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:
■ April 14;
■ May 5 (at Seward High School);
■ June 2;
■ June 3 (Board Planning Session).
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 date is: April 16.
KBEA scholarships up for grabs
The Kenai Borough Employees Association scholarship committee is currently accepting applications for three scholarships of $500 each. The scholarships are available to all 2014 graduates of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, including public schools, private schools and home-schooled. Applications and instructions are available from any Kenai Peninsula Borough High School counselor’s office or on the borough’s website at borough.kenai.ak.us. Applications must be delivered or postmarked by March 28. Applications can be mailed or dropped off at the KBEA Scholarship Committee, 144 N. Binkley St., Soldotna, AK 99669.
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.
There will be a summer construction academy at the Workforce Development Center (located behind KCHS). Students will be constructing a greenhouse and a shed. Class days will be May 28-30 and June 2-6 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Also offered this summer is an Emergency Trauma Technician (ETT) academy. Dates and times TBA. This course will cover all areas required to receive certification as an Emergency Medical Technician. The last week of class will be for review and the final exam. If you pass the exam you’ll receive your certification and an ETT patch.
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 ∏ practical art credit.
To sign up go to http://onestop.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/ or for more information call Debbie Pearson at 283-2145 or students can see there counselor.
Funding for the Alaska Construction Academies comes from a grant from the Ak Dept of Labor and Workforce Development, The Ak Dept of Commerce and Economic Development and The AK Youth First Program.
Connections Home-school
Dates To Remember:
■ March 31 — Walk/Run Club – Mondays 2:30-4 p.m. at Soldotna Connections
■ March 31 — Last Day To Turn In Connections Orders
■ March 31 — Technology Class @ Soldotna Connections noon to 1 p.m.
■ April 1 — Seniors: Order Cap and Gown, submit pictures for slide show and submit Senior survey to advisor
■ April 1-3 — HSGQE Grade 10 and Retest Grades 11th and 12th; Standard Based Assessments Grade 3rd through 10th
■ April 8 — Science Assessments for Grades 4th, 8th and 10th
Technology Workshop for Students — Are you interested in technology? Jordan Chilson is a computer technology specialist with the school district and has offered to meet with students that are interested in learning more about technology today from noon to 1 p.m. at the Soldotna Connections office. The first workshop would be an introductory meeting to see what areas students are interested in. There are 4 subjects Jordan would be willing to cover with the students at upcoming meetings: PC Repair/Maintenance, Programming, Computer Networking and Web Development. This workshop is for grades 8 – 12. We have limited space available therefore please call the Soldotna office to RSVP or if you have any questions: 907-714-8880. We hope to see you here!
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
Tuesday, Wedesday and Thursday — SBA testing. Please remember that no volunteers are allowed in the building on testing days. Please make sure your student is at school and on time on. During the SBA tests a healthy snack will be provided for 3rd-6th grade students during breaks. If you are able to, please donate a healthy snack to share for this occasion.
Thursday — 5:30-6:30 Kindergarten is having their Spring music concert.
Friday — D.A.R.E for the 5th / 6th grade classes
PTA — April 8 at 9:15 a.m. is the next PTA meeting! PTA is now excepting nominations for the 2014/2015 PTA Board. For more information contact the PTA at ksaspta@gmail.com <mailto:ksaspta@gmail.com. Yearbooks are on sale through April 4 for $18. Reserve your copy today! Your PTA board would like to thank all of our parents that helped out with bringing food and decorating for our KSAS Staff Appreciation week.
Reminders:
■ Year-end “Being There” trips are getting scheduled now. If you plan on volunteering for any trip, please make sure that you have the volunteer requirements done 48 hours prior to the trip.
■ The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Personal Best: To do one’s best given the circumstances and available resources.
Kalifornsky Beach Elementary
Our first graders had Chick Centers last Friday. Each class will be hatching 12 eggs in our incubators for 21 days total. The students are very excited. Our next center day will be April 11. If you can help with our last center day, please go to signupgenius.com or let your teacher know.
Mr. Daniels would like to encourage all school families to think about the things that will give your kids the best start for testing week next week. Helpful tips are: regular sleep schedule, drink lots of water, eat breakfast, be happy (really, it helps!), and provide a low stress environment. Please ensure that your student arrives to school on time, and please avoid scheduling any appointments during the testing window. Thanks for supporting your local schools … it really does make a huge difference.
K-Beach will be holding Kindergarten Visitation for next year’s incoming kindergarteners on April 16 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Your child can ‘go to school’ for an hour while parents meet with the principal and register. You can pre-register your child at that time. You will need to bring the student’s immunization records and birth certificate. Students must be born before Sept. 1, 2009 to attend next fall.
