Happy Holidays and Christmas Blessings

The St. Ignatius Administrative Team (left to right): Maintenance and Custodial Director, Steve McCollum; Middle and High School Principal, Jason Sargent; Technology Director, Matt Lyon; Elementry Principal, Cherie Stobie; Buisness Ass't Clerk,  Adam Hawkaluk; Business Manager, Neil Easter and myself wish you and yours a blessed Christmas and happy New Year!

Christmas Program Results in All Smiles

The kindergaten though fifth grade Christmas and Holiday Concert was great. From decorations to individual performances, the evening built an atmosphere of the season.

I have included 34 pictures from last nights performance. It was so nice to be a part of community. These types of celebrations bring everyone together. It would be hard to walk away from last night's performance with anything but a smile. Happy children have that affect on adults.


Congratulations to the music staff: Dixie Daniels and Kendal Anderson. Special thanks to all of the classroom teachers for their assistance and supervision. Most of all, WELL DONE MISSION STUDENTS for taking pride in excellence! As said at our first assembly of the year: "Learning takes work," and your work paid off at the concert.

To see all of the photos just select "Read More" at the bottom of this post.  

Practice, Practice, Practice: Elementary Christmas Concert

If you want to get in the mood for the holiday season, just attend your church or school's annual Holiday Concert. Seasonal songs and traditional Christmas songs can put a person in the right frame of mind. Nothing is more enjoyable than watching youth get up in front of an audience and perform.

Tonight is the Elementary Christmas Concert here at St. Ignatius. I found a few minutes this afternoon to go to the gymnasium and listen to the music and take a few pictures. I hope you enjoy the photos. The Concert begins at 7:00 PM. All student need to be there and seated by 6:45 PM.

See you there!

Note: Go to the bottom of this post and click on "Read More" to see more photos.

The Giving Tree

Elementary Counselor Susan Weaselhead gets ready to deliver donated presents.

Faculty and staff members have teamed up to provide Christmas gifts for 58 children that attend our school. Counselor Susan Weaselhead is the Head Elf that coordinates the generosity and gift giving. Identified needs are hung on a "Giving Tree" for the faculty to choose from. Those members that participate remain anonymous. The idea is to give to others in need without expectation. The gifts are wrapped by their benefactors and placed under the Giving Tree. 

It is certainly nice to see our staff and faculty serve others beyond the school doors. Thank you for your generosity.

HS/MS Christmas Concert

The high school and middle school celebrated an evening of holiday and Christmas music on December 15. Middle school band, high school band and chorus presented a number of traditional favorites to set the tone for the season.

Check Out This Blog Site

Lake County Leader Sports Editor Brandon Hansen has some great photos of Mission's first Varsity Basketball from last Friday night. I encourage you to click on his site: On The Bleachers. Hansen describes the blog as follows:

On the Bleachers is the sports blog of the Lake County Leader in Polson, Mont. It will be updated periodically with local and national sports news by sports editor Brandon Hansen.

I hope you enjoy!

Cross Country Success At State Level

This fall marked a first for Cross Country at St. Ignatius. Coach Patrick Murphy and his team had a very successful inaugural year.

As seen in the top photo to the right, Paden Alexander led the boys' team at the Montana State Cross Country Meet in Helena. Alexander placed 7th.

Lower right, Ashley Courville led the girls' team placing 17th at State. Congratulations Cross Country Team! We are looking forward to next year! Go Bulldog Runners!

Bulldog Pride - Stadium Chair

We are in the advent of the Winter Sports Season and I remember many of you during the Fall remark how difficult it is sitting on the hard bleachers. With that in mind, I have twelve (12) stadium chairs for sale on a first come/first serve bases. The district bought only a few chairs to see if there was a need. Based on the response, we can order additional chairs if needed.

The chairs are royal blue and personalized with the school logo and name (as pictured at right). The idea is to promote school and community pride, not to mention providing some needed relief from sitting on hard bleachers all season long. We are selling them at cost for $65 dollars each.

Additional features:
* Quality Cordova canvas
* Powder-coat painted tubular steel black frame
* Fade- and mildew-resistant, easy-cleaning canvas cover
* Back cover is double fabric for strength and comfort
* Rubber non-slip skids mounted on the bottom of the frame
* Seat folds neatly for transport
* Attached tote handle
* Designed to fit virtually any type of bleacher - new or old
* Max. Weight: 350 lbs.
* Actual Chair Weight: 7.5 lbs.

Please drop by the District Office. Payment is due upon exchange.

I hope these chairs will provide a service to our Bulldog Supporters.

Communication Avenues

As everyone is aware, the weather has already been sever. We just had our first snow day due to the fact that buses could not run because the county roads hadn't been cleared. Even though the school side-walks were cleaned and immediate access was available into our buildings, remote access denied school from taking place.

Because of the various communication venues this day and age, I want to identify all communication lines for parents and constituents to access during inclement weather. Nothing is more frustrating for a parent than not being informed and not being informed in a timely fashion; therefore, I have provided times and media that will be used in making these type of decisions.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Special thanks to all of you this Thanksgiving Holiday! I am grateful to serve with you and for you. May God bless this school district and the St. Ignatius community. My family and I are proud to call Mission our home. We are truly blessed!

