Community Showcase - TONIGHT!

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Mission Community Mobilization

By Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

As a school administrator, I have had the privilege of building school tracks, schools, pools as well as additions and major renovations, but nothing is as exciting as the celebration of new playground equipment. Mission elementary students could not wait to experience what was in store out on the playground. They have worked hard to earn the necessary funds to help make this happen. What they couldn't earn they showed thanks for at the Mission Playground Possible assembly.

The assembly started by tracing the project from beginning to end. Many of the donors were recognized and several were able to attend

• Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation: Jack Gilbraith
• Blackfoot Telephone: Jim Blush
• Plum Creek Foundation: Rebecca Hendrix
• St. Ignatius PTO: Mary Leishman
• Indian Education Committee: Terry Durglo and Dana Hewankorn
• Recreation Brand: Jeremy Winters

In addition to the large donors that attended, we recognized all other contributions and donors as well. Students enthusiastically applauded each donor and contribution. The students showed the same love that was given with their applause. It was a proud day to be a Bulldog. After the assembly and the celebration concluded the playground was unlocked for student access.

I was so moved by the number of elementary students that came up to me and said "thank you." From kindergarten to the fifth grade, our kids know how to be grateful. In many cases it was a hug and then off to the new playground equipment. After seeing how much they enjoyed the new equipment, it only made me wish we could have gotten it to them even sooner.

This project has been a community project. Everyone has worked hard to earn the money and support needed to gain the needed attentions of larger donor organizations. Our community was determined to make this project happen. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. We had walk-a-thons, pennies for playground, Tupperware sales, silent auctions, pizza sales, pathways for playgrounds and GoFundMe websites in order to earn the money needed to get the flywheel moving. Once it got started, the momentum has continued into the next playground equipment project in the upper playground. We have already collected over $13,200. Another $24,000 and we will have the funds to apply to another matching grant and install our next playground structure.

So many have done so much. As a collective whole, Mission answered the call of our students' needs. This project will serve as a template to follow for mobilizing a community. Mission is a great example of community mobilization.  Now...lets go out an get another $24,000 for the upper playground.

See the Missoulian for their coverage of the Mission Playground "Made" Possible assembly.

Mission Playground Made Possible

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Newly installed playground equipment. Photo by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

It has been almost five years since the "Playground Committee" began it quest to purchase much needed playground equipment for our elementary students. Since that time the Committee has gone through a number of changes. From Committee members to playground designs, the changes did not stop the enthusiasm and passion needed to make this mission possible. Our community raised over $34,000 along with a $25,000 matching grant in order to make this quest a reality.

Mission Community Mobilization  Photo by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

In addition to the $59,000 equipment. The "Installation Crew" saved $10,000 through their efforts to assemble and install the equipment. The community effort has been nothing short of amazing. This project has brought the very best out of our community. People have stepped up in so many ways to make Mission Playground Possible a reality. All of these efforts have resulted in a piece of equipment that speaks volumes about the love that Mission has for its youth.

Mission Community Mobilization can be detailed on the Mission Possible Playground GoFundMe site.

Brandon Gilleard heads up the "Installation Crew." Photo by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Brandon Gilleard, Rich Ferris, Rod Arlint, Steve McCollum and Chris Heffern begin installing the equipment. Photo by Brenda Arlint.

More photos available: CLICK "READ MORE"

Holiday Spectacular Decks the Halls of Mission

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

The middle school and high school bands and choir decked the halls for the holiday season with their performances last Tuesday evening. Director Kendal Anderson did an outstanding job preparing the students for this celebration. There were bitter-sweet moments when Anderson talked about her accompanist, Lindsay Johnson. Johnson has been her accompanist since she was in fourth grade. Lindsay is a senior this year and will be greatly missed next year.

As for the band and choir performances, they were AWESOME! The kids did a great job. It is always spectacular to see the holiday spirit get such a boost from our youth.

The High School Choir singing "A Christmas Trilogy."

Lindsay Johnson performing her piano solo "The Meadow."

Please click "Read More" to see an additional 100 photos of the holiday spectacular performed by the middle and high school.

Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Do you want to build a snowman? As tempting as that may seem, you didn't even have to go outside to embrace the winter holidays. The St. Ignatius Elementary students brought all of the spender of the North Pole right here to Mission. There were snowmen, reindeer, elves, life-size toys, snowflakes, solders, ballerinas, and last, but not in the least, Santa Claus. All of this and much more in a one hour musical production. It was AWESOME!

I couldn't help but enjoy our kids. They were having so much fun and doing a great job presenting The North Pole musical.
 
To see MORE PHOTOGRAPHS of the concert, click on the blue link below "Read More." There are over 130 photos of the concert in the connected link.

Warning: after viewing the photos, you may just want to build a snowman!

Okay...bye!

(click the blue link called "Read More" below)

The Season Is Upon Us

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Tis the season... basketball kicked off the 2014-2015 season here at home with the girls teams playing in the Mission Tournament. To see more opening weekend photos click "READ MORE" located below the Winter Sports Schedule.

If you are missing the extra curricular action in wrestling or basketball see the Winter Sports Schedule for the next game or match.

 

Click the "Read More" link below to see girls basketball action photos:

Administration Team Presents to the Salish Kootenai Tribal Council

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Superintendent Lewandowski and the district administrative team presenting to the CSKT Council. Photo by Penny Kipp

The St. Ignatius Administration Team presented its annual report on Indian Policies and Procedures as well as data outcomes for the district on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 to the Salish Koontenia Tribal Council. Superintendent Bob Lewandowski, Elementary Principal Tammy Demien, Middle School Principal Dan Durglo, High School Principal Jason Sargent, Technology Director Matt Lyon, District Clerk Adam Hawkaluk and District Test Cordinator Susan Weaselhead presented data outcomes for 2013-2014 school year.


As Superintendent, this has been a pleasant task. With the learning success in the district, it is hard not to see our growth as anything but an opportunity to celebrate this school district's success. Our American Indian scores are especially impressive. The progress made in four years received praise from the Council. They take note of the work being done here at Mission and want to collaborate as much as possible. In their response to the presentation, you could see that they care about people, not just tribal students, but all students and families alike.  It is partnerships like this that make St. Ignatius School District #28 MISSION POSSIBLE.

THANK YOU CORNERSTONE PIZZA!

 by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

 Special thanks from all of the kids here at Mission Schools to Cornerstone Pizza and their "Pizza Making Crew." Lynn Lapka and Craig Waldron presented a check for $3,404.00 in pizza sales along with $338.26 in donations to me on March 21, 2014 following a long day of hard work raising money for Mission Possible Playground. That is a lot of Pizza!

I can't begin to express how much it means to our kids. The people at the Cornerstone Faith Center really made a difference.

Thank you for raising $3,742.26 for our playground equipment initiative. Even more important, thank you for mobilizing our community for our kids!

Lynn Lapka and Craig Waldron presenting a check from Cornerstone Pizza

2014-2015 School Calendar Survey

The St. Ignatius School District #28 Calendar Committee would like to invite all of its stakeholders/constituents to to provide feedback on four different calendars for the 2014-2015 school year. 

NOTE: We are utilizing several collectors to categorize responses: Social Media (Facebook); Website (stignatiusschools.org); and Email. The most reliable is Email, followed by Website (one response per IP address) and then the Social Media (open forum response). If you would like to participate in other forums, to maximize your voice, please email the district at info@stignatiusschools.org. 

THIS SURVEY WILL CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT APRIL 10, 2014.

To take the Survey click on the collector below.

WEBSITE Collector 2014-2015 CALENDAR SURVEY 

PIZZA FOR PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT

Don't miss the opportunity to support our playground equipment needs and eat pizza at the same time. This coming FRIDAY, March 21, 2014 from 11:00 AM until 8:00 PM Cornerstone Pizza will be donating 100% of the cost and profits of all of it's menu items to MISSION POSSIBLE PLAYGROUND!

Technology Director, Matt Lyon and I were able to get the Cornerstone management in to do our first Pod Cast here at St. Ignatius. I talked both Matt and Lynn into being the star presenters of the cast and well...click on the icon below to find out more information about this important initiative.

