School board to meet
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. in the borough building at 148 N. Binkley Street in Soldotna (unless otherwise noted). For more information, call 907-714-8888 or visit kpbsd.k12.ak.us. The agenda and packet items are posted on Wednesday afternoon prior to the date of the Board meeting. Persons with disabilities who need accommodations to participate at the School Board meetings should contact Debbie Tressler at 907-714-8836 or email dtressler@kpbsd.k12.ak.us no later than three business days before the meeting date. The board will meet:
■ Oct. 20;
■ Nov. 3;
■ Dec. 1;
■ Jan. 12;
■ Feb. 2;
■ March 2;
■ April 6;
■ May 4 (at Seward High School);
■ June 1;
■ June 2 (Board planning session).
Holidays and vacation days scheduled
■ Nov. 27 and 28 — Thanksgiving;
■ Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter vacation;
■ Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day;
■ March 9-13 — Spring Break;
■ April 3 — Good Friday.
Early release dates for KPBSD schools
Six times throughout the academic year, schools will meet the minimum day so that teachers may have approximately 90 minutes of additional time to work on improvement strategies. On these early release dates, schools will end 90 minutes earlier. Bus transportation will be adjusted by 90 minutes. Upcoming early release dates are:
■ Sept. 17;
■ Oct. 29;
■ Nov. 26;
■ Feb. 4;
■ March 27;
■ May 1.
Career and tech training offered
KPBSD Career and Tech Department is offering free after school academies to train students in the welding, construction and medical field.
There will be a welding academy this fall at the Workforce Development Center (located behind KCHS). The students will be building a snowmobile trailer. Class days will run Sept. 23-Dec. 4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-5p.m.
Any high school student is able to participate in any of our academies. If a student successfully completes the 60 hour academy they will receive a 1/2 of a practical art credit.
To sign up students can see their counselor, call Debbie Pearson at 283-2145 or go to onestop.kpbsd.k12.ak.us.
Funding for the Alaska Construction Academies comes from a grant from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development and The Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development.
The Study offers tutoring
The Study wants to wish everyone an amazing 2014-2015 school year. The Study is an accredited learning center that partners with the KPBSD, Home School Entities and Private Schools. We offer private tutoring in all subject matters, music including: voice, guitar and piano, courses for credit, including Algebra 1 and 2, Spanish, Alaska Studies and Geometry as well as “all day” Kindergarten and Pre-K. Check us out on the web at thestudysoldotna@yahoo.com or 262-6227.
Teen writers sought
The Clarion is seeking students in grades nine through 12 from central peninsula high schools interested in writing for its Verbatim column.
The column is designed to let teens voice their opinions on topics that affect their daily life, such as home, family, school, peers, social pressures, etc. Columns are 300-500 words in length.
Students interested in writing should submit a sample column for consideration by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26. Submissions must include first and last name, school, grade, mailing address and contact phone number.
Submissions should be emailed to schools@peninsulacarion.com. For more information, call Will Morrow at 907-335-1251.
Connections Home-school
Dates to remember:
■ Monday, Tuesday and Thursday — AIMS WEB Testing for K-6 grade, please call 907-714-8880 to schedule an appointment
■ Tuesday and Wednesday to Oct. 7 and 8 — Brown Bag Learning Lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12:10-1:10 p.m. for Students K-third grade
■ Oct. 2 — School Pictures at Homer from 1-3 p.m. at Paul Banks Gym
■ Oct. 3 — Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Field trip at 10 a.m.; School Pictures at Soldotna from 3-5 p.m. at Borough Building in the Assembly Room
■ Nov. 13 — Pictures Retakes at Soldotna from 3-5 p.m. at Borough Building in the Assembly Room
AIMS WEB Testing for K-6 grade:
Soldotna Connections will be offering AIMS WEB (Math and Reading) Testing on:
■ Monday from 1:30-4 p.m.
■ Tuesday from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
■ Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The assessment is a brief literacy and math test. Wendi Dutcher and Shelli Furlong will be administering the assessments at the Soldotna Connections office. Please call at your earliest convenience to schedule your appointment 907-714-8880.
