Area Back to School 2015

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The education of Andy Carlson is far from over Havre Public Schools Superintendent Andy Carlson has had a life-long love affair with learning Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com

“In some ways I guess that I never quit going to school,” said Carlson. The Seattle native who took over as the chief of Havre Public Schools during a time of tumult seven years ago has since calmed things down. But with the district facing a series of challenges from a shrinking student population, to the difficulty of recruiting teachers and the integration of new technologies into the classroom, it’s clear that the education of Andy Carlson is far from over. The Havre Daily News had the chance to sit down with Carlson for a wide-ranging interview about his thoughts on the coming school year.

HDN: How are you feeling about the coming school year? AC: I’m excited. I think we are positioned in a good spot. We’ve got, for all intents and purposes, a new school at Sunnyside. I feel we’ve been able to meet our needs staffingwise, so I am looking forward to getting started on the new school year. HDN: What has the process been like, on the school construction for both you and the district? AC: Well, the first thing I would want to say is our staff and our students have been very resilient. They have made the best of some difficult situations. As far as for me, it has been a learning experience. It has been challenging at times but my focus is really on why did we do the project in the first place? When this is all said and done, we are going to have a brand new facility, for all intents and purposes, for five million dollars. That’s what we did. I am not making light of that number. Five million dollars is a lot of money when you look at our community and the surrounding area, but in the

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Education:

Back-to-School Organization Tips for a Successful School Year

(StatePoint) When the school year begins, students need to quickly get back into the swing of things. Staying organized from day one can ease the transition. While every individual needs to tweak his or her routine to best suit personality quirks and study habits, here are a few tried-andtrue organization tricks that will work for most anyone:

Get Scheduled While the word “bedtime” may have no meaning on summer vacation, during the school year, it’s vital. A regular sleep schedule can mean better quality sleep and higher alertness at school. Likewise, a morning routine can help students focus and prep for the day. Family members should share their schedules with each other to ensure everyone gets to practice, club meetings and other activities on time. Install a household calendar or bulletin board in a central location to ensure everyone stays in the know.

Stomp out Clutter Lockers and backpacks need to stay organized. Whether notebooks, binders and textbooks are arranged by sequence of the day, subject or color isn’t important so long as the system works for you. To create more storage space in your locker, add durable, stackable locker shelving. For on-the-go book hauling, look for a backpack such as the Five Star Expandable Backpack that features two expanding compartments providing additional space, along with protected storage for laptops. Its patented zipper allows you to quickly get inside your backpack while it’s hanging in your locker. Ergonomic patent-pending straps distribute weight to comfortably support a heavy load. To cheer up your locker with a boost of color and add a place for quick reminders and mementos, try the Five Star Magnetic Mirror + Push Pin Board. Its slam-resistant magnets will keep it affixed to the inside door of your locker. There isn’t much time between classes, so a mirror is a welcome locker feature when there isn’t time for the bathroom. Organizational tools such as these can keep your ducks in a row all year long. Also remember to set time aside weekly to clean out your locker and backpack, throwing out candy wrappers and crumpled notes.

Personal Organization Students need to be able to keep more belongings than ever with them throughout

the day — traditional school supplies, paperwork, flash drives, calculators and other electronics. A binder that can contain it all will give students a chance to make sure their lives are in order, not just a class at a time. For a secure method of carrying supplies, look for the Trapper Keeper Zipper binder, with pockets and dividers to keep items organized, and the Five Star Zipper Binder + Expansion Pocket, which features storage for textbooks and a tablet, and has an adjustable strap that allows you to carry the binder messenger style or on your back. At home, it’s easy to get distracted from important tasks like studying and homework. Create a dedicated work space away from televisions and other distractions. Make sure the area is comfortable, well-lit and conducive to great work. —— More study tools and tips can be found at www.Mead.com. The right tools and habits can empower students for a successful and organized school year.

