New school year set to begin

A new school year is here with many school districts in the Flathead Valley starting Wednesday, Aug. 30. Columbia Falls and West Valley students start Thursday, Aug. 31.

Kalispell Public Schools also beings the school year on Wednesday; back-to-school information for Kalispell will be published Tuesday followed by districts with September start dates.

Cayuse Prairie

- School starts Aug. 30.

- Breakfast is $1.75 and the reduced price is 30 cents for qualifying students. Lunch is $2.90 and the reduced price is 40 cents. A single milk is 25 cents.

- Cayuse Prairie welcomes Becky Ahles, who will teach the “Lil’ Mustangs” program and third-grade teacher Molly Parks.

- A new, two-year kindergarten program has been added called “Lil’ Mustangs.” The program will run three full days a week.

- Upgrades made to the school include a new electronic marquee in the front parking lot.

- An open house is planned from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 21. Find out more about volunteering and supporting the school by attending the first Parents and Friends meeting of the year scheduled at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 in the library.

For more information visit cayuseprairie.com

Creston

- The first day of school is Aug. 30.

- Pizza day, held every Friday, begins Sept. 8.

- Rachel Leighty joins the staff as a lunchroom and playground aide.

- New this year will be flexible seating options in several classrooms to encourage collaboration and comfort. Seating options include pillows, low tables and high “bistro-style” tables. Staff members have also been trained to use social skill strategies from “The Responsive Classroom,” to help build a positive classroom communities.

- Students taking the bus need to arrive at his or her assigned bus stop five minutes before scheduled pickup. Bus pickup and drop-off times are available in the office.

- An open house is planned from 5:30-8 p.m. Aug. 28. A free taco bar, provided by the Tiger Pride Booster Club, will open at 5:30 p.m. Students should bring his or her school supplies and plan to do classroom activities.

For more information visit www.crestonschool.com.

Columbia Falls

- School starts Aug. 31 in Columbia Falls School District.

- For more information visit www.cfmtschools.net.

Columbia Falls High School

- Breakfast is $1.45 and lunch is $3 p.m.

- The high school welcomes new teachers Jeff Remiker, industrial arts; Emily Hacethorn, choir; Shelby Johnson, art and paraeducators Jolandie Brooks, Shelly Gross and Emily McCaffree.

- Upgrades to the high school include new gym bleachers, which provide better handicap accessibility. The old bleachers have been moved to the Flip Darling Memorial soccer field where lights were installed. A new phone system was also installed. Others areas of the building have been refreshed with a coat of paint.

- High school students will have several new courses to choose from including ACT Math, Appreciation of Film, Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Drafting Design, Intro to Solidworks, Intro to Drafting Design, and Personal Finance. Additional dual credit classes will provide students with the opportunity to earn the healthcare certification through Flathead Valley Community College. These classes are: Math Applications for Allied Health Professionals, Essentials for Health Care Professionals and Health Care Delivery. The additional classes mean the high school offers a total of 15 dual credit classes where students can earn high school and college credit.

- Freshmen student and parent orientation will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29. Freshmen and their parents are encouraged to attend. New students in grades 10-12 are also invited to attend. Freshman and new students will be able to pick up class schedules in the gym foyer from 6 to 6:15 p.m. followed by a welcome and introductions. Students will then go through each period for the duration of orientation.

- Student schedules and locker assignments for sophomores, juniors and seniors are available at the school from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Columbia Falls Junior High

- Joining the junior high staff are seventh- and eighth-grade special education teachers Alan Golan and Jenny Jarvis; seventh- and eighth-grade social studies teacher Andrew Lilienthal, seventh grade language arts teacher Effie Roma, paraeducator Anne Barker. Food Corps member

- Alekya Prathivadi will also be working with the junior high.

- Students will be able to look forward to using a Z-Space Lab and 3-D printers. A new phone system has also been installed in the school.

- An open house is set from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for sixth graders and from 7 to 9 p.m. for seventh- and eighth-graders.

Glacier Gateway

- Breakfast is $1.75 and lunch is $3.

- The elementary welcomes new Principal Penni Anello, kindergarten paraeducator Morgan Christianson, and teachers Ashley Kollman, second grade; Jane Dews, fourth grade; and Alexander McBroom, resource room.

- Over the summer, areas throughout the building have been freshened up with a coat of paint and new carpet has been installed in the library and some classrooms.

