15 July 2020-2021 District Calendar July 15, 2020 By Layne Gabriel Announcements 0 Click here to download in English. Haga clic aquí para descargar en español. Attached Files 2020-21 OPS Master Calendar.pdf 186.54 KBCalendario Maestro de OPS 2020-21.pdf 158.55 KB Related Articles OPS posts highest state test scores in district history News Release For Immediate Release: 10 a.m. / Central Time / Nov. 18, 2016 Contact: Monique Farmer Director, District Communications (531) 299-9819 monique.farmer@ops.org Kala Morrissey District Communications (531) 299-9421 kala.morrissey@ops.org OPS posts highest state test scores in district history Omaha, Neb.—Omaha Public Schools is hosting a press conference and tour Friday, Nov. 18 at Wakonda Elementary School to celebrate and share the results of the district’s 2015-2016 state test scores. The district showed improvements from the previous year’s test scores in all core subject areas: science, math, reading and writing. Following the press conference at Wakonda, attendees were taken on a brief tour of the school prior to participating in a celebratory signing of a bus wrapped in Omaha Public Schools’ branding provided by sponsor First Nebraska Credit Union as a congratulatory gesture for the district’s achievement. Wakonda is the first school in the State of Nebraska to receive a State Improvement Grant. “We understand the challenges urban school districts face and were impressed with the work OPS has done within the past several years,” said Ann Loftis, CEO of First Nebraska Credit Union. “We want to show our support and congratulate the district for a job well done.” Students from Wakonda Elementary and Castelar Elementary signed the bus with messages that expressed why they are #OPSProud. The second part of the district’s tour included a trip to Castelar Elementary on the bus for a presentation by staff, community partners and students and an overview of the dual language program. Both Wakonda and Castelar achieved notable test score improvements from the previous school year. Within the district, they have both been recognized as Gold Award Winners for their achievements. Gold Award Winners receive a recognition plaque and catered lunch for the school’s teachers and staff. Wakonda Elementary School Principal Ebony Harvey began leading the school’s turnaround efforts in 2015, hiring an entirely new staff and setting the leadership vision and culture for the school to transition away from its previous reputation as a persistently low performing school to its current reputation as an elementary school leader in the district. The school has experienced increased community partnerships and parent engagement. Wakonda Elementary School’s focus on school building culture, professional development and leadership and technology have helped turn the school around as well. Harvey came to the district from a previous role as an Assistant Principal for Wichita Public Schools. “We hit the ground running,” said Harvey. “We hired staff who came in excited about the turnaround efforts and what we would be doing for our kids. We’ve also had ample support from the district. Our team is committed to professional development, leadership, success and contributing to a building culture that commands academic excellence.” A growing district, Omaha Public Schools’ enrollment has increased by approximately 5 percent within the past five years, particularly amongst English Language Learners, up about 27 percent since the 2011-2012 school year. The district also serves a population of free and reduced lunch students that is about 30 percent higher than the state average of 44.2 percent. Omaha Public Schools’ free and reduced lunch population is approximately 74.3 percent. Still, the district has demonstrated academic achievement growth that is notable amongst urban school districts across the nation. The district earned the following growth rates for the 2015-2016 school year: Reading • Grades 3 through 6 (elementary school) – increase of 2 percent from previous year • Grades 7 through 8 (middle school) - increase of 4 percent from previous year • Grade 11 (high school) - increase of 6 percent from previous year Math • Grades 3 through 6 (elementary school) – increase of 1 percent from previous year • Grades 7 through 8 (middle school) - increase of 1 percent from previous year • Grade 11 (high school) - increase of 2 percent from previous year Science • Grades 3 through 6 (elementary school) – increase of 2 percent from previous year • Grades 7 through 8 (middle school) – slight decrease of 2 percent from previous year • Grade 11 (high school) - increase of 1 percent from previous year Writing • Grade 4 (elementary school) – increase of 6 percent from previous year • Grade 8 (middle school) – slight decrease of 1 percent from previous year • Grade 11 (high school) – slight decrease of 2 percent from previous year The district also shared information about growth and improvements among some of its lowest performing schools at the elementary and secondary level. Several years ago, the district hired four principal supervisors to serve in coaching and mentoring roles to help provide building principals with additional central office support and resources. The results have indicated academic performance increases across all core subject areas at those schools. Reading scores have improved by 6.42 percent, math scores by 5.58 percent, science scores by 4.32 percent and writing scores by 10.72 percent. “We are in the business of helping our students succeed academically so they are prepared for life beyond the classroom,” said Superintendent Mark Evans. “OPS is emerging as a leading urban school district around the nation. We are being called upon to help share lessons learned from our journey with leaders in education across the country. Boosting student achievement in an urban school district is no easy feat. I often say ‘if we were a business, student achievement would be our stock.’ Well, our stock is up and we will continue to make the necessary investments to prepare our students for success in college, career and life.” About OPS: Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska and is governed by a nine-member Board of Education. OPS employs more than 7,296 staff and has 82 schools and 13 alternative programs serving approximately 52,000 students in grades K-12, including special education and English language learners. The district’s vision – Every Student. Every Day. Prepared for Success. – and its mission – to prepare all students to excel in college, career and life – demonstrate OPS’ commitment to ensuring all students can be successful in the classroom and beyond. Bond Information Documents A/E Agreement Solicitation 2015-022 (Area C Advertisement forBid) Solicitation 2015-023 (Marrs Advertisement forBid) Solicitation 2015-024 (Blackburn Advertisementfor Bid) Solicitation 2015-002 Solicitation 2015-001 Solicitation 2014-001 Solicitation 2014-001 - Addendum #1 Documents Solicitation 2014-002 Solicitation 2014-002 -Addendum #1 Documents Group 2 Shortlist Firms UPDATED 2018-19 Academic Calendar The Omaha Public Schools Board of Education recently approved an updated 2018-19 calendar. A few changes were made to the calendar after contract negotiations were finalized with collective bargaining groups. The most notable changes were made to increase teacher compensation in a fiscally responsible manner as well as to align teacher salaries with comparable districts to retain and recruit high-quality educators by reducing teacher contract days by 1 day. The changes to the calendar are: • Jan. 4 becomes a teacher workday versus a winter break day • Jan. 7 becomes a student day versus a teacher workday • May 22 becomes the last day of school for students • Teachers close the school year May 23 and May 24 (one day is a teacher work day, the other day is a professional development day) To view the complete revised 2018-19 calendar, click here. Why were these changes made to the calendar after it was already published? We publish the calendar as soon as possible to give families ample time to plan accordingly. The Omaha Public Schools Board of Education recently finalized the teacher negotiated contract for the 2018-19 school year. In order to increase teacher compensation in a fiscally responsible manner, as well as to align teacher salaries with comparable districts to retain and recruit high-quality educators, the decision was made to decrease the number of teacher days by one. What impact does this have on student days? The changes to the 2018-19 OPS calendar reflects one less student day. This still puts OPS well above the state minimum requirement for student days and instructional minutes. If you have additional questions regarding changes, please contact the Research Department at (531) 299-0226. Thank you for your continued support of Omaha Public Schools. OPS 2019-2020 Academic Calendar Click here to download the 2019-20 academic calendar. Haga clic aquí para descargar el calendario académico 2019-20. Gomez-Heritage Elementary Celebrates District's 150th Anniversary Gomez-Heritage Elementary is honoring OPS's 150th anniversary by designing three benches to represent the district's past, present and future. The school's art teachers and a group of five students dedicated much time brainstorming ideas and painting the benches over the summer. The "past" bench includes images of an old schoolhouse and depictions of historical south Omaha. The "present" bench has a facade of the school building with a sunrise and illustrations representing the 11 curriculum disciplines. The "future" bench represents an increasingly global society, and includes the word "learning" in 11 different languages. All three benches will eventually be on display in Gomez-Heritage's outdoor classroom/garden, which is currently under construction. Click here to view a slideshow. Miller Park Elementary Celebrates District's 150th Anniversary Miller Park Elementary recently completed two projects to celebrate the district's 150th anniversary. First, art teacher Katey O'Donnell and Miller Park students drew pictures that represented subjects studied at school. Artist Ananda Spadt took those images, along with a picture of George Miller, the OPS logo, and the school's mascot, and painted a mural along the back wall of the school library. O'Donnell and paraprofessional Sharon Lenz also created a special exhibit in the main hallway of the school, which showcases Miller Park photographs and artifacts from 1912 to the present day. Click here to see a slideshow. Comments are closed.