Please call the school office at 260-1300 for more information and to schedule your child for visitation day.
■ April 1-3 — SBA testing for grades 3 – 6.
■ April 8 — Science SBA testing for grade 4 only.
Kenai Central High
Attention all parents and students: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday students will be taking the state standardized test. Below is the schedule and a list of the state and school policies that the students need to follow.
Note- not all students will be testing with their advisory class and some advisory classes will be testing in a different location. Please refer to the attached teacher assignment sheet for details. The list below indicates the different locations for those students. No cell phones, IPods, IPads, MP3 players, calculators, or any other electronic device in testing area. Remind students to keep them in their lockers. If they bring them to the testing area collect them until they have completed their exam. Juniors and seniors who have passed a section of the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam do not need to come to school until after lunch. If a senior is in credit recovery they must come in during testing days to work on their class in the computer lab. Students taking a KPBSD online class its optional to come in and use the computer lab. Students must remain in their testing area until 10:15 even if they have completed the test. Students may bring a book to read if they finish the test early. Students that finish after 10:15 may leave right away to an activity.
Kenai Middle
Standard Based Assessment testing will be April 1, 2 and 3. Science SBA’s for 8th graders will be on April 8. Please be sure that your students are in school rested and ready for testing on these days. Attendance is very important for your student’s success. Please contact the school if you know of any conflicts with your student’s extracurricular schedule during these testing periods. Thank you.
We are looking for volunteers to help serve breakfast at Kenai Middle on SBA testing days, April 1, 2 and 3. It is a Kenai Middle School tradition to serve a pancake and sausage breakfast to our students on SBA testing days. This is our contribution to making sure Kenai Middle students are prepared for SBA’s. Please contact the school at 283-1700 if you are available to volunteer to serve breakfast.
Spring pictures are scheduled for April 8 at 8 a.m. Spring pictures must be preordered. Order forms are available at the office. We could use a couple of volunteers for picture day. Please call the office if you are on the approved volunteer list and would like to help out. Thanks.
Congratulations to two KMS Future Problem Solving teams for making it to the State FPS Bowl on April 14 and 15. The team of Raleigh Van Natta, Mayzie Potton, Brittany Gilman, and Maria Salzetti, along with the team of Jakeb O’Brien, Eli Heinrich, Rylie Fields, and Brenna Eubank will represent KMS at the state FPS bowl. They did a great job with a very challenging competition. Congratulations and good luck!
Congratulations to last week’s Character Counts award winners: Jaiden Burdick and Nereid Phillips. Great Job!
Mountain View Elementary
Mountain View Elementary early Kindergarten registration for the 2014-2015 school year open is now open. Students must be 5 years old by Sept. 1. Registration forms may be picked up at the Mountain View Office. Kindergarten Parent Orientation will be on April 24. Registered students will be invited to visit a Kindergarten classroom on April 29.
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 Sept. 1 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.
Interviews for the Mountain View Principal will be held on Wednesday starting at 5 p.m. in the Mountain View Library. Public input is appreciated.
SBA Testing will take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for 3rd – 5th grade students. This assessment measures your student’s proficiency in reading, writing, math, and science. Here are a few ways you can support these efforts at home: Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep. Eat a good breakfast. Be on time to school. Testing will begin at 9:15 a.m,. We will have an alternate plan for those students arriving late. Thank you for your support!
Spring pictures are scheduled for Friday. Only students returning the picture order form will have their pictures taken.
We are looking for parents to serve on our Site Council for the 2014-2015 school year. The Site Council advises Mountain View Elementary staff in matters regarding staffing, goal setting, climate issues, budgeting, disciplinary procedures and strategic planning. The Site Council meets from 4-5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month during 7 months of the school year. If you are interested in being a member of the Site Council please call the office at 283-8600 before April 1.
There will be a PTA meeting on April 8 at 4 p.m.
Nikiski Middle-High
HSGQE & SBA Testing will be Tuesday — Thursday. Please make sure your student is well rested and on time for school! Breakfast will be provided for all students from 7:15-7:45 a.m.
Juniors and Seniors not taking the HSGQE’s will begin their day at 12:30 p.m.
Accreditation! Nikiski Middle High School passed the accreditation process with very high marks all around. Noted positives are a strong emphasis on relationships, staff professional development, and collaboration. Accreditation is renewed for five years. Go Bulldogs!