Brown Bag Learning Lunch for Students K-third grade:
Miss Shelli is hosting a special brown bag learning lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from Sept. 16–Oct. 8 , at the Soldotna Connections Office, from 12:10-1:10 p.m. An RSVP is required so please reserve your spot ASAP. The first five RSVPS will receive a mystery prize! This is planned for students, parents are welcome to drop their student off or stay. If you have any questions or ideas please email or call the Soldotna Connections Office 907-714-8880. sfurlong@kpbsd.k12.ak.us Please note: This special learning time is open to all K-third students.
Bring a piece of completed school work to share AND a piece to work on. Pack a light lunch to nosh while we learn and share together. (Miss Shelli always has extra)
Connections Home School Program will be sponsoring a field trip to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (formerly Big Game Alaska) near Portage on Oct. 3. We will plan to meet at the park entrance at 10 a.m. There is a covered area for us to enjoy lunch and conversation after the guided tour. Please dress warm as this is an outdoor activity. Connections will be providing a hot dog cook out with drinks, chips and grilled hotdogs. Please feel free to bring a dessert or snack to share. Please visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center website at alaskawildlife.org/ or call Connections advisor Reubin Payne at 907-714-8880 for more details and directions. If you plan on attending, please email a RSVP to Reubin Payne at rpayne@kpbsd.k12.ak.us with the number of people in your party. Connections will be paying a group rate for this activity. When you enter the gate at the Conservation Center, please tell the attendant that you are part of the Connections Homeschool activity. Thank you and hopefully we will see you there!
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
■ Monday — Enrollment informational meeting in the library from 5-7 p.m.
■ Tuesday — PTA KSAS Gear Committee meeting in the art room at 9 a.m.
■ Wednesday — Early Release day. Students will be released at 2:10 p.m. on this day and buses will be running 90 minutes earlier. Please make arrangements ahead of time for your child’s after school plan.; Kindergarten will be on a Study Trip to No Name Creek from 9:30-11 a.m.; Third/fourth grade multi-age classes will go on a Study Trip to Captain Cook State park from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Please make sure your student has a sack lunch.
■ Friday — APC bios are due for anyone interested in running for the 1-year term Parent Representative seat on the APC Board; PTA Fundraising Committee Meeting in the art room at 9 a.m.
Reminders
■ The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Truthfulness: To be honest about things and feelings with oneself and others.
■ Volunteer training is now online! If you would like to volunteer at Kaleidoscope or on a Study Trip, you will need to complete an online district background check and complete volunteer training. Go to kaleidoscope.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/volunteers. The background check can take up to 2 weeks to be approved.
■ Please call school by 2:30 p.m. if you need to make a change to your child’s after school plan.
Kalifornsky Beach Elementary
Wednesday is an Early Release Day. School will let out at 12:55 p.m.
The annual RIGS assembly will be held on Friday at 8 a.m. to recognize students who participated in the RIGS summer reading program.
School pictures will be on Sept. 26. Sibling pictures will be from 11:30 a.m.–noon.
Mr. Daniels’ Class truly enjoyed the Wetlands field trip that the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center lead last week. They are true professionals and offer a variety of trips related to our State Education Standards. Thank you. Mr. Daniels’ science classes are learning how to use science tools. At the beginning of the year, students are trained on how to use various science tools (i.e., thermometer, scales, beakers, timers, etc) in order to be effective and efficient junior scientists throughout the year.
Kenai Alternative
Kenai Alternative High School will begin their second rotation on Oct. 6. Students interested in attending are asked to call the school at 907-335-2870 to schedule an appointment.
M & M (Maturity and Motivation) Students recognized on Sept. 11 were: Daniel Evans, Alexandra Guthrie, Morgan, Mosiman and Symphony Skubal.
Students recognized for good citizenship were: Raven Willoya-Williams and Sam McElrea.
Kenai Middle
This week is School Spirit Week!
■ Monday — Sports Day
■ Tuesday — Super Hero Day
■ Wednesday — Dress up like a Teacher
■ Thursday — Nerd Day
■ Friday — School Spirit Day.
Congratulations to our Character Counts winners for the week, Riley Reese and Haven Rhodes.
There are two soccer games this week. Tuesday at Skyview at 3 p.m. and Thursday at Nikiski at 3 p.m.
Cross Country running will also be competing. The meet is Friday at KMS at 3 p.m. Come out and show some support for these awesome athletes!