As everyone knows, children are our future's best resource. It wasn't that long ago when we were in their shoes. I was 9 years old back in '71 when I thought I was the next Jerry West. Even though things don't work out the way we dream, doesn't mean they don't work out the way they should. Today, I am just thankful for all of the people who helped guide me in life.

Thanks for helping me take my best shot! Thanks for all of the "HCA Baby!"

Have a great Thanksgiving everybody!

Don't Oil The Squeaky Wheel!

One of the members of our teaching staff shared this cartoon with me in my morning email. At first I got a chuckle out of it, then I began to wonder if there is any truth to it. Just look at the child's face in the 1960 version and then look at him in 2010.

I think the perception (in this cartoon) is that teachers award grades to students instead of students earning the grades on their report cards. I often wonder how that concept may have changed. Does our society really oil the squeaky wheel? When do we take responsibility for our outcomes? Is there always someone else to blame for our grades, the weather, national debt or the fact that Dancing with the Stars eliminated the wrong couple (my wife watches it).

It seems like ownership is a convenience in our society not a responsibility. Don't get me wrong, at times I am no better than the next guy, but I think our society should take more ownership in who we are, what we do and how we do it. With that, I would like to share this quote:

The greater danger is not that our hopes are too high and we fail to reach them. It's that they are too low, and we do.

- Michelangelo

Have a great day everybody!

Montana 7-B District Volleyball Champions

We are the Champions my friends! What a great start to our school year! The volleyball team went undefeated winning the 7-B Championship against Eureka at Thompson Falls on October 30, 2010. The crowd was FANtastic! Chants of "WE BELIEVE in you!" echoed through the gymnasium as the girls rallied in the fifth game to win the match. Seeing players, coaches and parents in tears of joy was moving to say the least!

Mission earned the championship and St. Ignatius deserves the title. The fire department and parents met the volleyball team bus at the top of Ravalli Hill. With sirens and horns honking, the team was escorted as "winners" by the two fire trucks and approximately 30 vehicles at 10:45 PM into town and to the school parking lot. The Mission Cenex sign above the station read: LADY DAWGS DISTRICT CHAMPS! I will say it again as I have in other posts: there is something special taking place in St. Ignatius.

Well done everyone! Girls: we are proud of you! Coaches: well done! Managers: You make a difference! Parents: you have a lot to be proud of. Grandparents: thanks for your cheer-leading during the games! Community: your support was outstanding! Teachers and Staff: This is HCA Baby! Your support is the difference! Student-body: we had the largest traveling crowd of the schools represented.

Mission Possible is just begun!

Bear Encounters

I knew there were going to be a lot of new experiences and challenges when I moved my family to St. Ignatius, but I didn't count on having bears being a part of it. I was amused to say the least to see a Fish and Wildlife bear trap located behind the District Office here in Mission (see photo). It seems that there has been bear activity in and around neighborhood trash receptacles. Bear scat along school sidewalks as well as student encounters with a bears during the evening hours on the edge of campus.

The "Wildlife" here in Mission is definitely intriguing, amusing, as well as alarming. You don't have to drive to the National Bison Range, or Glacier National Park to encounter bears. Living in and around Mission, bears are some-what common. My family and I had such an encounter (see the bear photo above) last Friday evening not more than a couple miles from home. I was later told the bear was trapped and relocated. I can't say I didn't enjoy seeing the bear, but when I see a bear trap not more than a hundred yards from the front doors of our elementary school, I am a little alarmed and want to take precautions and share some information on bear awareness.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has some very good information on living in bear country. According to the website:

Nine times out of ten, bears that repeatedly get into attractants around our homes are eventually euthanized. Please help save Montana bears from this needless outcome by learning some tips to help keep your residence bear-friendly.

• Do not put out salt licks, grain, or deer blocks to attract wild animals as these create areas of concentrated animal scent that will then draw in bears and mountain lions.
• Use native plant landscaping whenever possible. Be aware that a watered lawn with lush grass, clover, and dandelions is an attractive feeding site for bears.
• Close all windows when not at home or when cooking.
• Talk to your children about bears and how to avoid them.
• Have a plan in case a bear comes inside your home and keep bear pepper spray handy. Give a bear that is in your home an escape route by propping all doors open with something heavy that will act as a doorstop.
• Never approach a bear in your yard, always give bears an escape route and never crowd or harass a bear.

For more information you can go to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website and learn about bear attractants, how to tell if your residence is bear-friendly, and some bear aware tools to help keep bears wild.

Maybe my alarmed reaction and this response is due to the fact that I am not use to this type of issue (bear activity around school and children). It is certainly possible that the St. Ignatius staff and students find bear encounters to be common, but non-the-less, its better to be safe...right?! Other than this "heads-up" blog post, the district will instruct staff on bear encounter response and an overview on the use of bear pepper spray that will be located in strategic locations on campus only accessible by staff and not students. We will also encourage bear awareness to be shared and discussed with students at the appropriate developmental levels.

