COVID procedures explained for students, staff

Editor’s note: Other school districts’ information will be detailed in the Aug. 28 and Aug. 29 editions of the Inter Lake.

Opening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes in regard to health and safety.

All staff and students over the age of 5 are required to wear masks when they are unable to maintain six feet of distance from others under a directive from the Office of the Governor. The mask mandate applies in counties where there are four or more active cases of COVID-19.

Masks need to cover the face and nose. Face shields are also acceptable under the directive.

Exceptions include people who are: eating or drinking; engaged in an activity that makes wearing a face covering impractical or unsafe such as strenuous physical exercise; talking with someone who is hearing impaired; giving a speech or artistic, musical, or theatrical performance for an audience that is physically distanced; temporarily removing their face covering for identification purposes. There is also an exception for people who have a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask, according to the directive.

Schools are also requiring health screenings before getting on buses or entering the building.

Families are reminded that plans and phases may change depending on local and state guidelines or directives.

The following information was made available by schools.

Creston School

First day: Wednesday, Aug. 26

Projected enrollment: 120 students

Health screenings will be conducted by staff members before entry onto school property.

New staff: Janessa Williams, sixth grade and Katherine Miller, classroom aide.

Phone number: 755-2859

Website: www.crestonschool.com

Deer Park School

First day: Wednesday, Aug. 26

Projected enrollment: 150 students

Health screenings will conducted by staff when students arrive at school. Parents encouraged to remain in vehicles for pick-up drop-off for grades third through eighth.

New staff: Dana Hashley, math and P.E. and Halladay Quist, music.

Phone number: 892-5388

Website: https://sites.google.com/a/deerparkedu.org/panthers.

Olney-Bissell School

First day: Today, Aug. 25

Projected enrollment: 90 students

School schedule: Kindergarten through third grade will attend a regular, Monday through Thursday week. Grades four through eigh will be on an A-B rotational schedule.

Health screenings: Temperatures will be checked for everyone when they enter the building.

New staff members: Chris Huch, 2/3 combination teacher and Lisa Flowers, paraprofessional.

Phone number: 862-2828

Website: www.olneybissellschool.com

Whitefish School District

From Wednesday, Aug. 26 through Sept. 25, students will alternate days when they attend class on-site and remotely through synchronous learning. Synchronous learning means students will join live streamed classes remotely.

This schedule will allow schools to operate at half capacity and become oriented with remote learning in the instance future closures were required according to the district. Starting on Sept. 28, the plan is to have 100% of students attending class on-site every day.

New curriculum: Grades 6 through 12 will study a new math textbook series called “Big Ideas.”

Muldown Elementary

Meet-and-greet sessions will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 26, which replace open houses for all grades. The school is planning specific times for families to come to the elementary and meet their teachers, drop off school supplies, and receive some guidance on how to have a successful year. Families are asked to attend during the follow the times to reduce the amount of people in the building at one time:

Last name A-F — 9-10:00 a.m.

Last name G-K — 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Last name L-R — 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Last name S-Z — 2-3 p.m.

Projected enrollment: 740 for grades K-4, an increase of about 30 students compared to last year.

Heath screenings: Parents are asked to conduct a screening before students get on buses or arrive to school. When students enter the building, staff will check temperatures and ask how they are feeling.

Busing: Students will be assigned to a seat while riding the bus. To help reduce the number of bus riders, parents are asked to find alternative transportation to get their child to school.

New staff members: Candace Donald, kindergarten special education teacher; Fernanda Heppner, counselor; Anna Huskey – first-grade special education teacher; Britany Lavina, third-grade teacher; Rachel Mann, third-grade teacher; David Perisho, health enhancement teacher; Ashley Thomas-Meager, third-grade special education teacher; Brittney Weese – preschool special education teacher; and Sadie West, counselor.

Phone: 862-8620

Website: muldown.wsd44.org

Whitefish Middle School

Meet-and-greet sessions will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 26, which replace open houses for all grades. The school is planning specific times for families to come to the Middle School and meet their teachers, drop off school supplies, and receive some guidance on how to have a successful year. Families are asked to attend during the follow the times to reduce the amount of people in the building at one time:

Last name A-C — 8:30-9:15 a.m.

Last name D-F — 9:15-10 a.m.

Last name G-I —10-10:45 a.m.

Last name J-L — 10:45-11:30 a.m.

Last name M-O — 12:30-1:15 p.m.

Last name P-R — 1:15-2 p.m.

Last name S-U — 2-2:45 p.m.

