Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

I’d like to take a moment to recognize the importance of this Memorial Day weekend.  Thank you to all of our family members who have served our country and to those graduating seniors who will be heading off to follow in their footsteps, we are incredibly thankful for the freedoms you give your life for us to have. 

I’d also like to say CONGRATULATIONS to our incredible Track, Tennis, and Softball teams.  They gave their heart and soles this past weekend and left nothing behind.  We are so proud of your accomplishments and can’t wait to put that hardware up in the trophy cases! 

This week marks the final week with the Class of 2023! There are many events happening that we would love our 9th-11th graders to participate in:

• Tuesday-during lunch come cheer on the boys Volleyball teams, they have been practicing hard during lunch to show off their skills! 

• Thursday-during Advisory-rain or shine come cheer on the senior Powdepuff teams as they play flag football out in the stadium. 

End of School:

• Last day of school-Thursday June 8th

• Friday, June 9th will be an Academic Intervention opportunity 8-12pm, there will be no busing available.  Your child’s teacher will reach out directly if they should attend.  

Summer Programming-

• Parents-you should be reviewing Infinite Campus now to help your child finish the semester up with passing grades.
• If you failed any class required for graduation (English, Science, Math, Social Studies or PE) you will be required to attend Summer Programming.  
• 6/12/23-7/13/23
• Monday-Thursday
• No class the week of 7/3-7/6
• Session #1 9am-11am
• Session #2 11:30-1:30pm
• You will receive a phone call and email on Friday 6/9 confirming participation.
• Students have the opportunity to recover more than 1 credit-so please don’t miss out on this opportunity to get back on track for Graduation! 
• Snacks, lunch and gas cards will be available. 

2023-24 Schedule Release-

Incoming 9th graders’ schedules will be mailed home the week of June 5th.  Incoming 9th-grade students can make schedule changes in the Fall during walk-in scheduling hours.

Rising 10th-12th graders' class schedules for the 2023-2024 school year are available to view on the Infinite Campus Student Portal and Parent Portal.  

Courses of note:

• If you have a zero hour Jazz Band, Theory Of Knowledge, Advanced Weight Training, IB History of the Americas or 20th Century Topics, please note the time to be at school.
• Juniors - all Social Studies for junior year is IB History of the Americas which meets the MCPS US History graduation requirement.
• Seniors - can take either US Government or IB 20th Century Topics to meet the MCPS US Government graduation requirement.
• Seniors - Must enroll in at least 5 credit bearing courses.

Schedules will only be changed for the following reasons:

• Sequence of courses is out of order (Example courses requiring a prerequisite: Ceramics 1 semester 1/ Introduction to Art semester 2)
• Incomplete schedule.
• Failure of a course that must be repeated. 
• A required course to graduate or for your program was not scheduled.

Counseling Schedule Change Protocol

• All required changes must be completed within the first five days of the semester. Any changes made after the first five days of the semester will result in an F for the course.
• Students with IEPs need to discuss their desired schedule changes with their Case Manager before meeting with their counselor.
• Schedules will not be changed for teachers or for friend requests.
• To request a schedule change students need to complete their counselor's referral form. This can be found on the counseling department website.

If you have any questions as we wrap up this school year, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, jccourtney@mcpsmt.org

Spring Schedule release

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

Best of luck to our Track, Softball, and Tennis players as they head to Divisionals this week! There are also several other activities taking place this week:

• Monday-National Honor Society Induction
• Tuesday-Choir Concert
• Wednesday-HSA Biomedical Presentations
• Friday-Eagles Encore

Don't forget to review the calendar for all End of Year Events, specifically, review students' last day-the bell schedules will run as usual, there is no change to the schedule to finish up the year! 

Future You College & Career Summit

If you are a current 10th or 11th grader, don’t forget to sign up to interact with many of our local businesses and organizations to learn more about opportunities post-high school.  The sections are Tuesday, May 23rd during the 2nd, 3rd, and/or 4th period and if you sign up you will be excused from those classes.

Sign up here!

Yearbooks have arrived. We will start distribution Monday and sales on Tuesday. Seniors who have purchased a yearbook

can pick them up starting at 8:30 in the Commons outside room 130. Grades 9-11 can start picking up their books at lunch until 4:15. Monday distribution is for students who have pre-purchased a book only. 

Sales will begin on Tuesday for all students who would like to purchase a book. Please bring $80 cash or a check made out to Big Sky High School starting Tuesday if you would like to purchase a book. We will sell books first come first served. All books will be sold in the Commons in front of room 130 next to the store. Books will not be sold in the office. Questions? Email Jenn Keintz at jkeintz@mcpsmt.org.

