MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

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1 MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT SCOTT SPEAKS Why Now? MARCH 2016 There are four very good reasons to go to our voting public and ask to pass a General Obligation School Building Bond this spring. The Board of Trustees have put a lot of time and energy into maintaining a strong and very reputable school system over the years and wants to continue this tradition into the future. They have made a good faith effort to plan, ask questions, and introduce this project properly to the public. The time to pass the proposed school building bond is right now and here is why: 1. OUT OF SPACE FOR CURRENT ENROLLMENT It is very obvious in our current K-8 building that the teachers and administration have exhausted all efforts to utilize all of the space. This particular building is tired and needs to be relieved of the excess pressures of daily student use. Teachers are teaching in the halls, working out of closets, or sharing space. Students in 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th grade are very close to or exceeding Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) class size limits. In 7th grade, Manhattan also add students from Amsterdam School, who also have larger class sizes in some grades. Here is a breakdown of the OPI class size limits: no more than 20 students per class in grades K, 1, 2, and 3 no more than 24 students per class in grades 4, 5, and 6 no more than 26 students per class in grades 7 and 8. Because of this growth, we have to address the need for expansion in the entire district. We are beginning to see these larger classes move into the high school building. Our goal is for this project to be adequate for the next 20 years, so we do not have to continually be asking our taxpayers to pass bonds year after year. 2. THE CURRENT HIGH SCHOOL BOND COMES OFF THE TAX ROLLS IN 2016 The construction of the current high school began in The 20 Year Bond that was passed to pay for that project will come off the tax rolls this year with the last collection coming in May This means that taxpayers will no longer be paying for the high school bond that was passed in If there is one piece of information I want to make perfectly clear to all of you it is this point. Taxpayers will NOT be expected to pay on two bonds at one time. The board has been adamant that they keep the tax increase on the Manhattan Community to a minimum with this project. The High School Bond currently adds mills to the tax rolls. Our hope is that the new bond will replace this old bond with minimal change to your tax bill for the high school district. 3. Increased Tax Base and Low Interest Rates The tax base has grown considerably over the years and all indications show that it will continue to grow. I hope you as a taxpayer will look at this as an investment rather than an expense. As growth occurs and people move in, usually their first pick in communities is the one with great schools who continue to provide a solid education year after year. The Manhattan/Amsterdam area has always been known for great schools. It amazes me how many people have indicated to me their desire to own a house in our district just so their kids can go to school in Manhattan. These people are willing to invest in their child s education and add to the tax base, which lowers the amount for current residents. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER MARCH

2 Neil Harvey: High School Principal We have several students battling the mid-year blues. Grades are starting to slip a little and students eyes are shifting to the summer a little early. Please encourage your student to stay diligent in their classwork and we encourage parents to monitor their student s progress. We have some good news concerning testing. In the past juniors have had to take the ACT test as well as the state mandated Smarter Balance assessment. This year schools only have to have juniors take the ACT. I believe that is a victory of sorts when it comes to testing as we are nearing the point of over testing our students. The ACT is a tool used for college entrance and scholarships so it makes sense to have schools use this measure for accountability. At the writing of this newsletter the basketball teams have completed their regular seasons and are gearing up for tournaments. The girls finished as conference champs with an 11-1 conference record and the boys have shown steady improvement throughout the season. The pep band is also gearing up for tournaments, they are a very fun and talented band to watch. Congratulations to all coaches and participants. March Events-1 st Gallatin County Commissioners meeting- High School Activities Room 9-11 AM- Public Invited 3 rd -5 th - Divisional BB Billings Metra 10 th 12 th - State BB Butte Civic Center 14 th - Practice starts for track and golf 19 th - Prom- High School Activities Room 20 th -22 nd - FCCLA Leadership Conference- Billings 22 nd - Jr. High Band Festival- Manhattan Important April Dates- 19 th - ACT test for Juniors 22 nd -Manhattan Schools Foundation Dinner 29 th - Tiger Beat SUPERINTENDENT SCOTT SPEAKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Finally, we are not going to see interest rates get much lower than they right now. We are about as close to free money as it gets. We want to take advantage of these low interest rates. My dad always told me growing up, Those who understand interest earn it and make it work for them, those who don t pay it and let it work against them. I understand this is a great time to lock in on a low interest rate and let it work for us and not against us. 4. MANHATTAN CARES There is a great pride and respect throughout this community for our school, the bottom line is MANHATTAN CARES. We hope you will lend your support and join us in making this project become a reality, because MANHATTAN CARES! There are several ways to electronically follow the MANHATTAN CARES project and get updates as well as general school information. The school website: is a great resource of information. You can also follow on Facebook by liking Superintendent Scott Speaks. I am more than willing to come and present to your club or organization. Feel free to call my office or me at: schauvet@manhattan.k12.mt.us. It is an exciting time to be a Tiger! By working together we can continue to provide the students of Manhattan with a top notch education. Roll On Tigers, Superintendent Manhattan School District 2 MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016

