IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY, THE MISSION OF FAIRFIELD SCHOOLS IS TO PROVIDE A SECURE AND RESPECTFUL ENVIRONMENT WHERE STUDENTS GAIN KNOWLEDGE, GROW IN WISDOM, DEVELOP CONFIDENCE AND VALUE LEARNING FOR LIFE.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” Ben Franklin

Hello Fairfield Community, Parents and Students,

We have officially begun the August countdown to the first day of school for 2023-2024 and I am excited for this fresh start to a new school year! It has been such a relief just to focus our efforts over the summer on several projects that will not only enhance our facility, but will ultimately enhance education. We have expanded our bus barn to accommodate the three new grant awarded electric buses coming this fall. We have made our football field safer with a new permanent fence and we have made a wide variety of necessary improvements to the grounds. But probably the most important work done over the summer is the outstanding job the maintenance and cleaning crew have done to shine the whole building up! It really looks great and is just about ready for staff and students.

I am excited to welcome everyone on staff back as we continue our mission of providing a rigorous and enriching educational experience that prepares every student for success. We successfully filled all of our open teaching positions and are excited to welcome Mrs. Maggie Anderson and Ms. Marca Herron to our 7-12 English department. We also are happy to introduce Mrs. Cora Hirst, who will join the Special Education department in the elementary. All three are already part of our community and we are happy they are also part of our school teaching team.

The quote from Ben Franklin at the head of this letter has significant meaning in our school, “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” We are always striving and pushing to do and be better as educators, as people and as an institution. We also work hard to instill that same growth mindset in the students who attend Fairfield. Growth and improvement often require individuals to push boundaries and challenges outside of an individual’s comfort zone. Problem solving and achievement require effort, and it is that effort that finds reward regardless of the outcome. The Fairfield school district employs 58 people who all are part of the same team and our goal is to work hard to provide the best education we can for our community and the students who attend this school.

I feel very fortunate to be the superintendent of Fairfield Public Schools. I truly believe I work with the best staff in the whole state; we in turn are fortunate to serve the best community and best student body in the land. Together we have overcome some serious challenges and obstacles over the past three years, and I know we are all looking forward to launching past those into a year looking forward, not backward, and continuing on our quest to provide our students with everything they need to become capable, confident and successful in life. The Fairfield School is full of caring and dedicated educators and staff who are skilled at helping students reach their maximum potential.

Let’s make this an exceptional year and continue our “Tradition of Excellence!”

Dustin Gordon

Superintendent, Fairfield Schools

Hello and Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!

We would like to welcome Mrs. Cora Hirst to our team! Cora is our new eK-6 Special Education teacher. Cora is married to Fairfield Alum Byron Hirst and they have two children Harper and Easton! We would also like to welcome back DeAnn Bush from the Big Sky Special Needs Co-op as our School Psychologist!

Couple of staff movements: Mrs. Shawnee Coverdell will teach 5th grade this year, Mr. John Bakkum will teach PE, Mrs. Megan Helmer will team teach Kindergarten with Mrs. Brooke Shalz.

Back to School Night will be on August 22nd from 5-6 PM. This is a casual event in which students can see/meet their teacher and bring their supplies! We have found that this process makes for an easier transition on the first day of school. Junior High students are encouraged to attend to get their lockers and their schedules.

Continuing on with our work as a Response to Instruction/Intervention school, we will continue to teach your children in the best possible way. This includes quick benchmark assessments of your student three times a year to see if they are working at grade level. If they are below or above, we do some further assessing to see what is missing or what needs to be challenged and go from there! We get together as a team at least every 5-6 weeks (along with everyday discussions) to discuss the best way to educate EK-6 students.

We will continue to SOAR at Fairfield Elementary. SOAR is an acronym for Safe, Organized, Accountable, Respectful/Responsible. Students learn this as a way to follow the rules and behavior expectations in all the common areas at Fairfield Schools including hallway, playground, lunchroom, busses, assemblies, and the classroom! Look for this info in the first few days of paperwork from the school so you can help us help your kiddo!

The energy of a new year is always contagious! Looking forward to seeing all the current and new students at Fairfield Elementary! Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions!

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.“- Winston Churchill

Another new school year is approaching once again. While I’m not excited about the thought of giving up the campfire nights in the middle of the week, days at the lake paddleboarding, and extra time to spend with my family, I am excited about the opportunity for a fresh start that comes with every new school year. Going into my second year as 7-12 principal at Fairfield Public Schools, I feel like I have a much better handle on what to expect for the upcoming school year than I did last year. However, I know there will still be days where I’m not perfect at being everything that everyone needs me to be. I am going to make mistakes and have failures. I understand that it is a part of life, but I also understand that it is the response to those failures that will determine whether I am successful or not. I think it is important for all of the students and staff at Fairfield Public Schools to understand that an error only becomes a mistake when you quit trying to fix it. Teaching our students to be more resilient means that we must give them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, not prevent them from happening.

