Around the District

School board to meet

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education meets at 6 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:

■ March 7;

■ March 21;

■ April 4;

■ April 5 (Worksession);

■ May 2 (Seward High School);

■ June 6;

■ June 7 (Planning Session);

Holidays and vacation days scheduled

■ March 11 — End of third quarter, no school for students;

■ March 14-18 — Spring Break;

■ May 18 — Last day of school.

Connections Home School Program

Dates To Remember:

February – Free Admission February at the Pratt Museum in Homer

— FREEzing Wednesdays at Alaska Sealife Center in Seward: All February every Wednesday is free admission for Alaska residents with valid AK ID

■ Feb. 16 – Kenai Rec Center Gym Time

■ Feb. 17 – Homer Rock Climbing at the Bay Club at 1:30 p.m. and contact Jake Parrett (jparrett@kpbsd.org )

■ Feb. 18 – Homer Pickle Ball at Paul Banks at 3:30 p.m. and contact Jake Parrett (jparrett@kpbsd.org )

■ Feb. 18 – Soldotna Connections Fly Tying Club at 1:30 p.m. and RSVP to Mark Wackler (mwackler@kpbsd.k12.ak.us)

■ Feb. 17 – Seward Connections: Native American Crafting

■ Feb. 17 – Sport Lake Fishing With Alaska Department of Fish & Game (more info below)

■ Feb. 19 – AVTEC Guided Tour in Seward for High School Students (more info below)

■ Feb. 26 – Johnson Lake Ice Fishing with Alaska Department of Fish & Game for South Peninsula Students (more info below)

■ March 1 – Iditaread Starts!

■ Feb. 2016 – Connections Talent Show contact mwackler@kpbsd.k12.ak.us for more info

Also check out the Connections website for numerous student activities, contests and more!

Seward Connections: Native American Crafting:

The Seward office is hosting a Native American Craft day Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. for all grades. Connections will supply the materials to make Plains Indians shirts and dresses out of burlap, yarn, beads, feathers, etc. There will also be a short lesson on the Plains Indians to share with the group. Please rsvp with Julie Lindquist: jlindquist@kpbsd.org or call 907-224-9080.

Interior Distance Education of Alaska

IDEA Homeschool is now enrolling for the 2016-2017 school year! Check out the website at ideafamilies.org. Click enroll now. Families are always welcome to come visit the staff at the office in the Red Diamond Center. Come check out the library, Resource Room, used curriculum, and speak with a certified teacher. IDEA staff is here to serve families in their homeschooling journey.

■ Feb. 17 – Ice Fishing – Come join in the fun at Sport Lake for some ice fishing. Arrive at Sport Lake parking lot at 11 a.m. The field trip will finish by 12:15 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity that AK Fish and Game set up for IDEA students. They provide the poles and drill the holes. Please remember to wear winter gear and for students/parents 16 and over, bring a fishing license. If parents aren’t fishing, a license isn’t necessary. However, if parents plan on helping children, a license is needed. This event is limited to 25 fishermen. Please sign up on the Region K Blog.

■ March 4 – Alyeska Ski Day! The cost for this all inclusive ski day is only $60. This includes a two-hour lesson, ski or snowboard rental and lift ticket. Parents can ski too! An all day lift ticket is $48. Arrival time is 9:15 a.m. Registration forms need to be in by Feb. 24. Please email Suzanne at suzanne.alioto@ideafamilies.org or call 260-3158 to sign up. There is an order form for parents to fill out.

— IDEA’s annual curriculum fair is coming on May 4. With the curriculum fair, there are a few employment opportunities including: Arts Attack/Atelier looking for IDEA family members (preferably past Arts Attack customers) who would be interested in hosting and manning their booth for the upcoming IDEA curriculum fairs in early May. They are seeking hosts for the fairs in Soldotna, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. Please send an email to larry@artsattack.com, and they will contact you to discuss compensation and job description. In the email, please describe any prior experience with Arts Attack and/or with hosting and manning a booth at a previous curriculum fair. Also, please provide them with both an email address and a telephone number where a parent can be reached, as well as any other information families feel would be helpful or pertinent.

— Rainbow Resource is also looking for an IDEA parent to run their booth. If families are interested, please contact Suzanne.alioto@ideafamilies.org.

— Graduation ordering – it’s time to order that cap and gown! This is available online or by phone with Jostens. Jostens in located in Anchorage, but they do not have a walk-in store. Their phone number is 907-562-2001. Emails may be sent to scott.brown@jostens.com.

Please remember to check IDEA’s webmail or Region K.

Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science

■ Feb. 15 – 4:15 p.m. APC meeting in library

■ Feb. 17 – 9:30 a.m. Kaleidoscope School Tour for all families interested in Kaleidoscope

■ Feb. 18 – 11:45 a.m. third through fourth grade go on a study trip to Sports Lake for ice fishing.