BUY A PIZZA, BUILD A PLAYGROUND!

2014-2015 CALENDAR MEETING

by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

I would like to invite all of our constituents and stakeholders to the 2014-2015 Calendar Meeting on Thursday, March 6 at 5:30 PM in the Multipurpose Room (cafeteria).  If you are not able to attend the first meeting, please review the schedule below for the 2014-2015 School Calendar adoption.

• March 6, 2014 (5:30 PM in the Multipurpose Room) - Initial Meeting

• March 20, 2014 (5:30 PM in the Multipurpose Room) - Finalize Options

• April 4, 2014 - Survey Parents, Students, Faculty, Staff (mail, Survey Monkey, web collector)

• April 10, 2014 (5:30 PM in the Multipurpose Room) - Review Survey Results

• April 15, 2014 (7:00 PM at the April Board Meeting) - Present Recommendations

See you there,

Bob Lewandowski

Community Breakfast Presentation

Learn more about our school district and join us on the first Monday of every month (September through May) for a free breakfast. Breakfast is served at 7:30 AM until 8:30 AM. Its a great way to get involved with our community and your school. Play the video to find out more.

Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski  

Missoula Youth Orchestra Performs for Grades 3-8

 by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

Musical Director Kirk Easter of the Missoula Youth Orchestra 6-8 , son of our District Clerk Neil Easter, brought the Spirit of the Season to our community with music performed in the St. Ignatius Mission. Grades three through eight attended the performance.

Special thanks to Kirk Easter and the Missoula Youth Orchestra 6-8 for sharing with our community.

Board Agendas Now Available on Line

 by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

 Even though the School District has been paperless for the past three years, it is leveraging the power of the Internet to radically improve the governance process while saving time, taxpayer dollars and the environment. This new eGovernance initiative is a remarkably powerful, easy-to-use solution that enables the District to maximize the effectiveness of board meetings with increased transparency, providing a basis for better and more open communication with the public, while dramatically increasing productivity and saving thousands of dollars annually.

The paperless meeting solution is a 100% Web-based service. By making meeting agendas and supporting documents available on the Internet, St. Ignatius Schools will be able distribute documents associated with board meetings more quickly and efficiently, at a dramatically reduced cost to the organization.

Electronic distribution will not only save time and resources, but it will also provide unprecedented public access via the St. Ignatius School’s Web site to agenda items and other governing body-related information. This process will allow interested parties to review information prior to board meetings. All documents associated with the meeting are automatically archived and can be accessed by meeting date or by using the system’s comprehensive search feature.

The new eGovernance features can be accessed via the District’s Web site at http://web.stignatiusschools.org/ under the “School Board” tab, or for direct access to the District’s Board Agendas go to: http://www.boarddocs.com/mt/sisd28/Board.nsf/vpublic?open.

We hope you find this new tool useful and informative.

INDIAN EDUCATION REPORT 2013

 by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

 On December 5, 2013 the Administrative Team presented the Mission Indian Education Report to the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribal Council. The report was well received by the Council. The following video outlines the content presented. Please share and enjoy!

Christmas and Holiday Wishes

We wish you and yours a blessed Christmas and happy New Year!

 by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

 The St. Ignatius Administrative Team (Front row, left to right): Administrative Assistant RaSena Christopher, District Clerk Neil Easter, Elementary Principal Tammy Demien; (Second row): High School Principal Jason Sargent, Maintenance Director Steve McCollum, Assistant Clerk Adam Hawkaluk, Superintendent Bob Lewandowski; (Back row): Middle School Principal Dan Durglo, Activity Director Rich Ferris and Technology Director Matt Lyon.

Break begins on Friday, December 20, 2013  at 2:15 PM

School Resumes on January 6, 2014 at its regular times.

WINTER SPORTS PROMOTIONAL POSTERS

I worked with Activity Director Rich Ferris to developed a Winter Sports Calendar for Wrestling, Boys & Girls Basketball. We were very fortunate to have a number of community businesses and members support our teams and purchase posters to put up in their establishments. The proceeds will be used to off-set unforeseen costs like the new track program here at Mission.

