Great Start to the Year!!!

High/Middle School Upcoming Dates:

Enrollment   HS: 131      MS: 117       Total MS/HS: 248

6^th: 42     9^th: 37

7^th: 41   10^th: 27

8^th: 34   11^th: 40

T: 117   12^th: 27

               T: 131   

IMPORTANT DATES:

August 30: RTI Meeting 8 am HS Conference Room

August 31: Writing Across the Curriculum Meeting 3:30 HS Conference Room

August 31: Welcome Back Barbeque 11:45 am

September 6: Staff Meeting 8 am

September 10: Top Dawg Assembly 1:00 pm

September 10: Study Table Begins

September 11: Alta-Care Meeting 8 am

September 13: Senior Projects will be rolled out for Seniors 10:15 am****

September 13: Student Council Election 11:00 am

September 14: Tribal PIR

September 19: Honors Trip to Currents for Students Proficient on the MontCas

September 20: HS MS Staff Meeting RTI Review-20 day rule kick off

September 28: PIR Mileposts Training 2:15

October 1: Dr. Corso Training and Demonstration “I Know My Class Survey” –Steve York was very impressed with our school-wide initiatives.

October 2: Tom’s Shoes will again be donating a pair of shoes for every student in our school K-12.  

Thursday Notes

Jason Sargent –Principal
____________________________________________________________________

Enrollment HS: 155 MS:115 Total:
270 _____________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT DATES:
Feb 23-24: No School
Feb. 29: MCTM Math Contest
March 12: MontCas Starts
March 15: Ghost Out
March 17: Prom
March 22: Student Led Conferences
March 25-27: State FCCLA
March 29: MS Ski Trip
April 15-18: Youth Leg
April 19: Career Day
April 26: Community Showcase

_______________________________________________________________________
Faculty
Advisory:
We have had three meetings. We have created the Bulldog Slant; Many
wonderful conversations about next year’s calendar and many debates about PIR
days.
We have discussed with teacher input:
-Calendar; Schedule and Class Offerings; Graduation
Requirements; Policy and Needed Changes;
Senior Project; Advisory; We have also done two teacher surveys: 1) one about
offerings, schedule and requirements 2) one about PIR time and time needed for
the 2012-2013 school year. There has
been a lot of useful information that I will be using for 2012-2013 planning.

Graduation Matters Grant:
I applied for a grant from
OPI that could potentially give us $10,000 towards being able to fund a program
manager for MBI, At-Risk and Graduation Matters Initiatives in our school. This would help with our Strategic Planning
for our Sense of Belonging and Student Support initiatives. I asked for $7,000 to pay a program manager,
$2,000 for stipends in the summer for planning and $1,000 for incentives and
meals for community involvement and support.
I hope we get it and I am excited to get this program going in our
school. We will be doing the “I Pledge
to Graduate Initiative” during the Community Showcase. Our dropout rate in 2011 was 2.6 % compared
to 4.3% statewide. Our completion rate
was only 82.2 % last year and we can do better.
Our students going to college is quite high in relationship to other
schools in the county, again we can do better.




We attended MHSA Cultural
Diversity Training at end of last month and that was actually a pretty good
training.

I also attended a day of
Graduation Matters presented by Denise Juneau and got some great ideas for
Sense of Belonging and helping our School Improvement Plan.

Zero Policy: Comparison of failing classes from this
year to last year:
HS All 1st
Quarter 2nd Quarter
2010 81 152
2011 95 87

MS (Core Subjects)
2010 58 55
2011 48 65

The data does show so positive movement in the right
direction and from input from staff they feel it is working for 80% of our
students.

