November Newsletter

We had a great first quarter and we had a high percentage of parents attend the Parent/Teacher Conferences. Thanks for coming and as always for partnering with us to help provide your children a good learning experience.

I meet with retired Fillmore Central staff periodically for coffee. We have done this a quite few times and hope to meet each quarter during the school year. It is great for me to be able to connect with people who know the history and traditions of Fillmore Central. It is also fun to share some of the things that are going on at school. If you or someone you know is a retired staff member and you’d like to join us please call (402) 759-4955 or email Kenna in my office and give her your email contact information. Her email is kenna.marchand@fillmorecentral.org. We’d love to have you. Again, please contact Kenna if you or someone you know should be included.

I get asked a lot if construction is on time or behind with all of the rain that we had earlier this fall. They are currently on schedule, even after all of the rain. They did work some longer days and some overtime to get us caught back up, but we were never more than a couple days off of their targets. If you’ve driven by in the last month you have seen a lot of change on the construction site. They have brought in some of the pre-cast panels for the gym and have been pouring concrete for the floors. They also started with some work inside the high school in the last week by opening up the ceiling in the main hallway so that they can start putting new water pipes for the HVAC system over into the new middle school.

I had some of these items in the October newsletter, but wanted to continue to remind everyone:

Severe Weather

The decision to have a late start or to cancel classes is difficult and often there are people that have differing opinions on the severity of the weather or road conditions. Please remember that you ALWAYS have the ability as parents to decide to send your child to school late or even to keep them at home due to road or weather conditions. We are in a large school district that covers many square miles. Weather and roads can vary a lot from one side of the district to the other. Our families that live on gravel roads often have different conditions than our families that live in town. Please make the best decision for your family on these days.

We will alert you to late-starts/closings through our social media – website, Facebook, automated calls, and our text alerts. We will also tell 10/11 news and have it on their closing alerts.

Sometimes we may have a late-start to give us more time to make a final determination on canceling classes for the entire day. If we announce a late start, it is still possible that we could announce a closing prior to the late-start time.

Staffing Needs

We are always looking for substitute teachers $145-$165 a day, substitute para educators, and substitute kitchen staff. If you or someone you know might be interested, please contact us. We’d love to connect with you. 402-759-4955.

I am excited for November and all of the fun activities and events that take place during 2nd quarter. We’d love to see you at some of our events.

Josh Cumpston

Steel Framework continues. More precast panels are going up!

Dirt work has begun in front of the high school building.

• Monday, November 9th, No School-Teacher PD
• Monday, November 16th, BOE Meeting @ 7:30pm
• Tuesday, November 24th, Monthly Assembly
• Wednesday, November 25th, No School
• Thursday, November 26th, No School
• Friday, November 27th, No School

Medication For Students

Please do not send medications to school with your child. Medications must come to school with the parent/guardian and given directly to the school office. Thank you for your help ensuring the safety of our students.

Cold Weather

Cold weather and snow will be here soon. Please send appropriate seasonal clothing (hats, gloves, boots) so your child can fully participate in outdoor recess. It is helpful to have items marked with your child’s name or initials so they can be returned if lost.

Bikes/Scooters

Many students ride bikes or scooters to school throughout the school year. Please ensure your child can safely handle this responsibility. Although children often enjoy riding bikes/scooters and their travel time can be lessened, walking on the sidewalk may be a safer option for some.

Do you know the hidden value of your child's homework?

Homework gives your child an opportunity to practice the skills she is learning in school. But did you realize that it also teaches important life lessons?

When your child completes homework on her own, she learns:

• Responsibility. Your child learns the importance of fulfilling her obligations. She also learns to hold herself accountable for her mistakes and successes.

• Perseverance. Most parents want to protect their kids from frustration. However, making your child's life easier now will only make it harder in the future.

• Time management. Learning how to manage her time in order to get her homework finished is one of the most valuable skills your child can learn.

• Initiative. Homework can help your child learn how to be self-motivated. When she chooses to complete spelling assignments a few days before they are due, she is showing initiative.

Reprinted with permission from the November 2013 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2013 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: J. Rosemond, Ending the Homework Hassle, Andrews & McMeel Publishing Company.

3rd grade was able to invite Jon from NPPD to come, speak and teach us all about energy and electricity. We got to see how power is transferred and how renewable and non renewable resources help us power all of our homes. We got to experiment with hand cranks and how it makes energy to power a light bulb. We also did some testing to see what makes the best insulators and conductors.

