PLCS supports mental health needs for students, families

Happy Fall, everyone! Autumn has officially arrived, and the end of the first quarter of the school year is rapidly approaching. I hope everyone’s year is off to a positive start. The Rikli family loves the chill in the air, fall sports, and trips to Vala’s pumpkin patch. Linus is getting ready for his first snow day decision, but that is a blog for another day…

I would like to discuss an issue that is very important to me personally, namely mental health for our students and families. We know that many people in our community struggle with mental health challenges, and the school district wants to be part of the solution.

The District has launched several programs to support mental health needs for our students and families. PLCS has partnered with Project Harmony and its Connections program to support families where there is suspected trauma. Trained therapists from CRCC will be embedded at both high schools to support students with mental health needs. A countywide mental health problem-solving team has been formed to better equip our staff with supports and resources. A new Social-Emotional Learning curriculum is being implemented at the elementary and middle level. Lastly, the District is now offering a Crisis Hotline (531-444-CARE) through its PLV Cares initiative.

PLV Cares is a collaboration between the school district, the cities of Papillion and La Vista, and community partners. The group serves as a gathering place for information on community resources to help those looking for ways to receive assistance in Papillion and La Vista. The PLV Cares program is intended to be a model of support, outreach, and communications to allow the surrounding community to identify the needs of young people and connect those needs with resources in the area.

You may have seen PLV Cares representatives from the group at high school athletic contests or seen PLV Cares signs posted in front of PLCS buildings. You will see the group’s logo along with the Crisis Hotline phone number. It is never too early or too late to ask for help, regardless of what you and your family are going through. For more information, please visit the website at www.plvcares.org. Thanks for all you do to make this a great community and let us know how we can help.

Welcome to a new school year!

Welcome back to the 2019-20 school year! Returning to school can certainly be stressful for families, students, and staff, but I think it’s the most exciting time of the year. The Rikli family had a wonderful summer including camping at Ponca State Park (check out the gorgeous views of the Missouri River!) and our annual pilgrimage to Adventureland. You simply must ride The Monster if you go! But we were all ready for the structure and “normalcy” that the school year brings. I hope you and your family feel the same.

One of our school district’s annual fall traditions is establishing a theme for the upcoming year. Last year’s theme was “In a World Where You Can Be Known for Anything, Be Known for Kindness.” It was a worthwhile focus for our schools, and it was so exciting to see how each of our buildings took the theme and made it fit their own school’s culture and needs. This year we are proud to announce the 2019-20 theme of “Growing Greatness. Building Futures”. We believe this theme truly captures who we are as a District, and what we want to be in the future. 

We are Growing Greatness in several ways. We are revamping our Employee Recognition program, updating our school security processes, and expanding our support for mental health in our schools to name just a few examples. Growth is something this District deeply values, and we want to continue to build upon that proud tradition.

In addition to Growing Greatness, we will also focus on Building Futures. The District will soon launch a new Strategic Plan, establish a Family Fund for employees who are struggling financially, and perhaps most visibly, continue work on our school bond projects. Thanks to the support of our community, we have made significant progress adding secured entryways at several elementary buildings, finalizing a new parking lot at Foundation Field, expanding PLSHS, and renovating G. Stanley Hall and Anderson Grove. The expansion at PLHS will begin next spring.

Thanks to everyone for following my Superintendent’s Blog. Our plan is to post a new entry every two weeks, so please drop me a line if there is a specific issue you’d like me to address. It’s an exciting time to be a member of the PLCS family. Have a great 2019-20 school year. And as always, Be Kind!

The end of the school year has arrived

We’ve made it! The end of the 2018-19 school year is at hand. The winter weather was certainly interesting, but taken on balance, it’s been a terrific school year. The month of May is an incredibly busy time in the Rikli home with retirement celebrations, end-of-year events, open houses, and senior send-offs. But perhaps the most special event is Commencement.

This year, over 800 students from PLHS and PLSHS participated in graduation. Baxter Arena has hosted the event the last five years, and it’s a showcase event for our schools and community. Our high school logos are displayed prominently on the ribbon boards, our graduates’ names are featured on the main video screen as they cross the stage, and the whole event simply says “class”. The look of pride on our graduates’ faces—and their families!—as they accept their diploma is simply amazing. Commencement is truly one of the highlights of the year for our seniors, our families, and our high school staff members who work to support them.