— 5:30 p.m. Kindergarten Connections Family Night and Potluck

■ Feb. 19 – Book Character Day-come to school dressed as your favorite book character.

— Yearbook Lovelines and Advertising are due.

Upcoming Events

■ March 3, End of quarter celebration-science night.

■ March 3, Spring Pictures

■ March 4 at 4 p.m. Lottery Application Deadline.

■ March 11, In-service-No School

■ March 14-18 Spring Break

Reminders:

— The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Pride; Satisfaction from doing one’s personal best.

— If your child arrives after 9:10 a.m., please come in and sign him or her in at the office.

— If you would like to be a volunteer, be sure to complete your background check and volunteer training. Go to kaleidoscope.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/volunteers kaleidoscope.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/volunteers and click the link to the background check. Please allow up to two weeks for this to clear. The next link on the page will take you to the Online Volunteer Training. These two steps must be completed in order to volunteer at Kaleidoscope. Completed Volunteer Indemnification forms are needed 48 hours before all field trips.

Kalifornsky Beach Elementary

This week’s Box Tops winners are Cora Sagoonick and Adella Huhtagaard. Keep up the good work, Caribou!

The school had another successful Spelling Bee with Dr. Kashi, Mrs. Mullet, Belinda Smith and Mrs. Stockton Congratulations to Spelling Bee Champion Madisyn Braden and runner up Haylee Hodge.

Way to go K-Beach fifth and sixth graders’ Battle of the Books team, District Champions! The students will be competing at the state level on Feb. 24 representing the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. Great job Hannah Crabtree, Ethan Hogue, Katelyn Chambers, and Jolie Widaman.

Mr. Daniels’s class is studying teeth…Dental Health that is. They have a guest speaker coming in to take a bite out of the topic so the students can chew on some ideas a bit. Hopefully, the kids will want to sink their teeth into topics such as tooth decay, healthy habits, and proper brushing techniques. They will also be using school district resources such as the Great Body Shop magazines and lessons.

Kenai Central High

Last Chance For Yearbooks!

Online yearbook ordering will be closed Feb. 19, 2016. The school will still accept orders to the school, but any orders after the 19 will be placed on a waiting list. If anyone would like to order online, go to www.ybpay.com and put in the job number 9928816.

■ Feb. 15 – J.V. Boys Basketball (Home) versus Ninilchik 5:30 p.m.

— J.V. Girls Basketball (Home) versus Ninilchik 4 p.m.

■ Feb. 18 – Student of the Month Luncheon

— Cross Country Skiing Regions at Valdez

■ Feb. 19:

Boys C-Team, J.V. and Varsity Basketball (Home) versus Colony 3, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Girls J.V. and Varsity Basketball (Home) versus Colony at 3 and 6 p.m.

Cross Country Skiing Regions at Valdez

■ Feb. 6:

Boys C-team J.V. and Varsity Basketball (Home) versus Wasilla 10:30 a.m., 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Girls J.V. and Varsity Basketball (Home) versus Colony 9 a.m., 12 and 3 p.m.

Cross Country Skiing Regions at Valdez

Kenai Middle

KCHS School Counselors will be at KMS today to speak with eighth graders about their schedules for next year!

■ Feb. 16th- A, B, and C volleyball teams will travel to Homer. Games begin at 3:30 p.m., starting with C team, B team at 4 p.m., A team at 5 p.m.

Good Luck Kossacks!

Spirit Day- Tuesday, Feb. 16 is Sports Day. Students are encouraged to dress up in their favorite (school appropriate) sports uniform or apparel and show some school spirit!

■ Feb. 17 will be the last Club Schedule for the year. It’s been a great winter learning new hobbies and skills.

■ Feb. 18 A, B, and C volleyball teams will head to Nikiski. C team will begin at 3 p.m. B team will begin at 4 p.m, and A team will begin at 5 p.m. Go Kossacks!

KMS Leadership will host a dance for seventh and eighth graders on Friday, Feb. 19. Admission is $3 and all proceeds will benefit local earthquake victims.

■ Feb. 20th at 10 a.m., Kenai Middle School will host Wrestling Boroughs. If students have the opportunity, please come support the school’s wrestlers and show some home team spirit!

Sixth grade Challenger Center field trip- Mrs. Rolph’s class will go on Tuesday, Feb. 16, Mrs. Beck’s class will go Wednesday, Feb. 17. Mrs. Stotz’s class will go Wednesday, Feb 18. Mr. Fischer and Mrs. Bressler go Friday, Feb. 19.

