December 2011

FRENCHTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT #40 NEWSLETTER
From The Desk of the Superintendent,
Mr. Randy Cline
FHS HEAD COACHES AND SPONSORS
At the November School Board meeting the
Board revised the schedule for the hiring of FHS
head coaches and sponsors. Previously, FHS head
coaches were hired two times a year. Now FHS
head coaches and sponsors will be hired three times
a year.
Hiring Schedule:



Fall FHS Head Coaches in December. This includes the football, volleyball, soccer, cross
country, and golf head coaches.
Winter FHS Head Coaches/Sponsors in May.
This includes the basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, and speech/drama head coaches and
sponsors for all music and student activity extra
-curricular organizations.
Spring Head Coaches in June. This includes the
track and softball head coaches.
This schedule is not a change of when the
district hires Winter or Spring Head Coaches/
Sponsors.
JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS WILL LEARN THE
BASICS OF CPR
In a program launched by the American
Heart Association and to be implemented in
Frenchtown Public Schools, every seventh- and
eighth-grade will learn basic CPR - especially the
most critical first step, which is to compress the
heart through the sternum.
Before the school year is completed students at Frenchtown Junior High will go through
the training, and receive a kit containing a DVD
and a "Mini Annie," a truncated version of the full
"Resusci Annie" used to certify people in CPR. The
goal is to not only help students learn how to save a
DECEMBER
2011
life, but to have them train their own families and
friends in the skills. The trademark name HandsOnly CPR stems from recent medical studies that
show giving compressions - and at a particular rate
of 100 per minute - is the first and most important
skill a would-be lifesaver should have.
MCPS seventh- and eighth-graders are
currently training in the program - called CPR Anytime and it will also be taught to hundreds of other middle-school students in Frenchtown, Lolo,
Clinton, Hellgate Elementary, Valley Christian and
other places.
Inside this issue:
Montana Approves More Specific Education
Standards
2
Public Library in the High School
3
December Music Happenings & Holiday
Performances
4
Grades K-4 News
4-6
Grades 5-6 News
7-10
Grades 7-8 News
10-13
December School Board Meeting Agenda
13
REVTRAK Online School Meal Payments
14
FRENCHTOWN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER IS
PRESIDENT ELECT OF THE MONTANA
SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
2012 School Board Elections Calendar
15
Four School Board Trustee Positions Open
16
A new president, president elect and vice
president for the Montana School Boards Association (MTSBA) were elected on October 21, 2011.
Grades 9-12 News
16-17
H.S. Student Council Clothing Drive
18
Shakespeare in the Schools Event
19
Frenchtown Adult Education Classes
20
High School Counseling Center News
20
The kits are $25 apiece, but not one dollar
will come out of the FTSD budget or any other district's budget. The MCPS kits were purchased by
Community Medical Center through its foundation. Additional funding for kits outside of MCPS
comes from St. Patrick Hospital, the Missoula Federal Credit Union, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and a host of local businesses.
Dianne Burke will serve as president elect.
Burke has lived in Frenchtown for nearly 20 years.
She owns a computer consulting business and is a
faculty member at the University of Montana. She
has been on the Frenchtown School Board since
2004 and held leadership positions there since
2005. She has served as both the Chair and the
Vice Chair on the Board and served on several
committees, including the Negotiations and Build(Continued on page 2)
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JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOL- 21
OR DREAMCOAT
West Valley Community Council December
Agenda
24
PTSA CRAFT FAIR
26-27
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including such things as vocabulary words in
science and being able to solve story problems.
everyone there.
ing Committees.
The
standards
were
developed
through an initiative sponsored by the Council
of Chief State School Officers and the National
Governor's Association. The process involved
teachers, principals, parents and other experts
using the best education practices of the United States and other countries. "This is a national movement, driven by the states, rather
than the federal government”, Juneau said.
Schools will now begin aligning their curriculum to the new standards and some have already begun that work, Juneau said.
FRENCHTOWN KEY CLUB IS BUSY
MTSBA represents the interests of
elected school boards governing K-12 public
education throughout Montana and their
membership encompasses virtually every
school board in the state, from east to west,
large to small and between. MTSBA has been a
leader in public education advocacy since its
inception in 1926.
MONTANA APPROVES MORE SPECIFIC
EDUCATION STANDARDS
The Montana Board of Education approved the adoption of the Common Core
standards on November 4th, 2011. The Common Core Standards are intended to provide a
clear set of shared goals and expectations for
student learning across the nation.
Montana has joined 45 other states
and the District of Columbia in adopting education standards that proponents say are more
specific and prepare students to graduate from
high school ready for college or a career. The
state Board of Public Education adopted the
Common Core State Standards for English language arts and math, Superintendent of Public
Instruction Denise Juneau said. "These new
standards have the potential to fundamentally
transform learning in the classroom," Juneau
said. "They give every student, no matter
where they live, the opportunity to receive an
education that will prepare them for college or
to enter the workforce." The new standards
list specific skills students are supposed to
learn in each grade, while the previous standards listed, in general, what students should
know by fourth and eighth grades and at graduation, she said.
They also require literacy in history,
science, social studies and technical subjects.
"Literacy has to be a part of their duties as well
— reading across the curriculum," Juneau said,
Schools are expected to implement the
new standards starting with the 2013-14 school
year, but may begin earlier. The first tests that
will be able to compare Montana students with
students across the country being taught under
the same standards will take place during the
2014-15 school year.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
As the holiday season approaches, our
students are busy preparing their holiday programs for family and community members.
Don’t forget to check the calendar of events for
all of our Winter Programs scheduled for this
month (they are also listed below). Our students and their music teachers are working
hard to bring to you an event to remember.
Winter Programs start during the second week
of December.
Tickets are on sale now for the FTSD
school musical, “Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat.” It’s a really fun show
that’s great for all ages. Lots of different kinds
of music, a fun story, and a great cast… it’s really entertaining. We want to invite you all to
come see it on December 1, 2, or 3 at 7:00 p.m.,
with an additional matinee on the 3rd at 3:00
p.m. Everyone must have a ticket to enter;
FHS student, district, or senior citizen activity
passes are not valid for this event. Hope to see
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The Frenchtown KEY club has had a
busy fall. They started the year by completing
the highway clean-up project. This project involves picking up trash around the Frenchtown
interchange and then continuing west for two
miles to the pond.
The Key Club and the Jr. High Builders
club also completed the Thanksgiving food
drive. 19 families were provided with boxes of
food, a turkey, potatoes and rolls. The potatoes
and rolls were provided by the KEY club and
the turkeys were provided by the Frenchtown
Valley Kiwanis. The can goods were collected
through the classroom food drive at the school.
The Key Club is currently working with
the Kiwanis and the Clark Fork Valley Bank on
the Christmas Star Program. The stars will be
placed on the Christmas tree at the bank starting December first. The KEY will wrap the gifts
and distribute them before Christmas.
The Key club would like to thank all
the adult volunteers who make it possible for us
to complete our community service projects.
AS WINTER APPROACHES
Winter is here now, as the snow falls
and we have snow packed or icy roads we always have to look at the driving hazards for our
buses. We try to keep our buses running and
school open as much as possible. Please stay
tuned to the local radio and television stations
for information on whether the buses will be
running or school will be open. If you are in a
location that does not allow for safe passage to
school or to the bus stop, then as a parent, you
are the best person to determine if your child/
children should attend school on a day when
the weather is bad. If a student is absent because you could not get them to the bus stop or
school, please notify the school and your child
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will be marked as an excused absence for that
day.
As superintendent, I consult with our
transportation supervisor in the early morning
to determine whether it is safe to have the buses out, and in some cases individual routes or
parts of routes will be cancelled or delayed.
Listen for messages on the radio or television as
that will be the first place that we contact on
any school closures. If you don’t hear Frenchtown mentioned in a listing of school closures,
then know we are holding school. The weather
across the county can be very different from
one end to the other and so the description of
school closures in Missoula, or Clinton, may
not be at all like our weather for the morning.
COATS, HATS, GLOVES, BOOTS
Please be sure that your child leaves for
school with everything they need to stay warm
at recess and lunch recess as well as the trip to
and from school. But even more importantly
check to make sure they get it all home again.
Our Lost and Found departments at elementary
and junior high are always overflowing. It
seems that as the weather warms up during the
day, students take their coats, hats and gloves
off which never make it back home again. We
can only keep the clothes for a limited amount
of time, until we have no more room, then we
donate to charity, so if you are missing some
outerwear, check the school Lost and Found
and see if it is there.
