August 2025

It is good to have our students back in school.



Visiting teams across our district, staff were prepared and excited. From kitchens to classrooms, main offices and maintenance shops, I’m grateful for their dedication.

At Gateway Elementary, I got to catch up with district electrician Matt Placzek. He’s served in Omaha Public Schools for 19 years, and now his daughter, Amanda, is student teaching at Indian Hill Elementary. Those connections to Omaha Public Schools across generations are special.

This summer, staff worked hard to prepare for every one of our 52,000 students. We used data, best practices, and the voices of our community to keep improving.

When staff returned in early August, we highlighted what we’ve accomplished together:

• Concluding our 2020–25 Strategic Plan of Action
• Advancing work toward our Moonshot
• Serving 17,000 students in Next Level Learning
• Completing maintenance and improvement projects across our district
• Bringing thousands of staff together for professional learning
• Offering music, athletic and academic programs in June and July

The fresh start of a school year brings renewed energy. We have the added boost of a clear focus from one year through the next. Literacy and reading on grade level is how we do better for every student we serve.

Our work takes all of us: 9,000 staff, 52,000 students, families and our community. We are glad you’re part of it.

Matthew Ray

Superintendent

Omaha Public Schools

Omaha Public Schools Students Start New Year with New Learning Materials

A middle school physical education (P.E.) teacher launched a flying disc to a colleague inside the Burke High gym. It wasn’t just for summer fun; it was part of a hands-on workshop introducing our district’s new P.E. curriculum, designed to keep students in grades K-12 active and excited about learning.

“I’m so excited about this training, and it’s fun to see how others teach,” said Shanda Dominguez, Bancroft Elementary P.E. teacher. “It’s good to get fresh ideas.”

The new curriculum includes pickleball, badminton and even indoor bowling. Omaha Public Schools Board of Education approved the curriculum adoption in June. The updated materials and resources focus on keeping students active and include small group games that encourage participation.

“The curriculum provides lots of engaging and fun activities that will help our students with social skills and teamwork,” said Dominguez. “It will help them discover the joy of movement and encourage a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle.”

Cody Shevlin, Omaha Public Schools K-12 P.E. teaching and learning consultant, says the lessons will benefit students physically and academically.

“The movement will help create long-term attention spans, retention of materials and instruction,” said Shevlin.

Physical education is one of a few new curricula introduced this year. Students will also experience new K-12 music curriculum and Alternative Curriculum Program (ACP) materials in our schools. Since the 2020-21 school year, Omaha Public Schools has adopted more than a dozen new materials in multiple content areas.

“With all the different individuals who come to school in Omaha Public Schools, we have kids who love reading, math or robotics,” said Donna Dobson, Omaha Public Schools executive director for elementary education. “It’s important to us that the curriculum we provide is the very best for all our students.”

The ACP materials are designed to provide personalized learning experiences. They focus on functional academics, communication, daily living skills and community involvement.

These materials were selected after a full review process, including teacher and community input.

“Music and P.E. are places where students get to really use their body as a tool for learning,” said Deanna Moisset, Omaha Public Schools executive director of secondary education. “With our new curriculum, that integral component of what they're doing is now incorporated with more literacy-rich resources.”

Whether through physical education, music or core academics, Omaha Public Schools focus on literacy connects the work across classes and grades. Our “Moonshot” goal—ensuring every student reads at grade level by 2030—guides our work to do better for every student we serve.

“Everything we’re doing is aligned to our Moonshot,” said Dobson. “As we have reviewed new curriculum, we are looking to make sure literacy is embedded so that a student is surrounded with opportunities for reading, speaking, listening and writing in all areas.”

Picture Perfect Start to the New Year

The first day of school for 2025-26 is in the books! Omaha Public Schools is thrilled to welcome back students and staff for the new year. Check out some of the smiles, excitement and first-day fun in our photo album. Click the image below to see more!

Summer Learning Inspires Strong Start for Student Leaders

When stadiums light up and fans fill the stands, students across Omaha Public Schools will take the field ready for action.

Many spent part of their summer preparing to energize the crowd with the familiar sounds of the marching band.

“Being in the band is fun,” said Teddy Dunning, Burke High senior and baritone saxophone section leader. “It’s great to see the progress and the hard work.”

Dunning is among a group of high school student leaders who came together in late July for the Omaha Public Schools Band Leadership Camp.

Drum majors and section leaders from our high schools focused on teamwork and other leadership strategies.

“I’ve learned how to deal with conflicts, how to compartmentalize issues in the band and how to react and solve them,” said Jay Pospisil, North High senior and clarinet section leader. “I feel like that’s something I need to work on and focus on, and being here really helps.

Northwest High band and orchestra teacher Jonathan Halvorson says the camp is a wonderful opportunity for students to grow as leaders and meet other kids from across our district.

“It gives us a chance to get together and learn how to work as a team, within our own leadership teams, and as a collective leadership team through Omaha Public Schools,” said Halvorson.

Burke High’s Valerie King is taking on a key position for her senior year.

“I’m the head drum major,” said King. “I’m the main person everyone knows they can come to if they need help, and during rehearsal, I tell people where to go and what piece we’re performing.”

While the camp focused on developing student leaders, band students also spent part of their summer preparing for the season ahead during school-based marching camps. Burke High’s two-week camp gave the basics of being in a marching band.

“It’s important for us to practice during the summer and to condition ourselves for the heat and the hard rehearsals and performances we will have during the school year,” said King. “Practice makes perfect.”

From early morning drills to afternoon rehearsals, students spend several hours a day marching, memorizing music, spinning flags and making connections.

“We spend a lot of time making sure our ninth graders who come into our program feel welcomed and accepted,” said Kyle Brubaker, Burke High director of instrumental music. “It’s great because we get to create a new family.”

Something that brings students joy year after year.

“I love this community,” said Dunning, “I’ve made some great friends – they’re a good group of people.”

Holiday Reminder

Schools and district offices will be closed on Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of Labor Day.

Schools will re-open for all students and staff on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Families can view and download a copy of our district calendar by visiting ops.org/calendar.

Improving Communication with Your Feedback

Thank you to the 5,600+ staff, families, and students who took our 2024-25 communication survey in March. Your feedback helps us improve every year.

Here’s what you told us you value most:

• School newsletters
• Brief, clear emails
• School and district websites

You shared your preference for one central place to find news and information. This school year, you’ll see more updates on school and district homepages. Emails and newsletters will feature key headlines, with links to full details so you can read what matters most to you.

Email will remain our primary way to share regular news and information. We also see more people each year preferring text messages. As we monitor that trend, we will continue to use text messages mostly for urgent or time-sensitive updates.

Open communication matters to us, and your feedback guides us forward. Thank you for sharing your voice.

Omaha Public Schools connects with families in a variety of ways, including:

• Social media: Click any of the images above to go straight to our social media pages.
• District News, sharing stories about what’s happening in our classrooms, is posted on ops.org/districtnews.
• Direct communication with families by text, email and phone.

1. Be sure your information is up-to-date with your student's school so you don't miss important communications.
2. Email is our primary method of sharing information, and we also share time-sensitive information by text.

Superintendent Matthew Ray extends

congratulations to...

... to South High Principal Jodi Pesek and curriculum specialist Cathy Nelson for winning the 2025 Nebraska Art Teachers Association Supervision and Administration in Art Education Award.

... to Sophia Bouman and Lea Hanson of Burke High for placing first in their categories at the 2025 Educators Rising National Conference.

Your Opinion Matters