We hope everyone has enjoyed a restful and enjoyable summer. We are excited to welcome students back to Noxon Public Schools and are looking forward to another great year of learning, activities, and opportunities for our students.
Our first day of school is Tuesday, August 25. As we prepare for students to return, I wanted to share several important dates, introduce our new staff members, and provide an overview of some of the work and events planned for the coming year.
A quick note before you dive in: I realize this post is longer than usual. There is a lot happening as we get ready for the new school year, and rather than send a series of separate messages, I wanted to put the most important back-to-school information in one place. Feel free to read through it all at once or come back to it as needed over the next few days. My hope is that it gives everyone a clear picture of what to expect and some of the exciting things ahead for Noxon this year.
Welcoming New Staff
We are excited to welcome several new members to the Noxon team.
Madi Koonce will join us as our first-grade teacher. Madi is a 2019 Noxon graduate, and we are excited to welcome her home and know she will be a wonderful addition to our elementary team.
Jaylynn Meyers will join us as our Grades 7–12 science teacher. Jaylynn brings 19 years of teaching experience, and we look forward to the experience and enthusiasm she will bring to our secondary students.
We are also pleased to welcome Julianna Perkins to our kitchen staff. Julianna is new to the area and is excited to become part of the Noxon school and community.
Important Upcoming Dates
Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
August 12 at 6:00 p.m.: Fall Sports Parent/Coach Meeting in the MPR
August 14: First high school football and volleyball practices
August 24, 5:00–6:30 p.m.: Meet the Teacher Evening
August 25: First day of school and first junior high football and volleyball practices
August 28: First high school football game at Sunburst
August 29: High school volleyball preseason tournament in Drummond
September 7–11: Homecoming Week
September 16: Second Annual Back-to-School BBQ and Literacy Night
September 24: Rachel’s Challenge All-School Event and evening community event
Additional information about these events will be shared as the dates approach.
Meet the Teacher Evening
Join us for Meet the Teacher on Monday, August 24, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. This will be a drop-in evening, so families are welcome to stop by anytime to meet teachers, visit classrooms, find lockers, and address any last-minute questions before school begins.
Grades 7–12 Class Scheduling Is Open
Class scheduling is now open for students entering Grades 7–12. Students and parents are welcome to stop by the school to work on schedules, ask questions about course options or graduation requirements, and address conflicts before school begins. Students will also have the first five school days of the semester to request schedule changes, subject to course availability and graduation requirements.
School Hours
Our regular school day is 8:15 a.m.–3:38 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:15 a.m.–2:36 p.m. on scheduled Fridays. We operate on an every-other-Friday schedule, so please refer to the 2026–27 school calendar for Fridays when school is not in session.
School Meals and the CEP Program
The Noxon Board of Trustees has approved continued participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for 2026–27, meaning all students will continue to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost this school year. Additional items, such as seconds or extra milk, will remain available for purchase.
The Board and administration have also discussed the program's long-term sustainability, and 2026–27 will likely be Noxon's final year participating in CEP. Beginning with the 2027–28 school year, the district will likely return to the traditional Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program. Under that system, free or reduced-price meals would be available only to eligible families, while other families would pay the established breakfast and lunch prices.
We recognize that this could mean increased meal costs for some families. One reason the Board chose to continue CEP for one additional year was to provide families with advance notice and time to plan rather than making the change abruptly. It also gives us the coming school year to communicate clearly about what the transition will mean and how families can prepare.
There is no change families need to make for this school year. We will provide much more information about the anticipated 2027–28 transition well in advance of next year.
Student Handbook Updates
The 2026–27 Student Handbook includes several revisions intended to provide clearer and more consistent expectations. One significant change involves junior high promotion activities: eligibility for the eighth-grade promotion ceremony and trip will now be tied to academic performance and attendance throughout Grades 7 and 8. We have also restored beginning-of-year activity eligibility carryover, meaning students who finish the previous school year academically ineligible will begin the fall activity season ineligible until they meet eligibility requirements at a regular grade check.
As part of our attendance improvement efforts, breakfast service will end at 8:10 a.m. each morning, except in the event of bus delays or other circumstances approved by the administration. The handbook also includes updates to expectations for tardiness, technology, student aides, dress, and activity attendance. One expectation that has not changed is our cellphone procedure: students should keep cellphones in their lockers during the school day.
Students will review the handbook during the first week of school, and we encourage families to review it together at home as well. The complete 2026–27 Student Handbook will be sent to families and posted on the school website before the start of the school year.
Attendance: Working Together Earlier
Improving student attendance will be one of our priorities this year, and we also want to improve how we communicate with families when attendance becomes a concern.
Rather than relying primarily on formal attendance letters, our goal will be to make earlier and more personal connections with students and families. When a student begins accumulating excessive absences, we want to have a conversation, understand what may be contributing to the problem, and work together on solutions before attendance becomes a larger issue.
Our existing attendance expectations and consequences will remain in place. Students who accumulate more than 10 absences may still be referred to our Attendance Intervention Team for a meeting and further intervention. The difference will be an increased emphasis on building a bridge between attendance concerns, family communication, support, and—when necessary—consequences.