WINTER VACATION
On December 21, 2011 students will
have an early release to begin their winter
break. School will be dismissed at 1:30 PM (K6) and 1:37 PM (7-12). The winter break will run
from Dec. 22 to Jan. 1 with school resuming on
Monday, January 2, 2012.
ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM
There is information included about
specific Adult Education offerings in this newsletter. Look for more information about the
local Adult Education offerings in the Frenchtown section of the Missoula Lifelong Learning
Center’s Adult Education booklet to be sent out
soon for the winter session. The Adult Education Coordinator is Julie Kieckbusch Jones. Her
contact info:
Email - [email protected]
Phone number - 406-880-5358
Please contact Julie with any questions
about the Frenchtown Adult Education program. She would also like to hear from you
about what kind of adult ed classes you want to
see in Frenchtown and if you are interested in
instructing an adult ed class (if so what class).
PUBLIC LIBRARY OPEN IN THE HIGH
SCHOOL
The Frenchtown School and Community Library is located in the High School Library.
Its hours of operation are:
Saturday, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
Tuesday, 4:30-8:30 PM
Wednesday, 4:30-8:30 PM
Thursday, 4:30-8:30 PM
Heather Tone (the public librarian)
leads kids’ programming, has established a
book club for adults, and has setup an adult
reading program. For more information or any
questions about the Frenchtown School and
Community Library (High School Library),
please contact Steve White, FHS librarian, at
626-2683.
PUBLIC MEETINGS DURING THE SCHOOL
YEAR WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT
There will be public meetings with the
superintendent once a month during the school
year. Interested parents, students, and community members are invited to participate. There
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will be a specific school topic at each meeting
to discuss, along with any general school topics
of interest to the participants. Each meeting
will be held at 6:30 PM on the fourth Monday of
the month and will be used to explain, discuss,
and answer questions about school issues. The
next scheduled public meetings of the 2011-2012
year will be on Monday, November 28, and December 19, 2011 in the Frenchtown Junior High
shared project area. The December meeting will
be held on the third Monday as school is out for
winter break during the fourth Monday. The
topic of each will be “school improvement.”
Refreshments will be provided.
FRENCHTOWN FACILITY IMPROVEMENT
COMMITTEE
Our current track (used by junior high,
high school, and the community) was constructed thirty years ago. The engineers said it
would last about twenty years, but we have
been able to nurture it along for the extra ten.
Even with repairs, we are currently looking at
cracks and fissures in the asphalt that may go
down to the sub-surface. In addition, much of
the rubber has fallen off. Part of the problem
with the track has been created by our use of
irrigation pipes to water the football field. The
force of the water hitting the track has knocked
off rubber and helped to undermine the asphalt’s integrity. That is why an important part
of our capital campaign is to put in an underground sprinkler system on the football field. In
addition to making our new track last even
longer, an underground sprinkler system will
save the district money by eliminating manhours, and at the same time conserve water.
The school district has committed
nearly $50,000 toward Phase 1 (new track and
underground sprinkler system), and we have a
corporation that recently contributed $8,000 to
the project. The cost for Phase 1 is approximately $200,000. We have not established a cost for
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Phase 2 of our facility improvements
(concessions and bathrooms for the softball/
soccer complex, upgrades of our practice fields,
and improving the perimeter walking path)
because our immediate need is for the track
and football field sprinkler system.
If you are interested in donating for
this outdoor facility improvement, you can
“purchase” a meter or more of the new track for
$20 per meter. When you “purchase” one or
more meters your name will be added to a signboard showing the meter or meters you purchased. (Keep in mind that the meter purchase
also means you are donating for the football
field sprinkler system as well!) This board will
proudly be displayed at the school once Phase 1
has been completed.
Any donation you offer is tax deductible! Once you have contributed we will send
you confirmation with our tax exempt number.
If you have ever thought about “giving
back” to your school and community, this may
be the give-back that is lasting and appreciated
by students and community alike! We thank
you for any support you can offer!
SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Nov. 23 Early Release – School dismissed at 1:30
(K-6) and 1:37 (7-12)
Nov. 24-25 Thanksgiving Vacation
Dec. 20
School Board Meeting
Dec. 21 Early Release – School dismissed at 1:30
(K-6) and 1:37 (7-12)
Dec. 22-Jan. 1
Jan. 2
Friday, Dec.2
o Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat @ 7:00 - HS Auditorium
Saturday, Dec. 3
o Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat @ 3:00 - HS Auditorium
o Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat @ 8:00- HS Auditorium
************************************************
Friday, Dec. 9
o Shakespeare experts in our school - classes
all day
o Madrigal dinner @ 5:30 - HS Commons
o As You Like It @ 7:00 - HS Auditorium
Holiday Performances
Mon, Dec. 12
o 5th Grade Band and General Music @
7:00.- Intermediate School gym
Tues, Dec. 13
o 3rd & 4th general music program and
Kids in Motion @ 6:30- Intermediate
School gym
From The Desk of the Grades K-4
Principal, Mrs. Cindy Worrall
Mrs. Dorian has worked with our students for a number of years now, and she has
always been an influential factor in our students’ lives. Not only that, she has continually
showed support to the fourth grade teachers
and to the school itself.
Bev is dedicated to working with our students. She loves making a difference in our
students’ lives, and makes every effort to be at
the school every day. She has a kind and caring
personality that students really respond to. The
students love to work with her on a one-on-one
basis, and she really makes a difference in their
academic and personal life. Bev works with our
students primarily in reading and math, but is
willing to help the teachers out in any way that
she can. She goes out of her way to bring in
special crafts for the kids to work on during the
holidays, and will stick around to help students
or teachers if needed.
Wed, Dec.14
o K-2 general music program @ 1:00 pm.Intermediate School gym
Thurs, Dec.15
o 6/7/8 Band - 6:00 in the HS Auditorium
o 6th Grade Percussion Ensemble
o 7/8 Honor Choir - 7:00 in the JH Gym
Mon, Dec. 19
o HS Bands and Percussion Ens - 6:00 in
Auditorium
o HS Choirs and Percussion Ens - 7:30 in
Auditorium
Winter Break
School Resumes after Winter Break
Grandma Bev Dorian earns
Senior Volunteer award.
DECEMBER MUSIC HAPPENINGS
Thursday, Dec. 1
o Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat @ 7:00 - HS Auditorium
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Kindergarten News
Fire Safety
Our Frenchtown Kindergartens want to
thank the Missoula Rural Fire Department for a
great presentation on fire safety week. The firefighters put on a wonderful and educational
puppet show. These are some of the things we
learned:
Stop, Drop, and Roll
Stay Low, Crawl Out
Never Play With Matches
Family Meeting Place
Check Smoke Detectors
family members were invited to come and enjoy
this special time with their child. First graders
shared information they learned about Native
Americans: how they lived , where they lived,
what kind of housing they used and why, important facts about the important buffalo. All
items have been created by the students and
after the Pow-Wow they got to take home all of
their projects. Colorful totem poles and dream
catchers seem to be favorites. It is fun and interesting to learn about the Native Americans
and their respect for all.
family and animals.”
Besides making gifts, wrapping paper,
and holiday cards, Mrs. Unsworth’s First Graders will be comparing different holiday traditions. They will also explore the different traditions within their own class. Math time is being filled with data collection and graphing.
Watching and recording how fast an amaryllis
grows can be quite exciting. In science, students will be rolling – rolling wheels, rolling
cups, and rolling spheres. For a grand finale,
they will create a marble runway around the
room. They would also like to wish everyone a
Happy and Safe Holiday!!
Lexus says,” Honesty is most important to me
because, I don’t lie to my friends or Mom and
Dad.”
During our weekly class meeting, Mrs.
Hedrick’s class discussed the hidden treasures
of the heart. The treasures identified in our
bully prevention program are; Friendship, Honesty, Integrity, Kindness, Love, Forgiveness and
Inner beauty.
Each one of us felt there was
one especially important treasure. Here are the
results of our discussions:
Story loves her bunny which is real and alive.
Jack said, “Friendship is important when friends
leave and they’re still in your heart.”
Beau said, “Honesty gets you things, not being
honest gets people mad at you.”
Adam says, “Honesty means you don’t lie.”
Elizabeth says, “Love is the most important
treasure because I play with Jack every recess.”
Cody likes friendship the most because, “I like
to play outside with my friends.”
Nathan likes friendship the most because he”
likes to have lots of friends.”
Madison says, My friends are super nice so
friendship is the most important.”
Braxton thinks love is most valuable because he
loves his family.
Friendship is most important to Nate, “So when
somebody doesn’t have a friend and you ask
them to be your friend.”