More Data:

Explore Test 8th Graders
This test is a comparison to what students would score on
the ACT. Our students did fairly well
and I broke it down by students that scored a 15 or better which would be in
the top 50% compared to National%ile results.
62% of our students scored in the top 50th
percentile.
38% of our students scored below the 50th
percentile. (Half of these kids are
SPED)

Plan Test 10th Graders
This test is a comparison to what students would score on
the ACT. I broke it down by students
that scored a 16 or better which would be in the top 50% compared to
National%ile results. I do feel that
students either took this seriously or not at all. Students that I know are very intelligent
scored in the bottom 1% nationwide which just isn’t realistic. (To score that
low a person of average intelligence would have to just fill in boxes which I
believe is the case in some situations.)
50% of our students scored in the top 50th
percentile.
50% of our students scored below the 50th
percentile. (53% of these students are SPED)

PSAT Test 11th Graders
This is an eleventh grade test that compares students’
current levels with the benchmarks for the ACT.
Not all students took this test and really only college bound students
from the eleventh grade participated. I
did not figure foreign exchange students in this data. The benchmark score for college bound
students is 154. We did have 5 out of 16
hit this benchmark. I believe an average
score that would place students in the upper 50th percentile would
be 141.
56% of our college bound students scored in the top 50th
percentile.
44% of our college bound students scored below the 50th
percentile.


Student Led Parent
Feedback:
Student Led Fall Conference Student Guardian Feedback:
Was your child’s student-led conference worthwhile?
97% Yes
3% No
Should the school hold student-led conferences next
year?
88% Yes
12% No
The negative remarks attached were from guardians that would
like to have traditional conferences with the ability to visit with all
teachers that are involved with their kids.
I understand this concern it is tough to have it both ways. The turnout was 97%in the middle school and
94% in the high school. We could go back
to having student led and traditional conferences back to back which was a high
turnout for student led and low numbers for traditional.


________________________________________________________________


Our Mission
Respect
Responsibility
Integrity
Excellence

GO DOGS!!!

Love and Logic

Dear Jason,

After returning from shopping, Dad discovered that his ten-year-old son, Tony, had a new music CD. It was later revealed that Tony had shoplifted.

Dad immediately took his son back to the store and met with the store's assistant manager so that Tony could confess his actions and return the merchandise. To Dad's dismay, the manager let Tony off easy.

"Ah, Tony, that's ok. You're a cute kid for confessing like that. You better watch it in the future. You could get into big trouble for shoplifting."

As you can guess, Tony learned nothing from the incident and stole two more CD's the following month.

Dad learned his lesson. Don't take a chance. Call ahead. Dad called the manager saying, "Your assistant manager let Tony off the hook last time. Please make this very uncomfortable for Tony." Dad and the manager made a plan.

The manager made Tony wait on a chair outside his office for over an hour. After that he gave Tony choices: dealing with the police or paying a fine and spending three hours holding a sign at the entrance. It was a sign that said, "SHOPLIFTING IS UNLAWFUL."

Tony chose the fine and spent his next Saturday morning standing out in the cold with his sign. In addition to the $50 fine, Tony had to pay for the CD's, which was a bitter pill for him to swallow after discovering that he didn't even like the music after hearing his CD's.

Dad Uses the Energy Drain Technique
Dad picked Tony up after his sign-holding morning with, "Wow, Tony, you look beat. We'd better get you home for some lunch."

On the way home he added, "Now that this is over, you need to know that I've spent a lot of time, energy, and worry on it. I didn't get to do some of my household jobs. Think it over tonight, and let me know which of my jobs you'd like to do to replace my energy."

Listen to Love and Logic Magic When Kids Drain Your Energy and master the art of using the "Energy Drain Technique." Repetition is the key to learning, so keep the CD in your car and listen frequently. And, it doesn't hurt if the kids hear it. The beauty of Love and Logic is that even if the kids know what you're doing, they can't do anything about it.

Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward this article to a friend.

Jim Fay

Altacare of Montana Coming To St.Ignatius Schools

I wanted to share some information about a new program coming to St.Ignatius Schools.
Program: Comprehensive School Based and Community Treatment Program, (CSCT) AltaCare

Goal: To develop, maintain, and support the student's capacity to achieve success in both the public school classroom and his/her home community.

AltaCare of Montana's School Based Treatment Program are intended to promote students positive involvement in their community, school, and home while affording youth the opportunity to receive specialized mental health services in the least restrictive treatment environment possible. Effective services of this type prevent transition of youths into more restrictive and costly treatment programs while providing a link to community, family, peer, and educational resources. Quality Comprehensive School and Community Treatment Programs reduce the risk factors while focusing on the enhancement of productive factors in the lives of youth, by partnering with local school districts.