Wednesday is an Early Release day. The day ends at 12:57 p.m.
Our first Activity Night is Friday from 6–8 p.m. Admission is $3.
Have a great week!
Mountain View Elementary
The school year is off to a great start! If you have questions about bussing, lunch money, or schedules please call the office at 283-8600. If you need to make changes to your child’s bus route or after school routine, we ask that you call before 2:30 p.m.
All Mountain View students will be dismissed at 1:55 p.m. on Wednesday. This early release day allows grade level teachers to begin collaborating early in the afternoon and then continue after normal release time as part of their scheduled staff meeting time. This large chunk of time allows grade level teams to collectively analyze individual student data from Performance Series and Aims Webb assessments given earlier this month. With a particular focus on math, these grade level teams will be designing differentiated instructional plans to meet the needs of groups of students with similar needs.
Sept. 22 is Picture Day. Picture packets were sent home on Friday and are also available at the office. Orders may also be placed online at mylifetouch.com.
Miss Fischer is inviting Mountain View families to “Get Up and Move!” on Sept. 26 from 5:30–7 p.m. This is a new event giving families an opportunity to participate in moving and learning about the importance of healthy bodies by walking/running around our “track.” Students will earn a chain and pendants/beads. We will also pizza for sale! We hope to see you here!
Nikiski Middle-High
■ Monday — C team Football at Homer at 3:30 p.m.; B Team Middle School Soccer at Champman at 3 p.m.
■ Tuesday — High School Cross Country Running Boroughs at Nikiski; Volleyball at Nikiski vs. Kenai C Team at 3 p.m., JV at 4 p.m., Varsity at 5:30 p.m.
■ Wednesday — Early Release Day, school will dismiss at 12:45 p.m.
■ Thursday — A and B Team Middle School Soccer at Kenai at 3 p.m.; Volleyball at Nikiski vs. Seward C Team at 3 p.m., JV at 4 p.m., Varsity at 5:30 p.m.
■ Friday — Middle School Cross Country Running at Kenai Invite at 3 p.m.
■ Saturday — High School Cross Country Running at Homer Time Trials; Middle School Soccer at Nikiski vs. Seward at noon; Football at Nikiski vs. Voznesenka at 2 p.m.; Volleyball at West Spiketacular.
Homecoming week! Sept. 15-27
Spirit Week Sept. 22-26
■ Sept. 22 — Pajama day
■ Sept. 23 — Fictional Character day or Class Color Day: Seniors — purple, juniors — blue, sophomores — fuchsia (pink), freshmen — green
■ Sept. 24 — Western Day
■ Sept. 25 — Nerdy Neon Day
■ Sept. 26 — Spirit Day
Powder Puff Game — Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m.
Football Game vs. Barrow — Sept. 26 at 3 p.m.; Bonfire following football game ending at 10 p.m.
Homecoming Dance “A Night on the Town” — Sept. 27 from 8 p.m.-midnight cost is $8 per person or $15 couple.
Nikiski North Star Elementary
There will be volunteer training at NNS on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 9:30 a.m. in the school library. You will be able to learn everything you need to know to volunteer in our school. Also, in order to ensure that all students will be as safe as possible the district requires volunteers to be screened each year. Anyone interested in being a school volunteer needs to complete an online form and agree to a background check even if you volunteered last year. All information is kept confidential. When you attend the training, there will be people available to help you apply online. If you have any questions, please call the school office at 907-776-2600.
Wednesday will be early release day. NNS will dismiss at 2 p.m.
Redoubt Elementary
■ Wednesday — Early Release Day, students will be release at 1:45 p.m. Boys and Girls Club will be open and buses will be running to transport students.
■ Sept. 23 — School Pictures. Siblings from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Retakes are on Oct. 29. Order packets will be sent home with students prior to picture day.
■ Oct. 1 — Drop date for Free and Reduced Lunches. New applications must be submitted prior to October 1st to avoid a lapse in benefits.
Redoubt Site Council – there are currently two vacant parent positions for Redoubt’s Site Council. Ballots are available in the September 12th weekly newsletter. Redoubt parents interested in voting should stop by the school office and fill out a ballot. Ballots are due in the school office by 3 p.m. on Friday.