Thatcher loves his dog and cat.
Nadia wants people to remember her for being
a good person so integrity is important to her.
Princess says,” If you want a friend, you have to
go find a friend.”
Rylee loves her cats and family and friends.
Kaynen loves his Mom, sisters and dogs.
Arianna thinks all of the hidden treasures of the
heart are important because, “ My family needs
all of them.”
Happy Holidays to all of you and we
hope you have all of the hidden treasures of
the heart!
Mateo says he wants to have more friends.
First Grade
Mrs. Richardson’s first graders are very
excited about their Pow-Wow. It will took place
on November the 21st at 2:20. Parents and
Forgiveness is most important to Olivia “So
when you are mad at somebody , they still want
to be your friend.”
Caden says,
“I love important people like
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Second Grade News
Parks. We were intrigued by the swim bladder
we found inside the fish. We found out that it
is like a balloon that inflates to help the fish
float in the water. In language we have been
working on writing “How to” paragraphs.
When we wrote “How to Make a Peanut-butter
and Jelly Sandwich”, we learned it is important
to be very specific and get things in the right
order. We are also excited to be pen pals with a
3rd grade class in Pennsylvania.
Fourth Grade News
Mrs. Undem’s students enjoying the
first snowfall.
Third Grade News
There was something fishy going on in
Mrs. Normand’s room this month. We learned
the characteristics of fish by dissecting trout
provided fish by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and
Mr. Anderson’s class is working on
their writing skills a lot during the month of
December. They are practicing paragraph writing, but also using stronger words in their writing to make their stories more descriptive. In
math class, they have really excelled at how to
multiply larger two and three digit numbers.
Mr. Anderson would still like to encourage parents to help their child know their basic multiplication facts quicker and more accurately.
We are continuing to study “matter” in science,
and we have been learning our states and capitals in social studies class. Last, in reading
class, we should be finishing up “The War with
Grandpa” before our winter break.
We are well into the 2nd quarter. This
school year is certainly rushing along! Mrs.
Gaul’s class has been learning about the Native
American boarding schools and one of their
most famous graduates – Jim Thorpe. We will
also study the first Thanksgiving and the Wampanoag tribe of Indians. The class has also been
reading a lot and piling up the AR points. We
have finished studying mode, median, and
range in Math and started working on multiplication.
Mrs. Whaley’s 4th grade, by reporters,
Kiya Shelton and Alyssa Szwedkowcz
The first quarter has gone by so fast. In
math, we have been learning about multiples,
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factors, adding fractions, money, and patterns.
We have also been learning how to do perimeter, area, and volume. We have been hitting
multiplication tables hard! In English, we have
been doing compound, complex, and simple
sentences. Every once and a while we throw
cause and effects in there too. For reading, we
have been reading poems and novels. We just
finished a book called Ramona. It has Mrs.
Whaley’s name in it. Science is fun too, we are
doing states of matter, and lots of experiments!
Just for fun, we have been counting how many
days left of school there are. We do our class
meetings once a week. We do spelling every
week too. In music we are having so much fun
learning how to play recorders with Mrs. Blass!
Music
In 2nd grade music, we are preparing
for our winter holiday program, “Twas the
Night Before….” It will feature all of our second
grade students singing, playing instruments,
and telling stories about all of the holidays that
happen during this time of year: Hanukkah,
Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s. Our program is on December 14 at 1:00 p.m. in the Intermediate Elementary Gym. See you there!
From The Desk of the Grades 5-6
Intermediate Principal, Mrs. Judy
The students have been very involved in
projects this month. The halls are full of art that
demonstrates academic understanding and the
vivid colors of the fall season. Math, science and
social studies projects are abundant. Students
are reflecting on Thanksgiving and are preparing
for the upcoming holiday concerts. I extend an
embracing thank you to all of the students,
teachers, parents and support staff for a great
fall of learning.
Looking for your child’s coat or gloves?
The Lost and Found table is full.
5th Grade
Mrs. Fry:
Ms. Bruse:
November flew by faster than ever. I am
happy to announce that we are right on track with
covering skills in our math books. We have now
started the section on Algebra. The class did very
well on the division chapter. We are on to the
third unit in Reading and the third unit in Social
Studies. Along with the third Social Studies unit
we are starting our colonial jobs project. Your
child will be reporting on a certain occupation
found in the original 13 colonies. They are making
a model of their building and will also be asked to
construct a product that would be sold in their
business. I will be giving them the directions of
what to make but they do the constructing at
home. These will be due by Dec. 14th. AR is well
underway. All the goals have been redone and
each person knows their new goal. If you haven’t
seen much reading going on, I encourage you to
remind them to read at least 20 minutes each
night. Last Quarter many were scrambling to finish
at the end and had to spend quite a few recesses
inside. I hate to have to put them through that
again this quarter. They should have half of their
points earned by December 5th. Hope to see you
all at the holiday programs!
It is so hard to believe we are in the 2nd
quarter already! We have had new AR goals set
for the 2nd quarter. Please see that your child is
reading 20-30 minutes every night at home. In
math we have just finished up our chapter on division and are starting in on expressions in math. It
should be fun! In science we are learning about
the Earth’s cycles. It is fascinating to learn why
things happen the way they do on Earth. In art we
have been doing drawing lessons. This can be
challenging, but we find that we are better at
drawing than we thought we were. In language
we are currently writing our own personal narratives and learning about the whole process that
someone must go through to be a good writer. We didn’t realize it was so much work! We
look forward to seeing you at our holiday concert
on December 12th.
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Mrs. Eustance:
Happy Holidays to all! Thanks so much for the
opportunity to teach your kids! I have a unique
and special job!
Hope to see all of you at the
Christmas programs. Please watch for your child’s
agenda at night. I think being responsible for filling
out and checking an agenda helps them get ready
for 6th grade and the future. Please refresh your
child’s supply of glue, pencils, colored pencils, scissors, etc. in their Christmas stocking if possible.
These items seem to disappear quickly. Thanks again for all you do!!
in Math. We’ve just finished the novel, American
Tall Tales, in Reading. In Science we are learning
about the biomes of the world and the ecosystems in each of them. The students are creating
an energy pyramid that shows where the energy
is transferred in each of the biomes. We are
looking forward to our winter program and all
the fun we have during this winter holiday season. Remember it is still very important to practice math facts, read every night and keep those
agendas up to date every day.
cated in the hallway by the library!
We had our first “Bingo” on the Colt’s
Corral board! Students are given a ticket if they
do good deeds and follow the rules. The tickets
are placed on a board located near the office.
When enough tickets are turned in and a row is
filled, that row wins the Colt Corral drawing.
This past week, 15 students won water bottles
(made in the U.S.A.) filled with treats. Without
exception, every student politely said “Thank
you!”
Counselor’s Corner
Carol Flint
Intermediate Elementary Counselor
Whew! First quarter flew by pretty rapidly.
Ms. O’Sullivan:
Ms. O’Sullivan’s class is busy learning
long division and multiple step word problems
Our school-wide anti-bullying program
is in full swing. Each month we will have a different theme that classrooms will emphasize.
Each of these themes is considered a hidden
treasure of the heart. You may have noticed
your child wearing an orange bracelet with Hidden Treasures engraved on it. These were distributed after the anti-bullying assembly. Classroom meetings will center around the specific
theme, and November’s theme is FRIENDSHIP.
When you visit the school next, please take a
look at “Bullying Prevention” bulletin board lo8
If you have pink Yoplait yogurt lids that
have a breast cancer ribbon on them, please
wash them and deliver them to the school. We
have an S.O.S. job entitled Save Lids to Save
Lives because Yoplait Yogurt donates ten cents
for every lid collected to Susan G. Komen for the
Cure. We will be sending them off before the
break in December.
There have been surprise spot checks
with agendas in grades 4, 5, and 6. Students
need to have their agenda with them and it has
to be filled out neatly and completely. If it is,
they are awarded with a treat. An agenda really
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with nature and himself.
(Continued from page 8)
helps a student’s organizational skills and we
really appreciate all of you parents who check
your child’s agenda!
Sentence diagramming will also be part of the
game plan over the next few weeks.
In Social Studies we will be wrapping up
the chapter on Ancient Israelites, and moving on
to Ancient Greece. The students are learning
how this part of the world changed through the
ancient years, and how one empire would be
established for a certain amount of time, only to
Enjoy the holidays and be safe!
Ms. Flint
be overthrown by a different leader who
would establish his own empire for a time.
It was a world in flux for sure.
