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).
■ Oct. 17 — End of first quarter, no school for students;
■ Oct. 30-31 — Parent-teacher conferences, no school for students;
■ Nov. 27-28 — Thanksgiving;
■ Dec. 19 — End of second quarter, no school for students;
■ Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter vacation;
■ Jan. 19 — 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.
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:
■ Oct. 29;
■ Nov. 26;
■ Feb. 4;
■ March 27;
■ May 1.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Jerry V. Horn Memorial Post 10046 and the Ladies Auxiliary are sponsoring two scholarship programs.
The Voice of Democracy program is for students in grades 9-12, including home-school students, and asks students to express their own original thoughts on the topic, “Why Veterans are Important to our Nation’s History and Future.” To enter, students must submit a 3-5 minute original essay on a CD or cassette tape. There should be no background music; clear enunciation of words is crucial. Students will be eligible for monetary awards of $1,000 for first place and $500 for second place. The winning entry will be forwarded to the state competition, where it will be eligible for additional prizes and a trip to Washington, D.C.
The Patriot’s Pen essay competition is open to students in grades 6-8, including home-school students, and asks students to write a 300-400 word essay on the theme “Why I Appreciate America’s Veterans.” Local winners will receive $500 for first place and $250 for second place. The winning essay will be forwarded to the state competition, where it will be eligible for additional prizes and a trip to Washington, D.C.
For official entry forms or more information, visit www.vfw.org, contact your school counselor, or call Rachel Jurco with the VFW Ladies Auxiliary at 262-1352. Entries must be submitted to VFW Post 10046, 134 N. Birch Street in Soldotna, no later than Nov. 1.
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.
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, geometry, high school art, as well as “all day” kindergarten and pre-k. The Study also offers a SAT Prep course. Check us out on the web at thestudysoldotna.com or call us at 907-262-6227.
The Challenger Learning Center is now accepting registration for the upcoming sessions. STEAM Ahead for up to a semester of science for grades K-8th. First session begins Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. Challenger is an approved direct pay vendor for IDEA and Connections. For more information: akchallenger.org, 907-283-2000, or summer.lazenby@akchallenger.org.
Dates to Remember:
■ Thursday — Math Tutoring at the Soldotna Office every Thursday 2:30-4 p.m.
■ Friday — Free Fly Tying Workshop! Soldotna Office from 2-3:30 p.m.
■ Oct. 22 — Soldotna Solid Rock Hay Maze from 1-3 p.m.
■ Oct. 28 — Scholastic Book Club Order Due
■ Oct. 30 — Homer Coastwalk 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
■ Nov. 6 — Picture Retakes at Homer from 1-3 p.m. at Paul Banks Elementary School Gym
■ Nov. 13 — Pictures Retakes at Soldotna from 3-5 p.m. at Borough Building Assembly Room
■ Dec. 1 — My HomeR Art Submissions Due
■ Dec. 19 — Elk Lodge Americanism Contest Entries Due
Free Fly Tying Workshops at Soldotna Office Oct. 10 from 2-3:30 p.m. Please come and join the Connections staff and local fly tying experts for a six week fly tying workshop. We welcome all ages and any homeschool student from any program. These workshops are designed for beginners to intermediate fly tying students. Connections will provide the fly tying materials, the tying vises, and professional instruction. Please come join us and share your fishing stories, network with other home school families and leave with a new skill. RSVP’s requested but not required.
Hay Maze Soldotna Solid Rock Camp on Oct. 22 from 1-3 p.m. Looking outside, you can tell fall is in the air and it’s time for the annual Hay Maze at Solid Rock Bible Camp! Please join us Oct. 22 from 1-3 p.m. The cost is $5 per person. Please bundle up for this event; gloves, hats, warm layers and flashlights are encouraged. The Connections program will be providing hot dogs! We are looking forward to seeing all of you, and please feel free to bring a guest. If you have any questions, please contact the Soldotna office at 907-714-8880 or email Reubin Payne at rpayne@kpbsd.k12.ak.us to RSVP or for more information. We look forward to seeing you at this fun annual event!
Coastwalk on Oct. 30 from 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Love long walks on the beach? Hate to have your stroll in nature ruined by plastic, Styrofoam, and other garbage? Come join the annual Connections Coastwalk event with the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies! After a quick introduction on the state of garbage in our oceans we’ll head to an “adopted” beach to clean up debris left by tides and visitors. Connections will then provide hot cocoa and hot lunch before heading to a workshop to create “art with trash”. See attached flyer with map and RSVP with Derek Bynagle at dbynagle@kpbsd.k12.ak.us or call the Homer office at 907-226-1880.