GRADUATION UPDATES:

• To order Graduation Photos go to Lifetouch.com, Photoday Code is 95331GY23
• If you do not have your cap and gown yet, please make sure to reach out to Molly or go to jostens.com to get one ordered. 
• Parking will be a concern so please make sure you allow yourself plenty of time, maps will be sent out to note parking areas in the next week or so. 

Have a great week Big Sky! Please be in touch if you need anything. 

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, jccourtney@mcpsmt.org

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

What a magical weekend with Prom at the Wilma! I am so proud of our students and how well they represented Big Sky High School! 

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, I would encourage you to send a message to a favorite teacher or one that has made a difference in your life. 

Just a reminder…

Link Crew is coming to Big Sky! Link Crew is a high school transition program that welcomes freshmen and makes them feel more comfortable throughout their first year of high school. Built on the belief that students can help other students succeed, Link Crew trains upperclassmen to become mentors to incoming freshmen. Strong Link Leaders have strong communication skills, leadership potential, responsibility, and personality, and aren't afraid to share their own lessons and experiences to help others succeed. Applications will open Monday May 1st and be open until Friday May 12th. See attached poster for more details, or contact Mrs. Keffeler or Mrs. Dunfee with questions.   If you wish to apply click here-Link Crew Application

This is one of our last quiet weeks before things gear up to send the Class of 2023 into Graduation! Be well Big Sky, please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you need anything.

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, jccourtney@mcpsmt.org

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

What a great week we had last week! Shout out to our Theater 2 students for their incredible dance show! Also, we had 3 teams attend the Envirothon competition in Great Falls, 2 Big Sky teams, and 1 FFA team. One of our teams took 2nd overall and one of the coolest things was they got to visit the Timeless Seeds factory where they brought back locally grown lentils for our students to try.

Tennis this week took on the Western in Kalispell on Saturday. Congratulations to Riley and Becca for winning the #3 doubles bracket and Beniah and Isaiah for winning the #2 doubles brackets!

Shout out to our Softball team! Taking down rival Sentinel after 6 years of waiting-well done Eagles! 

Congratulations to our 9th boy's Track team for taking 1st in the AA Track Invitational!

• Prom is this weekend, please be sure to remember all school rules and expectations apply even to this event that takes place off campus. 

Link Crew is coming to Big Sky! Link Crew is a high school transition program that welcomes freshmen and makes them feel more comfortable throughout their first year of high school. Built on the belief that students can help other students succeed, Link Crew trains upperclassmen to become mentors to incoming freshmen. Strong Link Leaders have strong communication skills, leadership potential, responsibility, and personality, and aren't afraid to share their own lessons and experiences to help others succeed. Applications will open Monday, May 1st, and be open until Friday, May 12th. See attached poster for more details, or contact Mrs. Keffeler or Mrs. Dunfee with questions.   If you wish to apply click here-Link Crew Application

Please refer to the End of Year Calendar of Events-this is a live document and dates/times will be updated on this doc, so I would encourage you to check it frequently. 

• Seniors-please note all of the events related to Graduation practice, senior celebration events, and Graduation on June 3rd! Graduation will take place inside the Adam’s Center, it will be live-streamed and you do not need tickets to come and watch. 
• Graduation will be live-streamed and available on the Big Sky Website and the Big Sky Facebook. 

Have a great week Big Sky, please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you need anything. 

Jennifer Courtney 

Principal, jccourtney@mcpsmt.org

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

Let’s cross our fingers this week that all of our sports are able to play without the weather impacting them! Everyone has been so patient but I know we're all ready to cheer you on! 

Don’t forget the Annual Dance Show from our Theater students will be Thursday 4/27 and Friday 4/28, show starts at 7:30 in the Big Sky Theater! 

Prom tickets are on sale during lunch.  Tickets cost $25 for a single and $40 for a couple. This is a junior/senior prom and underclassmen can only attend if invited by an upperclassman.  If you are bringing a date that attends another school you must get the prom permission slip in the main office.  Prom is held at the Wilma on May 6th, Grand March starts at 5:30pm with the dance starting at 7:30pm. 

Please refer to the End of Year Calendar of Events-this is a live document and dates/times will be updated on this doc, so I would encourage you to check it frequently. 

• Seniors-please note all of the events related to Graduation practice, senior celebration events, and Graduation on June 3rd! Graduation will take place inside the Adam’s Center, it will be live-streamed and you do not need tickets to come and watch. 

Good luck this week to our Envirothon Team! We have 3 teams who will represent Big Sky! 

If you have any questions or need anything this week, please don’t hesitate to reach out! 

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, Big Sky High School

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

What a great week for our 11th graders taking the ACT! We had a huge turnout of students and can’t wait to help support them in their next steps post-high school.