The District too has much to celebrate. Several bond projects are either completed or currently underway including controlled access entryways at several elementary buildings, an expanded parking lot at Foundation Field, and building expansions at Anderson Grove, G. Stanley Hall, and PLSHS.

Papillion La Vista High School was named the second high school in Nebraska—along with PLSHS—as a National Unified Champion School by the U.S. Special Olympics Committee. 

Lastly, the District was awarded a prestigious Gold Medallion Award by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) in recognition of the bond campaign organized by our Communications Office. 2018-19 was a great year indeed!

Thanks to our staff and families who made this such a successful year. I hope everyone has a great end to the year and congratulations to our recent Monarch and Titan grads.

Here’s wishing everyone a safe and restful summer break. And as always, #BeKind!

Check out some highlights of graduation here:

Living the #BeKind message

In the last several weeks, we’ve seen several examples of our staff and students showing what #BeKind is all about. From the Wear Red event which raised dollars to support flood relief efforts to our recent committee meeting with PLV Cares, our community has again shown why Papillion La Vista is one of the very best places to live and raise families.

The recent flooding across Nebraska and the region was a heartbreaking tragedy. But there are many examples of individuals who pitched in to help their neighbors get back on their feet. In addition to numerous building-level fundraisers, the District hosted a “Make A Difference, Wear Red” Day on Thursday, April 4. In just a few days, over $8,400 was raised by District staff and families    with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross for flood relief efforts. It was an incredible effort and outpouring of support for a very worthy cause.

Our #BeKind efforts haven’t ended with the flood relief efforts. The District hosted its first-ever “Attire to Inspire” event at PLSHS. This event is part of the District’s Unified Sports program for students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers. The Attire to Inspire event drew well over 200 community members and included students from both PLHS and PLSHS who modeled fashions from area business partner ReRUNS. This event was generously supported by several area businesses including the PLV Schools Foundation, Hy Vee, and ReRUNS. Attire to Inspire was a truly unforgettable event for our students and their families.

Lastly, the District hosted PLV Cares. PLV Cares is a collaboration between the school district, the Cities of Papillion and La Vista, and other community partners. Mental health is one of the most pressing needs facing our community today. PLV Cares is intended to be a model of support, outreach, and communications focusing on mental health needs for our students, their families, and our community. The group has a standing committee of approximately 25 members and has helped raised awareness about mental health issues through community events, parent training sessions, and legislative action.

There are always things we can do to make our schools and community more inclusive and welcoming places for all families. But much progress has been made in several important areas. I am proud to say the #BeKind movement is alive and well in the Papillion La Vista Community Schools.

Be Known for Caring

Welcome to the final stretch of the school year, PLCS! It was a difficult winter by any measure, and if you’re like the Rikli family, you’re thrilled to see the snow melting and experience the warmth of spring. Unfortunately, the warmer weather and rain have brought their own challenges in the form of widespread flooding across the State and region. We are blessed. Our schools and most of our staff and families have avoided the worst of the damage. But we don’t need to go very far to find displaced staff, homeless students, and homes devastated by the recent floods.

The PLCS Family has committed to an all-staff jeans day to support flood relief efforts across the metro and State. Furthermore, many individual PLCS schools have launched benefits to support our fellow Nebraskans, many of whom have lost everything to flood damage. 

At Tara Heights Elementary, students launched a “Kids Helping Kids” campaign to support families in Fremont. Students and staff at La Vista Middle School are collecting items ranging from cleaning supplies to food items for the Salvation Army. Papillion La Vista South is accepting donations for area homeless shelters. Trumble Park students are raising money for the Red Cross. At Prairie Queen, Anderson Grove, Rumsey, and G. Stanley Hall, students and teachers are putting together care packages and packing supplies for families in need. These are just a few of the examples of how our schools and families are rallying support.

Moments like these remind me what a special place we live in and call home. Martin Luther King, Jr. once reminded us that “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?” Nebraska is sometimes derided for being flyover country. We don’t have beaches or mountains or oceanfront views. But what we do have is tough, strong, resilient people who care deeply about their community and their neighbors. I have never been prouder to be a Nebraskan and a Papillion La Vista resident. Thanks for everything all of you do to make this a great place and #BeKind!