Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Community Members:
Its hard to believe that the new school year kicks off in just a couple weeks. (Classes start on Wednesday, August 26.) We have lots of great information to share with you to ensure everyone has a successful start to the school year.
Attendance Works
Keep your Child on Track
Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job. If you would like tips and suggestions for help with attendance, please contact your student’s school.
Stand with Us Against Bullying
Bullying harms many people in many ways. Billings Public Schools, along with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, stand together to strive to build a safe environment and stop bullying in our schools. Contacting us when there may be an issue is the first step to prevention and support. If you have, or if someone you know has, been bullied or is being bullied, please contact your student’s principal. We are here to help.
Only as a community can we identify and support those being bullied, redirect behavior, and change the attitudes of those who tolerate bullying. Please visit our website at www.billingsschools.org and click on the “Stand With Us Against Bullying” icon for more information, resources and reporting.
Sign Up for the Superintendent’s Newsletter
We encourage you to sign up for the Superintendent's newsletter to keep up on the latest news at Billings Public Schools. To sign up for the Superintendent's email newsletter, visit www.billingsschools.org. In the middle of the page there's a link that says "Sign up for the Superintendent's Newsletter." Click on the link to fill in your first name, last name, and email address, and then click on Subscribe.
Please Update your Emergency Contact Information
Good communication is a key component of a good education system. We use an automated rapid calling system to communicate important information to parents as quickly as possible. The “robo-dialer” is used on a daily basis to report unexcused student absences, as well as for any urgent or emergency notifications such as weather-related events, transportation delays or security concerns.
Your child’s school will send home an Annual Update Form – please make sure that the information is accurate, the numbers listed are those you want called in the event of an emergency, and return the form as quickly as possible. If you include a Work Phone Number, please, if possible, use a direct phone number rather than a main switchboard number. Fill out one form for each student you have in school. If your contact number changes during the school year, please call or visit your school’s office and give them your new numbers, so that we can continue to keep you updated with information as it becomes available.
Fall Activities and Sports
The Fall Activities Season begins soon with golf practice on Thursday, August 13, and practices in football, cross country, volleyball, and soccer begin on Friday, August 14. Please contact your school’s Activities Office for exact practice times at each location. In order for any student to begin practice, he or she must have a completed and signed MHSA Physical Examination form, as well as a completed and signed Concussion Statement. Forms are located in each school’s Activities Office or can be downloaded by going to the BPS website, click on Departments, Athletics & Activities, and Activities Forms.
New Staff
Billings Public Schools continues to attract and recruit top-notch teachers and staff. Over the summer, we have hired over 80 teachers to replace those who have retired or moved on from the District, as well as several support staff. In addition, we are excited to have six administrators joining the District. We welcome our new staff and look forward to the unique talents and gifts each will bring to our students.
Trustee Zones for Billings Public Schools
- District #1 – Tanya Ludwig – Newman, Orchard, Ponderosa, Washington, Lewis and Clark, Riverside, Senior, West
- District #2 – Janna Hafer – Beartooth, Bitterroot, McKinley, Riverside, Castle Rock, Lewis and Clark, Senior, Skyview
- District #3 – Dr. Greta Besch Moen – Alkali Creek, Bench, Eagle Cliffs, Sandstone, Castle Rock, Skyview
- District #4 – Joe Raffiani – Broadwater, Burlington, Highland, Washington, Lewis and Clark, Senior
- District #5 – Rob Rogers – Burlington, Central Heights, Meadowlark, Miles Avenue, Rose Park, Lewis and Clark, Will James, Senior, West
- District #6 – Mike Leo – Arrowhead, Boulder, Poly Drive, Rose Park, Lewis and Clark, Will James, Senior, West
- District #7 – Kevin Toohill – Big Sky Burlington, Central Heights, Meadowlark, Lewis and Clark, Riverside, Will James, Senior, West
- HS District A – Gordon Klasna – Lockwood, Senior, Skyview
- HS District B – Susan Layton – Blue Creek, Canyon Creek, Elder Grove, Elysian, Independent, Morin, Yellowstone Education Center (all county schools), Senior, West
School Security
The access control systems have been installed at the Career Center, all three High Schools and the Lincoln Center. Staff and students have been issued ID badges that will allow access to the appropriate building at designated times. Much like the Elementary Schools, there are intercom call buttons and cameras at the main entry doors that visitors are able to use to page the office to allow entry into the building. The ID badges for the students are multi-purpose and can be used for library book checkout, activities pass and at some point, checkout for lunches. The Elementary Schools are using the same system that was in place last year. It seems to be working very well.
