Fairfield Public Schools

Fairfield Football Fans, After recent discussions with the county health department and other schools in 1B, the High School is going to need to alter the procedures and protocols for our H.S. football games starting tomorrow with Cut Bank. The physical distancing at the event will need to be improved for player, spectator and parent safety and to comply with state mandates. Last week, with the number of fans that attended the game, it was difficult to adequately social distance making it necessary to start limiting attendance. At this time, we are asking those of you who are not direct family or students, please watch the live broadcast on NFHS, or find a place away from the field to observe. Only family cohorts may stand or sit together in both the bleachers and perimeter of the field. School, community and county circumstances along with fan cooperation will continue to determine event guidelines. Until further notice the following procedures will be in place: 1. Attendance is limited. 2. Students in Grades 6 - 12 will be allowed to attend. The 6th thru 8th graders will either stay with their parents or sit in the SOUTH END ZONE at ALL times. High School students will need to sit in the NORTH END ZONE at ALL times. 3. We also will allow spectators to drive to the facility, find a space to park and remain in their cars at all times. 4. Special circumstances should be brought to the attention of the Athletic Director for consideration. 5. Everyone in attendance will need to have a mask on at all times, maintain appropriate family unit social distancing (in the stands, on the sideline) and follow directives of the administration when requested. Fairfield Schools understands the inconvenience of this alteration but our primary goal is to ensure that the student athletes are allowed to continue to play the game they love. Please be patient with this change and help support the athletes' continued opportunity to play football. These changes will be re-evaluated as necessary and changed to maintain the best safety standards.

Good morning! I hope this finds you and yours well. I am writing to share a new video. It is the first of ten from a series entitled, Schools Cannot Do It Alone. I will send one a month throughout the year. These videos are informative, entertaining, and inspiring. Each is designed to give you a better understanding of how our schools contribute to the health and well being of our entire community. I know you will enjoy them. This first clip is fourteen minutes long. It provides a review of the challenges we face, old and new. There are no ads. No one is collecting data of any kind. Every day, our staff and Board work hard to prepare the children of our community to thrive and prosper as adults. But as the title of the video series suggests, we cannot succeed without your understanding, trust, and support. And the truth is, we all have a vested interest in increasing student success whether or not we have children in school. Here is the direct link: https://player.vimeo.com/video/445589485 Enjoy and have a great day. Superintendent Gordon

Picture Day order form! NO paper packets this year! https://inter-state.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=86bf98013aa8c9ab0f4f283a9&id=65f7c6671f&e=028fe2a76b

Fairfield Public Schools is happy to announce that spectators, in some restricted manner, will be allowed at home High School Football and Volleyball events. This is exciting news as earlier proposals considered having no spectators in attendance. The school will be staying in line with the District 1-B guidelines on fan attendance. There are small discrepancies between schools based on facility size, indoor vs outdoor etc, however similar general protocols are in place at most of our 1B venues. The attached document will out line the procedures for Fairfield's events. If you have any questions, please contact Mike Schmidt at: mschmidt@fairfield.k12.mt.us or text to: 406.590.2677

1st Day of School Drop Off Each grade will have a section of the football field. EK will be farthest North and grades will move south. There will be a table with a sign and a teacher with a helper for your kiddos. We are asking that each student go to their grade and wait with their teacher and the other students until it is time to enter the building. EK-6 parents please drop off your child(ren) on the east side(visitors) of the football field. If you want to park on the north part of the parking lot so that the busses can turn around that would be great. We may have a pull through as well. Please have everyone wear a mask but feel free to take pictures and give hugs and kisses to your kiddo if you want. Please be brief. If your EK-6 student is riding a bike or walking to school please let them know that they need to go to the football field and find their class and teacher. Breakfast will not be provided on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 to the EK-6 students. If your students ride the bus, they will be dropped off at the football field. If they are a 7-12 student they will be designated doors for them to use to go to their first period class. Parents if you have payments to make, Terria will be out in front of the school with a table to take your paperwork and money. 7-12 Students not riding the bus enter the building: 7-8: Main doors of the Elementary. 9-11: Main doors of the High School. 12: Senior Hallway doors. After school the first day and consecutive days. Students will enter/exit the building: Buses will load and unload more toward the elementary school doors. PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd will use door #1 at the North end of the elementary school. 3rd, 4th and 5th grades will use door #2, midway down the elementary hallway. 6th, 7th and 8th grades will use door #3, by the elementary office. 9th, 10th, 11th grades will use door #7, the main HS doors. 12th grade will enter the building using senior hallway entrance.