We are working on baskets for the
Thanksgiving week, so be looking for those
little beauties to be coming home soon!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
6th Grade
Ms. Hritsco:
In Ms. Hritsco’s Social Studies classes,
the sixth grade students recently left Egypt.
Mrs. Keane:
We have now arrived in Canaan to study
the ancient Israelites. The students have been
comparing and contrasting the Israelites to the
Egyptian and Mesopotamian Civilizations. The
classes also created a woven reed basket similar
to those used by the Israelites.
The sixth-grade reading classes have
been exploring various avenues in which people
or animals react to one another in time crisis.
We have met Old Yeller and his friend Travis, Sir
Ernest Shackelton and his crew, as well as Anne
Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen. Each
story is centered on the interactions the characters have in crisis. The students are now beginning the novel Hatchet, a story of a boy in crisis
Mr. Marquis:
I hope everyone has a wonderful
Thanksgiving, and I also hope all of you maintain
your sanity during the upcoming holiday season!!
With the weather getting colder, please
make sure your child has appropriate outdoor
clothing. We have had a lot of absences due to
illness, and hopefully it will pass soon, but
please take all necessary steps to keep your
child healthy.
We just put nouns to bed in English, and
now we are getting into the action with verbs.
9
Happy winter! Please send your child
with winter clothing now that the cold and snow
has arrived. 6th grade is keeping warm reading
Number the Stars, a novel about a young Danish
Jewish girl in WWII, dealing with the relocation
of her parents. Your child should continue to
read nightly from their AR books. I have assigned a biography and fantasy genre as 2 reports for 2nd quarter. My English classes should
now be experts on nouns, plurals, and possessives. Next we’ll be trying our hand at animal
reports for our expository writing. Look forward to some beautiful gifts to come your way
for the holidays. Your children are working
hard. Thanks for supporting me as their teach(Continued on page 10)
The program will include a Latin piece called
“Festival Sanctus,” an arrangement of “Bridge
Over Troubled Water,” and many other great
choral pieces and holiday songs. This concert
will also feature the 7th & 8th grade honor choir
and the 6th grade percussion ensemble. The
concert is on December 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the
Junior High Gym.
(Continued from page 9)
er! Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Insects!
From The Desk of the Jr. High School
Principal, Mr. Jon Fimmel
Mr. Fegan:
Science:
Plate tectonics, the students are learning about the structure of the Earth and the forces that continually reshape the crust of the planet.
Math:
Mrs. Paskey:
The students are amazed at how fast
this year is going by, so am I! We are nearing the
midterm of 2nd quarter which leads us to Plate
Tectonics in science. The students are enjoying
learning and drawing the layers of the Earth and
its surface. We completed a lab test on the identification of petrified fossils from kits from the
library. For Veteran’s Day we wrote paragraphs
about relatives who were veterans and shared
them. In math we are working on changing fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions. These are introductory skills for 6th grade and will
lead us into percent's. We will be weaving baskets soon, which is always fun and challenging. The showcases and library are full of our
pumpkin globes, leaf and insect collections. The
kids did a fantastic job!
Converting fractions to decimals, decimals to fractions, and the relationship of all to percent's.
HOLIDAY SEASON VACATION STARTS ON
DECEMBER 21ST
A really exciting bell will ring for students at 1:27 p.m. on Wednesday, December
21st. That will signify the beginning of the holiday season vacation that will last for an elevenday holiday break. Classes will resume at the
regular time on Monday, January 2nd, 2012.
.
MOCK POLITICAL ACTIVITIES WAS MOST
SUCCESSFUL AT JHS
In 5th grade music, we are preparing for
our winter holiday program, “Holiday Memories” – written and performed by fifth grade students! It will feature all of our fifth grade students singing, playing instruments, and telling
the audience about their favorite holiday traditions and memories. Our program is combined
with the 5th grade band concert and 5th grade
percussion ensemble on Monday, December 12
at 7:00 p.m. in the Intermediate Elementary
Gym.
The 6th, 7th & 8th grade choir students
are preparing for their December choir concert.
10
Thanks to veteran high school educator, Mr. Merle Johnston, and his high school
students… November 8th turned out to be an
unforgettable day for junior high school students. Shortly after the first bell rang… students were treated to a rotation of high school
speakers who represented themselves as political candidates (liberal and conservative).
The students then went to the gymnasium and listened as the political candidates
stood stately at their lecterns and vigorously
debated their “points of view.” Election polls
were set up in the JHS Commons area… complete with a nearby ballot box. Snack treats
were given to those who “cast their ballots.”
The day is not far off when these students will
vote for the “real” deal.
(Continued on page 11)
(Continued from page 10)
IT’S TIME TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
The junior high school population is
currently 185 students. The boys’ outnumber
the girls by five (we have 90 young ladies in our
school). Ninety-four students are eighth graders and there are four fewer seventh graders to
round out the total population.
The population of Frenchtown Junior
High School is truly diversified as our membership includes Asian, African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students. We are truly
blessed by what all of this brings to our fine
school.
THERE WAS NO ENGINES’ ROAR… INSTEAD… “A BLUR…”
Sixteen student designed/manufactured
cars were parked on the glass shelves of the
school’s trophy case. The “big” day came on
November 1st, when …. The races began!
The students enrolled in Mr. Kuroski’s
eighth grade industrial arts classes moved their
cars to the starting line on a specially wired
race course in the JHS gym. Carbon dioxide
cartridge powered cars flew at sub-bullet speeds
in pairs with the winners being paired against
the winners of other paired racing competitions. It was a multi-day event that maintained
its excitement and momentum until the final
race.
18th after school. There was a strong turnout,
ample refreshments, good music… and it cannot go without mentioning… our parent (and
teacher) chaperones were great, too!
This dance was sponsored by the Student Council with strong support from their
faculty advisor, Ms. Cindy Babon.
THANK YOU BOOSTER CLUB!
The JHS now has its own water coolers
and water bottle sets! The booster club purchased two water containers complete with
bottles and carriers. The larger container holds
ten gallons and the other seven gallons.
This will make a huge difference for
our student athletes; and would not have been
possible without the generosity of the Frenchtown Booster Club.
FRENCHTOWN JHS HARRIERS WRAP UP
SEASON
Improvement was the battle cry of your
Frenchtown Broncs Junior High Cross Country
Team, and improve they did. Our runners have
worked hard over the last several weeks to
shave seconds and even minutes from their
times, and the results of their efforts came to
fruition as the Broncs wrapped up their season
with meets in Thompson Falls, Whitefish, and
Missoula, our runners had ample opportunities
to evince the results of that hard work.
DANCES RETURN TO THE JHS
I must say that Coach Dennis Lackner
and I were not only pleased with the number of
runners who participated, but were also enthused by the effort awarded us at each and
every practice and meet. The junior high program is vibrant and strong, and Coach Normand can look forward to copious talented runners joining his high school program for years
to come.
Students eagerly awaited the start of
the first dance that took place on November
With the gorgeous Clark Fork River as
a backdrop, our runners assayed their progress
There are other students that can’t wait
to take this class during one of the three 9-week
course periods that remain in the current
school year. There’s no doubt that the races
will continue!
11
on the two mile course at River’s Bend Golf
Course in Thompson Falls. Although this was a
longer course than previously experienced by
our athletes, they rose to the task and performed magnificently. The day was highlighted
by Hunter Cruz breaking the tape first in the
boy’s competition. Sixth grader, Meggie
Delaney, led a steadfast girl’s team, and came
across the line in a very respectable 8th place.
Results are as follows:
Boys: Hunter Cuz (12:29) 1st, Frank
Dean (13:33) 3rd, Jake Oman (13:41) 4th, Jake
Lackner (14:00) 8th, Tanner Field (14:16) 10th,
Anders Holquist (16:04) 14th, Erik Marquis
(17:03) 15th, Noah Workman (17:46) 17th, and
Jon Patrick (19:24) 18th.
Girls: Meggie Delaney (16:00) 8th,
Grace Schwenk (16:15) 9th, Maddy Boller (16:38)
10th, Kiana Snyder (16:58) 11th, Cheyenne Gillespie (19:03) 12th, Amber Bremer (19:37) 13th,
Hannah Mikesell (20:12) 14th, Kaia Roberge
(20:26) 15th, Allie Sawyer (20:34) 16th, Katia
Rigler (22:12), 17th, Brookelynn Sewell (22:15)
18th, and Lindy Kolb (26:06) 19th.