- Glacier Gateway is introducing the “Girls on the Run” a program for female students in third through fifth grade. A new reading program, “Journeys,” will be implemented in the kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms offering a variety of fiction and non-fiction reading materials. Technology has been upgraded with the addition of 60 new Chromebooks.

- Parents are reminded that students may be dropped off at 7:45 a.m. and need to be picked up before 3:25 p.m.

- A meet-and-greet will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Aug. 30.

Ruder Elementary

- Joining Ruder Elementary staff is reading specialist Autumn Mansfield and teachers Pam Clark, second grade; Ashley Nadeau, second grade; Cami Harwood, kindergarten; Mary Burns, fourth grade; Tracy Swope, third-through fifth-grade special education; and student teacher Lauren Goetz, P.E.

- “Meet your teacher” night is planned from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 30.

Deer Park

- School starts Aug. 30 with an early out at 2:35 p.m.

- The first day of lunch is Sept. 5. Prices are to be determined.

- Deer Park welcomes new staff member David Gomez, who will teach music and elementary specials. Taylor Haworth will move from her position as a paraeducator to middle school history and science teacher.

- The Crash Zone before- and after-school program will be held from 7 to 8:15 a.m. and after school dismisses through 6 p.m.

- An open house is set for Sept. 28.

For more information visit sites.google.com/a/deerparkedu.org.

Evergreen

- A student experience day is scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 29.

- The first day of school for grades first through eighth is Aug. 30.

- Free breakfast and lunch is available to all students as part of the federal Community Eligibility Provision. Meals will start being served on the first day of school.

- New district staff includes Michal Schneider, administrative assistant to the superintendent and Tina Speas, custodian.

For more information visit www.evergreensd50.com.

East Evergreen Elementary

- Sept. 6 is the first day of school for early kindergarten and kindergarten. Preschool students start Sept. 12.

- New teachers include: Dawn Black, preschool; Pauline Puuri, kindergarten; Cindy Roberts, first grade; Chelsea Noffsinger, third grade and Nikki Kaup, fourth grade.

- An open house is planned at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 21.

Evergreen Junior High

- Andy Fors joins the junior high as the new assistant principal.

- An open house is slated for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19.

Flathead Crossroads School

- Crossroads welcomes Emerald Barrett, who will teach kindergarten through second grade; Andy Burrell, who will teach third through fourth and Dan Anderson will serve as a behavior specialist.

- An open house will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20.

Helena Flats

- The first day of school is Aug. 30.

- Breakfast is $1.75 and lunch is $3.

- Helena Flats welcomes new superintendent/principal Brett Banker.

- An open house is set from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 7.

For more information visit https://helenaflats.org.

Kila

- School starts Aug. 30 for Kila students. Kindergarten enrollment is around 20 students.

- Breakfast is $1.70 and lunch is $3.

- Physical facilities (what’s new or upgraded) have a new gym floor (with a sizable donation form Flathead Electric Coop Round Up For Safety, and have re-sided the main office building.

- Kila School welcomes new teachers Autumn Benson, first grade; Sierra Zemke, second grade; Mary Ehli, third grade; Mitch Zander, P.E./health and aide Carina Schmalz with Julie Smith joining the kitchen staff.

- Free backpacks are available to students in the office.

For more information visit kilaschool.com.

Olney-Bissell

- School starts Aug. 30.

- New teachers at Olney-Bissell are Tracey Thomas, kindergarten and first grade; Hannah Hayes, second grade; and Shianne Schmidt, third and fourth grade.

- The school has adopted a new reading curriculum by McGraw-Hill titled “Wonders.”

- An after-school program will be available for the school year.

- An open house will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7. A baked potato bar will be available.

For more information visit www.olneybissellschool.com.

Smith Valley

- First- through eighth-graders start school on Aug. 30. Kindergarten starts Sept. 5 with “experience” days scheduled by appointment on Aug. 30, 31 and Sept. 1. Call 756-4535 for an appointment.

- Breakfast is $1.75 (an increase of 25 cents). The reduced breakfast price for eligible students is 30 cents. Lunch is $3 (also an increase of 25 cents). The reduced lunch price is 40 cents. Milk is 45 cents.

- Nichole Burns joins Smith Valley School as a sixth- through eighth-grade science and math teacher.

- Student pick-ups and drop-offs should be made in the upper parking lot off of Batavia Lane.

For more information www.smithvalleyschool.org

West Valley

- The first day of school is Aug. 31. Kindergarten enrollment is projected to be between 75 to 80 students.

