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:
■ Jan. 11;
■ Feb. 1;
■ Feb. 2 (Worksession);
■ 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
■ Dec. 16 — End of second quarter, no school for students;
■ Dec. 21-Dec. 31 — Winter vacation;
■ Jan. 18 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day;
■ Feb. 4-5 — Parent-teacher conferences, no school for students;
■ 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:
■ Dec. 14 – New — Ice Fishing at Sports Lake, Soldotna – 10:30 a.m. through 2 p.m.
■ Dec. 14 – Semester Reports Due
■ Dec. 17 – New — Soldotna Office – Gingerbread House Decorating Party 1:30–3:30 p.m.
■ April 2016 – Connections Talent Show
New – Ice Fishing Get-Together at Sport Lake at 10:30 a.m. throuh 2 p.m.:
All homeschool families are welcome to join us at Sport Lake on Dec. 14 at 10:30 a.m. to try your luck ice fishing. Connections will provide the ice fishing rods, tackle, bait, and bags for your fish if you’re lucky enough to catch. We will have a small warming fire and hot chocolate available as well. Bring your own lunch, wear your cold weather gear, and anyone 16 years old or older is required to have a fishing license. Come join us for a fun day on the hard water. Contact advisors Mark Wackler or Reubin Payne with any questions you might have, and please RSVP if possible – mwackler@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
New – Soldotna Office – Gingerbread House Decorating Party:
Come join us for a gingerbread house decorating party on Dec. 17 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. We have 15 kits available so please call 714-8880 to reserve your spot or email sfurlong@kpbsd.org. We hope to see you here for a sweet and festive afternoon.
Connections Spelling Bee:
We are pleased to announce that Connections Homeschool is enrolled in the National Spelling Bee this year, continuing with a great tradition. All Connections students in grades third through eighth are encouraged to participate in order to build confidence, increase vocabulary and improve spelling skills.
Our local Spelling Bee will be held on Jan. 21, 2016 at the Soldotna Public Library. The 2016 Alaska State Spelling Bee will be held on Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at the Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage (PAC).
A great way to prepare for the Spelling Bee is to work through the grade specific word lists. You can begin with the list at your grade level. Once you have mastered the 100 words on that list, move on to the next. The word list for the school Spelling Bee will include words that appear on the lists for grades fifth through eighth. For word lists and information, contact Carole Nolden at 714-8880 or cnolden@kpbsd,k12.ak.us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Connections Talent Show:
The Connections Talent Show has become an event we look forward to each school year. We enjoy seeing the work & 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 gathering interest and helping students begin prepare 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 2016 Connections Talent Show
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
■ Dec. 14
— The Senior Line Dancers will perform for the students during both lunches
■ Dec. 15
— 3:10 p.m. third and fourth Grade End of Quarter Celebration
■ Dec. 16
— 2:30-3:40 p.m. Kindergarten’s Family Cookie Sharing – each kindergarten family is asked to bring in 18 cookies and exchange them to create a variety to take home.
■ Dec. 17
— Student council Sponsored Pajama Day – children may wear appropriate pajamas to school but should still be prepared for outdoor recess..
— 9:30 a.m. all school sing along
— 3 p.m. First and second grade End of Quarter Celebration
■ Dec. 18
— In-service – No School and end of second quarter
Winter Break
— No school from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1
Reminders:
— The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Integrity; To act according to a sense of what’s right and wrong.
— 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 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 Ashlyn Hall and Kadie Newkirk. Way to go, Caribou.
Mr. Daniels’s class constructed pinhole cameras to aid in their study of how the human eye works. They used paper dowels, wax paper, and aluminum foil. They made an interesting discovery when they looked in the open end of the camera, the images are upside down. This discovery create some good discussions about how the eye works and how light travels into our eye.
■ Dec. 14 – Winter K-2 Musical, 6 p.m. at the Sohi auditorium
■ Dec. 18 – Inservice Day, No School
■ Dec. 21 through Jan. 1 – Winter Break, No School
Kenai Central High
KCHS held a silent auction and spaghetti dinner on Dec. 4 to help raise money for the KPBSD Students in Transition Program. The SIT program helps provide assistance to local homeless children and provides them with clothes, school supplies, food and other necessities. We would like to thank everyone for attending and for their support of the Students in Transition Program.
This year is rapidly ending. The end of the semester is Dec. 17. Students will be busy taking finals and are hopefully spending time studying at home.
■ Dec. 16
Finals Schedule:
— Holiday Assembly 7:45-8:40 a.m.
— First period finals 8:45-10:20 a.m.
— Break Time 10:20-10:30 a.m.
— Fourth period finals 10:35 a.m. through 12:10 p.m.
— Lunch 12:10-12:40 p.m.
— Sixth period 12:40-2:15 p.m.
■ Dec. 17
Finals Schedule:
— Advisory/Study/Review Time 7:45-8:40 a.m.
— Second period finals 8:45-10:20 a.m
— Break Time 10:20 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
— Fifth period finals 10:35 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
— Lunch 12:10-12:40 p.m.
— Seventh period 12:40-2:15 p.m.