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Back-to-school transportation safety Provided by the Montana Buckle Up Coalition The long, carefree days of summer will be ending soon, and children will be heading back to the classroom. Take a few moments to review some traffic safety pointers with your children — whether they are just starting kindergarten, or are old enough to enroll in driver’s education. Safety is nonn e go t i a b l e. Everyone should take time to practice safety. Drivers, slow down and watch for small children darting into the street. Children are unpredictable. They aren’t always aware of how dangerous moving vehicles can be. Their minds are occupied with other things. Drivers, plan ahead and leave home early enough so you can avoid the pressure of try-

ing to hurry. Make time for safety. Everyone in the vehicle should use seat belts or child safety seats. Remain buckled up until the vehicle is parked. Never carry more passengers than there are seat belts in the vehicle. A seat belt holds the driver behind the wheel when something unexpected happens. This enables the driver to remain in control of the vehicle. Rear-seat passengers need to be buckled up, too. Unrestrained pass e n ge rs c a n f l y around the vehicle in the event of a crash, striking and severely injuring other occupants. With a little planning, back-to-school transportation can be made relatively safe.

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www.havredailynews.com BACK TO SCHOOL Carlson: I think we have a high

quality staff that care about kids n Continued from Page 4

professional.

to the area? I know there are some communities that have a lot of trouble with that—

HDN: Would a person who graduated from high school 40 years ago recognize Havre schools today, and what are the big differences?

AC: And we are one of them.

HDN: So how do you go about remedying that? AC: Well one of the things that I think needs to happen is our university system — they have to get involved in this. The other thing I think that needs to happen is people need to understand that the education profession is a valuable, integral profession to a society. Over the years, I think there has been some devaluation of the education profession. It should be that a teacher is as highly regarded as they maybe were 40 years ago. That’s something that has to change. I have no qualms saying this, I don’t think it’s necessarily everything we do, but as a society we have to send a message about how important it is to go into the teaching profession, and that it is a noble endeavor. You don’t have to look very far to find an article or someone slamming the profession of teaching and education. It is my intuition that people are no longer going into the education profession because it is not as highly regarded as it once was. I think that is one of the things that has to change. I think we, as a society, have to recognize the value of education. I think you will start to see people go into education because they are seen as a professional, because they are valued as a

AC: Well I can tell you this: The hallways at Havre High were a lot more crowded. That is probably the biggest thing that they would mention. Our business is still a relationship business, and I think that’s what makes it so difficult. When you have all the different pieces that impact how we operate — and I speak from the standpoint of every politician coming down the line has a new solution or a new program. You have every different stakeholder group from grandparents to parents. Everything. I think we are so connected to our community. All of those outside things impact what is going on in the classroom. The one thing I think is constant and I think it’s whether it was 40 years ago or it’s today, if you have a high quality individual that is in charge of the classroom, that is what really matters. Access to information, I guess, would be the number one thing. I think it is different — the access students have now. But at the same time, what matters is that access is what is in charge of instruction and how you use that information. So I think that’s probably the biggest change, the access and how to weed through all of it, but the constant in all of it is still that high quality professional, that teacher who makes a difference in kids’ lives.

District Phone Numbers Administration............ 265-4356 Bus Garage............... 265-9032 Highland Park............ 265-5554 High School............... 265-6731

Lincoln McKinley........ 265-9619 Middle School............ 265-9613 Sunnyside.................. 265-9671

Backpack Safety • Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back. • Pack light. Organize the backpack to use all of its compartments. Pack heavier items closest to the center of the back. The backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of your child's body weight. • Always use both shoulder straps. Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can strain muscles. • If your school allows, consider a rolling backpack. This type of backpack may be a good choice for students who must tote a heavy load. Remember that rolling backpacks still must be carried up stairs, they may be difficult to roll in snow, and they may not fit in some lockers. — Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

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Carlson:

