Culler Middle School is a professional learning community with a tradition of service, a culture of collaboration, and a commitment to student learning.

The Cougar Connection

September 2024

Letter from our Principal

Greetings Families,

September is off to a great start here at Culler! We are so excited to start student and cultural monthly celebrations. We are celebrating Hispanic heritage month through the 15th of October. The first Friday of every month we hold grade level assemblies called “PAWsitive Leadership Celebrations” to acknowledge your students living the school values and focus on how our diverse communities do as well! Our next one is on October 4th! Please ask them about how it went!

Daniel Church
Daniel Church

Principal
dchurch@lps.org

Upcoming Dates

9/2-No School
9/3-No School
9/11-Food Market 2:45-3:30 pm
9/12- Papa John’s Dine Out night 4-8pm
9/24 P/T Conferences 5-7pm
9/25-Immunization Clinic 4-6:30pm

AVID For All

What is the AVID Elective Class?

The AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Elective class at Culler Middle School is designed to equip students with the tools they need to succeed in school and life. AVID isn’t just about what students learn but how they learn. In this class, students focus on essential skills like organization, time management, and note-taking while also being challenged to think critically and set meaningful academic goals.

How Can AVID Help Your Student?

  1. Study Skills and Organization: Students learn strategies to stay organized, take practical notes, and manage their time, helping them stay on top of schoolwork.
  2. Collaboration and Critical Thinking: Through group work and discussions, students develop teamwork and problem-solving skills that will serve them in all areas of life.
  3. College and Career Preparation: AVID helps students explore future options by introducing college and career pathways while building the academic skills they’ll need to succeed.
  4. Increased Confidence: With AVID’s focus on goal-setting and self-determination, students gain the confidence to take on challenges and achieve their personal best.

How to Join AVID

After fall break, seventh and eighth graders may apply for the AVID Elective to join the class for the spring semester. We encourage students who are motivated and ready to build strong academic habits to apply! Most sixth graders will also get a chance to experience AVID through a shortened version of the course, which will be offered for one quarter during this school year. This introduction will help prepare them for future academic success. Applications for next year will be available just before spring break.

We’re proud to offer AVID at Culler Middle School, where together, we can help students unlock their full potential!

AVID (Achievement Via Individual Determination) is an educational program that is designed to help students develop the skills they need to be successful in college and beyond. This segment is meant for all Culler students and their families, not just those in the AVID Elective, so that every student can reap the benefits of successful habits and routines now, and in the future!

For more information, visit https://home.lps.org/curriculum/avid/ or reach out to our AVID Elective Instructor, Mx. Beatty via email (abeatty3@lps.org)

Mx. A. Beatty, AVID Instructor, abeatty3@lps.org

Students of the Month

Culler students are working on being Courageous, One community, Unstoppable, Giving it our all, being Authentic, Ready to learn, Safe and Successful. Students are able to earn Paw Points when they are showing these values.

Next month students can earn a monthly Cullerbration for having zero tardies and zero cell phone violations. We will gather and play BINGO with a chance to earn prizes.

8th Grade Students of the Month

Bible Makuach, Abigail Collett, Nader Hammad, Donald Washington

7th Grade Students of the Month

Payton Collett, Ithan Craig, Elsa Luke, Shawnah Borlak

6th Grade Students of the Month

Jaylah Golliglee, Jay’Leon Goines, Kaydee Amador,Lathan Smith

EL

  • L1- Zuly Suchite Vidal
  • L2- Mahmoud Hamidi
  • L3- Muhamed Abdrahman
  • Newcomer- Jony Sheikho

7th & 8th Grade Intramurals

Hello Cougar Families!

Welcome to the 2024-25 Culler Middle School Athletics season!  This school year we will offer many different sport opportunities for our student athletes!

Fall Season

  • Boys/Girls Soccer
  • Boys/Girls Cross Country
  • Girls Volleyball

Winter Season

  • Girls Basketball (Oct.-Dec.)
  • Boys Basketball (Jan.-March)
  • Wrestling

Spring Season

  • Boys/Girls Track


Currently, we are off and rolling in our Fall season sports!  If your son or daughter would like to still get involved, they sill can!  Please have your student talk to me and I can give them all the information they need to join in.  You can also, as a parent/guardian, shoot me an email too and I can help you out that way also.  We need as many athletes as possible, so please encourage your student to join in on the action/fun!

