The staff and administration of Falls City High School have announced the selections for April and May Digital High School Students of the Month. The honors go to the following students:

Upperclassmen- Jack Findlay, a senior, is the son of Jeff and Susan Findlay. Alexis Wittwer, a junior, is the daughter of Gary and Andrea Wittwer.

Underclassmen- Joe Spinner, a freshman, is the son of Sherry Spinner. Piper Sutton, a sophomore, is the daughter of Shane and Alisha Sutton.

“The students were nominated by high school staff for being innovative, responsible, resilient, and resourceful in this digital learning environment,” according to high school principal Gale Dunkhas.

Each year the Falls City Education Foundation honors excellence in individuals through a series of awards. We honor those who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and contributions in promoting high-quality education in our school district. Please take the time to consider nominating individuals for these awards.

Awards presented include Outstanding Secondary Educator, Outstanding Elementary Educator, and Outstanding Classified Employee. The awards will be presented during the Pre-Service session on August 10th.  

Nominations of individuals for these awards are now open. Packets including nomination forms, instructions, and rules are available for download on the homepage of the Falls City Public Schools website: www.fctigers.org, or by clicking the links below. All nomination materials must be delivered or postmarked by June 26, 2020.

Recognizing outstanding individuals is one of the best ways to promote and highlight quality education and schools. I encourage you to nominate individuals who are deserving of recognition with these awards today! 

Nomination Forms: 

Outstanding Classified Employee Award 2020 Nomination Form

Outstanding Elementary Teacher Award 2020 Nomination Form

Outstanding Secondary Teacher Award 2020 Nomination Form

The 2019-2020 Falls City High School Outstanding Athletes of the Year have been awarded.  This years winners are senior Mason Crawford, the son of Clay and Chris Crawford.  Hannah Clary, the daughter of Danny and Terri Jo Clary,  They were presented their trophies and plaques in front of their parents and respective head coach.  Congratulations to both athletes.  

The Falls City High School Lifters of the year for the 2019-2020 school year are: Hunter Arnold-12 & Thayer Armbruster-11

Hunter is the son of Duane Arnold and Donna Arnold.  Thayer is the daughter of Andy and Sarah Armbruster.

Falls City Public Schools will be continuing to provide lunch through the summer break to students.  This will be a lunch ONLY program.  Lunch will be provided Monday through Thursday with Fridays lunch included in the Thursday pickup.  There WILL NOT be home deliveries made for the summer lunch program.  All lunches will need to be picked up at the middle school each day between 11AM and 12:30PM.  A lunch will be provided for all children between the ages of 1 and 18.  If you would like to participate in our extended lunch program please fill out the survey below:

Lunch Program Survey Link

April 2, 2020                                                              

To Families in FCPS:

Falls City Public Schools and all schools in Nebraska will be operating in an alternative learning environment for the remainder of the school year.

Per Governor Rickett’s Directive Health Measure, all schools in Nebraska will remain closed and operate in an alternative learning environment for the remainder of the 2019/2020 school year.  With this directive, all schools are closed to students until May 31st and cancels all extracurricular activities until May 31st.

Traditional graduation ceremonies are not going to be possible this May. Schools will be working to determine appropriate alternative methods to honor the Class of 2020 in each community, whether that be a ceremony at a later date or some other locally determined alternative graduation that complies with the guidance of health officials.

We continue to monitor the unfolding COVID-19 epidemic to anticipate its impact on our state.  We are working with the Southeast District Health Department (SEDHD), the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), and other state and local officials on this situation. We will continue to communicate important updates to the public and our partners. 

The CDC is putting out updated guidance daily; for the most up to date information visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.  To learn more about COVID-19, go to https://www.cdc.gov/covid19.

Sincerely,

Tim Heckenlively, Superintendent

***NEWS RELEASE***

EDUCATORS ANNOUNCE

NEBRASKA STRONG LEARNING LAB

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR STUDENTS TO START MONDAY MORNING,

WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH NEWS CHANNEL NEBRASKA, NEARLY ALL VIDEO AND CABLE TV SERVICES, ONLINE, THROUGH MOBILE APP, AND AVAILABLE FOR ON-DEMAND PLAYBACK

March 18, 2020 – The Nebraska State Education Association (NSEA) today announced it will offer educational programming for elementary and secondary students that will be available free to all Nebraska children beginning Monday, March 23.  NSEA is partnering with News Channel Nebraska and Lincoln Public Schools on the project, with financial support from the National Education Association.