Even though I know I will miss everything that summer break is about, I still have the enthusiasm for the fresh start that comes with every new school year that I did when I started in education 20 years ago. There are a lot of new and exciting things going on at Fairfield High School this year. For starters, we will have a couple of “new” faces in the building this year. Ms. Marca Herron and Mrs. Maggie Anderson will both be joining our team at the school teaching high school English classes. Although they are new to our school, both have been a part of the Fairfield community for a while now. Ms. Herron was a student teacher in Fairfield, and then went on to teach in Great Falls this past year. Mrs. Anderson is coming from Greenfield School where she began as a Spanish teacher in the Junior High for several years before transitioning to become a full-time sixth grade teacher for the past few years. Although not new to the school, Mr. John Bakkum is new to the high school this year. He has taught fifth grade, been an assistant basketball coach and the head golf coach since 2020. He will be taking over high school PE classes this year. Also new to the high school this year is Mr. Greg Misner. He will be the junior high and high school Special Ed teacher after working as our lone K-12 Special Ed teacher for the past three years. We are excited to see how their fresh perspectives and enthusiasm for teaching will impact our students and would like to welcome them to Fairfield High School.

As many of you know, Fairfield was awarded a grant to purchase electric buses. Mr. Gordon and I have been working with Northwestern Energy, local electrical contractors, and Lion Electric, the bus manufacturer, to get all of the details in place to put them into service. These buses are entirely electric powered and will be put into service on a few of our regular routes to replace a few of our diesel buses. We were initially a little hesitant to get more than one electric bus given the cold temperatures and varying conditions our drivers face in the winter in Fairfield, Montana. Our reluctance subsided after speaking with the transportation director for Havre Public Schools. They had two buses from Lion Electric in service this past year and are pursuing the purchase of another because they performed so well in all conditions that they faced. We are expecting delivery in late October to mid November and are excited to have the opportunity to use them. Based on our cost analysis, each electric bus has the potential to save the district approximately $4,000/year on fuel costs.

As summer break comes to a close and sports practices begin for many of our student athletes, be sure to spend some quality time with your children. Having a senior in high school, I am beginning to better understand what everyone was telling me about how children grow up so quickly. The days seem long at times, but the years go by fast. Make some memories with them, and take advantage of every teachable moment you can before they move out and move on with their lives.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your child, please feel free to contact me via email, phone call, or schedule a time to stop by the school.

Hello and welcome to another year of JH athletics! I am excited for the fall and I hope you are as well. Here are a few things to keep in mind as we get going.

Head coaches:

Football: Angel Diaz

Girls Basketball: Carissa Jenkins

Girls Tennis: Liz Anderson

I'm sure your coaches will contact you with details and other information. Please don't hesitate to contact them if you have questions. We are very fortunate to have these coaches on staff and I appreciate all the time and effort they put into the programs.

Paperwork:

Nothing has changed on this topic. All paperwork needs to be completed on Dragonfly like it was last year. It should be done on Fairfield 7-8. The code for this is LRSVCU. All the forms should be ready to go and you will need to upload your physical form before your child can participate in practice. There are training rules and concussion consent forms that can be signed digitally. Please get this done ahead of time so your child doesn't have to miss practice or games. You also need to take care of their activity tickets and pay to play fee. You can do this through Mrs. Evans in the high school office or infinite campus.

Start dates:

All start dates and schedules can be found on the school calendar and your coaches will be communicating with everyone as well. Start dates are as follows: Football: 8/21, Tennis: 8/21, Girls basketball: 8/14.

In closing I look forward to watching your kids learn, improve, and compete while representing our community and school in a positive way. Athletics teach so many valuable life lessons and I hope you embrace it and enjoy it. I am excited for Fall and am fortunate to work with you and your children!

The athletic department would like to welcome all former and new students back to another school year. Knowing that parents are very busy this time of year, we wanted to remind everyone of the following items as we begin the fall season of co-curricular activities. First, all paperwork for athletics needs to be uploaded to Dragonfly prior to a child's participation in any team events. The most common issue with Dragonfly is the requirement that a child is connected to the right school, added into the correct sport, and then paperwork all filled out, signed and uploaded. Second, the policy of implementing drug testing will begin with fall co-curricular events. The policy has been fine tuned and any one with questions about the reasoning, implementation, and consequences may contact the school for more details. Third, Fairfield Public Schools will be continuing with Booster Ads for VB, BBB, GBB, and WR season. Those interested in purchasing a booster ad should contact Mike Schmidt at the school. Lastly, the school will be leading the charge for improving fan behavior at all sporting events. The NFHS program called, "Benching Bad Behavior" will be a blue print for improving sportsmanship and encouraging athletics to be and Education Athletics Opportunity. More information will be coming out about the NFHS program as the seasons begin. The athletic department would like to thank everyone who participates in and supports the Education Athletics the school is providing. If you have any questions, at any time, in regards to the co-curricular offerings at Fairfield, please contact the school. Looking to be a great school year for the Eagles.