Position Openings... Fairfield Schools is now accepting applications for the following positions: 1) Special Needs Paraprofessional fluent in SIGN LANGUAGE. (Full or Part Time Depending) 2) Classroom Paraprofessional & Mental Health/Behavioral Intervention Specialist (Full or Part Time Depending) 3) Building Janitor/Maintenance with flexible hours. (Part Time) 4) Kitchen Helper (Part Time) 5) JH Girls Tennis Coach 6) Substitute Teachers / Substitute Bus Drivers 7) Distance Learning Coordinator. To service 4 or 5 schools in a multi-district agreement. Teaching Degree w/counseling or admin. Experience in Distance Learning Preferable. Applications can be found on the Fairfield website at: www.fairfield.k12.mt.us and are located under the employment pull down. Or you can contact the school business office during regular working hours.

Position Openings... Fairfield Schools is now accepting applications for the following positions: 1) Special Needs Paraprofessional fluent in SIGN LANGUAGE. (Full or Part Time Depending) 2) Classroom Paraprofessional & Mental Health/Behavioral Intervention Specialist (Full or Part Time Depending) 3) Building Janitor/Maintenance with flexible hours. (Part Time) 4) JH Girls Tennis Coach 5) Substitute Teachers / Substitute Bus Drivers Applications can be found on the Fairfield website at: www.fairfield.k12.mt.us and are located under the employment pull down. Or you can contact the school business office during regular working hours.

BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION Fairfield Parents, Students, and Community Members... Fairfield Schools would first like to thank all of you responded to the survey and information provided last week. We appreciate the information as it will help us finalize our planning. We all have the same goal and want the same thing, to give our students a great education. The whole world is working through how to make that happen and there are a lot of questions about the best way to get back into school. There are also a lot of decisions that we do not get to make as well as some that are certain to be questioned that are out of our control. One thing is certain though, we all want to get our kids back in school and do that as safely as possible for everyone in the community. There were 181 responses that represented 258 students. 89.5% of the responses indicated their students would be returning to school on campus this fall. 9.4% were either not sure yet, and/or wanted more information about a distance learning option. 2 responses believe home school is their best option at this time. The feedback gathered was also extremely valuable as we are able to clarify and address some expressed concerns created by conclusions drawn from previous pictures and information. MASKS - Every school and business is getting feedback on wearing masks. 77.9% of the responses didn't feel the state and/or county mask mandates would affect their decision to return to school. There were almost the same number of responses indicating that 1) If masks ARE required, they would not send their students to school... as 2) If masks ARE NOT required, they would not send their students to school. We understand both opinions and have no control over statewide mandate or county health if it happens. Our current position requiring on the bus and in hall passing is in the middle, and subject to change depending on the circumstances. Allowing teachers to decide within their classroom is for their safety and will be determined by class size and other options we have to reduce "transmission" which is different from "exposure." Mask requirement will certainly be age appropriate. STUDENT BARRIERS - This was interesting information and I believe we can make a few of you with concerns about the white ones pictured on our school website/facebook earlier this summer feel a lot better! Schools receive daily information from a variety of expert professional organizations, who are all dedicated to helping us make good decisions for education. The two prevailing options for schools earlier this summer... 1) Split classes and limit to 12 students or less. This would be achieved by creating an A / B schedule splitting days or weeks in half. This would create additional busing, limited curriculum, and a wide variety of major scheduling issues to overcome. And, it was still possible we could get shut down completely regardless. 2) If classes had more than 12 students, barriers could be utilized to limit exposure and create a safer option for students to be in school, which has been our goal since last spring. Options for Barriers (Online Purchase) Cardboard: Approx $4 ea if bought in bulk and cleaning problems. Solid Color Plastic: Approx $8 ea bulk, but not available until ? Clear Plastic: $12 ea and one size fits all, with limited availability. *We found a way to make our own for less than $2 ea and very adaptable to every age level, desk, or table. They are very easy to cut for appropriate size and shape by grade level. The ones pictured earlier this summer are durable plastic, you can clean them easily, and we can make them ourselves very efficiently. Our teachers have been using the cardboard ones for years when students take tests. These new ones will still have a use for every class when the current situation ends. YES, WE DO HAVE CLEAR DIVIDERS We do have a clear divider solution, but had to overcome some obstacles. We regret not getting pictures of those up earlier, but getting the supplies was difficult, and honestly we did not know until the survey that there was such a concern about dividers as our focus has been to get our students in the building and the safety of our staff, even if there might be a little discomfort. Again, cost and availability are factors. Plexiglass has been extremely difficult to get and demand has made it very expensive. The first source having student dividers from plexiglass were available for $89 ea, and might be obsolete in the future. We saw the pictures on social media utilizing clear shower curtains, and again, our maintenance people found a design and invented clips with our 3D printers that made them not only efficient to build, but very adaptable to different size tables and desks. (Little shout out to Brooke and Cassidy for doing a little experimenting of their own! Great team effort!) After finding a supply, we now have enough clear barriers and white barriers to supply every classroom and have done so very efficiently and cost effectively. CLEANING There were some good questions about the short video and the electrostatic sprayers. Those have a complete disinfectant that is "Botanical" and completely safe for people. It is used in schools, motels, public transit, etc. COHORT CLASSES AND SPECIALS We are working this week on scheduling. Recess, PE, Lunch, and music have always been in the schedule, they will just look a little different for a while and will vary by grade level. There is a conscious effort to keep classes together. This does not eliminate exposure, but it does minimize transmission if it happens. There will be student interaction and social development as well as other special classes. DISTANCE LEARNING Now that we have are getting an idea of how many students might need a distance learning option, we are looking a different options. We are even working on a potential solution that would involve a 4 or 5 school shared on-line curriculum and distance learning coordinator due to the limited number of students and wide range of grade levels. There will be more information about this option as we continue to work on it. Again, we appreciate your input on the survey. We will continue to find good solutions to the problems we can control and will keep getting ready for school this fall. Things will undoubtedly continue to change as well and we will do our best to adapt as they come.

