Homecoming Week

Welcome Back!!!

We have had a great start to the year!!
Homecoming Week :

Businesses will have a window contest this week.  Mr. Ferris will get this organized with potential cheerleaders.

When:    Sept. 23-28

Why:      To honor alumni of St. Ignatius and celebrate our school pride and colors.

Where:   Event times and places will be listed below.

Homecoming Candidates    Queen:  Briar Alborn, Kayla Billete, Kaylie Durglo, Gina Linsebigler

                                                King:  Mariam Branson, Jarred Brown, Partick Eichert, Ryce Hegwood

Alumni speakers would be a special touch to your class periods this week.  If you know of alumni that would be willing to come in please notify the office so that we can make use of their time.

Cheerleaders: Decorate FB Field, Classes Do Posters for Vball game

Homecoming FB Game – Sept. 27 – 7 PM       FB Field                              DOGS vs. DeerLodge

                Introduce Class Winners                    Halftime of Game             Football Field

                Crowning of Royalty                            Halftime of Game             Football Field

Homecoming VB Game – Sept. 26 - 4:15 PM  HS Gym                              Dogs vs. BigFork

                 Introduce Royalty Before Varsity Game – around 6:30 PM 

Event                                                      Time                        Place

Assembly to kick off homecoming and   8:20-8:30                          Gym

Discuss expectations-Monday Sept. 23

Locker Decorating                                    All Week                                  Lockers-Judged After Lunch Thurs.

Classes build floats for parade           8:30-11:00                             -Floats/Skit Friday  

                                                                                                                                                                                          Designated Area on Campus

 (Mon-Thurs Students can work independently getting trailer and props built on their own)

Food Drive                              All week (food counted       

½ hour out of P1-4 class Mon.- Thur. Mon.-8:45-9:15 Tues.- 9:20-9:45 Wed.-10:15-10:45 Thur.- 11:10-11:40

Please have collection boxes in

                                                    by item on Friday (AM)         Classrooms: 9^th gr.-Cronk, 10^th gr.-Fisher,

                                                                                                            11^th gr.-Phillips, 12^th gr.-Marchant

                                *MS has boxes in the community-HS should have boxes in classrooms only.

Class Spirit Competition                        Mon.: Car Push                     8:30-9:00

                                                                        Tues.: Obstacle Course      9:20-9:50

                                                                        Weds: Minute to Win It     10:15-10:45

                                                                        Thurs: Dodge Ball                 11:15-11:45

Homecoming Dance                             FCCLA Friday Sept. 27 After FB Game

                                                                        Big Red Barn                          

Continued on back

Friday Schedule and Events:   8:15-8:30-     Class Meeting                                                             8:30-11:00-   Skit and Float Prep                                                             11:00-11:30- Skits 11:30-12:00 King and Queen- Formal Dress                                                             12:00-12:35-  Lunch                                                             12:35-1:15 –  Elem/MS/HS PEP ASSEMBLY /Senior Honoring             1:15-                Line Up for Parade             1:30-                Parade                                                                         2:15-                Excused From School

HS Dress Up Days Mon: Famous Person Tues: Toga(School Dress Code) Wed: Red Neck / Hillbilly Thurs: Era Day Fri:  Blue and White Day Please remember to call Brenda SECOND period  with dress up day totals

 

Be Bear Aware - It's that time of year again...

http://www.centerforwildlifeinformation.org:

Predatory Confrontations: Any bear or cougar that continues to approach, follow, disappear and reappear, or displays other stalking behaviors is acting in a predatory manner. Bears that attack you in your tent or confront you aggressively in your campsite or cooking area should also be considered a predatory threat. If the bear or cougar does not respond to aggressive actions such as yelling, throwing rocks and sticks, etc., you should be prepared to physically fight back if it attempts to make contact. If you have bear pepper spray, emit a deterring blast, preferably before the bear or cougar is within twenty-five feet. This gives the animal time to divert its advance. Defensive Confrontations: (Usually with Grizzly Bears) Confrontations are usually the result of a sudden encounter with a grizzly bear protecting its space, cubs or food caches. On rare occasions it may be a black bear. In defensive confrontations., the bear is attacking you because it feels threatened. If contact is made, or about to be made, drop to the ground and play dead. Lay on your stomach, clasp your hands behind your neck, and use your elbows and toes to avoid being rolled over. If the bear does roll you over, keep rolling until you land back on your stomach. Remain still and try not to struggle or scream. A defensive bear will stop attacking once it feels the threat has been removed. Do not move until you are absolutely sure the bear has left the area. Always review the latest information on what to do in an encounter or attack by contacting the wildlife and land management agency where you are recreating. Bear behavior varies from species to species and as a result of their individual experiences. There is no one assured protective action to take during an encounter or attack. Polar bear avoidance requires special training and equipment. Always travel with an experienced guide. All cougar close encounters should be considered confrontational and predatory. Be prepared to aggressively fight back.   Do not panic! Group together, pick up small children and assess the situation. Prepare to use your bear spray.   Do not run or make sudden movements, it may instinctively cause the bear or cougar to charge you.   Give bears a chance to identify you as human, and not a threat. If the bear stands up, it is trying to see, hear and smell you better. Talk firmly in a low-pitched voice while backing away. Avoid direct eye contact as bears may perceive this as a challenge or threat.   Continue to back away slowly and cautiously, retreating to a place of safety. Monitor the animal’s response, and adjust your actions accordingly.   Whether you hike, mountain bike, float rivers or ride horses, there are precautions you should take. Following the suggestions below will help make the journey safer for you, your companions, and wildlife. Remember, all wildlife can be dangerous. Please do not approach or feed wild animals, especially bears. Human conflicts with bears, cougars and alligators usually receive widespread media attention. However, most conflicts that result in human injury involve other species of wild animals. Conflicts with wildlife are primarily caused by inappropriate human behavior.   Many wild land visitors mistakenly believe that there are specific gestures and warning signals wild animals make that will give people time to retreat to safety. Wild animals (including bears, deer, elk, alligators, wild hogs, squirrels and raccoons) are individualistic and unpredictable. Animals that ignore you, look calm, or appear friendly may suddenly and without warning charge or strike out.  Human injury often occurs when any animal responds to a perceived threat with instinctive "fight or flight behavior". People get injured simply because they are too close and in the animals way. A car horn, barking dog or excited child can trigger an animal into fight or flight behavior.   Both females and males of most species are equally dangerous. Although animals may look or act tame, they are wild and may change quickly and unpredictably from passive or "friendly" to aggressive behavior. If an animal approaches you, it is your responsibility to move away to maintain a safe distance. Bears and Cougars Black bears are found throughout most of North America, while grizzly/brown bears are only found in the northwestern states, Alaska and western Canada. Cougars, (also called mountain lions), panthers and pumas, have been expanding their territory in North America. Every year millions of recreationists have the opportunity to safely observe bears and catch rare glimpses of cougars from observation areas and hiking trails without any confrontation. Confrontations with bears and cougars are very rare. In recent years, attacks are most commonly the direct result of people approaching the animals for photographs, hiking off trails in dense brush, or feeding the animals, particularly bears. You can minimize the possibility of a confrontation by following one basic rule: Never Approach, Feed or Follow Wild Animals Especially Bears. Special Things to Know Startled bears will often confront intruders by turning sideways to appear larger, make woofing and teeth clacking sounds, salivate, lay their ears back and slap the ground with their paws. These are warnings for you to leave the area.   Mother bears are very protective of their cubs. A startled black bear will often send her cubs up a tree while she stands guard at the bottom. This gives you an opportunity to leave without a confrontation. Mother grizzly bears try to avoid people, but if you surprise one, she might bluff charge to remove the threat.   Cougars are secretive and elusive. They can jump 30 feet from a standstill and 20 feet up a cliffside. They mark their territory by urinating on scratch piles usually made of grass, dirt, pine needles and leaves. They often hide behind bushes, logs or rock outcroppings, and usually leave an area when they hear people approaching.   If a bear stands on its hind legs, it is not being aggressive. It is trying to see, hear and smell you better in order to identify what you are. Talk firmly and in a low-pitched voice while cautiously backing away.   During extreme conditions such as droughts, thunderstorms and forest fires, all wildlife, especially bears and cougars, may become more aggressive and confrontational. Bears and Cougars at a Distance: Bears-Detour as far away as possible while monitoring the bear’s behavior. If the bear is close to the trail and you cannot bypass it or return the way you came, wait for the bear to leave the trail area. If the bear is approaching you, identify yourself as human by allowing the bear to see and hear you. The bear should divert its direction and avoid you.  Cougars-Even at a distance a brief glimpse should be cause for alarm. Though the cougar is most likely to leave the area, you should group together and travel with great caution. If there are repeated sightings, be prepared to aggressively defend yourself and others. Be alert and on guard for the remainder of your hike.