BACK TO SCHOOL

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The big thing we are trying to emphasize to students is the completion of high school

n Continued from Page 2 long term if you look at what that school is going to be for this community, for five million dollars we have, basically, a brand new elementary building that is going to be there for a long time. I think you would be hard pressed to go anywhere else in the city and find a more practical project for that dollar amount. People, I don’t think, understand the extent of what we did there. I would really want people to come and walk through that building, because I really think people drive by and say “Oh they built a gym.” Yeah we built a gym, that’s a big piece of it, but our facilities, like our high school and middle school, we had over 500 activities, now that’s including ours, but that is community events. That facility is going to be used from the moment we turn on the lights until probably 9:00 when we are shutting them off. I think that is the biggest thing, that (building) is going to stand for a long time. HDN: What about these new vaccine requirements that were passed and signed into law during this past legislative session? There is the varecella (chicken pox vaccine) all students must obtain or prove that they are immunized against by October 1st, and then there are new requirements that all students starting in the seventh grade be inoculated against whopping cough.

AC: For us I think, the greatest challenge, honestly, is trying to communicate to parents that this is something that you have to do. I know there are a lot of issues with some folks regarding whether or not to vaccinate, I am not going to weigh in on that. But from my standpoint what we want to do is make sure parents are communicated to and told, “This is what you have to do, these are the steps you take to make sure your student does not miss school time.” HDN: I talked with the Hill County Health Department, and they say this will mostly be students just having to update and get the paperwork from their doctors saying they have had the shot. AC: Yeah, that would be wonderful if that is all it is. Again, the biggest part is just communicating to parents, “Hey, you got to take care of this.” HDN: In terms of policy and rule changes are there any for this year? AC: The biggest one is the implementation there at the high school of the campus and how they are going to work through that for students that are not making academic progress. That will probably be the biggest change you will see districtwide. If you walk through the process last year

at the end of the year, the idea that was used was for the freshman class, those students who are not on pace to graduate after the first quarter, we’re going to provide some opportunities for them to stay in, do some extra work and provide some support for it. HDN: What is the district doing to prepare students for the transition to college as well as a post high school career? AC: The big thing we are trying to emphasize to students is the completion of high school. Regardless of where your transition is, if your transition is into college, directly into the workforce, if your transition is into some kind of on-the-job training, into a community college, into a four-year college, the big piece is we want to encourage kids to stay in school. That really is our challenge. Not every student goes directly into that four-year institution and takes that traditional college path. That is not what our job is. Our job is to prepare kids for that next enterprise. Some of them will go on to college and that is wonderful, and we need to make sure we meet their needs, but there are a lot of other paths. The big thing for us is to try those things to keep kids in school. Our folks have made a lot of effort, trying different things over the course of the last few years — just from making school a friendlier place. We do a lot of transition activities. We do a lot of visitations with our eighthgraders up to the high school, with our fifth-graders sent the middle school, building-to-building so they get used to those atmospheres. I know in each building there are folks in place to try and identify and problem solve for at-risk students. But that’s where our big focus is. It is not necessarily, “Hey we are going to get you on this path and get you into college,” but we are going to get you on this path that gives you an option when you leave our doors. HDN: Are there any new advanced placement courses this coming year? AC: No, there’s nothing added there. We’ve been working on building our dualcredit courses, and there is going to be additional opportunities for kids to take college credit and high school credit at the same time. So a pretty significant increase in our dual-credit courses that were approved last spring by our trustees, and we will work in cooperation with MSUNorthern. HDN: Do you think we rely too much on standardized testing? AC: What we have always said is this: We will never dismiss and we will never not take seriously the standardized assessments. They give us a glimpse of how we are doing. But at the same time nothing replaces

