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 http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/board.aspx?id=28035. 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 School Board meetings should contact Debbie Tressler at 907-714-8836 or email dtressleratkpbsd.k12.ak.us no later than three business days before the meeting date. The board will meet:
■ March 3;
■ April 14;
■ May 5 (at Seward High School);
■ June 2;
■ June 3 (Board Planning Session).
School district plans budget meetings
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is holding Public Budget Meetings on Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Homer High School library
Everyone interested is encouraged to attend one of the meetings. If there are questions, please contact Lassie Nelson at 714-8838.
Early release dates for KPBSD schools
Six times throughout the academic year, on a Wednesday, 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, school will end 90 minutes earlier. Bus transportation will be adjusted by 90 minutes. Upcoming early release dates are: Feb. 26; and Apr. 16.
Spring Break for schools
KPBSD schools will be closed for spring break March 10-14.
Scholarship available to Nikiski students
If you will be a graduate in 2014, live in the community of Nikiski, and plan on continuing your education after graduation, please consider applying for the Thelma McConnell Scholarship. Applications are available at Nikiski Middle-High School. The deadline for applications is March 31. If you have questions, please contact Patti Floyd at the Nikiski Senior Center at 907-776-7654.
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.
Upcoming Academies for the 2013-2014 school year include Welding.
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 1/2 practical art credit.
At the Workforce Development Center (located behind KCHS) there will be a welding academy with Mr. Widaman. This academy runs Feb. 10-May 1. Class days will be Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:30.
There will be a summer construction academy at the Workforce Development Center. Students will be constructing a green house. Class days will be May 28-30 and June 2-6. Class times TBA.
To sign up go to http://onestop.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/ For more information call Debbie Pearson at 283-2145 or see your counselor.
Funding for the Alaska Construction Academies comes from a grant from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development and the Alaska Youth First Program.
Connections Home-school
Dates To Remember:
Feb. 24-28 — Science Fair Projects due to office, Projects displayed from 24-28 and prizes awarded on 28
Feb. 25 — Movie Day! 1 p.m. at Orca Theater featuring The Lego Movie! RSVP with Shelli Furlong 714-8880 sfurlong@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
March 1 — Iditaread Starts!
March 7 — High School Eligibility Due
March 31 — Last day to turn in Iditaread minutes;
April — Enrollment for 2014/2015 Begins This Month
April 1-3 — HSGQE Grade 10 and Retest Grades 11th & 12th; Standard Based Assessments (SBA’s) Grade 3rd – 10th
Lights, Camera, Action!
Connections is planning a Lego Movie get together at the Orca Theater on Tuesday, Feb. 25 1 p.m. The cost is $5.00 per person. Please email or call Shelli Furlong 714-8880 sfurlong@kpbsd.k12.ak.us. You can stop by the Soldotna Office to pick up your tickets. Hope to see you at the movies!
Iditaread!
Attention all readers: the 2014 Iditaread is just around the corner and it’s time again for Connections Homeschool’s Iditaread Challenge to all K-6th grade students! The Iditaread Challenge will begin Feb. 28. Stop by your local Connections Office between now and then for more information and to get your sled ready to hit the trail! The challenge will run through March 31.
IDEA Home-school
Join in the learning by attending a field trip to the Soldotna Landfill on Monday, Feb. 24 from 10-11a.m. Come join us as we learn about recyclables and what happens to all that trash we create! This field trip is for all ages but the focus will be for elementary students and their parents. All children must be accompanied by a parent.
IDEA families plan now to join us for an afternoon learning salmon anatomy and physiology at a special dissection workshop to be held on February26 at the Soldotna Public Library. This opportunity will encourage students to explore science and learn about the structures of a living organism. Call the office to reserve your spot, 260-7555.
ItidaRead is back!! Families plan to attend the IditaRead kick-off party at the Kenai River Center on February 28th from 1; 30pm to 3: 30pm. We have fun things planned: An exciting book for story time, a very special game to play and of course a doggy craft. We will also decorate our IditaRead booklets. This year the theme of the booklets is Alaskan Animals. Omie has created a special younger version for those little ones as well. Check your email to find the sign-up or call the office.
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
Tuesday — 5 p.m. is “Play a Part in the KSAS Schoolyard Habitat, Trail & Outdoor Classroom Meeting” in the gym. There is great value in enhancing the habitat and incorporating an outdoor classroom thus enriching our student experience at Kaleidoscope by connecting them to nature right in our backyard.
