Courtesy photos

Submitted

The 10th annual Community Christmas Dinner will be held on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, at the Hays VFW. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The dinner and venue are both donated by the VFW, and the Christmas meal is available to the community at no cost.

“Ten years ago, the Community Christmas Dinner began with the vision to bring the community of Hays together to eat a Christmas meal, and to return to the true reason for the season — celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The season of Christmas can quickly become a time of losing focus of why it is truly celebrated, overshadowed by the busyness of the holiday season. The Community Christmas Dinner offers a time to refocus on the birth of Christ, and it is a means to walk out the love of Christ,” the group said in a news release. “The Community Christmas Dinner offers opportunities for the community members of Hays to serve others by volunteering at the dinner, as well as for people to be served by the provision of a Christmas meal and a loving, peaceful environment. As 1 Corinthians 13:8 states, ‘Love never fails,’ and the Community Christmas Dinner is a lasting example of this love. It stands upon this Word now, as it has since 2008 when the dinner first began at the Kansas National Guard Armory. The first meal was prepared and served in roasters donated by community members, and approximately 100 people were served at the first meal, including volunteers. The following year, the dinner was served at the VFW, where it has been hosted since. Over time, the number of people served has increased, as well as the number of volunteers. The VFW has donated the venue and the meal, and the men of the VFW have donated their time in preparing and serving the meal. The Community Christmas Dinner has been a collaborative event with a lasting impact, with the focus on celebrating Christ during this season.”

For those wishing to volunteer, volunteer opportunities will be available on Christmas Day prior to the meal, during the meal, and after in decorating and cleaning the VFW Hall. Volunteer opportunities can include directing traffic, greeting community members, filling and providing drinks, assisting with carrying plates, clearing tables, delivering meals, washing dishes, cleaning after the event, and other miscellaneous tasks that arise. Desserts for the meal are also provided by community members, and these remain needed at this time.

For any community members wanting meal delivery, wishing to volunteer or wishing to provide desserts, contact the Community Christmas Dinner using the following information:
785-625-5528 (through Dec. 19)
785-259-9735 (Dec. 20 through Dec. 24)
email: [email protected]

KRR announces $122,680 grant for K-3 literacy services

ST. FRANCIS — A new program helping students read at grade level, a prospect with life-changing benefits, is coming to St. Francis, Kansas.

Supt. Robert Schiltz announced that St. Francis Elementary School has been awarded a grant for the 2018-2019 school year to take part in the Kansas Reading Roadmap (KRR), a program already underway in 63 sites across the state.

KRR works with public schools to make sure all children are reading at grade level by the second semester of the third grade. Longitudinal studies show that children reading at grade level by the fourth grade are four times more likely to graduate high school on time.

In January, St. Francis Elementary School will launch the after-school program designed to help children in grades K-3 raise their reading proficiency. Targeting, but not limited to, striving readers, the program aligns afterschool instruction with what students are taught during the school day.

“In my 32 years with the district, I think this may be the best academic opportunity we’ve had,” Schiltz said. “In time, we expect this to help our state assessments and our ACT scores to go up, and for this to ensure no student leaves our district as a struggling reader.”

Directing the reading program at St. Francis will be Program Coordinator Kattie Aldaco, a 2008 graduate of St. Francis schools, who most recently served as a paraeducator at St. Francis High School.

KRR used the grant award ceremony at St. Francis to announce the release of its annual report for the 2017-2018 school year. The report can be viewed at www.readingroadmap.org/kansas.

“Over the past several years we have developed a program that is really successful at driving achievement,” said KRR Director Andrew Hysell. “We are excited to partner with St. Francis Elementary School to produce the kind of data-driven progress we’ve seen at other schools across Kansas.”

Recent evaluation shows that KRR afterschool participants are five times more likely to achieve grade-level reading than their peers, as measured by school-administered assessments.

“Rural schools are the backbone of so many Kansas communities,” said Sen. Rick Billinger, who attended the announcement. “The return on investment from the Reading Roadmap in a school like St. Francis, there’s just no way to calculate it.”

Students identified through screening as needing additional support in literacy will meet after school, Monday through Thursday, for individualized programming aligned with in-school instruction. They will improve their skills through stories, songs, poems and reading activities, receive a healthy snack and engage in active Healthy Kids sessions. As an extension of the school’s intervention system, progress in the afterschool program is monitored by school data.

