In this issue:

• District welcomes new teachers
• Teaching is a lifelong commitment to learning
• Celebrating our Teacher and Para of the Year!
• Check out our new school lunch website and app
• Apply now for Free & Reduced Lunch
• Back-to-School vaccination clinics

Dear Helena Public Schools Families,

This last full week of summer vacation is one of our most exciting times of the year.

Thank you again to everyone who is helping prepare for our first day of school next week – librarians, food services, facilities, bus drivers, business office, human resources department, secretaries, nurses, custodians and, of course, our amazing teachers!

Just this morning we welcomed our new educators aboard – quite literally – with a train ride around town to introduce them to our community partners. Stops were made at Helena Food Share, Grand Street Theatre, the Chamber of Commerce, Shodair Children’s Hospital, Holter Museum of Art, The Myrna Loy, Exploration Works, the Lewis & Clark Library and the Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE). Fittingly, our tour train engineer was retired Helena Public Schools teacher Lee Holmes.

As I mentioned earlier this month, our theme for this school year is “Better Together” celebrating our staff and community partnerships. Strong schools make for strong communities and that’s what today was all about.

Thank you to the Helena Education Foundation, Valley Bank, the Helena Education Association and all of the organizations that helped give our new educators a warm welcome today.

Following this morning’s trolly ride, the 28 new teachers will head to their classrooms to meet with their teaching mentors. We’re grateful to each of these mentors, who will guide and support our new teachers throughout the year, modeling our emphasis on teamwork and collaboration throughout the district and building strong personal and professional relationships.

From their first day on the job to the final years of their careers, our teachers continue to learn and grow. In fact, Helena Public Schools has the highest number of Board-Certified Teachers in Montana. It’s also worth noting that approximately 75 percent of our educators are Board Certified or have master’s degrees or higher.

Our teachers’ dedication to excellence shows in the achievements of our students. For the past five years, Helena Public Schools juniors have consistently outperformed the state average on all four benchmarks in ACT testing – math, science, reading and English. And out of all Montana high school graduates who pursue degrees at the Montana University System after high school, Helena Public Schools has the lowest percentage of students who are required to take remedial math and writing courses.

In addition to the expertise our educators bring to the classroom through advanced degrees, our teachers pursue fellowships, certifications and other learning opportunities in areas ranging from math to reading to special education.

Just this month, Broadwater Elementary Kindergarten Teacher Kyla Owen secured a prestigious $24,000 technology grant to help the district implement AI safely and effectively in the classroom. You can read more about this exciting development below. Meanwhile, Broadwater Elementary Montessori Teacher Jodi Delaney is entering her eighth year as a participant in the Montana Historical Society’s “Teacher Leader in Montana History” program, which enhances the teaching of our state’s rich history. Those are just a few from a long list of examples.

These specialized professional development experiences not only deepen our teachers’ expertise, but also bring new resources and ideas into their classrooms and across the district. Most importantly, they benefit our students.

Advanced college degrees qualify educators to teach in programs such as music, PEAK, Montessori and special education, ensuring that we meet the diverse needs of all students.

Teachers must also have master’s degrees or certifications to teach our dual credit courses, which enable students to earn college credits before they graduate from high school – speeding their time to a college diploma and saving families thousands in tuition costs.

Helena Public Schools students can choose from 12 unique career pathways that prepare them for success in careers such as accounting, architecture and sports and entertainment marketing. These pathways are aligned with the Montana Career Pathways defined by the Office of Public Instruction and the Montana University System.

And, as a matter of course, teachers are required by contract to earn 18 continuing education credits each year. However, many of our educators earn twice that amount out of a desire to grow professionally.  Our teachers participated in more than 150 different continuing education courses this summer in everything from math teaching techniques to classroom management.

In other words, to become a teacher is to commit to a lifetime of learning.

All this goes to say that – as we embark on a new academic year – your students are in good hands with educators who are trained to meet their unique needs and talents.

We look forward to welcoming you back next week!

Respectfully,

Rex M. Weltz, Superintendent
Helena Public Schools

District News & Events

New school menu app offers allergen info and more!

Check out the district’s new, user-friendly school menu website and app. Click here to reach the Nutrislice menu and select your child’s school. You can also navigate to the site via our helenaschools.org homepage and from your school’s page. Simply click on “Menu & Food Services,” where you’ll find the link to Nutrislice. The easy-to-read menu offers detailed nutritional information for each item.

Does your child have a food allergy? Select “allergens” in the filter function and it will automatically alert you to all menus and menu items containing the allergen/s. You’ll also find a handy carbohydrate calculator!

And – yes – there’s an app for that! Download the “Nutrislice” app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Don’t forget to add funds to your student’s school meal account before the first day of school at www.mymealtime.com.

---

Reminder: Only 16 days to go until Carnival Classic!

The Helena Education Foundation’s Carnival Classic is Sunday, Sept. 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Memorial Park. In addition to loads of family fun, the carnival will include a convenient back-to-school vaccination clinic.

Lewis & Clark Public Health will offer back-to-school vaccinations for all school-age children at the carnival (with parental permission only). No appointment is necessary! If you have insurance, please bring your insurance card as your insurance will be billed. For families who are uninsured or underinsured, vaccinations will be provided free-of-charge.

---

🍎 Apply now for Free & Reduced Lunch

If your family could use a little extra help with meals this fall, we’ve got you covered! Click here to sign up for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program. By enrolling, you not only support your family but also help your school provide additional services to families in need—like academic supplies, sports participation fees, and other after-school activities.

Rest assured, your application is confidential and will not be shared with your principal or any other school staff.

---

Student & Educator Recognitions

Celebrating our Teacher & Paraeducator of the Year

As we start a new school year, we want to again celebrate our Helena Education Association (HEA) Teacher and Paraeducator of the year: Helena Middle School Math Teacher Jen Mooney and Kessler Elementary Paraeducator Christi Redmond.

These outstanding educators were nominated by their colleagues for their remarkable ability to connect with students and foster meaningful relationships that enhance learning.

Congratulations, Ms. Mooney and Ms. Redmond. Thank you for making a difference every day!

 

---

Broadwater Teacher secures $24K grant to bring AI education to Helena classrooms

Congratulations to Broadwater Elementary Kindergarten Teacher Kyla Owen, who secured a prestigious $24,000 technology grant for Helena Public Schools from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)!

Helena Public Schools is among only 11 districts nationwide to receive this competitive grant from AFT, Education Healthcare Public Services. The funding will help launch a two-year, technology-focused mentorship program to help teachers safely and effectively implement AI and other emerging technologies in the classroom.

“AI, with all its problems and possibilities, is here to stay,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “To reap its benefits, we must confront its perils, including combating dangerous and convincing deepfakes and reality-distorting algorithms. If we are going to protect our children’s and educators’ safety and privacy while strengthening kids’ critical-thinking, problem-solving, communication, and relationship skills, we have to empower educators to regulate and guide tomorrow’s technologies.”

Thank you, Kyla, for providing teachers with this exciting opportunity!

Kyla also extends her thanks to Gary Myers, Helena Public Schools Educational Technology Director, and Jane Shawn, Helena Education Association President, for their collaboration on the application and their continued support of this program.