Wednesday — School Tours from 9:30 – 10 a.m. If you know of a family that is interested in attending Kaleidoscope next year, please share this with them. Students will be dismissed at 2:10 p.m. No school activities after early release on Wednesday.
Thursday — Tap Dance Club is meeting from 3:45-4:45 p.m.
PTA
Yearbooks are on sale through April 4 for $18. Reserve your copy today!
The next general PTA meeting is March 4 at 9:15 a.m.
Reminders
The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Resourcefulness: To respond to challenges and opportunities in innovative and creative ways.
Lottery Application Deadline is March 7 at 4 p.m. If you would like your child enrolled in the lottery for the 2014/2015 school year your application must be summited by this date.
March 26 at 4 p.m. our lottery will be held.
Kalifornsky Beach Elementary
Mr. Daniels’ Class is studying the effects of insulators and conductors. We are working on a thermal energy experiment to determine which material is the best conductor and insulator. We have invited the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge staff in to class to teach us about animal adaptation through the seasons. We will take a field trip to investigate it further next week. Until then, we have some studying to do.
The first grade classes had a visit from a local dentist to discuss keeping our teeth healthy. The students also made a tooth diagram while learning all the different parts of the tooth. All first grade classes will be having Iditarod Centers on Friday. If you can help, please contact your first grade teacher or signup on signupgenius.com
Wednesday — Students will be dismissed at 12:55 p.m.
March 18 – Band concert in the K-Beach gym at 6:30 p.m.
Kenai Central High
Wednesday — Students will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m.
Thursday — Kenai Central High School Battle-of-the-Books team will be competing in the State competition. Good Luck Team.
Friday — counselors will be hosting a FAFSA Completion Night in the library at 6 p.m. For more information please contact the counseling office.
Kenai Middle
Congratulations to the KMS 7th-8th grade Battle of the Books team for winning first place in the district competition on Feb. 5. The team will battle today in the state competition against 29 other middle school teams from every part of Alaska. The team includes members Maria Maes, Kaleigh Barrett, and Maria Salzetti; alternate Jake Nabholz; and supporters Josh Grosvold, Sarah Hollers, and Abigail Erwin. Best wishes to the team as they compete today.
There will be a beginning band concert tonight in the Kenai Middle School library at 7 p.m.
School will be dismissed at 12:57 p.m. on Wednesday. There is no after school tutoring program after early release.
The 7th grade annual fishing trip will be this Friday. There will be an activity night also on Friday. This event begins at 6 p.m. and ends promptly at 8 p.m.
Congratulations to last week’s Character Counts award winners: Jonas Beach and Raleigh Van Natta! Keep up the good work boys!
Mountain View Elementary
Applications are available for the 2014-2015 Mountain View Pre-K Program.
Screenings for this program will be held at the Kenai Community Library on April 15. In order to be considered, a child must be 4 years old by September 1, 2014 and have a completed application returned to Mountain View Elementary. Screenings will be scheduled after applications are brought back to the school. For information please call 283-8600.
Students will be released at 1:55 p.m. on Wednesday.
Lockdown Drill Scheduled
On Wednesday Mountain View Elementary will practice a lockdown drill. This is a procedure that would be used in the case of a dangerous person or persons inside the school or in the area of the school. During this drill teachers and students will take shelter outside of the line of sight of windows and doors. This is, however, only a drill. We practice to insure that if such an emergency arose the children and staff at Mountain View Elementary would be safe.
There will be a 5th grade band and 4th/5th grade choir concert at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Mountain View.
There will be a PTA meeting at 3:45 p.m. on March 4 in the staff lounge.
The D.A.R.E. graduation for 5th grade students will be on March 6 at 6 p.m. in the gym.
March 6 is “Wacky Hair” day at Mountain View.
The Kindergarten class recently held a “penny drive” with all proceeds being donated to the Kenai Animal Shelter. The final penny count was 24,976 – $249.76. The total amount including pennies, nickels, dimes, etc. was $318.21. The winner of the estimation competition was Erin Einerson from Mrs. Miller’s class. Mrs. Miller’s entire class wins a special event with Kindergarten. Thank you so much for your donations which will help provide food, toys, and treats for the animals at the shelter.
Nikiski Middle-High
Monday — High School Basketball at Homer. Girls JV at 3:30 p.m.; Boys JV at 5 p.m.; Girls Varsity at 6:30 p.m.; Boys Varsity at 8 p.m.
Tuesday — Middle School Volleyball at Kenai Middle School at 3 p.m.
Wednesday — Students will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m.