The Nikiski Girls Basketball team earned a berth to the 3A State tournament this year placing 2nd in conference. This is the first time in 7 years the lady bulldogs have competed in the state tournament. Good job Bulldogs! Senior Alyssa Darch was named to the 3A State All Tournament Team. Alyssa scored 15 points and 17 rebounds in the state game against Valdez and was also voted to the 3rd team 3A All State team. Junior Rachel Thompson was selected to the 2nd team 3A All State team.
Congratulations to the Kenai Elks Senior of the month, Hannah Halliday!
■ April 4-5 — High School Track and Big C Relays at the Dome in Anchorage.
■ April 7 — Middle School Track begins; High School Basketball Awards night in the auditorium – 6 p.m.
■ April 8 — student testing for grades 8 and 10.
Nikiski North Star
Title 1 Pre-K screening for eligible students is taking place in April. Contact NNS for an appointment by April 16. Screening will take place on April 17 at the Nikiski Recreation Center. Your screening appointment will be made when your application is received by the school. The purpose of the screening is to determine Kindergarten readiness. Transportation is not provided to and from the Pre-K program. Students must be 4 years old by Sept. 1. For more information, please call the school at 776-2600.
This week is SBA testing for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. We want to emphasize to all our families how important it is every day and especially during testing that our student’s get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and attend school on time. All students who show up to school on time each of the three testing days (before 9 a.m.) and take the test, will participate in a celebration at the Nikiski Pool. More information on the pool celebration will be sent home with your child.
Redoubt Elementary
District wide testing for students (3rd – 6th grade) will be April 1-3. It will be important for students to be in attendance these three days. Students should be on time, well rested and well nourished. Students that are in attendance all three days will be entered in special drawings.
Redoubt Elementary 2014/2015 Preschool applications may be picked up at the school office. Children must be 4 years old by Sept. 1.
Kindergarten and new student registration will be held April 1-3 from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Please bring your child’s immunization records and a copy of their birth certificate.
Pre-Registration forms for the 2014/2015 school year were sent home. Parents are asked to complete this important form and return it to school with your child. All students in the same household may be listed on one form.
Redoubt’s 4th grade classes will be selling ice cream every Friday through the months of March and April to raise money for their spring field trip to the Kenai Fjords. Ice cream prices range between .75cents and $2. Congratulations Parker Kincaid. Parker was the winner of the Redoubt Geography Bee and went on to qualify to compete at the state level. To qualify at the state level Parker took a written test and had to place in the top one hundred. Way to go Parker!
All volunteers must be registered with the school district prior to volunteering in classrooms/driving on field trips. Field trip drivers must complete a driver form and submit required documentation when driving on school related field trips. Please contact the school office for additional information or go to http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/ click on volunteer link and follow the instructions.
Mrs. Pothast’s Spanish II class from Soldotna Middle will be coming to Redoubt again this spring. This is the 5th year that the Spanish class has come to Redoubt to introduce some of the basics of the Spanish language to our students.
Last week’s Box Tops for Education winners were, Ethan Koch, Indiana Jones, Kenny Mize and Cassius Miller. Keep turning those Box Tops for Education
River City Academy
Students will be testing the next three days, Tuesday through Thursday. Please make sure your student receives plenty of rest and a good breakfast before coming to school. If your child is absent for any reason, please call the school.
Today is the deadline to submit yearbook orders. We will only order the number of yearbooks sold, there will not be any extras for sale. The yearbooks will be 52 pages and the cost is $25, you can also use the following link for online ordering http://www.entourageyearbooks.com/YBStore/YearbookStoreMain.asp?YBID=7A060C171E. Thanks to Anna and her yearbook student group for their hard work!
Saturday school is back. Saturday School is a great opportunity for students to get caught up in a particular subject or do extra work in their elective classes. Please ask your student, call the school, or check the school’s calendar on the district website for more information.
We are still accepting enrollment forms for next year on a limited basis. Please call the school for more information.
Skyview High
The High School Graduation Qualifying Examinations (HSGQE) (for ALL 10th graders and those 11th and 12th graders who have not passed one or more of the tests), and the Standards Based Assessments (SBA) (for ALL 9th graders) will be administered on April 1, 2, 3rd. The Science test for 10th grade only will be administered on April 8.
Please make sure your student gets a good night sleep, eats a good breakfast, and arrives at school on time.
