Philipsburg K-12 Schools

Dear Philipsburg Business Owner, On behalf of Granite High School, I would like to invite you to participate in our upcoming Career Fair on Wednesday, April 29th, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. This event is a unique opportunity to connect with motivated students from both Philipsburg and Drummond. We are specifically looking for local partners who are interested in: Education: Sharing insights about your profession and the skills needed to succeed in your industry. Hiring: Recruiting students for summer or part-time positions. To make this event as impactful as possible, we ask each attending business to plan one engaging activity at their booth. This could be a quick skill challenge, a live demonstration of your equipment, or a "day-in-the-life" interactive display. If you are interested in joining us, please reply to this email or reach out to me directly at hessr@pburg.k12.mt.us. We look forward to partnering with you to inspire our local youth! Best regards, Ray Hess Counselor Granite High School

Parent Teacher Spring Conferences Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Time:4-7pm Elementary parents K-6th grade need to schedule times with teachers. Granite High School parents 7-12th grade will be first-come first-serve bases. Thanks for looking! 👀

Philipsburg Easter Egg Hunt 🐰 Saturday, April 4th, 2026 is at 10 am at the Philipsburg City Park! Please see flier for ages and start time.

Public Notice Philipsburg K-12 Public Schools board of trustees will be meeting for a strategic planning session on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 5:30-7:30 pm in the GHS board meeting room at GHS. No items of action will take place. This meeting is to discuss our districts strategic plan and how we are doing hitting our objectives and goals set forth for the year. Thanks for looking!

In a packed courtroom, the 5th grade took the stand to determine whether a student was guilty of truancy. In this case, the student had accumulated 18 absences prior to the third quarter midterm. The prosecution presented evidence including questionable notes, missed phone calls, and declining academic performance to support their claim. Meanwhile, the defense argued that despite the absences, the student demonstrated growth by improving grades and completing assignments. Both sides called witnesses to the stand, each offering testimony to strengthen their case. Students remained engaged and thoughtful as they listened, questioned, and analyzed the evidence presented. Following closing statements, the jury adjourned to deliberate. After just five minutes of discussion, they returned to the courtroom. Jurors #1 and #2 delivered the final verdict: GUILTY. Thank you to our administration, teachers, sheriff, and all who participated, testified, and observed. Your support helped make this a meaningful and memorable learning experience. Note: This was a mock trial designed to provide students with a hands-on, real-world understanding of the judicial system.

Philipsburg K-12 students were awarded doughnuts and orange juices in recognition today for their excellent work bringing up scores on Ed Ready, Dibels/intervention and MAST Lots of smiles for all the hard work! Congratulations students, parents and teachers for all you do with motivating our students to their best! Tom G

Philipsburg Elementary Book Fair

Prospector Shout Out! Thanks to Amanda Bohrer front eg Anaconda-Deer Lodge tobacco education group for bringing in yesterday's tobacco speaker Michael DeLeon! The 7-12 GHS students and staff applaud Mr. DeLeon and his work for teaching us the harmful effects from drugs and alcohol. Thanks again, Tom Gates

Junior High Track is right around the corner! Practice starts on Wednesday, April 8th with a parent meeting to follow! See you there! Coach Walkley & Radtke

Mr. Gates has been subpoenaed by the 5th grade court! 5th grade has been learning about the justice system in U.S. History. As part of their curriculum they are taking the hands on approach and will be having a mock trial tomorrow during class about truancy! Stay tuned for the verdict!

Spring Cleaning in Action! Our 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students took some time after lunch recess to help clean up the playground and surrounding areas. With teamwork and great attitudes, they worked together to pick up trash and take pride in keeping our school environment clean and welcoming. Please remember that if you are visiting our playground to take a minute and pick up any trash you may leave behind!

Parent-Teacher Conferences Are Coming Up! Parent-teacher conferences are right around the corner before spring break—be sure to sign up! Elementary families can schedule their conference through ClassDojo. High school families do not need to sign up—just stop by during conference times. We look forward to seeing you all there!