what occurs on a day-to-day basis in the classroom. The most important thing is what we teach. That’s what we need to communicate to parents, that is what we need to communicate to students. We’ve gone two years now without (getting) standardized test scores back from the state. I will tell you this: We haven’t thrown our arms up and said, “Oh my goodness, we can’t teach anymore because we don’t have test results.” So part of what I would say is we’re going to keep doing our jobs. We’re going to keep putting in place curriculums we believe in, we’re going to put in place the tests we built and we are going to teach based on what we believe kids need to do and understand. The most important thing is what that child knows and what that child understands when they leave our doors. So I guess the answer is: We have been working for two years without any test scores, and that is what it is. I think that speaks for itself. HDN: In terms of teaching computer literacy and technology, what are some of the specific things you have done? AC: I think first and foremost — and I always want to emphasize this — classrooms are about relationships. You are never going to replace a high-quality professional teacher. Technology is a supplement; it should make what that teacher does better. It should provide access. But some specifics: We are at the middle school we are one on one for devices. At the high school, we’ve implemented Chrome books and we have iPads. A lot of our teachers are doing some pretty amazing stuff with Google Classroom. If you go in and you watch, they built websites where students can actually go in and work from home. It’s pretty amazing. We had some pretty neat presentations there at the end of the year last year in springtime; it was just a real small sample size of our instructors. I believe we had a math teacher and an English teacher from the high school demonstrating what they have been doing over the course of their year and to be honest with you, I was kind of blown away. I mean, I knew we were doing some pretty good stuff, but after watching their presentations and the way they were incorporating technology into their classrooms and utilizing it from an instruction standpoint, the English teacher was actually doing real-time editing on student’s papers. The student writes and the teacher can actually give them feedback while still seated at their desk. Kids are writing the paper, they are getting feedback from their teacher and they are able to make corrections right there on the paper. What it does is it actually increases the amount of writing that is actually occurring because there is that instant feedback, but it is also increasing the quality of the writ-

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Carlson: People need to understand that the education profession is a valuable, integral profession to society n Continued from Page 3 ing because students are going and making those corrections. HDN: How important is teaching students new technology to be prepared for entering the workforce? AC: I think it’s extremely important, but at the same time you’ve got to strike a balance. There is meaningful work that doesn’t necessarily involve the computer. I think we would be doing a disservice to our students if we didn’t teach them how to use technology and how to use it properly, but at the same time if you go to Sunnyside and you watch that construction, I think it’s a real good example of how technology has changed what we do and at the same time, there are a lot of things that require folks to get in and use their back. There is value in both. I mean when they are pouring the big concrete floors, that guy running the concrete is using a joystick. It’s amazing. He is running this giant piece of equipment and everything’s new technology, but at the same time there are still guys that have to (manually) smooth the concrete. So again, I guess the answer is you have to expose

kids to this technology and you have to teach them the right way to use it. That is their world, too. They operate in that world. In some ways it’s harder for us because they have grown up with it, they’re digital natives. For folks my age, we were kind of on the back end of it. We had one computer class in high school and it was an advanced course; it involved sorting the NFL teams by alphabetical order. That was a big deal at that time. HDN: Do you think we are in danger of downplaying some of those basic low-tech skills? AC: I think the danger becomes when you start to devalue those things. In my perspective this is something we have to address as a society. There is value in doing any type of job. If you work in some part of the labor industry, there is value in that and meaningful work to be had. Look at our construction folks, they are in need of employees and what we don’t want to do is send the message to people that unless you are working and are the one doing the computer programming, your job isn’t meaningful. There are a lot of opportunities for you, but the big piece is you’ve got to get that

high school diploma. HDN: What is it that you think are the particular strengths of Havre’s schools? AC: I think we have a high quality staff that care about kids. We’ve implemented technology extremely well in this district. I think when you look across the state at the technology and access that our district has — that our students and staff use — I don’t know if there are a lot of folks ahead of us. Certainly the credit goes to our folks using that. Our middle school is one-to-one on device ratio. At the high school, we have quite a few devices there. Our Internet speed by industry standards is about as good as you can have, so I am pretty pleased with those things. For a school our size, we offer quite a few advanced placement courses. Our extra curricular activities have been outstanding. Our band and choir, they are recognized across the state. So, there are a lot of good things going in our school district. HDN: What do you think will be the greatest challenge in the coming school year?

