Around the District

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:

■ Feb. 2;

■ March 2;

■ April 6;

■ May 4 (at Seward High School);

■ June 1;

■ June 2 (Board planning session).

Holidays and vacation days scheduled

Today — Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Feb. 5-6 — Parent-teacher conferences, no school for students; March 6 — End of third quarter, no school for students; March 9-13 — Spring Break; April 3 — Good Friday; May 20 — Last day of school.

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. Listed below are our upcoming academies.

Nikiski High School will be offering a welding academy beginning Jan. 6, running every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Students will be learning Oxy-Acetylene Cutting, torch safety and set up, cutting torch free hand, interpret welding symbols and much more.

In January we will be offering a Personal Care Attendant (PCA) class that is limited to juniors and seniors only. This class will take place at the Workforce Development Center. Students will learn how to physically care for people. Students who are close to the age of 18 by May 2014 will receive a State Certificate after passing the exam. The class is limited to 12 students. Textbooks will be provided, however they are available to purchase for $35 if a student chooses to keep their book. There will be a mandatory meeting (dates and times to be announced). During this meeting class times will be set depending on student and instructor’s schedule.

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 half practical art credit.

To sign up students can see their counselor, call Debbie Pearson at 283-2145 or go to MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from “onestop.kpbsd.k12.ak.us” claiming to be onestop.kpbsd.k12.Alaskaus/

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.

Connections Homeschool Program

Dates to remember:

■ Fridays: Soldotna Battle of the Books Grades 5th and 6th Mtg at 11:00 a.m.

This Week:

■ 01/05-01/30 — AIMS K-5 (please make appointments with your local office) ; Ed Performance Testing 6-8

■ 01/22 — Connections Spelling Bee at Soldotna Library 2:00 p.m.

Upcoming Activities:

■ 02/18 — Salmon in the Classroom Sport Lake Ice Fishing at 11:10-12:10 p.m.

■ 03/30-03/31 – Soldotna Safe Sitter Class (see below for more information)

Upcoming events:

Safe Sitter Course — Do your children babysit siblings or other children? Connections and Central Peninsula General Hospital are partnering together to offer the Safe Sitter class for homeschoolers. This is a two day class and will be offered March 30 & 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children need to be between the ages of 11 & 13 to attend. The cost is $50.00 and may be reimbursable by Connections. For more information go to www.safesitter.org or www.cpgh.org click on quick links, go to community programs and click on safe sitter. Please register ASAP to attend the January session. For more information, or help registering, please contact Marcia Knowlton 598-0950 (Instructor/Parent contact) or Sheila or Roberta 714-4775(Hospital contacts). Please register with the Hospital Cashier to reserve your child’s seat today!

Connections Talent Show:

The Connections Talent Show has become an event we look forward to each school year. We enjoy seeing the work and success our students are finding outside of the academic realm, and we love giving them a chance to put those talents on display each spring. If your student has a talent they may wish to share at out talent show this year, please contact our talent show coordinator, Mark Wackler, at mwackler@kpbsd.k12.ak.us . At this time we are mostly just trying to gather interest and help students begin preparing for the show, so your response is not an obligation to have your student perform. Most of our acts are musical (i.e. singing, piano, dance, etc.) but we welcome and encourage a wide variety of different types of talents, so get creative! Please contact Mark with all your questions or to express interest. A date has not yet been set, but mid to late April is when the show is typically scheduled. We look forward to seeing you at the 2015 Connections Talent Show!

Connections Spelling Bee:

Please contact you advisor if you would like to participate in our annual Spelling Bee if you have a student in grades 3rd-8th. For word lists and information, contact Carole Nolden at 714-8880 or cnolden@kpbsd,k12.ak.us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our local Spelling Bee will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at the Soldotna Public Library starting at 2:00 p.m. The 2015 Alaska State Spelling Bee will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2015 at the Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage (PAC).

Sport Lake Ice Fishing: Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game is inviting our students to spend one hour on the ice fishing for rainbow trout and Chinook salmon at Sport Lake. Students learn proper fishing techniques, catch and release etiquette, ice fishing regulations, and safety on the ice. This is an annual event held on February 18. The time slot for Connections homeschool students is from 11:10 – 12:10 p.m.. All equipment is provided; participants over 16 need a fishing license. Please remember to dress warm and bring a snack if you plan on staying a while. If you have any questions please call the Connections office at (907)714-8880.