■ Dec. 15
Hockey (Home Soldotna Sportscenter) vs Soldotna High School 7:15 p.m.
■ Dec. 17:
Girls Basketball (Home) vs Houston 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball at Soldotna High School vs Seldovia 4 p.m.
Cross Country Skiing at Tsalteshi Trails
Hockey (Home Soldotna Sportscenter) vs Homer 5:30 p.m.
■ Dec. 18:
Girls Basketball (Home) vs South High School 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball at Soldotna High School vs Diamond High School 5:45 p.m.
■ Dec. 19:
Girls Basketball (Home) vs Juneau Douglas High School 4 p.m.
Boys Basketball at Soldotna High School vs Houston High School 12 p.m.
Boys Basketball C/JV (Home at Kenai Recreation Center) 9-10:30 a.m.
Have a Happy Holidays and don’t forget that classes will resume on Jan. 4 2016.
Kenai Middle
Congratulations on surviving the 2015 portion of the school year. We are so glad you share your children with us here at KMS.
There will be an Intermediate and Beginning Band Concert here at KMS in the gym tonight. It begins at 7 p.m.
Students interested in Cross Country Skiing should plan to attend a meeting in the Library, Tuesday during lunch and advisory.
Congratulations to our Character Counts winners this week~ Meghan Roney and Wallace James.
Seventh and eighth grade students interested in wrestling should plan to meet on Tuesday, during lunch and advisory. Location to be announced.
The Drama Class will host a performance in the Library, Dec.16 at 10:15 a.m. with a reception to follow. Parents are invited to attend.
On Thursday students will choose clubs. Be sure to talk to your student about which clubs are available and what their choices might be.
There will be no school Friday, Dec. 18, it is an In-Service Day.
The Holiday Break begins Dec. 21 and continues through Jan. 1st. School will resume Jan. 4. Have a safe, warm and joyful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Mountain View Elementary
First, Second, and Third grade students will have a winter performance on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. in the KCHS Auditorium. Donations of baked items are needed for the bake sale being held right after the concert at KCHS. Please bring your goodies directly to the high school when coming for the concert. Most items will be sold for $1 each after the concert so remember to bring your ones.
— Congratulations to our Soaring Eagles for November. They are Nikolas Bezdecny, Evelyn Cooper, Kacey Cunningham, Ruth Davis, Abigail Giles, Alex Grundberg, Briggs Guymon, Vincent Hensley, Amy James, Leini Johansen, Dennis Landt, Kaya Lanman, Blake Morris, Eli Morris, Tyler Morris, Kaden Quimby, Glenna Strongheart, David Taplin, & Katie Van Sky.
■ Dec. 18 — Inservice day. There is no school for students.
■ Dec. 18 through Jan. 3. — Winter break is Students return to school on Jan. 4.
Nikiski Middle-High
The second quarter ends on Friday, Dec. 18. There is no school for students on this day. This is the beginning of Christmas Vacation. School will resume on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. Have a safe a happy holiday.
■ Dec. 17
— High School Cross Country Skiing at Soldotna Candy Cane Classic
— Girls Varsity Basketball at Kenai River Classic vs. South – 3 p.m.
■ Dec. 18 – No school for students
— End of Quarter- Teacher Inservice
— State Wrestling at ACS
— Girls Varsity Basketball at Kenai River Classic vs. Juneau – 3 p.m.
■ Dec. 19
— State Wrestling at ACS
— Girls Varsity Basketball at Kenai River Classic vs. Houston – 12 p.m.
■ Dec. 22
— JV Girls Basketball at Nikiski vs. Kenai – 3 p.m.
— JV Boys Basketball at Nikiski vs. Kenai – 4:30 p.m.
— Varsity Girls at Nikiski vs. Kenai – 6 p.m.
— Varsity Boys at Nikiski vs. Kenai – 7:30 p.m
■ Jan. 4
— School resumes
— Middle School Volleyball begins
— Middle School Cross Country Skiing begins
— Middle School Wrestling begins
Nikiski North Star Elementary
PTA Reflection entries are due on Thursday, December 17. You may drop your entry in the box located in the library.
NNS is planning to have a PBIS sledding celebration on Wednesday. Each grade level will have an hour of sledding, outdoor stations with activities and hot cocoa.
The Grandparent Support group meets on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. If you need more information, please call the school office at 776-2600.
There will not be school for students on Friday, Dec. 18. This is an inservice day for teachers and the beginning of the holiday break. School resumes on Monday, Jan. 4. We want to wish each of our families a very safe and happy holiday break.
Redoubt Elementary
Box Tops/Labels for Education Winners last week were: Carli Beach, Daniela Dimitrovski & Connor Gossman. Keep those Box Tops for education and Labels 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. Help earn money for our school.
Redoubt Holiday Kindness Program, assisting Redoubt families in need this holiday season was a huge success. Thank you to the families and community members who purchased a gift or gifts from our angel tree for a Redoubt family. A huge “thank you” to Angie Kenner for the hours spent assembling the angel tree and collecting gifts. “Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.” Anthony J. D’Angelo
Community Service Project fundraiser (Kids Helping Kids). Fifth grade classes will be delivering candy cane candy-grams on Thursday, Dec. 18. If you would like to send someone a candy-gram, fill out the holiday delivery form, include $0.75 each or $15 for a whole class, and drop it by the school office. Forms are available in the school office or can be found in Redoubt’s weekly newsletter. Funds will be used to purchase blankets and toys for needy children in the community. Sorry, we will not be able to make deliveries outside of the school.
