Perspective...

Here's a pretty cool view of what's happened at Clark Fork School since about June 11 - not even four month's ago...

One Month's Time!

It has been a pretty exciting month around the new building site. In about four-week’s time, the site went from a flat slab foundation to a great structure that’s close to being dried in! You probably noticed that the walls and roof arrived in pre-fabricated panels – called SIPs – Structural Insulated Panels. These panels are highly energy efficient and pretty resource efficient compared to “stick-framed” buildings. They really went together pretty quickly too once they arrived. So, now the building is being roofed, windows and doors should arrive this week and siding has begun.

On the interior, wiring is almost completed and the HVAC system is beginning to be installed. The big rectangular parapet in the center of the building will house the roof-mounted heating, cooling and air exchange system. This system will be really energy efficient and filter and circulate fresh, clean air into the building. Studies have shown that well ventilated classrooms significantly improve children’s abilities to learn well. We will also be using low-VOC paints and as many healthy finish products as possible to keep off-gassing to a minimum in the building. If you haven’t taken a peak at the cool tree that was added into the front entry, peak your head in! It came from a sustainable forester in town – and was stored on near the parking lot for almost a year. Thanks to Jake Terzo and Ice Rogers for their work to help it transform into what will be a magical centerpiece for the school.

There are still many opportunities to participate in the finish selections for the building. Anyone with talent, resources or just plain interest in participating should contact Erin Yonce, Mark Wilson, or Janet Harrison. We would love to have some more special elements added to the building that make the space unique and special to our kids and the members of the community. Art and natural elements that are inspiring and fun are encouraged – bring us your ideas!

I also want to really thank all of our families for being so accommodating of the construction – we know it can be a bit of a hassle, but the end result will be worth it – and I think the kids have enjoyed watching the progress! Stay tuned for another fun month of progress – it’s an exciting time to be at Clark Fork School.

Clark Fork Rising

The walls are going up! Check back over the next week for pictures of the big changes.

We had a great turnout at last Saturday's work party--and lots of work got done. Thanks to everyone who showed up (don't forget to keep track of your parent hours). The construction and sewer projects, however, have given us a bigger challenge than usual so we are going to have at least two more work parties before the first day of school.

The next is scheduled for this Sunday morning, August 26th. We'll be there from 8 to Noon, and you are welcome for just an hour, the whole time, or whatever fits your schedule. Bring gloves, garden tools, a cordless drill, baked goods... and we'll be prepared for whatever the joblist fairy leaves for us.

Call or e-mail me, Mark Wilson, if you have questions about the work party: 721-5015/mark@grubshed.net

Work Parties Past and Future

Mark Wilson-father of Nat-adding another voice to the blog. As we get ready for the next work party this Saturday, I thought I would share some of the fun from our last community work day.

On August 8th, the concrete floor of the expansion was poured and an enthusiastic parent/student/teacher work force let loose their creative juices. We embedded hundreds of pounds of glass, rock and metals just below the concrete surface that will be revealed as the the top 1/8th inch of concrete is ground away.

Here is a glimpse at the process:

The top photo shows the concrete pros spreading the "mud" before we started our work. Here, Connor King-Ries and mother Kristin broadcast multi-colored glass beads into the Kindergarten cubby area.

Kindergarten teacher Vicky, her daughter Ashley, and others work on a decorative border for the kindergarten. Our new director, Linda Symonds, had a turn at broadcasting glass, too.

After we finished small areas, the concrete guys "floated" the decorations just below the surface; it was rather worrisome to watch our efforts disappear into the hardening floor, but we were assured that we would see them again.

What room has the Sun, the Moon, and scorpions? Where is the Compass Rose? How many animals inhabit the expansion? Come to our Party on the Slab Tuesday, August 21st at 6:00 p.m. for the grand unveiling. We don't have walls yet, but Clark Fork School spirit is set in concrete.