One feature of KRR is an eight-session series called Literacy-integrated Family Engagement (LIFE) that brings parents and siblings of students in the program to the school to support children’s reading. Participants eat a meal together and engage in relationship-strengthening activities centered around literacy.

KRR also provides curriculum and support for a summer enrichment program that helps combat “summer slide,” when many students experience atrophy in their reading skills. On average, students lose two months of reading skills during the summer break.

KRR is a partnership between local schools, the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN), and the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). Through a multi-year partnership with KRR, participating schools and Boys & Girls Clubs have dramatically increased reading proficiency among third graders.

USD 489

USD 489 is proud of all of this year’s Master Teacher nominees.

The overall winner for the USD 489 Master Teacher of the Year is Laura Gaughan.

Gaughan is a reading teacher at O’Loughlin Elementary School.

This year’s Master Teacher nominees include:

• Lincoln Elementary School— Deaira LaSage

• O’Loughlin Elementary School— Laura Gaughan

• Roosevelt Elementary School— Misty Lohmeyer

• Wilson Elementary School— Candace Sage

• Hays Middle School— Karen Nowak and Julie Zollinger

• Hays High School— Suellyn Stenger

• Head Start— Christine Weber

 — Corrected to associate teachers with their correct schools.

LAWRENCE — The names of nearly 1,350 candidates for degree from the University of Kansas this fall — representing 51 Kansas counties, 44 other states and 23 other countries — have been announced by the University Registrar. Degrees are officially conferred in January.

Some candidates are participating in school and departmental recognition events this month. Others will take part in the annual KU Commencement on May 19, 2019.

Candidates from the Hays area include:

Ellis County
Brandon Christopher Bollig, Ellis, Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology
Kelsi Nicole Broadway, Hays, Master of Business Administration
Mason Avery Choitz, Hays, Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Ethan T. Fort, Hays, Master of Science in Education
Nathan E. Romme, Hays, Bachelor of Science in Biology
Ethan Joshua Waddell, Hays, Bachelor of Science in Business in Marketing

Phillips County
Mariah Irene Coomes, Phillipsburg, Bachelor of General Studies in Speech-Language-Hearing

Russell County
Christopher M. Hilger, Russell, Bachelor of Science in Geology.

USD 489

The O’Loughlin Elementary School PTA for earned a grant from the Heartland Community Foundation.

The grant was for $10,000 and will be used toward purchasing playground equipment for the school.

The PTA has been raising funds over the past several years to purchase new equipment.

“USD 489 wishes to extend its sincere thanks to the Heartland Community Foundation for its continued support of education and wellness for Hays Public Schools,” the district said in a news release.

It was another busy week on the KAYS Eagle Morning Show. Here’s what you missed last week!

Monday

Catholic Schools Report – TMP HS/JR Athletic Director Troy Shulte

Troy joined C.D. and Mike to talk about past and upcoming athletic events at TMP:

Basketball

Wrestling

Scholar’s Bowl/Fall Sports/Middle School Sports

You can visit the TMP website here.

 

Tuesday

County Commission Meeting Recap: County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes & County Commissioner Barb Wasinger

Change of Classification for Bridge Crew

Excess Sales Tax Proceeds

 

Wednesday

Protect & Serve: Hays Chief of Police Don Scheibler:

Chief Scheibler joined the show to talk about safety during the holidays:

Locking car doors and being safe while holiday shopping

 

Humane Society of the High Plains: Betty Hansen

Full inventory of animals

The upcoming Sour-R-Bowl and where to get tickets

The Humane Society of the High Plains is located at 2050 E Us Highway 40 in Hays and is open every day (except Mondays) from 1-5pm. Volunteers are free to come and go during open hours. You can visit their website here.

 

Thursday

USD 489 Report: Hays Middle School Assistant Principal Shauna Zweifel

Shauna joined us on the show to talk about what’s going on at Hays Middle School

Current activities at HMS

Selling Taco Shop cards

 

Join us next week on the Eagle Morning Show on KAYS (94.3FM & 1400AM), on hayspost.com (KAYS tab at top of page) or on the KAYS app (available for Apple and Android)!

 

 

 

 

 

Today
Sunny, with a high near 56. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon.

Tonight
Clear, with a low around 24. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Monday
Sunny, with a high near 55. Light south southwest wind becoming south 12 to 17 mph in the morning.

