March 2016

Volume 11 Issue 7

Hello Everyone,

Times

The beginning of March is here, which means we are now working into spring time. Here at North Star, that means track time, state tests, and the beginning of a furious finish to our school year. In testing, we have a couple things going on that everyone should be aware of. Throughout the spring, we will have state tests that many of our students are taking. Grades 3-8 will take the Smarter Balanced test, similar to what they took last year. The state has revamped parts of the test, so some things will be different, in the hope that the test is easier to administer and results are quicker to return. In the high school, grade 10 will take the CRT – Science, which is the only state level test that is administered in the high school. Juniors will take the ACT, which replaces the Smarter Balanced for their level. This should alleviate a little of the testing burden on our kids, as they won’t need to take both the ACT and Smarter Balanced, and the ACT is one they would need to take if they plan on going to college. As always, you can help us out by making sure your kiddos are getting a good night’s rest prior to tests, and that they are getting great nutrition in order to fuel those brains. For our school level tests, you should all be receiving results from our STAR testing that we are doing with this mid-term’s grades. These are short tests (20-30 minutes) that we give 3 times during the year to help guide our instruction throughout the year. They allow us to gauge student reading and math abilities, and make sure that they are progressing as expected. We use that data to do a number of things, from offering more one-on-one help to a student through our Title I program to adjusting classroom instruction to be more effective if entire groups of students are missing important skills. There will be explanations of the test results with the mailings, but if you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or the school. These tests are new to us this year, and so far have been a great tool for improving student success and instruction. Have a great March. (I sure hope this warm, dry weather soon changes to warm, wet weather.) Sincerely,

Bart K. Hawkins, Superintendent North Star School District 99M [email protected]

March 2016 North Star Events and Activities

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

1

2

3 *Boys State

4 *Boys State 5 *Boys State

BB-Great Falls

BB-Great Falls *Teacher’s PIR 8-Noon

*8th grade CRT Testing

Sat

BB-Great Falls

*NO SCHOOL

6

7*School Board 8*10 grade

9 *District

10 *Girls

11 *Girls

12 *Girls

Mtg, 6p Rudyard

Science FairHavre

State BB-Great Falls

State BB-Great Falls

State BB-Great Falls *5/6 Grade BB in Rud-9a v. St. Jude’s & Turner

CRT Testing *Booster Club 4:30p Gildford

*NO SCHOOL

13 *Daylight 14 *State BPA 15 *Heritage 16 *Heritage 17 *Heritage 18 *Heritage 19 *Heritage Saving Time Begins

*Heritage Tripleave *Track Practice Begins

Trip *State BPA

Trip

Trip *St. Patrick’s Day

Trip

*SCHOOL IN SESSION

*NO SCHOOL

20 *Heritage 21*Heritage

22*Heritage

23 *Heritage 24 *End of

25*Easter

Trip *State FCCLABillings

Trip *State FCCLABillings

Trip back

Break-Good Friday

Trip *State FCCLABillings

3rd QTR *Ski TripShowdown

*NO SCHOOL

27 *Easter

28 * Easter-

29 * Senior

Sunday

Monday

BB Classic

NO SCHOOL

Trip *5/6 BB in Ft. Benton-1p

30

31*ParentTeacher Conferences 4:30-7:30p

26

Cole Richey (1st Grade)

Garret Pedersen (7th Grade)

Gavin Spinler (Senior)

By Mrs. Jan Donoven

February at North Star Elementary! LOVE is in the air! We had many guest readers come into the classrooms to share their of reading. A thank you goes out to Mr. Hawkins, Michelle Holden and the Border Patrol. The elementary staff wanted to show their and appreciation to the students for working so hard to follow the North Star Code. As a reward, one afternoon was spent playing card games, making gifts for their high school pen pals, dancing, having relay races, eating fruit kabobs, reading, and playing Jeopardy! Lots of was put into making valentines for the classroom parties. Thank you parents for sending all the yummy treats! This is always one of the kids' favorite days! The 1st graders had a blast at their Valentine Lunch Exchange! Each child made a special lunch for their mystery Valentine. The decorated bags and the thought that went into each lunch was a gift of

!

We our Knights speech and drama team and our basketballs teams! We attended the pep assembly at the high school to show our support! The elementary kids enjoyed being involved and added lots of excitement to the mix! It was fun to see everyone come to school in their pajamas. Snuggling up with a good book was a great way to bring a crazy week to an end! At the end of the month, the students will be asked to dress like a book character that they ! This year we have paired up with pen pals from the high school. Everyone has had fun getting together and writing back and forth throughout the year. Our last get together was spent reading to one another and the elementary gave their pen pal a gift that they had made for them.

in

action! The 1st graders will close out the month of by celebrating the 100th day of school on February 29th. They have each been asked to bring 100 small edible munchies to share. Lots of hands on learning will be taking place!