IDEA Homeschool ‘s school year is in full swing! There are several outings planned for families!
■ Wednesday — PSAT for those who preregistered
■ Friday — Join IDEA families at the hay tunnel at Solid Rock Bible Camp. Sign ups are in the office
■ Oct. 21 — College Fair at Soldotna Regional Sports Complex
■ Oct. 23 — A special workshop for high school students at the Soldotna Library.
■ Oct. 29 — School House Rocks Live in Anchorage.
Want more information on events? Look IDEA up atideafamilies.org. Want more information on homeschooling? Look up IDEA on the website or come into the office to speak with a contact teacher today!
■ Monday — 4 p.m. APC Meeting in the library
■ Tuesday— 3 p.m. Celebration of Learning in the gym for the 3rd and 4th grade multi-age classes
■ Saturday — 9:30 a.m. New to Kaleidoscope Parent Information meeting in the Library. This is for all families who have not yet attended an Informational Meeting, even if you are still on our wait list or new to our upcoming lottery.
Reminders
The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Common Sense: To use good judgment.
The lost and found is quite full! Please look through the items at the south entrance to see if any belong to your child. The office has items other than clothing.
Don’t forget to check the Kaleidoscope website for the calendar of events, office newsletters, lunch menu, APC and PTA updates, etc.
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 a week to be approved.
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.
■ Monday the KCHS academic banquet will be taking place at 6 p.m.
■ Thursday — there will be a KCHS Band Concert at 7 p.m.
■ Friday — Volleyball plays Homer game times are 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.; The KCHS swim-dive team is at Palmer
■ Saturday — Volleyball will play ACS game times are 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Congratulations to KCHS cross country team the girls placed 3rd at state while the boys place 5th.
Allie Ostrander successfully defended her 4A state cross country championship while also setting a state record, also on the girls side Riana Boonstra finished 9th, Addison Gibson placed 22nd and Ithaca Bergholtz finished in 26th. On the boys side Jonah Theisen finished with a runner up performance and a personnel best, his brother Jordan Theisen finished 6th and Travis Cooper finished 19th.
Congratulations to our Character Counts winners for the week, Maxim Custodio and Jordan Smith.
Basketball Intramurals are in full swing. Girls are practicing from 2:30–4 p.m. this week.
Boys have practice from 4–5:30 p.m. (Work on homework at the school from 2:30-4 p.m.)
Mr. Fischer’s annual Hay Maze trip is Thursday from 2:30–5:30 p.m.
Be sure to start collecting your socks, hats, and gloves for the SOCKTOBER event that begins Oct.20 through the 24. The advisory class that collects the most will earn a pizza party so be sure to ask your family and friends for help! Let’s Sock it to Poverty at KMS!
The PTA “Believe Kids” fundraiser orders need to be turned in on Monday.
There will be a PTA meeting on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. in the staff lounge.
The Site Council will be meeting on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the library.
Picture retakes are scheduled for Oct. 24. Students needing to have their picture retaken will need to return the original packet. This is also the time for students who were absent on the original picture day to have their picture taken.
Parent-teacher conference forms were sent home on Friday. Please return forms to school with your preference for a conference time by Oct, 20.
The Library will be holding a book fair Oct. 27-31 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.
■ Tuesday — High School Volleyball at Homer C Team at 3 p.m., JV at 5 p.m., Varsity at 6 p.m.
■ Wednesday — PSAT
■ Thursday — Wrestling at Glennallen Scramble
■ Friday — Volleyball at Cordova; Wrestling at Valdez Throwdown in Snowtown
Kenai Peninsula College and Career Fair
The College and Career Fair will take place on Oct. 21 at the Soldotna Sports Center. This is a great opportunity to meet representatives from over 50 colleges. Any High School Junior or Senior interested in attending should contact Ms. G, Mr. Wertz or Mrs. Carstens in the Counseling office to sign up and get paperwork. Spaces are limited so sign up today.
Many thanks go out to the Nikiski Firefighters who helped our students learn about fire safety last week.
On Thursday our school will participate in the Great Alaska Shakeout drill at 10:16 a.m. Also on Thursday, we will be having our end of the quarter assembly in the afternoon.
