Local schools prepare for students

MINERAL COUNTY – School officials across the county have been busy preparing their facilities for the sudden influx of hundreds of students who will start classes this week.

As teachers begin to fill back into classrooms, getting things ready and developing lesson plans, school administrators are putting the final touches on construction and cosmetic projects as well as working to implement new programs among other things.

Superior High School Principal Alan Labbe said one new thing this year would be a different teacher evaluation program. Developed by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the Montana Educator Performance Appraisal System (MEPAS) will help educators know how they are doing in the classroom.

“There are four domains we look at and each teacher needs to be proficient in each one,” Labbe said. “The first thing we do is bring the teachers in and have them look at the domains. We focus on what we need to do to make them better. We set goals and then we do an observation. We establish a plan of improvement.”

The four domains of the program include planning and preparation, learning environment, professional responsibilities and instructional effectiveness for student learning. Labbe said he expects the program to be an improvement over older evaluation systems.

“Teacher evaluation is effective,” Labbe said. “We will also be going through the school improvement process. Anyone in the community who wants to be on the committees is welcome.”

In Alberton, Superintendent Clay Acker said the district is putting the finishing touches on construction projects on the schools. He said the new roof of the elementary would be done and the facility would be ready for students who will be seeing some new faces in the classroom this year.

“We think we have all the new teachers hired that we needed,” Acker said. “We hired a new special education teacher. We are just making sure everything is in order before the students get here. We are making sure all the textbooks and other materials are in the right place. There’s a lot of scurrying around but I think it’s under control.”

In St. Regis, Superintendent Judy McKay said cosmetic projects were wrapping up as well as construction on the entrance to the gym. She said teachers were already starting to return and prepare for the coming school year.

“We should have the gym ready for the first volleyball game,” McKay said. “The teachers have been in and out of the classrooms, organizing and starting to prepare classrooms. We have some training coming up. We will be reviewing their curriculums and going over schedules. We are really looking forward to the new school year.”

The first day of school in Superior will be Aug. 27. Alberton students will arrive for their first day Sept. 2 while St. Regis students start on Aug. 28.