Class bells ring on Wednesday

It’s time to put those thinking caps on and pack backpacks with new school supplies because another school year is here. Several schools in the Flathead Valley start classes on Wednesday while West Valley School begins classes on Thursday.

Kalispell Public Schools also begin the school year on Wednesday; back-to-school information for Kalispell will be published Sunday.

Cayuse Prairie

— School starts Aug. 31 for approximately 250 students attending Cayuse Prairie School this year.

— Class times are from 8:10 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.

— Meals will begin on the first day of school. Cost is $2.75. Extra milk is 20 cents. Payment for lunches may be done online at cayuseprairie.com.

— Harlow’s Bus Service is Cayuse Prairie’s new bus contractor this school year. Drivers are Joni Beauregard on route one, Pam Wilson on route two and Bill Corpron on route three.

— School projects include installation of two water bottle refill stations located in the gym lobby and the middle school wing.

— Cayuse Prairie welcomes fifth-grade homeroom teacher Catherine Bauer seventh-grade homeroom teacher Corey Grutsch and paraprofessionals Krisha Dull, Bethany Dupea, Debbie Keller and Joan Pettee.

— Paperwork will be sent home for middle school physicals beginning at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 2.

— Volleyball practice will start Sept. 3 after school with a parent meeting to follow at 5 p.m.

For more information call 756-4560 or visit cayuseprairie.com.

Creston

— School is back in session Aug. 31. Enrollment is projected at 80 students. Students are asked to bring clean gym shoes with their school supplies. School supply lists are available at area businesses and may be found online at creston.k12.mt.us.

— Class times are from 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. for grades kindergarten through six. This will be a change from last school year for grades kindergarten through third.

— After dismissal, all students will be escorted by their teachers to the bus or front gate for parent pickup. For safety, students will be released to parents when vehicles are in the pickup line along the fence. Students are not allowed to cross the parking lot without parent supervision. Parents are asked to park in the visitor parking spots or grange across Creston Road if they are parking to come into the school or on playground. Bus schedules will be available at the Aug. 29 open house.

— The first pizza day will be Sept. 2 and will be served Fridays. Cost is $1.50 per slice.

— new academic curriculum includes Math Expressions by Houghton Mifflin.

— Creston welcomes new staff including clerk Tammy Bartos, paraprofessional Stephanie Brackel, third-grade teacher Pauline Davidson and special education teacher Cindi Siler.

There are some changes in teaching assignments. Ariann Hess will teach sixth grade, Melissa Potts, first grade and Jamie Shanks, fourth/fifth grade.

— A back-to-school night is planned Aug. 29. A free taco bar dinner will be provided by the PTO. Students are requested to bring school supplies and may participate in welcome activities with teachers and classmates from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Parents will have an opportunity to volunteer for events and activities throughout the school year.

For more information call 755-2859 or visit creston.k12.mt.us.

Deer Park

— The first day of school is Aug. 31 and Deer Park School anticipates an enrollment of 140 students.

— Class times are from 8:20 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. On Wednesdays, school is dismissed at 2:35 p.m.

— Meals will be served starting Sept. 6. Lunches are $3.10. Order forms will be sent home the first day of school.

— new staff includes n volleyball coach Shaylene Fishel, maintenance man Jake Horn, counselor Roy McDaniel and librarian and media specialist Miriam Watts. Melissa Rague has been reassigned as a fifth-grade teacher.

— The Crash Zone before- and after-school program will be held from 7 to 8:20 a.m. and after school through 6 p.m.

— An open house is planned Sept. 29.

For more information call 892-5388 or visit https://sites.google.com/a/deerparkedu.org/panthers.

Evergreen

— Students start school Aug. 31. The first day of preschool is Sept. 13. Approximately 770 are enrolled this year in Evergreen School District.

District staff includes business manager Andrew Kruzich and Christine Larson in food services.

— All students may eat a free breakfast and lunch daily.

— School supply lists are available online at www.evergreensd50.com.

— A Student Experience Day will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 30.

— Evergreen parents or guardians can monitor their children’s attendance and grades at http://bit.ly/2bCjcAr. There is also a parent portal app available for download. Stop by the school office to pick up access information.

Evergreen Junior High

— Class times for fifth through eighth grades is 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

— An open house is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20.

East Evergreen

— Class times are as follows: kindergarten, 8:25 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; first grade, 8:25 a.m. to 3 p.m.; second and third grades, 8:25 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.; and fourth grade, 8:10 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.