Plan now to attend our annual Fall Carnival on Oct. 25. This event will be held from 1–4 p.m. at the school. There will be lots of games, food and family friendly activities. Volunteers are always needed and if you would like to help out, please contact a PTA board member or call the office at 776-2600 for more information. Please remember to send your child to school with the appropriate warm winter gear for outside recess.
Thursday – Fun Fest All students must have a signed permission slip turned in by noon the day of Fun Fest. Parents please make sure when signing this permission slip to read the complete permission slip, we have an added permission area if your child will be allowed to jump in the Jump House. Students will NOT be permitted to enter the Jump House unless this section is complete and signed by a parent or guardian (no acceptations).
Box Tops winners last week were: Zach Ulrich, Chenoa Svec and Hannah Butler. 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.
School fundraiser — Great American Opportunities Fall Fundraiser started Sept. 30, packets and information were sent home with students. Completed order forms and money are due back by Tuesday.
TB testing will be conducted on Oct. 20. Testing will be for all Kindergarten students and those students who are new to the district. This test involves a needle prick just under the skin and results will be read on Oct. 23. If you would like to be with your child during the testing, or would like to schedule the test for another time, please contact Nurse Iris, at 260-4300.
Thursday — Earthquake Drill The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will participate in the 3nd annual Great Alaska ShakeOut “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” earthquake drill at 10:16 a.m. Redoubt Staff and Students will be taking part in this district wide DRILL.
Tuesday — PTA Meeting at 5 p.m. in the staff lounge. Child care will be available.
Events this Week!
Tuesday — Band/Choir/Drumline Concert at Skyview Middle School Gym at 7 p.m.
Intramural Basketball Schedule this week — Boys have early practice from 2:30-4:15 p.m. Girls have mandatory study hall during the boys’ practice. Girls practice will end at 5:40 p.m.
Information on class and sports fees — Being the end of the quarter we ask that all students and parents check on Power School to see if there are any outstanding fees. Students may also ask their elective teacher or come to the office to check on their fees. For those students participating in basketball intramurals the participation fee is $30 and this fee was due Friday. If you do have outstanding fees all or part of the sports fee will be applied to the outstanding fee first. Any questions, please call Mrs. Kircher at 260-2500.
Please Mark your Calendar! Parent-Teacher Conferences at Skyview Middle School will be one day only on3 October 30. Conference times are scheduled. Please contact the school if you have any questions.
Congratulations to Lily Rodgers for winning the box top drawing last week. Lily received a fruit bar for submitting those box tops for our school. Please continue to send those box tops in as they are a great benefit to the students here.
Pajama Day will be Oct. 24. Please mark your calendars now.
Mrs. Kvamme’s 6th graders are manning the School Store every Wednesday morning before school starts. Kids can purchase pencils, pens, folders, whatever basic school supplies they might need. Thank you 6th graders for your good work.
No school on Oct. 30 and 31. That’s right, no school on Halloween Day. However, we will have Parent/Teacher conferences on the 30 and 31. Conferences are scheduled on Thursday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., and on Friday from 8:15 a.m. to noon. Please make arrangements to attend these very important visits with the teachers.
The Book Fair is coming on Oct. 27 through Oct. 31. We will have a huge variety of books for all reading levels. Come to the library and let the kids find some “just right” new books.
Picture Retakes for SOEL will be Oct. 23.
Earthquake Drill is scheduled for this Thursday at 10:16 a.m.
Early Release Day is on October 29. Students will be dismissed at 1:55 p.m. No afternoon class for Mrs. Cannava’s pre-schoolers that day.
Gymnastics is being offered to all 5th and 6th graders and is beginning on Oct. 22. The participation fee is $15. Please make checks payable to SOEL.
Space is limited for this activity, so please return those permissions slips soon.
If you journey down the intermediate hallway, you will behold some beautiful art pieces. There are landform power points which include pictures and definitions of landforms. Very informative, and I love the photos the kids selected for this project. Also, check out those symmetry masks. Very cool! Mrs. Baktuit’s students have made animal pictures using Autumn leaves, and they are amazing. There are hummingbirds, fish, cats, etc.
With the help of our District Art Specialist, Debbie Harris, the students from Mrs. Davis’s class have made some amazing projects. Last week they talked about art that contained animals pictured in their natural habitats. The children picked an animal and decided what its habitat would be. It was a challenge following the 3D pop-up habitat instructions, but they did a fine job. Come and see what they’ve created.
