Amsterdam School Distict

January 9, 2025

Hello Amsterdam Families,

Academics are in full swing at Amsterdam, with second quarter ending on January 21. Our students have been working hard and are in the process of completing local winter benchmark testing to help teachers gauge student progress. Additionally, the second window of Montana's MAST testing will run from January 13 - February 21.

Districtwide, Amsterdam works to continually improve student learning. Part of that action takes place through various components of our state accreditation requirements. This year, Amsterdam is taking stock of the school climate and would like parents' feedback. The survey came out before the holiday break and remains open through this Friday, January 10. We value your opinion and hope you can complete the brief survey if you haven't already. The survey link is HERE.

Additionally, Amsterdam School District is focusing on creating a learner profile, which is a document that showcases what key traits a "graduate" of Amsterdam School should take with them as they exit the school walls after completing sixth grade. Students and staff have discussed what traits are most critical, and we want to give the community an opportunity to weigh in, as well. Please select the top 5 traits you believe are a priority from the list provided on this very brief GoogleForm by January 15. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to craft a thorough Learner Profile.

Alongside assessing school climate and developing a learner profile, staff is also working through our math curriculum to ensure alignment with state standards, which are undergoing revision at the state level. In science, students grades 1-6 are enjoying new updated curriculum resources to support classroom learning as teachers address science standards in the classroom.

In other news, the boys' 5/6 basketball season has begun, and a record number of boys are participating under the direction of coaches Dave Kimm and Chris Opstedal. We are looking forward to a fun and productive season in which sportsmanship will continue to be emphasized in addition to fundamentals of the game.

The Parents of Amsterdam Children (PAC) organization consistently provides our students with unique opportunities. Downhill (grades 5/6) and cross-country skiing (grades 3/4) field trips will occur in January and February, as well as a trip for Kindergarteners to Motion Athletics and ice-skating for grades 1-2. Next on the docket will be the Missoula Children's Theater production of Hansel and Gretel the week of February 24 - March 1. Whoo's Reading will follow during the month of March. Thank you to PAC, for all of these special enrichment opportunities for our students! Parents, if you would like to get more involved with PAC, please stop in at the next monthly meeting. Meetings are the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm in the school lunchroom.

Lastly, I want to provide information on the state of Montana's Innovative Education Tax Credit, which is an opportunity for people to make a donation to a Montana public school district (PSD) of their choice. The donation amount serves as a direct tax credit off of the donor's 2025 Montana tax liability. The donation portal opens on January 15, but you can make your donation early. The state has set a $6,000,000 aggregate threshold, so once total donations reach this amount, the portal will close. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity and donate to Amsterdam, please bring your completed donation check, payable to Amsterdam School District #75, on or before 10 am on Wednesday, January 15. Donors will also need to provide their name, physical and mailing address (if different), at least the last 4 digits of SSN, and email address on a very brief form. Having this information to the office prior to January 15 will aid the staff's ability to input the data into the portal efficiently, as office staff must enter all of this information in the portal on the donor's behalf. Donations will be entered in the order in which they are received. If the Department of Revenue does not accept a donation, the donation will be returned to the donor.

The school district may use the donated funds to support innovation in the classroom. More information on donating and how the donation funds may be applied are noted in the blurb below. Please reach out to myself or our office staff at 406-282-7216 for any additional questions you may have. Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Marisa Stewart

Principal/Superintendent

According to the Montana Department of Revenue's Tax Credits for Qualified Education Contributions document, "an Innovative Educational Program (IEC) is an advanced academic program that enhances the curriculum or academic program of an eligible public school and that is not part of the regular academic program of an eligible public school . The instruction, program, or other activities offered through an IEC can include any of the following:

• transformational learning (20-7-1602, MCA)

• advanced opportunity (20-7-1503, MCA)

• any program, service, instructional methodology, or adaptive equipment used to expand opportunity for a child with a disability (20-7-401, MCA)

• any courses provided through work-based learning partnerships or for postsecondary credit or career certification

• technology enhancements

• capital improvements and equipment necessary to support innovative educational programs PSDs accept donations for the purpose of the credit. They may not retain donations that exceed either:

• the greater of $50,000 or 15% of the PSD’s maximum general fund budget; or

• 20% of the total aggregate credit amount ($5,000,000 in Tax Year 2024)

The PSD must deposit retained donations made for an IEC into the district's miscellaneous programs fund and must limit the expenditure of the donation to expenditures for the district’s IECs. A list of PSDs and contact information is on the Education Donation Portal website. Taxpayers may also make donations to the Montana School for Deaf and Blind and the Department of Corrections adult and youth schools that qualify for the tax credit. Administrative Rules of Montana: 42.4.803 and 42.4.804 Questions? Please call us at (406) 444-6900, or Montana Relay at 711 for hearing impaired."