— new East Evergreen staff includes preschool teacher Kathy Manley-Coburn, kindergarten teacher Michele McGuire, special education teacher Yevette Jordan and music teacher Anita Hillis.

— An open house is planned at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 22.

Crossroads School

— Class times for Crossroads School are from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

— An open house is set for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 21.

For more information call 751-1111 or visit www.evergreensd50.com

Helena Flats

— The first day of school is Aug. 31. Enrollment is projected at 243 students.

— Class times for grades kindergarten through third are 8:25 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. Fourth- through eighth-graders attend school from 8:25 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.

— Helena Flats welcomes new secretary Angel Verhine and paraprofessionals Amber Major and Alicia Fladager.

— An additional kindergarten class has been added to accommodate growth. Students will also be able to work in the new school and community garden.

— An open house is set from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 22.

— For more information call 257-2301 or visit helenaflats.org.

Kila

— The first day of school is Aug. 31. An estimated 171 students will be in attendance.

— Breakfast is $1.70 and lunch is $3.

— It was a busy summer of making improvements to the building. Roofing was replaced over the office and repaired over the gym. The gym was repainted and its ceiling replaced. A walk-in freezer also WAS replaced. The main field was also regraded and a Kila Cougar carving installed outside the gym. Additional security cameras were added to the building.

Marion

— The first day of school is Aug. 31 and about 110 students will be in attendance.

— Class times are 8:20 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.

— Breakfast costs $1.50 and lunch $2.10. Milk is 40 cents.

— A bus stop has been added down Ashley Creek Road to Hodge Creek.

— Custodian Paul Stewart joins Marion School staff this year.

— new upgrades to the school includes installing high-speed fiber internet, new flooring in the modular building and additional security cameras.

— A back-to-school barbecue is planned at 6 p.m. Sept. 9 sponsored by the PTO.

For more information call 854-2333 or visit marionschoolmt.com.

Olney-Bissell

— The first day of school is Aug. 31.

Smith Valley

— The first day of school for grades one through eight is Aug. 31. Kindergarten classes start Sept. 6. Enrollment is expected to be at 225 students.

— Kindergarten experience days are planned Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. Parents or guardians who don’t have an appointment should call 756-4535.

— Breakfast is $1.50 and lunch is $2.75. Milk is 45 cents.

— Student pick up and drop off is located in the upper parking lot off Batavia Lane.

— Mental health (Altacare) services have been added. The school is also looking at expansion options with growing enrollment.

— new P.E. teacher Erin Fitzsimmons joins the Smith Valley staff.

— A parent and community presentation on Adverse Childhood Experiences including a showing of the documentary “Paper Tigers” is planned from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 29. no children at this event please.

— An open house is slated for Sept. 19.

For more information call 756-4535 or visit www.smithvalleyschool.org.

Somers-Lakeside

— The first day of school is Aug. 31.

— Breakfast is $2 and lunch is $2.50.

— For more information visit www.somersdist29.org. To contact the district office call 857-3661.

Lakeside Elementary is projected to have an enrollment of 355 students.

— Class times are from 8:16 a.m. to 3:16 p.m.

— A new reading series has been implemented into elementary curriculum.

— Improvements to the building have been made such as a new roof and new playground equipment.

— new staff members include: special education Cindy Ames, counselor Kaylie Beierle, kindergarten teacher nathan Poukish and math teacher Mariah Wilcox.

— For more information call 844-2208.

Somers Middle School anticipates 180 students enrolled this school year.

— Class times are from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

— Students may look forward to joining new clubs. new electives have been added for seventh and eighth grades.

— Somers welcomes new teachers: Christine Boles, math and band; Zach Duval, English; and Rob Ford, language arts.

— The heating and ventilation system has been updated.

— An open house is set from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 29.

For more information call 857-3661.

West Valley

— The first day of school is Sept. 1. Up to 600 students are anticipated to be enrolled this school year.

— Classes start with a warning bell at 8:15 a.m. Kindergarten, second- and third-graders are dismissed at 3:27p.m. Fourth through eighth grades are dismissed at 3:32 p.m.

— Breakfast is $1.75. Lunch is $3. Additional milk is 35 cents.