Through collaboration and partnerships with an experienced mental health provider, parents and schools can effectively provide for the mental health needs of the students while maintaining the student in his/her home school. School Based Treatment within the existing community structure is an effective and contemporary way to address children mental concerns.

Information and Survey Results.

Our Mission
Respect
Responsibility
Integrity
Excellence
GO DOGS!!!
Are You Worn-Out and Stressed?


Dear Jason,

Do you ever find yourself completely exhausted and stressed with all of the problems that bombard you on a daily basis? I've recently found myself feeling crushed under the weight of the many burdens whirling around me. Why? Simply because I've forgotten how much fuel is required to run a helicopter on a daily basis.

Yes! I tend to be a helicopter parent, a helicopter boss, a helicopter spouse, etc. It's nobody's fault except mine. Deep within me is the burning desire to make sure that no one I know suffers from any sort of unhappiness, disappointment or disgust.

Listening to our audio, Helicopters, Drill Sergeants and Consultants, I was reminded that trying to rescue our kids from all of life's challenges burns us out and creates kids who don't believe that they have what it takes to be successful in life. I also realized that this very same principle applies to rescuing our spouses, friends, etc. It doesn't take long for us to run out of fuel and crash to the ground.

The single most powerful tool for combating this tendency is to memorize the following:

Oh, no. That's got to feel ___________.

What do you think you are going to do?

The next time someone else’s problem comes your way, experiment with saying these words with sincere empathy. Simply fill in the blank with whatever emotion you're guessing the person is feeling. Then give suggestions while allowing the person to own and solve his or her problem.

To make sure that your helicopter stays grounded, listen to Helicopters, Drill Sergeants and Consultants. This product is now available as an MP3 download—no waiting, no shipping fees!

Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.

Dr. Charles Fay

RezHeadZ Entertainment – National Data
 53% of students have been bullied at school
 42% have been bullied while online by their classmates
 35% have been threatened online by their classmates
 57% of have been bullied or threatened via text message, by their classmates
 53% of kids admit to having said something mean or hurtful to another person online or through a text message
St. Ignatius Data from our latest Bully Survey:
 Mission Bully Survey Results
 Last Year 41% Felt Bullied
 This year 17% Feel Bullied
 9% Females and 24% Male
 75% of our Victims do feel comfortable reporting
 Most is happening in Classrooms and Hallways
 Thanks Mrs. Hilliard for doing this survey and collecting data

