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:
■ 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).
Holidays and vacation days scheduled
■ Nov. 27 and 28 — Thanksgiving;
■ Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter vacation;
■ Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day;
■ March 9-13 — Spring Break;
■ April 3 — Good Friday.
Early release dates for KPBSD schools
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.
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 welding academy this fall at the Workforce Development Center (located behind KCHS). The students will be building a snowmobile trailer. Class days will run Sept. 23-Dec. 4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-5p.m.
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 1/2 of a practical art credit.
To sign up students can see their counselor, call Debbie Pearson at 283-2145 or go to onestop.kpbsd.k12.ak.us.
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.
Screenings for infants and preschoolers
The KPBSD Child Find Program and SeaView Infant Learning will be offering free screenings for children 5 years old and younger during the Cooper Landing Community Health Fair. The screening will be on Oct. 4 from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Cooper Landing School. We will screen your child’s early development, motor skills, speech, early learning concepts, vision and hearing.
The Study offers tutoring
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.”
Teen writers sought
The Clarion is seeking students in grades nine through 12 from central peninsula high schools interested in writing for its Verbatim column.
The column is designed to let teens voice their opinions on topics that affect their daily life, such as home, family, school, peers, social pressures, etc. Columns are 300-500 words in length.
Students interested in writing should submit a sample column for consideration by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26. Submissions must include first and last name, school, grade, mailing address and contact phone number.
Submissions should be emailed to schools@peninsulacarion.com. For more information, call Will Morrow at 907-335-1251.
Connections Home-school
Dates to remember:
■ Thursday — School pictures at Homer from 1–3 p.m. at Paul Banks Gym
■ Friday — Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Field trip at 10 a.m.; School pictures in Soldotna from 3-5 p.m. at the Borough Building in the Assembly Room
■ Oct. 10 — Free Fly Tying Workshops Start! Soldotna Office from 2-3:30 p.m.
Book It – Pizza Hut Coupons: We received our Book It Pizza Hut coupons! The Book It program encourages students to earn Reading Award Certificates by meeting reading goals that you set. The certificates can be redeemed at Pizza Hut where they receive a one topping personal pan pizza to celebrate their reading accomplishments! Please stop by the Soldotna office to pick up the certificates and start the Book It program. We hope to see you soon!
Brown Bag Learning Lunch for Students kindergarten-third grade: Miss Shelli is hosting a special brown bag learning lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesday until Oct. 8, at the Soldotna Connections Office, from 12:10-1:10 p.m. An RSVP is required so please reserve your spot ASAP. The first five RSVPS will receive a mystery prize! This is planned for students, parents are welcome to drop their student off or stay. If you have any questions or ideas please email or call the Soldotna Connections Office 714-8880. sfurlong@kpbsd.k12.ak.us Please note: This special learning time is open to all kindergarten-third grade students. Bring a piece of completed school work to share and a piece to work on. Pack a light lunch to nosh while we learn and share together. (Miss Shelli always has extra)
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Field Trip: Connections Home School Program will be sponsoring a field trip to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (formerly Big Game Alaska) near Portage on Friday. We will plan to meet at the park entrance at 10 a.m. There is a covered area for us to enjoy lunch and conversation after the guided tour. Please dress warm as this is an outdoor activity. Connections will be providing a hot dog cook out with drinks, chips and grilled hotdogs. Please feel free to bring a dessert or snack to share. Please visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center website at alaskawildlife.org/ or call Connections advisor Reubin Payne at 907-714-8880 for more details and directions. If you plan on attending, please email a RSVP to Reubin Payne at rpayne@kpbsd.k12.ak.us with the number of people in your party. Connections will be paying a group rate for this activity. When you enter the gate at the Conservation Center, please tell the attendant that you are part of the Connections Homeschool activity. Thank you and hopefully we will see you there!
IDEA Home-school
IDEA Homeschool is still enrolling!! Find out more information on homeschooling by coming into the office in the Red Diamond Center or check out the website. There are several fun activities coming up! There is the field trip to the Anchorage Museum of Science and History on Friday. There is a chance to climb through the hay maze at Solid Rock Bible Camp on Oct. 17. More upcoming events are posted on the website ideafamilies.org.
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
■ Monday — Exit Glacier Ranger will be visiting our third and fourth grade classes.