Green Club at Sohi will kick off the first ever school-wide recycling program this week. Students helped to start the program and will participate in other sustainability projects this year through the club. On Wednesday they will have everything set up.
The Kenai Peninsula College and Career Fair is taking place on Oct. 21 . At least 43 career schools, colleges, and universities from throughout the state and the Lower 48 will be in attendance. Admission to the event is free and SoHi’s slot time is designated for 10-11 a.m.. Contact the school counselors for more information.
SoHi’s Financial Aid Information Night is taking place on Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. in the SoHi library. Parents of juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend. Come learn about the various types of financial aid and how your student can receive money to pay for college or career school. Dinner will be provided. We would love to see you there! Contact Emily Knight at 907-260-7083 for more information.
On Oct. 22, the University of Alaska Anchorage will be hosting an Application Day at Soldotna High School. Seniors will be given the opportunity to apply to UAA using a fee deferral process. Students that apply will be given a free t-shirt! Contact Emily Knight at emily.knight@alaska.gov for more information.
Homecoming events were held during the week of Sept. 22-27. Seniors ended up winning the spirit competition held that week with sophomores taking second, freshmen third and juniors fourth. Congratulations to our Royalty Court: Senior Queen: Paige Reid Senior King: Tim Duke, Senior Princess: Savannah Cartwright, Senior Prince: Ty Fenton, Junior Princess: Daisy Nelson, Junior Prince: Jesse Boze, Sophomore Princess: Drewe Zeek, Sophomore Prince: Wade Rosin, Freshmen Princess: Tre Rybak , Freshmen Prince: Maddie Kindred. The next dance will be the Halloween Dance which is scheduled for Oct. 29.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Student Council meeting was held Sept. 23 and the following students were elected as representatives for the District: Budget Review: Ali Dusek, Heath Curriculum: Taylor Gilmore, Instructional Materials: Chloe Kincaid, Wellness Advisory: Olivia Hutchings.
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 through Friday only) please contact Tamra Wear at 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.
Native Youth Leadership Club in room 10 from 2:15-3 p.m. Wednesday.
Training for Teens Against Tobacco Use will be on Friday. For more information contact Nurse Evie at SoPrep.
Parent-teacher conferences will be on Oct. 30 from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4-7:30 p.m. in the gym.
■ Thursday — Picture Retakes
■ Oct. 20-24 — Spirit week: Oct. 20 Hat day, Oct. 21 Twin Day, Oct. 22 PJ Day, Oct. 23 Crazy Hair Day, Oct. 24 Sports Day
■ Oct. 21 — PTO Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 21 and 22 — Lynx Track Activity
■ Oct. 27-31 — Red Ribbon Week
■ Oct. 27 — Site Council Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 29 — Pumpkin Carving Contest; Parade at 1:15 p.m.; Early Release, 2:05 p.m.
■ Oct. 30 and 31 — Parent Teacher Conferences
■ Oct. 31 —Trunk or Treat from 5-7 p.m.; Halloween Carnival, 6-8 p.m.
Volleyball season has started at Wings Christian Academy! The Eagles had their first game against World Harvest Christian School on Friday. Results will be posted in next week’s article. This week, Wings will be travelling up to Anchorage to play against the North Anchorage Disciples on Friday at 1 p.m.
The PSAT will be this week on Saturday. The students are testing at Wings Christian Academy at 9 a.m. and will take approximately 3 hours. It costs $14 per student and No. #2 pencils are required.
The rest of the school is in the middle of testing as well, as the end of the 1st quarter is coming closer. Students are encouraged to get a good night’s rest and eat a healthy breakfast. For those who are able to make it, the Honor Roll field trip will be on Oct. 23 and students will be going to the Hay Tunnel at Solid Rock Bible Camp. Don’t give up! You can do it!
Next Oct. 20 is an Inservice Day for Wings Christian Academy. School will resume on Oct. 21. Don’t forget your PE clothes! Last week, Abel Newbern and Charisma Watkins won the “Cleanest Desk of the Week” Award. Good job! Also, Valerie Cázares and Zane James have made it into the One Thousand’s Club! This means they have made ten 100’s on their tests. Wonderful! More students will follow in the next week and will be awarded for their achievement. Keep it up!