Million Voice Data: Great Data- Some promising some areas that we need to look at for change. We will be looking at this data eventually for informed decision making.
St. Ignatius Middle School
Addendum
All Statements and Responses by Percentages
# Survey Statements Total in Agreement
7 Belonging School is a welcoming and friendly place. 65.7%
16 Belonging I feel accepted for who I am at school. 72.7%
24 Belonging Teachers make an effort to get to know me. 59.6%
25 Belonging I have difficulty fitting in at school. 24.2%
34 Belonging Teachers care about my problems and feelings. 59.6%
43 Belonging I am proud of my school. 64.6%
52 Belonging I am a valued member of my school community. 41.4%
62 Belonging I think bullying is a problem at my school. 45.5%
8 Heroes Students respect teachers. 46.5%
15 Heroes My parents care about my education. 94.9%
17 Heroes I have a teacher who is a positive role model for me. 70.7%
26 Heroes Teachers care about me as an individual. 53.5%
35 Heroes Teachers care if I am absent from school. 50.5%
44 Heroes If I have a problem, I have a teacher with whom I can talk. 56.6%
53 Heroes Teachers respect students. 66.7%
63 Heroes Students respect each other. 36.4%
9 Sense of Accomplishment I am encouraged to practice good citizenship at school. 79.8%
18 Sense of Accomplishment Teachers recognize students who are kind and helpful. 76.8%
27 Sense of Accomplishment I have never been recognized for something positive at school. 23.2%
36 Sense of Accomplishment I give up when schoolwork is difficult. 17.2%
45 Sense of Accomplishment Teachers recognize me when I try my best. 50.5%
51 Sense of Accomplishment Teachers let my parents know what I do well. 70.7%
54 Sense of Accomplishment I put forth my best effort at school. 76.8%
64 Sense of Accomplishment Getting good grades is important to me. 85.9%
Page 17
St. Ignatius Middle School
# Survey Statements Total in Agreement
10 Fun & Excitement I enjoy being at school. 57.6%
19 Fun & Excitement Teachers enjoy working with students. 73.7%
28 Fun & Excitement Teachers make school an exciting place to learn. 49.5%
37 Fun & Excitement School is boring. 38.4%
46 Fun & Excitement I enjoy participating in my classes. 71.7%
55 Fun & Excitement Teachers have fun at school. 51.5%
65 Fun & Excitement Learning can be fun. 67.7%
11 Curiosity & Creativity I feel comfortable asking questions in class. 68.7%
20 Curiosity & Creativity My teachers present lessons in different ways. 78.8%
29 Curiosity & Creativity At school I am encouraged to be creative. 65.7%
33 Curiosity & Creativity I enjoy working on projects with other students. 78.8%
38 Curiosity & Creativity My classes help me understand what is happening in my
everyday life.47.5%
42 Curiosity & Creativity School inspires me to learn. 71.7%
47 Curiosity & Creativity I enjoy learning new things. 82.8%
56 Curiosity & Creativity I learn new things that are interesting to me at school. 78.8%
66 Curiosity & Creativity What I learn in school will benefit my future. 84.8%
12 Spirit of Adventure I like challenging assignments. 38.4%
21 Spirit of Adventure I push myself to do better academically. 75.8%
30 Spirit of Adventure Students are supportive of each other. 52.5%
39 Spirit of Adventure I am afraid to try something if I think I may fail. 22.2%
48 Spirit of Adventure Teachers help me learn from my mistakes. 70.7%
57 Spirit of Adventure I want to do my best at school. 86.9%
67 Spirit of Adventure I am excited to tell my friends when I get good grades. 53.5%
Page 18
St. Ignatius Middle School
# Survey Statements Total in Agreement
Disagree
13 Leadership& Responsibility Students have a voice in decision making at school. 51.5%
22 Leadership & Responsibility I see myself as a leader. 58.6%
31 Leadership & Responsibility Other students see me as a leader. 30.3%
40 Leadership & Responsibility Teachers encourage students to make decisions. 71.7%
49 Leadership & Responsibility Teachers are willing to learn from students. 49.5%
58 Leadership & Responsibility I am a good decision maker. 65.7%
68 Leadership & Responsibility I know the goals my school is working on this year. 56.6%
14 Confidence to Take Action I believe I can be successful. 90.9%
23 Confidence to Take Action I believe I can make a difference in this world. 60.6%
32 Confidence to Take Action Teachers believe in me and expect me to be successful. 73.7%
41 Confidence to Take Action Going to college is important for my future. 82.8%
50 Confidence to Take Action I work hard to reach my goals. 85.9%
59 Confidence to Take Action I am excited about my future. 73.7%
60 Confidence to Take Action I think it is important to set high goals. 84.8%
61 Confidence to Take Action I know the kind of person I want to become. 73.7%
69 Confidence to Take Action School is preparing me well for my future. 72.7%

