Back to school information for Saco Schools

Saco will be opening up their doors to students on Monday, August 18th. School hours for students are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Teachers return on Thursday and Friday August 14th & 15th for orientation and some professional development. Saco will have three new teachers this year. Teaching our 2nd and 3rd grade students is Kaylee Nathe. Mrs. Nathe is a recent graduate from MSU-Northern and comes to us with fresh ideas and strong technology skills. Teaching our 4th and 5th grade students will be Ms. Leann (Pippin) Brown. Ms. Brown is actually a Saco graduate and she taught here a few years back. She has taught at several Department of Defense schools and three years in Hinsdale. Ms. Brown brings a lot of experience to Saco and she is excited to be back at her alma mater. Our business and library will be taught by Duane Walker of Gallatin, Montana. Duane is not to be confused with the Duane Walker formally from Plentywood. Mr. Walker taught several years ago and has been operating his own business since. His desire to return to the classroom brings Duane and his wife Lynn to Saco for the first time. Mr. Walker will also be doing a lot of coaching for Saco.

Our school facilities are ready for students after a lot of hard summer work. Special thanks goes out to Debi Whitaker for getting every classroom and hallway clean and ready for students. Also, Charlene Sunford and Teri Jolley spent a lot of hours on a ladder keeping up with our painting rotation. Gene Salveson, our maintenance supervisor, has spent a lot of energy getting some badly need infrastructure in order before school starts. Our buildings are in superior condition and ready for students and staff. Recognition should also go to our school clerk, Kathy Siroky for her long summer hours doing all of the required paperwork and to Bill Gaffney and Anita Freeman, our technology team, for getting all of our lap tops, iPads, and network servers ready for teachers and students.

We will be continuing our three bus routes this year and there will not be any changes. Our enrollment will remain constant from last year as a few students moved away but a few new ones moved in. Letters to parents and staff were mailed out last week and supply lists are either in the mailer or were sent out under separate cover by individual teachers.

Saco School District is in its fourth year utilizing the four day school week. “Our goal was to cut back on student absenteeism”, Superintendent Gordon Hahn states, “and the four day week has been very successful in doing that. Students miss only a couple of days a year now due to sports and activity trips”. In addition, we are in our fourth year of our one-to-one lap top and iPad program. Gone are the shared computer labs as students have immediate and individual access to learning tools anytime and anywhere. Teachers throughout the building, including elementary classrooms, use the internet and its resources daily and they start the school year using it right away. The materials mailed to parents include our Internet Appropriate Use Form which we are hoping to get returned on the first day of school so students can access the internet right away.

Saco will continue its cooperative agreements with neighboring schools. Volleyball and jamboree/junior high basketball are co-oped with Hinsdale, football with Malta, and high school basketball with Whitewater. All co-ops have been operating for several years now with amazing success and cooperation. We enjoy the teamwork and camaraderie we share with these school districts.