August 12, 2020

Dear Parents and Community Members,

            Welcome Back to School! I hope you have had a restful summer and are ready for our 2020-2021 school year! I feel so blessed to be your elementary principal once again. It has been a long time since we have had all of our students back with us, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone.  

            I would like to thank our custodial and teaching staff as they have tirelessly prepared our school for the first day on August 19^th. I would also like to thank Mr. Miller, our superintendent, and our school board for their dedication and long hours preparing a plan for opening schools. With their efforts, we have a plan that focuses on the overall wellbeing of our students, staff, and community in accordance with the Cascade County Health Department’s requirements.

I would like to take this time to welcome our new teaching staff in the elementary. Mrs. Karen Allen will be our new Title I instructor. She is highly qualified having taught in elementary and middle schools for the past sixteen years. Mrs. Jennifer Ward will be taking on a new role at Cascade as our 4^th grade teacher. She became a part of our staff last year working in the Title I department. She has fourteen years of experience and is excited to teach in a classroom setting again. Our new Early Kindergarten teacher is Ms. McKenzie Lencioni. She comes to us from Centerville and is looking forward to getting to know our youngest students. Please be sure to welcome them to Cascade. We are extremely fortunate to have them as part of our Cascade Badger team!

Our starting time will be 8:00 am, and our release times will be K-3 at 3:45 pm and grades 4-12 at 3:53 pm. There are two Fridays scheduled for students to attend. The Fridays are on our first week back to school Friday, August 21, 2020, and our Homecoming on October 9, 2020. When bringing your child to school, please be aware we will be reducing access to the building before and after school to abide by the recommendations and regulations of the Cascade County Health Department. We ask that our students who are dropped off or walk come through the doors at the Commons. The elementary doors will only be available for the students who ride the bus. Early Kindergarten and Kindergarten parents may bring their students into the building on the first day but will need to enter the Kindergarten playground door. To screen each student, there will be staff members at each entry point, and on the buses taking temperature readings. If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher or an administrator during the school hours, please make an appointment for either a virtual or face to face meeting.

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement as we have formed our school’s COVID plan. Please understand our plan will change as we receive information and guidance from our local and state governmental agencies. Changes to our plan will be communicated as soon as possible. As of now, we are operating on-site and offering virtual access for students and families who have health issues or concerns. Please contact us if your child will be attending virtually. We have an Opt-Out form that will need to be completed so we are better prepared to meet your child’s needs. All virtual learning will be completed live during the school day. Teachers will take roll at the beginning of each class. Virtual students will be counted as present if they are participating online during the class period. Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information concerning virtual or remote learning.

Although our school year is starting very differently, I am excited to continue our mission of having all students learning and learning at high levels. I look forward to working with each of you throughout the year, so please don’t hesitate to give me a call or make an appointment to come see me!

                                                Thank you for all of your support,

                                                Michelle Price

                                                michelle.price@cascade.k12.mt.us

                                                (406) 468-9389 ext. 106