Monday Night
Increasing clouds, with a low around 32. South wind 7 to 10 mph.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. South southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Windy.

Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Breezy.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 50. Windy.

Friends,

This week the House and Senate answered farmers and ranchers call to action and passed the 2018 Farm Bill. Having the opportunity to see this bill from start to finish has been a surreal experience. What we put forth is a great bill that looks at agriculture from all angles. The final bill strengthens our safety net, prioritizes trade promotion, fully protects crop insurance, improves the dairy program, invests in broadband and rural health, and so much more. I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work that has been done on this bill, and I hope that producers back at home know that we listened!

This Bill Delivers! 
Ahead of the 2018 Farm Bill vote, I addressed the members of the House to advocate for its passage. Kansans sent me to Congress to get a Farm Bill done. And I’m proud to say we’ve delivered for Kansans. Our bill delivers a stronger safety net for all of rural America – preserves crop insurance to help producers manage risk, makes research investments to fuel the ag economy of tomorrow, includes tele-health coordination at USDA and refinancing for rural hospitals to ensure we have healthcare available, $350 billion in a broadband loan and grant program to expand the reach of high-speed internet that is so critical to doing business in the world today, reprioritizes conservation programs so that our working lands will be productive for generations to come, and we’ve made new investments in our overseas marketing programs to ensure our producers can take advantage of every market available to them.

Plugging In
On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to provide appropriate support to recipients of the Universal Service Fund’s high-cost program. The USF high-cost program is a critical part of closing the digital divide in rural America, as it helps providers expand broadband service in areas where the cost of deployment is high. Access to broadband helps create jobs; increases opportunities for education, healthcare, and agriculture; and boosts local economies. As our country becomes increasingly connected, we must continue to work to establish the same internet capabilities in rural communities that are readily available in urban centers. Every Kansan should have access to a reliable high-speed Internet connection, and the FCC’s action yesterday will ensure that our broadband providers are better able to meet the needs of communities across the district.

ReConnecting
On Thursday, I was honored to join Agriculture Secretary Perdue as he launched a new broadband pilot program called ReConnect. The program will offer a combination of loans and grants to assist with broadband expansion in the most underserved rural areas, and looks at factors such as population density and network speeds when considering applications. Telecommunications companies along with rural electric companies, utilities, municipalities, and non-profits will be able to apply for funding, and the application process will open in February 2019. I think this is another great tool to help connect rural America, and applaud Secretary Perdue for his commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to reliable broadband no matter where they live.

Responsibility.org Leadership Award
I was honored to accept Responsibility.org’s Leadership Award. Every year, the award is bestowed upon legislators who show leadership in the fight to eliminate impaired driving and underage drinking. Impaired driving claims the lives of far too many Americans each year, and must continue to be addressed.

Bill of Rights Day
On December 15th we celebrate one of the most important documents ever created in human history, the Bill of Rights.

It not only laid the foundations for the essential rights and civil liberties we enjoy today, but it also set a shining example for the rest of the world to follow. Freedom of speech, press, and religion is the fundamental bedrock of our Constitutional Republic, and it should never be taken for granted.

I pledged when I joined the Army to support and defend these values from enemies foreign and domestic, and I will uphold that pledge to the best of my ability while serving Kansas’ 1st District in Congress.

I am so proud to report that this new Farm Bill strengthens our safety net, prioritizes trade promotion, fully protects crop insurance, improves the dairy program, and expands rural broadband and health coverage. The battle to pass this bill was fierce, but, thanks to the confidence and trust of our farmers, agricultural markets will now enjoy more stability for the next five years.

Friday, I joined Bloomberg to discuss the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, trade with China, and border security. Providing farmers and our agriculture community with a strong five-year bill was not just a goal of ours, it was a responsibility we took on when Kansans elected us to be their voice in D.C.

Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.

 

USD 489

Kristy Oborny, O’Loughlin Elementary School fourth-grade teacher and media specialist, recently earned her National Board Certification this December.

Becoming a National Board Certified Teacher is an extensive process that requires countless hours of preparation. National Board Certified Teachers focus on five core propositions for teaching:

• Teachers are committed to students and their learning

• Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students

• Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning

• Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience

• Teachers are members of learning communities

The district has four National Board Certified teachers, including: Kristy Oborny, Monica Dreiling, Amy Wasinger and Kathy Wagoner.