About Us

Welcome to Wasmer Elementary, Home of the Wildcats!

Principal Hannah Luber smiling and talking to students.

Wasmer is comprised of approximately 350 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and located in the central section of Grand Island. We are a diverse school that offers multiple opportunities for students to display their skills and talents. Our staff works hard to ensure that all children will experience a positive and safe learning environment. We believe in hard work, dedication and building positive relationships that will best prepare young people for the future! Wasmer staff and students have achieved high academic achievement and we are very proud of what we do each and every day to ensure we represent the GIPS motto of “Every Student, Every Day, a Success!”

WASMER MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Wasmer Elementary School is to provide a positive atmosphere in which children learn and succeed at their highest potential while developing skills to meet the challenges of the future.

Wasmer at a Glance

K-5 Students: 340

Teachers: 23

Number of classrooms per grade level: 3

CEP School: Meals at no cost

Title I School

(Information from Nebraska Dept. of Education, 2025)

Thank you for visiting our website to learn more about our academic opportunities as well as our family events. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. Hannah Luber, principal

Wasmer Elementary school building entrance.

School History
Title I Overview

School History

Outdoor photo of Wasmer Elementary School

The building was named for Mr. Charles Wasmer, who donated the land for this school. The first Wasmer school was erected in 1886 on this site. It was a one-story, two-room and basement brick building. The custodian lived in the basement. It cost $5,125.00 to build the original building.

The building was completely rebuilt and enlarged in 1926, in 1943, and again in 1950. A two room temporary building was added to the site in 1989 to relieve crowded conditions in the building.

A Media Center was organized at Wasmer in a small upstairs room. It was moved to a remodeled room in the basement in 1974. One of the first-floor classrooms was made accessible for handicapped students. A pre-school operated in the building for four years until an increase in enrollment made it necessary to move the program to another building.

The new Wasmer Elementary building opened in August for the 2000-2001 school year. It has several features that make this building different than most. Since it is two stories and must be handicapped accessible, it has an elevator. The gym is carpeted. This gym is larger than most elementary gyms. Students are able to bounce balls and do anything that they could on a gym with a hard floor. The cafeteria has a sky light to match its bowed windows lining the back of the room. There is a really neat color scheme of tile on the floor to accent the room. The library and the media center have unique and unusual ceiling designs. The building is electric with individual heating systems for each room. Classrooms are large with windows, cabinets, and marker boards. New playground equipment and landscaping surrounds the building.

Title I Overview

Link to the Nebraska Education Profile: http://nep.education.ne.gov/

Purpose of Title I

Designated as Title I, our school receives federal funding to provide supplemental financial assistance and services to our students. The goal is to provide high-quality instructional services, opportunities, and activities to meet the needs of disadvantaged children identified as most at risk of not meeting the state’s challenging academic standards. The purpose of these funds is to help our students meet their educational goals, particularly in reading and math and to support their social-emotional learning needs.

Grand Island Public Schools uses a schoolwide Title I model focusing resources toward preschool, elementary, and one designated middle school. Title I goals also emphasize parent and family engagement in school as staff and parents jointly strive for the successful achievement of all students.

Components of a Title I Schoolwide Program

Conduct an annual self-review and comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school.
Provide opportunities through schoolwide reform strategies for all children to meet the state’s challenging academic standards.
Provide frequent and continuous data to help staff make informed decisions to assist students.
Provide instruction by highly qualified staff.
Conduct activities to engage parents and families.
Provide transitional assistance from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school.
Conduct ongoing professional learning for staff throughout the school year and summer.

Title I Annual Meeting
As a requirement for all Title I schools, we convene an annual Title I meeting for all parents and guardians, to explain the school’s Title I program, share information about staff, funding, curriculum and assessments, and the parents’ right to be involved in their child’s education. Additional opportunities for parents also function as a space to inform parents about their rights to be involved in the school program and to request additional feedback and input. The annual meeting can be the first step in setting the tone and opening the door for positive school-home partnerships.

Parental Engagement
Parental engagement is an integral part of the Title I program. Parents are encouraged to become partners in helping their children achieve and to become actively involved in all aspects of the process of the Title I program, from the writing of the schoolwide plan to its implementation and evaluation of effectiveness. A strong connection between home and school is a key element in student success. Materials, strategies, and assistance from teachers are available to all parents within a Title I school. Opportunities for active parent participation include school open houses, PTO (Parent/Teacher Organizations), parent/teacher conferences, and upholding the implementation of the school/parent compact. Federal legislation requires schools to utilize a portion of their Title I funds to support parent and family engagement and parents are encouraged to contact the school principal with any comments or suggestions regarding the school’s parent engagement opportunities.

Testing Transparency
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 states that the parents may request, and the agency will provide the parents on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by section 1111 (b)(2) and by the State or local educational agency, which shall include a policy, procedure, or parental right to opt the child out of such assessment, where applicable.

Notification of Teacher Qualifications
The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 gives parents/guardians the right to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's classroom teachers. Upon request (and in a timely manner), the agency will give parents/guardians the following information about their child's teacher:

Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency or provisional teaching certificate.
Is teaching for four or more consecutive weeks who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements.
Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Click any of the following items to view the related documents:

Wasmer Elementary Title I Schoolwide Plan - 2024-2025

Wasmer Elementary Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy: English | Spanish

Wasmer Elementary Title I School-Parent Compact

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