■ Tuesday — 5:30-7 p.m. Kindergarten will be having a Literacy Night Potluck. 5:30 p.m. library for Literacy Overview, 5:45 p.m. in the classrooms for Literacy Activities, and 6:30 p.m. in the gym for the potluck.
■ Wednesday — 8:30 a.m. PTA meeting in the library, discussing budget approval and taking nominations for Treasurer seat. If you would like to be part of a dynamite KSAS PTA team, please see one of the PTA board members.
■ Friday — Order forms for Kaleidoscope Gear will be sent home. They are due back by Oct. 10.
Reminders
■ The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Caring: To feel and show concern for others.
■ It is starting to get colder outside. Please send your child with the appropriate gear to wear.
■ 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 2 weeks 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 907-283-0804.
Kalifornsky Beach Elementary
We had another great summer of readers. K-Beach recognized 109 student readers at last Friday’s assembly. Our top reader, Grace Hallam with 5,600 minutes read, was crowned our Queen of Reading this year. She is only a third grader. We also had three sixth graders who have turned in a reading sheet every year since first grade. Congratulations to Cassidy King, Drysta Crosby-Schneider and Dylan Hogue.
Mr. Daniels’ Class has wrapped a study of community safety issues. We discussed topics on bullying, wild animals, conflicts, influenza, rules and laws, and violence. Students put together group presentations to show what they learned. Our class is also learning a bit about the working world. We are one of two classes in the school that serves school lunches to students. Each student works for a week, taking some time out of class to learn what it takes be a responsible and productive employee. They are paid every day with a free school lunch. Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch!
Kenai Alternative High
M & M (Motivation and Maturity) Students of the week are: Randall Borkowski, Daniel Evans, Devin Peterson and Shena Shuravloff.
Kenai Central High
A big thank you to the KCHS staff, Football Booster Club, community members, businesses, and the Kenai Fire and Police Departments for helping make our Homecoming week a successful one!
Congratulations to the following students for being chosen Student of the Month: Geometry – Matthew Torkelson; Pre-Calculus – Zach Koziczkowski; Physical Science – Taylor Kenney; Foods – Chase Stephens; Study Skills – Janie Stem; World History – Max Demello; Physical Training – Beverley Schindler; AP World History – Eric Kempf; Calculus – Alex Bergholtz; LA 11 – Corbin Streiff; LA 9 Honors – Raleigh Van Natta; Advanced Spanish – Hannah Barcus; Performing Arts/Choir – Balas Dempsey; Health – William Brighton
Congratulations also to go to Alex Bergholtz, the Rotary Student of the Month, Jeremy Ruggiero, the Chamber Student of the Month, and Allison Bushnell the Elks Student of the Month.
The Kard of the Deck award for most spirited student goes to Hannah Drury, and the Staffer of the Month award goes to Mrs. Randle
Kenai Middle
Congratulations to our Character Counts winners this week. Sierrah Lanahan and Owen Rolph.
Swimming is still going on. If you will be taking your 6th grader out of school early please be sure to call ahead.
The KMS leadership class is hosting a Socktober Event in October. The students of KMS will collect new or gently used socks, hats, and gloves. These items will be distributed through KPBSD, the Lee Shore Center, and The Friendship Mission. More information will be available in coming weeks.
Picture retakes are scheduled for Oct. 7. Be sure to mark your calendars.
Yearbooks are now available to order. Have your student pick up an order form at the office. Save 15 percent by ordering on or before Tuesday.
KMS is now collecting Box Tops. Send yours in to help our school earn money for future activities.
Students who received an invitation to apply for the Alaska Science & Engineering Program camp will need to have their applications turned in by Tuesday. ANSEP is an awesome opportunity! Don’t miss out, get your application in right away!
Mountain View Elementary
Students will be learning about Fire Safety Oct.6–10 here at Mountain View Elementary. The Kenai Fire Department will be here to visit classes and take students through the Fire Safety House.
The PTA “Believe Kids” fundraiser catalog and information were sent home with students last Friday. Orders are due to be turned in on Oct. 13.
We will have a volunteer orientation on Oct. 7 at 9 a.m. If you would like to volunteer in your child’s classroom or participate in a classroom field trip, please plan to attend one of these orientation sessions. All volunteers are required to pass a background check through the KPBSD website. Volunteers are very important and appreciated here at Mountain View Elementary!