AC:

I think the greatest challenge is the

unpredictability piece, but I think it is the most enjoyable part, too. It is that unpredictability piece because it changes. I can kind of describe to you what a typical day is but, at the same time, if I was to tell you what my typical day is and you would follow me, it would look nothing like what I described. There are times when my day is pretty uneventful where I am doing paperwork, meetings and planning. Then there are days when I am, like, “Holy cow, how did it get to be 6 o’clock?”

HDN:

What about attracting teachers

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Making the first day of school easier • Remind your child that there are probably a lot of students who are uneasy about the first day of school. This may be at any age. Teachers know that students are nervous and will make an extra effort to make sure everyone feels as comfortable as possible. • Point out the positive aspects of starting school. She'll see old friends and meet new ones. Refresh her positive memories about previous years, when she may have returned home after the first day with high spirits because she had a good time. • Find another child in the neighborhood with whom your student can walk to school or ride on the bus. • If it is a new school for your child, attend any available orientations and take an opportunity to tour the school before the first day. • If you feel it is needed, drive your child (or walk with him) to school and pick him up on the first day.

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Dear parents and guardians Dear parents and guardians of Lincoln-McKinley students of Highland Park Early Primary students The staff of Lincoln-McKinley Primary School would like to welcome you to the 2015-16 school year. Hopefully, you had an adventurous, safe and fun-filled summer. The team is excited to meet all of the new students and welcome back those who are returning. We will have an informational parent orientation from 11:30 a.m. to noon or noon to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The first day of classes for second- and third-grade students is Wednesday. Students begin the day at 8:20 a.m. and are dismissed at 2:45 p.m. Placement letters and class supply lists were mailed out the week of Aug. 10. For children riding the bus to and from school, you should have received busing information

in the mail or by email. If you have not received this information, please contact the Havre Public Schools Transportation Department at 265-9032. For students who have not had the opportunity to register, please take a moment to stop by Lincoln-McKinley School at 801 4th St. between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to complete the needed enrollment forms. If you have any questions between now and the beginning of school, or at any time during the year, please feel free to call the school at 265-9619. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Holly Bitz, Principal Lincoln-McKinley Primary School

The staff of Highland Pak School would like to welcome you to the 2015-16 school year! We hope you had a fun and thrilling summer! The staff is excited to see all of the returning and new faces very soon! The first day of classes for all incoming first-graders is Wednesday, Aug. 26, with a brief orientation from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25. First day of classes for kindergarten students will be Friday, Aug. 28, with kindergarten orientation occurring on Wednesday, and Thursday, Aug. 26 and 27. All kindergarten families will be contacted by their classroom teacher to schedule an individual orientation meeting with you. Placement letters and class supply lists were mailed out the week of Aug. 10. If your child will be riding the bus to and from

school, you should have received busing information in the mail. If you have not, please contact the Havre Public Schools Transportation Department at 265-9032. If you have a child eligible to begin kindergarten or first grade this year and have not had the opportunity to register, Please take a moment to stop by Highland Park School at 1207 Washington Ave. between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to complete the needed enrollment forms. If you have any questions between now and the beginning of school, or at any time during the year, please feel free to call the school at 265-5554, I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Maureen Odegard, Principal Highland Park Early Primary School

— S o u rc e : A m e r i c a n Ac a d e my of Pediatrics

Follow the Havre Daily News for all your Havre Area Schools news, sports and information. www.havredailynews.com

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Dear parents and guardians of Havre Middle School students

The Havre Middle School office staff would like to welcome you to the 2015-2016 school year. If you have any questions or concerns during the year, please feel free to contact any of the following: Principal: Dustin Kraske Vice principal: Mark Irvin Secretaries: Brandee Parsons Meg Lippy

First day of school First day of school is Wednesday, Aug. 26. Students will pick up their class schedules, locker assignments, transportation schedules, handbooks, assignment books, school ID, breakfast/lunch tickets, sport physical forms and other pertinent items. Parents, please be aware that assignment books and breakfast/lunch tickets must be purchased separately.

