Highland Park school moves to remote learning

As remote learning was set to begin Monday in Havre Public Schools, each school and grade level was working to set how their procedures will work with each doing things differently than the next.

At Highland Park Early Primary School  learning packets were handed out for its students to take home as part of it's remote learning program.

Principal Mark Irvin said the packets included a letter from him, some guidelines for the parents on a daily schedule the school has laid out for them, a list of activities for the next two weeks spelled out by days of the week, a list online resources the students can use based on different subjects and more.

"This is new for us too, so we are really navigating uncharted waters, but our biggest thing is our teachers have individually really have been trying to contact the families and the kids that are in their class, their students kind of that one-to-one connection, we are trying to maintain that," he said. 

Highland Park Early Primary School has 312 students, he said.

A big part of the school's remote learning process, Irvin said, is connecting and making sure the parents and students are good, safe and healthy.

"It was amazing that just to have something in hand for their kids, you just see that reassurance they felt better and we feel good about getting that stuff to them, so that they can continue to do some learning and have online courses," he said. "Our next step would be to provide the technology from the Chromebooks to families that may need them, so that they can do some of these learning things online." 

He added that, over the next few weeks, the school will be working on a second packet to send out to its students.

That depend on whether Gov. Steve Bullock extends his directive closing classrooms. The directive runs through April 10

For his school's students, Irvin said, the biggest change through this time period is the socialization component, whether it's with their teacher or friends at recess that they have at school.

"We wish this would go away and we could get them back tomorrow, but we understand that might not happen," he said. 

He said the big thing for parents is to stay connected with their child's individual teacher or they can call the school at 395-8555 if they have questions or concerns.

If families are in need of supplies, he said, they can contact the school or the student's teacher, and the school faculty and staff will try to distribute the supplies needed.