Fairfield Public Schools

FYI - Starting on Monday, February 19, we will be consolidating the 5 bus routes we have down to 4. Most of our riders will not be affected, but some will be riding on a different bus with a different driver. If your student(s) will be affected, the drivers will contact you before then to keep everyone updated. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at the school or via email at pwilson@fairfield.k12.mt.us.

Local Robotic Prodigy Robyn Mathison, a Member of Sun River Valley Robotics Club, Earns Dean's List Semifinalist Recognition at Montana's FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship Sun River, MT – [2/4/2024] Sun River Valley Robotics is delighted to announce the outstanding achievement of Robyn Mathison, a junior at Fairfield High School and a proud member of the Sun River Valley Robotics Club. Robyn has been recognized as one of two Dean's List Semifinalists at the Montana FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship, held in Bozeman on February 2, 2024. Robyn is an integral part of Sun River Valley Robotics Team #724, known as "ReDNeK Robotics Wun," and her exceptional skills and leadership have played a crucial role in the team's success at the state championship. The FIRST Tech Challenge is a highly regarded competition that challenges students to design, build, and program robots to tackle various tasks, fostering a passion for STEM fields. Chuck Merja, mentor of ReDNeK Robotics Wun, expressed his pride in Robyn's accomplishments: "Robyn's dedication and enthusiasm for all things STEAM have been truly inspiring. Her leadership on Team #724 has been instrumental in our success, and I am thrilled to see her recognized as a Dean's List Semifinalist. This achievement is a testament to her commitment to excellence and her ability to inspire her teammates and broader community." As a Dean's List Semifinalist, Robyn Mathison will progress to the next phase of the competition, where she will have the opportunity to further showcase her leadership qualities and passion for STEM education. "We are incredibly proud of Robyn and her accomplishments. Sun River Valley Robotics is not only a club but a community that encourages students to excel in STEAM, and Robyn embodies the spirit of our organization," said Merja. "We extend our congratulations to Robyn and wish her continued success in her robotics journey." For more information about Sun River Valley Robotics and Team #724, please contact: Chuck Merja chuckm@3rivers.net 406-799-5955

January 24, 2024 RE: Infinite Campus Fees and Parent Portal Parents, the portal is incorrectly showing “Due” amounts or “Prior Year Due” amounts. You do not owe these amounts. The only amount that you would owe is what you have selected and put in your “Cart”. We are working with Infinite Campus to correct this issue, so until then, be assured that you do not owe for any fees that you have not put in your Cart. Due to a programming issue within Infinite Campus, we have to set our fee schedules so that it hits All students, even though all fees are not applicable to all students. This is the issue we are working on with Infinite Campus to correct. We will keep you updated on our progress, thank you for understanding. Sincerely, Fairfield School District 21

Dear Fairfield Parents and Community, We were made aware this morning that school officials across the state received threatening messages. These messages were not targeted at Fairfield Schools or specific districts. We have been in contact with local, state, and federal law enforcement on this issue and will take measures as a precaution, but we do not believe there is any abnormal threat to our school. We have had the school facility searched by local law enforcement and at this time we are planning on having school as normal today with all necessary precautions in place. Superintendent Dustin Gordon

JH Volleyball practice is canceled for today (1/11) and tomorrow (1/12. Also, due to several factors, the jamboree scheduled for Saturday has been canceled.

Extracurricular Information / Update... Due to the extreme cold, there are changes to the HS Basketball and JH Volleyball. Friday HS Basketball in RB: C Game has been cancelled. Start time has been moved up to 12pm to get teams home by early evening. We will be sending 2 buses for safety and they will travel together. Saturday in Shelby Forecast temps rise all day. No C games. Start time is 1pm again getting teams home early evening. 2 buses for safety. JH Volleyball Saturday has been cancelled. We will continue to monitor the weather and cold, which could potentially result in a cancellation. We will update through various media with any changes. Thank you,

Thursday, January 11th- 2:30 RELAESE. NO FLY Friday, January 12th - NO SCHOOL . STAFF PIR DAY Monday, January 15th - REPORT CARDS SENT HOME

The JH ski trip is scheduled for Wednesday (1/10). I spoke with Showdown last week, and they said they have plenty of snow for our group to come. Temperatures are supposed to be a little on the cold side so make sure your child has layers of warm clothes to put on if needed. Attached is a copy of the letter that went home with the JH students who were in school today. If you have any questions, please contact me at school or via email. Mr. Wilson

Girls' Basketball Postponed: Due to facility issues in Browning, the sub-varsity girls' game scheduled in Browning at 4:15 pm has been POSTPONED to a later date. We will update everyone when we have a new date & time. The boys' games in Fairfield are still on for tonight in Fairfield. The C Squad game starts at 4:00, and the JV game will start 15 minutes after the conclusion of the C game.

Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy our Holiday Music Program last night., and a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Shelby Giles and the elementary staff for making it such a success. We hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday break and have a chance to relax and spend time with friends and family until we all get back to school on January 2nd.

POSITION OPENING The Fairfield School is accepting applications for Part Time: ASSISTANT COOK position. Wages are DOE The District is always looking for applications for the following positions: • Activity Trip Bus Drivers • Substitute: Teachers, Kitchen Staff, and Bus Drivers Applications can be found online at: www.fairfield.k12.mt.us under the "Employment" Tab. Or, you can contact the school office at 467-2528 during regular business hours. Denise Grant - Business Manager Dustin Gordon - Superintendent Fairfield is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Wages and Salaries are DOE

SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION Second Semester Scholarships will be available for pick up starting January 2nd at the High School Office. You will need to have your unofficial transcript for enrollment and academic standing. Thank you,

FFA Christmas tree sales update: This is the final week of Christmas tree sales for the FFA. They will be selling trees all week from 5:00-7:00 pm in the shop. All trees will be sold for $20. Stop by the shop this week or get in touch with John Park at (406) 590-3478 if you still need a tree.

DECEMBER UPDATES HOLIDAY SHOP: DEC 13 - 15 Wednesday - Friday 7:30-8:10 Wednesday-Thursday 11:20-12:20 & 3:30-4:30 Friday - 11:10-12:05 & 2:30-3:30 For any questions please contact Kim Lattin at 406-750-7584 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM 5-12TH PROGRAM - TUESDAY, DEC 12TH – 6:30 PM **STUDENTS NEED TO BE AT SCHOOL AT 6:00 EK-6TH PROGRAM - WEDNESDAY, DEC 20TH – 6:00 PM **STUDENTS NEED TO BE AT THE SCHOOL AT 5:45 REMINDER: THE WEATHER CAN CHANGE AT ANY MOMENT. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD HAS THE PROPER OUTDOOR ATTIRE. THE STUDENTS WILL HAVE INSIDE RECESS IF THE WINDCHILL IS 0 DEGREE OR BELOW. CHRISTMAS VACATION EARLY OUT: 11:57 A.M. THURSDAY, DEC 21st NO SCHOOL FRIDAY, DEC 22ND - WED, JAN 1ST SCHOOL RESUMES: TUESDAY, JANUARY 2ND

Our Fairfield FFA chapter is selling Christmas trees again this year. The cost is $5/foot. Stop by the high school shop any weekdays from 3:45-7:00 pm. You can also call Mr. John Park at (406) 590-3478 for more information.

Junior High Volleyball: There will be a quick sign-up meeting for JH Volleyball girls (grades 6-8) on Thursday, November 30 at 3:30 in Mrs. Beck's classroom (upstairs) in the high school. If you are unable to stop in to get signed up, please make sure to have a friend get you signed up or contact Mrs. Beck at cbeck@fairfield.k12.mt.us.

Driver's Education Update: If you would like your child to take Driver's Ed in Fairfield, make sure to contact Mr. Brown at cbrown@fairfield.k12.mt.us. before Christmas break. Classes will start on Wednesday, January 3rd at 3:35 pm in Mr. Brown's classroom. There will be a parent meeting that night at the conclusion of class at 7:00 pm. In order to participate, students must be 14 years old before November 30. There is also a signup sheet on the counter in front of the high school office.

Fairfield District Employees, I would like to thank all of you, not only for doing your jobs so well, but also for doing your job safely. Because of your attention to detail and for your diligence about being safe, the Fairfield District has received the honor of receiving MSGIA's Excellence in Workplace Safety Award! For those who do not know, MSGIA provides our Building/Liability coverage as well as our Workman's Comp. There are several departments who participate annually in their safety training including maintenance, athletics and others. I know you all get excited and definitely read the email "Safety Reminders" I send out 😉, but even if you just glance through them, I appreciate your attention to some of these items, particularly for trips, slips and falls along with supervision. Thank you for acknowledging the preventative measures we reference in regular staff meetings and for being comfortable bringing potential problems to our attention. The award goes to the school who meets several criteria. We were recognized for almost no claims for 3 years, for the added security measures the school has implemented, the increased effort for supervision and for being ahead in cyber security (including everyone's willingness to use two step authentication). All of this has been documented and we have now been recognized state wide for those efforts... Congratulations! Link to MSGIA Website and Article about Fairfield School: https://www.msgia.org/home

There will be a parent meeting for all students participating in High School wrestling on Tuesday, November 7th at 6:00 pm in the elementary tech room. If your child is planning to participate in high school wrestling this year, you need to attend this meeting. Please contact Coach May with any questions.

The Fairfield High School is hosting the HS District 1B Volleyball tournament this year. School will be released at 2:30 on Thursday, October 26th and 12:00 on Friday, October 27th. GO EAGLES!!!!