I hope to see many of you Saturday the 18th starting at 9:30 for our next work party! We'll start preparing the school yard for the arrival of the preschoolers in less than 3 weeks, so wear your grubbies and bring gloves and water bottles. Kids, of course, are welcome-as are people who would like to wrangle the kids rather than toil in the earth. If you can't make it, we'll be having a couple more work days before school starts... the construction and sewer connection have provided us with plenty of opportunity to start racking up those parent hours.

Beehive of activity.

Great week so far - a lot happening inside and out. Sidewalks getting poured, concrete getting ground and polished, landscaping and parking lot shaping up... Not to mention cleaning, re-ordering and planning for the new classrooms and some great organizing being done in the basement work area. Thanks to Craig Shannon for taking on the painting and hanging of cubbies, John Lund for moving around a lot of shelves and bulletin boards, Gabriel Schofield for repairing the sandbox trim and removing the chain-link from the front yard, Brianna Schofield for working on the basement organization and Jacqueline Teasdale for painting.

Landscaping work parties begin this Saturday - get in touch with Mark Wilson - 721-5015 or come to the school Saturday morning to chip in on some playground work. Hope to see a lot of folks at the Slab party Tuesday night - read post below for details. Things are shaping up!

Party on the Slab! Tuesday, August 21 - 6pm!

Clark Fork School and Community Bank invite you to a potluck dinner and viewing of the construction progress at the school Tuesday, August 21st at 6:00 p.m.
We hope you will join us to celebrate. It will be a great evening to re-connect and meet new families, introduce yourselves to our new teachers and Director, Linda Symonds. We’re sending this out to our current email list, but please pass the word around to those excited about our project – Friends and Families alike!

• Community Bank is providing hamburgers and buns, condiments and soda.

• Families with their last name beginning A – I, bring a pasta, rice (starch) salad.
• Families with their last name beginning J – R, bring a vegetable dish.
• Families with their last name beginning S – Z, bring a dessert.


Due to construction, the school parking lot use is a bit limited – there is some parking at the school, but overflow parking is available at Rattlesnake School and near Pineview Park. As always, we encourage walking, biking, carpooling, pogo-sticking, etc Please be considerate of our neighbor’s property if you park on the street near the school.

If you have any questions, call Anne at 728-3123 or e-mail annefogelburchenal@mac.com.

We look forward to a lovely evening.

A Note from a former CFS Teacher and Friend

A couple of weeks ago as I stood and surveyed the big mess created by excavating the playground, a red car pulled in the CFS parking lot and a very enthusiastic woman approached. She introduced herself as Erica Stover, the primary teacher prior to Shirley's arrival. She said she had received our fundraising packet in the mail and just couldn't quite imagine what the project was going to look like and since she was in town visiting, she wanted to check it out for herself. Even in that very disheveled state, she was so enthusiastic and genuinely excited for the school. She spent a bit of time inside and drafted a note to all of the teachers. It was such a wonderful tribute that I wanted to share it with all of you friends following our expansion project...

"This expansion is outstanding! What a giant step CFS is making in this generation. I wish you all the most exciting year ahead. Despite all of the change, I still find CFS so comfy and familliar. Knowing that the school survives and THRIVES is a thrill!"

"CFS shaped me in ways I will honor for the rest of my life. Goodness knows, I almost lived here year round! This environment is in my heart forever. All my best to you 0 over the waves of change and off to new horizons. Have a fantastic adventure!"

CFS Teachers in the Woods!

Seven of the nine teachers for our coming school year were privileged to attend a three day Mentoring Workshop provided by Ravenwood Natural Science Center, at a location southeast of Big Fork, Montana. The teachers became the students, participating in a variety of experiential learning activities peppered with discussions and teaching seminars. This unique weekend experience will serve as a catalyst for even more outdoor experiential methods in our own class communities. Be watching for such awareness-stretching developments as "Camouflage, Flash Flood, and Freeze," frequent "off trail" saunters, and a general excitement in the air. In addition to the wonderful mentoring modeled for us by the Ravenwood staff, Brett and Laura Holmquist, the workshop also served to create new and cement old bonds between staff members. We are ready as a team to dive in and create a really exciting year for our students!

