Key Achievements:

✅ Student proficiency jumped from 55% to 72%

✅ Science scores soared to 88.3%

✅ 8.9% annual improvement in English & Math

✅ Less than 1% suspension rate

What Makes This Special:

We're proud to be recognized by the AQuESTT accountability system for our commitment to student success! This rating reflects our dedication to serving each student with a quality education in a safe and positive learning environment.

Every Student. Every Day. The Cardinal Way.

Our Promise:

Continuing to lead with integrity, growth, and respect.

#EducationExcellence #WeAreDT #PublicSchoolProud #TheCardinalWay

📚 Huge thanks to our amazing students, teachers, families, and community! 🎉

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 our cafeteria staff.

As a special holiday treat, it is a double feature with a spotlight on "Janitor John" and the spirit he brings to D-T!

Don’t miss the full article for a deeper dive into this episode’s feature!

🎥 https://youtu.be/6q5Kqq1u4wg

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

The elementary student council consists of 5th and 6th grade students who applied to be a part of student council. With the addition of the screen and projector in the west gym, we added a sub group of student council. This is the DT I CARE Video Team. It is a group of 5th and 6th grade students who are working with me to develop Safe, Responsible, and Respectful videos to use for all elementary students in and out of the classroom. We are currently working on a few different videos and hopefully they will be ready to start using in the near future.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation hosted a “Name A Snow Plow” contest this fall. Students had the opportunity to submit a fun or catchy name to name a local snow plow. We had some students from different grades submit possible names. On November 7 the NDoT reached out to us to let us know we had a local winner. Berkley Hansen, DT 6th grade student, was one of the 16 (I believe they ended up selecting 17 winners) students to have their name selected and added to a local snow plow. At that time, we contacted Berkley’s parents but kept it a secret from Berkley.

On Wednesday, November 13 staff from the Nebraska Department of Transportation joined us to announce the winner of the “Name A Snow Plow” contest. This announcement happened in the morning during our morning announcements with all PK through 6th grade students. The announcement also included local news coverage as the NDoT does a press release with this information. Berkely’s named the snow plow “Mr. Freeze” and it the name was put on the side of the truck and the 6th grade students signed the snow plow. Mr. Freeze will be seen driving Hwy 281 between Hastings and Doniphan when ice and snow are on the roads.

We are proud to announce our November 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!

Our November teachers of the month are Mrs. Shona, Mrs. Nicole, and Ms. Kristi our amazing preschool team! These ladies are a huge part of the strong foundation we have for learning here at DT. With their calm presence, big smiles, and warm hearts they sure do great things. We are so lucky to have them here! Congratulations preschool teachers!

We are excited to announce that enrollment packets will be mailed out this month, with completed forms due by January 7th. Our current projections show promising enrollment numbers:

• 22 students for 4-year-old preschool

• 16 students for 3-year-old preschool

Our annual Preschool Holiday Program on December 5th was a tremendous success! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to:

• Our dedicated teachers and paraprofessionals who worked tirelessly to create a magical experience for our students

• Santa and Mrs. Claus brought the holiday cheer.

• Our custodial staff for their assistance in preparing the venue

We proudly announce that the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will conduct comprehensive program assessments this spring. These evaluations include:

• CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System): Focused on teacher-student interactions

• ECERS (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales): Evaluating our learning environment

We look forward to continuing to provide high-quality early childhood education and appreciate the support of our families and community.

The data below is from our Nebraska Education Profile and shows the percentage of preschool children who met or exceeded Widely Held Expectations as defined by the Teaching Strategies GOLD. The Widely Held expectations describe the range of knowledge, skills, and abilities that children of a particular age typically demonstrate over a year of life (birth through age 3) or from the beginning to the end of a program year (preschool). These expectations are based on the latest research in early education.

What does it mean?

D-T Preschool Students currently out perform the state average for preschool students in all categories for typical age peers. The early start our children receive will mean less intervention services needed in the future and give the Cardinals an ever important leg up on peers.