A limited number of runners joined us
for the meet in Whitefish, as this was a late addition to the schedule. The course was a bit
wet, but overall this was a very nice day for
competition. This two-mile course found our
runners winding around the Whitefish Sports
Complex, and the athletes that made the trip
came to run. Frank led the boy’s effort with a
time of 13:07, followed by Tanner crossing the
line in 13:53. Tanner was quickly followed by
Jake Oman with a time of 14:02, Jake Lackner in
14:23, and Anders, 15:16, to win the meet! On
the girls side, Meggie carved 17 seconds off of
her Thompson Falls’ time, finishing in 15:43,
and Amber acquiesced, shaving 46 seconds off
of her time to finish with a time of 18:51.
The final meet of the season found us
again at the University of Montana Golf Course
(Continued on page 12)
(Continued from page 11)
to enjoy a beautiful day navigating the 1.35 mile
course. As always, our athletes came ready to
run, and the fact that they had stiff competition
from the Missoula city runners did not hinder
them a bit. There were 60 participants on the
boy’s side and 49 on the girls. The results are as
follows:
Boys: Hunter (7:46) 8th, Frank (8:09)
17th, Jake O, (8:28) 20th, Tanner (8:57) 31st, Jake
L. (9:01) 32nd, Anders (9:06) 34th, Erik (9:53)
45th, Noah (10:49) 53rd, Jon (11:10) 55th.
Girls: Grace (9:45) 18th, Meggie (9:50)
20th, Maddy (10:09) 22nd, Kaia (11:03) 33rd, Calli Bagnell (11:07) 34th, Amber (11:15) 35th, Hanah
(11:21) 38th, Christine Johnson (12:19) 45th,
Brooke (12:26) 46th, Allie (12:26) 47th, Katia
(13:06) 48th, Lindy (15:18) 49th.
8TH GRADE TOP SCIENCE HONORS (1st
Qtr.)
Math 8 Algebra I 3rd Period:
Dawson Jones
Laci Willet,
The top science students for 8th grade Physical
Science for 1st quarter are:
Math 7 Course #3 4th Period:
ardson, Jake Oman
Adeline Rich-
1st period – Zack Palmer
5th period – Brandon Lark
MR. BOTSFORD LISTS TOP FIRST QUARTER 8TH GRADE ENGLISH STUDENTS
6th period – Austin Ross
7th period – Dawson Jones
7th Grade Honors English: Madison Botsford
and Adeline Richardson
MS. CHAPMAN RECOGNIZES FIRST QUARTER MATH-LETES
The following students were recognized by Ms. Chapman in the classroom on November 21st:
8th Grade English: Jessop Lee, Maeylnn Merrill,
Kaitlyn Marcure and Rebecca Hasenyager
Math Class Top Student Awards
8th Grade Honors English: Brianna Daniels
and Macey Newbary
Period 1: Brendan Hartry: 97%
Period 5: Kaitlyn Marcure: 94%
Period 6: Sarah Streeter: 89%
Thank you to all of the parents who
allowed their athletes to test their mettle
against the rigors of cross country, as well as
the formidable competition that abounds in
this area. It is not easy, so thank you. Also, mucho gracias to Dennis Lackner, Dennis Normand, and the administration and board of
Frenchtown Schools for their support in this
effort.
Period 7: Dani Flynn 97%
The students listed below also were
recognized for PERFECT attendance in Ms.
Chapman’s math classes:
Period 1: Rene’ Schwenk
Period 5: Taylor Birgenheier
Keith Clarke
Jessop Lee
Elise Martyn
Xao Light Vang
MATHCOUNTS ACTIONS MULTIPLY
MATHCOUNTS will meet every Tuesday morning before school at 7:30 in Junior
High School Room 218. Students enrolled in
grades 6-8 are encouraged to participate. Mathletes will be meeting with Ms. Crouch to prepare for the upcoming school-wide competition
that is scheduled to be held in January, and
qualifying students will travel to the chapter
competition to be held at the University of
Montana.
Anyone with questions should contact
Ms. Crouch for additional information.
7th Grade English: Jamie Knight and Jada
Smith
Shea Westre
Period 6:
Brittnee Robert
Period 7;
Dani Flynn
Cade Giffin
Jada Smith
MS. CROUCH RECOGNIZES FIRST QTR
STUDENT MATH EXCELLENCE
Top two students in each class:
Math 8 Course #3 1st Period:
Cora Jo Boultinghouse
Austin Kominek,
8th Grade Honors Reading/Literature: Ali
Moe and Jackson Rigler
Students in Mr. Botsford’s classes have
been working on synonyms and antonyms. Their final assignment was to print off
two appropriate song lyrics and change 15
words using synonyms and then change 15
words using antonyms. The students realized
the importance of word choice and how they
can change the context of their writings. Students read them in class and everyone agreed
that their songs with the changes would not
appear on I-tunes any time soon.
The 8th Grade Honors Reading/
Literature students in Mr. Botsford’s class have
just completed the novel The Outsiders by S.E.
Hinton. Prior to this, the students completed
and studied the novels, The Pigman by Paul
Zindel and Old Man and the Sea by Ernest
Hemingway. The class has been doing a great
job at looking in depth of the various stories,
vocabulary and writing styles of these authors. The students will be introduced to other
genres throughout the year as well as writing
papers on various topics regarding these novels
(Continued on page 13)
12
(Continued from page 12)
in their Honors English Class.
UPCOMING
WASHINGTON,
FIELD TRIP INFORMATION
D.C.
Plans are being made for the continuing the tradition Mr. Fred had established by going to Washington D.C. and
New York in the Fall of 2012. Any student
who will be enrolled at the Frenchtown
Junior High School next year is eligible to
attend. If you have any interest in going or
needing more information about this trip,
please free to contact Mr. Botsford at the
Junior High School about this educational
trip. Numerous students and their parents
have already signed up for this trip. It is
important to note that this trip is not
sponsored by the Frenchtown School District.
MS DANSIE TAKES A GLIMPSE AT
PROMISING YOUNG ARTISTS (FIRST
QUARTER)
8th grade – Recognition for Artwork –
Lorenzo Camac, Hunter Cruz, and Alex
Martyn
Most Improved – Cody Warner, Skyler
Siegle
7th grade – Recognition for Artwork –
Theresa Rehebein and Wyatt Gordon
Most Improved – Jaden Haberlock, John
Kuka
Board minutes for October 2011 (October 25, 2011 and October 28, 2011) are not included in
this month’s newsletter. Approval of the minutes was tabled for action until the next regular
board meeting on December 20, 2011.
13
REVTRAK
Online School Meal Payment System and Other Miscellaneous Fees
Frenchtown School District provides parents an easy and convenient way to add money to their student’s school
meal account and pay for miscellaneous school items online from their home or work computer. Our Web Store accepts payments over the internet 24/7. By contracting with RevTrak, a national credit card payment processor, we
provide you a secure site for making payments using Discover, VISA or MasterCard credit or debit cards.
To make online payments follow these steps:
Visit our school website at http://www.ftsd.org.
Click on the RevTrak Online Payment link in the lower left hand corner. You will be directed to the District’s
TWO online payment areas.
The School Meals and Other Fees website provides the opportunity to pay for School Meals, Driver’s Education Fees, Field Trip fees, Lock payments, Lost/damaged Library and Instruction Book fees, Lost
Uniform fees, Wood/metals shop supplies and fees, Discretionary Out-of-District Student Application
Fees and Track/Outdoor Facilities Improvement donations.
To make payments to you student’s school meals account, contact the school lunch cashier and get
your child’s meal identification number. This number is required to utilize in order to make
lunch payments.
Elementary (406) 626-2645
JH/HS (406) 626-2726
To make other types of payments review the Help Documents at the bottom of the main website.
The Extra-curricular Athletics and Activities Fee website provides the opportunity to pay for Activity
fees, Activity Passes, Spirit Packets and Club Participation Fees.
Instructions on how to use the website are included on the websites.
DO NOT USE THE OLD PAYSCHOOLS WEBSITE.
***** Board minutes for October 2011 (October 25, 2011 and October 28, 2011) are not included in this month’s newsletter. Approval of the minutes was tabled for action until the
next regular board meeting on December 20, 2011.
14
2012 SCHOOL ELECTIONS CALENDAR
FOR THE TRUSTEE ELECTION TO BE HELD ON MAY 8, 2012
Between
December 25, 2011
and by 5:00 p.m.
March 29, 2012
TRUSTEE CANDIDATES FILE FOR ELECTION. Nomination petition and Oath of Candidacy must be filed with election
administrator. No person signing a petition may sign more nomination petitions than there are trustee positions open.