Support Redoubt Elementary while you shop at Fred Meyer. Every time you shop with your linked Rewards Card at Fred Meyer, you’re helping Redoubt Elementary earn a donation. And the more supporters who link their Rewards Cards to Redoubt Elementary the more we can earn. To link your Rewards account go to: fredmeyer.com
Congratulations to Miss. Pugia, Redoubt’s music teacher and the fourth through sixth graders who performed in last week’s Music and Band concerts. A special thank you to Aston Wright-Hanke for helping Mr. Withrow with the opening announcements at the fourth through sixth grade music concert.
D.A.R.E. – Drug Abuse Resistance Education is an international substance abuse prevention education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. Redoubt’s sixth grade students met once a week for a semester, with D.A.R.E. officer Tobin Brennan from the Soldotna Police Department. Students celebrated their D.A.R.E. graduation with a community assembly and student Lock-In on December 4th at Soldotna High School. Students were asked to submit a written Essay about their D.A.R.E. experience. Essay winners for Redoubt Elementary were: Johann Carranza (Mrs. Wardas), Kendra Rolenc (Mr. Eveland) and Airah Cude (Mrs. Arthur). Airah Cude’s D.A.R.E. essay was also chosen first place over all attending schools. Way to go Redoubt Roadrunners.
■ Dec. 18 – No School for students, teacher in-service day.
■ Dec. 21-Jan. 1 – Winter Break
■ Jan. 4 – School Resumes
Jan. 29 – Fun Fest
Skyview Middle
Events this week:
■ Dec. 15 – Holiday Band and Choir Concert at Skyview Middle School – 7 p.m.
■ Dec. 17 – Last Day of the Second Quarter
■ Dec. 18 – No School for Students
■ Dec. 19 to Sunday, January 3 – Winter Break. No School for Students and Staff
Yearbooks are on sale now through the end of December for only $30. Buy online – just go to the school Web site and follow the link – or purchase at the front office. Price goes up in January. This book is bigger and better than ever.
Winter Sports begin on Monday, Jan. 4. Any student who wishes to join Volleyball, Wrestling or Nordic Skiing must turn in the required sports forms before participation. Forms must be filled out for each sport. All forms can be picked up at the Front Office or found online at skyviewmiddleschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us > Skyview Sports > Required Sports Paperwork> Forms 1 – 2.
Soldotna High
Soldotna High School PTSA is looking for parents, students, school staff, and community members who want to make a positive difference. Being involved in PTSA provides an opportunity for networking with others who want to support our school, as well as opportunities to be informed about all the great things happening at our school. SoHi PTSA annually provides scholarships to graduating seniors, supports school staff with appreciation luncheons twice a year, and supports parent driven events including After Prom and After Grad. Membership is $10 per year and membership forms can be picked up/dropped off at the school office. If you are interested in joining PTSA, contact Sheilah-Margaret Pothast at agr8fulmom@hotmail.com or attend our next meeting on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the SoHi Staff Lounge.
Soldotna High School PTSA’s primary fundraiser is the Fred Meyer Rewards Program. It’s easy to sign up and makes a BIG difference for our PTSA and our school. Visit fredmeyer.com with your Rewards Program number and select Soldotna High School PTSA. It’s quick and simple and you’ll make a positive impact just by doing your everyday shopping. Thank you.
Soldotna Elementary
Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
■ Dec. 15-16 Soldotna Elementary Holiday Shop
■ Dec. 18 Teacher Work Day- No School for Students
School News:
There is a “Toys for Tots” donation box in the school lobby for new and unwrapped toys for kids of all ages.
Soldotna Elementary would like to wish our families and friends a safe and relaxing Winter Break. School will resume on Monday, Jan. 4.
Soldotna Prep
■ Dec. 15 is an assembly schedule
— First Semester Finals Schedule 2015-2016
■ Dec. 16
Period 7,1,3,5
■ Dec. 17
Period 7,2,4,6
■ Dec. 18 – No School End of first semester and in-service day
Adventures and Lego Mindstorms Robotics Camp Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. The camps are $35 per student. 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 your student(s).
Check SOPREP school blog for important information and updates soldotnaprep.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu
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 your 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 and 2, Geometry, Alaska Studies, Government, Art Exploration, Spanish, ASL
— Private and 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.
Please mark your calendars on the following days:
■ Dec. 16 – Homework Club is canceled
■ Dec. 18 – Music Recitals
■ Dec. 21 – Christmas Break
Tustumena Elementary
■ Dec. 14 Safety Seal
■ Dec. 15 Kenai Line Dancers, 10am
■ Dec. 16 Geography Bee, 1:30pm
■ Dec. 17 Reindeer Games
■ Dec. 18 NO School, Inservice Day, End of second Quarter
■ Dec. 21 through Jan. 3 Winter Break, No school
