Dear Parents, Families and Colleagues,

This afternoon, our Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to keep our school buildings and facilities closed for the remainder of this 2019/2020 school year. This was an exceptionally difficult decision but one that was made in an effort to prioritize the safety of our students, employees and families. While school buildings will not physically reopen, teaching and learning will continue through remote learning through the scheduled end of our 2019/2020 school year.

Across the last week, we have worked to proceed through a process that will be a foundation for all of our future decisions. This process involved gathering, researching and considering all applicable guidance pertaining to schools. We crafted a plan for reopening that forced us to assess our readiness against this guidance. As we did that across these last few days, it became apparent that our schools are not ready to physically reopen as there are a number of outstanding areas that would have exposed our students, employees and families to significant, known risks.

As was noted last week, our pathway to open called for our plans, actions, and resources to transcend the known risks of virus transmission. While this is possible in some areas, we are unprepared and inadequately resourced in others. These inadequacies place our students, colleagues and loved ones at risk and to knowingly doing so is unacceptable. Furthermore, continued closure of school buildings is aligned with guidance from Lewis & Clark Public Health as well as many other health care professionals.

Please look for future updates as there are many decisions that must now be made including fourth quarter grading criteria, year-end processes and other important matters. In the interim, please continue to watch for updates from your child’s teacher/teachers and principal.

Thank you again for your time, your understanding and your continued support. Many of you have shared your thoughts with either myself and/or our Board of Trustees across the last week and I want you to know that your feedback has been valued and appreciated. This decision to keep our school facilities physically closed has been difficult to consider, as there were benefits and consequences for either option. In the end, we believe the decision that we have made is consistent with our priority to keep our students, employees and their families safe, as we are currently unable to quickly prepare our schools accordingly in relation to the provided guidance.

Please take care, stay safe and stay connected.

Best,

Tyler

The CDC today released some new tips for kids/families while they’re not in school, related to proper precautions to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Several people have asked what is/isn’t appropriate, and until now, there wasn’t a great reference other than to simply say “practice social distancing.” Here are a few tips to keep children healthy while school’s out.  Parents/Guardians – please take special note of the section titled “School Dismissals.”

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/children.html

Helena High Career Counselor, Mrs. Kelly Strietzel, is a member of Helena WINS and Helena Summer Jobs Program. Helena WINS, an initiative of Helena Area Chamber of Commerce, is partnering with American Jobs for American Youth (AJAY-MT), a nonprofit dedicated to developing life and work skills in youth, to facilitate Helena Summer Jobs Program (HSJP) again this summer. This program focuses on providing high-quality work or internship experiences to area high school students (16-19 year olds, given priority) by partnering with Helena area businesses and organizations. This experience would not only benefit the students but also benefits Helena by helping to build a good workforce and molding students into good employees.

Application are now open for HSJP 2020!  Mrs. Strietzel can assist our students and encourage them to apply.

There are some amazing opportunities again this year. HSJP builds students’ work skills, helps students explore career options, and develops the next generation of employees in Helena. The high school students participating in the program are matched with a summer job, complete four hours of work skills training prior to the summer, and meet with a mentor throughout the summer.

Some areas we are looking to fill or have possible positions available include the following:

• Marketing/public relations (at multiple locations)
• Tire/auto repair
• Camp counselors at YMCA & Kays Kids (City of Helena)
• Lifeguards
• Bank staff (over 18 y/o)
• Hotel staff (front desk, housekeeping)
• Retail
• Shodair internships in government relations, public relations, the foundation, genetics lab, kids residential home, etc.
• IT (hopefully – not confirmed)
• Hospitality and health care at Touchmark – CNA/PCA work (assisting residents with activities of daily living), Nursing, Restaurant-Style Dining, Kitchen, Front Desk/Hospitality, Maintenance, Management, Administration
• Direct support staff at West Mont (over 18 y/o)
• Front desk at Fuel Fitness & Helena Chamber of Commerce (greeting customers, helping with admin and events)
• Construction with Dick Anderson

HSJP Placements:

• HSJP placements run from June-August 2020. During this timeframe, HSJP requires students to prioritize their HSJP work experience for at least six weeks.
• Students will average at least 25 hours/week for a minimum of 150 hours.
• Students will be paid a minimum rate of $9.00 per hour.
• Students will meet with a mentor weekly
• HSJP cannot guarantee internship or job placement, due to applicant availability or qualifications.

Applying youth must:

• Have a current photo ID and a Social Security number.
• Complete an online application, complete an HSJP interview and attend the pre-placement training workshop.
• Be 16-19 years old (for priority placement).
• Successfully pass a drug screening and background check, if required by their host employer.
• Have transportation to the job site.

Additional information and the application can be found by visiting, www.americanjobs4youth.org/hsjp.  Or reach out to Mrs. Kelly Strietzel at 324-2225 or KStrietzel@helenaschools.org

Funded by the Montana University System, the One-Two-Free program gives Montana high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take and earn college credit – tuition free – for two college-level courses. Students take the 100- and 200-level classes at their high schools, on college campuses or online through the Montana University System’s Dual Enrollment program.

To learn more and get signed up – click here!

Did you know that Helena High School has it’s own App?

Use the HHSApp to stay connected to Helena High. You can quickly contact teachers, administrators and counselors, access PowerSchool, daily schedules, athletic rosters and athletic schedules, order transcripts, view announcements, the school newspaper and the weekly Stall Street Journal, and much more. Version 4.0.0 is available for free in Google Play for Android and the Apple Store for IOS.  If your current version does not automatically update, you may need to uninstall/reinstall to guarantee the most current HHS information.

Search “Helena High School” to find and download today!

Monday through Friday

Main Office Hours
7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
324-2200

Bookkeeper Hours
7:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Attendance Office
7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
324-2211

Students will have several opportunities to earn or regain credit with the Helena schools this summer. Classes may be remote, blended, or face to face depending on local health advice.

Click here to learn more!

Parents – you may check with your student’s counselor for Summer School recommendations via email.