IDEA Homeschool Program

This month is flying by! Wow! It has been so nice to see all the work samples brought in for us to see! It was really wonderful to see those who shared with us at our annual Presentation Night! We have some very creative and talented students!

We had a very busy week last week with our Geo Bee, Parent Advisory Council Meeting, Seward activity and Battle of the Books! There are more Battle of the Books Competitions coming up:

■ January 21 for 3rd and 4th grades

■ January 22 for 5th and 6th grades

■ January 23 for middle school

All of the competitions will be held at the IDEA office at 10:30 a.m.

Art in the Capitol! It’s that time of year again, artists! Students from Kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to display their artwork in the Capitol building in Juneau. Check out the IDEA website for more information on this amazing opportunity.

Calling all spellers! Our Spelling Bee is on February 5th at 10:00 a.m. at the Soldotna Library. You can sign up by calling the IDEA office. Do you have cabin fever? Coming during the month of February, we are going to help you bust out of it! There will be four Fridays of games and activities to join in! More details will come soon, make sure to check your email!

As always, please feel free to come by our office to chat with our staff, look through our library, or check out our resource room. We are here to serve you!

Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science

Dates:

Monday, January 19: No school in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Thursday, January 22: 3:45-4:45 p.m. Backcountry Snow Club is meeting for students enrolled in this activity. Thank you for picking your child up on time. Friday, January 23: 1:25 p.m. 4th/5th grade class is going to the Creek. Please make sure to have the appropriate gear. 2:25 p.m. 5th/6th grade class is going to the Creek. Please make sure to have the appropriate gear.

PTA: PTA is in need of parent volunteers to help out with the Carnival on January 30, please contact Kaleidoscope PTA for more information.

Reminders:

■ Re-Enrollment forms were sent out on Friday, January 16th. Please remember to complete this form even if your student has aged or will not be returning to Kaleidoscope. Please return them to the office no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 13, 2015 in order to keep your child enrolled at Kaleidoscope for next school year. If your child has a sibling who would like to attend Kaleidoscope, please remember to fill out the sibling lottery application before March 6, 2015.

■ February 4th is an Early Release Day. All students will be released at 2:10 p.m.

■ February 5th and 6th are Parent Teacher Conferences. There will be no school for students. More information and sign-ups will be coming home soon.

■ If your child will be picked up early from school or will be arriving late to school, please be sure to sign your child in or out of school as appropriate.

■ If your child will be absent from school or arriving late, please call our office by 10:30 a.m. Otherwise, the office will call to confirm your child’s absence from school to keep attendance records accurate.

■ Please call the office by 2:30 p.m. if you need to make a change to your child’s after school plan (283-0804).

■ The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is patience: To wait calmly for someone or something.

Kalifornsky Beach Elementary

Mr. Daniels’s Class took part in the Hour of Code this week. This is computer science week in our class. We will be writing program code on computers, Skyping a mystery classroom, and listening to guest speakers from The Microsoft Corporation.

■ December 16th – K-2 Winter Program; 6:00 p.m. at Sohi auditorium

■ Dec 19 – No School, In-Service day

■ December 22 through January 2 – No School due to Winter Break

Kenai Central High

We will have our second set of Parent/Teacher conferences on February 5. Teachers will be available that after-noon to meet with parents from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the auditorium commons. Students will not have school the 5 or 6 due to the conferences.

KCHS is continuing the after school study hall. Students will be able to utilize the study hall from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., Monday – Thursday. This will be a time for students to work on homework and projects or make up work from absences. The NHS will also have tutors available for students who need help in a class. The Culinary Arts students will be preparing a delicious meal for the Student of the Month Lunch Luncheon Thursday, January 22.