Thursday — 7 p.m.– Nikiski’s Got Talent! The Nikiski High School Choir presents a community fundraiser talent show. $3 for Students. $5 for Adults. $15 for families. Prizes will be awarded to the top winners including a performance spot at the Kenai Peninsula Fair in Ninilchik.
Friday — High School Basketball at Seward High School. Girls JV at 3 p.m.; Boys JV at 4:30 p.m.; Girls Varsity at 6 p.m.; Boys Varsity at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday — High School Basketball vs. Skyview at Nikiski. Senior Night. Girls Varsity at 1 p.m.; Boys Varsity at 2:30 p.m.; Middle School Cross Country Skiing at Homer Middle School
Middle School Volleyball Finals – TBA
Spelling Bee – Of the 26 Nikiski Middle School students competing in this year’s spelling bee, 8th grader Melanie Sexton was the champion. She will compete in the State Spelling Bee in Anchorage on Friday. Good luck Melanie!
Congratulations to Hannah Tauriainen and Hannah Halliday who were finalists at the State Drama Debate and Forensic Competition earning 6th place in Duo-interpretation of literature.
Nikiski North Star Elementary
NNS will dismiss at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Love of Reading month continues in full swing at NNS! Our students are enjoying the ‘One School, One Book’ family activity. Each night families read the assigned chapter and the next morning trivia questions are answered. The book chosen this year is ‘ My Father’s Dragon’ by Ruth Stiles Gannett. We will celebrate with a family movie night on Feb. 28 with a showing of the movie ‘ How To Train Your Dragon’. The movie begins at 7 p.m. in the school gym. You may bring your sleeping bags, bean bag chairs, blankets or any other cozy item to make yourself comfortable while enjoying the movie. Cake, popcorn and drinks will be provided. If you need more information, please call the office at 776-2600.
The District Forensics Meet will be held on March 1. The meet will be held at Tustumena Elementary beginning at 10:00 am. Thank you to everyone who has offered to volunteer. Also, congratulations and good luck to all participants!
Redoubt Elementary
Yearbooks are on sale, please pre-order your year book before March 31st. Cost to purchase a yearbook is $15.00. A limited number of yearbooks will be ordered. Order forms have been sent home with students.
Redoubt T-shirts and hoodies can be purchased at the school office. T-shirts $15.00, baseball style t-shirts $20.00 and Hoodies $25.00.
Redoubt Elementary 2014/2015 Preschool applications can be picked up at the school office. Children must be 4 years old by September 1, 2014.
Box Top winners last week were; Logan Houser, Cameron Houser and Reese Houser. Keep turning in those Box Tops for Education.
Congratulations Spelling Bee Winners, First Place Winner Elijah Wackler from Mrs. Arthur’s 6th grade class, Second Place Winners (tied) Angel Howlett from Mrs. Schmelzebach’s 5th grade class & Tyler Morrison from Mrs. Wardas’s 6th grade class. Congratulations to all of the Spelling Bee finalists.
Redoubt’s 2nd Annual PTA Winter Carnival was a huge success. Thank you to all of our volunteers and supporters who attended the carnival. A great time was had by all.
Riley Stimmel in Mrs.Davidson’s 3rd grade class was the winner of Redoubt’s Grand Gift Student Basket. Jodi Reed won the iPad Air.
Thank you to all the local business owners, parents and other community members who donated goods and services for our silent auction and raffles. Over 110 theme baskets, donated services and other items were auctioned or raffled. We appreciate you and your continued support. All monies raised will be used to upgrade technology in classrooms and purchase other student equipment.
Thank you Jumpin’ Junction for donating the use of your equipment for the carnival. We appreciate your continued support to our school, students and community.
Wednesday — Students will be dismissed at 1:45 p.m.
March 4 – Wax Museum, presented by Redoubt’s 5th graders
March 7 – In-service Day, no school for students
River City Academy
River City Academy celebrated their annual Poetry Slam on Feb. 14. The winners of the two divisions and categories are:
Middle School – Original Poetry: Max Mock, 1st place; CJ Mayer, 2nd place; Savannah Robinson, 3rd place. Other Poetry: Scott Harley and Carter Mahan, 1st place; Nathan Myers, 2nd place; Zach Piatt, 3rd place. High School – Original Poetry: Jordan Smythe, 1st place; Zoe Zorn, 2nd place; Dakota Edin, 3rd place. Other Poetry: Morgan Stoddard, 1st place; Izabeau Pearston, 2nd place; Kiowa Richardson, 3rd place. Congratulations to the winners and good job to all the students who participated in the preliminary rounds!
