Dear Families and Staff,

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, I want to thank you for trusting Helena Public Schools with the tremendous responsibility of educating your children.Being a parent is both rewarding work and hard work. I appreciate all you do to support your child’s success at school, be it volunteering in the classroom, supporting a classroom fundraiser or simply asking your student about their school day.

Special thanks to our Parent-Teacher Organization volunteers who provided dinner for our educators during Parent-Teacher Conferences over the past couple of weeks. We appreciate your support for our incredible staff, whose expertise, innovation and dedication make the miracle of learning happen every day in our schools.

I also want to share our gratitude for one of our community partners who helps make the dynamic educational experiences we offer our students possible.

Earlier this fall, St. Peter’s Health awarded Helena Public Schools a $20,000 sponsorship to support the district’s high school Athletics and Activities Program. At a time when our budget is severely strained, this gift is helping us continue to offer robust extracurricular activities such as speech and debate, drama, music and athletic programs.

When you’re at your next high school game, music performance or play and you hear St. Peter’s Health acknowledged over the PA system, please be sure to give them a hearty thank you.

In addition to the new Athletics and Activities sponsorship, St. Peter’s Health has long provided a variety of financial and in-kind support from healthcare career exploration events to EMS standby service for all home football games.

Another popular St. Peter’s Health program in our schools is also growing. The “Harvest of the Month” program recently received one of four national grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand children’s nutrition education in local schools.

The $239,000 grant will expand Harvest of the Month’s mission to promote healthy eating and educate students about Montana’s largest industry – agriculture.

We simply could not offer such experiences without St. Peter’s Health and the many other local businesses and organizations that support our public schools mission.

To St. Peter’s Health and each of our community partners, we are deeply grateful.

Speaking of Montana agriculture, our students who ate school lunch today enjoyed a special feast. I want to again thank District Food Services Director Robert Worthy for launching our first-ever “Montana Menu Day” featuring bison stew, fresh coleslaw, rolls and fresh milk. And a big thanks to our state’s ag producers for their work to feed Montanans and the world.

I also want to thank all who supported Helena High Volleyball team during a strong season that took them to the State Tournament in Bozeman last week. Helena High went 1-2 in the tournament, finishing in the top 6 AA volleyball teams in the state. Congratulations, Bengals! From our dance team and pep band who kept up the team spirit, to the chaperones and bus drivers who traveled the state, it was a team effort!

The same goes for all who supported our Capital High Bruins on their journey to the State AA Football Championship at 7 p.m. tonight at Vigilante Stadium. Thank you and good luck, tonight!

Meanwhile, our first winter sports practices will get underway Monday. I wish our Bengal and Bruin swimming, wrestling and basketball athletes a winning season.

Teamwork takes many forms on and off the playing field, and I would like to close by recognizing a group of students who helped support our Special Olympics athletes during their state basketball tournament at Helena High earlier this month. The morning of the tournament, 18 of our HHS National Honor Society students reported to the Helena High kitchen at 6:30 a.m. to begin making sandwiches. By 9 a.m., they had assembled 1,100 sack lunches to fuel hungry athletes.

The National Honor Society invites students to apply in the spring of their junior year based on their cumulative GPA. Members participate in service projects and other activities throughout their senior year. Their efforts for Special Olympics helped tournament competitors succeed and showcased the power of community and support. Way to go HHS National Honor Society!

Remember that we have a short week ahead, with no school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday, Dec. 2.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!