Last name V-Z — 2:45-3:30 p.m.

Projected enrollment: 610 students

Heath screenings: Parents are asked to conduct a screening before students get on buses or arrive to school. When students enter the building, staff will check temperatures and ask how they are feeling.

Busing: Students will be assigned to a seat while riding the bus. To help reduce the number of bus riders, parents are asked to find alternative transportation to get their child to school.

New staff members: Assistant Principal Tyler Jones joins the middle school staff from his previous position teaching in Columbia Falls School District for the last 13 years. Also joining the staff is: Christian Bitterauf, special services; Jillian Bracken, fifth-grade teacher; Chani Craig, librarian; Amina Diehl, seventh-grade science teacher; Annie Douglas sixth-grade teacher; Kaila Forster, paraprofessional; Shannon Holler, eighth-grade science teacher; Libby O’Shea-Betker, speech language pathologist; Annelies Pedersen, counselor; Michael Pedersen, seventh-grade math teacher; Margie Thompson, paraprofessional; Tina Weber, P.E. teacher; and Grace Williams, fifth-grade teacher.

Phone number: 862-8650

Website: wms.wsd44.org

Whitefish High School

First day: Wednesday, Aug. 26. Pictures will be taken for student ID’s.

Two “prep for success” orientation days will be held on Thursday and Friday. Students with last name’s starting with A-K will attend on campus from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Students with the last names starting with L-Z will attend on campus from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Friday.

Projected enrollment: 600 students, which is about a 5% increase from last year.

Health screenings: Temperature check stations will be located at each entrance and supervised by staff. The next layer of screening will be conducted by the school nurse as deemed necessary by the temperature check.

New staff members: Caroline Alves, special education teacher; Michelle Barton, librarian; Cole Davidson, math teacher; Shaun Forrest, social studies/P.E. teacher; Randy Hohf, science teacher; Dan Kohnstamm, librarian; Matt King, band director; Ross Lingle, career counselor; Ryan Nollan, psychologist; Amanda Posto, school nurse; Kat Roche, Spanish teacher; Christina Schmidt, speech and language pathologist; Sam Shambaugh, paraeducator; and Jessica St. Peter, paraeducator/health aide.

New curriculum: An Advanced Placement Environmental science course has been added to the roster.

Maintenance completed over break: Gym water fountains were replaced with water bottle filling stations.

Open House: Monday, Sept. 28, at a time to be decided.

Phone number: 862-8600

Website: whs.wsd44.org

Kalispell Public Schools

First day: Friday, Aug. 28 will serve as an orientation/transition day for grades sixth and ninth. Monday, Aug. 31 is the first day for grades K-5, seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th. Students registered to learn remotely start school on Sept. 8.

Kindergarten will attend the first week of school on the following A-B schedule:

Aug. 31 — A group

Sept. 1 — B group

Sept. 2 — A group

Sept. 3 — B group

Sept. 4 — All students

Open houses will be held for grades K-5 on Friday, Aug. 28. To reduce the number of people in buildings at one time sessions have been scheduled as follows:

Last Names A-G — 8:30-10 a.m.

Last Names H-M — 10-11:30 a.m.

Last Names N-S — 12:30-2 p.m.

Last Names T-Z — 2-3:30 p.m.

Health screenings: Parents are asked to screen students before they get on school buses or arrive to school.

New staff members: Lilly Adams-Custer, nurse; Jesse Kitzmiller, Central Kitchen driver; and Bill Sullivan, director of accountability/COVID-19 coordinator (former Russell Elementary principal).

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us

Edgerton Elementary

Projected enrollment: 522 students

New staff members: Alexandra King, first grade; Erin Galle, kindergarten teacher; Grace Harrington, paraprofessional; Colleen O’Dell, speech language pathologist; Richelle Valdez, preschool special education paraprofessional; and Mikelle Wiley, kindergarten.

Phone number: 751-4040

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/6/home

Elrod Elementary

Projected enrollment: 217 students

New staff members: Sarah Higdon, custodian; Tausha Holden, second-grade teacher; Leah Lybeck, first-grade teacher; Anita Patrick, paraprofessional; and Karen Sandler, paraprofessional.

Jeff Hornby returns to the principal position at Elrod after transferring from his previous position as Kalispell Middle School assistant principal.

Phone number: 751-3700

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/5/home

Hedges Elementary

Projected enrollment: 310 students

New staff members: Shawn Fagnant, third-grade teacher; Colleen O’Dell, speech language pathologist; and Sabina McConville, paraprofessional.