Our district remains dedicated to providing comprehensive support for students with special needs. Recent developments in special education require transparent communication with our community about important initiatives and requirements.

Alternate Assessment Participation

Nebraska has implemented a critical guideline capping alternate assessment participation at 1%. To ensure we meet this requirement, we have:

- Conducted mandatory staff training

- Implemented more rigorous documentation processes for student eligibility

- Developed comprehensive guiding questions for IEP team determinations

School Designation and Performance Monitoring

Our district is actively addressing academic performance through targeted initiatives as D-T was identified with the designation of ATSI (Additional Targeted Support and Improvement).

• In order to be considered for TSI or ATSI, a school must have had at least 10 students in the student group who have a valid NSCAS or NSCAS-ACT score for math or English language arts and meet the full academic year requirement.
• Identified in Fall 2023: ATSI schools in this cohort have three years to exit this designation and will be eligible to exit in Fall 2026. ATSI schools that do not meet exit criteria will be designated for CSI in 2026 based on data from the 2025-26 school year.

DT’s designation is based on the percentage of elementary special education students that did not score proficient or above on the spring 2023 and 2024 NSCAS assessments.

Current Action Steps

We have implemented a comprehensive improvement strategy to support inclusion in collaboration with ESU 9 & NDE:

• Completed two rounds of instructional walkthroughs
• Sending team members to NDE Special Education Strategies Training at ESU 6
• Enhancing documentation of special education planning with general education teachers
• Ensuring special education accommodations are clearly documented in lesson plans

We are committed to continuous improvement and providing the highest quality education for all our students. Our teams are working diligently to support academic growth, ensure appropriate assessment, and meet state guidelines.

We appreciate the community's support in this important work.

Our community came together in spectacular fashion at the Doniphan Hometown Christmas event on December 3rd, showcasing the incredible talent and spirit of our local students and staff!

Culinary Triumph

A special congratulations to Mr. Keasling and our outstanding students for winning the People's Choice Award with their delicious Cheeseburger Soup. This achievement highlights the creativity and skill of our culinary program.

Community Support

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Nicole Hollister, Megan Hatt, Mindy Lavalleur, and our dedicated students who worked tirelessly to set up and staff the DT Warehouse vendor's booth. Your commitment to representing our community is truly appreciated.

Evening Entertainment

Megan Hatt and our elementary students provided delightful entertainment that brought joy and festive cheer to the event. Their performance was a highlight of the evening, spreading holiday spirit throughout the community.

We are proud of the talent, dedication, and community involvement demonstrated by our students and staff at the Doniphan Hometown Christmas celebration!

During the November Board of Education Meeting, the board was presented with the first annual financial literacy status report. This is an annual requirement of the Financial Literacy Act in January of 2022.

Nebraska Revised Statute 79-3001 to 79-3004, otherwise known as the Financial Literacy Act,

outlines the requirements for instruction in financial literacy.

• The graduation requirement for the Financial Literacy Act is required for all public and non-public schools (Nebraska Revised Statute 79-729).
• The class of 2024 (current sophomores in public and non-public schools) must complete a course in personal finance or financial literacy (as defined by Nebraska State Statute 79-3002) or personal finance as a graduation requirement.
• Financial literacy instruction in grades K-8 applies only to public schools and must be included in the instructional programs of elementary and middle schools as appropriate.
• Each school district shall provide a financial literacy status report annually to its local board of education.

Natalie Keezer, Brynlee Shafer and Colton Hannon were honored as November Students of the Month.

UBT in Lincoln has provided a state-wide sponsorship for Hudl providing $1,000 for each school. We are also using the "ad" version of hudl so you may see ads on the screen, as such, this reduces are overall live streaming costs.

1. Community Meeting Debrief
2. Wellness Team Update
3. Board Member Recognition
4. Community Coffee
5. Winter Weather Decision Making
6. Entry Procedures will be changing
7. HR Update

The D-T Board of Education hosted a working meeting / community master facility planning meeting on November 25, 2024. The main purpose of the meeting was to:

• have time for community members to share about key needs regarding our facilities at Doniphan-Trumbull for the D-T BOE & Administration

• learn from each other about what are the needs, questions, and concerns of our community relative to the facilities at Doniphan-Trumbull Public School.

