Trustees Approve the 2022-2023 Calendar

 by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski    

The 2022-2023 Colstrip Public School Calendar was approved by the Colstrip Board of Trustees at its Regular April 2022 Board Meeting on April 25, 2022. 

The Calendar length is 169 student contact days. School begins on August 24 and ends on May 25. It has (8) Winter Break Days; (2) Spring Break Days. It has (143) Full Days; (25) Part Days; and (1) Half There are (184) Professional/Staff Days and (7) Pupil Instructional Related Days and (8) Professional Development Work Days or "PDW" Days for teacher development, work and group planning. While there are no make-up days scheduled in this calendar, it provides 1/2 of a day for possible school closure (not including one day provided by the Office of Public Instruction).

Staff Start Date: August 19, 22, 23 PIR

First Day for Students:  Wednesday, August 24

Winter/Christmas Break: 8 days plus weekends

Spring/Easter Break: 2 Days plus weekends

Last day for students: Thursday, May 25 (Half day)

Teacher Check-out: Friday, May 26

No Make Up Day Scheduled

Make Up Day Flexibility: ½  day (plus one day from State)

 

Total Full Days 143

Total Part Days 25

Total Half Days 1

______________________________

Total School Days 169

PIR Days                   7

PDW Days                 8

______________________________

Total Staff Days   184

 ______________________________

Quarter One = 42 Days

Quarter Two = 41 Days

Quarter Three = 45 Days

Quarter Four = 41 Days

DEFINITIONS

Full Day: (WHITE COLORED DAYS) This is a regular day of school.Typical days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the following times:

Elementary K-3: 8:15 AM - 3:25 PM

Elementary 4-5: 8:15 AM - 3:30 PM

Middle School: 8:10 AM - 3:45 PM

High School: 8:05 AM - 3:33 PM

 

Partial Days: (GREEN ) School is dismissed early. These days are scheduled on Fridays. Partial day times:

Elementary K-3: 8:15 AM - 2:25 PM

Elementary 4-5: 8:15 AM - 2:30 PM

Middle School: 8:10 AM - 2:45 PM

High School: 8:05 AM - 2:35 PM

 

Half Days: (PURPLE COLORED DAYS) Half-days often occur right before holiday breaks. Half-day times:

Elementary K-3: 8:15 AM - 12:10 PM

Elementary 4-5: 8:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Middle School: 8:10 AM - 12:32 PM

High School: 8:05 AM - 12:20 PM

 

School Days: Days students will be in attendance at school.

Staff Days: Days scheduled for the professional staff.

PIR Days: (ORANGE COLORED DAYS) Pupil Instruction Related (PIR) or professional development/training days. No school is scheduled for students.

PDW Days: (LIGHT BLUE COLORED DAYS) Professional Development Work Days. These are days when staff will have professional development or a scheduled work day. No school is scheduled for students.  

Vacation or Holidays: (YELLOW COLORED DAYS) Days recognized as holidays or breaks. There is NO SCHOOL on these days.

Board of Trustees Selects 2021-2022 School Calendar

 by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

The 2021-2022 Colstrip Public School Calendar was approved by the Colstrip Board of Trustees at its Regular April 2021 Board Meeting on April 12, 2021.

The Calendar length is 169 student contact days; nineteen (19) of which are Remote Learning Days. 

School begins on August 19 and ends on May 25. It has (8) Winter Break Days; (2) Spring Break Days. It has (144) Full Days; (23) Part Days; and (2) Half Days strategically placed to reduce low attendance. There are (184) Professional/Staff Days and (7) Pupil Instructional Related Days and (8) Professional Development Work Days or "PDW" Days for teacher development, work and group planning. This Calendar requires structured recesses for the elementary to extend learning time. The most significant characteristic of this calendar is that it includes  Remote Learning days (see information below) on scheduled school Fridays. The only Friday that students are scheduled for face-to-face instruction is on August 20, 2021. 

REMOTE LEARNING DAYS: These days will provide students remote instruction outside of school to maximize their individualized learning, using classroom materials and technology. The District will offer enrichment, correctives and educational opportunities from 8:00 AM until Noon on these days. Students are expected to complete remote learning assignments whether they are participating in one of the above opportunities or at home.

ENRICHMENT FRIDAYS: Enrichments will be provided to students whose needs go beyond the standard of instructional expectation. Enrichment Opportunities are by invitation only. Attendance is optional.