JEFF WILLIAMS
Culler A.D.
Health/P.E.
402-436-1210
jwillia6@lps.org

ELL Information

Culler ELL Teachers

Ms. Deras

aderas@lps.org

Ms. Schlickbernd

nschlick@lps.org

Ms. Yeoh

syeoh@lps.org

Mr. Shanahan

sshanah@lps.org

Ms. Kari Stephens

kstephe3@lps.org

Ms. Iman Al-Saadi

ialsaad@lps.org

Ms. Joanna Walton

Ms. Joanna Walton

jwalton@lps.org

Notification of Continuation of Services

In the next few weeks, families will receive a Notification of Continuation of Services. This document outlines the level your scholar is currently being served and the classes they are in. If you have any questions about this information, please reach out to Mrs. Bandy. 

Liaisons

Arabic

Aqeel Fadhil
(402) 436-1715

Arabic

Sudanese Dialect

Hager Mohamed
(402) 436-1958

Spanish

Claudia Rains
(402) 436-1988

Kurdish

Khudhur Ali
(402) 436-1994

Karen

Kmwe Paw
(402) 436-1434

Vietnamese

Toan Tran
(402) 436-1955

Pashto

Rabia Rashidi
(402) 436-1832

Russian/Ukrainian

Olena Petrova

Culler Counseling

The mission of Culler Middle School’s counseling program is to advocate for ALL students which is demonstrated through forming positive connections and cultivating a sense of community. As professional school counselors, we will provide a comprehensive, data driven, developmentally-appropriate program that supports each student’s academic, prosocial, and career development.

Schedule Changes

As we are entering our second month of school, we want to let our families know that schedule changes for the quarter are finalized. If your student wishes to make a schedule change request, they will need to do so within the first two weeks of quarter 2. All schedule change requests will need to be approved by the student’s grade level administrator going forward.

Suicide Prevention Month

Each September, we celebrate National Suicide Prevention Month. We continue to see too many lives being lost to suicide in our country, and in our community. We know that suicide can seem like a scary, heavy topic – and it is. But by shining a light on this important topic, and approaching it with a hopeful message, we know that we can save lives. By supporting loved ones or colleagues who may be struggling; by asking someone how they’re doing; checking in; offering a kind word or smile; letting someone know they are not alone and that there is hope and healing. All of these things can save a life. We encourage you to focus on that as we approach one of the most important months of the year.

To partner with you, we will be sharing information with students about warning signs, protective factors and how to connect with trusted adults. Students will be viewing a video that was created by our LPS Hope Squads.

One of the best ways to help your child’s emotional health is to remember these basics; get plenty of sleep, drink water, eat nutritious foods, spend time outside and find ways to relax and connect with others.

If you are concerned about your child, please reach out to your school social worker or school counselor for guidance and support. 

If you have immediate needs outside of school hours, you can call 911, CenterPointe Crisis Line at 402-475-6695 or The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Clubs and Groups

Starting this month, our various clubs and groups will begin meeting. Some of these organizations that will begin meeting include Hope Squad, Native Club, and Latino Leaders. Please direct any questions for Native Club to Drue Marr (dmarr@lps.org) and any questions for Hope Squad or Latino Leaders to Kylie Washburn (kwashbur@lps.org).

Health Guidance for Going to School

Showing up to school every day is critical for children’s well-being, engagement, and learning.

Make sure to send children to school if they are:

  • Generally healthy and well.
  • Participating in usual day-to-day activities.