Student of the Month — December

Rotary – Jordan Theisen, Chamber – Kyla Whannell, Elks – Travis Cooper, Kard-of-Deck – Kyla Whannell, Super Staffer – Cary and Maria Calvert, Biology – Courtland Thompson, Mr. Hanson, Earth Science – Kylie Hanson, Mrs. Bergholtz, LA 10 – Savannah Boze, Ms. Wagoner, Performing Arts/Band – Kirsten Nyquist, Mrs. Sounart, Work Experience – Jeanette Peat, Ms. Zwink, Geometry – Sam Morse, Mr. Songer, LA 12 – Taylor Carlson, Mrs. Schneider, Algebra – Willow Morrow, Mr. Kennedy, Physical Education – Jian Hayes, Mr. Marquez, Ceramics – Raphaella Bucho, Mr. Morton, LA 12 & Study Skills – Alyssa Herr, Mrs. Bisset, US History – Amber Hamar, Mrs. Calvert, Welding – Mathew Vandermartin, Mr. Widaman, LA 10 Honors – Emily Koziczkowski, Mrs. McCullough, AK Studies – Makai-Lynn Smith, Mr. Lopez

Kenai Middle

Congratulations to our Character Counts winners: Aidan Arness and Raelynn Passe. There is no school today in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Enjoy the extended weekend!

Clubs are in full swing. They happen during the last period of the day every Wednesday. Be sure to call ahead if you will pick your student up early on Wednesdays in the event they are in clubs that are out of the building. The kids are enjoying learning new skills and hobbies!

Volleyball Intramurals end on Friday, January 23rd. There is a Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, the 24th beginning at 9:00 am.

Please remember to send in a note or call in each day if your student will miss school or will be tardy.

We are now collecting Box Tops for Kenai Middle School. The student who brings in the most BoxTops for the month of January will earn a pizza. Be sure to start saving and send them in before the end of the month. This contest will continue each month through the end of the school year.

Save the Date~ There is an upcoming Activity Night on January 30th!

Mountain View Elementary

Monday, January 19 is a vacation day. There is no school for students. The Library will be holding a book fair February 2 – February 6 during school hours and parent-teacher conferences. If you would like to volunteer to help with the book fair please call the office at 283-8600.

Wednesday, February 4 is an early release day for students. Students will be dismissed at 1:55 PM.

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Thursday & Friday, February 5 & 6. There will be no school for students.

We would like to thank everyone that helped make our 2014 Christmas Drive a success. This year we were able to provide Christmas dinner, toys, and winter clothing for 50 families, including 135 children. Your generosity made this all possible. Thank you!

Nikiski Middle-High

Dates: January 19 – No School, January 19 – HS BB Girls JV @ Homer @ 3 p.m., January 19 – HS BB Boys JV @ Homer @ 4:30 p.m., January 20 – JV BB vs Ninilchik, Girls – 4 p.m.

Boys – 5:30 p.m., January 22 – C Team Basketball 3:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m., January 23-24 – HS XC Skiing @ Tsalteshi (weather permitting), January 23 – MS XC Skiing @ Kenai Invite (weather permitting), January 24 – MS Wrestling @ Skyview 9 a.m., January 24 – Basketball vs Seward: G – JV @ 2 p.m., B – JV @ 3:30 p.m., G – Varsity @ 5 p.m., B – Varsity @ 6:30 p.m., January 26 – JV G Basketball @ Kenai 3 p.m., JV B Basketball @ Kenai 4:30 p.m.

Nikiski North Star Elementary

Parents are welcome to attend our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) meeting on Friday, January 23rd at 8:00 am. This meeting will allow parents an opportunity to give input on issues concerning our school. If you need further information, please call the school office at 776-2600.

Congratulations to the following students for achieving Perfect Attendance for the first semester: Xavier Rogerss, Levi Ellis, Logan Williams, Levi Crawford, Ethan Ellis, Logan Nicks, Thayne Quiner, Holley Benner, Nolan Boehme, Giaseena Nicks, Liam O’Brien, Julia Smith, Elyshia Benner, Brady Bostic, Sydney Junkert, Celina Martinez, Liam Quiner, Savanna Stock and Trista Apted. The following students achieved Outstanding Attendance for the first semester: Mya Akers, Lilly Anderson, Brooklyn Biamonte, Jamie Bond, Niles Broussard, Bryce Dederick, Brody Dupuis, Serenity Freeman, Griffin Gray, Rucca Gray, Kaiden Grimshaw, Rachel Hansen, James Hemphill, Patrick Henry, Destiny Langston, Jakeup Martin, Justin Martin, Alexander Martinez, Shannon Pitt, Francis Scott, Eli Settlemyer, Candace Simpson, and Tyler Treider. Congratulations to all!