November News

 

Enrollment   HS:123      MS: 117       Total MS/HS: 240

6^th: 43     9^th: 36

7^th: 42   10^th: 25

8^th: 32   11^th: 35

T: 117   12^th: 26

               T: 122   

IMPORTANT DATES:

IMPORTANT DATES:

Nov. 12: Veteran’s Assembly

Nov. 12: Fall Sports Banquet

Nov. 15:  Quiz Bowl Frenchtown

Nov. 16:  College Field Trips Mock Interviews

Nov. 19-20: MUN Missoula

Nov. 20: 12:30 Dismissal

Nov. 21-25:  Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 26-Dec. 7: My Voice Survey Window

Nov. 27-28: High School Panel Participants for RTI,MBI and Graduation Matters

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Top Dawg Assembly

Demonstrate Integrity

Achieve Excellence

Work Hard

Gain Respect

Share Responsibility

GO DAWGS!!

 

Discipline1st Quarter:

88% of our middle school has had 0 or 1 referral

92% of our high school has had 0 or 1 referral

 

Attendance:

We are doing better in both schools with attendance and tardies in the high school much better this year!!

 

Writing across the Curriculum- November

This month we're focusing on the Drafting stage of the writing process, as per the large posters in all rooms.

 

Common Core Information:

2011-12 through 2013-2014 the MontCAS will:

ü  Use the current standards and reporting system

ü  Progressively align content with the MCCS

ü  Implement test questions to align with the MCCS

ü  Provide released field test items aligned to MCCS

***Grade levels assessed will be 3^rd-8^th and 11^th ***

•      Montana’s participating in an assessment consortium called SBAC (Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium)

•      Summative assessment (required, provided by state, replaces CRT)

•      Interim assessment (optional, for a fee—probably $7 per student)

•      Formative assessments

             (process tools and resources—not a test, optional)

Assessments:

1.  More rigorous tests measuring student progress toward “college and career readiness”

2.  Have common, comparable scores across member states, and across consortia

3.  Provide achievement and growth information to help make better educational decisions and professional development opportunities

4.  Assess all students, except those with “significant cognitive disabilities”

5.  Administer online, with timely results

6.  Use multiple measures

 

Ripple Effects:

—  This is a possible program we are looking at for students in ISS that will provide actual education about behavior and their actions that work to improve the student academically and behaviorally.

—  Research uniformly shows Ripple Effects raises grades and test scores

—  Promotes readiness to learn

—  Reduces teacher conflict

—  Increases instructional time

—  Can improve problem solving, critical thinking skills

—  Can improve language arts competency

—  Can inform students on how they learn best

—  Can increase connection to school

—  Can increase resiliency to trauma/hard things

—  Ripple Effects is proven to do all of this

Graduation Matters:

—  The 8 Goals developed during optional days are now going to be taken to student focus groups to get input from them for ideas. 

—  Million Voice will be taken very soon by all students this will be an online survey.  Every two years is the goal for this survey. 

“I know my class” We are signed up just waiting for details to get this started.  Again, thanks to all of you who volunteered

 

MBI

Mr. Ferris attended the MBI facilitator training in Bozeman and we are currently working on the TIC.  Teacher Implementation Check-list. 

 

Student Led Conferences:

Student Led Conferences went well and I even though I have no results as of yet, I anticipate close to 95% turnout from parents.  This format has taken us from 25% turnout to 95% turnout. 

 

Book Club

 An Unchanged Mind, The problem of immaturity in adolescence. 

—  Book Description

—  Publication Date: November 30, 2008

—  The author begins with a clinical riddle: Why are American teenagers failing to develop normally through adolescence? We are presented with case studies from a therapeutic boarding school for troubled teenagers: All new students had been deemed treatment "failures" after conventional psychiatric care. All were bright teenagers, full of promise, not obviously "ill." Yet they found themselves unprepared for the challenges of modern adolescence and inevitably failed--at school, at home, and among their peers socially.

—  An Unchanged Mind is the discovery of the essence of this problem--disrupted maturation and resulting immaturity. The book explains the problem carefully, with a brief review of normal development and an examination of the delays today's teenagers are suffering: the causes of those delays and how they produce a flawed approach to living. There is a solution. With a sustained push to help troubled kids catch up, symptoms abate, academic and interpersonal functioning improve, and parents pronounce their teens miraculously recovered. This remedy is not a matter of pharmacology--and the cure is not in pills. The remedy is, instead, to grow up.

     Our Mission:

Demonstrate Integrity

Achieve Excellence

Work Hard

Gain Respect

Share Responsibility

             GO DAWGS!!!!

 

·        Our School-Wide Focus and Goals:

o   A Safe and Welcoming School

o   A School that Values Sense of Belonging

o   Curriculum and Instruction

o   A Positive Future for All Students

GO DOGS!!!!