Parent Jobs

Hello all! Thanks to all of you trying to reach our new job coordinator, Lauren Fern, to get signed up for tasks around the school. If she hasn't contacted you yet, never fear! Lauren is the working mom of two active kids and she is new to this role (a brave woman considering it's a year when we are adding a lot of new people and logistics into the mix). She and Board VP Jacqueline Teasdale, and last year's parent job coordinator, Brigid Wilson, are meeting this week, gathering some info from teachers and expansion committee members about their most pressing needs, and reorganizing the system a bit to try and best serve everybody. There are a lot of calls and arrangements to make. If anyone out there is interested in assisting Lauren with coordinating jobs, we could sure use more on that team. We'll also be searching for a few new preschool parents to become Classroom Representatives - they attend a monthly board meeting and help facilitate the needs of parents and teachers. It's an elected position, so if you're interested, contact a current board member f0r more detail once school starts up.

It is fun to discover what people's passions and talents are and learn the ways they are most interested in participating. There are always tasks in classrooms helping teachers and kids, but we could also use folks with skills in compiling our weekly newsletter, keeping up our yard and building, planning some social and fund raising events, publicizing the school's expansion and capital campaign, helping with the Spring Auction - all kinds of things! If you're a history buff and/or scrap booking wizard, we have a lot of school pictures, mementos and stories that could be nicely compiled to celebrate the school's 25th year. If you're an organized type that doesn't mind shopping, I think we're still searching for a person or team to be the school supply purchaser.

And, of course, if you have a professional skill or connection you want to lend, we're always appreciative of those offerings. And, of course as the construction continues, we will need people to lend their creative, skilled labor and logistical minds to assist with all of the details of growing.

You will be receiving a mailing from the school in August with orientation materials and information specific to classrooms from your child's teacher.

Subterranean Homesick Blues

At this time last weekend, I was looking at the parking lot and beautiful playground of CFS and feeling a bit shaken. Getting the school hooked into the sewer proved to be a challenge and a mess! The stub for public sewer is located on Dickenson – just north of our parking lot and the school’s plumbing wasn’t all tied together in a way that made it easy to connect. On top of that was the discovery of a water line which feeds two neighboring houses (but not the school) in the same trench that needed to be excavated for the sewer line to avoid further damage to the parking lot. Compounding the difficulties is the incredibly rocky soil of our fine Rattlesnake Valley. Wow! – wow there are some enormous boulders in there. So, last weekend, as I inspected the giant gashes and piles of rubble, I wanted to run for the hills. I am still hearing phantom excavator-track squeals, beeping and crashing; I couldn’t even take pictures.

I am now happy to report that Clark Fork School is now connected to the public sewer system. This may not seem monumental, but I think it’s been a topic and anticipated ordeal for the school since the property was purchased in 1993 – it’s only a small detail in the overall scope of our expansion, but I am happy that future CFS members won’t need to deal with a failing septic system. And, if anyone ever wants/needs to know what lies beneath the grounds of Clark Fork School, I now feel more knowledgeable about that topic than I ever wanted to be.

So, after a week’s efforts by Troy and Jim of Trymark Excavation, things are really starting to take shape around the foundation and I am feeling ever so much more confident that the playground can and will be made functional – and even inviting – for our youngest CFS students returning to campus just after Labor Day. The site-work (mostly on the west so far) has included the foundations for new pathways leading up to the building’s entrances, nice grading to add functionality and interest to the outdoor areas surrounding the new construction, and just generally dealing with the transitions between new and existing areas (there’s actually a pretty significant elevation change on the property that I hadn’t really noticed before).