KMS will celebrate Valentine’s all week. On Wednesday, Feb. 17 students will be able to buy and decorate a cookie at the snack shack during their lunch period. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 18 and 19 during their lunch period students can buy a valentine treat and a card that will be delivered to their valentine. Leadership students will deliver the valentine’s during the last period of the day on Friday. All proceeds will benefit local earthquake victims.

Costs are: cookies- $0.75, can of crush- $1., chocolate flower- $2, real flower- $3, lovebot- $5

Save the date:

— Sixth grade sports-

— Volleyball will run Feb. 29 to March 10.

— Basketball will run March 21-31.

— Students must have a completed sports packet turned in prior to participating. Packets can be picked up at the office.

Mountain View Elementary

Congratulations to the Soaring Eagles for the month of January. They are Elana Berestoff, Samuel Brighton, Jaedyn Chunn, Ethan Copenhaver, Ruth Davis, Shelby Easling, Willow Graham, Lyndi Holmes-Pratt, Dakota Hyatt, Xander Kinslow, Miah Mead, Avia Miller, Iversen Miller, Marissa Moffis, Gracelyn Moore, Aeroh Olson, Juliahna Powell, Marcus Wong.

February is Love of Reading month. The school is inviting a variety of community members to come visit classrooms at Mountain View and read to students. If a parent would like to come in and read please call the school at 283-8600.

The Site Council will be meeting on Thursday, Feb, 18 at 4 p.m. in the Library.

Spring pictures are scheduled for Wednesday, March 2. Order forms will be sent home soon. Only those students returning order forms will have their pictures taken.

Nikiski North Star Elementary

February is ‘Love of Reading Month’ at NNS. The staff and students are celebrating the “One School, One Book” activity by reading the book “The World According to Humphrey”. NNS is asking families to read the assigned chapter at home every night and discuss what happened in the chapter. The following day there will be a knowledge based question related to the chapter announced during morning announcements. There will be prizes awarded for students who are able to answer the questions correctly. This is a fabulous activity for you to be involved in with children and enjoy the love of reading together as a family. At the end of the month on Feb. 26 NNS will have a family reading night celebration with Bingo for Books and refreshments.

Nikiski Middle-High

The school’s intensive needs program led by Megan Fowler and assisted by her aides Callie Seater, Angela Smith, Kristin Peek, Kristina Stadleman and Jen O’Brien received the 2016 Inclusive Practices Award.

This award is given annually by the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education to recognize outstanding educators who work to ensure students with disabilities have the opportunity for an inclusive education in the general education curriculum. The nominations are based on the following practices that assure a positive learning environment for all:

— Involving parents as equal partners in their child’s education

— Encouraging student’s self-determination

— Emphasizing inclusive practices amongst peers and others

— Providing leadership in sharing the values of inclusion

— Designing support services that enable access to the regular curriculum

— Modifying programs or curricula as needed

See dhss.alaska.gov/gcdse/Pages/InclusivePracticeAward.aspx for more information on the inclusive practice award. Congratulations Megan, Callie, Angela, Kristin, Kristina and Jen!

Battle of The Books Champs:

Congratulations to the Nikiski Middle School Battle of the Books team members Aura Petrick, Brenden Boehme, Boden Quiner and Emily Hufford. Librarian and team leader Nora Ribbens has done a fantastic job preparing these kids for competition. The Nikiski Middle School team won the District competition and will now move on to compete in the State Battle of the Books next week.

■ Feb. 16 – Middle School Volleyball at Skyview – 3 p.m.

■ Feb. 18 – JV Girls Basketball at Nikiski vs. Grace – 3 p.m.

— JV Boys Basketball at Nikiski vs. Grace – 4:30 p.m.

— Varsity Girls Basketball at Nikiski vs. Grace – 6 p.m.

— Varsity Boys Basketball at Nikiski vs. Grace – 7:30 p.m.

— Middle School Volleyball at Kenai Middle School – 3 p.m.

■ Feb. 19 – JV Girls Basketball at Nikiski vs. Houston – 3:00 p.m.

— JV Boys Basketball at Nikiski vs. Houston – 4:30 p.m.

— Varsity Girls Basketball at Nikiski vs. Houston – 6 p.m.

— Varsity Boys Basketball at Nikiski vs. Houston – 7:30 p.m.

— Middle School Cross Country Skiing at Skyview – 3 p.m.

— High School Cross Country Skiing at Regions at Valdez

■ Feb. 20 – JV Girls Basketball at Nikiski vs. ACS – 12 p.m.

— JV Boys Basketball at Nikiski vs. ACS – 1:30 p.m.

— Varsity Girls Basketball at Nikiski vs. ACS – 3 p.m.

— Varsity Boys Basketball at Nikiski vs. ACS – 4:30 p.m.

— Middle School Wrestling at Kenai – 10 a.m.

