Kessler Parent Partnership Meeting
Thursday, April 8th, 2021, 6:00 PM
Virtual – Zoom

1. Attendees: Mandy Needham, Sarah Perry, Kalli Kind, Katie Gilbert, Heidi Heavrin, Abigail
McLane, Annie McCutcheon, Lisa Lowney, Lolita Carter, Holly McGraw, Kylee Hauck
2. Outstanding Action Items
a. None
3. Treasurer’s Report
a. Account Balance – $5,531.75
b. Recent Expenses – $200 Helena Symphony, $313 Jimmy John’s, $20 MT Annual Report
4. Trivia Update
a. Received feedback from teachers that will be very helpful if we do it again
i. Kids enjoyed and all that responded said they would do it again
ii. Longer response time
iii. Flexible start time
iv. Additional communications ahead of time
v. Consider separating classes even more or doing something different with kinder
vi. Consider having kids answer themselves
5. Events for the Remainder of the Year
a. Use of spirit week funds ($185.23)
i. One family identified
ii. Lolita asking about other possible needs and will deposit cash and get gift cards
with amounts determined by Kessler staff for family and any others in need
b. Teacher Appreciation Week
i. Abby and Annie will work on this, budget of $350 ($10 per staff person)
c. Kindergarten Graduation
d. Field Day
i. Teachers/school lead the planning and possibly have parents volunteer
understanding the expectations; send out a letter asking for volunteers once
know the plan and what is needed
ii. Make sure everything is outside
iii. Lisa – stay in neighborhood groups, modify any with close proximity, restroom
traffic monitor
iv. Concerns about setup help – need volunteers there; teachers may be able to run
everything and paras crowd control (or parents if don’t have enough)
v. Lisa and Lolita to bring it up at their next staff meeting and can discuss more next
month
6. Parent Advisory Council Update
a. Meeting is not until April 13.
7. Requests
a. Artist in Residency (Holter) 21/22 school year – Lisa Lowney – $1000 – Approved
i. 8 week program (consecutively) where artist comes in for 30-40 minute session
for K-2 and 45-60 minute sessions for 3-5; for all kids
ii. What hoping to get out of it: coping, being able to express themselves, work
through trauma
iii. Work with different mediums will display it
iv. Gives the kids a different and broader art experience than normal curriculum
v. Looking at a grant for $2000, total cost is $6.25/student; if get might visit the
museum
vi. Kids get a bag and supplies
vii. Any other routes for funding?
viii. When is payment due?
ix. When do we need to decide?
x. Make it the fundraiser headliner for next year
8. New Subdivision
a. 200 home subdivision planned for Southeast of Kessler – annexed into city
b. Traffic safety concerns (estimated 1509 additional traffic trips/day on Granite)
i. Can look at another pickup lane on the other road on the other side of the
playground; raised crosswalks; SROs
ii. No sidewalks makes it difficult for some kids to walk home
c. Other school impacts
d. savehelenawestside@gmail.com to follow updates if interested
i. Email them to be added to the updates
e. Public comment options
i. Short notice for when it’s available
f. Kalli Kind attended
i. County reached out to her, they have a 30 foot easement south of the crosswalk
ii. Homeowner is asking to abandon the easement
iii. Would Kessler be willing to partner in putting in a bike path, etc. on that
easement
iv. Could add a crosswalk with flashers at that point and have a path to get directly
onto the playground
v. Meeting on the abandonment is only allowing 15 people in. Kalli representing the
school district. We can give her a letter of support of KPP. With Kevin ?
vi. Slate Architecture is putting together a proposal/visual of what it could look like
vii. Abby will be touching base with Jim McCormick and Andy Hunthausen (county
commissioner in town.) DONE
9. Upcoming Dates
a. April 23rd – No School
b. May 3rd-7th – Teacher Appreciation Week
c. May 7th – Vigilante Reverse Parade – noon dismissal
d. May 31st – Memorial Day – No School
e. June 9th – Last Day of School – noon dismissal
10. Action Items
a. Mandy – Draft up the KPP letters for the easement abandonment and development
concerns. Need an abandonment letter by the 14th or 15th.
i. Easement draft
ii. Subdivision draft
b. Mandy – Draft communications to Kessler families
c. Kalli – Reach out to your city and county contacts regarding the issues discussed as well
as any information you can get on the subdivision timeline and share it with Lisa.
d. Lisa – Pass on any information from Kalli to the KPP board
e. Abby and Annie – Work together on figuring out the teacher appreciation plans – budget
$350 – 35 staff
f. Abby – touch base with Jim McCormick and Andy Hunthausen (county commissioner in
town.) DONE
11. Notes
a. Need to have the neighborhood non-profit group, KPP, and Kessler on the same page
for things we want or feel should be challenged.
b. There is apparently a group in town (Staley Engineering, Greg Worth) that could be a
good resource on the sidewalk issues. Kalli has the contact information and will share it
with Lisa to pass on. City of Helena Non-Motorized Transportation Committee. Chair is
Wilbur Rehmann (wilbur@wt.net) 443-5677.
c. Sarah to partner with Mandy so we can keep Kessler and KPP updated
d. County Commission = Bike path/easement
e. City Commission = Subdivision and road improvements
f. Kalli can reach out to her contacts for the above topics. Set up a meeting or something
between Sarah and them. Will let Lisa know what next steps are.
g. Should we raise the need for additional park instead of relying on Kessler to be that for
this new subdivision? Can bring it up.
h. Send out information to Kessler families to get input from families who don’t live in the
neighborhood? Wait until Kalli can talk to her city contacts.
i. Building budget is $24K/year
j. Staff like Evolve Nutrition