The NNS Geography Bee will be held on Thursday, January 22nd in the library. This is planned to begin around 1:30 pm.

We are planning a family night for Monday, January 26th. We will have Bingo for Books, hot dogs and all the trimmings for your family to enjoy. This will begin at 5:45 pm in the school gym.

Redoubt Elementary

■ January 19, 2015 – No School Today – Vacation Day

■ January 23, 2015 – Fun Fest

■ February 4, 2015 – Early Release Day for students – 1:45 p.m.

■ February 5 & 6 2015 – Parent-Teacher Conferences

■ February 5 & 6 2015 – No School for Students

■ February 28, 2015 – Winter Carnival Noon – 4:00 p.m.

Yearbooks are on Sale – $15.00 pre-order yours now, make checks payable to Redoubt Elementary. Yearbooks will arrive in May. Order forms have been sent home with students.

Box Tops Winners last week were: Calyssa Mills, Jesse Allen, Mariah Mills & Taylor Estes. 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 and turn them in at school. FUN FEST will be held Friday, January 23rd from 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Permission slips have been sent home with students. Permission slips must be turned in by noon January 23. The cost to attend the Fun Fest is $4.00 per student. Volunteers are needed for this event, please call the school if you would like to help with this event.

Conferences: Thursday, February 5 – 9:00 a.m. –12 p.m., 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Friday, February 6 – 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Raffle tickets are currently on sale for $20.00 each. First place – iPad 64GB, Second Place – 2 RT tickets to Anchorage on Grant Aviation & Third Place Toshiba Tablet 8GB. Drawing to be held at the Winter Carnival on February 28th. Only 450 tickets will be sold. Stop by the school office to purchase your tickets.

We are looking for volunteers for our Fun Fest and Winter Carnival. If you would like to help with these events we would be happy to have you join us. All volunteers must complete the online school district volunteer form. If you have questions or need assistance with this process please call the school office. Thank you!

Skyview Middle

Congratulations to 8th grade student, Aliann Schmidt, January Chamber Student of the Month! Congratulations to the winners of the Skyview Geography Bee! First place – Joseph McLeod, Second place – Derek Lewis, Third place – Laurel Glaves. Joseph McLeod will compete in the State competition on March 27. National competition for the State winner will be May 11-13.

Sports Schedule:

■ Friday, January 23 – Nordic Skiing – Kenai Invitational @ Kenai – 3:00 p.m.

■ Friday, January 23 – Last day of Intramural Volleyball

■ Saturday, January 24 – Wrestling – Skyview Invitational Wrestling Tournament – 9:00 a.m.

2015 BP Teacher of Excellence – Nominate Your Favorite Teacher! Deadline is January 30. Please visit www.bpteachers.com to recognize an outstanding teacher in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District!

NAEP will be administered to select eighth-graders on February 10. To learn more about the program, visit http://1.usa.gov/Ugb2Ct.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is holding a Public Budget Meeting on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. in the Soldotna High School library. Everyone interested is encouraged to attend. If there are questions, please contact Lassie Nelson at District Office at 714-8838.

Soldotna High

The Annual KPBSD Art teacher art show is at the Fine Art Guild in Kenai. The show will be up through January.

Parent Teacher Conference on Thursday, Feb. 5 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and again from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Need money for college? Come to SoHi’s very own College Goal Alaska (CGA) and fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)! CGA is a FAFSA Completion Event where students, their parents, and members of the community can come work on their FAFSA and receive help from local financial aid experts. The event will be held on Thursday, January 22nd at 6pm in the SoHi Library. To complete the FAFSA, you will need to provide some personal and financial information, so make sure to bring your Social Security Number and your tax information (2013 taxes can be used as estimates). Contact Emily Knight at emily.knight@alaska.gov or 907-260-7083 for more details.