Sports physicals Sports physical, including those for cheerleaders, are required of all participating seventh- and eighth-graders. Any sixthgrade student planning on participating in cross country, wrestling, golf, or track must have a physical form completed before being allowed to participate. Football, girls basketball and cross country will begin the first day of school.

Supplies necessary this year are Pencils, pens (black, blue and red), highlighters, college ruled notebook paper,

1” three-ring binder, scissors, ruler, large eraser or pencil top erasers and a pencil pouch, extra-fine point sharpie markers, binder dividers, pocket folders, ear buds, paper grocery bags for book covers, and a c o m b i n a t i o n o r p a d l o c k fo r h e a l t h enhancement class and/or any sport activity locker. Additional information is available on our district website www.havre.k12.mt.us. Teachers may have specific additional supplies for certain classes. The school is requiring assignment notebooks that sell for $4 each and student ID for $2 each.

Physical Education Students are required to dress in T-shirts, shorts and appropriate sneakers in physical education class. The school does not provide clothing for P.E.

School Immunizations Parents are reminded that the Montana School Immunization Law requires that students entering the seventh grade in Montana schools have a TDAP (tetanus) and the required two MMR's. No student will be registered without ve r i f i c a t i o n o f p ro p e r i m m u n i z a tion. Parents are also reminded that there are policies in regard to medications, whether prescription or non-prescription. It is mandatory that all medications must be delivered to the office by a parent/ guardian and a medical form completed by the parent/guardian. Students are not allowed to deliver any medication to the office and medication will not be administered unless a medical form is completed by the parent.

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Dear parents and guardians of Sunnyside Intermediate students

Welcome to Sunnyside School and the 2015-2016 school year! We thank you for sharing your children with us and look forward to working with you. Our top priority is to provide a quality education for each student. We plan to do this in an instructionally sound manner where we influence students to think and be responsible. We would like to give a special thank you to the Havre Community for the construction, building, and remodeling of this facility. There has been an incredible effort at every level to bring forth a quality product. It is with great appreciation that we teach students in this building! If you have any questions on transportation, please call the Transportation Department at 265-9032 or look on the district website, Havre Public Schools (havre. k12.mt.us), under the “Our District” tab. The Sunnyside Open House is scheduled

for Aug. 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. This meet and greet will begin in the gym at 6. After introductions and a brief presentation, parents and students will have the opportunity to meet their classroom teacher as well as tour the school. This is an important event that helps you know teacher’s goals, curriculum and classroom procedures for the year. I hope to see each of you there! School begins on Aug. 26 at 8:25 a.m. The campus opens at 7:50 each morning. The day concludes at 3:20 each afternoon. Please call 265-9671 if you have questions or ideas. I am looking forward to a great year and to working with you as we invest in your student’s education. Sincerely, Carmen Lunak, Principal Sunnyside Intermediate School

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Havre High Back-to-School Information First day of school Havre High School will begin school on Wednesday, Aug. 26. The first day of school will be the same as last year. We will be conducting a freshmen/new student orientation that will be held in the morning from 8:15 to 11:45 a.m. Aug. 26. F r e s h m e n a n d n ew s t u d e n t s a r e required to attend this event. All other students will be required to attend afternoon classes for the rest of the day starting at 12:35 p.m. Buses will run on regular schedules in the morning and in the afternoon, so students who ride the bus will be responsible to transport themselves to school at noon on the first day only. Hot lunches will be served.

New students registering New students registering at Havre High School must have proof of the following immunizations: • Four DTaP shots, the last one after the age of 4 • Three polio, the last one after the age of 4 • Two MMRs (measles, mumps, rubella) both after 12 months of age and at least four weeks apart. • Effective Oct. 1, students attending school will need two varicella (chickenpox) vaccines and those students that have not received a Tdap will require a single dose. Students without proof of these immunizations will not be able to register until p ro o f i s o n f i l e a t t h e h i g h s c h o o l . Immunizations are available from the county health nurse or from the student's physician.