Candidates must file a form C-1-A, and if desired, a form C-3 with the district clerk and Montana Commissioner of Political Practices within 5 days of filing for office. (13-10-201(6), 13-37-201, 20-3-305 and 20-3-344, MCA) NO CANDIDATE MAY APPEAR ON THE BALLOT UNLESS HE OR SHE MEETS THIS DEADLINE.
February 23, 2012
First day elector can request an absentee ballot (note additional information below). Voters who wish to vote absentee
may request an absentee ballot in writing or in person starting at this date until noon the day before the election. Since
Frenchtown School District #40 contracts with the Missoula County Elections Office, these absentee ballots must be requested from the Missoula County Elections Office. Additional note: The Missoula County Elections Office has the right to
run a mail ballot election.
By March 29, 2012
LAST DAY FOR TRUSTEES TO CALL FOR AN ELECTION.
March 31, 2012
April 8, 2012
Last day trustee candidate can withdraw from the election. Any candidate that has already filed for election, but wishes
to withdraw their name, may do so not less than 38 day before the school election by sending a statement of withdrawal to
the election administrator. Otherwise, their name must appear on the ballot. (13-10-325, MCA as amended by HB327
(2011 session).
VOTER REGISTRATION CLOSES. A voter must register by this deadline to vote in the school election.
April 12, 2012
(by 5 p.m.)
DEADLINE FOR WRITE-IN CANDIDATE FOR A TRUSTEE POSITION ON A SCHOOL BOARD TO FILE DECLARATION
OF INTENT. (13-10-211(3), MCA)
April 12, 2012
(after 5 p.m.)
ELECTION BY ACCLAMATION AND CANCELLATION OF ELECTION – NOTICE. If the number of candidates filing a
nomination petition or filing a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate is equal to or less than the number of open trustee positions to be elected, the trustees cancel the trustee election. (20-3-313, MCA as amended by HB 327 (2011 session).
April 18, 2012
ABSENTEE BALLOTS AVAILABLE.
April 26May 28, 2012
May 7, 2012
(by 5:00 p.m.)
May 8, 2012
By May 23, 2012
Within 15 days after receipt of certificate of election)
Candidates who marked Box “C” on their form C-1-A must file form C-5 with the district clerk and Montana Commission of Political Practices. (13-37-226 (4), MCA)
ABSOLUTE LAST DAY FOR WRITE IN CANDIDATE TO FILE A DECLARATION OF INTENT (13-10-211, MCA). A declaration of intent may be filed after the deadline and until 5 pm the day before the election only if a candidate for the office that
the write in candidate is seeking: dies, withdraws from the election or is charged with a felony offense.
ELECTION DAY!
TRUSTEES CANVASS VOTES, ISSUE CERTIFICATES OF ELECTION AND PUBLISH RESULTS.
Candidate completes oath of office and files with the County Superintendent. New elected trustees may not be seated
until the oath is filed. (20-3-307, 20-1-202, 1-6-101, 20-20-416, MCA)
15
FOUR SCHOOL BOARD
TRUSTEE POSITIONS OPEN
BECOME A SCHOOL
BOARD TRUSTEE
AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN A CHILD’S LIFE
There will be four (4) School Board Trustee positions open on Frenchtown School
District’s Board of Trustees during the May
8, 2012 School Election. You may pick
up a nomination petition to be a trustee
candidate between December 25, 2011
and March 29, 2012 at the Frenchtown
School District Administration Office,
17620 Frontage Road, Frenchtown, Montana. You must file the completed nomination petition with the District Clerk of
Frenchtown School District at the Frenchtown School District Administrative Office
or the Missoula Elections Office at 200 W.
Broadway, Missoula, Montana prior to:
March 29, 2012 (Thursday 5:00 pm)
There are three (3) - three (3) year trustee positions open
There is one (1) - two (2) year trustee
position open
NOTES: No candidate may appear on the ballot unless he or she meets these deadlines. (13
-10-201(6), 20-3-305, & 20-3-344, Montana
Code Annotated) In addition, candidates for
first-class Districts must file a form C-1-A, and if
desired, a form C-3 with the district clerk and
Montana Commissioner of Political Practices
within 5 days of filing for office. (13-10-201(6),
13-37-201, 20-3-305 & 20-3-344, MCA) If these candidates mark box “C” on form C-1-A,
they must file form C-5 with the district clerk
and the Montana Commissioner of Political
Practices by April 26, 2012 and again by May
28, 2012.
From the Desk of the High School
Principal, Dr. Rory Weishaar, Ed.D.
Time” link.
Congratulations, Mr. Henderson, we
are proud of you!
Accolades
Congratulations to the following Elks’ Students
of the Month!
October: Eamon Thomasson and Allison
Klocke
November: Brady Baughman and Michaela
Delaney
Congratulations --- Bob Henderson
On November 3, 2011, high school
Ecology /Biology teacher Bob Henderson was
awarded a $250 Allegiance Benefits / KPAX
“One Class at a Time” grant. He was presented with a check, interviewed, and filmed by
Robin O’Day from KPAX news. The students
in Mr. Henderson’s 1A ecology class were
working on a lab experiment when KPAX
showed up. The students enjoyed seeing the
process of news reporting as well as learning
about water densities. Mr. Henderson was
nominated for this award because of his tireless effort to introduce the juniors of Frenchtown High School to the joys of water ecology. Every fall in October and November, often in the rain or snow, he takes bus loads of
students to Kreis Pond and Nine Mile Creek
to test water quality, collect plant and insect
samples, and use compass bearings to reproduce a map of the study area. The students
then study these samples and compile the
data into a report.
Mr. Henderson will use his grant
money to purchase water test kits and supplies so he may continue to provide his students with these exciting outdoor learning
experiences.
You may see the story by going to
KPAX.com and clicking on the “One Class at a
16
2011-2012 Yearbooks
2011-2012 yearbooks are now for sale
on the district website. Simply click the Josten’s link and go from there! If you would rather pay yearbook directly, send your child
with a check (or cash) for $45 made out to
Frenchtown High School. Mrs. Martin will
collect money and record the sale.
If you are still interested in a 20102011 yearbook, there are a few still available.
If you have any questions regarding
yearbook, you may call the high school office
or email Erika Martin at [email protected].
Drug Sniffing Dog
We recently had Jetta, from Interquest Detection Canines, sniff all the lockers
in the school (gymnasium as well). Jetta did
not detect any inappropriate substances, and
Dennis Jones, from Interquest, said the school
is very clean. He also said that out of the 130
Montana schools he goes to, this one is the
“tops” for having a nice atmosphere and a real
feeling of warmth when he comes in with the
dog. Mr. Jones and Jetta will be back several
more times to “sweep” the school. If you have
any questions about the program please contact the school.
Academic Team Update
On Halloween weekend, 5 Frenchtown
Academic team members endured a long,
winding, exhausting road to attend the Boise
State University Invitational Academic tournament. We were the defending champions
(Continued on page 17)
(Continued from page 16)
from last year’s tournament by going 9-0. We
were disappointed to learn that only 5 teams
were entered, however one of those teams
was Treasure Valley Math and Science charter
school, which was nationally ranked. We
were 6-2 at the tournament, losing twice to
Treasure Valley. I learned afterward that other Boise area high schools did not want to
compete against Treasure Valley because they
were so good. The meet was a good start for
the year for us.
Twenty teams representing 9 schools competed in the 2nd Annual Fall Academic Tournament on Tuesday Nov. 15. We entered 4
teams, and 3 of the 4 made it into the playoffs after 9 rounds of competition. Other
schools entered were Deer Lodge, Dillon, Stevensville, Browning, Billings Skyview, Sentinel, Loyola, and St. Ignatius. The results: 1st
place Frenchtown, 2nd place Loyola, 3rd place
Sentinel, 4th place Billings Skyview. Frenchtown team #1 was 13-0 in the tournament. Two Frenchtown students made the all
-star team by accumulating so many points in
answering questions. Eamon Thomasson and
Michael Rebarchik were outstanding as captains of 2 of the Frenchtown teams.
By capturing 1st place in this very
competitive tournament, Frenchtown qualified for the national tournament to be held in
St. Louis on June 9, 2012. So after two tournaments, Frenchtown Academic team record is
19-2.
There will be no other tournaments until
our own 5th Annual BRAIN FREEZE tournament on February 14. This tournament will
again draw 20 or more teams and again our
chief competitors will be Loyola, Billings
Skyview, and Sentinel. Other schools who
have attended and all indications are they will
be here on February 14 are Columbia Falls, St.
Ignatius, Polson, Hamilton, Seely-Swan,
Browning, Stevensville, Dillon, and Deer
lodge.