Attention Graduates Scholarship checks will be available starting Tuesday, August 4th. You may contact Brenda Evans in the HS office with your appropriate documentation.

Safe School Some of the desk and table student shields. We are doing everything we can to ensure our students have a clean and safe environment this fall.

Privilege to have the Sun River Electric Annual Meeting take place here at the school. Our Mission Statement reads, "In partnership with the community... "

WE ARE…… Eagle Football Fairfield Football Dear Parent/Guardian, 7-6-20 Fairfield football is revered as one of the most tradition rich football programs in the state of Montana. High expectations, effort, commitment and being elite are keys to keeping the Fairfield tradition strong. Competing at a high level in the classroom and on the field go hand in hand for student success. My name is Greg Misner. In June, I was hired as the K-12 Special Education Teacher and Head Football Coach. Currently, my family and I live in Northern Michigan, where we were born and raised. We have strong ties to Montana however. My wife and I have worked, taught and coached in Montana for 10 years when we were first married. I’ve coached high school sports for 18 years and have been a head football coach for 10 years. I had the blessing of playing football collegently for 4 years in Michigan which was a great experience. I received my M.A. degree from Montana State in 2013, so I’m partial to the blue and gold… sorry Griz fans. Working with students and athletes is something I have a deep passion for. I feel life lessons are learned in the classroom and on the athletic field. These experiences translate to life after school. Supporting your student-athlete is my number one concern. Afterall, once an EAGLE, always an EAGLE. I wanted to make you aware of our high school football camp. The camp will be held July, 13th, 14th and 15th from 6-8pm at the football complex. Due to COVID restrictions, we are not inviting other schools to attend this year. Due to these restrictions, the players are responsible for bringing their own water bottles. We are working on getting permission consent forms sent out as well. Thank you for your support during these restrictions. My family and I are excited to become a part of the school and community in Fairfield. If you would like to contact me, please call me at 989-329-8701 or email me at gmisner@fairfield.k12.mt.us. I’m looking forward to a great season, WE ARE… EAGLE FOOTBALL. Respectfully, Greg Misner

FAIRFIELD HS FOOTBALL CAMP HS Football Camp will also start on Monday, July 13th - 15th at 6pm for students going into 9th - 12th Grade. Camp will start at 6pm, be early! Requirements: Your own Water Bottles, shorts, cleats and a desire to get after some football skills. 3 day camp cost: $20 (Checks to Fairfield Youth Football) Coach Meisner Coach Harpster Coach Brown Coach Love

