Pawnee School District RE-12

The district would like to express a great appreciation to those parents/guardians who participated in our reunification drill! We learned a few things we can adjust and improve on, and overall it went very well! Thanks again!

Parents and Guardians. It is NOW time for you to proceed to the Friendship Alliance Church to collect your students.

Our Reunification Drill has started. Students will be held in their rooms, followed by Securing our building, and finally loading buses and moving to the Friendship Alliance Church in Grover for Reunification. We will begin at approximately 1:30PM. Expect law enforcement presence.
• The line-up will be going North on Custer Street from the Post Office to Cheyenne
Avenue where you will turn right
• Proceed to the front of the Church, and wait in your car. Your student(s) will be
escorted to your car
• You will sign them out, and leave with them for the day.
If you are unable to participate in the drill, your students will be returned to school at about 3PM, and early release will occur for all students, including bus routes etc...Please note that in the case of an actual emergency evacuation and reunification your students will be held and taken care of at the reunification site until you arrive.

Our final day at the National FFA Convention & Expo was full of celebration and reflection before beginning the long trip back to Colorado. We started the morning early, joining thousands of members and guests for the American FFA Degree Ceremony to witness a record setting amount of FFA members receive their degrees. Because of the huge crowd of over 73,900, we found ourselves up on the 6th level of Lucas Oil Stadium, but it was worth it to witness such an honor. Only about 0.5 to 1 percent of all FFA members ever earn their American Degree, making it very prestigious. After brunch, we returned to Lucas Oil Stadium for Session 7, where we had great seats for the final session. Our FFA members watched the retiring address of National FFA President Thaddeus Bergschneider and the installation of the new National Officer Team. It was a powerful way to close out the week and send members home inspired for the year ahead. In the afternoon, we loaded the bus and began our 16-hour trip home. We made a quick dinner stop along the way and will switch drivers overnight before making the final stretch back to Colorado. This week has been full of learning, inspiration, new friendships, and memories that will last far beyond the miles traveled. We’re tired, grateful, and heading home with lots of new experiences and relationships to reflect on!

Safety Drill - You can also see this information in the November Newsletter.
As you are aware, the school practices all hazards drills with our students according to our site emergency plan. We have done a fire drill and a tornado drill so far this year, and are planning an evacuation drill with parent reunification on the afternoon of November 3rd. We are asking parents/guardians to take part in
this drill as you are available to see how a reunification would work in the case of an actual emergency
evacuation.
We hope to learn much from this drill and welcome input from you as a result of your
participation. The goal of the drill will be to move the student body to an alternate location and unite students with their parents/guardians as quickly and efficiently as possible.
On the day of the drill the district will begin with a made up scenario that will give students a chance to practice Standard Response Protocol; https://iloveuguys.org/The-Standard-Response-Protocol.html, to
include a Hold in their rooms, followed by Securing our building, and finally loading buses and moving to the Friendship Alliance Church in Grover for Reunification. We will begin at approximately 1:30PM. Please watch your phone for messages from the school for instructions for your part in the drill. The district uses email, phone messaging, and the Pawnee App notifications to send these kind of messages to you. Please make sure you are signed up for one of these and it is working. Notifications need to be turned on if you are using the Pawnee App. The message will relay information about proceeding to the reunification site, and directions to follow once you arrive. Watch for your notification about 2PM. Expect law enforcement presence.
• The line-up will be going North on Custer Street from the Post Office to Cheyenne
Avenue where you will turn right
• Proceed to the front of the Church, and wait in your car. Your student(s) will be
escorted to your car
• You will sign them out, and leave with them for the day.
If you are unable to participate in the drill, your students will be returned to school at about 3PM, and early release will occur for all students, including bus routes etc...Please note that in the case of an actual emergency evacuation and reunification your students will be held and taken care of at the reunification site until you arrive.
High school athletes will be transported from school to practice at 3PM as normal.
Please make yourself familiar with the map in this article and plan to help us with our drill if possible.
Thank you for your support!

You can also see this information in the November Newsletter.

Today was packed with experiences that showed just how many different paths agriculture can connect to. We started the morning at Chip Ganassi Racing, where we learned about the teamwork, precision, and technology that go into professional racing. Each car costs around $1 million before engines or tires are even added, and it takes a crew of about 120 people to keep the team running while on the road. Next came Session 5 inside Lucas Oil Stadium, with more than 69,000 FFA members and guests in attendance. Students watched proficiency awards, Agriscience Fair recognitions, and heard the retiring address from National FFA Officer Jack Lingenfelter, titled “What Do You Believe?” He challenged everyone to think about what they believe about themselves and to remember that we’re valued no matter how we perform. Jack shared how real purpose comes from stepping out of our comfort zones to serve and love others, even when it costs us something. His message reminded everyone that “no storm can shake you when you know what you believe.” Dinner tonight was something special — a Brazilian steakhouse experience at Fogo de Chão. Students sampled a variety of meats carved tableside and enjoyed a memorable evening together before heading to the Indiana Pacers game. The Pacers didn’t come out on top, but our students had the unique opportunity to shoot a free throw on the court after the game! It’s been a long week, but the memories, friendships, and experiences made on this trip are what FFA is all about.