Another year has passed, and the North Star Science Fair is in the books. The students worked very hard to get their projects done, and the results speak for themselves. We appreciate the time the judges took to critique the projects. Judges for the Freshman class were Peytan King, Devon and Dylan Miller, and Hali Kapperud. Our judges for the 8th grade were Keevan Borlaug, Sheridan Spicher, Shea Sizemore and Cade Chivilicek. Sheridan Pena, Jalissa Horinek, Samantha Pester and Kiera Miller were the judges for the 7th grade. All students earning a blue ribbon are eligible to attend the District Science Fair, being held on March 9 at Montana State University - Northern campus in Havre. From there, students earning blues will travel to Missoula to the State Science Fair, held March 19-21. Good Luck, students.!! Jalissa Horinek and Kiera Miller judging the 7th grade Science Fair Projects during the school fair.

PSCI Class White Measurements of Calcium in the Soil - Crystal Meister and Abbigayl Ridgeway Testing How Bright Different Colors of LED are - Tim Stoltz and Holly Lane The Effect of Light Color on Photosynthesis - Gaven Cramer The Sound of Music - Kollin Verploegen What is the Effect of Music on Concentration - Jasmine McCauley and Shiann Valdillez What is the Effect of Tobacco Smoke on Plant Growth? - Justin Meltzian and Branden Keller What is the Effect of Gear Ratios on the Mechanical Advantage of a Bicycle—Jaden Peet Red— What is the Effect of Sugar in Mealworm Metabolism? - Lace Anne Shiffert and Janae West Investigating the Gear Ratio of a. 10-Speed Bicycle - Kayleb Fleming Blue— You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks - Paij Peterson and Tanicha Hudson Left: Paij Peterson awaits judgement from Dylan and Devon Miller.

Right: Crystal Meister and Abbigayl Ridgway pose beside their project while wating for the judges.

North Star Schools had its all-school Spelling Bee on February 11th, 2016 in the North Star Elementary Gym in Gildford. The nervous, but excited Spellers came from the 5th-8th grades and were: (5th) Ryan Seidlitz, Colton Spicher, Garrett Spicher, Tristan Sterner, Dylon Melby, (6th) Ian Kapperud, Abby Machinist, Laramie Peterson, Jade Wendland, Autumn Henke, (7th)Shayla Borlaug, Ashley Otto, Garret Pedersen, Kenidee Wolery, Winton Henke, (8th)Ethan Federspiel, Austin Hansen, Caden Rettig, and Saige Scheresky-O’Neil. The judges were tense as they picked apart every letter that made it’s way out of our contestant’s lips. When the dust settled and all spelling ceased, it was only the top four and the alternates that would travel to the County Spelling Bee in Havre. Our top finishers were: Ashley Otto (1st), Abby Machinist (2nd), Garrett Spicher (3rd), and Garret Pedersen (4th). The two lucky alternates were : Ryan Seidlitz and Ethan Federspiel. At the County Bee in Havre, February 17th, 2016 the North Star Spelling Team made the effort to dominate but fell short in the first round by some confusing and blurbled word action. Better luck next time, Spellers! Good job and thank you for your effort.

Left: Brody Wendland and Bailey Spicher pose next to their blue ribbon project.

Right: Aubrey Welch ready for judgement on the stage in the North Star HS/JH Pit.

ESCI Class White Measuring the Shot Pattern and Penetration Differences Between Steel and Lead Shot Christian Richey The Effect of Video Games on the Body - Josh Nelson and Chad Donaldson Blue— Now That's What I Call Some Pure High Quality H2O - Austin Hansen and Daniel Nerat Studying the Effects of Range Fires on Erosion - Caden Rettig and Hayden Massar Studying the Evaporation Rates of Different Liquids - Ethan Federspiel Color Blindness in Horses - Saige O'Neil Comparing Penetration of .22 Caliber Bullets - Bailey Spicher and Brody Wendland Antibacterial Challenge - Aubrey Welch Natural Vs. Commercial Herbicides - Olivia King

Left: Frank Nerat and Payne Ditmar next to their project.

Shea Sizemore and Cade Chvilicek listen and judge Austin Hansen and Daniel Nerat on their science project.

LSCI Class Red The Mechanical Advantage of Levers - Garret Pedersen and Winston Henke Popsicle Stick Bridges - Frank Nerat and Payne Ditmar Blue Which Side of the Brain are You on? - Kenidee Wolery and Shayla Borlaug Molasses - It's More than Just a Sweetener - Ashley Otto Air Powered Engines– Elona Price

Remember to check your child's meal balance on Infinite Campus. Meal prices this year are: Breakfast $1.45 Lunch $2.45 Reduced price breakfast $0.30 Reduced price lunch $0.40 Free and reduced meal applications are available from the school website at www.northstar.k12.mt.us or email Carol at [email protected].