Facility Use

At the October 19, 2010 board meeting, the Board approved an Administrative Execution for St Ignatius School District #28 Board Policy 4010 Facility Use Agreement. The execution is simply a facility use agreement between the school district and those wishing to utilize its facilities. You may pick up a Facility Use Agreement at the District Office for all facility requests or you may down load it on line from our District website.

We ask that individuals filling out the form be specific in the facilities requested; for example: identify the multipurpose room, stage, elementary gym or kitchen not just the cafetorium or cafeteria as it is possible that multiple events can be taking place in those areas. Please note: Facilities include all buildings, elementary through high school (including classrooms), as well as all grounds (softball field, football field, track, football practice 1, football practice 2 and football practice 3). Turn all requests in to the Superintendent’s Office for approval by email or fax (406-745-4421). The District would like at least one week prior notice of the intended use.

The Facility Use Calendar is available on the school web page. You can visit this link to see an update schedule of current facility use as well as future planning. Please note, that if an event is not on this calendar, the district probably isn't aware of it happening within our facilities.

For more information, read the Administrative Execution and Policy posted on the St. Ignatius web site for a better understanding of prioritization and use of school facilities.

Bullying In Our School

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by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

With the amount of time spent on the concept of Home Court Advantage (safety, support & belonging) I would like to think bullying does not take place in our school; but according to a new student study released this week, over half of all high school students admit to bullying someone in the past year and more than half said they have been a victim of bullying. Granted we have a great school with exceptional kids, but that doesn't exempt them from being normal.

After researching the types of issues that are affiliated with bullying, I believe our system needs to take a bold stand in addressing this behavior. Current school policy 3005 Harassment, Intimidation, Hazing and Bullying of Students Prohibited provides a definition:

Harassment, intimidation, or bullying means any act that substantially interferes with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, that takes place on or immediately adjacent to school grounds, at any school-sponsored activity, on school-provided transportation, or at any official school bus stop, and that has the effect of:

· physically harming a student or damaging a student’s property;

· knowingly placing a student in reasonable fear of physical harm to the student or damage to the student’s property; or

· creating a hostile educational environment.

The Policy goes on to say there are many forms of bullying; however, it doesn't clearly define all forms such as indirect bullying. Indirect bullying is more difficult to identify; therefore, I would like to share an additional definition of bullying that exemplifies the broader concept.

The National School Safety Center defines bullying in the following:

Bullying is a form of violence that hurts others. School bullying happens at school or during school-sponsored activities when a student or group of students intentionally and repeatedly uses their power to hurt other individuals or groups. Bullies’ power can come from their physical strength, age, financial status, popularity, social status, technology skills, or by association (the people they know, who they hang out with, who their family is).

What do bullies do?

They can bully in direct ways, such as: • hitting, tripping, shoving, pinching, excessive tickling; • verbal threats, name calling, racial slurs, insults; • demanding money, property, service; and • stabbing, choking, burning and shooting.

They can also bully in indirect ways, such as: • rejecting, excluding, isolating; • ranking or rating, humiliating; • manipulating friends and relationships;
• writing hurtful or threatening e-mails and postings on web sites; and • blackmailing, terrorizing, and proposing dangerous dares.

Do boys and girls bully in different ways?

Traditionally, boys tended to bully in direct and physical ways, and girls tended to bully in emotional or indirect ways. However, influences, such as media, technology and new forms of social power, are beginning to blur the gender lines.

Other things to know about bullying:

• Some students are bullies; others are targets of bullying. • A student can be both a target and a bully at the same time. • Some students are bystanders; bystanders can be either passive or active. • Some acts of bullying at school can result in suspension and/or expulsion. • Bullying breaks the law when it becomes stealing, assault and battery, extortion, sexual harassment, hate crimes and other criminal acts. • Administrators, teachers, school staff, students and parents must accept the responsibility to recognize, report and/or intervene with bullying when it occurs. • Bullying that goes unchecked tends to escalate into more serious forms of bullying or even criminal behavior.

Direct bullying doesn't seem to be as prevalent as indirect bullying in this day and age; however, both are wrong and need to be addressed. Being sneaky and cleaver will no longer excuse the consequences of bullying behavior. Bullying hurts others. Here at Mission, we will soon provide professional development opportunities to help staff identify both direct and indirect bullying. We will put bullying on our school and staff's radar to provide the safety, support and belonging every child deserves. If you would like to learn more about bullying go to the Bullying Fact Sheet Series provided by the National School Safety Center.

For additional resources, here are some books to consider: Odd Girl Out, The hidden aggression in girls by Rachel Simmons; Bullying in Secondary Schools, What it looks like and how to manage it by Keith Sullivan, Mark Cleary & Ginny Sullivan. These are just two of many books available. Helping children overcome the obstacles of bullying goes beyond the school. As the educational institution in St. Ignatius, we want to do everything possible to stop bullying and help our students overcome these realities of childhood and adolescence.

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