We are excited to announce that Mrs. Sharayah Phillips will be teaching High School Choir. Mrs. Phillips has been a part of our Swede Family for several years serving as our extremely talented accompanist. We are thankful for Mrs. Phillip's willingness to provide continued musical opportunities for our students throughout the 2nd semester.
Welcome Back Dudley Elementary Staff & Students! We are excited to see you today!
Join Our Team at Gothenburg Public Schools! Are you an energetic and passionate educator ready to make a difference? Gothenburg Public Schools invites you to join our dedicated team as we seek a dynamic individual for a Lower Elementary Teacher position.
We are excited to announce that Mrs. Melanie Nutt will be joining our faculty as the 5th - 12th Grade Band Teacher starting on Thursday, January 4th. Mrs. Nutt is a retired music teacher and has been a part of our Swede Family as a loyal substitute for many years. We are thankful for Mrs. Nutt's willingness to provide continued musical opportunities for our students throughout the 2nd semester.
We are excited to announce that Mrs. Kristin Hastings will be joining our faculty as the Junior High and High School Librarian starting on Thursday, January 4th. Mrs. Hastings has been a part of our Swede Family for a long time serving in the role of a loyal substitute for many years. Please help us in welcoming Mrs. Hastings to Gothenburg Public Schools in her new full-time librarian role!
Before the break, Mr. Meyer's 6th-grade class spent time completing a service project. Students picked up trash around the school grounds, baseball field, and swimming pool. Thanks for keeping Gothenburg beautiful!
We have some very nice items in the Lost & Found. Hoping someone claims them before we wash and donate as they do belong to a Dudley student! Contact Mrs. Floyd if an item belongs to your child.
Merry Christmas Swedes!
Do you have a passion for music? Gothenburg Public Schools has an immediate opening for 7-12 Band and/or 9-12 Choir instructor for the second semester. We are willing to get creative so that a teaching degree is not necessarily required. If you are interested to learn more, please contact Mr. Seth Ryker at seth.ryker@goswedes.org or Dr. Allison Jonas at allison.jonas@goswedes.org
The Board of Education of Gothenburg Public Schools will meet at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27th, 2023 in the Teaching & Learning Lab located within the High School at 1322 Avenue I, Gothenburg, NE. A copy of the agenda, kept continuously current, is available for public inspection in the office of the Superintendent of Schools at the district office and online at https://bit.ly/GPSminutes
Give & Gather Challenge a Success!
Friday 12/22 Dismissal Times:
K-6th Grade: Dismiss @ 2:30
7th - 12th Grade: Dismiss @ 12:30 (students with makeup work should remain at school to ensure all work is completed before semester grades are posted - teachers will be available to assist until 2:30)
Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas season.
Special thanks to Gothenburg Health, MountainStar Sports, Dayspring Bank, the City of Gothenburg, Pinpoint, Gothenburg Chamber of Commerce, Stories and the GHS IT team for hosting our students on the Business and IT Career Tours yesterday!
Thank you to Mrs. Welch and the 5th & 6th grade students for sharing their musical talents with us last night at their Band Concert. Both grade levels played a few pieces for parents and community members to enjoy.
Our Dudley students & families are AMAZING! The Give & Gather Challenge POINT TOTAL as of today is 7,500. We are so close to reaching our GOAL of 10,000 by Friday! We can do this! #SwedesLead
Our annual Give & Gather Challenge is going on at Gothenburg Public Schools. Dudley Elementary currently has 3,715 points with a goal of earning 10,000 points by Friday. With an attitude of giving and supporting others, we can meet this goal! We appreciate your contributions!
