GREENOUGH – Sunset School will have nine or ten students this year when they start classes Sept. 6. Supervising Teacher Toni Hatten looks forward to twice as many students as last year and is also excited about several other new opportunities for the 2016-2017 school year.
There are currently five kindergarteners, two, third-graders and two, eighth-graders registered to attend Sunset. Hatten is waiting on confirmation of one more kindergartener.
“It is fantastic,” said Hatten. “Every year we start off with a population of kids and it doesn’t stay consistent to the end of the year. We will see what happens.”
Para educator Kathy Stevens returns again this year along with art teacher Ashley Mitchell and Robert E. Lee with the Missoula Writing Collaborative.
Sunset and Ovando School are both still looking for a music teacher for the year. Hatten would also like to find a naturalist to work with the students in the sciences on a regular basis.
Hatten is looking forward to continuing swimming lessons in Missoula once per week this fall.
“We’ve done it long enough now that it is great to see my students really being able to swim,” said Hatten.
A couple of new programs include having the students publish a monthly newsletter and getting an introduction to robotics. Hatten has the approval to purchase robots, one for the younger students and the other for the older students.
Hatten has invited Animal Wonders to return to the classroom and hopes to work with Wild Skies out of Potomac as well.
The Sunset School Board of Trustees is expected to approve a new policy for out-of-district students at their Sept. 13 meeting. Out-of-district students will only be able to apply to attend Sunset at the first of the year and at the semester break in January. Hatten said this will help better manage out-of-district flow.
“It will allow me to have a little more control and planning with the new kiddos,” said Hatten.
Applications for out-of-district students are due by the board meeting Sept. 13 for the first semester. For more information or to get an application contact, Jessica Bird with Superintendent Erin Lipkind’s office, 406-258-4860.
Hatten is also hoping to host a 100-year celebration and all-school reunion for the school next summer. According to historical documents, the school was moved to its current location in 1917. Hatten encourages anyone interested in helping plan the event to email her at sunsetschool@blackfoot.net.
“We are looking forward to another fantastic year,” said Hatten.
To keep up-to-date on the happenings at Sunset School, like them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Sunset-School-474489475940683/?fref=ts
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