Also what a great Saturday we had-Music Festival, MCPS Track Invite, and Softball! Tennis played great matches on Friday vs. Sentinel.  Don’t forget to check out the Big Sky activities calendar for all upcoming events-Big Sky Calendar

Students-this is the last chance to vote for this month’s staff Eagle of Honor-if you would like to nominate an amazing staff member please fill out this form out-Eagle of Honor

Prom tickets go on sale this week on Thursday & Friday.  Tickets cost $25 for a single and $40 for a couple. This is a junior/senior prom and underclassmen can only attend if invited by an upperclassman.  If you are bringing a date that attends another school you must get the prom permission slip in the main office.  Prom is held at the Wilma on May 6th, Grand March starts at 5:30pm with the dance starting at 7:30pm. 

• 4/19 Blood Drive-Please consider donating blood to join in our lifesaving mission! The National Honor Society and the American Red Cross will host a blood drive at Big Sky on Wednesday, April 19. We are looking for donors -- students and their family members, ages 18+ (or 17+ with permission slip) are invited to join us. If you are interested in becoming a blood donor, please create an account and sign up on the American Red Cross website. Click here to make an appointment.
• 4/20- Winter Sports, Activities & Awards assembly during Advisory.  On this same note-we dropped the ball on getting out the 1st semester Honor Roll letters, those will be mailed and in the hands of students no later than May 1st.  
• 4/21 Academic Support Day-this will be exactly like our day in March:
• No new content will be covered and no new assignments posted
• Students who are passing, making progress, or are not otherwise notified by their teacher are not required to attend
• This is an attendance reporting day, so if your child does not attend, you are still required to excuse their attendance. 
• Students will move through a regular bell schedule for this day, so if they only need to attend specific periods, they must provide their own transportation if they plan to arrive late or leave early. 
• Breakfast and lunch will be provided
• The Lifeskills program will run on a regular day and all students should attend. 

• Most important to note: NO LATE WORK will be accepted after Friday, April 21st and mid-term grades will be posted on Friday, April 28th.  To clarify this means that any outstanding work will not be graded beyond this date.

Have a great week Big Sky, thanks for being such an amazing community! Go Eagles! 

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, jccourtney@mcpsmt.org

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

A huge shout-out to all of our incredible Science students for putting on the Science Circus after many years of hiatus.  It was a fun experience and so many cool experiments for kids & adults. 

This is also the last week to sign up for the Farm to Table event on 4/20 at the AG Center.  All families that participate will get a take-home gift from School House Meats! Use the link here to sign up-Farm to Table

It’s also that time again to nominate the Staff Eagle of Honor, please take a moment to fill out the link to say a few kind words about a Big Sky staff member-Eagle of Honor

I want to encourage students if you are on Instagram to be following @bshsstudents. There are going to be lots of upcoming updates & reminders regarding prom, end-of-year celebrations, and graduation events. 

• ACT testing is Tuesday, April 11th.  This is a remote day for 9th, 10th, and 12th graders with the exception of the Health Science Academy 9th graders. You will be attending a required field trip to the State Capitol! 11th graders will receive an additional update following this message with specific reminders.
• 4/14 is a non-school day-this is a professional development day for staff and also AA Music Festival. 
• 4/19 Blood Drive-Please consider donating blood to join in our lifesaving mission! The National Honor Society and the American Red Cross will host a blood drive at Big Sky on Wednesday, April 19. We are looking for donors -- students and their family members, ages 18+ (or 17+ with permission slip) are invited to join us. If you are interested in becoming a blood donor, please create an account and sign up on the American Red Cross website. Click here to make an appointment.
• 4/20- Winter Sports, Activities & Awards assembly during Advisory.  On this same note-we dropped the ball on getting out the 1st semester Honor Roll letters, those will be mailed and in the hands of students no later than May 1st.  
• 4/21 Academic Support Day-this will be exactly like our day in March:
• No new content will be covered and no new assignments posted
• Students who are passing, making progress, or are not otherwise notified by their teacher are not required to attend
• This is an attendance reporting day, so if your child does not attend, you are still required to excuse their attendance. 
• Students will move through a regular bell schedule for this day, so if they only need to attend specific periods, they must provide their own transportation if they plan to arrive late or leave early. 
• Breakfast and lunch will be provided
• The Lifeskills program will run on a regular day and all students should attend. 

Most important to note: NO LATE WORK will be accepted after Friday, April 21st and mid-term grades will be posted on Friday, April 28th.  To clarify this means that any outstanding work will not be graded beyond this date.

