History of District 66
Residents living on the western edge of Omaha in 1946 were so concerned about the education being offered in their rural schools that the boards of education of Districts 19, 31, 46, and 65 sought the advice of the University of Nebraska Teachers College and the State Department of Education. As a result of this request, a recommendation was made to merge the four districts into one to better care for individual differences in children. It was proposed that existing school facilities be used for Kindergarten through grade 6, and a new high school be built to house students in grades 7 through 12. It was also suggested that the high school program be developed, and the new building be built to accommodate the new program.

A series of joint meetings during the winter culminated in the merger of Districts 31, 46, and 65 to form District 66 in the March of 1947. (District 19 chose not to join.) The first three schools in the new District were Oakdale, Loveland, and Underwood.

Today Westside Community Schools, District 66, is a national award winning school district serving a K-12 population of approximately 5000. We have six Early Childhood Centers, ten elementary schools offering full-day kindergarten, one middle school and one senior high school.

For over fifty years, the over-arching aim of the District's staff, administration and Board of Education has been to provide excellence in education at every level to its residents. District 66's mission is to ensure academic excellence and to serve the unique needs of all learners. To do that, the District has encouraged excellence among its staff, and 70 percent of them have earned masters, specialist, or doctoral degrees. Westside High School continues to lead the state in the percentage of its graduates recognized as National Merit Scholars. The students' SAT and ACT scores are consistently above state and national averages.

Westside Community Schools provides a unique mix -- high academic and behavioral expectations and a warm family environment. Westside Community Schools' students, faculty, parents, and the Board of Education work together to create a warm, nurturing atmosphere of learning that encourages academic excellence, personal growth, and lifelong commitment to service. The District's record of excellence speaks for itself.

Purpose
The purpose of this handbook and curriculum guide is to provide parents and students with information on school procedures and curriculum common throughout the elementary level in the Westside Community Schools.

This standard set of procedures is found within all ten elementary schools. It is our hope that your most commonly asked questions will be answered. Understandably, each school is unique, therefore, schools may have procedures and practices which are designed to meet their individual needs.

Please feel free to call your home school if you have further questions.