- Breakfast is $1.75 and lunch $3.

- Joining West Valley School is kindergarten teacher Christian Wallace, librarian Nikki Williams, seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher Matt Honcoop, kindergarten through fourth-grade Principal Richard Gross, food service staff member Suzanne Hyatt, and custodians Sofia Zavala and Charles Balen.

- Several projects have been completed over the summer, including an updated front entrance that now has keyless entry linked to the security system purchased through a $3,000 Roundup for Safety grant. An electronic reader board was also installed in front of the school through funds raised by the school parent teacher organization.

- Kindergarten through eighth grades will be using “Go Math!” curriculum. Staff will also participate in active resistance training.

- Starting Sept. 15, buses will run 30 minutes later on Fridays for teacher “PLC” time.

- Parents are reminded to drop students off in a designated zone in front of the school. Do not drop off students on the south end of the school.

- An open house is slated for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14.

For more information visit www.westvalleyschool.com.

Muldown Elementary

- The first day of school for second through fourth grades is Aug. 30.

- Kindergarten and first grade students will have orientation on Aug. 30 and may drop in between 9 and 11 a.m. or 1 and 3 p.m.

- The kindergarten grade level will then be divided into two groups with half the students attending a full day on Aug. 31 and the other half on Sept. 1. The first full day for all kindergarteners will be Sept. 5.

- The first full day of first grade will be Aug. 31.

- Lunch is $2.50.

- Muldown welcomes new teachers Tara Brown, third grade; Daniel Neff, fourth grade; and Paul Rossi, music.

- Parent parking is located at the front of the building. Additional parking is located in the lot between the elementary and high school. There is no parking in the drive-thru and drop off loop or emergency vehicles zone.

- Busing information is available by calling Rocky Mountain Transportation at 406-863-1200.

- Open House dates are Sept. 21 third and fourth grades and Sept. 26th for kindergarten through second.

For more information visit http://mul.wsd44.org.

Whitefish High School

- The first day of school is Aug. 30. A modified schedule will mean that freshman only will attend school in the morning and the afternoon will be for all students grades ninth through 12th. Freshmen will attend from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A complimentary pizza lunch will be provided to freshmen. All sophomores, juniors and seniors will attend classes from 12:40 to 3:30 p.m. and should plan to eat lunch beforehand. Seniors and juniors will have pictures taken between 11 and noon.

- Joining the staff is assistant principal Jeff Peck, office secretary Lori Martin, library media specialist Chani Craig and math teacher Nicole Bronken.

- Breakfast is $1.35. The reduced cost is 30 cents for qualifying students. Lunch is $3 and the reduced cost is 40 cents.

- The event center restrooms located in the gym foyer have been remodeled and the gym floor received a new finish coat.

- New programs include implementation of “Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.” The framework of this approach focuses on providing high quality instruction and interventions matched to student needs while monitoring progress frequently to make decisions about changes in instruction or goals. This approach to improving student learning is data-driven.

- Bus information is available by calling Rocky Mountain Transportation 863-1200.

- All students will have a school photo taken on the first day of school.

- An open house will be held Sept. 19.

For more information visit whs.wsd44.org.

Whitefish Middle School

- The first day of school is Aug. 30. Fifth and sixth grades will meet their teachers on the playground. Seventh and eighth grades will have their first period teacher posted.

- Breakfast is served from 8 to 8:30 a.m. and costs $1.35. A reduced price of 30 cents is available for qualifying students. Lunch is $2.75 with the reduced price at 40 cents. Milk is 40 cents.

- Staff joining the junior high are: Jackie Fuller, assistant principal; Rachel Anderson, special services; and teachers Cassie McCann, sixth grade and Erin Bodman, eighth-grade science.

- Improvements over the summer include upgrades to the restrooms and food services, updated playground equipment and addition of a covered playground area. The school and grounds have also been deep cleaned and freshened up.

- Students can look forward to new Project Lead The Way courses and fifth- through eighth-grade computer science.

- Bus information is available by calling Rocky Mountain Transportation at 406-863-1200.

- Parents are reminded to pull into a parking space to drop off students and refrain from dropping them off in the middle of the road. There are also several crossing guards available to assist in crossing streets 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 is planned at 7 p.m. Aug. 28. Attendees should meet in the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. A sixth- through eighth-grade open house is scheduled at 7 p.m. Sept. 12.

For more information visit http://wms.wsd44.org.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.