Seeing no less than 36% of any grade earn honor roll is a celebration and demonstrates the work our students and staff are doing to help pursue academic growth and excellence.

Leadership Platte Valley. Leadership Platte Valley is an effort to build capacity for our stakeholders (community and staff) to learn more about schools, how they work, what goes into them, and the work that we do. All are welcome to engage and we look forward to you attending. All meetings take place at the Platte Valley Central Office Board/Community Room beginning at 5:30. 

∙       Wednesday, December 16th  School Finance, Budget, and Investing in Public Education          

∙       Wednesday, January 20th  Safety and Security, Student Behavioral Support

∙       Wednesday, February 17th Instructional Framework and Learning Technology

∙       Wednesday, March 24th  Success Skills, Career Connectedness & Post Secondary Readiness, and potential Student Panel

∙       Wednesday, April 21st  - Operational Excellence (Facilities, Maintenance, and Long-Range Planning)

Winter Storm Closure Communications. We are approaching the time of year when winter weather can impact our ability to have school. Our goal is always to have school. We believe students are better off when they are in school with regular routines and in a safe environment. However, we also do not want to put our students and staff in an unsafe situation. 

The decision on whether to delay the start of school or cancel school is often one of the most difficult decisions we make and is not made lightly. Timing of storms, wind, amount of snow, location and forecasts are all items we take into consideration when making decisions on holding school. We still go drive roads and check road conditions early in the morning from 3:30 am to 5:30 am to make decisions about our ability to have school. There may be times that we cancel school the night before so parents can make appropriate plans. However please keep in mind our goal is to have school. 

Communication will only be sent out if we have a delayed start or cancel school. Please see more detailed information later in the newsletter regarding district communications including the use of Edlio, television stations, and social media when we make decisions to delay or cancel school. Finally, please check your Alma parent portal or contact the schools to make sure we have accurate email and cell phone contact information to ensure you are able to receive these important communications. 

ParentGuidance.org. We want to remind families of the partnership with Cook Center and ParentGuidance.org., a non-profit organization that works to provide resources to families to help guide their children through all of the issues they will be confronted with as the grow up. These issues include dealing with social media, anxiety, body image, grief and loss, divorce, and much more. It is not uncommon for anxiety to increase during the holidays, both for adults and children. The resources are specific to parents and guardians and is being funded for two years through a grant with the WeldTrust. Please see the information below on how to access the resources available to our families.

• How to Sign Up for Parent Coaching: https://cookcenter.info/HowtoRegisterforCoaching 
• How to Use the Mental Health Series: https://cookcenter.info/WelcometotheMentalHealthSeries 

Thankful. November and the holidays in general is an opportunity reflect on all that we have to be grateful for. In the grand scheme of things, we are incredibly fortunate to live, work, and go to school in the community that we do. We have an incredibly supportive community that has worked to support the students at Platte Valley School District. We have a high-quality staff that works to do all they can to educate, support, and guide children from PK to 12th grade, 3 to 18 years of age. Our students have the prospect to learn and grow through the academic and co-curricular opportunities that are available to them and help them to be ready to leave the protected walls of Platte Valley School District. 

These opportunities would not be available to our students, the individuals we will eventually rely on and need to lead our communities and country in the future, without the investments and sacrifices of our community. Our mill-levy override has allowed us to effectively compete with area school districts to recruit and retain a high-quality staff. The passage of our bonds dating back to 1999 has allowed us to provide high-quality working and learning environments for our students and staff, while also being fiscally responsible for our community. These election initiatives provided us with the resources to continue to invest in our students and community while also being diligent about maintaining our District’s facilities and infrastructure. These same students will eventually be called upon to work, run, and lead our communities in the future. That is the purpose, and power of public education. We are grateful for these investments, sacrifice, and the foresight from our community to invest in our future leaders. 

Finally, I would like to recognize and share my thanks for the Platte Valley Board of Education. We are thankful for the leadership and time donated by the individuals who collectively make up the Board of Education: James Welch, Luke Gardner, Mary Roth, Robin Meireis and Kristine Bauer. Thank you, Platte Valley Community, for all that you do, we have much to be thankful for. 

Yours in Education,

Jeremy Burmeister, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around”. Willie Nelson