Children can even go to school if they:

  • Have a mild cold, which may include a runny nose and/or cough.
  • Have eye drainage without fever, eye pain or eyelid redness.
  • Have a mild stomach ache.
  • Have a mild rash with no other symptoms.
  • Have head lice. Though they are annoying and should be treated, lice are not a reason to exclude a child from school.
  • Haven’t had a fever overnight and they have not taken fever-reducing medicine during that time.
Kylie Washburn
Kylie Washburn
Drue Marr
Drue Marr

7th Grade
dmarr@lps.org

Sarah Charles
Sarah Charles

8th Grade
scharles@lps.org

Cathy Davis
Cathy Davis

Attendance Counselor
cdavis4@lps.org

Kelly Grefe
Kelly Grefe

Registrar
kready@lps.org

Denise Klein
Denise Klein

Social Worker
dklein3@lps.org

Technology for Learning

A Parent Guide to Student Chromebook Use in LPS

Parenting a “Chromebook student” can present some interesting challenges. While few students would choose to do worksheets all evening just for fun, your student might actually WANT to be on their Chromebook at night. It can be hard to tell what they’re focusing on while staring at the device screen. Use this resource [lps.org/go/o9bk] to help inform your conversations about expectations for Chromebook use at home.

ParentVUE - the LPS Parent Portal

Synergy ParentVUE is the “one-stop shop” for information about your student’s teachers and classes. In addition to providing parents/guardians secure access to student grades and assignments (secondary), attendance, and class information, ParentVUE is also the avenue to verify student enrollment in LPS. During the school year, parents can submit absences for their student(s) with just a few clicks! (see below) Parents of secondary students can also pay fees (Chromebook fines, yearbooks, etc.) via ParentVUE.

The District’s goal is to ensure at least one parent/guardian per household has activated and uses their ParentVUE account. If you haven’t yet acquired an account, please contact the school office for an activation key. 

More information about ParentVUE can be found on our school home page under the ParentVUE button.

Save time: Report student absences via ParentVUE

You can save yourself a phone call by using ParentVUE to report full-day absences (partial day absences still require a call to the school office to specify what time the student will be gone). There is also a place to add a note if more explanation or details are needed. The attendance office will view and process the information you enter.

If using the ParentVUE app (phones & tablets):

Select the appropriate student and click the blue “Report Absence” button to enter the date(s) and reason for the absence(s).

If using ParentVUE via the web:

Toggle to the appropriate student in the upper left hand corner. Next, click on the Attendance button and then the blue “Report Absence” button to enter the date(s) and reason for the absence(s).

Accessing Class Information in ParentVUE

Parents and students can access Class Information (course description, grading practices, class tips, etc.) on the web (preferred) or via the mobile app. Step-by-step directions can be found on this document: Viewing Class Information in Synergy: Parents & Students or in these video tutorials: Synergy ParentVUE Tutorials

Parent/Community Engagement

Welcome Back to the 2024-2025 School Year! We are so excited to be back and to see all of you!

 

Do you have ideas to bring into the building?

Have you always wanted to help with: 

  • Dances
  • Cultural Representation
  • Helping in classrooms
  • After school support
  • Tutoring
  • Reading
  • Decorating for holidays/events
  •  

Sign up to Volunteer, today!!

We’d love to have you!

Health Office

Yearly School Health Screening for Students

We are starting health screening at Culler Middle School.

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-249 provides statutory authority to the Department of Health and Human Services to outline minimum requirements and regulations for school health screening.  The purpose of screening is to identify those students needing further evaluation or assistance in the areas screened. 

Parents/guardians are notified of the screening result if the student is found to need further evaluation, as determined by a qualified screener and comparison of individual data with an objective standard. The cost of such evaluation shall be borne by the parent or guardian of the student.

A parent or guardian may submit current screening results from a physical examination or well child examination within the last six months preceding the school’s scheduled health screening in lieu of school health screening.

Students in Nebraska schools are screened per state requirements for vision, hearing, dental health, and height/weight.  Body mass index (BMI) is calculated for the purpose of monitoring weight/height status at intervals for all students.

Thank You,

Ann Pickrel RN
Culler School Nurse
apickre@lps.org
fax#402-458-3210

ParentVue is a component of the LPS Student Information System that allows parents/guardians to:

  • Access class information
  • Obtain email addresses to message teachers
  • Monitor attendance & report all-day absences 24×7
  • View and print report cards
  • Secondary Only: Monitor grades & automatically receive notifications when a grade falls below a selected level

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