Phone number: 751-4090

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/4/home

Peterson Elementary

Projected enrollment: 340 students

New staff members: Carolyn Sood, preschool paraprofessional.

Phone number: 751-3737

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/7/home

Rankin Elementary

Projected enrollment: 416 students

New staff members: Tanika Abbott, Aspire program paraprofessional; Brad Dahl, special education teacher; Gwen Gates, special education paraprofessional; Anita Patrick, paraprofessional; and Echo Strawderman, Aspire program paraprofessional.

Phone number: 300-0600

Website: https://www.sd5.k12.mt.us/11/home

Russell Elementary

Projected enrollment: 229 students

New staff members: Jenna Callan, custodian; Kaila Forster, third-grade teacher; Heather Hinkley, first-grade teacher; and Colleen O’Dell, speech language pathologist.

Vickie Buck moves up from a position as instructional coach to interim principal at Russell.

Phone number: 751-3900

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/8/home

Kalispell Middle School

Projected enrollment: 1,053, which is an increase from last year.

New staff members: William Appert, resource teacher; Glenda Armstrong, sixth-grade reading; Terry Baker, custodian; Jim Blow, career and technical education/science teacher; Phillip Catlin, English language arts; Clyde Collins, social studies; Samantha Engel-Ruck, paraprofessional; Karisse Gregory, sixth-grade English language arts teacher; Josh Gubits, science; Patrick Neal, seventh-grade health enhancement; Travis Price, eighth-grade health enhancement; Robert Rayson, custodian; Jolene Young, eighth-grade resource teacher and Stacie Walley, student monitor.

Dallas Stuker changes positions from athletic director to assistant principal. Anne Castren moves from a teaching position to serve as athletic director.

Open house: Sept. 3, with details yet to be decided.

Phone number: 751-3800

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/3/home

Flathead High School

Projected enrollment: 1,550 students, which is about 100 more compared to last year.

New staff members: Madison Amsler, social studies; Erik Brink, reading paraprofessional; Mindy Castruita, special education teacher; Emily Coats, math teacher; Jennifer Coronado, math teacher; Richard Darach, career and technical education welding teacher; Jeshua Glascock, science teacher; Stacy Hughes, career and technical education/family consumer science teacher; Danika Johnson, social studies teacher; Dirk Johnsrud, health and physical education; Caleb Keller, English teacher; Sean Keller, school resource officer; Kay Lister, special education teacher; Stephanie McLean, math teacher; Andy Richard, career and technical education/industrial arts teacher; Deborah Saulnier, special education paraprofessional; Danielle Smith, attendance and substitute coordinator; Nicole Suho, special education paraprofessional; Ann Taylor, special education teacher; Sam Tudor, English teacher; and Blane Wagatsuma, attendance. Also joining the staff are longterm substitutes Caroline Boozer, Thomas Waddell and Amanda Eney. The high school also welcomes student teachers Alicia Benson and Brian Friess in English and science, respectively.

Maintenance projects completed over break: Deferred maintenance work from the high school district bond continue. Old flooring in the main building was replaced, classrooms and common areas were painted and roof repairs made throughout older sections of the building. Improvements have also been made in the auditorium. The 11th-grade parking lot expansion was prepped for paving.

Open house: 8-9 p.m., Sept. 9, to be decided if it will be held virtually.

School pictures: Sept. 15-16 in the high school auditorium foyer.

Phone number: 751-3500

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/1/home

Glacier High School

Projected enrollment: 1,262

New staff members: Joel Auers joins Glacier as the new principal from Great Falls Public Schools. Alan Stanfield is the new assistant principal. Glacier also welcomes — Kim Bertrand, special education paraprofessional; Caroline Boozer, longterm substitute; Mitchell Byrnes, math teacher; Holly Church, science teacher; Brittney Crow, special education teacher; Richard Darrach, welding; Travis Davis, custodian; Nicholas Ferronato, Ascent program social worker; Trena Fuller, administrative assistant; Charlie Johnston, special education teacher; Caleb Keller, English teacher; Katie Oliver, nurse; Andy Richard career and technical education; Cameron Rozell, business teacher; Margo Sorensen, administrative assistant; Jareth Wilson, librarian; Carrie Williams, registrar; and William, Wittpenn, Project Lead the Way science and math teacher.

Open house: 4 to 7 p.m., Sept. 10.

Phone number: 758-8600

Website: www.sd5.k12.mt.us/2/home