Viking View

Tis the Season! Thank you to parents and local citizens for the assistance with finding student’s appropriate winter clothes, helping pay for participation fees, and helping with breakfast/lunch fees. Our families really appreciate it!

Shot Clock: We had a rehearsal for several volunteers to learn about running the shot clock last week. We could still use more help with either running the score clock or the shot clock. Our first home basketball games begin Dec. 17. If you can help us out during JV and Varsity games with running the shot clock, score clock, scorebooks, or ticket taking please contact Lorri O’Neill at [email protected].

Communication and Information: Winston Churchill once said, “A lie gets halfway round the world before the truth gets it pants on.” Rumors are part of life but recently there have been some real doozies floating around the school. For example, there was a rumor that $50,000 had been donated to buy a Ford Expedition. That is false. There was no donation of $50,000 for any reason to the school. The truth is that a Ford Expedition was purchased as a Type E School Bus and the money came from the Bus Reserve Fund. Type E school buses are relatively new to the state. They were approved by OPI and the legislature several years ago. More and more schools are using them to transport students as well as being used as vehicles for school personnel. They fall under the same qualifications as yellow school buses with running school bus routes. The exception is that the driver does not have to hold a CDL. The driver does have to pass a DOT physical in order for the school to claim reimbursement for the route it runs. Type E buses are a great tool these days in student transportation. The one flaw is that they cannot carry as many passengers but we are trying to do multiple things to keep our bus routes running. With driver shortages, increased fuel costs, and dropping enrollment it is challenging. If you have questions about the Type E bus please contact the office 406-644-2206 ext 303 for Sara Vaughan and ext 230 for Mr. Love.

There are plenty of rumors about school safety too. At Charlo, when there is knowledge of a threat involving safety at school, it is investigated immediately. We have 2 Administrators, a School Resource Officer, a School Counselor, and any affected school staff actively address it. We work with Youth Court Services as well as Child Protective Services at times. We also meet and coordinate with local EMS services. The process involves interviews, searches, threat assessments, and safety plans. The process may result in referrals to law enforcement, referrals to mental health services, and referrals for counseling. Sometimes it’s a false alarm. Sometimes the situation leads to suspensions and school board hearings to review further actions such as expulsion. The process takes into account as much information as possible from all viewpoints. Sometimes there is a reasonable explanation. Sometimes it is extremely complicated. No matter what, accusations/threats are not taken lightly. At the least, 4 staff members are involved with reviewing the case. If it reaches the level of a school board hearing that means no less than 12 school personnel are involved in figuring out a solution. That’s a lot of objective, intelligent folks working to find a solution. Everyone working on these situations want a safe and fair resolution for all staff and students. If you have any questions about the process please do not hesitate to contact the office 406-644-2206 ext 301 for Mr. Bartschi and ext 230 for Mr. Love.

Regular Monthly School Board Meeting has been moved: December’s monthly school board meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 7 PM rather than Dec. 20.

Reporting Absences: Charlo is blessed with the world’s best secretary and most of you know that. Please respect her personal time and personal phone by calling the school when reporting a student absence rather than texting, messaging, or calling her on her private cell phone. Imagine if you were out sick or were taking a day off for family getaway but still getting calls and texts about work all day. It happens all too often so please respect the personal time of all our employees. The correct way to report an absent student is to call the office at 406-644-2206 and follow the voicemail menu. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Electronic Payments: We have the electronic payments for meals up and running through Infinite Campus. Parents are already taking advantage of it. You will need a login for Infinite Campus. If you do not please contact the office or check out the website for instructions. At this time only payments for meals are accepted. Once the glitches are worked out then we will hopefully add the capability of paying for other fees such as participation and year books.

Junior High Girls BB: Practice for JHGB will start Dec.19. Their first game is Jan. 14. Please be sure to have your physicals and concussion forms completed and signed. Athletes cannot practice without a physical and concussion form.

Contact Information: Please notify the school if your phone number changes! Please set up voicemail on your phone! We have too many parents/guardians that we cannot communicate with via phone. Call 644-2206 if you have changes or questions.

Winter Weather: Temperatures are dropping so please make sure to send warm clothes to school with your kids. Boots, hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves are great items to keep warm.

BUSY MONTH! December is a busy month and there might be schedule changes so please keep track of the calendar on the school website or call the office with any questions!

Calendar