St. Ignatius High School
Addendum
All Statements and Responses by Percentages
# Survey Statements Total in Agreement
7 Belonging School is a welcoming and friendly place. 82.2%
16 Belonging I feel accepted for who I am at school. 79.1%
24 Belonging Teachers make an effort to get to know me. 59.7% 13.2%
25 Belonging I have difficulty fitting in at school. 13.2%
34 Belonging Teachers care about my problems and feelings. 48.8%
43 Belonging I am proud of my school. 65.9%
52 Belonging I am a valued member of my school community. 51.9%
62 Belonging I think bullying is a problem at my school. 19.4%
8 Heroes Students respect teachers. 54.3%
15 Heroes My parents care about my education. 92.2%
17 Heroes I have a teacher who is a positive role model for me. 74.4%
26 Heroes Teachers care about me as an individual. 58.1%
35 Heroes Teachers care if I am absent from school. 55.8%
44 Heroes If I have a problem, I have a teacher with whom I can talk. 57.4%
53 Heroes Teachers respect students. 69.0%
63 Heroes Students respect each other. 57.4%
9 Sense of Accomplishment I am encouraged to practice good citizenship at school. 75.2%
18 Sense of Accomplishment Teachers recognize students who are kind and helpful. 78.3%
27 Sense of Accomplishment I have never been recognized for something positive at school. 20.2%
36 Sense of Accomplishment I give up when schoolwork is difficult. 20.9%
45 Sense of Accomplishment Teachers recognize me when I try my best. 62.8%
51 Sense of Accomplishment Teachers let my parents know what I do well. 45.7%
54 Sense of Accomplishment I put forth my best effort at school. 70.5%
64 Sense of Accomplishment Getting good grades is important to me. 89.9%
Page 17
St. Ignatius High School
# Survey Statements Total in Agreement
10 Fun & Excitement I enjoy being at school. 65.9%
19 Fun & Excitement Teachers enjoy working with students. 73.6%
28 Fun & Excitement Teachers make school an exciting place to learn. 46.5%
37 Fun & Excitement School is boring. 33.3%
46 Fun & Excitement I enjoy participating in my classes. 75.2%
55 Fun & Excitement Teachers have fun at school. 54.3%
65 Fun & Excitement Learning can be fun. 78.3%
11 Curiosity & Creativity I feel comfortable asking questions in class. 72.1%
20 Curiosity & Creativity My teachers present lessons in different ways. 72.9%
29 Curiosity & Creativity At school I am encouraged to be creative. 58.9%
33 Curiosity & Creativity I enjoy working on projects with other students. 76.7%
38 Curiosity & Creativity My classes help me understand what is happening in my
everyday life.48.8%
42 Curiosity & Creativity School inspires me to learn. 65.9%
47 Curiosity & Creativity I enjoy learning new things. 86.8%
56 Curiosity & Creativity I learn new things that are interesting to me at school. 71.3%
66 Curiosity & Creativity What I learn in school will benefit my future. 78.3%
12 Spirit of Adventure I like challenging assignments. 44.2%
21 Spirit of Adventure I push myself to do better academically. 78.3%
30 Spirit of Adventure Students are supportive of each other. 58.9%
39 Spirit of Adventure I am afraid to try something if I think I may fail. 28.7%
48 Spirit of Adventure Teachers help me learn from my mistakes. 62.8%
57 Spirit of Adventure I want to do my best at school. 86.8%
67 Spirit of Adventure I am excited to tell my friends when I get good grades. 51.9%

St. Ignatius High School
# Survey Statements Total in Agreement
13 Leadership& Responsibility Students have a voice in decision making at school. 52.7%
22 Leadership & Responsibility I see myself as a leader. 59.7%
31 Leadership & Responsibility Other students see me as a leader. 34.1%
40 Leadership & Responsibility Teachers encourage students to make decisions. 76.0%
49 Leadership & Responsibility Teachers are willing to learn from students. 54.3%
58 Leadership & Responsibility I am a good decision maker. 69.0%
68 Leadership & Responsibility I know the goals my school is working on this year. 45.7%
14 Confidence to Take Action I believe I can be successful. 90.7%
23 Confidence to Take Action I believe I can make a difference in this world. 56.6%
32 Confidence to Take Action Teachers believe in me and expect me to be successful. 73.6%
41 Confidence to Take Action Going to college is important for my future. 87.6%
50 Confidence to Take Action I work hard to reach my goals. 78.3%
59 Confidence to Take Action I am excited about my future. 75.2%
60 Confidence to Take Action I think it is important to set high goals. 78.3%
61 Confidence to Take Action I know the kind of person I want to become. 73.6%
69 Confidence to Take Action School is preparing me well for my future. 66.7%

Student Led Conferences

The student led conferences were again successful this year. We are going to encourage teachers to call parents directly in the Spring since that seemed to be more effective.