Feb. 26 – School will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m.; Site Council meeting at 5:30 p.m.
Interested in attending a school that’s as unique as you are? RCA is now taking registrations for next year’s 7-12 graders. Please visit the school’s web site on the district web page for an enrollment form. New student information night will be held in late March. Priority registrations for next year are due by March 21, call the school office for more information 714-8945.
Skyview High
The ski team raced at regions Feb. 14 and 15. Mika Morton finished 5th and Brenner Musgrave finished 10th in Friday’s freestyle race. Mika also finished 5th in the classical race. Sky Schlung was the top boys finisher in the classic race in 20th place, followed by Brenner Musgrave in 21st.
Valdez Elks Basketball Tournament: Feb. 14 Skyview and Seward boys both won to advance to the fourth-place game. Skyview topped Cordova 52-41, with Jacob Carlson scoring 17, Tim Duke getting 14 and Micah Hilbish netting 13. The Seward boys defeated Skyview 42-38 on Feb. 15 for fourth place. The Skyview girls lost in the third-place game Saturday to Valdez 62-49. Friday, the Skyview girls lost to Hutchison 36-31 in the semifinals. Also, Sam Reynolds won the 3-point shooter award by making the most threes in the tournament. Sam and Jacob Carlson were selected to the All-Tournament team.
Regional SkillsUSA Cometition results are as follows: Max Miller and Jeremy Hinz took first place in the construction competition. Ryan Scroggins placed 2nd in the forklift competition Stockton Jones placed 2nd in the skidsteer competition.
All robotics participants competed very well at the tournament in Eagle River. The FrostBots (Dylan Webb, Liz McGlothen, & Walter Baxter) joined together in an amazing showing… their team won FIRST place at the tournament as the captain of the winning alliance team (they placed second in the qualifying rounds early in the day) and won the innovate award for their truly amazing robot design. Brennan Mitzel, Jacob Malone, & Haley Trefon also competed. This was their first tournament and their robot wasn’t even running when we left Skyview. They were able to pull together their resources and get a competing robot together and score some points. For a rookie team, their robot was in really great shape. They didn’t get discouraged and worked through their adversity to succeed in competing in five rounds of competition. The FrostBots will continue on to the state tournament in March and have a better than fair opportunity to represent the state at the Super Regional tournament.
Spring Fling Dance at SoHi 7:30-10:30 p.m. on Feb. 28.
Soldotna Elementary
In an effort to save paper and money, our Sentinel will be sent out via School Messenger email beginning March 4th. Please be sure to have current emails on file. There will be hard copies in the rack across from the nurse’s office if you’d like to pick one up. If you don’t have an email and would like one mailed, please let the office know. You can also access the newsletter at our Soldotna Elementary website.
Thanks to all who have taken the time to complete our school surveys. Thanks for all your positive feedback and good suggestions!
Bus schedules will be adjusted by just 90 minutes on Wednesday, and there will be no afternoon class for Mrs. Cannava’s pre-schoolers.
Crazy Hair or Crazy Socks Day is coming up on Feb. 28.
Our Reading Counts winners for last week were the following wonderful and brilliant students: Andi Hiler, Rylee Erickson, Carter Cannava, Hayes Howard, Rhys Cannava, Olivia Davis, Keira King, and Bailey Leach. These students and many others are reading books and taking quizzes as quickly as they can in order to rack up RC points before May 9. That Friday is the end of our contest. May 12, the Grand Prize Winners will be announced; one student from each class from 2nd grade through 6th. On May 16, we will enjoy an assembly where Senator Micciche will speak to us and deliver the reading certificates to the winners. The 8 students will get a fire truck ride after the assembly, and be provided a pizza lunch in the library.
Pre-Registration forms for the 2014/2015 school year were sent home. Please review information closely and make changes as needed. Return to school by March 6. This information is needed to plan classroom assignments for next year. Thank you so much.
We are accepting Title 1 applications for the 2014-2015 school year. Please stop by the office to pick one up if you’re interested in this program for your 4-year-old. The child must be 4 years old by Sept. 1 of this year. Please contact Katrina Cannava at 260-5142 or katrinacannava@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.
Keep saving those box tops for the classrooms! One class with the most box tops from the primary end and one class with the most box tops from the intermediate end will each earn a party! This contest runs through Feb. 28. The weekly box top drawing will resume on March 3.