What is Early Development Network Services Coordination?

Services Coordination helps families of children with special needs below age three:

• Find services to meet developmental, educational, financial, health care, child care, respite care and other needs

• Work with multiple providers to make sure services are provided as needed

Why is Service Coordination Needed?

Nebraska families of children with special needs have found it difficult to locate needed services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and then to coordinate the services with the providers.

Who is Eligible for Services Coordination?

Eligible families are those with an infant or toddler below age 3 who has a disability or developmental delay and qualifies for special education through the public schools.

Year round services coordination is provided.

There is no cost to families.

How Can Families Apply?

To request Early Development services for your child or to refer a child, call the local number below. With prior parental permission, referrals may be made by anyone who suspects a developmental delay in an infant or toddler.

CONTACT: Beth Lightwine at ESU6-Geneva office (225 North 17th, Geneva, 402-759-3143).

October 5th | No School for Professional Development
As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, October 5th. This day is intended to provide our staff with opportunities for professional development, which aims to enhance student performance and support our school improvement objectives.

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences for Fillmore Central Middle School will be held at Fillmore Central High School on Wednesday, October 21, from 2:00–8:30 p.m. Parents will receive a printed progress report reflecting their child’s academic performance to date. Teachers will be available to discuss student progress, achievements, or concerns.

Progress reports may be picked up in the high school lobby during conferences. Reports not picked up during conferences will be mailed home. If you have questions, please contact the middle school office at 402-268-3411.

PowerSchool – Online Grades Access
PowerSchool is our online student information management system and a key tool for keeping parents informed about student progress. To log in, visit the district homepage and click on the PowerSchool button. You will need your username and password, which were included in the student packet at the beginning of the year. If you have misplaced your login information, please contact the front office for assistance.

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 5 – No School (Professional Development)

Wednesday, October 21 – 1:20 p.m. Early Dismissal

Wednesday, October 21 – 2:00–8:30 p.m. Parent-Teacher Conferences at FCHS
Thursday - Friday, October 22-23 – No School (Fall Break)

Thursday, October 29 – Picture Retakes

5th grade has been studying Earth's Water (salt and fresh) and today we had a tour of the Fairmont water tower, the well house, and the treatment facility. The kids asked great questions and Mike Scheil did a fantastic job explaining how the village of Fairmont gets their water and distributes it across town. 8th grade - Bradley S..

Fall Activity State Qualifiers

This fall we had one team qualify for the NSAA State Playoffs. Congratulations to the football team for grinding their way to the postseason! This was a squad that was small in numbers but gave tremendous effort each and every week.

Fall Activity Season Thank You

As the fall season comes to an end, I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their help in hosting events. In addition to our school staff, we have many community members and parents that volunteer their time to help make sure our events run smoothly. As we progress with our facility upgrades, there may be additional opportunities for community members to help. If you ever have an interest in helping out, please feel free to reach out to let us know what you would be willing to help with.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

GO FC!!!

The cast & crew of, “The Snow Child” have been preparing for Opening Night that will take place on November 5th!

Activity passes are $75 per person. They are able to be used at any regular season games. Your name will be added to the list once you have paid. Passes will not be accepted at Conference or District events.

K-12 Fillmore Central Students and Fillmore Central Fans that are 65 years or older are free. Please contact Dawn to be added or to make sure you are on the list.

For questions contact Dawn Temme at 402-759-3141 or at dawn.temme@fillmorecentral.org

Great News for Reduced Price Families!

For the 2026-2027 school year all reduced breakfasts & lunches are FREE ($0.00) in accordance with the Hunger-Free Schools Act Program.

To find out if you qualify for reduced breakfast and lunch, please check out this form, or reach out to Jodi Meyer at jodi.meyer@fillmorecentral.org.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

In 2025, an anonymous donor made a transformational $8,000,000 gift, designated specifically for an auditorium/theater addition. The total cost to construct and fully equip the auditorium is approximately $10.4 million, leaving a $2.4 million fundraising goal over the course of two years to complete the project and ensure a first-class performance venue.

As a result, a group of community volunteers, in partnership with the Fillmore Central Public Schools (FCPS) Board and the FCPS Foundation, is introducing an accelerated fundraising campaign to secure the additional funds needed to fully complete the nearly 600-seat auditorium.