January 2025 DILLON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
TEACHING EFFECTIVELY-LEARNING SUCCESSFULLY
SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE: RANDY SHIPMAN
Happy New Year and Welcome to the year 2025! I am very much looking forward to the New Year and I hope you are as well. I hope that each of you enjoyed some time with your family and friends over the break and had a festive holiday season. I also hope you had some time to rest and have some fun. In the newsletter this month I would like to thank our custodial staff and discuss the importance of them, mention the important work our cross-walk guards are doing, and talk about our substitute/guest teachers.
First and foremost I would like to thank our custodial staff for their hard work and efforts with the facilities over the break. They do a great job of keeping our school safe and clean so our students can learn in a healthy and safe environment. I especially appreciate the efforts of our Maintenance Supervisor, Mr. Robert Blake, who is often here at 4:00 a.m. in the winter to deal with the snow and ice issues before our students and staff members arrive. He does a great job but he cannot compete with Mother Nature. Please slow down during the winter months with snow and ice on the ground and realize that it may take more time to stop. We want to do all we can to protect our students in all types of weather but it is especially important to reduce your speed in the winter months.
Speaking of slowing down during the winter months with snow and ice on the road I want to praise our staff who is outside on the frigid mornings making sure our students arrive to school safely. We have several staff members who help and you have probably noticed them in yellow vests or coats. These individuals do an awesome job and we all appreciate their efforts and expertise making sure that traffic flows and our kids arrive safely to school each day.
I would also like to recognize our substitute teachers, which I like to call guest teachers, who fill a very important role in our school system. They are absolutely vital to the successful education of our students. These folks are in high demand, and although we have some really good ones, we need more so if you are interested in helping out as a guest teacher please call Natalie at the district office for an application packet. Our district is a very welcoming and positive place to work so if you are willing and able to help please let us know.
Don’t forget that you can stay informed about what is happening at your child’s school by accessing our website at www.dillonschools.org. Academic information such as teacher lesson plans, grades and sports schedules can be located on this website. In addition, this site contains the lunch menu, student handbook, our district policy manual, board meeting agendas and the school calendar.
Finally, I would once again like to express how excited and honored I am to be your superintendent in School District #10 and a part of such a great community. I would like to thank everyone in advance for working with us to make our district a success. If there is any way that I may be of assistance to you, please stop in or call the district office at 683-4311, option #3.
PARKVIEW ELEMENTARY NEWS: GREG FITZGERALD
Happy New Year!! I hope you all had an opportunity to spend time with family and friends during the Holiday Season.
As we come back to school, I would like to touch on a few safety issues concerning the school. As a reminder, students should not be dropped off to the school prior to 7:45 am. Our doors do not open until 7:50 am and with weather conditions ever changing it is important that for our student’s safety they do not arrive prior to the that time. Additionally, at the end of the school day students are to leave the campus as soon as school has concluded for the day.
If possible, please make necessary travel arrangements prior to 2:00 pm Monday-Thursday and 1:00 pm on Friday. This helps the office get necessary notes to teachers and kids so that we can ensure the safe travel of our students.
We want to make sure you are all aware of our policies regarding inclement weather. We will keep students inside when the real feel temperature falls below zero. We check the weather throughout the day and work to ensure the safety of our students. We do ask that you send your children to school with appropriate clothing for the weather. At a minimum, students should have a coat, hat, gloves, and boots. To help with lost and found items it is important that all items are marked with students first and last name.
There will be a Parent Council Meeting on Wednesday, January 15th at 4:00 pm in the Parkview Elementary Teachers Lounge.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS: JOEL ROGERS
Happy 2025, from Dillon Middle School. I hope each of you enjoyed a relaxing and rewarding holiday season surrounded by family and friends.
As we move into the first part of the new year, I would like to mention a couple of important upcoming dates. First, 7th and 8th grade girls’ basketball get underway on Thursday, January 2nd after school. There will be a parent meeting for 7th and and 8th grade girls’ basketball participants that night at 5:30pm in the DMS Gym after practice. Second, 6th grade girls basketball is slated to start on Monday, January 6th, after school. Third, the second quarter will come to an end on Friday, January 17th and report cards will be sent home with students on the following Friday, January 24th. If you do not receive a report card, just call the office and we can send another one home. Finally, there is No School on Monday, January 20th (Martin Luther King Jr. Day).
As we move into the new year, I would also like to publicly thank Mr. Anderson again for his efforts in heading up the DMS annual food drive. I would also like to say thank you to our students and parents for their donations in December. Our middle school students and staff collected around 2,000 pounds of food for our local food pantry, and we certainly hope our efforts help to make the holidays a little nicer for some people. Since 2004 the middle school has donated around 50,000 pounds of food to the Dillon Food Bank.
In closing, I’d like to thank our community, families, school board, and staff for their collaboration and support during the school year thus far. As I look forward to the new beginnings of the 2025 calendar year, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the DMS office if there is anything I can do to help.
January Calendar
2nd– Students return to school.
2nd– 3:45pm – 7th, and 8th grade girls’ basketball begins
2nd– 5:30pm –7th and 8th grade girls’ basketball parent meeting (DMS Gym)
6th – 3:45pm – 6th grade girls’ basketball begins
7th – 5:15pm –6th grade girls’ basketball parent meeting (Parkview Cafeteria)
16th – 4:30pm – Girls’ basketball at Home
17th– End of the Quarter #2 at DMS
17th – 2:45pm – 7th and 8th grade girls' basketball pictures
17th– School Dance (6:00 pm-8:00 pm)
20th- No School (MLK Day)
21st – 8:15 am – Start of Quarter #3
21st – 4:00pm – Girls’ basketball B at Deer Lodge
23rd – 4:30pm – Girls’ B basketball teams at home
24th – 3:40pm – Quarter #2 Report Cards Sent Home with Students
28th – 4:30pm – Girls’ 7th grade basketball at Butte Central
30th – 4:30pm –Girls Basketball at MT City/East Valley Middle School
Stay warm and stay healthy everyone!