Many Nebraska schools are closed due to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic. More school districts are expected to close in the coming weeks.

“We are working with our members to coordinate this educational programming,” said Maddie Fennell, NSEA executive director. “From readalouds to learning games to instructional lessons with teachers, we will work to support our students and their families as we navigate this pandemic together.”

Educational programming for elementary students will air from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and for secondary students from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“And, because we know every family’s schedule is different, all the live content our members create and provide will be captured and available for on-demand playback at any time,” said Benson.

“The NSEA represents the teachers who change lives everyday throughout Nebraska.  During this difficult time, thanks to the NSEA, children can continue learning and their parents will see firsthand some of the magic that happens in our classrooms every day,” said Andy Ruback, CEO Flood Communications/News Channel Nebraska.

There are multiple ways to watch this new educational programming. Families can live stream NCN at www.newschannelnebraska.com, download the NCN app on any mobile device, or access the programming through their local cable provider, NCN on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Roku apps. Those living in Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, Beatrice, Norfolk, Columbus and South Sioux City can also use an over-the-air antenna to access the live presentations. NCN will share the programming with its 300,000 social followers.

The programs will also be available on-demand through NSEA’s website at nsea.org and NSEA will provide an online forum for questions and supplemental educational resources.

Educators can submit their name as a potential "TV teacher" at:

www.nsea.org/volunteer

For more information, contact Karen.Kilgarin@nsea.org or Al.Koontz@nsea.org

Important information regarding the Grab & Go breakfast/lunch:

1. The Falls City Public School District is planning a free Grab & Go breakfast/lunch program for every student in the school district and HeadStart due to schools being closed for COVID-19, beginning on Monday, March 23.. The meal will include a lunch for the day and breakfast for the next day. In the survey link provided here  Grab & Go Survey to indicate your participation and the details of the meal pick-up locations and delivery options. 

2. We will begin serving on Monday, March 23 at Middle School with curbside pickup from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Monday thru Friday through the duration of the school closure for COVID-19.  Delivery will also be available for students who live outside city limits by selecting the option on the Grab & Go survey or calling the school at 402-245-3455.

3. The breakfast and lunch menus for the next two weeks are subject to change depending on the availability of the food and how many students participate in this meal program.

4. Link to the Grab & Go meal program survey: Grab & Go Survey

March 17, 2020

Dear Falls City Tiger Families and Patrons,

The Falls City Public Schools will dismiss 2-hours early on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 as the school district follows the guidance of Commissioner of Education Blomstedt and Governor Ricketts to take steps necessary to close schools by the end of the week. This is a precautionary measure to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Tomorrow will allow students the opportunity to gather personal and learning items from lockers and classrooms, and meet with their teachers. We will resume classes on Monday, April 6. FCPS has been actively collaborating with state officials to assist in this decision.

Parent-Teacher Conferences scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and Thursday, March 19, 2020 are canceled and will not be rescheduled.

Important Notes:

1. All school buildings will be closed to students March 18, 2020. Faculty and staff will report as normal. School buildings will not be open or accessible to the public.
2. Administrators, teachers, and staff will spend the next 5 days finalizing a plan for extended, outreach learning opportunities and the district will be in communication with families and students. If you have questions, please contact the respective principal of your building.
3. The district is planning a free Grab & Go breakfast/lunch program for every student in the district due to schools being closed for COVID-19, beginning on Tuesday, March 25. The meal will include a lunch for the day and breakfast for the next day. You will be receiving a survey this week to indicate your participation and the details of the meal pick-up locations and delivery options.  
4. Effective Monday, March 16 all NSAA activity practices are suspended until Monday, March 30 and all NSAA activity competitions are suspended until Thursday, April 2.  These suspensions may be extended should the conditions warrant.

We will continue to provide updates and further information. Thank you for your support during these extraordinarily, uncharted times.

Sincerely,

Tim Heckenlively, Superintendent