Chief Chatter

Hello Helena Flats Families

I am very excited to join the Helena Flats school and community. I have lived in the Flathead Valley for 21 years and have been in education for quite a bit longer. :) I have been a teacher, school counselor, administrator, and coach. I am most recently coming from Glacier High School as a school counselor. Prior to that I served as principal for 7 years at St. Matthew's School (Pre-K through 8th grade) here in Kalispell. I enjoy all aspects of education and working with kids.

In the summertime I love rafting on the river with my family and having friendly games of badminton (actually pretty competitive) in the backyard. My husband, Shannon, is an educator as well. We have 4 children and an awesome granddaughter! And I can't forget to mention my dog, Jeb.

I look forward to meeting everyone and working together to make next school year great!

“Our annual Field Day will be our last day of school, Wednesday, June 10th. Please send students with athletic gear and sunscreen on. Drawstring bags work great for students to carry sweatshirts & waterbottles in as they switch stations and the day warms. Reminder there will be a water race station where students will get wet, so plan clothing accordingly (quick dry, not white). We will kick off the day at 8:50 with a Teachers Inflatable Costumes Race and end with lunch on the lawn.

There are three options for lunch: school lunch, cold lunch from home, or PTO's BBQ meal. BBQ meal will cost $5 and include a hotdog or hamburger with a bag of chips and a drink.

Looking forward to celebrating a year of learning together!”

Please return all library books to HFS so we can complete our inventory and ensure the opportunity for others to read those books. Letters to students with lost and overdue books have been sent out to students. Lost books can be returned by purchasing a new or gently used copy and donating it to the library. We prefer hardcover versions because of their durability. Any returns or replacements can be placed on the tan book return cart in our library. Thanks for ensuring the longevity of our library.

-Friday May 29th Awards Assemblies all grades, PK-2nd 8:45am-9:15am, 3rd-5th 10:10am-10:40am, 6th-8th 2:30pm-3:00pm in HFS Gym

-Tuesday, June 2nd starting at 2:30pm Spring Pep Assembly in HFS Gym

-Thursday, June 4th Alumni Graduation Walk for High School Seniors at 10:30am

-Thursday, June 4th Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony at 6:00pm in HFS Gym

-June 3rd-5th, 7th/8th grade History Trip

-Friday, June 5th PK Promotion Ceremony at 8:45am

-Friday June 5th and Monday June 8th Report Cards/Progress Reports/Testing Data going home

-Monday June 8th and Tuesday June 9th (8th Promotion Practice 8:30-9:20am) with 8th grade early release Tuesday after practice, Promotion Ceremony Tuesday June 9th at 6:00pm in HFS Gym

-June 10th Last Day of School with Field Day 8:50am-11:10am and PTO Lunch BBQ 11:00am-1:00pm (school lunch is available for students) School Early Release at 1:30pm

Kinzley Carpenter was presented the Future Leader Award from the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce on 5/7/26. You will do Great Things Kinzley :-)

-Volunteers please reach out to the Helena Flats PTO at helenaflatspto@helenaflats.org

Helena Flats Families, our Helena Flats PTO is working to help provide a new playground for our school. They are taking donations and working on possible grants. Please use the following link to donate to the playground fund. PayPal Also please check out storyboards for the initiative in our foyer.

Helena Flats School Completes MAST (Montana Aligned to Standards Through Year), MSA (Montana Science Assessment), and Aimsweb (School Benchmark/Universal Screener). All families received information for access to the MAST parent portal to view test performance throughout the school year. Teachers share Aimsweb score reports with report cards and at parent-teacher conferences. Montana Science Assessment Scores are shared by Science teachers in the 5th and 8th grades. WIDA test reports for English Learners are mailed to the home address on file.

-Please make sure to check the lost and found located in our foyer prior to the first of each month. This is the date we take items for donation. Thank You

-We are displaying school curriculum recommendations for the 26-27 school year in our main office on May 26th-29th for the community to review. Curriculums include Middle School Science, Middle School History, and Middle School Writing.

-Draw the Line, Respect the Line curriculum used in Health Education. Associated links to explore the curriculum.

Draw the Line - Program Success Center

Draw the Line Respect the Line

Kalispell Parks and Recreation invites you, your campers, students, and families to join us this summer for the Picnic in the Park Summer Concert Series at Depot Park in downtown Kalispell.

Concerts take place every Wednesday, with family-friendly performances from 12:00–1:00 PM and community concerts from 6:00–8:00 PM.

Our Wednesday noon concerts are designed especially for children and families, featuring interactive performers, music, dancing, storytelling, and plenty of opportunities for kids to participate and have fun. Before and during each concert, KPR staff will also offer simple art projects and creative activities for children to enjoy.

Best of all, every event is completely FREE, making Picnic in the Park an easy, fun, and affordable outing for summer camps, daycare programs, youth groups, and families.

We're also excited to host our Back-to-School Kids Jam & Party in the Park on August 12! This special celebration will wrap up summer with music, dancing, games, activities, treats, and other surprises designed to send kids back to school with great memories and big smiles. We will send more information about this as we get closer to August 12.

I've attached the full concert schedule and would greatly appreciate your help sharing these opportunities with your staff, families, and program participants. We would be thrilled to welcome your group to one or more events this summer.

If your camp or program plans to arrive by bus, please reach out. We'd be happy to coordinate convenient drop-off and pick-up locations to ensure safe and easy access to the park.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

We hope to see you this summer at Picnic in the Park!

Stephanie Brown

Recreation Superintendent

Kalispell Parks and Recreation

P.O. Box 1997 / 15 Depot Park

Kalispell, MT 59903

(406) 758-7717 office

Principals,

Please share with your students. Our camps are open to incoming students Grades 4-9 and are $85 per camp. Much appreciated! Please let me know if you have any questions.

SUMMER CAMPS 2026
Speech & Debate Summer Talkdown (June 22-25) 1-4pm (Tournament, Friday June 26 (9am-2pm))
Acting Camp (June 22-25) 9am-12pm
Performance Camp (June 29-July 2) (8:30-11:30am)

Greg Adkins
Teacher & Coach (Speech & Debate, Softball, Theatre)
Glacier High School, 375 Wolfpack Way, Kalispell, MT 59901
greg.adkins@sd5.k12.mt.us (406)758-8600 extension 8668

Email: mikebarton@helenaflats.org
Website: Home | Helena Flats School District
Location: 1000 Helena Flats Road, Kalispell, MT 59901
Phone: (406) 257-2301