• Gain valuable information and feedback from stakeholders on potential solutions to the facility concerns.

The meeting was also streamed on facebook live to help ensure each person who was interested was able to follow the meeting. Attendance was as follows:

• 33 community members

• 6 BOE

• 3 admin

• 2 running Facebook Live

• 3 architects/builders

• 32 watching on Facebook

The information below are comments shared in the meeting:

• Current set-up, PK-12 in one location

• Conversations about talking with Giltner about potential sharing opportunities, given they are also looking at a building

• Vocational space

• Preschool – lifeblood of the school, brings in young families

• Parking

• Learning spaces / spaces for Special Ed

• Building upkeep

• Keep class sizes small

• Competition gym – no extra space for kids to practice

• Upgrade facilities to recruit high quality teacher here to compete with surrounding towns

• Like small class sizes – concerned that joining with another school with increase our class size

• Concerned with a temporary fix, the timing, and increased cost if we wait to do anything

• DT is landlocked

• Alternative locations

At the end of the meeting two questions were asked of the audience:

The board will continue to examine this feedback and work with our architect, design, construction and municipal adviser to plan a follow up community meeting in later January or early February. The feedback from the meeting in November will drive future meetings.

The D-T Wellness Team met on November 18th at 7:00 AM. The wellness team accomplished much during it's meeting. Highlights included:

• Welcoming student members to the team including Bella Wright, Lauryn VanDiest, and Preston Sjuts.

Goal Updates Included:

1. By the end of the 2024-2025 School Year, D-T Public Schools will promote healthy food and beverage choices

• Vegetable names will be done creatively on a 3 year basis to improve outcomes
• Reflection on new menu items included new soups, dunkers, enchilada recipe. Feedback was to work on improving protein inclusion, revert to the original mac & cheese, and keep trying new recipes based on student feedback
• Corkstrips for student artwork were hung during Thanksgiving Break
• Planning ahead of salad bar items that run short like cottage cheese and other student favorites.

2. By the end of the school year 2024-2025, the teachers at D-T Public School will include in the health education curriculum

• Thanksgiving Physical Activity Trackers going home

3. By the end of the school year 2024-2025, D-T will support active transport to and from school

• May 7, 2025 will be the 2nd Annual Bike / Walk to School Day
• KG-1st Grade will walk in a group with support from their buddies in 5th & 6th grade
• Grades 2-4 will bike or walk
• A change this year will be to take out the "roll" element given the path contains gravel. No roller skates, scooters, skateboards, etc.
• Student members Lauryn, Bella and Preston will work with their membership groups of HOSA, FBLA, FCCLA & FFA to walk with the students. Less emphasis on seniors helping given their already busy week.

During the December School Board Meeting, Dr. Braden, Superintendent of Schools, recognized Cristi Engel (4 years) and Brent Rainforth (20 years) for their combined 24 years of service to Doniphan-Trumbull Public School as board members. Each member received a plaque commemorating their service to Doniphan-Trumbull Public School.

Thank you Cristi and Brent for your efforts to serve each student with a quality education in a safe and positive learning environment.

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:

• 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!

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.

As exterior doors are replaced, there will be adjusted procedures for entering the main entry, door #1. The outside doors will be locked and persons will need to buzz in from the east side of the main entry (near the handicap accessibility button). After coming into the vestibule, visitors will then press the button for the high school or for the district office to access the appropriate space or personnel.

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

• Savannah Lawrence, a graduate of the CCC Early Childhood Development program, will be starting as a paraprofessional. We plan to have her shadow Mandy Lavalleur for a couple of days, then fill in for Mindy as she visits her grandchildren. When Mindy returns, she will be taking her "normal" spot. See Nancy for specific questions and please welcome Savannah!
• 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. Please welcome Dave to the team!

Dec 20 - No School Professional Development

Dec 20 - Jan 3 - No School Winter Break

Jan 6 - 2nd Semester Begins