CORRECTIVE FRIDAYS: Correctives will be provided to students that are not meeting grade or content level expectations. Invitation for corrective instruction is by request. Face-to-face attendance is required. Students that fail to attend will be counted absent. Because of COVID-19 and the interruptions it created in our educational delivery, Corrective Fridays provide a significant opportunity to address students that may be at-risk or missing critical content components.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Educational Opportunities will be available to all students. Students must sign up for these opportunities ahead of time so appropriate planning can take place. These opportunities will focus on the REMOTE LEARNING expectations provided in order to help the student accomplish the skills of independent learning. On occasion, other educational opportunities will include a variety of activities and experiences. The intent will be to create a focused, fun and safe environment at each building level. Students will be in mixed age groups for many of these activities.

NOTE: School lunch and breakfast will be available for all students on Remote Learning Fridays. They may schedule to pick it up or eat in the cafeteria at the building which they attend.

Calendar Committee Generates Three Calendars for Stakeholder Feedback

 by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

The Calendar Committee has been meeting since early February to develop three calendars that meet the Office of Public Instructions mandates for aggregate student hours. The three calendars present a variety of opportunities. I am providing them in the blog so they can be carefully reviewed for taking the on line survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9BTHY86

 The Calendar Survey will close at noon on Friday, April 9, 2021. 

The items below describe the Calendar Options. The Calendar Committee would like you to assess each of the three options for the Colstrip Public School Board #19 to consider.

You are encouraged to use the corresponding calendar views to help you in this process.

DEFINITIONS:

Full Day: (WHITE COLORED DAYS) This is a regular day of school.Typical days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the following times:

Elementary K-3: 8:15 AM - 3:25 PM
Elementary 4-5: 8:15 AM - 3:30 PM
Middle School: 8:10 AM - 3:45 PM
High School: 8:05 AM - 3:33 PM

Partial Days: (GREEN ) School is dismissed early. These days are scheduled on Fridays. Partial day times:

Elementary K-3: 8:15 AM - 2:25 PM
Elementary 4-5: 8:15 AM - 2:30 PM
Middle School: 8:10 AM - 2:45 PM
High School: 8:05 AM - 2:35 PM

Half Days: (PURPLE COLORED DAYS) Half-days often occur right before holiday breaks. Half-day times:

Elementary K-3: 8:15 AM - 12:10 PM
Elementary 4-5: 8:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Middle School: 8:10 AM - 12:32 PM
High School: 8:05 AM - 12:20 PM

School Days: Days students will be in attendance at school.


Remote Learning Days (PINK COLORED DAYS) School is hosted remotely. Off-site instruction is provided on these days. Students learn and work at home during these days. 


Staff Days: Days scheduled for the professional staff.


PIR Days: (ORANGE COLORED DAYS) Pupil Instruction Related (PIR) or professional development/training days. No school is scheduled for students.


PDW Days: (LIGHT BLUE COLORED DAYS) Professional Development Work Days. These are days when staff will have professional development or a scheduled work day. No school is scheduled for students. 


Vacation or Holidays: (YELLOW COLORED DAYS) Days recognized as holidays or breaks. There is NO SCHOOL on these days.

 

______________________________________________________

BLACK Calendar Option (See Graphic Above): This Calendar is the same basic calendar originally planned for this school year. The Calendar length is 170 student contact days. School begins on Aug 19 and ends on May 24. It has (8) Winter Break Days; (2) Spring/Easter Break Days. It has (144) Full Days; (23) Part Days; and (3) Half Days. There are (185) Professional/Staff Days and (7) PIR Days and (8) Professional Development Work Days or "PDW" Days for teacher development, work and group planning. This Calendar requires structured recesses for the elementary to extend learning time while taking advantage of low attendance numbers on Friday afternoons by scheduling one hour early release for students to attend activities and weekend events without absence. The most significant characteristic of this calendar is that it utilizes part days and PDW on Fridays to maximize student time in class since many students are gone on activities either part of the day or the entire day.

______________________________________________________

GREEN - HYBRID REMOTE FRIDAY with PDW "Professional Development Work" PARTIAL DAY CALENDAR (One Friday per month is scheduled for Remote Learning other Fridays will be Partial Days of school or PDW days): The Calendar length is 170 student contact days; nine (9) of which are Remote Learning Days.  School begins on August 19 and ends on May 24. It has (8) Winter Break Days; (2) Spring Break Days. It has (143) Full Days; (25) Part Days on Fridays; and (2) Half Days strategically placed to take advantage low attendance. There are (185) Professional/Staff Days and (7) Pupil Instructional Related Days and (8) Professional Development Work Days or "PDW" Days for teacher development, work and group planning. This Calendar requires structured recesses for the elementary to extend learning time while taking advantage of low attendance numbers on Friday afternoons by scheduling one hour early release for students to attend activities and weekend events without absence. The most significant characteristic of this calendar is that it also includes one (1) Remote Learning day for every full month of instruction.