Each week we recognize a teacher at 6 a.m. during Daybreak and again at 6 p.m. during the KTVA 11 Evening News. In addition, we run a :30 promo the whole week on GCI cable and KTVA congratulating the recipient. This is a great way for us to recognize educators in our state while also giving recognition to the schools. Parents, students and teachers can use this link to submit their nomination: http://ulink.tv/2041

Microsoft IT Academy (ITA) Program provides students with the technology skills they need to be successful in their education and careers. With Microsoft Certification, students can validate their skills that will be beneficial in a variety of career paths including engineering, business and technology. ITA members receive price reductions on Microsoft Certification exams so they can enable sills validation through certification for their students globally.

■ 91 percent of hiring managers consider employee certification as a criterion for hiring

■ 81 percent of hiring managers believe certified individuals perform better than non-certified peers

■ Worldwide, Microsoft Office holds 94 percent of the market share (500 million customers). Students need skills on Microsoft Office whether they are moving towards advanced education or looking for a business career.

Soldotna High will be participating in the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This is for all students at Soldotna High. Students will be bringing home permission slips for parental signatures. Our school has been given a budget of $2,600 to offer incentives for students to turn in their forms and to take the survey. Students will be eligible for drawings for gift cards from the following: The Orca Theatre, Fred Meyer, River City Books, Subway, iTunes, The Moose is Loose and Kaladi Brother’s Coffee.

We will be administering the survey during second hour on Tuesday, January 27.

Questions regarding the actual content of the survey should be directed to Central Office. Questions regarding the administration can be directed to LaDawn Druce SoHi Counselor. We need at least 60% of our students to bring back their permission form marked “YES” and 60 percent to be here and take the survey on Jan. 27. Seniors: Please order your caps and gowns. You can go to Jostens.com or call Leona at 907-283-9280.

Soldotna Montessori

Maria Allison and Tomoka Raften will perform in a concert for piano and flute on January 30 in the afternoon. Intermediate grade students from both Soldotna Montessori and Soldotna Elementary will attend. Staff members at SMCS will have the opportunity this month and again in April to work with Jon Wolff, national Montessori consultant, on implementing the best practices of Montessori. Students in grades three – six are gearing up for the State Spelling Bee. Practices take place every Wednesday during lunch. The final school Spelling Bee will take place on February 10. The school winner will compete at the State Bee in Anchorage in March.

Primary students are working with District Art Specialist, Debbie Harris. This week’s lesson focuses on texture and pattern. Intermediate students are having fun learning about America’s early years by conducting individual research and participating in role plays and simulations.

Soldotna Prep

■ No School Monday, January 19, 2015

■ Early Release Day February 4, 2015

■ No School / Parent Teacher Conferences Thursday, February 5, 2015 from 11:30 – 3:00 p.m., and 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the big gym.

■ No School Friday, February 6, 2015 In-service Day

Tutoring Monday through Friday in Rm 10 during the lunch hour

■ Chess Club meets during lunch hour Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in room 18

■ After-School Tutoring Monday through Thursday 2:25-3:25 in room 15

■ Native Youth Leadership Club in room 10 2:15-3:00 the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month

■ Poetry Out Loud meetings in room 10 2:15-3:00 the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month

■ Visit Soldotna Prep blog for current information: http://soldotnaprep.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/. The phone number for Soldotna Prep is 260-2300

Sterling Elementary

2015 BP Teacher of Excellence nominations are being taken through January 30. Please nominate your favorite teacher at www.bpteachers.com. Our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) committee has selected Classroom Expectations for our January focus! Students are expected to work to the behavioral expectations in all of their classrooms, including music and PE, to be titled the Super Star Class of the Month!

■ Sterling PTA meets on January 29 at 4:00 p.m. in the library. Sterling Site Council meets February 26 at 4:00 p.m.

Stop at the front desk and fill out a “Kudos” slip for one of our Sterling Staff members. Every slip for a staff member will be celebrated with a Kudos granola bar and the recognition that someone thanks them for what they are doing!

Tustumena News

January:

■ 20 PTO Meeting, 4 p.m.

■ 26 Site Council, 4 p.m.

■ 26-30 Pre-Registration for 2015/16 Kindergarten

February:

February 3 3rd & 4th Grade Battle of Books

February 4 Early Release, 2:05

February 5th & 6th Parent Teacher Conferences

February 10 5th & 6th Grade Battle of Books

February 12 Tustumena School Forensics February 13 Mighty Meatballs Fundraiser Dinner for 6th Grade

February 17 PTO Meeting, 4pm