New ID Cards New ID cards for all students are required at the cost of $3 per card. This ID card will allow students admission to all high school events at a reduced charge, or by paying an additional $15 when register-

ing and purchasing the I.D. card, students are pre-paid for admission to all Havre High School athletic and performing arts events for the 2015-2016 school year. Parents who would like to purchase the all-season family pass for the entire ‘15-16 school year may do for $135. This pass is only good for students in grades K-12. It does not cover students who have already graduated. There is the option for family passes at the cost of $80 for the fall season or $80 for the winter season if only one season is of interest to the family. Individual adult passes are available for the entire year at the cost of $55.

Meal Programs Students who are planning to use the hot lunch and breakfast programs may put money on their individual accounts at the time of registration. The daily charge for a student breakfast is $1.80 and hot lunch is offered for $2.55.

Yearbooks Havre High School yearbooks may also be ordered and purchased at registration at the cost of $40. Students attending HHS are required to purchase a student handbook/planner at the cost of $6. Planners will be distributed to students on the first day of school.

Textbooks HHS students need to be reminded that if they have fines due to any nonreturned or damaged textbooks, overdue library books or fines from extracurricular activities, these need to be paid for and/or returned at registration.

Dress Code Please remember the dress code for the upcoming school year. Of note, shorts and skirts must be mid-thigh length and hats are not to be worn inside the school building. We

certainly appreciate parental help in seeing that students are dressed appropriately when leaving for school. Students will be asked to change clothes if a correction is needed.

Bus Transportation All students utilizing bus transportation for the 2015-2016 school year are reminded to

pick up their bus schedule during registration. Please update your personal bus information and leave it with the office staff. If you have any questions regarding bus transportation, please contact Leila at the bus garage, 265-9032, or via e-mail at haiglerl@ havre.k12.mt.us. If you have any questions regarding any of the information above, please call the Havre High School main office at 265-6731.

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New Administrator Profiles:

pal at Havre Middle School. “I am totally and completely excited to go into Sunnyside Intermediate School,” Lunak said. “It’s going to be a fantastic building — I would actually say one of the finest in the state.” She said she loves fourth- and fifthgrades a lot, as well as working with the teachers at Sunnyside. “I like the curriculum work and being close to the instructional side — that’s one of my passions,” Lunak said. She has been with Havre Public Schools for three years, but has been in education for 25. She was in Glacier County before and moved to the Havre district because she wanted to be a “teacher leader.” That was a goal she has had since the beginning of her education career, but wanted to prove her-

The Havre Public Schools District 16 & A has gone through major changes as far as some of the schools' top administrators. Here is a look at some of the bigger changes parents and guardians will see in who is running their children's schools. John Paul Schmidt jpschmidt@havredailynews.com

Craig Mueller Principal of Havre High School and Assistant Superintendent Havre High School Principal Craig Mueller will be wearing an additional hat this school year as assistant superintendent. Mueller will still be acting as the principal for the high school until the position can be filled and will jump between the two jobs until it is. “The balance there in the first month or so is something I’m going to have to figure out and make adjustments to,” Mueller said. He said he will still be attending the myriad meetings and responsibilities of being the high school principal and will be able to incorporate his work on the district administration level. He said Havre Public

Schools District 16 & A superintendent Andy Carlson has been great to work with, as he has been helping him split the responsibilities of his assistant superintendent position until they can get everything evened out. Carla Geda, who is working with the paraprofessionals, is also taking some of the responsibilities normally under the assistant superintendent position’s flag. The high school will really start looking for someone to replace him in January, he said, and that person will be instated for the next year of school. “I want to make sure I spend enough time doing what needs to be done here at the high school, but there also responsibilities with the district,” Mueller said. “As the district curriculum coordinator, I’ll want to make sure I can get in each of the buildings and be visible and also find out what’s going on as far as those curriculum are concerned.” He said his experiences with high school grades will help, but he needs to study some of the curriculum for the lower grades, like elementary math. He needs to look at the strategies used to teach math in those grades, he said. “It’s just spending the time learning

