 We had a wonderful Youth Days in Missoula over the weekend. Youth Days focuses on youth voice and leadership development, community service and engagement, school safety, and mental health. Thank you to all the students who attended and to everyone who helped make this event a success!
Thank you to the following OPI Staff who participated:
Joe Moriarty, MBI Consultant, Michele Henson, School Safety Program Manager, Tammy Lysons, Continuing Education and Technical Assistance Unit Manager, Anne Carpenter, Program Support Specialist, Paige Sedahl, Program Manager, Genie Zeeck, Instructional Coordinator, and Keith Hoyer, MBI Consultant.
Calendar:
Please be aware of the upcoming meetings:
Many of our talented OPI staff will be involved in presenting the great work the OPI does in putting Montana students first.
- April 21 - Viewing of the Clay Bust of Governor Judy Martz
- April 23-25 - Montana Traffic Education Conference
- April 26 - Administrative Professional's Day
- April 27 - PurpleUp! Wear purple to work
- April 24 - In the Know - Data Modernization: Accreditation with Crystal Andrews
- May 8 - In the Know - Indian Student Achievement with Donnie Wetzel
- May 22 - In the Know - Legislative Work Going Forward with Tara Boulanger
- May 29 - Holiday - Memorial Day
In the Know are learning sessions presented by OPI staff. All start times are at noon. In person: the meeting will be held in the Lewis & Clark Conference Room: 1227 #106. Virtual: Zoom information is as follows: In the Know - Zoom Link Meeting ID: 851 1792 1375 Password: 074298. Dial by Telephone: 1 646 558 8656.
If you have any events to add to the calendar, please contact T Jensen at T.Jensen@mt.gov
Viewing of the Clay Bust - Governor Judy Martz:
 |
|
You are invited to visit the viewing of the clay bust of the future bronze statue of Governor Judy Martz. Friday April 21, 2023, 9am-3pm
Please join renowned artist Gareth Curtiss on the 2nd floor near the Governor's Office to view the work in progress.
|
Montana's Purple Up! Day:
 April 27 is Montana’s Purple Up Day – there will be a celebration in Great Falls to honor our Purple Star Schools and Purple Star Champions:
Montana’s 2022 - 2023 Purple Star School Awardees are:
- Montana School for the Deaf and Blind
- Great Falls High School - Great Falls Public Schools
- Chief Joseph Elementary School - Great Falls Public Schools
- Meadow Lark Elementary School - Great Falls Public Schools
- Early Learning Family Center - Great Falls Public Schools
The 2022- 2023 Purple Star Champion Awardees are:
- Brian Holbein, Lt. Col (R) JROTC Teacher at Great Falls High School
- Michael Wonch, MSgt (R) JROTC Teacher at Great Falls High School
- Col Christopher Karns, Mission Support Group Commander, Malmstrom AFB
Remember to wear purple in support of our Military-connected children!
New Role:
Crystal Rondeaux Hickman, Tribal Student Achievement Specialist, is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Nation and of Northern Cheyenne descent. She is a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, and relative. She values spending time with her family above all else. Crystal has worked in the human services and community organizing fields for 20 years. She is passionate about uplifting the resilience of tribal people, supporting the power of youth, and providing spaces for student and indigenous voices where they have been historically suppressed.
|
Wishing you a 'Happy Birthday' this week:
 Autumn Belmont, Danni McCarthy, and Erin Turner
National Purple Up! Day:
 A wonderful day to honor our military-connected children and families at the Capitol. Thank you to Jenna McKinney, Family Engagement director, for planning this event. A big thank you to MIC3 Commissioner Ray Shaw for your continued support of our military families!
OPI Departures:
Jeff Kirksey, Human Resources Manager, will be departing OPI at the end of this week. If there is any follow-up or assistance required, please reach out to Debbie Driver, HR Generalist, at Debbie.Driver@mt.gov Debbie.Driver@mt.gov, or Jay Phillips, Chief Financial Officer, at JPhillips3@mt.gov
Brittany Carr, Instructional Coordinator, will be departing OPI at the end of this week. If there is any follow-up or assistance required, please reach out to Jamey Petersen, Coordinated School Health Director, at Jamey.Petersen@mt.gov
Thank you for the time and expertise you gave to the agency. Best of luck and farewell.
|
2023 Annual Cyber Security Training Reminder:
Please remember that time is quickly running out to complete your 2023 Annual Cyber Security training if you have not already done so. This is a mandatory training for all OPI Staff and contractors. OPI is currently sitting at around 70% completion rate, so we have a way to go. May 31 is the last day to complete this training. Also, please note that, the state of Montana has recently enacted a new policy that requires all state network users (all OPI is included in this) to complete the Annual Cyber Security training or your network access will be blocked on June 1, 2023. You will not be able to login to the network and work until the training is completed. If you still need to finish the training, go to the KnowBe4 training portal at https://training.knowbe4.com/ui/login For any questions on this please contact Alan Grover.
New OPI Policy - Feedback Wanted:
The OPI Policy Committee is seeking comment on a new OPI policy regarding criminal history records information (CHRI) security.
The new policy, 7.2.06 Criminal History Records Information Security, can be found here under Policies Under Review.
To submit comment click here. Comment will be left open for 20 business days, or until May 17, 2023.
|
We See You, We Appreciate You, We Thank You:
In recognition of Administrative Professional's Day, April 26, 2023, a tremendous 'Thank You' to OPI's Administrative Assistants and Specialists. Thank you for all the work you do to support your team and OPI. Laura Santarlas, Wanda Arlint, Katie Felde, Ty House, Kelley Brown, LeAnn Haas, Libby Snedeker, Joan Franke, Heather Davidson, Kristen Bokovoy, Jessika Bol, Tricia Simms, and Sheri Harlow. You are greatly appreciated and vital to our agency.
A huge thanks to Mary Heller, MT Ready Coordinator, Tara Boulanger, Legislative Liaison, and Krystal Smith, Education Innovation Manager, for putting together the Montana Rotunda Day, which was highlighted in this article: OPI and Lawmakers Eye Changes to Career Education
|
As the 68th legislative session draws to an end, a big thank you to the School Finance Unit for preparing fiscal notes and testifying on bills - Paul Taylor, Budget Analyst, Becky Belling, Budget Analyst, Jay Phillips, CFO, Ken Bailey, Retired CFO, and Jenna McKinney, Family Engagement Director.
|
Jeff's Farewell:
 Thank you for all who participated and attended Jeff's Farewell Potluck!
OPI Openings:
Upcoming Holiday:
Employees needing to work on a holiday must send their request to Deputy Superintendent Sharyl Allen at Sharyl.Allen@mt.gov.
"STRENGTH SHOWS NOT ONLY IN THE ABILITY TO PERSIST, BUT IN THE ABILITY TO START OVER."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Questions? Contact:
Brian O'Leary, Communications Director
T Jensen, Employee Engagement Coordinator
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
|