How did we do in regards to parent participation?
Middle School:
The night of conferences: 83%
At the end of the conference window: 95%

High School:
The night of conferences: 80%
At the end of the conference window: 92%

These are great results, so thank you teachers, parents and students for making our student led conferences successful and meaningful.

Thursday Notes

Thursday Notes
Jason Sargent –Principal
____________________________________________________________________
Enrollment HS: 158 MS: 116 Totals: 274 _______________________________________________________________________
Calendar:
Nov. 29-Dec. 3: Children Theatre
Dec. 6: FB and VB Awards Banquet 6:30
Dec. 6-Dec. 17: Secret Santa-Sign Up with Brenda –You don’t have to do something everyday you can do something once, twice or whatever. This will be fun. Brenda can help deliver and execute secrets. 
Dec. 15: HS/MS Holiday Concert 7pm
Dec. 20: Elementary Concert 7 pm
Dec. 17: Christmas Party 6 pm- Sign Up on Survey Monkey
Dec. 21: Board Meeting
Dec. 22: Early Out 2:15

_______________________________________________________________
Zero-Policy: We need to review and talk about this policy in the middle and high school during the second quarter. We will officially start this second semester. I want to spend time teaching what we expect with this policy. Spend time talking to kids about future expectations and feel free to assign students who are habitual offenders to the after school tutoring.
Zero-Policy
At St. Ignatius Middle and High School we all agree that turning work in is an important key to a successful educational experience. The expectation for our school is to responsibly turn work in on time with the entire assignment complete. Our students strive for excellence and will achieve higher academic success if all students diligently hand in work on a consistent basis. Students who do not hand in the required assignments will be assigned to after school tutoring by the teacher until the missing assignments are turned in. Students will be given a detention notice that will be assigned for the following day after school so that arrangements can be made by the student and parents for pick up. If a student chooses not to attend after school tutoring, the administrator will then call guardians for a plan to make work up, assign ISS until work is made up, or OSS until a parent comes in with student and the work is made up. Teachers will check for missing assignments weekly or bi-weekly. Our goal is have all assignments turned in by all students on time. Teachers late-work policies will remain in place and dependent upon each teachers own rules for late work.
.
S.W.I.S: Sense of Belonging; Safe and Welcoming School Initiative Looks Great!!!!
Middle School:
90% of our students 0 or 1 Referrals (GREAT!!)
8% of our students 2-5 Referrals
2% of our students 6+ Referrals
Higher number of referrals in Aug/Sept and leveled in Oct compared to last year.
65% in Classroom 15% in Hallway
We have had 55 referrals with 50% defiance/disrespect/Insubordination/non-compliance
21% Physical Aggression
High School:
97% of our students 0 or 1 Referrals (GREAT!!)
3% of our students 2-5 Referrals
0% of our students 6+ Referrals
Lower referrals in Oct compared to last year and higher in Sept.
72% in Classroom 22% in Hallway
We have had 22 referrals with 54% defiance/disrespect/Insubordination/non-compliance
30% Physical Aggression, Disruption, Vandalism
This data shows improvement thus far from last year. GREAT JOB STAFF!!!!!

Calendar and Schedule: I didn’t receive any input from staff on changing what we do and how we do it. We still need 3 teacher volunteers from both the middle and high school for this committee.

Calendar Committee:
-Jason Sargent
-Richard Martin
-Lynette Mikkelsen
-Marlene Lodge
We need at least one more in middle school and at least one more in the high school. Don’t complain later for decisions that you could be involved in today.

I still need strategic planning input. Anything that you want to be fixed with facilities or school goals let me know.
District and School Goals:
Goals for the 2010-2011 school year:
o Maintain safety, support and belonging for all students.
o Increase the percentage of students scoring proficient or higher on the Mont
CAS in READING by 10% from 78% to 88% (proficient or above district-wide).
o Increase the percentage of students scoring proficient or higher on the Mont
CAS in MATH by 10% from 59% to 69% (proficient or above district-wide).



Our Mission
Respect
Responsibility
Integrity
Excellence

GO DOGS!!!