We will be making changes to our traditional Back to School Night this year to follow the health recommendations for large gatherings. Instead, the administration will be hosting virtual Q&A sessions with the parents and community members. On Monday, August 10th from 7:00-8:00 pm, Mrs. Price will be hosting the elementary Q&A, and on Tuesday, August 11th from 7:000-8:00 pm, Mrs. Pieper will be hosting the JH/HS Q&A, and on Thursday, August 13th from 8:00-9:00 pm, Mrs. Mazaira will be hosting the activities Q&A. Any paperwork and schedules that are usually handed out at our traditional Back to School Night will either be mailed prior to the first day or issued to the students on the first day of school. Please forward your questions for the Q&As to Mrs. Mazaira, Mrs. Price, and Mrs. Pieper prior to the sessions to ensure your concerns are addressed. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate the new recommendations and requirements as they arise.Mrs. Mazaira: sonja.mazaira@cascade.k12.mt.usMrs. Price: michelle.price@cascade.k12.mt.usMrs. Pieper: nichole.pieper@cascade.k12.mt.us
Dear Early Kindergarten Parents/Guardians,We will have an informational meeting specifically for our early kindergarten families on Wednesday, August 5th at 10:00 am in the cafeteria. At this meeting, we will introduce you to Ms. Lencioni, the EK teacher, review the options for full or part-time schedules, and go over the typical day of an early kindergarten student. Please bring a certified copy of your child's birth certificate and shot record for Ms. Taft.If you have any questions or are not able to attend, please do not hesitate to contact me or Ms. Taft.Michelle PriceElementary Principal(406)468-9383
The Canyon Life Church is conduction a food distribution of meat and cheese today (Thursday) in the Cascade Public Schools parking lot starting at 1:30. All of the products will be frozen and each box is approximately 29 pounds of food. Each family is allowed to receive one box. The distribution will end at approximately 3 pm.
Cascade Schools is providing the opportunity for the public to view and purchase obsolete property, as approved by the Board of Trustees. Every year property is gone through and if it is no longer needed and there is enough for a sale, and Excess Property Sale is held.The sale will be held on Friday, July 31st, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The sale will be held in the commons of the school. Some items include books, clothing, computer equipment, dryer, and other school supplies.See you there!
This is the plan that has been submitted to the Cascade County Health Department and we are awaiting approval. All current mandates from local, state, and federal governments, put the responsibility of ensuring our schools are operating in a safe manner during the pandemic, to the county health departments.The response to the pandemic and COVID-19 has been very difficult for the district. We have tried to give all stakeholders an opportunity to provide the district with their input as the board of trustees moved through the decision process. The board held two working sessions in which the community could provide input into the discussions concerning the reentry plan. The district also conducted staff and parent/guardian surveys to gather additional information and listened to concerned parents/guardians when they called, emailed, or spoke with them on the street.The most effective way to protect our students, staff, and community will be to stay home if you are sick with a fever. The district's plan is based on all of the recommendations and requirements placed on the district by federal, state, and local governments. As you read through the plan, you will notice that the school will practice proper hygiene, proper disinfection, and temperature checks throughout the day. The district will rely on social distancing and pods or cohorts to protect our students and staff. Social distancing is keeping a distance of 3 to 6 feet between students. Pods or cohorts will be isolated from interactions with other groups as much as possible to provide extra protection for students. When social distancing isn’t possible, masks or shields will be required. This will eliminate the need to wear masks all day, particularly in the elementary. Of course, anyone who wants to wear a mask will be allowed to.Families may also elect to enroll in distance learning. We hope that families refrain from enrolling in distance learning unless the student or a member of the household is classified as high risk and has consulted a doctor. Please understand that our teachers will not be able to conduct distance learning the way we did during the school closure. That would require the teachers to prepare two different lessons for each class and our teachers do not have the time to accomplish this. Students who enroll in distance learning will have to attend class virtually at the scheduled time and attendance will be taken for each class. This will require families who elect to enroll in distance learning to have internet available. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s principal. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. This is a very busy time as we prepare for the new school year, please be patient.Lastly, the district understands that opinions on the pandemic and responses to the pandemic vary widely. We are sure that there will be areas of the plan you will disagree with, and we understand that. Instead of letting the pandemic be a divisive subject, let’s pull together and support the school, staff, and our students as we work to meet these challenging times.
