June 2026

Matthew Ray

Superintendent

Omaha Public Schools

Moving Our Moonshot Forward Through Summer Learning

At Kennedy Elementary, incoming first graders gather in a circle around librarian Karen Rickert. She’s reading aloud a book about sloths, and nonstop giggles fill the library.

“I try to find silly books to read to make reading fun for the students during the summer,” said Rickert. “The summer is a good time to encourage kids to read for enjoyment.”

While the school year may have ended, Omaha Public Schools continues moving our Moonshot forward by providing students with meaningful opportunities to learn, explore and grow.

“With our district’s Moonshot goal, it’s important for kids to keep being engaged with reading so they don’t lose any skills,” said Rickert.



Through Next Level Learning (NLL), summer library hours and a partnership with the Omaha Public Library Summer Reading Program, students are building reading skills.

Across our district, summer learning opportunities are designed to support continued growth.

At Dodge Elementary, NLL students are working on phonics lessons. The lessons focus on the relationship between spoken sounds and written letters or letter combinations, helping students decode words and strengthen their spelling skills.

“We want to make sure the students are very familiar with sight words and phonics,” said Katie Dose, Dodge Elementary NLL principal. “Then, we’ll add a layer of writing, so that what they’re reading, they’ll be writing. We want to gradually increase that rigor and complexity because we know students will benefit.”

NLL second grade student Juliet Griffin works on phonics with her peers, saying words out loud as a group.

“We're learning about the silent E, but I call it the magic E because it makes the vowel sound longer instead of shorter,” said Griffin. “If there’s no one saying the words, then you won’t remember what the word is, and it’s going to be even harder.”

All Omaha Public Schools students also have access to e-books through Sora, an online digital reading platform.

“Students can check out thousands of magazines, audiobooks, picture books or chapter books on any device,” said Rickert. “There are a lot of opportunities for our students to keep reading physically and digitally over the summer.”

Families are encouraged to participate in the Omaha Public Library Summer Reading Program with additional opportunities to read for fun, volunteer or attend education programs. 

As we work toward all students reading on grade level by 2030, our district is committed to providing year-round learning support.

“We're doing everything we can to bridge that gap and to get everybody reading on grade level, whether they're in third grade or a senior in high school,” said Dose. “We want to make sure we’re setting up all students for success, not only in school, but in life.”

Omaha Public Schools Summer Musical Connects Students, Staff and Alumni On Stage

Magic is taking shape as Omaha Public Schools students, staff and alumni come together to bring “Matilda the Musical” to the stage this summer. 

“It’s a lot of fun being able to work on something like this,” said Charlie Gaillard, a recent Central High graduate. “It’ll be great to see the end result and know that it was because of all the hard work we put in.”

Gaillard plays Miss Agatha Trunchbull, Matilda’s not-so-nice headmistress, a role he says he’s excited to take on. 

From learning lines and choreography to light design and managing props, students have worked to create a show they are proud of. With the support of Omaha Public Schools alumni and staff, “Matilda the Musical” is coming to life. 

“All of the people who’ve come in have been very helpful,” said Gaillard. “Our choreographer, music teacher, costume designer, they’ve done a great job, and they’re helping us put together something that’s really, really cool.”

Burke High alum Jordan Speer is sharing her choreography expertise with students. She’s teaching them to show up ready, willing and eager to make art. 

“It’s nice to be able to give my knowledge to others, and these students really want to be here and receive information,” said Speer. “As fun as it is to be on stage, finding myself behind the table and exploring different ways to express my artistic craft has been really fun for me.”

These lessons are already making an impact on 12-year-old Everly Turille, who is playing the lead role of Matilda. 

“They have a lot of skills to share,” said Turille, an incoming eighth grader at Buffett Middle. “It’s getting to know those extra things that I wouldn’t have known on my own that have been helpful. It makes this experience better and more fun.”

On the technical side, you’ll find Michael Reiger-Hydar, North High alum, working with students on how to visually illustrate the story on stage. 

“Technical theater is everything behind the scenes, from lighting, wardrobe, set design and set building,” he said. “A big part of this work is collaboration, listening to students, working as a team and building solutions together.”

Reiger-Hydar is studying to become a teacher through the Teacher Scholar Academy, a partnership program between Omaha Public Schools and the University of Nebraska Omaha. He says working with the students during the summer musical will benefit him in his career. 

“My reason for coming back to work on the summer musical is because I am a product of Omaha Public Schools,” said Reiger-Hydar. “Also, as a future educator, it’s an amazing opportunity to learn how to collaborate with students.”

Thomas Sibbitt, Benson High drama teacher, is directing the summer musical for the first time. He says the middle and high school theater students have been working hard to bring Matilda to the stage in just four short weeks.

“It has been a privilege to work with incredibly talented students from all over our district,” said Sibbitt. “This event is a good reminder that Omaha Public Schools is a city-wide community.”

Performances for “Matilda the Musical” are Wednesday, July 1, and Thursday, July 2, at 7 p.m. at Benson High. Admission is free. Guests can reserve tickets online before the performances. 

Calendar Reminders

Omaha Public Schools Next Level Learning and district offices will be closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth.

District offices will also be closed on Friday, July 3, for the Fourth of July holiday.

For more calendar information, visit www.ops.org/calendars.

Summer Library Hours



Families have one more opportunity to attend our summer library hours on Wednesday, June 24, from 10 a.m. – noon. Librarians will host story time from 10:15-10:45 a.m.

For a list of participating schools, visit www.ops.org/summerreading.

Summer Meals

Omaha Public Schools proudly sponsors the Summer Food Service Program, providing more than 225,000 healthy meals to children ages 1-18, free of charge each summer.

Summer locations, dates and times can be found on our website, by texting FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304 or by calling 2-1-1.

Update from Canvas Instructure



In late May, Instructure, Inc., owner of the Canvas learning management platform, informed us that Omaha Public Schools was not impacted by the data security incident previously reported by the company.

As shared in our May 8 communication, Canvas reported a potential data security incident affecting educational institutions nationwide.

Our Community Opportunities section is our digital bulletin board where families can find information about upcoming events and activities available in our area. New flyers are posted at the beginning of each month. This month's flyers include:

• Family Meals of Hope
• The Connection Project
• Mandan Day Camp
• Northwest All-Star Camp

Superintendent Matthew Ray extends

congratulations to...

… to Dylan Holden of South High for being selected as the Lincoln Journal Star Player of the Year.

… to Ryan Kubiak and Dylan Holden of South High for being named to the Omaha World-Herald’s 2026 All-Nebraska soccer team.

… to Michaela Dailey, North High girls basketball coach, for being named the Omaha Sports Commission Female Coach of the Year.

… to Omaha Public Schools District Communications team for earning 13 awards from the National School Public Relations Association’s 2026 Publications and Digital Media Excellence Awards.

• Awards of Excellence
• Awards of Merit
• Honorable Mention

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