April  9, 2020

Dear Cascade Families and Students,

We miss you tremendously here at school. The classrooms are much too quiet, and it is very difficult getting through the day without your smiling faces. We hope to see you soon, but as of right now, we will be closed through April 24th. 

Please, do not hesitate to let us know if your family needs anything. This is a very stressful time for everyone. I know that many of us are not only facing economic stress but also emotional needs. If you need any assistance, please contact your child’s teacher, Mrs. Satterwhite, Mrs. Pieper, or me. All conversations are confidential, and we will do our best to help with meeting your needs.

If you are having trouble accessing your child’s work, please contact your child’s teacher(s) to get personalized assistance. We are providing access to classwork in three main formats: offline packets, Google Classroom, and the teachers’ webpages. In EK-3, they are providing weekly packets that can be picked up in the entrance at the Commons. Please be mindful of others when you pick up the materials and continue social distancing by waiting for others to leave before you enter. The online sources for materials and video instructions are posted on the teachers’ webpages, so please check these frequently if you have internet access. You can visit each teacher’s webpage by going to https://www.cascade.k12.mt.us/ . Scroll down to the Cascade Public Schools left hand sidebar. Select “Academics”, “Classes & Teacher Pages”, “Elementary Classes”, and then your child’s teacher. If you should have any issues accessing the information or links provided, please don’t hesitate to contact the teacher. In the 4th-6th grades, the instruction is provided through Google Classroom and weekly offline packets, as described above for those that do not have internet access. There are also internet access sites available at the school. They are located in the elementary entrance along the alley and the staff entrance by the teachers’ parking lot. These sites are video monitored and are only wifi accessible to students and staff. Please contact the school for more information.

Please understand the completion of any required assignment is very important. Our school policy of no missing assignments and all assignments requiring to be met at proficiency standards of 70% or better is still in effect. The teachers are monitoring the students' work daily and are helping the students and families that need support. If circumstances are hindering your child’s ability to complete their work, please contact us as soon as possible. We will be providing a mandatory summer school for any student with missing assignments or below a 70% in any subject area. Our goal is for all of our students to reach proficiency. Your cooperation and feedback are essential for meeting this goal.

We are continuing our meal program throughout the school closure. Our kitchen staff is continuing to prepare lunch and breakfast for any child between the ages of 1 to 18 free of charge. The meals are available for pickup from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, Monday - Thursday. I was informed that my letter from April 1st had the incorrect time. Please forgive me for the mistake. I hope it did not cause any inconvenience. When you arrive to pick up the meals, please let the staff member at the door know how many children you have at your home that day. Remember, the children do not need to be enrolled at our school to receive a meal. If transportation is an issue, please call the school to make arrangements for possible delivery. 

I would like to take the time to thank our teachers. They have gone above and beyond providing an education for our students during the Covid-19 closures. Each teacher is spending a large portion of his/her day conferencing with students and has created blocks of time where he/she is available to assist students. Please use these opportunities to meet with the teachers. They want to ensure their students have all of the tools they need to learn effectively, so make sure to let them know of any needs you may have. 

Thank you for all of the feedback and support you have given us. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you further.

Sincerely,

Michelle Price

Elementary Principal

michelle.price@cascade.k12.mt.us

(406)468-9383 ext. 106