I would like to thank all of those that pitched in to help make this endeavor successful. It is great exposure for our senior athletes as well as our school and community. Now lets get our fans to sequel this effort and come out and support our kids. See the schedules for times and dates.

COMMUNITY BREAKFAST MONDAY

 by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 

 Get ready and buckle up for the monthly Community Breakfast on Monday, October 7, 2013 starting at 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM. 

This is our monthly opportunity to communicate with students, parents and the community at large about Mission Schools. 

Topics of discussion vary from District and School Improvement Goals, Initiatives, Friday Night activities, supplemental education programs to Title services and budgets.  Our slide and video presentations showcase Mission students and community. We INVITE YOU to join us and be a part of MISSION POSSIBLE!

See you Monday over a cup of Coffee and hot breakfast (biscuits & gravy)!

NORMAN ROCKWELL MOMENT: Mission middle school student making some final adjustments before the snap of the ball.

Culture Awareness Day

Ken McClure

 by Superintendent Robert "Bob" Lewandowski 
 
Every year the district plays host to Culture Awareness Day. Students are able to attend a variety of culture sessions to expand their understanding of the world beyond the school itself. It is a great opportunity for our students to learn more about others and themselves. The day always ends in a "Spring Pow wow" held in the gymnasium. This year the district honored Ken McClure. 

For those of you that aren't familiar with a "pow wow" (according to Wikipedia): A pow-wow (also powwow or pow wow) is a gathering of North America's Native people.  A modern pow-wow is a specific type of event where both Native American/First Nations and non-Native American/First Nations people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor Native American/First Nations culture. There is generally a dancing competition, often with significant prize money awarded. Pow-wows vary in length from one day session of five to six hours to three days. Major pow-wow or pow-wows called for a special occasion can be up to one week long.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS

STRATEGIC PLANNING: Mega Issues Reviewed

Mega issues are issues of strategic importance, which represent choices the school district will need to make in defining the ultimate direction of its long-range plan. These issues represent potential impediments to achievement of the Envisioned Future, and form a basis for dialogue about the choices facing the school district. These questions can serve as an ongoing "menu" of strategic issues that, using a knowledge-based approach in gathering insights relative to St. Ignatius Public Schools’ strategic position and directional choices for each of the issues, can be used by the Board to create regular opportunities for strategic dialogue about the future issues facing the school district.

Note: The mega-issue questions are not necessarily arranged in priority order. 

v Mega-Issue Questions for consideration by the District:

• How can we effectively engage the support of the community to enhance parental support of the educational system and subsequently improve student outcomes?

• How can we broaden the awareness to all employees of the District the importance of delivering a consistent, high quality education to the students regardless of background or capabilities?

• What can we do to encourage and support at-risk students to become fully engaged in (completing) their educational program?

• How do we instill the value of education?

• What can we do to decrease the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATODs)?

• As a district, what do we need to do to stay in front of the continued advancements in technology and science as it pertains to the culture of our students?

• How do we adjust with the possible sequestering of federal funding?

• MEGA ISSUES: Reviewed and updated on February 26, 2013.

Knowledge-Based Decision Making Questions

The Board should prioritize the above-referenced mega issues and decide which of these issues require immediate attention on the part of the Board.  Once the identified mega-issues are prioritized, the Board will set aside time at scheduled meetings to analyze a particular mega issue. At such meetings, the Board's primary focus will be on the mega-issue at hand.  All other business (routine or otherwise) will be conducted at the end of the meeting once the dialogue and deliberation on the mega-issue has been concluded for that meeting.  When analyzing mega issues, the Board will utilize a knowledge-based decision making process.  This will keep the focus of the Board on relevant factors to consider as it develops strategies to overcome particular impediments/barriers that may impact the Board's strategic direction.  The Board will analyze mega-issues by answering the following questions:

1.              What do we know about the wants, needs and preferences of our constituents that are relevant to this decision?

2.              What do we know about the current realities and evolving dynamics facing our constituents/community that is relevant to this decision?

3.              What do we know about the capacity/strategic position of our school district that is relevant to this decision?

4.              What are the ethical implications of our choices?