SUMMER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG WOMEN INTERESTED IN STEM Montana Tech will be offering a one week STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) summer camp for interested young women. Last year, participants investigated the following areas: Rocket Science, Robotics, Yellowstone National Park Ecology, Disease Outbreaks, and how oil and gas are formed, stored and extracted. The camp is June 19 – June 24 in Butte, Montana. Applications will be available in December and the deadline is April 1, 2016. Camp is limited to 30 young women who are entering their sophomore or junior year in high school in the fall of 2016. This is an excellent opportunity to meet others interested in STEM and to learn from professionals in STEM careers. Learn more at mtech.edu/mines-camp

or calling 1-800-445-TECH.

It is once again time to order Yearbooks. Get your 20152016 book full of memories for $45.00. To order please contact Kathy Preeshl or Margie Chinadle at North Star Schools at 355-4481. The Deadline to order your Annual is March 15th, so don’t waste a minute! Order your Yearbook, today! Payment due when order is made.

Infinite Campus has new Internet and mobile device addresses. Please use the following URLs: For the Infinite Campus portal:: https://mtdecloud1.infinitecampus.org/ campus/portal/northstar.jsp To access Infinite Campus from a mobile device: https:// mtdecloud1.infinitecampus.org/campus/mobile/northstar.jsp

If you are setting up your mobile device for the first time or need the district code it is: CRQNXT If you don't have an Infinite Campus username and you want to check on your child's grades, attendance, meal balance or other items, please call either school office and talk to Jenni or Carol. Or, if

you have forgotten your

password, call Jenni at 376-3183 or call Carol at 355-4481 and they can set you up with a new password.

North Star FCCLA will be selling Elliot’s products from March 28 to April 11. Delivery of products will be on April 21. Contact Mrs. Chinadle or any FCCLA member to order.

Trustee Candidates may file for Election DECLARATION OF INTEND AND OATH OF CANDIDACY FOR TRUSTEE CANDIDATES Forms for the upcoming Trustee Election to be held on Tuesday May 3, 2016 are available. Forms may be picked up from Kathy Preeshl, (election administrator) at the High School Business Office located at North Star High School, 105 3 Ave NE, Rudyard, Mt 59540. rd

NO CANDIDATE MAY APPEAR ON THE BALLOT UNLESS HE OR SHE MEETS THIS DEADLINE. (13-10-201, 20-3-305 MCA). (No earlier than 145 days or no later than 40 days before election). Candidate must be registered to vote at the time the Oath is filed. (2) Two Trustee Positions open for a 3 year term Any candidate that has already filed for election, but wishes to withdraw their name, may do so by sending a statement of withdrawal to the election administrator, no later than 5:00 PM the day before ballot certification. (20-3-305(3) (a) MCA), (Thursday March 31, 2016 by 5:00 PM) Candidate forms must be picked up and returned by March 24, 2016.

Stay Informed! Meal balances, school announcements, assignments, grades and more are available on the

Infinite Campus portal. Access Campus

by going to the school’s website at www.northstar.k12.mt.us and clicking on the Infinite Campus Portal link on the right. Or access Campus from a mobile device. Download the Infinite Campus Mobile Portal application from the App Store. In settings, enter the District ID of CRQNXT and select go. You will then enter your Infinite Campus username and password. Even if you don't have a student, you can see the latest district notices. If you have forgotten your username or password, please contact Carol or Jenni. via email or phone the school office, 355-4481 or 376-3183.

Upcoming Events: March: 3rd-5th—State Girls Basketball—Great Falls 9th—District Science Fair—Havre 10th-12th—State Boys Basketball—Great Falls 13th-15th—State BPA 14th-22nd—Senior Heritage Trip 20th-22nd—State FCCLA-Billings 24th—End of 3rd Quarter/Ski Day-Showdown 25th-28th—Easter Break 29th—Senior Classic 31st—Parent/Teacher Conferences-4:30-7:30p

April:

2nd—Prom—HS Pit 8:30 Grand March—Rudyard 3rd-5th—Skills USA—Havre 15th-16th—District Music Festival—Havre 18th-19th—Art Glass Blowing Workshop—Box Elder 27th-28th—State JMG—Billings 28th—Mid-Quarter

May: 6th-7th—State Music Festival in Helena 10th—JH/HS Spring Concert—7p in Rudyard 11th—District Track in Havre 12th—Elementary Spring Concert-6:30p in Gildford 19th—Divisional Track in Great Falls 21st—North Star Graduation-2p-Rudyard Gym 26th—Last Day of School-Early out 1:30p 27th-28th—State Track in Missoula