REMOTE LEARNING DAYS: These days will provide students remote instruction outside of school to maximize their individualized learning, using classroom materials and technology. The District will offer enrichment, correctives and educational opportunities from 8:00 AM until Noon on these days. Students are expected to complete remote learning assignments whether they are participating in one of the above opportunities or at home.

ENRICHMENT FRIDAYS: Enrichments will be provided to students whose needs go beyond the standard of instructional expectation. Enrichment Opportunities are by invitation only. Attendance is optional.

CORRECTIVE FRIDAYS: Correctives will be provided to students that are not meeting grade or content level expectations. Invitation for corrective instruction is by request. Face-to-face attendance is required. Students that fail to attend will be counted absent. Because of COVID-19 and the interruptions it created in our educational delivery, Corrective Fridays provide a significant opportunity to address students that may be at-risk or missing critical content components.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Educational Opportunities will be available to all students. Students must sign up for these opportunities ahead of time so appropriate planning can take place. These opportunities will focus on the REMOTE LEARNING expectations provided in order to help the student accomplish the skills of independent learning. On occasion, other educational opportunities will include a variety of activities and experiences. The intent will be to create a focused, fun and safe environment at each building level. Students will be in mixed age groups for many of these activities.

NOTE: School lunch and breakfast will be available for all students on Remote Learning Fridays. They may schedule to pick it up or eat in the cafeteria at the building which they attend.

 

 ______________________________________________________

 

 BLUE Calendar Option or "PDW" Calendar (See Graphic Above): The Calendar length is 169 student contact days; nineteen (19) of which are Remote Learning Days. School begins on August 19 and ends on May 25. It has (8) Winter Break Days; (2) Spring Break Days. It has (144) Full Days; (23) Part Days; and (2) Half Days strategically placed to reduce low attendance. There are (184) Professional/Staff Days and (7) Pupil Instructional Related Days and (8) Professional Development Work Days or "PDW" Days for teacher development, work and group planning. This Calendar requires structured recesses for the elementary to extend learning time. The most significant characteristic of this calendar is that it includes  Remote Learning days (see information below) on scheduled school Fridays. The only Friday that students are scheduled for face-to-face instruction is on August 20, 2021. 

REMOTE LEARNING DAYS: These days will provide students remote instruction outside of school to maximize their individualized learning, using classroom materials and technology. The District will offer enrichment, correctives and educational opportunities from 8:00 AM until Noon on these days. Students are expected to complete remote learning assignments whether they are participating in one of the above opportunities or at home.

ENRICHMENT FRIDAYS: Enrichments will be provided to students whose needs go beyond the standard of instructional expectation. Enrichment Opportunities are by invitation only. Attendance is optional.

CORRECTIVE FRIDAYS: Correctives will be provided to students that are not meeting grade or content level expectations. Invitation for corrective instruction is by request. Face-to-face attendance is required. Students that fail to attend will be counted absent. Because of COVID-19 and the interruptions it created in our educational delivery, Corrective Fridays provide a significant opportunity to address students that may be at-risk or missing critical content components.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Educational Opportunities will be available to all students. Students must sign up for these opportunities ahead of time so appropriate planning can take place. These opportunities will focus on the REMOTE LEARNING expectations provided in order to help the student accomplish the skills of independent learning. On occasion, other educational opportunities will include a variety of activities and experiences. The intent will be to create a focused, fun and safe environment at each building level. Students will be in mixed age groups for many of these activities.

NOTE: School lunch and breakfast will be available for all students on Remote Learning Fridays. They may schedule to pick it up or eat in the cafeteria at the building which they attend.

 

Calendar for 2020-2021 Approved by Board of Trustees

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

I hope this post finds everyone in good health and spirit. I want to share the 2020-2021 Calendar for the next school year that was selected by the Board of Trustees. It was approved at the regular board meeting on April 20, 2020. The CPS Calendar Survey indicated 79% of those surveyed selected this as their calendar choice for 2020-2021 school year. It is a different calendar than we have had in the past. 

I would like to thank all of the Calendar Committee Members for their hard work. This was a group effort that I think resulted in a product that will serve our community and students well.

Below are some of the details in the selection of the 2020-2021 Calendar

The 2020-2021 Calendar Committee first met on February 5, 2020 to develop two calendars that meet the minimum state requirements of 1080 hours of instruction as per Montana Code Annotated 20-1-301. The Committee looked at four different types of calendars overall, but the Committee felt the two calendars presented to the board were the most complete in providing for the overall needs of all stakeholders.  The Calendar Survey opened on April 10, 2020 and closed at noon on April 17, 2020.