Dear Parents and Guardians:COVID-19 continues to affect nearly every aspect of how our families, businesses, and schools go about their daily work. Cascade School District has been working with the Cascade County Health Department to develop a plan that will allow our school to provide a safe and secure environment for our students to learn. The enclosed plan is built based upon our experiences from the required quarantine of last spring. Cascade School District serves students with transparency and accountability to ensure as many people as possible have a voice in the school's operations. The dialogue between school leaders and citizens in the form of surveys and school board work sessions has helped make sure our students learn in a manner that reflects the circumstances in our community. Our goal to resume instruction and operations at our school relies on the following priorities: a healthy and safe setting for students, staff, and the community; helpful support of teachers and staff; and responsible financial and operational procedures. We intend to meet this goal by upholding these priorities.This plan is the work of the board of trustees, administrative team, employees, parents, students, state and local health officials, and community members all collaborating to identify how instruction will be delivered to students; how gatherings and events will take place on school property if and when appropriate; how the health and safety of staff and students will be protected and preserved while schools are open; and how financial and operational functions of the school district will continue during this public health emergency. School leaders have considered all available options and perspectives to make decisions that reflect the circumstances in our community.By listening to these voices, we have implemented measures throughout the District to promote a safe and healthy setting for learning, teaching, and working. Our District's plan relies on the practical application of scientific information to transform instruction, cleaning and disinfecting, transportation, food services, and activities. The District has implemented physical distancing by reconfiguring classrooms and gathering spaces, developed school arrival and departure procedures including temperature checks; installed sanitizing stations, hygiene signs, barriers, and other measures to assist with individual protection; and purchased material and supplies to implement all aspects of the plan. Further, the District requires students, visitors, staff, and teachers to wear a mask while in indoor campus environments where social distancing and Cascade County Health Department requirements can’t be met. We are confident these and other proactive measures outlined in the plan will meet our shared goal of returning to student learning in the school. While not our intention to revert to instruction away from the schools, the School District understands that even with our best prevention efforts, it is possible that there may be an outbreak of this highly contagious virus in our community. To prepare for this possibility, the District has developed a dynamic home-based instruction program in the event the schools are required to close for any period of time. This program will also be available to students during a period of instruction in the school if a family needs home-based instruction accommodation. If you would like more information about how to request home-based instruction, please send an email to the address noted below.Our School District is innovative, agile, and ready to get back to school. We've worked to think of everything to make sure the students can come back to their classrooms, work with their teachers, and enjoy their friends. If there is something you think we have missed or if you have questions, please let us know by sending an email to rick.miller@cascade.k12.mt.us. Our School District remains committed to maintaining timely and relevant communications with staff, families, and the community as this new school year begins. With your help, your students' enthusiasm, and our teachers' leadership, we'll meet this challenge and have a successful school year.Sincerely, Val Fowler Rick MillerSchool Board Chair Superintendent
Dear parents, guardians and students,We have great news! At the Tuesday, July 21st school board meeting, the board of trustees voted to reopen school to on-site instruction, as well as off-site instruction. The district has been working on a reopening plan which has been submitted to the County Health Department for approval. The plan outlines how the school will meet all of the federal, state and local health recommendations and mandates.Rest assured that the school will reopen with the health and safety of our students, staff and families as our top priority.Once we receive our reopening plan back from review, the district will provide more information on the specifics of our reopening. Thank you for your patience during this trying time and the input you provided the district to help us make this decision.
The July board meeting is available to view by zoom. Here is the information to log in.It's very helpful if your Zoom profile name is your whole name. We can verify your identity for the minutes. Nicknames or phone numbers could slow your admittance into the presentation. Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/81390571332?pwd=eEJMSmdub21EeFl5R0tvR0IvU3lYUT09Meeting ID: 813 9057 1332Passcode: R0Sd3MWe apologize if notifications aren't sent out. Tech support is looking into the problem.