05/30/25 

Our final (full) week of school is upon us. The school year has had many new faces, ups, downs, triumphs and challenges. Whether your student is in orientation and just finishing up the first quarter of their PAL career or graduating next Friday after a full 3 years of school with us, I hope you take the time to talk with your student about the most favorite memory of this past school year and what kind of hopes and dreams are in store for next year. Whether that includes more school, joining the workforce or taking some time to prepare for the next journey, I hope that being a student at PAL has been a point of pride for our students and their families. 

A reminder for you that the PAL BBQ will be at 11am on Thursday June 5th, and you are invited to eat with our students and staff. If you do plan to enjoy lunch, please let Dara, your student’s advisor or I know so we can ensure there is plenty of food for everyone. The big day, graduation, will be at the HMS auditorium on Friday June 6th at 1pm. Seniors will need to be at the auditorium for graduation practice at 10am that day. At all school today, I asked the seniors in attendance and advisors to help gather our graduates’ “thanks and plans” – essentially what each student would like read during graduation when they receive their diploma. Please make sure your senior connects with a staff member at PAL to recognize the people who helped make graduation possible for them. 

I also want to remind you about PAL reviews. Please call Dara to schedule a time for your student’s PAL review that fits with your schedule. We will be holding PAL reviews on Monday the 9th and Tuesday the 10th. Many families have signed up, but many still need to. This is the concluding event for our non-senior students of the 2024-2025 school year. 

Enjoy the warm and wet weather, 

 Matt Carey 

mcarey1@helenaschools.org 

406-324-1632