The Calendar Committee developed two calendars for consideration and identified them with the following titles: BLACK or BASE CALENDAR and BLUE or PDW DAY CALENDAR

 

Each calendar met the minimum of 1080 hours as per 20-1-301:

• 20-1-301. School fiscal year. (1) The school fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. At least the minimum aggregate hours defined in subsection (2) must be conducted during each school fiscal year, except that 1,050 aggregate hours of pupil instruction for graduating seniors may be sufficient.
       (2) The minimum aggregate hours required by grade are:
       (a) 360 hours for a half-time kindergarten program or 720 hours for a full-time kindergarten program, as provided in 20-7-117;
       (b) 720 hours for grades 1 through 3; and
       (c) 1,080 hours for grades 4 through 12.
       (3) For any elementary or high school district that fails to provide for at least the minimum aggregate hours, as listed in subsections (1) and (2), the superintendent of public instruction shall reduce the direct state aid for the district for that school year by two times an hourly rate, as calculated by the office of public instruction, for the aggregate hours missed.
  
     

The Board Selected Calendar for 2020-2021 was the PDW DAY CALENDAR for 2020-2021: (Current Thursday Early Outs for Staff Development are moved to Fridays and converted into 8 Staff PDW Fridays throughout the school year)

The Calendar length is 171 student contact days.  School begins on August 20 and ends on May 26. It has (8) Winter Break Days; (3) Spring Break Days. It has (139) Full Days; (24) Part Days which have been moved from Thursdays to Fridays; and (4) Half Days strategically placed to take advantage low attendance. There are (186) Professional Days and (7) Pupil Instructional Related Days and (8) Professional Development Work Days or "PDW" Days for teacher development, work and group planning. This Calendar requires a daily structured recess for the elementary to extend learning time while taking advantage of low attendance numbers on Friday afternoons by scheduling one hour early release for students to attend activities and weekend events without absence. 

The Survey Results Surveys were collected from the following:

• Email
• Facebook
• District Website

WHEREAS: Linked are the disaggregated survey results:

• Calendar Survey Results 2020-2021

Board Adopted Calendar for 2019-2020 School Year

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

The Board of Trustees approved the following School Calendar for the 2019-2020 school year. 

Please click on the link provided to view the calendar and print its definition and description. 

Please know the identified calendar was the calendar with the most votes in a distributed survey. For more information, review the process below.

WHEREAS: The Calendar Committee met on February 19, 2019 to develop two calendars that meet the minimum state requirements of 1080 hours of instruction as per Montana Code Annotated

• 20-1-301. School fiscal year. (1) The school fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. At least the minimum aggregate hours defined in subsection (2) must be conducted during each school fiscal year, except that 1,050 aggregate hours of pupil instruction for graduating seniors may be sufficient.
       (2) The minimum aggregate hours required by grade are:
       (a) 360 hours for a half-time kindergarten program or 720 hours for a full-time kindergarten program, as provided in 20-7-117;
       (b) 720 hours for grades 1 through 3; and
       (c) 1,080 hours for grades 4 through 12.
       (3) For any elementary or high school district that fails to provide for at least the minimum aggregate hours, as listed in subsections (1) and (2), the superintendent of public instruction shall reduce the direct state aid for the district for that school year by two times an hourly rate, as calculated by the office of public instruction, for the aggregate hours missed.
      

WHEREAS: The Calendar Committee developed two calendars for consideration and identified them with the following titles:  RED and BLACK 

WHEREAS: Each calendar meets the minimum of 1080 hours

WHEREAS: The BLACK Calendar or Base Calendar:

Base Calendar Option (See Link above): This Calendar is the same basic calendar that is utilized this school year. The Calendar length is 177 student contact days. School begins on Aug 22 and ends on May 29. It has(1) Snow Day; (10) Winter Break Days; (3) Spring/Easter Break Days. It has (139) Full Days; (37) Part Days; and (1) Half Day. There are (184) Professional Days and (7.5) Pupil Instructional Days (PIR) Days. The half (.5) PIR day is on the afternoon of May 29 for teacher checkout.

WHEREAS: The RED Calendar :

RED Calendar Option (See Link Above): The Calendar length is 177 student contact days.  School ends after Memorial Day. School begins on August 22 and ends on May 27. It has (1) Snow Day; (8) Winter Break Days; (3) Spring Break Days. It has (139) Full Days; (37) Part Days; and (1) Half Days. There are (185) Professional Days and (8) PIR Days. NOTE: Winter Break days are adjusted from the BASE calendar, removing 2 days from the end of the Winter Break thus letting school out 1 day earlier and a full PIR for teacher checkout. 

WHEREAS: The Survey Results Surveys were collected from the following:

• Email
• Superintendent's Blog
• Facebook & Twitter
• District Website

WHEREAS: Linked are the disaggregated survey results:

• Calendar Survey Results 2019-2020
• Disaggregated Survey Results 2019-2020

WHEREAS: The Board of Trustees selected the BLACK or Base Calendar at the March 11, 2019 Board Meeting. 

 

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"