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Superintendent Update:08/07/2024

August 07, 2024

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Superintendent Community Update for Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Download the PDF HERE!

Hello again, Panther families! 

This document is intended to provide another informational update as we prepare for the start of the 2024-2025 school year. It is hard to believe that school starts next week!

We are extremely excited to have our students and families back in the buildings, and our staff has been working hard to be as prepared as possible for all the events coming up in the coming days and weeks. 

Despite the continued challenges associated with last-minute construction changes, we will be ready to go next Monday!  Special thanks also go out to our contractors and construction workers for all of their efforts to make our building projects high-quality while also meeting the specific needs of our students and community!

Traffic Patterns and Parking and Bennet and Palmyra Junior/ Senior High School 

• As we move into the first week of school next week, our building principals will be sharing information about specific parking and traffic flow at each of the buildings. 

• Please stay tuned for more specific information sometime before the end of this week. 

School Meal Prices: 

• Recently, we were provided updated meal pricing from the Nebraska Department of Education. Due to the continued increased cost of food items, we have been forced to again adjust our school meal prices to meet these increases. Even though the NDE has suggested somewhat higher prices than what we are adjusting, we have decided to increase the cost to a level that matches our resources. Listed below are the new costs for school meals. 

Lunch Prices:

•  Students, grades K through 5:                               $ 3.15

•  Students, grades 6 through 12:                              $ 3.25

•  School employees:                                                  $ 4.80 

•  Visitors and Adults:                                                 $ 4.80

Breakfast Prices:

• Students, grades K through 5:                                 $ 2.25

• Students, grades 6 through 12:                               $ 2.50

• School employees:                                                  $ 2.75

• Visitors and Adults                                                  $ 2.75

 Beverages:

• Milk:                                                                        $   .50

• Juice:                                                                       $   .30  

Upcoming Events:

• Thursday, August 8th: “Open House” Events at Palmyra High School and Bennet Elementary School from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

  • All students and families are invited to attend our “Open House” events at both buildings on Thursday, August 6th from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

    • Our “Open House” events this Thursday are designed to show our families some of the new changes at both buildings. Please note that many areas are still “under construction” and may be restricted for public access until next week.  

    • The Open House also provides an opportunity for our students to walk to some of their new classrooms, meet their teachers, and get to know the building and new expansion areas a bit better before they return to school on Monday, August 12th.

    • This “Open House” opportunity may also help to greatly reduce anxiety or fears some children or parents may have as they start school. 

    • SPECIAL NOTE: All of our new additions have not been completely finished yet. Some of the restricted areas at the buildings are listed below:

      • Bennet: 

        • Student Commons Area

        • New Playground Area

        • Computer Lab

        • Bennet Gym and Muti-Purpose Activity Area

      • Palmyra: 

        • New East Side Third Floor Classrooms

        • Fitness and Activity Area: East Side Garden Level

        • CTE Shop Areas 

    • We are doing our best, but we have experienced some delays through circumstances beyond our control. For example, we are still missing some items (furniture, etc.) in different classrooms, some spaces are still being constructed (the CTE shop areas), and some infrastructure is still being assembled (the elevator at the high school). These items will not preclude us from having school (we may be using older or repurposed furniture in the short term), they will just serve as minor inconveniences until they are corrected shortly after school begins. 

    • In summary, please come and visit us on Thursday night (8/8), 

    • Building maps and staff guidance about how to navigate through the buildings will be available on Thursday night.

    • Please note: We will be scheduling a more formal Community Wide Open House and Dedication Event will happen sometime in September. 

    • Please also see the attached documents for more information about the “Open House” events. 

    • Thank you in advance for your understanding and patience.

Palmyra Junior / Senior High School Open House Flyer: August 8, 2024

Bennet Elementary School “Open House” Flyer: August 8, 2024 

Upcoming Board of Education Meetings: 

• Monday, August 12th, 2024: Special CMAR (Construction Manager At Risk) School    

Board Meeting at 6:30 pm at Palmyra High School

• Monday, August 12th, 2024: Regular School Board Meeting at 7:00 pm at Palmyra

High School in the media center.

• Thursday, August 22nd, 2024: District OR-1 “Booster Bash” at the Olson Complex from

  • Please join us on Thursday, August 22nd as we celebrate all of our fall student activities and get a chance to hear performances from our cheerleading squads and high school music groups.

  • Please see the attached flier for more specific information.  

Thank you again for your support of our students, staff, and district.

Have an enjoyable rest of your week!

Mike 

Go Panthers!