Mass Dance Concert: Skyview’s final Mass Dance concert will be held at KCHS’s Renee’ Henderson auditorium on April 4-5 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door: $10 for adults and $5 for those 12 and under. Skyview dancers will be joined by Nikiski’s and SoHi’s dance troupes as well as performers from Peninsula Artists in Motion, Rick’s Encore, Peninsula tap dancers, and Vergine’s. Skyview’s dances include “Capable” choreographed by Emily DiPaolo who will be joined by Taylor Wilson for a hip hop pas de duex. Skyview’s choir members will sing “Adiemus” onstage accompanied by Skyview’s dancers. Finally, Skyview will conclude the concert with a ten-minute Latin medley featuring songs by Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Sahara, Club de Belugas, Ricky Martin, and Street Dance 2. Kyndra Quiner’s Middle Eastern choreography and danceing will be highlighted during the Latin medley. All high school troupes will join together for the final number of this dance. Skyview dancers under the direction of Terri Zopf-Schoessler include Dakota Bittick, Jesse Boze, Lana Chesley, Morgan Chesley, Emily DiPaolo, James Gallagher, Sabrina Hames, Shayla Hardcastle, Stockton Jones, Kaytlynn Malone, Taylor MacRae, Mikayla Miller. Brenner Musgrave, Moira Pyhala, Kyndra Quiner, Shelby Rea, Cat Schoessler, Logan Schoessler, Evan Sempson, Dylan Stockdale, Heath Tucker, and Taylor Wilson. Skyview choir members under the direction of Kent Peterson include Sopranos: Morgan Chesley, Leah Henderson, Ashley Martin, Elizabeth McGlothen, Mykaela Rybak; Altos: Amber Hall, Tyler Lewis, Ciarra Mahan, Kierstyn Mathews, Kyla Moore, Jayden Zimmer; and Basses: Kent Peterson and Jacob Malone.
Soldotna Elementary
First, let’s get in the names of those reading marvels from Soldotna Elementary! The classroom winners for week No. 10 of our contest are the following: Connor Knicely-Johns, Gracie Bras, Andi Hiler, Alex Martinez, Daniel McRorie, Chloe Cullen, Ayden Spann, Nate Downs, Brody Reger, and Bailey Leach. Excellent job, Kids! We are thankful for your determination!
Our yearbook order forms went home a couple weeks ago. Hopefully, you have already returned your order form. If not, the cost goes up today to $18.
Site Council Meeting will be in the conference room on April 8, at 3:45 p.m. Also, our next PTA meeting is coming up on April 14, 3:45 p.m. in the library. Of course, child care will be provided during the PTA meeting. Please come and find out what projects are upcoming at SOEL.
News from our Principal, Teri Diamond — Please visit our school website for updated information on site council, past newsletters and further information. The link is http://soldotnaelementary.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/ In addition, please feel free to call or meet with me in regard to ideas, suggestions, or input to help make our school the best. Your input is respected and appreciated. It is our partnership that helps make our school shine.
Attendance matters — Our school is rated by our attendance. To receive a 5-star rating, our attendance needs to be 95 percent or higher. We were at 92.75 percent for the year as of Feb. 4, an increase of 1 percent from one month ago. Congratulations students and parents! Let’s keep moving up!
Native Youth Olympics: Congratulations to Michal Keyes, a 5th grader in Mr. McKay’s class who placed 4th in the Eskimo Stick Pull at the recent Native Youth Olympics!
Last week’s Title 1 Family Night was a great success! Thank you to all the students, parents, and staff who attended, and made this a delightful and memorable evening for all. Lots of pizza and dessert was enjoy by everyone along with enjoyable the reading activities. Thank you to Katrina Cannava and Kaitlyn Miller for all their work in organizing this family night for us.
The results of the classroom contest for collecting the most box tops are as follows: Intermediate end winner was Mrs. Straw’s class with 1,074 box tops collected and Mrs. Downs’s class for the primary end with 434 box tops collected. These classes earned a party of their choice. Since the contest ended, we are back to our weekly box top drawing for an individual student, and last week’s winner was Thatcher Jones.
Dear parents of “Kinders” — Kindergartners need to be 5 years old by Sept. 1. Parents need to bring in the child’s birth certificate and up-to-date immunization records.
Pre-Kindergarten Program — We are still accepting Title 1 applications for the 2014-2015 school year. Please stop by the office to pick one up if you’re interested. To be eligible, students must be 4 years old by Sept. 1. Please contact Katrina Cannava at 260-5142 or katrinacannava@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.