Box Tops winners last week were; Connor Gossman and Paige Crawford
Keep those Box Tops for education coming, weekly drawings are held so don’t forget to have your child put their name on the back of each Box Top.
Skyview Middle
The First Site Council Meeting is today at 4 p.m. in the Skyview Middle School Lounge. A big thank you to this year’s members!
Principal – Sarge Truesdell; Assistant Principal – Tony Graham; Certified Staff – Sheilah-Margaret Pothast; Certified Staff – Patrick Dwyer; Classified Staff – Ann McCabe; 8th Grade Parent – Margaret Griffin; 8th Grade Parent – Mickey Sopkowiak; 7th Grade Parent – Michelle Blackwell; 8th Grade Student – Aliann Schmidt; 7th Grade Student – Cameron Blackwell; Community Member – Regina Daniels
Early release for students on Wedensday. Students at Skyview Middle School will end the school day at 12:55 p.m. Bus schedules have been adjusted to accommodate this time change.
Sports Schedule for this week:
Tuesday — Soccer Skyview A Girls vs. Kenai at Skyview Field 1 at 3 p.m.; Soccer Skyview A Boys vs. Kenai at Skyview Field 1 at 4:30 p.m.; Soccer Skyview B1 vs. Kenai B1 at Skyview Field 2 at 3 p.m.; Soccer Skyview B2 vs. Kenai B2 at Skyview Field 2 at 4:30 p.m.
Thursday — Soccer Skyview B1 vs. Chapman at Skyview at 3:20 p.m.; Soccer Skyview B2 vs. Chapman at Skyview at 4:15 p.m.
Friday — Soccer Skyview A Girls vs. Homer at Skyview at 3 p.m.; Soccer Skyview A Boys vs. Homer at Skyview at 4:30 p.m.; Soccer Skyview B2 vs. Homer B at Skyview at 6 p.m.; Cross Country Kenai Invitational at Kenai at 3 p.m.
Student Fees for first quarter/semester classes can be viewed online. Please log in to PowerSchool > Student Fees for current information. Parents who need to activate their PowerSchool account, please contact the front office at 907-260-2500.
Soldotna Elementary
Early Release Day is Wednesday. Students will be dismissed at 1:55 p.m. so be prepared.
School Picture Day will be Sept. 24. Yes, indeed, next week.
Hat Day is coming up on Sept. 26. It’s always fun so start preparing now to have a silly, fancy, beautiful, or a just-right-for-you hat.
Oct. 3 is movie night. Note the date change, and more information will follow.
Save those box tops for us. Congrats to Briley Morton for being our box top winner for last week. She received a fruit bar as a prize. There is a drawing every week so be sure your child’s name is on the back of the box tops.
Here is your art update for the school — Mrs. Cannava’s preschoolers who once again surprise all of us with their beautiful artwork. They have created delightful handprint pictures. They’re celebrating author, Eric Litwin and illustrator, James Dean, whose Pete the Cat books are all the rage. Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons and Pete the Cat-Rocking in My School Shoes have been the inspiration for their art deco school shoes pictures and paintings of Pete the Cat with, of course, four groovy buttons.
Down the primary hall you will see apple trees replete with the Apple Tree Poem and the “Kindergarten is” wall which is full of wolf pictures with procedures our kindergarteners are learning. Further down the primary hall you will see “a minion of reasons why we love Kindergarten”.
The Intermediate hall boasts students’ self-portraits which include collages of everything they want to learn this year and information they will be able to teach others.
All households are encouraged to submit a KPBSD Student Programs Application. Applications will be available at the office and will be in a folder sent home with each student. Please allow 10 working days for processing by the Student Nutrition Services Office. Students qualifying for free or reduced meal benefits on the last serving day of the 2013/2014 school year (May 21, 2014) may receive meal benefits for up to the first 30 days of the 2014-2015 school year. The 30-day grace period allows students to qualify for school meals while their new application is being processed. All students are also welcome to the provision of a school breakfast. For those students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, the breakfast is provided at no charge. For other students, the price for breakfast is $1.75.