Thank you to everyone who worked diligently to bring in their extra change for the Pennies for Patients program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Those pennies will be making a wonderful difference in other people’s lives. If they could, I know those patients would tell you how much they appreciate your generosity, and how happy they are to be feeling better.
Soldotna High
Next week Sohi Student Council is sponsoring Spring Fling Week. There will be class competition activities and dress up days all week with starting with Hawaiian Day on Monday and ending with Spirit Day on Friday. The activities will culminate in the Spring Fling Dance on Friday, Feb. 28 from 7:30 – 10:30pm. This dance is sponsored by the Sophomore Class and all students from Skyview and Sohi are invited. Cost for the dance is $8.00 per student. Students from other high schools must have completed and turned in a guest form by Wednesday, February 26.
All robotics participants competed very well at the tournament last week. The StarBots team (Margaret McGlothen, Alex Lisenby, & James Elsey) were chosen for one of the finalist alliance teams (a pretty good feat for a rookie team) and won their second Motivate award this season!!! If you see them in the halls or have them in class please congratulate them. They worked together really well under pressure and stepped outside of their respective ‘boxes’ to represent SoHi with great school spirit.
Congratulations to the following SkillsUSA members who placed in their CTSO events that were held at Homer High School on Feb. 12.
Michael Lewis 3rd in Construction and 2nd in Job Interview
Afton Carlson 1st in Floriculture
Hannah O’Dell 3rd in Floriculture
Paitton Reid 2nd in Prepared Speech
Paige Reid 1st in Entrepreneurial
Margaret McGlothen 3rd in Photography
Henry Hilbrink 1st in Prepared Speech
Halen Wells 1st in Photography
Jenna Helminski 2nd in Entrepreneurial
SoHi will be well represented on the Alaska Junior National Nordic Team. Sadie Fox & Hannah Pothast will both be competing in Stowe, Vermont the first week in March. Congratulations!!
I have created a page on our school website that has updated information about where we are and there are links to the photo replayit.com site and how to order yearbooks and advertising space.
Higher Expectations Greater Success Parent Guide (Alaska Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics) is now available at the front office. Alaska’s standards in English and math set high expectations for students from kindergarten to grade 12. Students who meet these goals will be ready for success after high school-whether it is in the military, on the job, or in a union apprenticeship, technical school, or college. Your schools will decide how to meet the standards through a local curriculum and teaching methods that respect your community’s cultures.Soldotna High School is collecting gently used formal dresses, shoes, and accessories for 2014 Cinderella’s Closet. This is a program which helps all area high school ladies with prom attire for free. Please email mbos@kpbsd.k12.ak.us for more info. All donations can be dropped off to the front office 8am-2pm.
Pool Schedule:
Am lap swim 6-8 Mon – Friday
Pm lap swim 6-7 Mon, Wed, Fri
Pm Open swim 7-8:45 Mon and Wed
Soldotna Middle
School ends at at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
Sports Schedule this week:
Volleyball – Feb. 25 – First Round of Borough Tournament
Volleyball – March 1 – Finals of Borough Tournament at Kenai at 10 a.m.
Skiing – March 1 – Borough Tournament at Homer at 10 a.m.
Important: SBA Testing for ALL 7th and 8th Grade students will be April 1, 2, 3. If you know your student will be absent from school any or all of these days, please contact the front office at 260-2500 as soon as possible to make arrangements for alternate testing dates.
Tustumena Elementary
Monday — Site Council Meeting, 4 p.m.
Wednesday — School dismissed at 2:10 p.m.
Thursday — Title I Meeting, 3:45-5 p.m.; Last day of X-Country Skiing
March 1 — District Wide Forensics at Tustumena School
March 4 — SMS Counselor’s visit the 6th Grade Class
March 7 — No School for Students; Inservice Day; End of Third Quarter
March 18 — PTO Meeting, 4 p.m.; 6th Grade Parent Orientation at Skyview, 6:30 p.m.
March 26 — Lynx Track Activity
March 31 — Site Council Meeting, 4 p.m.
Wings Christian Academy
This week at Wings, Zane James and Madison Berga won the “Cleanest Desk of the Week” award. Feb. 20, the older students had a small party during lunch as everyone in Mr. McCoy’s classroom scored 100% on at least one test. The Spelling Bee was hosted at Wings on Feb. 21; winners will be announced next week. Spring Volleyball season started back up with practices on Mondays and Thursdays from 3-4 p.m. The first volleyball game is March 7 at Wings at 1 p.m. Everyone is invited to come and cheer on the school as the Wings Eagles face off against the WHCS Archers!