On December 3, there will be an Arts and
Crafts Fair on the campus of the junior high
and high school. The Frenchtown Academic
team members and parents will be handling
the concessions and assisting in the
fair. Proceeds from concessions will go to
the academic teams. Presently the teams
are selling raffle tickets for a drawing to be
held on December 22 at the half time of a
basketball game. This raffle has incredible
prizes in 15 different packages, so one has an
opportunity to win a number of
times. Please contact Merle Johnston at the
high school, or Carol Brooks at 218-9822 for
tickets. This raffle will play a major role in
helping to finance a team to attend the national competition in June.
Our last fund raiser will be a HUGE
dessert auction to be held the evening of
February 13. This gala affair is great fun and
with the assistance of Carl Saunders as auctioneer, this promises to be a real kick in the
pants. This will be a great social gathering
and fun time to celebrate the academic
teams’ successes and not only honor the
kids, but praise the efforts of so many parents, community businesses, and school personnel in helping to send 5 of the 20 kids to
a national tournament for the 4th
time. More information will be forthcoming
on this event.
I personally want to thank all of those
volunteers who gave up their personal time
to help at our tournament Nov. 15. Honestly, I find this very humbling to see this fantastic
support
for
the
academic
teams. Thank you to the many readers at
the tournament who spent hours practicing
the questions. A special thanks to Lisa Fall,
Carol and David Brooks, Jennifer Finney,
and Sherry Hunter for organizing the registration and the lunch for the participants. If
17
I left out anyone, please forgive me. I’m sure
there were others and I really appreciate your
help. Thank you ……………..Merle Johnston
FHS Student Council Clothing Drive
Thank you Frenchtown community for
the immense generosity displayed through the
student council clothing drive! Amid economic
and employment woes, our community rallied
together to help one another. Throughout the
weeks of November 1st through 16th, teachers and
staff in each building collected hundreds of bags
and boxes of items. The student council members then sorted all the items, which overloaded
every table in the high school commons. Because
of your thoughtful giving, many local families
benefited from the distribution night held on
November 16th. The remaining items were delivered to the Poverello Center, the Watson’s
Children Center, and various other non-profit
organizations in Missoula. Countless others will
benefit from your kindness. Again, thank you to
all who contributed.
Sincerely,
FHS Student Council Members
“Student Council Clothing Drive for the Needy”
18
MISSOULA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE WILL SPONSOR
SHAKESPEARE IN THE SCHOOLS EVENT
(TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILBLE)
Doug Bardwell, District 7 and Tom Alsaker, District 2 directors representing
Missoula Electric Cooperative, have agreed to sponsor the 2nd annual Shakespeare in the Schools. Last year’s professional performance (Twelfth Night)
and student workshop was part of the Montana State University ‘Shakespeare
in the Parks’ and was well received by both teachers and students.
On December 9th, Shakespeare in the Schools will return with a performance
of ‘As You Like It’ followed by an afternoon workshop for sophomore students. This year Missoula Electric Cooperative will also sponsor an evening
performance of the same play preceded by a Madrigal Dinner/Fundraiser.
The dinner/performance will take place at the Frenchtown High School
Commons and Auditorium and will allow community members to eat a Renaissance dinner and enjoy the Shakespeare comedy, ‘As you Like It’. The
Missoula Public Library Foundation will sponsor the Madrigal dinner. The
money raised will be used to sponsor future Madrigal dinners and Shakespeare in the Schools events.
Tickets go on sale, November 1, 2011 and may be purchased by check or cash
only. (Checks payable to Frenchtown High School) To Reserve Tickets, Call
Frenchtown School & Community Library 406.626.2730 or write to:
Frenchtown High School Dinner/Play
Dinner only $10
Attn: Steve White
Box 117
Play only
Frenchtown, MT 59834
$10
Dinner/Play $20
19
DECEMBER NEWSLETTER: HIGH
SCHOOL COUNSELING
Happy Holidays! A chill is in the air
but we are keeping warm by staying busy in
the Counseling Center. Second semester is
approaching and that means grades are being finalized. Please check the PASS system
regularly to see how your child is progressing and contact your counselor if we can be
of any assistance (Ms. Gibson 626-2718, Mr.
Haynes 626-2719).
All of the sophomores and juniors
who took the PSAT in October, we should
receive your score reports soon (listen for
announcements). Again it is our recommendation that all juniors who are considering
post-secondary education should take the
ACT or SAT test(s) the end of their junior
year. This allows them to have enough time
early on in their senior year to retake the
tests if they are unhappy with their scores.
ASVAB: (for juniors) Military Placement test will take place at Frenchtown
High School December 7th. If you do not
want your child to participate, please send a
note with them to the office and they will be
excused from the test.
Parents of seniors: The University of
Montana will be hosting two Financial Aid
Nights (more in-depth information of the
process of financial aid than our webinar) on
December 13th and January 18th. They will
both start at 7pm at the University Center
Ballroom (3rd floor of UC).
FINANCIAL AID NIGHT:
College Goal Montana is coming to
Frenchtown High School on January 25th
from 6-8pm. Be there to receive FREE, oneon-one help completing the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from
trained financial aid professionals. The FAFSA is the key to securing federal financial
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20
(Continued from page 20)
aid, along with some state and institutional assistance. Don’t
delay.
Frenchtown School District presents…
Be sure to bring:

FAFSA PIN (log on to www.pin.ed.gov)

Social Security numbers

2010 federal tax returns (2009 tax returns if 2010 isn’t complete)

W-2s, tribal income, other aid information (TANF, child
support, other benefits)

Additional asset information (money market funds, stocks,
other investments)
Also, enter your name for a chance to win a $500
scholarship to use at any accredited college or program in the
nation. We’re giving away at least one scholarship for each
College Goal Montana site!
A musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
Featuring Frenchtown students grades 4-12
A fun, entertaining show for all ages!
For more information, contact Student Assistance
Foundation at 877-COLG4ME, visit SmartAboutCollege.org, or
text Montana to 41411.
FHS Auditorium
December 1 – 7:00 p.m.
Or, contact the College Goal Montana coordinator in
your community: (Vanessa Gibson, 626-2718)
December 2 – 7:00 p.m.
See you there!
December 3 – 3:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Tickets - $7 for adults, $5 for kids (18 & under) and seniors (55 & up)
SENIORS: If your child is planning on attending a college or
university after high school, many application deadlines are
approaching. Regularly check in with your child to assess their
progress. Seniors have been thinking about their plans beyond
high school and what they need to be successful their senior
year. All seniors are expected to meet with Ms. Gibson and go
over their graduation requirements and discuss their plans
after completing high school.
SAT:
$45
Basic fee+$23
Test Date
Registration Deadline
Late Deadline
• January 28
December 30
January 13
• March 10
February 10
February 24
• May 5
April 6
• June 2
May 8
Sorry, no activity passes accepted.
Email [email protected] to order advance tickets, or see Judy Everett.
Tickets also available for sale at the door.
ACT:
$32 ($47ACT +writing)
Basic fee +$21
Test Date
Registration Deadline
Late Deadline
• February 11
January 13
January 20
April 20
• April 14
March 9
March 23
May 22
• June 9
May 4
May 18
Packets available in the counseling center or register online at
www.collegeboard.com
Packets available in counseling center or register online
at www.actstudent.org
21
SIGN-UPS
6 YEARS OLD (AS OF 1/1/12)-EIGHTH GRADE
6 YEAR OLDS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND FINAL TOURNAMENTS!
FRENCHTOWN HIGH SCHOOL
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20th-6 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12th-6 PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26th-6 PM
ADMISSIONS TO THE HS MEETS ARE FREE IF SIGNING UP!
CHEER ON THE HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING TEAM AND SUPPORT THEIR
CHRISTMAS COOKIE FUNDRAISER ON 12/20!!
$25/FIRST WRESTLER-$20/2nd FAMILY MEMBER
$60 UNIFORM DEPOSIT REQUIRED (SEPARATE CHECK PLEASE)
WRESTLERS WILL BE WEIGHED AT SIGN-UPS
MANDATORY PARENT MEETING-WEDNESDAY, 2/8-HS COMMONS
FIRST PRACTICE-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH
BEGINNER STATE-ARLEE MARCH 23RD
STATE-KALISPELL-MARCH 24TH
QUESTIONS?? PLEASE CALL DAVE CLARKE 207-2502
22
6:30
Olweus Kick-off assembly in Oct.
The theme for the month of December is “Kindness”. Not only is it the month of giving, but it is also for showing compassion and kindness
towards others.