Mueller

about that before we can move forward,” Mueller said. Mueller has spent 21 years in education and said he is seeing things come around again as far as the ever-changing way children are taught and the district is changing with the rest of Montana. “I think it’s always changing,” Mueller said. “I think that’s good. Not all the changes have been great, but you have to give all students a chance to succeed.” He said one of the nice things about the upcoming new year is that there has not been a lot of turnover in faculty and staff. The high school still has a solid and experienced faculty. “I’m really happy with how far our teachers have come,” Mueller said. “Our veteran teachers have always been a strong point over here.” He said four years ago, over half of the staff was new, and now the departments are beginning to stabilize. Mueller spent 17 years as an educator in Illinois before moving to Montana and said that he came from a family of educators.

Mark Irvin Vice Principal of Havre Middle School Mark Irvin comes from Box Elder and said he is very excited to come to fill the role of Havre Middle School vice principal. He spent 17 years teaching in Box Elder. For the last 11 years, he was the principal of the elementary school and high school, six and five years respectively. He taught for the first six years and was also athletic director for a time. “It’s a new challenge, but then again it’s an exciting challenge,” Irvin said. He said part of the reason he applied for the middle school position is because he feels that the philosophies of the school match his own. “I felt like it would be a good fit,” Irvin said. “Our school vision is to instill in our kids that success is the only option.” He said that the kids at the middle school are in a transitional period. They’re changing from elementary school kids to the young adults they will be in high school. It’s kind of a tough time for kids that age, Irvin added. “But, it’s also kind of a special time,” Irvin said. “That’s a unique phase of life. I guess my vision is to help those kids have a smooth transition. Figure out that they can expect more from themselves and realize

www.havredailynews.com self in the classroom before she pursued administration positions. She has taught elementary, alternative and middle school language, arts and writing. The recent additions and renovations to Sunnyside are going to push the school to the top, she said. “It’s going to be an amazing place to teach students and I am extremely appreciative of people at every level who have worked so hard to make us a quality product,” she said. She said the school is moving forward. There will always be things to do for the school, but everything is going to be better, she said. “The main goal I have is to just knock it out of the park with instruction,” Lunak said.

Bitz

Irvin that it’s OK to mess up and learn from it and move on. All of us have to do that.” He said that though there will be a learning curve for him as he finds his footing with his new position, he thinks it is going to be a great school year.

Holly Bitz Principal of Lincoln-McKinley Primary School Holly Bitz is heading into her first administrative role as principal of LincolnMcKinley Primary School and is ready for the challenge. “This is an amazing staff and they put hundreds of hours and weeks of time getting everything ready,” Bitz said. “They’re ready to help shape our youth.” She said this year, the school will be updating their math curriculum to bring it up to speed and fine-tuning their standardbased report cards. Bitz is originally from Great Falls, where she taught for six years. She also taught in Box Elder for seven years and has

now been with Havre Public Schools for three years. She was a fourth-grade teacher at Sunnyside Intermediate School. She received her undergraduate degree in Missoula, her endorsement from Montana State University-Northern and her graduate degree in Bozeman. “Hitting all the Montana schools,” she said, laughing. She said her biggest goal in her administrative position is to teach students to “use their resources to prepare them for the global market. “It has changed so much since we’ve gone to school — with technology and everything else — so many things are available to us that weren’t before. And so the major, major shift is from knowledge to understanding,” Bitz said.

She explained that when she was growing up, everything was knowledge-based. You had to recall the facts and recite them. There has been this switch from that to students now having to take that knowledge, apply it and understand it.

Carmen Lunak Principal of Sunnyside Intermediate School Sunnyside Intermediate School has a new principal this year, as well as enjoying the near-completed new facilities. Carmen Lunak is moving into her new position at the school after a stint as princi-

Lunak