We started our morning at Conner Prairie, a 1,000-acre living history museum in Fishers, Indiana. Even though the winds kept us grounded from riding the big helium balloon, it was still a great stop and a perfect example of hands-on history. FFA members walked through the 1836 Prairietown, where costumed interpreters showed what daily life looked like in early Indiana. They had the opportunity to watch blacksmithing, pottery, weaving, trading, and farming demonstrations, and see the William Conner House while learning about the Lenape people who once lived along the White River and thrived using various technologies. The balloon exhibit itself was fascinating even though we couldn't go up; its helium design connects modern science to history that stretches back to the Civil War and World War I, when balloons were used for military observation. It was a great reminder of how innovation, agriculture, and history are all tied together. In the afternoon, we spent time at the National FFA Expo, where students visited dozens of college and career booths, checked out ag-related exhibits, and even saw a four-legged robot designed for the U.S. Army by Boston Dynamics. We wrapped up the night at the FFA Rodeo, where our members got to see a trick rider, bronc and bull riding, and hear from announcer Roger Mooney, who shared how FFA helped him overcome a childhood stutter and led to a career in the rodeo world. The day ended with a loud, happy bus ride—always a good sign. By mid-week, it’s amazing to watch students from across the trip start making new friends and memories that’ll last a lifetime.

Third and Fourth Grade worked on these adorable bag lights in the Girmus Art Class today! What a fun time, and they are so cute!

How can you take English language arts, social studies, science, and maths and turn it into a fun learning activity? Let me be fully transparent; we can play a table-top, role-playing game (TTRPG). Students in the third grade just finished reading a non-fiction text introducing tornadoes and the Enhanced Fujita Scale (how destructive a tornado is). In social studies we are currently discussing how communities help one another, land forms, and weather patterns. Obviously science is incorporated into the mix because of weather and new terms such as updraft, funnel cloud, and Fujita Scale. Mathematics shows up when using the dice to add, subtract, multiply, and divide required moves with the role-playing story. Today the students had an adventure where they needed to get to safety from an EF4 tornado, make it safely through the school to the cafeteria (the rats were running the hallways), return from being blown 35 miles away riding a cow!, and help feed seventeen additional people! All of the students did well with their maths and critical thinking skills. I am proud of their story-telling ability and we will foster this type of learning for engagement!

The third and fourth grade were blessed with some high schoolers yesterday! Bailey, Sawyer, and Jeremiah came to help build Lego Robots! The students have finished a section in science on simple machines, now we are working on complex machines and engineering. As I have not put these robots together I asked if there was someone who may want to come and help, we were fortunate enough to have Bailey, Sawyer, and Jeremiah who were more than willing to come and collaborate with the younger students on this fun STEAM activity!

Today marked our first day at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis! We started the afternoon by joining nearly 64,000 other members and guests at Lucas Oil Stadium for Opening Session 1A, where keynote speaker A’ric Jackson delivered a message about overcoming the limits people place on us, and the limits we place on ourselves. He reminded everyone that attitude and self-belief matter, and that sometimes you just have to say to the opportunities that come your way rather than just staying in our self-created 'box'. His energy and message set a perfect tone for the week ahead. After the session, we took some time to let the students burn off energy at a jump park, complete with trampolines, and obstacle courses, and even FFA member vs. Advisor volleyball and basketball games. It was a fun way to unwind after a long travel stretch and a busy first day in the city. The week is off to a great start, and our students are already taking in lessons, experiences, and memories that will last long after the trip is over.

Grover FFA’s second day on the road to the National FFA Convention was packed with learning and new experiences. We started the morning at Iowa State University’s College of Animal Science, where students learned about animal research, livestock judging, and the many opportunities in the animal science program. Dr. Jodi Sterle encouraged students to take every opportunity that comes their way, and concluded by telling us, “Sometimes you just gotta show up and say yes.” After leaving Ames, we crossed the Missouri River — one of the most important transportation routes for American agriculture. Millions of tons of corn, wheat, and soybeans move down the Missouri–Mississippi River system each year, carrying grain from farms across the Midwest (including Colorado) all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. It was a good reminder of how connected our food and ag systems are from state to state. We finished the day in Illinois with a tour of Hummel Livestock, a farm known for “thinking outside the box.” They raise high-end Savannah cats, show goats, show cattle, and even a bottle-fed eland, the world’s largest antelope. It’s been a long travel day, but everyone’s having fun, learning a lot, and getting excited for what’s ahead at National Convention!

THIS THURSDAY (10/30/25) We will have our annual Halloween Costume Parade and Contest starting at 3:00 pm in the gym! All are welcome! Costumes must be school appropriate!

Pawnee FFA Heads to National Convention! Today marks the first leg of our journey to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis! Two of our Grover FFA members are on the road, with their first stop in Grand Island, Nebraska for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Case IH Combine Factory. Students saw firsthand how modern combines are built—from robotic welders and laser cutters to a four-hour paint line and more than 18,000 parts that make up each of Case's newest machine, each of which is custom-built to order. Members learned how the plant adapts to changing markets, now producing around eight combines per day compared to years when the factory was completing 30 machines per day!

I believe there may be something in the fifth grade for states and capitals, so we can start some fun learning activities in third and fourth that help with spelling and social studies! States and Capitals BINGO is a fun and engaging way to learn which states have which capital and where on the US map these places are located.

Help us to include your family members in our Veteran's Day tribute.

The only sport I have certification in coaching is Native Youth Olympics. I had the students try a couple of the activities during science to show equal and unequal forces.

Happy Homecoming Week! This Saturday (October 25th) we will have our annual bonfire from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Everyone is welcome!!