Lastly, I just want to thank you all again for your patience during this past week’s lock-in.  It’s stressful and upsetting and I am so proud of how everyone handled themselves.  If you need anything please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, jccourtney@mcpsmt.org

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

Once again a shout-out to our FFA team! Several teams took top awards and many members placed in the top 10! If you are interested in learning more about FFA and classes at the AG Center, let me know and I’ll connect you to our student leaders! 

Come out Monday at 7pm to listen to our amazing Choir perform! They have been rehearsing and are ready to put on a great performance, which starts at 7pm in the Big Sky Theater! 

Farm to Table Event-join us for our 3rd annual event on April 20th at the AG Center.  Families will tour the farm, and enjoy a gift from School House Meats! If you are interested, click here-Farm to Table Sign Up

Attention Big Sky Seniors, Juniors, and families! Big Sky Prom will be on May 6th at the Wilma in downtown Missoula. Tickets will go on sale in April and will be $25 for one or $40 for two. Grand March will take place before the dance at the Wilma with more details to come. Students, stay up to date with Prom updates on the student Instagram @bshsstudents. See you there!

• Science Circus is BACK!!! Many of our families have fond memories of attending this incredible event before Covid, and we are excited to bring a smaller version of this back. The event will be held at Big Sky High School on Saturday, April 8th from 10 am - 3 pm.  Admission will be $3 per person ages 6+, 5 and under get in free.  Find your inner kid at the Science Circus.
• ACT testing is Tuesday, April 11th.  This is a remote day for 9th, 10th and 12th graders with the exception of the Health Science Academy 9th graders. You will be attending a required field trip to the State Capitol! 
• 4/14 is a non-school day-this is a professional development day for staff and also AA Music Festival. 
• 4/19 Blood Drive-Please consider donating blood to join our lifesaving mission! The National Honor Society and the American Red Cross will host a blood drive at Big Sky on Wednesday, April 19. We are looking for donors -- students and their family members, ages 18+ (or 17+ with permission slip) are invited to join us. If you are interested in becoming a blood donor, please create an account and sign up on the American Red Cross website. Click here to make an appointment.
• 4/21 Academic Support Day-this will be exactly like our day in March:
• No new content will be covered and no new assignments posted
• Students who are passing, making progress, or are not otherwise notified by their teacher are not required to attend
• This is an attendance reporting day, so if your child does not attend, you are still required to excuse their attendance. 
• Students will move through a regular bell schedule for this day, so if they only need to attend specific periods, they must provide their own transportation if they plan to arrive late or leave early. 
• Breakfast and lunch will be provided
• The Lifeskills program will run on a regular day and all students should attend. 
• Most important to note: NO LATE WORK will be accepted after Friday, April 21st and mid-term grades will be posted on Friday, April 28th.  To clarify this means that any outstanding work will not be graded beyond this date.

Have a great week Big Sky, please be in touch if you need anything! Take care of yourselves and each other, we are the best school community around! Go Eagles! 

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, jccourtney@mcpstmt.org

Dear Big Sky Students & Families-

I hope your spring break was relaxing and restful! I wanted to take a moment to give a shout-out to our Big Sky Orchestra! Right before break they put on an amazing performance in the Theater.  This group of musicians works tirelessly to prepare and we are so proud of them. 

There are lots of happenings and things to note:

• Check out the Transcript/Immunization Link on the Big Sky website-if you need either of these documents, please use this link to request those-Transcript/Immunization Link
• Science Circus is BACK!!! Many of our families have fond memories of attending this incredible event before Covid, and we are excited to bring a smaller version of this back. The event will be held at Big Sky High School on Saturday, April 8th from 10 am - 3 pm.  Admission will be $3 per person ages 6+, 5 and under get in free.  Find your inner kid at the Science Circus.  For questions please contact Virginia Tobiason at vtobiason@mcpsmt.org. 
• Your Eagle Speech and Debaters are fundraising for their trip to Phoenix for Nationals in June! Not only are they raffling off a hog worth of meat (from our very own AG center which will wrap and process it), but they also have a GoFundMe! If you are interested in helping to support these students get to the National Tournament, you can either purchase raffle tickets by emailing Coach Beed at jbeed@mcpsmt.org or you can donate to their GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/795d1f2f. Thanks so much for your continued support of this program!
• ACT testing is Tuesday, April 11th.  This is a remote day for 9th, 10th, and 12th graders with the exception of the Health Science Academy 9th graders. You will be attending a required field trip to the State Capitol! 
• April 14th is a non-school day-this is a professional development day for staff and also AA Music Festival. 

Be sure to check out the Big Sky Event Calendar-https://www.mcpsmt.org/Page/12#calendar8/20230324/month, you will find out upcoming Tennis & Softball games, upcoming Theater & music performances.  Have a great week back Big Sky! 

Jennifer Courtney

Principal, jccourtney@mcpsmt.org