GHS Parents, Tomorrow we have a tobacco prevention assembly coming to GHS. The assembly will run 2:15-3:45 pm. This presentation was paid for by the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Tobacco Education Service. The presenter has donated books/diary's for students to take home only if they have a parent permission form completed and returned to school. The content of the book/diary has profanity hence the permission form need for the book to be given out. Thanks for looking. GHS parents are welcomed to attend this event if they wish. Have a nice day, Tom Gates

The 6th grade girls took the plunge today for the 2026 Polar Plunge! ❄️💙 The water may have been freezing, but that didn’t stop them from having an incredible time and showing their bravery! Thanks to their hard work and the generosity of our community, they raised: 💙 Special Olympics: $480.00 💙 Granite County Sheriff’s Office: $150.00 We are so proud of these girls for stepping out of their comfort zones and supporting such amazing causes. Thank you to everyone who donated and made this possible! 🧊👏

Week of March 23rd-March 26th, 2026

-Tuesday, March 24th: End of 3rd Quarter

Reminders:
-Please continue to check the school website and ClassDojo for important reminders, updates, and information!
-Have students bring a snack for snack time.
-You can now pay your students breakfast/lunch bill online! Visit the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus. Login to the Parent Portal, select Food Service from the menu, click Pay, enter the amount for each student, and submit the payment via the cart.
-Remember to have students bring coats, snow pants, boots, hats, and gloves.

Breakfast & Lunch Prices-ALL STUDENTS FIRST BREAKFAST AND LUNCH ARE FREE. These are the price changes for seconds, AlaCarte, extra
milk, and adults.
Adult Breakfast: $3.00
Adult Lunch: $5.25
Adult Salad Bar: $5.25
*Seconds on Breakfast: $1.00 K-12
*Seconds on Lunch: $1.50 K-12
*Seconds on Breakfast $2.00 Adults
*Seconds on Lunch $2.50 Adults
*Extra milk: $0.75
*AlaCarte: $0.75

Today was another amazing outdoor school day! Some students had the opportunity to visit the planetarium at Missoula College. They learned that some of the brightest stars we see in the sky are actually much larger than Earth—pretty incredible to think about! 🌍 Students also explored how constellations change throughout the year, making it a truly eye-opening experience. Afterward, they visited the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, where they participated in elk simulations and learned about the importance of protecting wildlife and natural habitats. 🫎 Meanwhile, the rest of the school enjoyed a beautiful day at Discovery Ski Area. Students spent the morning in lessons and the afternoon free skiing. It was the perfect day to be on the mountain! 🎿

Today was such a fun and busy day! ☘️ Although it was a regular school day, students were encouraged to wear green to avoid getting “pinched” by the leprechauns! Throughout both the elementary and high school, leprechauns of Mr. Gates were hidden everywhere. Students who spotted one earned a gold chocolate coin—so exciting! The 6th graders even used their brain break to decorate Mr. Gates’ office, which added to the festive spirit. It was a colorful, fun-filled day—thank you to everyone who participated! 💚

March 10, 2026 Regular Board Meeting Motions - Passed/Failed/Tabled:
a. Approve 2026-2027 School Calendar - PASSED.
b. Resolution to Call for Permissive Levy - PASSED.
c. Offer Contract to Audrey Radtke for JH Assistant Track Coach - PASSED.
d. Approve Volunteer High School/Junior High Coaches Brandon Harvey, Dustin Hanson, and Dustin Keltner - PASSED.

All board meeting minutes can be found here: https://www.philipsburgschools.org/documents/school-board/school-board-minutes/728564

Parents ,

We have rescheduled last Friday's outdoor classroom day for this Friday, March 20th, 2026. Buses will run as normal for pick-up and drop-off. The Discovery ski group will go skiing, but the Museum of the Rockies group has been changed to a Missoula trip. This group will tour the planetarium at the University of Montana campus then go to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation before returning to Philipsburg.

Thanks for reading,

Tom Gates