They may be at max capacity, but the Fairfield Youth Football Camp will fire up at 9am Monday Morning. This is forward information from Helen Music Facebook page. LAST MINUTE 2020 FAIRFIELD YOUTH FOOTBALL CAMP (FYF) INFO - PLEASE READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH :) **We are SO excited to see everyone at camp on Monday! One more reminder to PLEASE keep your kiddos home if they aren't feeling well OR if they have been around anyone that is sick and/or tests positive for Covid-19. No one wants FYF camp to be the next covid hot spot! **Once again, if you are AT ALL uncomfortable sending your child to camp next week, please reach out to me and I will be glad to get you your money back, no questions asked! While we still feel comfortable putting camp on and will be taking whatever precautions we can, this is a kids football camp and keeping them 6ft away from each other at all times is simply not possible. **Please plan to arrive a few minutes early on Monday to check in so we can be ready to go by 9am! **Any questions or concerns you can call/text me at (406) 781-4243. **We will have some snacks and Gatorade on the field but obviously cannot be sharing water bottles at this time, so please send one with your child. **Lastly, remember this camp is all about FUN! Looking forward to giving these kids a positive experience amidst a challenging 2020. **Thanks again to the community for helping us make this possible, and a HUGE thanks to the following businesses for their support of the 2020 FYF Camp! 3 Rivers Communications Sun River Electric Coop D&K Ag Supply Montana Valley Irrigation Backcountry Apparel SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEEK!

The School Board Meeting that was to be held on Monday, June 8th has been postponed until Monday, June 22nd. Thank you!

GRADUATION - Sunday, 2pm Looks like we are going to be able to hold the Graduation Ceremony outside on the Football Field! **A SPECIAL FIRETRUCK PARADE THROUGH TOWN WITH THE GRADUATES WILL PRECEDE THE CEREMONY AT 12:45PM!! THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!! *The Graduation Ceremony will also be open to the public, but you will need to bring your own chair and remain behind the temporary blue barrier. There will be plenty of room on the field behind the graduates or you may park on the visitor sideline and remain in your vehicle. *Superintendent Les Meyer has been asked by the class of 2020 to be this year's Commencement Speaker. *The ceremony will be LIVE STREAMED on: eaglestreaming.com *Graduates and their Immediate Household Families will have the reserved seating area inside the temporary barrier. Seniors and their families may place their chairs starting at 10am Sunday morning. *Graduates will have a "Receiving Line" made up of their vehicles on the track for congratulations and gift distribution immediately following graduation ceremony. There will be storage totes available by their vehicles to place cards/gifts starting at 11am. *All State Guidelines including social distancing will be in affect. Household Families may sit together while in attendance. *Masks are recommended, but will not be required. We hope to see you this Sunday!

Information on Infinite Campus. There is a glitch in Infinite Campus regarding fees. Please disregard the bottom total. This amount could be wrong and we are working on it. Please contact Terria or Brenda if you have questions or need verification. Thank you for your patience.

Congratulations to the recently selected Fairfield FFA Chapter officers! The Fairfield FFA's new officer team has officially been voted into office and will start to take the reigns for the chapter this summer. The new officers are: President Rylan Signalness Vice President Luke Ostberg Secretary Nolan Forseth Treasurer Sarah Berglund Reporter Justin Forseth Sentinel Alexis Morris Mr. Park looks forward to having them lead next year and is hopeful they will be able to compete and participate in seminars once again. Congratulations and good luck!

If you missed the live showing of Class Night 2020, it is available to watch at www.eaglestreaming.com. Thank you to Mrs. Bouma, Mrs. Vincent, Kruize Christensen, and Mr. Schmidt for streaming the event!

2020 Class Night is tonight at 6:00! Class Night will also be held live on www.eaglestreaming.com! We have chairs and seating set up for the graduates immediate household families in order to adhere to the socially distant guidelines of six feet. Graduates immediate household families are able to attend only, which is another reason why Class Night will be streamed live. We want families to know there will be no need to bring your own chairs unless bringing your own chairs makes you most comfortable. We have a sanitation station set up to enhance your safety as well. Masks will not be provided nor required, but are encouraged if they make you feel more comfortable and safe. We know the Class of 2020 is looking forward to tonight and we hope to make the event as special as possible under the circumstances and guidelines. We thank you for your support and understanding regarding this challenging situation.