emotionally. We look forward to this space being an asset to the Ashland-Greenwood Primary building as well as to the Ashland community!

Congratulations to 4th grader, Delanie, in Mrs. Kelley's class who was awarded honorable mention in the Nebraska Game and Parks Reptile Competition. Out of 227 participants, Delanie received 4th in her division. Outstanding!

Thank you to donations from our AG Foundation and the school fundraiser we were able to transform the former preschool playground area into an outdoor classroom for AG Intermediate students! Miss Parrish's 4th graders enjoyed a fall day learning outdoors in our new outdoor classroom area. Thank you to the AG Foundation and money from families through our Dance-a-thon fundraiser students have a new learning space at school!

Congratulations to the students pictured below who completed the September reading challenge at home!

Congratulations to the students pictured below who completed the October Reading Rockstars activity. Students who turned in their activity had their name entered for raffles and got to participate in a "reading cafe" to enjoy hot cocoa and share about a recent book or story they read.

Meal program staff will be available in the cafeteria to assist families in making deposits in your child's meal account as well. The cost for meals is:

• Student breakfast - $2.15
• Student lunch - $3.10

Do you know of a community event that would be something our Ashland Greenwood Elementary students would be able to participate in? Please contact us at 402-944-7083.

A variety of resources are available for families and can be found below:

Resources for Food:

Food Pantry - American Lutheran Church - Jean Stewart - 402-789-2490 - By appointment

Ashland Mobile Food Pantry Every 4th Monday of the month from 3:00-4:00 at the American Lutheran Church

Children's Food Backpack Program - American Lutheran Church - 944-3535

Ashland Ministerial Association - Contact any area church for assistance.

• American Lutheran Church 944-3535
• First Christian Church 944-7070
• Methodist Church 944-7135
• Riverview Community Church 944-6134
• St. Mary's Catholic Church 944-3554
• Word of Hope Lutheran Church 402-521-0046

• Other churches may be found in the phone directory

Resources for Clothing:

The Closet at the American Lutheran Church provides free clothing. Contact Nicole Chudomelka at 944-3535 for more information.

Other Resources:

School Supply Backpack Program. Contact ashlandbackpackprogram@gmail.com or call Karen at 944-2794

Toys for Tots for the Holidays - Contact Jean Stewart - 402-789-2490