3 The science portion of the MontCas test (Montana Comprehensive Assessment System) will be given to all fourth and eighth grade students March This test is a paper-pencil test and is one of the required tests that Montana schools must give to all fourth and eighth grade students. There are three sections of the test. Each section takes approximately fifty minutes to complete. The Smarter Balance Test, which has taken the place of the old paper and pencil MontCas test (except in the area of science), will be given in April and May. Exact dates for the testing have not yet been set. More information regarding the dates and times will be in the April Newsletter and also posted on the school s website. The Smarter Balance Test will be taken electronically and tests students in grades 3 8 in the areas of reading, language arts, and math. The state of Montana has elected to have all students take the test electronically, no paper pencil tests will be accepted. We are currently looking at our options as far as scheduling our computers. We currently have two computer carts and two computer labs available. We need to consider such issues as the number of computers available, bandwidth, and other logistical issues. Results of this test will be used to measure each school s average yearly progress (AYP). Therefore we are working hard to make sure that our students have a positive testing experience and that our computers, bandwidth and other logistical issues are as optimal as possible. The middle school band festival will held on March 22 in Manhattan. The band festival is a wonderful event for students in grades 6-8. The students have an opportunity to perform with other middle school band students from throughout the area and work under the direction of a guest conductor for the entire day. The day culminates with a concert at 6:00 p.m. This concert begins promptly at 6:00 and it usually runs about 45 minutes. As stated earlier, this is a really fun concert for students and adults, we hope to see you there! Library Board Member Opening A big thank you to our junior high basketball coaches, Ms. Jones and Mr. Lynch. These individuals put in many hours of hard work and the junior high boys improved their skills through out the season. Lessons were learned both on and off the court. Thanks again to the coaches, parents, and athletes. The K 8 talent show under the direction of Mrs. McKenney, was held on February 22. Thank you to the participating students for sharing their talent with us and making this a very enjoyable event. Kindergarten Screening is currently scheduled for April 12. More information on the screening will be coming out in the April Newsletter. However if you have a child who is eligible to attend kindergarten (age 5 on or before Sept. 10, 2016), please call the school and let us know. We use the student numbers in our planning for the school year. One more item to note, as you are probably aware, our buildings are very near or at capacity. We are currently doing some preliminary planning for next year as far as possibly hiring additional staff and finding a room to house those staff members. We are currently discussing the possibility of using the high school activities room for elementary classes. Discussions of possibly moving the fourth grade and/or another grade level to this space are currently under way. Please be aware that this is a temporary solution to a long term problem! If you have not seen the master building plan, please take a look at it. It is displayed in our hallways and available at the administration office. In addition, please ask questions and get involved in this process. We are planning the educational facilities for our children and this community for the next fifteen to twenty years! Yes it will cost money. However our new elementary facility was built in 1986 and we are outgrowing it! The demographic studies show continued growth in Manhattan through at least This issue is not going away and the community and our kids need a larger space and with greater safety. (We move approximately 500 kids per day between buildings so that they can access gyms, lunchrooms, music rooms etc.) Please take a look at the plan, ask questions and get involved! MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER MARCH Scott Schumacher: K-8 Principal Looking for a way to serve our community? The Manhattan Community School Library board is now taking applications for an immediate opening on the board. Applications can be picked up at the town office & the library. If you have questions stop by the library and visit with Kari or Trudy.

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5 MARCH ACTIVITY CALENDAR 3/3-5 Divisional Basketball (A) Metra Park TBA 3/4 VACATION DAY 3/10-12 State Basketball Butte (A) Butte TBA 3/14 Practice Begins Golf & Track (H) Three 3:00 p.m. 3/19 Prom H.S. Activity Room Grand March 8:30 3/20-22 FCCLA Leadership Con. Billings 3/22 Jr. High Band Festival 3/24-28 Easter Break MANHATTAN ADULT -ED PROGRAM SIGN UP! Many of the adult education classes are already underway or completed. Some classes, unfortunately have had to be canceled, as not enough people have signed up for them. There are still some classes that have not started. Check these out. Descriptions are available at the district office or at manhattanschoolwires.com. Classes that have not started: Financial and Investing March 1, 8 and 15 Euchre - Mach 10, 17 and 24 Lightroom - March 7, 14 and 21 Dutch Oven Cooking - March 29 Story time & the library For the little ones Tuesday, March 8 10:30 am If interested, please sign up as early as possible. If there are not enough signed up 1 week before a class is held, the class will be canceled. If you have questions, please contact Ginny Francis, Adult Education Coordinator at or MHS Students & Parents: Please Share Your Photos to be used in the MHS Yearbook Go to; yearbookforever.com Type Manhattan High School Click on Submit Photos Access Code: mhstigers Upload Your Photos NEEDED: Pictures of students in winter sports including sports outside of school: indoor track -skiing-fishing-snowmobiling. Group Photos of Students having fun outside of school. Paint a Mural in Taylor Park! The Manhattan Parks Board is sponsoring its third annual Mural Contest. The west side of the building wall by the ice rink needs a cool painting on it. One lucky winner will get a prize of $300 cash + gift cards (not to mention, perpetual fame.) * What: Mural Contest * How: Submit a design and strategy for painting * Who: 7th through 12th graders can enter * Where: The west side of the building wall by the ice rink * When: Entries due to Pam or Sarah by May 6, 2016 Supplies will be paid for by the Town. The winning contestant will paint his or her mural in the summer of Contact Us with questions and entries: Pam Humphrey (Town Hall) phumphrey.town@gmail.com Sarah Simser (Parks Board) sarah@techmeridian.com MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER MARCH

6 Manhattan School District PO Box 425 Manhattan, MT Phone: MANHATTAN SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016