“In findings sure to gladden the heart of anyone who’s ever wondered whether tiny acts of kindness have larger consequences, researchers
have shown that generosity is contagious.
Goodness spurs goodness, they found: A single act can influence dozens more.”
One component of the Olweus program that was mentioned in the last newsletter is class meetings. The Frenchtown Elem./Intermediate
schools are conducting class meetings. These meetings are designed to:

to help students learn about themselves and their feelings and reactions

to build a sense of community and belonging and to help develop a set of norms about bullying and other important issues

to provide a forum for dealing with bullying problems in the classroom and provide discussion opportunities

to teach students what bullying is, the meaning of the four anti-bullying rules, and different ways of reacting when bullying occurs
These rules are as follows:
We will not bully others
We will try to help students who are bullied
We will try to include students who are left out
If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and home
Here are a couple of examples of acts of “kindness” that has happened at our school.
A 2nd grader from Mrs. Undem’s class went over to another student from a 3rd grade class and complemented them on their performance in
the Olweus Kickoff assembly.
A 3rd grader at recess came up to the staff member on duty and stated, “I have no one to play with today”. Overhearing this, another 3rd grade
student offered to play with this student the whole recess and did it!
Way to go Frenchtown students!!
23
Second Thursday of Each Month, 6:00 PM
Frenchtown Fire Station, 16875 Marion Street
Future Agenda Discussions
December 8, 2011
Public Input Session – Improvements to the Frenchtown Frontage Road from Huson to Highway 93 North – Shane
Stack, Montana Department of Transportation
Approximately $11.3 million is available to redesign, purchase right-of-way, and widen the Frenchtown Frontage
Road from Huson to Highway 93. The Montana Department of Transportation wants the ideas of local citizens
regarding the optimal design of this project. If you have ideas as to how wide a new shoulder should be, or other
concerns, be sure to attend this meeting. Construction is anticipated for the summer of 2015.
January 12, 2012
Economic Development in the Frenchtown Area – Tom Dauenhauer, Site Manager of M2 Green Redevelopment
(Smurfit Stone Industrial Site) and Jim Bowman, Missoula Economic Partnership
The West Valley Community Council acts as an information liaison between the Missoula County Commissioners and the citizens of
Frenchtown, Six Mile Valley, Huson and the Nine Mile Valley. WVCC meetings are scheduled for 6:00 pm, the second Thursday of each
month at the Frenchtown Fire Station. If you have an item of interest or importance to the community, please plan to attend a meeting
and request the matter be added as an agenda item, or call a Council member:
Jeri Delys (626-5336) Colbert Howell (728-2216)
Jimmie McKay (203-4538)
Caryn Miske (626-5789)
Betty Oleson (626-0071)
West Valley Community Council tours the M2 Green Redevelopment Site
As publicly noticed, the West Valley Community Council and several local citizens met with Tom Dauenhauer at the M2 Green Redevelopment Site, located at the pulp mill, Wednesday, November 9. Mr. Dauenhauer also provided information regarding activities at the
(Continued on page 25)
24
(Continued from page 24)
mill at the November 10 WVCC meeting.
Approximately 45 people are currently working at the mill (primarily as contractors). Some demolition is occurring, especially of obsolete work areas and
equipment deemed to have no commercially feasible future use at the site.
Other efforts involve ensuring valuable assets are protected; for example one
building was reroofed. The machine shop is intact and an invaluable inventory of parts is under lock and key. Buildings, electrical fittings, and the plumbing infrastructure are being cleaned up for potential use as light industry production facilities.
Asbestos abatement has been underway for months. The EPA recently completed intensive testing of the site and a report is expected in January.
The principals at M2 Green Redevelopment are willing to consider any and all
ideas for future use of the 3,200 acre site and buildings. Conversations are
underway with an alternative energy company with hoped for startup efforts
beginning the first quarter of 2012. Groups interested in preserving the ponds
and wetlands for migratory birds have contacted the new owners; public access to the river and ponds is a definite possibility. Development of athletic
fields has also been mentioned.
PARENTS…….If you have recently
changed your phone number, either
cell phone or land line, would you
please notify the school secretaries
in the building your child is attending of that new number There are
times we are unable to reach a parent because of this issue...
Thanks for helping us by updating
this information.
Frenchtown school health/wellness
department.
Please bring your ideas to the WVCC’s January 12 meeting!
RevTrak Is Our New Online Lunch Deposit Program
The PaySchools online lunch payment service has been discontinued due to problems with
the vendor. They have been unreliable and have provided such poor support for our parents and
staff we have decided to switch to a different vendor.
RevTrak Lunch Deposit Program is our new online lunch payment service.
25
Save the Date!
If you are a vendor,
The annual PTSA Craft Fair
will be held
and would like to reserve a booth, please contact a
PTSA officer.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Further information and registration forms will follow.
9 am-3 pm
Tricia Hansen, President 241-5306
Frenchtown High School Commons
Teresa Teagle, Treasurer 626-2493
Susan Brown, Secretary 274-0672
ATTENTION CRAFTERS:
Welcome crafters to another craft fair season. My name is Susan Brown & I am coordinating the Frenchtown PTA Craft Fair this year. The
craft fair will be Saturday, December 3, 2011, from 9:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Again, we will be using the high school commons area, as well as, the junior
high commons. You are welcome to request a specific location & we will do the best we can to accommodate you; however, we can NOT guarantee it.
The spots that do have electrical outlets, are limited, so please return your registration ASAP if you need one.
Set up will be Friday, December 2, 2011, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. or 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. (All set up needs to be done by
8:30 a.m. Saturday)
There will be a concession stand available
GENERAL SCHOOL RULES:
NO SMOKING inside or outside the building ANYWHERE. Frenchtown is a tobacco FREE campus.
NO pins or tacks are allowed on the walls, etc. If anything needs to be hung, please use ONLY blue tape, or bring your own backdrop/lattice, etc.
GENERAL CRAFT FAIR RULES:
Please do not tear down your booth before 2:00 p.m.
We will provide chairs from the music department, but feel free to bring your own chair for comfort.
We cannot control the temperature in the building, so please plan accordingly.
NO REFUNDS after November 1, 2011.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact one of us.
Registration Form on Next Page
Thank you,
Susan Brown – 274-0672 – [email protected]
Tricia Hanson – 241-5906 – [email protected]
Teresa Teagle – 626-2493 – [email protected]
REGISTRATION FORM ON NEXT PAGE
26
Schoolmaster Parental
Access and Support
System
(PASS)
Get the current
information about your
child’s progress directly
from the grade book of the
teacher. Call the school
office to get your login
name and PIN number
then go to ftsd.org. Chose
the link for the appropriate
school on the right side of
the page and it will open a
world of current
information about your
child’s progress.
27
Frenchtown School District
P.O. Box 117
FRENCHTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT #40
17620 Frenchtown Frontage Rd.
NEWSLETTER
Frenchtown, MT 59834
Administration Office: 406-626-2600
Elementary Office: 406-626-2620
TO: CURRENT RESIDENT
Intermediate Office: 406-626-2622
AND/OR
Jr. High Office: 406-626-2650
We’re on the Web!
High School Office: 406-626-2670
BOX HOLDER
Transportation Office: 406-626-2610
Ftsd.org
December 2011 Hot Lunch Menu
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1 Chicken Nuggets
Cooked Carrots
Pears
Milk
2 Weiner Wraps
Fries
Mandarin Oranges
Milk
9 Chicken Sandwich
Salad
Peaches
Milk
5 Chicken Alfredo
Broccoli Normandy
Roll
Milk
6 Corn Dogs
Green Beans
Fries
Milk
7 Chili
Corn
Roll
Milk
8 Waffles
Sausage
Omelet
Strawberries
12 Turkey & Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Roll
Milk
13 Spaghetti
Salad
Roll
Milk
14 Cheeseburger
Sweet Potato Fries
Mandarin Oranges
Milk
15 Burrito
Jello with Fruit
Corn
Milk
16 Chicken Fried Steak
19 Chicken Noodle Soup
21 Early Release
Hot Ham & Cheese Sandwich
Applesauce
Milk
20 Chicken Strips
Very Berry Salad
Celery & Carrot
Sticks
Roll
22 No School
Winter Break
23 No School
Winter Break
26 No School
Winter Break
27 No School
Winter Break
28 No School
Winter Break
29 No School
Winter Break
30 No School
Winter Break
(1:20)
Pizza
Tossed Salad
Pineapple
Sugar Cookie Milk
28
Milk
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Green Beans
Roll
Milk