One of the most challenging and fun parts of planning this new space has been to consider all of the uses and elements that make the outdoor space of our campus unique and adding new features while maintaining the character that those of us around the school know and love. Once the basic structure is in place, there are going to be a lot of places where the community’s creativity and efforts can refine and personalize the grounds for enjoyment and learning possibilities for our kids – and that’s really the whole point –right!?

Anyway, for those of you that visited the site week before last, and for the teachers witnessed the carnage, I appreciate your continued patience and positive thinking – everything will come together. I hope you come back for a visit in the next week or two to get a new perspective. We will be trying to reach people for some work party evenings to get some things back into place – inside and out in the upcoming weeks – so stay tuned and thanks ahead of time for your involvement in a parent cooperative!

Fun Times & School Business Reminders

As we look at the list of new and returning families in preparation for the year to begin, we're all so excited about seeing and meeting everyone. Plans are in the works for a party on the slab foundation in mid-August - so stay tuned for details from Anne Burchenal. Community Bank has offered to come and BBQ for us all in celebration of the expansion and it will be a great opportunity to reconnect and have folks meet our new Director, Linda.

Just a reminder to everyone to get contracts returned to the office ASAP so you're all official with your enrollment. Be in touch with the office if you need to make any additional arrangements. August is going to be a busy month for teachers, board and staff getting prepared, so any information we have before the rush would be appreciated. Anyone looking to fill some parent hours early should contact Lauren Fern or express interest to the office - there will be plenty to do and a nice way to get those hours fulfilled before school starts.

Hope you're all surviving the dog days of summer and this hot weather. Keep in touch!

Well, the foundation walls are in place and the plumbers have been working to put in all of the underground pipes and tubes they need to before the concrete slab is poured. The process of hooking the school into the sewer is also underway, and, as with all construction projects, there have been a few unanticipated discoveries! Today while trenching for the sewer main, the excavator discovered a water line that feeds our school, as well as the houses to the north and south of our building. Fortunately he didn't break it with the excavator because the shut-off valve at the street was filled with rocks - probably curious kiddos dropping them down the tube! There would have been a nice lake in our parking lot if it would have been broken, and a challenge to get shut off! To make a long story short, they had to switch gears, and plan to have a main line shut off to put in a different valve, and then put in new shut-offs for each separate property which will be good for the long run, but a bit of a pain tomorrow. Once all repairs are made, they can proceed as planned and get the existing and new lines all tied to Missoula city sewer - that'll be a good thing for the school into the future in any case.

Site work continues with a lot of thought and effort being made to get the playground put back into order for preschoolers to start up on campus just after Labor Day. Kindergarteners and Primary kids will be at the great facility of Mount Jumbo in East Missoula. Thanks to Mark Wilson, Will Grant and TJ Decker for giving input on the landscaping work that will need to be done next month - I know they would love some worker bees when the time comes and if anyone wants to join them in planning or has ideas/resources for materials, we would be happy to hear from you. There will of course be opportunities for input and participation as the building progresses along. The buildings wall and roof panels should be coming in a couple of weeks - they're a bit further out than we'd hoped, but getting through the engineering and planning for electrical needs etc took longer than expected - it's still the plan at this point to have them in place on the foundation by the time school starts up - so keep your fingers crossed! That will be a fun time!

A Warm Welcome to our New Director

On behalf of the CFS Board of Directors, I am so pleased to introduce Linda Symonds to the CFS community. Linda is joining our staff in a Directorship position to lend support and offer her professional expertise to our teachers, parents and kids. We are so excited to have her on board and know she is looking forward to meeting all the members of CFS. She is working some introductory hours in July and will be helping prepare for the school year in August. We hope you'll take the opportunity to introduce yourself and get to know her as a wonderful addition to Clark Fork School.


Here is a bit more about her background.