— Twelve staff members have joined West Valley, including elementary principal Brent Benkelman, kindergarten teacher Lindsay DePuydt, special education teacher Shawn Erickson, fourth-grade teachers Tanya Kalenga and Rich nickerson, para-educators Siobhan McGuire, Jeannie Roth, Sharon Williams and Sierra Zemke, seventh- and eighth-grade teacher Matt Pollard, second-grade teacher Haylee Sauer and music teacher Krista Van Helden.

— The first football practice will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 29. Contact Clay Keller at ckeller@westvalleyschool.com.

— For more information call 755-7239 or visit www.westvalleyschool.com.

Whitefish

— The first day of school is Aug. 31 unless otherwise noted.

— There are additional bus stops in town and families should have been notified with the updates. Routes include Colorado Avenue and Woodland Place; Colorado Avenue and Aspen Grove Street; Dakota Avenue and Waverly Place; Dakota Avenue and Woodland Place; JP Road and Vista Drive; Karrow and Fourth Street; and Karrow and Centennial Drive. For more bus information call Rocky Mountain Transportation at 863-1200.

— For more school-related information visit www.wsd44.org. To contact the district office, call 862-8640.

Whitefish High School projects enrollment at 497 students.

— The first day of school will follow a modified schedule. Freshmen only will attend during the morning with an orientation from 8:25 to 11:45 a.m. followed by lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All students will take school photos on the first day. Seniors will take ID photos from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Juniors will take ID photos from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Sophomores will take ID photos from noon to 12:30 p.m. All grade levels will attend classes from 12:40 to 3:30 p.m. Lunch will not be provided for sophomores, juniors and seniors on the first day.

— Breakfast is $1.50 and lunch $3.

— Advanced Placements courses have been expanded to include “English Language and Composition,” “United States History” and “Statistics.”

— new high school staff members are: custodian Jeff Cote, choir teacher Emily Hackethorn, English teacher Al Hammel, business teacher Willie Roche and science teacher Tait Rocksund.

— Updates to the building includes a new finish to the gym floor. Students can look forward to being assigned his or her own locker. Professional signs were put up inside the school to identify different wings of the school and things such as restrooms and the elevator.

— For more information call 862-8600.

Whitefish Middle School anticipates an enrollment of 555 fifth through eighth graders.

— On the first day, fifth- and sixth-graders will meet their teachers on the playground. Seventh- and eighth-graders will have first-period teachers posted.

— School starts earlier this year at 8:25 a.m. Dismissal is at 3:25 p.m.

— Breakfast is $1.35 and lunch is $2.75. Milk is 40 cents.

— The middle school welcomes technology teacher Gary Carmichael, Dean of Students Libby Connor, counselors Tina Corwin and Lacy Eccles, educational support professionals Malinda Goldhirsch and Leann Hughes, choir teacher Emily Hackethorn, fifth-grade teacher Breanne Kelley, sixth-grade teacher Shawn Lenzner, speech language pathologist Shelby Swant, and secretary Krissy Yorba.

— Facility improvements include upgrades to the wireless capabilities and a new foyer door.

— Parents or guardians need to park in the parking lot to drop off their students and should not drop children off in the middle of the road.

— Crossing guards will be stationed at the following intersections: First Street and Spokane Avenue; Second Street and Kalispell Avenue; and First Street and Kalispell Avenue.

— A fifth-grade open house and orientation will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 in the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. A sixth- through eighth-grade open house is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 22.

For more information call 862-8650.

Muldown Elementary enrollment will be around 670 kindergarten through fourth graders.

— Kindergarten and first-grade students will have a modified start schedule. Students may drop in between 9 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 31. Half of the kindergarten students will attend a full day Sept. 1 and the other half on Sept. 2. The first full day for kindergarten is Sept. 6. First graders will come for a full day Sept. 1.

— Regular class times are all five minutes earlier. Kindergarteners attend from 8:35 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. First and second graders attend from 8:30 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. Third graders attend from 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. and fourth graders from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

— Lunch is $2.50.

— Staff members joining the elementary include: music teacher Addy Connelly, counselor Camille Deitz, third-grade teacher Sara Miller, health enhancement teacher Megan Olson, custodian Travis Simpson, and fourth-grade teachers Andrew Staub and Jessica Qunell.

— Parent parking is located at the front of the building. no parking is allowed in the drive-through and drop-off loop. Additional parking is located in the lot between the elementary and high school.

— Open houses are slated Sept. 27 for third and fourth grades and Sept. 29 for kindergarten through second.

— For more information call 862-8620.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.