Budget
A structurally balanced budget has been presented to the Board of Trustees for fiscal year 2016 which began July 1, 2015. This budget will provide the resources needed to meet the educational needs of our students during the 2015-2016 school year. The Elementary and High School Districts have set the goal of meeting 0.5% savings as stated in the Districts’ five-year projections; this goal was met in the prior year. These savings have enabled both Districts to exceed the board-established goal of having reserves of at least 5% of the budget.
In January 2014 the District sold the first installment of the $122.3 million bond issuance that was passed by voters in November 2013. The $80.9 million sold in January has been used to fund deferred maintenance, Broadwater and McKinley renovations, technology infrastructure and a new middle school in the Heights (Medicine Crow Middle School). In September 2015 the District will sell the final installment of the November 2013 bonds. This will be used for the remaining deferred maintenance from the bond issue and to construct the new middle school at 56th and Grand (Ben Steele Middle School).
The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to Billings Public Schools again by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) and the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by the Financial Services Department of Billings Public Schools.
School Bus Transportation
We often get the following questions…How do I know if my child qualifies for school bus transportation, and where can I get a bus ticket? In general, a student must live three miles or more from the nearest school or bus stop in order to qualify for school bus transportation. Some safety bus routes under three miles also exist for K-8 students. Students who live less than three miles from their school but still live on established bus routes may pay a $150.00 transportation fee to ride the bus. You should contact the student’s individual school or call the Transportation Department (281-5581) if you have questions. Bus tickets are issued at each individual school, and the school will also have copies and maps of bus routes which include pickup and drop-off times.
If you live in an area where there is road construction and you know your child’s bus stop is blocked by construction, please call First Student Transportation (248-3667) to find out where your child will be picked up.
Project Lead the Way
Today’s employers seek people with strong science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills. In fact, 70% of today’s jobs require a solid foundation in STEM. Today’s kindergarten students will face job markets with an even greater percentage of jobs requiring solid STEM skills. In order to meet this need, Billings Public Schools, in partnership with the Education Foundation for BPS and community leaders, started an educational initiative to better prepare our students for their future. Five elementary schools (Arrowhead, Beartooth, Bench, Miles Avenue, and Washington) piloted Project Lead the Way in the 2014-15 school year and eight elementary schools, (Alkali Creek, Broadwater, Burlington, Eagle Cliffs, Highland, Meadowlark, Newman, and Poly Drive) will begin Project Lead The Way this school year. Additionally, Riverside and Will James Middle Schools will pilot the middle school curriculum, Gateway to Technology.
Project Lead the Way is the nation’s leading provider of STEM education curriculum. This initiative has been made possible by utilizing District funds, Technology Levy funds, and the generous donations from the community. However, our work in not done! The goal is to expand this curriculum to all 22 elementary schools and 6 middle schools.
Custodial and Facilities Services
With over 60 construction projects at the Elementary Schools this summer, many custodians were moved from their buildings to help at other schools during some of the major construction projects. The custodians are helping each other get the buildings ready as soon as they are able to safely enter the buildings. With only a few weeks until school begins, there are still a couple of schools that the custodians have not been able to enter. As soon as the buildings are released, everyone will work together to get them ready for the start of school.
Facilities Services has been making repairs and performing maintenance on the buildings and grounds while coordinating around the many construction projects and large events this summer. They are still completing some playground toy installations and have begun installing projectors and interactive boards in classrooms.
Ponderosa and Arrowhead Elementary Schools will have new walking paths that will help provide a safe passage to the schools. Daylis Stadium will be getting a much needed upgrade to the field lighting system over the next few weeks. Facilities Services is committed to doing their part to help students and staff have a successful school year.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Terry Bouck
Check back often for updates