Soldotna High
Parents of Soldotna High Seniors, you are invited to attend Senior Parent Night on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Soldotna High library. We will be looking at an overview of the senior year timeline and discussing yearbook photo deadlines, graduation details, and prom. We will also provide some information on college admission deadlines, scholarships, SAT and ACT test dates, and requirements for playing college sports. Dinner from Subway will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Friday is the last day to register for the Oct. 25 ACT without a late fee. Students can register after September 19th for an additional fee of $24. Visitactstudent.org to register. For assistance, contact your College and Career Guide at 907-260-7083.
Auditions for “The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet,” SoHi’s entry in the One-Act Play Festival Nov. 6-8, are this week. Auditions for SoPrep’s “13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview” will be next week. See Terri Zopf-Schoessler, Sara Erfurth, or Heather Swanson for more information.
We are collecting pictures to get a jump start for graduation. For the senior video, we are looking for school activities (sports, academics, etc.). We also need baby pictures/senior pictures for the slide show. The best format is to scan them and send to dgordon@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.
We are collecting pictures to get a jump start for graduation. For the senior video, we are looking for school activities (sports, academics, etc.). We also need baby pictures/senior pictures for the slide show.The best format is to scan them and send to dgordon@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
The Library Media Center is open until 5 p.m. Monday–Friday and most Saturdays 8-11:30 a.m. Tutoring is available. If you would like your student to take a bus home at 4:15 p.m. (Monday-Friday only) please contact Tamra Wear at 907-260-7036 or twear@kpbsd.k12.ak.us to talk about route availability. Note: there are no buses running yet at the 4:15 p.m. time slot.
ATOSS tutoring will run until May 4 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the library.
Pool Schedule:
■ Morning lap swim 5:30-7:30 a.m. Monday–Friday
■ Evening lap swim 6-7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday
■ Evening open swim 7-8:45 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Sport Calendar — arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=21192
SoHi will be locking the Parking lot entrance Door during the following hours:
■ 7:50 a.m.-noon
■ 12:35 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
Also note that during school hours the only open door will be the Front Entrance Commons/Flag Pole doors. The above is to improve our overall school security.
There are two ways to order a transcript. Each way serves a different purpose.
If you need a transcript sent to a college or NCAA or a similar agency, then you will need to log on to: parchment.com to order transcripts to be sent. The request is then forwarded to SoHi. After processing, it then goes through cyberspace, rather than the US mail, to get to its destination, which is much faster! All transcripts that are headed for NCAA, colleges, etc. have to be processed this way!
Final transcripts — A final transcript is one that shows your second semester grades. If you order your transcript when we are in second semester, you will need to make sure you choose “next grading period” when you go on to Parchment that way your transcript request will wait until the grades are in at the end of the year before it is sent.
Soldotna Prep
Homecoming Week is Sept. 22-27. Students who ride the bus home will board at SoHi this week. Students who are picked up by parents can be picked up at SoPrep at 2:25 p.m.
Please check Soldotna Prep’s school web page — soldotnaprep.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/ daily for important information.
Tustumena Elementary
■ Tuesday — PTO Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Wednesday — Early Release at 2:10 p.m.
■ Sept. 29 — Site Council Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 16 — Picture Retakes
■ Oct. 21 — PTO Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 21 and 22 — Lynx Track Activity
■ Oct. 27 — Site Council Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 30 and 31 — Parent Teacher Conferences
■ Oct. 31 — Halloween Carnival
Wings Christian Academy
This week at Wings, students are planning on participating in the 13th Annual Triathlon today, as long as it isn’t raining. Students will begin at Beaver Creek Park and end at Kenai Municipal Park. The goal this year is to raise money to repair our playground equipment and gym floor. Any student who raises $100 will win a 2014-2015 school T-shirt. Students will leave Wings Christian Academy at 9 a.m. and will plan to finish around 1:30 p.m.
It’s Box Top and Campbell’s Label time again! The deadline for drop-off for this quarter is Friday, Sept. 26. Students have the opportunity to earn non-uniform and denim day certificates for school as well as other cool things for their school!
There will be no music lessons on Sept. 22 or 23. Music and choir will resume at their normal time the following week.
Vanessa Uei and Charisma Watkins won the “Cleanest Desk of the Week” Award last week. Keep up the good work! Also, a Bible “Quiz’em” competition will take place this Wednesday at 11 a.m. to test how much the students remember from their weekly chapel services. They can earn merits from the competition and spend their winnings on some cool prizes about once a month. The date for the first merit store will be announced next week.