Families are one of our most important partners in this work. Please help us by making regular attendance and arriving on time a priority, communicating with the school when circumstances are affecting attendance, and reaching out early if your child is struggling to attend consistently. Every day of instruction matters, and addressing attendance works best when school and home are working together.
Grades 7–8 Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI)
I also want to provide families with some context regarding our Grades 7–8 program, which has been identified by the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) for Comprehensive Support and Improvement, or CSI, under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
It represents the highest level of school-improvement support under Montana's ESSA accountability system and brings increased planning requirements, OPI involvement, progress monitoring, and additional technical assistance and resources. It does not mean the state is taking over our school, nor does it mean our students or staff are failing. Rather, OPI will become a more active partner as we work to strengthen student outcomes in our middle grades.
It is also important to understand how the designation is determined. Montana's accountability system looks at multiple measures of school performance, including academic achievement, academic growth, student attendance, graduation rates, and other indicators. The system considers multiple performance measures rather than relying on a single test.
Our overall accountability results also include some very positive news. Noxon Elementary remains in Universal Support, meaning it continues to meet state accountability expectations. Noxon High School successfully exited Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) and returned to Universal Support after meeting the state's exit criteria. Those accomplishments are worth celebrating and reflect the work of our students, staff, and families.
The Grades 7–8 CSI designation for the 2026–27 school year is based on 2024–25 accountability data, including student performance from that year. In other words, the designation reflects historical performance rather than the work completed during this past school year or the students we will serve this fall.
We are also not starting from scratch in Grades 7–8. Much of the work required through CSI was already underway. We have expanded instructional expertise in our middle grades, are reviewing curriculum pacing, are strengthening Professional Learning Communities, and will work with OPI to complete a comprehensive needs assessment and refine our Continuous School Improvement Plan. CSI also makes additional professional learning, technical assistance, and federal improvement resources available to the district.
Parents also have an important role in this effort. The most immediate way families can help is by making regular attendance and on-time arrivals a priority. Families can also help by staying informed about student progress, communicating with teachers when concerns arise, encouraging students to take assessments seriously, and reinforcing the importance of consistent effort throughout the school year.
One accountability designation does not define our school. It identifies an area that needs additional attention and resources, and I am confident that by working together—students, families, staff, and OPI—we can strengthen our middle grades program and successfully return Grades 7–8 to Universal Support.
Rachel’s Challenge
We are especially excited to bring Rachel’s Challenge to Noxon on September 24 in partnership with Trout Creek School.
Rachel’s Challenge is a nationally recognized school-culture initiative inspired by the life and writings of Rachel Joy Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School tragedy. The program uses Rachel's story, writings, and example to demonstrate the influence our words and actions can have on other people and to encourage students to begin what Rachel described as a "chain reaction of kindness and compassion."
The programming will be age-appropriate. Younger students will participate in an interactive elementary presentation focused on using kind words, including others, making positive choices, setting goals, and continuing that chain reaction of kindness. The elementary program does not show or discuss Rachel's death or footage from the Columbine tragedy.
Older students will learn more about Rachel's story and be challenged to think about their own influence on others. Themes include looking for the best in people, choosing positive influences, speaking with kindness, showing appreciation, and recognizing that each student can make a meaningful difference in their school's culture.
Students and staff from Trout Creek School will join us for the September 24 presentations, and we will also host an evening event for parents and community members.
Most importantly, our intention is for Rachel’s Challenge to be much more than a one-day assembly. Throughout the year, we will continue reinforcing its themes through SPARK, the evolution of our Hope Squad student group. SPARK will be modeled after the Friends of Rachel student leadership approach and will provide students with ongoing opportunities to lead service, kindness, connection, and school culture activities throughout the year. Rachel's Challenge specifically describes its student leadership model as a way to sustain the momentum created by the assembly beyond the event itself.
I am excited about the opportunity this gives us to strengthen relationships, build student leadership, and continue to create a school where every student knows they are valued and belong.
Our Focus This Year: One Team. One Dream.
Last spring, our Elementary Student Council proposed the theme “One Team. One Dream.” We liked the message so much that we are extending it schoolwide this year.
Whether someone is a student, parent, teacher, coach, paraeducator, bus driver, kitchen employee, custodian, trustee, or community partner, we all contribute to the same goal: helping every student learn, grow, and succeed.
This year, our major areas of focus will include strengthening student writing, building effective staff collaboration, continuing to improve school culture and student belonging, improving student attendance, and supporting students and staff as one school community.
We hope families will see the “One Team. One Dream.” theme reflected in our classrooms, activities, communication, and community events throughout the year.
Questions or Need Help?
As we get ready for the school year, please don't hesitate to reach out if you need help with Infinite Campus, transportation, athletics, attendance, class scheduling, school meals, or anything else. If you aren't sure who to contact, simply call the main office, and we'll help get you connected with the right person.
Good communication between home and school makes a tremendous difference, and we want families to feel comfortable reaching out with questions, concerns, or information that will help us better support your child.
Thank you for entrusting your children to Noxon Public Schools. We appreciate the partnership of our families and community and are excited about the year ahead.