NDE Science Standards Review Survey: The Nebraska Department of Education is conducting a review of the 2017 Nebraska College and Career Ready Standards for Science. As a part of the review process, NDE requests public input to provide feedback on the current standards. The survey will be available through Friday, December 22, 2023. Click on the link to access to survey: https://nde.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_55vZar0x13rLKt0
The Annual Report of Gothenburg Public School's NSCAS & ACT data was shared at Monday night's School Board Meeting. Click on the link below to listen to a screen recording of the presentation. Please contact Angie Richeson, Director of Teaching and Learning with questions: https://youtu.be/-f9XMR2AFvc
Guess what today is? It is time for DIBELS with our K-6 students! Excited to see the growth our students have made in reading from Fall to Winter! Schedule was shared with parents in an email! Good Luck to our Swedes!
The Nebraska Department of Education released the Nebraska Education Profile (NEP) information today. The NEP data is designed to rate schools across the state. On the surface, all schools and districts will receive one of four classification ratings: Needs Improvement, Good, Great, or Excellent. Below the surface, these ratings are complex and make up a multitude of data points to create a comprehensive profile report. Snapshots of every school across the state are available to the public and can be found at: http://nep.education.ne.gov
Dudley Elementary and Gothenburg High School received a rating of “Good” and Gothenburg Junior High (Middle School) received a rating of “Great”. When combining all of the complex data points together including but not limited to Transitions (graduation rates), Opportunities and Access (absenteeism and English Learner proficiency), and Achievement & Growth (state assessment proficiency) Gothenburg Public Schools received a rating of “Great” which is an improvement from last year’s district rating of “Good”.
With the release of the NEP, Gothenburg Public Schools state testing data is now public (and no longer embargoed). This includes both NSCAS and ACT district data from last school year (spring, 2023).
The NSCAS Summative Assessment is given to all 3rd - 8th graders. Gothenburg Public Schools saw great improvement in all three areas from the previous year (2022). English Language Arts increased 13 percentage points, Math increased 16 percentage points, and Science increased 9 percentage points. Gothenburg Public School’s ELA and Science scores are above the state average.
The ACT is given to all Juniors. It is important to note that Gothenburg’s “College Going Rate” (as stated on the NEP) is 66%. This is the number of students who enroll at a postsecondary education institution before October 15 of the year following their high school graduation, divided by the number of students that graduated with a diploma. Even though the ACT is a required assessment for all juniors in the state of Nebraska, it is an assessment designed to measure skills that are most important for success in postsecondary education. Sixty-six percent of Gothenburg’s students enroll in a post-secondary institution.
On the ACT, Gothenburg’s proficiency levels in all three areas (ELA, Math, and Science) were right at or close to the state comparisons. Gothenburg’s ELA proficiency was 41% (state proficiency was 46%), Math was 41% (state proficiency was 42%) and Science was 49% (state proficiency was also 49%).
Nationally, ACT test scores have seen a drop to their lowest level in 30 years, and this is the sixth consecutive year of declines in average scores. The national average scores in three of the four subjects featured on the test - mathematics, reading, and science - were below the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks. The benchmarks are the minimum ACT test scores required for students taking the test to have a high probability of success in college.
It is important to note that the graduating class of 2023 began their high school careers when the COVID-19 pandemic took place. Nationally, the number of graduating seniors who met none of the ACT College Readiness benchmarks climbed to a historic high in 2023, with only 21% of students (nationally) meeting all four benchmarks.
Although the Nebraska Educational Profile (NEP) is helpful to a school district, we recognize that the actual assessments utilized in the overall calculations were taken by students seven months ago. It is difficult to make instructional decisions that directly impact those particular students, in that particular grade level (as those students are now in the next grade level). However, the data does provide our district with a 10,000 foot view and also provides us with important indicators of how we can make adjustments moving forward to improve overall outcomes for students.
If you have additional questions about Gothenburg Public School’s NEP data, please contact Angie Richeson - Director of Teaching and Learning, Gothenburg Public Schools.
Gothenburg eighth graders participated in the Health Science Explorer Camp on Nov. 15 at UNK. Students learned about health sciences and careers in health care through hands-on activities, simulations and cast studies and interactive sessions.
