• Category 1

    Selected in 2017

  • Grades: 7 - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,500
    Student Enrollment: 66
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 80%
    Hispanic: 6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 5%
    Other: 9%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:17
    % Reduced Lunch: 71%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1895
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Len Dorscher
  • CONTACT:
    PO Box 129
    Thompson Falls, MT 59873
    406-827-3323
    jslater@blackfoot.net
Thompson Falls 7-8
Thompson Falls, MT
We are not reluctant to change, in fact we are continually changing.
Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.
We have assembled a District Leadership Team, DLT that is instrumental in engaging families. Through the work completed by the DLT our school has developed academic parent nights throughout the school year. These include the fine arts, science technology and math STEM, and literacy night. Parents receive regular communication through school publications and parent contacts throughout the school year. Our school is also very supportive of motivational speakers to inspire a growth mindset and the development of future goals. We encourage all students through purposeful conversations to be thinking about post secondary plans and options as they identify their individual strengths.
Describe the most successful activity your school has initiated to strengthen ties to your community.
Several activities that have successfully strengthened Thompson Falls Junior High's ties to the community highlight educational experiences and community service. Parent teacher conferences are well attended at our school. Our junior high chess club culminates play with a live chess match held in our junior high gymnasium. It is a much anticipated event. Each autumn, our students traverse our small community raking leaves for those who are no longer able to manage such a task. Our TFJH student council members are both generous and caring. Each year they gather essential ingredients for two complete traditional Thanksgiving dinners. Those dinners are donated to those in need. With the arrival of spring in our area, our young people scour the town during Beautification Days cleaning up what had been hidden under layers of snow and ice.
Describe your philosophy of school change or improvement.
Our philosophy on school change and improvement is based on simplification of effort, adherence to things that do not change, and continual recreation to remain relevant. The world of education is continually changing and their is no shortage of new articles about how schools need to change. We are not reluctant to change, in fact we are continually changing. However we have chosen to identify, develop, and adhere to the following items to help our staff and students successfully navigate change. These include our shared vision, priorities, and values. All decisions and plans are filtered through these items. By design these items are simple, defined, and shared throughout the school and community.
What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?
Our top goal is to have an attendance rate above 95% for our school.

Our second goal is to increase the literacy of every student in our school by exceeding their anticipated RIT score in reading as identified by the NWEA/MAP assessment.

What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?
Thompson Falls Junior High staff is a close-knit group of educators that have a shared understanding of our District's core values.
Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.
Since its implementation within our district, MAP testing and data has been the program that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement. Data generated from this formative assessment enables educators to evaluate each individual learner and target their specific areas of need. Furthermore, MAP data is not exclusive to teachers. Before each testing cycle, each student in our building is provided a copy of their previous MAP results in an effort to set goals. In addition, parents are provided with their student's MAP results during Parent Teacher Conferences.
Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.
Title one funds are instrumental in providing professional development, small class sizes, technology, and curriculum. We have several initiatives that are supported through our Title 1 program district-wide.The Love and Logic program/philosophy is the corner stone of the development of our school environment. All staff receive training in Love and Logic within their first few years of employment. We also have a staff mentor-ship program for new teachers. Title 1 funds have also supported work with pro-active coaching. Our district has applied the concepts of creating great teams in athletics to the development of great teams in our schools. We have also supported training in formative assessment including the MAP assessment from NWEA. This assessment is used as a tool for communication between stakeholders on student growth. Title funds are also used to fund additional that results in favorable class sizes for our students.
Identify the critical professional development activities you use to improve teaching and student learning.
Thompson Falls School District makes it a practice to send all certified staff members to the national level Love and Logic Summer Institute. The District consistently brings nationally recognized Love and Logic presenters to our school to reinforce concepts. TFSD is a member of the Northwest Montana Curriculum Cooperative. This relationship provides multiple opportunities for professional development locally as well as regionally. It also encourages collaboration between other school districts. Our school sends a team to the Montana state Title 1 conference each spring. Our school district is extremely supportive of teachers who seek additional professional development opportunities outside of those provided by the district.
Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.
At Thompson Falls Junior High we set high expectation for learning and behavior. Our teachers are fortunate to have a common planning period, as well as professional development days built into the calendar to collaborate and monitor student progress. Assessment data (MAP, CRT's, SBAC) is utilized to evaluate student progress and develop interventions conducive to increased student achievement. In addition, students evaluate the data collected to assist and promote a safe, positive environment focused on learning.
Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.
Our school culture is based on teamwork. We have developed shared ownership of our school mission and goals by working together with staff and our district leadership team. Two essential components to developing our culture are communication and shared expectations. Our leadership has clearly communicated the priorities of our school. They are environment, academic, and community. These priorities spiral through all activities and decisions in our school. We also developed core values for the following stakeholders within our school district, (students, parents, teachers, administration, and school board). These values were taken beyond words with the development of covenants associated with each word. In an environment that continually changes our values represent light houses to maintain the direction of the school.
Stats
  • Category 1

    Selected in 2017

  • Grades: 7 - 8
    School Setting: rural
    Town Population: 1,500
    Student Enrollment: 66
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 0%
    White/Caucasian: 80%
    Hispanic: 6%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 0%
    Native American: 5%
    Other: 9%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:17
    % Reduced Lunch: 71%
    % ELL Learners: 0%
    Founded: 1895
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Len Dorscher
  • CONTACT:
    PO Box 129
    Thompson Falls, MT 59873
    406-827-3323
    jslater@blackfoot.net