Linda believes that her return to her home state of Montana is truly a gift and is delighted to have moved to beautiful Missoula. A native of Harlowton, Linda spent many years in Las Vegas, NV, where she worked in the medical field as a hospital administrator and medical office consultant. While volunteering at her children's school, Linda realized she had a strong desire to teach. She holds a degree in Secondary Education, Business and English as well as a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. She taught English, Publications and Leadership before being appointed as a school administrator in Clark County Nevada. Linda and her husband Gary enjoy their new home, which is shared with two very spoiled pooches. In her spare time, Linda likes to read, walk and cook for family and friends. She is excited to work with the children, parents, teachers and board members and is particularly proud to be associated with Clark Fork School.

Happy Independence Day!

It's been a hot week, but footings are poured and foundation forms are set. Work slowed a bit because of the Independence Day holiday mid-week, but pouring of the foundation walls and the setting of the under-slab plumbing should commence next week. There are a lot of steps to getting all of the plumbing hooked up and the excavation for the sewer started, so don't know how much progress people will be able to see above ground. Here are some pictures of the surveying for the footings.



The contractor's name is Ed and the company he runs is Garden City Builders. Thanks to parents Anne Myers, Mark Wilson, and Kathleen Harper and teacher Shirley Atkins for checking in on the watering of trees and grass - it's been a challenge to keep things watered with the construction, but we're trying to maintain life around the construction zone so it won't be a complete desert by the time school's back in session.

Construction is Underway

De-construction of the preschool building began the week after school ended. Martin, a young man breaking into the demo and salvage business, came in with a crew of three to begin taking apart the garage conversion piece by piece. They started by removing the interior drywall and then a double layer of fiberglass insulation. They kept at it for eight days running, disassembling the building in an organized and clean fashion. They estimated that they will be able to salvage and recycle over 80% of the structure. They removed sheeting, siding, insulation, stud lumber, trusses, windows, exterior and interior doors and trim. Newer skylights were carefully removed for use in the new building, as were several doors and fixtures. Martin and the guys spent hours removing nails and sorting materials for reuse and recycling. The responsible de-construction of this well-used building was an important component of this expansion project at CFS.




Last week's activities included moving the administrative office from its basement dwelling to the bright, above-ground location where the primary computer lab used to be. Terri and Kim are happy to have their realm upstairs as they keep up with the summer communications and tasks to keep the school running. New Director, Linda Symonds, will begin work after the July fourth, and participate in preparing for the upcoming school year. Work was also done in the basement for next week's channeling of new drainage pipes through the concrete floor so plumbing in the main building can be connected with the waste lines in the new building. At first this seemed like a daunting task, as so many things needed to be moved from the preschool storage room and back curriculum room, but it went smoothly and will eventually allow for more organized and utilitarian work spaces in the basement.

A giant excavator made its appearance on-site Saturday morning to break up the concrete foundation. Concrete rubble was shuttled by bobcat out to the southwest corner of the play-yard to create the base of a new amphitheater-shaped berm to be used for winter sledding and warm-weather climbing and play.

Dads Mark Wilson and Will Grant have joined forces with Kindergarten teacher TJ Decker to create and implement landscaping plans for the modified campus.





Next week's activities may include sewer excavation, site prep work and concrete cutting in the basement.

A School Year Celebrated

A great year at Clark Fork School ended June 8 with a graduation ceremony held at next year's temporary location, Mt. Jumbo School. A sunny and fun afternoon was spent celebrating the kids and year's accomplishments, and everyone enjoyed a great potluck lunch, visiting and watching the kids at play on wonderful playground at the temporary school building.

Teachers and parents participated in a successful moving night June 6 to transfer the preschool to new locations in the former kindergarten and primary classrooms, and to move the kindergarten and primary classroom contents out to Mt. Jumbo School in East Missoula. Spirits were high despite damp weather as boxes, furniture and supplies were shuttled to new homes. It was a team effort with most moving being done in just over four hours thanks to the organized teachers who had sorted and packed so the process was fun and efficient. The move night had a special Clark Fork cooperative feel to it - moms and dads packing, disassembling, chatting and laughing, kids playing and observing the action. The community really rallied to get the job done and start this expansion project off in such a positive way.