Mrs. Maggie Anderson: High School English

Miss Marca Herron: High School English

Mrs. Cora Hirst: Elementary Special Education

I started my career in education at Greenfield school, as the Spanish teacher and administrative assistant. After holding this position for 7 years, I took over for the retired 6th grade teacher. I also spent 4 of those years coaching high school cheerleading.

During my next 3 years as a full time teacher, I fell in love with Language Arts, and decided that one day I’d like to take on a full time English position.

During this time (and a global Pandemic) my husband and I also welcomed three children into our family, Lily (3.5), Trent (2), and our newest addition Quinn (5 months).

I will miss my Greenfield family, but am excited for this next chapter, and to be a Fairfield Eagle!

My name is Cora Hirst and I will be the K-6 Special Education teacher this year! This will be my 7th year teaching. I earned my bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. I graduated in May 2023 with my Master's in School Counseling from Walden University. I live here in Fairfield with my Husband, Byron, and my two children Harper and Easton. We have three dogs, Finn, Kermit, and Odie, and two cats, Tinsel and Christmas. When I'm not teaching I enjoy camping, hiking, hunting, crafting, and spending time with my family. I am excited to be part of the Fairfield Eagle team and look forward to working with all the students and getting to know them and their families.

Dear Families,

On behalf of Eagle Pride, we would like to welcome everyone back to school for the 2023-2024 school year. We are so excited to kick off this school year!! Many have asked what is Eagle Pride? We are the PTO/Booster that consists of parents and teachers working together to support and enrich all students. We support school staff, help promote student self-esteem, and assist in efforts to solve school needs through volunteering and funding.

Eagle Pride Programs & Fundraising

This school year our goal with Eagle Pride is to be more present throughout different events such as sporting events and other activities within the school. We will be having a few different items of Spirit gear for purchase such as School flags, Stuffed Eagles, and blue and white shirts for Blue Friday!! We are encouraging everyone to wear their Fairfield Blue on every Friday!! If needing an Eagle shirt, there are some down at the drug store for sale! Over the Summer Eagle Pride took a break and enjoyed our families only committing to Swim Days Pool Party were we sponsored and hosted a Luau!!

This past school year Eagle Pride was able to do a coin wars and donated the funds to a family in need, movie night, 2 dances, a brunch and obstacle course, a Santa Shop and much more. Eagle Pride also kept the teachers and staff stocked with snacks, coffee and creamer, a Rock n Roll themed teacher appreciation week, and helped the cheerleaders with pom poms. This school year we are planning some of the same activities but also more!! It is low commitment and we have a meeting the first Tuesday of the month.

The first meeting of the school year is going to be August 2nd 6:30pm. We love having new people and new ideas!! If you have any questions or any interest in Eagle Pride please feel free to give me a call or send a message 406-750-7584

Sincerely,

Kimberly Lattin- Eagle Pride President

Registration for the school year will be held in the High School Media Center on Thursday, August 17th as follows:

Seniors 9:00 - l0:30

Juniors l0:30 - l2:00

Sophomores l:00 - 2:30

Freshman 2:30 - 4:00 – Parents are welcome to attend registration and be introduced to classes and expectations.

Dining Fees

Breakfast K-12 $1.55

Reduced K-12 $.30

Breakfast - Adults $2.00

Lunch - K-5-$2.40

Lunch 6-12 -$2.90

Reduced K-12-$.40

Adults-$4.20

Activity Tickets

Student Activity Ticket K-12 - $35

Adult Activity Ticket - $70

Pay to Play 5-12

$30 - 1 sport

$60 - max per child

$100 - max per family

Pay to Play for Free & Reduced

$15 - 1 sport

$30 - max per child

$50 - max per family

Children need healthy meals to learn. Fairfield Schools offers healthy meals every school day.

Breakfast cost: full price $1.55 K-12 and Reduced costs $.30.

Lunch cost: K-5 costs $2.40, 6-12 costs $2.90 and Reduced K-12 cost is $.40 Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED

Fairfield Public Schools is making a list of individuals interested in substituting at either the elementary or high school level. If you are interested in substituting, please call 467-2528 or submit the form below.

Email: website@fairfield.k12.mt.us
Website: fairfield.k12.mt.us
Phone: 406-467-2528
Facebook: facebook.com/FairfieldPublicSchools
Twitter: @fairfieldsd21