Soldotna High
Congratulations to the following SkillsUSA members who placed at the CTSO Skills Based Assessment Conference in Anchorage on March 20-22:
Michael Lewis 3rd Prepared Speech (Michael was also elected to the position of State Vice-President!); Hannah O’Dell 1st Photography; Margaret McGlothen 3rd Photography; Halen Wells 1st Restaurant Service; Caity Gibbons 2nd Restaurant Service; Morgan McKay 1st Early Childhood ED; James Elsey 2nd Early Childhood ED; Anna Coup 3rd Early Childhood ED (tie); Hannah Katzenberger 3rd Early Childhood ED (tie); Paige Reid 1st TV Video Production (team event); Paitton Reid 1st TV Video Production (team event). Congrats to two members who did very well in the Job Interview and made it into the final round: Savannah Kreider, Annie Quinn
Prom News for Parents — Are you interested in seeing the prom decorations before the big dance? Would you like priority seating for promenade to make sure you get the “good” seat you want? Well, here’s your opportunity. The After Prom Committee is sponsoring “SNEAK A PEEK” for this year’s promenade. Tickets may be purchased for $5.00 a person starting March 17th. This will get you a tour of the prom decorations and early seating in the auditorium before the doors are opened to the general public. To take advantage of this opportunity, you MUST arrive between 6:40 and 7:00 that evening. Doors to the general public will open at 7:00 and we cannot guarantee your seating after that. Please note: There are only 225 tickets available for the “Sneak a Peek” so don’t delay. Tickets may be purchased at the front office of Soldotna High School.
Soldotna Middle
SBA testing for all 7th and 8th Grade students in Reading/Writing/Math will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Test taking tips for all students: Please be on time to school. Get plenty of sleep. Eat a good breakfast.
Science SBA Testing for all 8th Grade students will be on April 8.
Track and Field season begins April 7. All students who wish to join must turn in the required sports forms before participation. Forms must be filled out for each sport. Forms can be picked up at the Front Office or found online at http://soldotnamiddleschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us > Spartan Sports > Required Sports Paperwork > Forms 1-4. Track Registration is open until April 2. Please contact Mr. Harro with questions.
Jaela Hubbard was chosen as the March 8th Grade Chamber Student of the Month. She will be honored at the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce luncheon on April 29. Congratulations Jaela!
Sterling Elementary
Kindergarten Fair! April 5 from 10 a.m. – noon
Sterling Elementary will be hosting our annual Kindergarten Fair, which also includes an opportunity to apply for our Title I Pre-K program and our community’s Head Start program. Pre-school or kindergarten age children and their families are invited to come to the Sterling Elementary gym on Saturday, April 5th from 10:00-12:00 to participate in fun activities geared towards families and their young children while also registering for school or just learning more about the options available! Registration for new students for 2014-15 will continue during the week of April 7th, and will culminate with a kindergarten visitation on Thursday, April 10th from 10:00 to 11:00. Please RSVP for the Kindergarten Visitation by calling Mrs. Mahan at the office @ 262-4944 or by signing up during the Kindergarten Fair. We are still in need of a few volunteers to help with this event. Please call Miss Krissy if you are available. It is very important for staffing purposes to have our kindergarten students registered before August. Thanks for your help in this matter.
Tustumena Elementary
Congratulations to our District Wide Forensic participants and to our school’s district wide winners 1st Place, Non-Humorous Prose-Single, 5th Grade, Kaytee Hackett, 1st Place Non-Humorous Poetry, Grade 6, Korrin Nyren, 2nd Place Humorous Prose-Single, 4th Grade, Kelar Sooter, 2nd Place Humorous Prose-Single, 6th Grade, Amanda Wylie, 2nd Place, Non-Humorous Poetry-Single, 4th Grade, Dana Gibson, 4th Place Non-Humorous Poetry-Single 5th Grade, Ree’Lynn Lisenby, and 5th Place, Humorous Poetry-Single, 5th Grade, Austin Matheson. Great Job!!
■ March 31 — Site Council Meeting, 4 p.m.
■ April 2, 3, 4 — Testing
■ April 3 — Pre-K Visitation 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Wings Christian Academy
This week at Wings, and Madison Berga won the “Cleanest Desk of the Week” award. For PE this quarter, the LLC is going to Jumpin’ Junction and the ULC is playing Wallyball and everyone is having a great time. Parent Night took place on Tuesday, March 25th and there was a great turnout. The Speech class regaled the audience with tales of “Tacky the Penguin” and both choir groups sang beautifully.
In other news, the Wings Eagles volleyball team will be playing against the WHCS Archers on Friday, April 4th at 1 p.m. This game will take place at Wings Christian Academy and everyone is invited to attend. They’ve been practicing hard and hope to defend their home turf!
Beginning April 7, Wings will begin a week of Stanford Achievement Testing, which will take place in the mornings. Students are recommended to eat a hearty breakfast and get enough sleep.