— High School Cross Country Skiing Regions at Valdez

Skyview Middle

Sports schedule this week:

■ Feb. 20 – 10 a.m. Wresting, Borough Tournament at Kenai

■ Feb. 19 – 3 p.m. Nordic Skiing, Skyview Invitational at Skyview

■ Feb. 16 – 3 p.m. Volleyball, Skyview 7th vs. Nikiski at Skyview

■ Feb. 16 – 4 p.m. Volleyball, Skyview B vs. Nikiski B at Skyview

■ Feb. 18 – 3 p.m. Volleyball, Skyview 8th vs. Skyview 7th at Skyview

■ Feb. 18 – 4:30 p.m. Volleyball, Skyview B vs. Chapman at Skyview

■ Feb. 19 – 3 p.m. Volleyball, Skyview 8th vs. Homer at Skyview

■ Feb. 19 – 4:30 p.m. Volleyball, Homer B vs. Skyview B at Skyview

■ Feb. 20 – 10 a.m. Volleyball, Homer vs. Skyview 7th at Homer

Skyview Middle School shirts are on sale today– Monday, Feb. 15. Hoodies, long-sleeved and short sleeved t-shirts are available. Order specific size online and have it shipped directly home! Please visit this link to order: booster.com/skyview-middle-school-spirit

Great job to the Skyview Battle of the Books Team that participated in the District competition on Monday, Feb. 8. Participants included: Gregory Koontz, Margie Brown, Casey Earll, Katherine Gross, Tiffany Chesley and teacher/staff Mr. Paul Marks.

The Student Council members monthly meeting will be in the library on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at lunch time. The agenda will include planning for the next Activity Night. Please contact Mrs. Pothast with questions.

Soldotna Elementary

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

■ Feb. 15 Soldotna Elementary will participate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients fundraiser through March 4. Please consider sending any spare change with a student to support this cause.

■ Feb. 19 Create a fun new style for Crazy Hair Day!

■ Feb. 23 Parents are welcome to attend the annual “Soup-er” Lunch. Watch for details in weekly folders.

Soldotna Prep

The following students have been selected as Students of the month and will be honored at a Dessert Party of Thursday, Feb. 18 during advisory at SOHI: Victoria Denison (Math), Kortney Birch(Science), Jayden Kemp (Lang Arts) Trinity Palm (Social Studies), Quinn Lucas (World Issues and Relations Elective, Brittany Blossom (PE), Megan Eskue (Choir)

The Lego Adventures camp is geared toward 6-9-year-old students and the robotics camp is geared toward 10-14-year-old students. The camps are $35 per student and will be held on February 20th. Families can conveniently pay with KPBSD online payment system or stop by Soldotna High School and pay at the office from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays. There is a registration capacity of 12 students per camp. Please email Mrs. McGlothen at kmcglothen@kpbsd.k12.ak.us for more information or to register student(s).

■ Feb. 16 – Free Physical Night – 6 p.m. at SOHI for all Spring and Fall Sports

Mandatory Baseball Parent-Player Meeting at SOHI Library Thursday, Feb. 25, after practice.

Soldotna High Yearbooks are still being sold

Order online www.jostens.com (choose Yearbook Tab) Deadline Feb. 15, 2016 or pick up a form at the SOHI Front Office (Deadline is March 10, 2016)

The Study

The Study is excited to announce that it’s expansion in the 2015-16 school year has been an absolute success! Not only are they offering Academic Pre-K and Kindergarten, but have also added first through third grade! If a little one is not receiving highly academic, direct instruction, call The Study to inquire about how to enroll in their year-long programs.

For the older students, The Study offers the following:

— Homework Club on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m.

— High School Courses for Credit: Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, Alaska Studies, Government, Art Exploration, Spanish, ASL

— Private & Group Tutoring in all subjects

— Piano, Voice, and Guitar Lessons

— SAT Prep

— A wide variety of workshops, such as Jr. High Math, Mastery of Multiplication, Excellence in Writing, Ground School, Study Skills, and even Summer School

As an accredited private school and learning center, The Study is committed to meeting the educational needs of the Kenai Peninsula.

Tustumena Elementary

■ Feb. 9 – Battle of the Books for fifth and sixth grade students

■ Feb. 10 – Battle of the Books for third and fourth grade students

■ Feb. 12 – Mighty Meatball sixth grade fundraiser from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

■ Feb. 16 – PTO Meeting at 4 p.m.

■ Feb. 17 – School Forensics at 1:10 p.m.

■ Feb. 18 – SEM from 2-3 p.m.

■ Feb. 25 – SEM from 2-3 p.m.

■ Feb. 27 – District Wide Forensics

■ Feb. 29 – Site Council 4 p.m.

March 1 – 6th Grade Transition with Skyview at Tustumena School from 1:30-3 p.m.