There will be a PTA meeting on Oct. 14, at 3:45 p.m. in the staff lounge.
The Site Council will be meeting on Oct. 16, at 4 p.m. in the library.
Oct. 17 is an inservice day for staff. There will be no school for students.
Nikiski Middle-High
■ Monday — C Team Football Vs. Kenai at 3 p.m. at Nikiski; High School Wrestling Begins
■ Tuesday — Volleyball at Seward C Team 3 p.m., JV 4 p.m. and V 5:30 p.m.; PSAT Sign up Deadline $15
■ Thursday — PTSA 6 p.m. in library
■ Friday — JV Football VS. Kodiak at 4 p.m. at Nikiski; Volleyball at Bethel Regions Begins
■ Saturday — Football at Seward
■ Oct. 6 — Picture Re-Take day; Middle School Basketball Begins
There will be a mandatory meeting for students interested in taking the “Certified Nursing Assistant” class on Monday at 5 p.m. at the Kenai Peninsula College, room 132 of the Goodrich Building. To be eligible for this class the student must be graduating in May 2015 and be 18 years of age within 3 months after graduation. You must be at the meeting to be considered for the program, so don’t miss the meeting.
Juniors — The PSAT will be offered here on Oct. 15. Take it to prepare for the SAT and to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program. Sign up with Mrs. Gaunt, the cost is $15. The dead line to sign up is Tuesday.
Nikiski North Star Elementary
To assist the school in planning for possible critical incidents and in evaluating our bus transportation routes, it is vitally important for the school to have your physical address in addition to your mailing address. If you have not provided a physical address to the school or your physical address has changed, please assist us in updating our school records by calling the school office at 776-2600.
Fall is in the air with cooler temperatures. Please remember to send your child to school with the appropriate gear for outside recess.
October is Fire Prevention month and we will be having our own Nikiski firefighters at our school to help the students learn about fire safety. Also, in October we will have our annual PTA Fall carnival. The event is scheduled for Oct. 25 at the school. If you would like to help out or volunteer, please contact a PTA board member.
Redoubt Elementary
Picture Retakes are Oct. 29.
■ Wednesday — Drop date for Free and Reduced Lunches. New applications must be submitted prior to Wednesday to avoid a lapse in benefits.; Walk Your Child to School Day — Meet at the Catholic Church on Fireweed and Redoubt at 7:45 a.m. Snacks will be served and prizes awarded at the church between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. before departing to walk to Redoubt. Soldotna Montessori and Soldotna Elementary will be joining us for this fun family event. All students must be accompanied by an adult.
■ Oct. 11 — Redoubt Elementary 4th Annual Fun Run – will be held to raise money for the sixth grade field trip to Peterson Bay. Walkers and runners must register. Registration forms are available at the school office. Registration/Check-in and Bib Pick-Up will be 9-9:45 a.m. Fun Run starts at 10 a.m.
■ Oct. 16 — Fun Fest, permission slips will be sent home with students prior to this fun event. 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. No acceptations are made unless this section is complete and signed.
Box Tops winners last week were Connor Gossman and Dylan Dahlgren
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 starts on Tuesday. Packets and information will be sent home with students. Completed order forms and money are due back by Oct. 14.
Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up Oct. 30 and 31. Forms to schedule those conferences were sent home with students on Sept. 26. Please use one form per family. Please list the names and teachers of your child/children on one form, this will help with scheduling conferences.
Thank you to our Picture Day volunteers; Kari Hudson, Terri Saito, Melinda Wattam, Holly Palmer and Laura Garcia. We appreciate your time and support, volunteers are key.
Thank you to the volunteers who spent their day helping Nurse Iris conduct health screenings on our students. You are appreciated and a valuable asset to our school. Tana Butler RN, Amanda Bird, Allison Geren, Tasha Walden, Michelle Hayman, Rebecca Stimmel, Chelsea Sommerville, Trina Tachick RN, Angie Kenner, Lauri Kapp, Terresa Zener, Kim Jedlicka, Kristina Goolsby, Marlene Meyers and Susan Craig.
Skyview Middle
Jeremy Kupferschmid was chosen as the August/September Eighth Grade Chamber Student of the Month. He will be honored at the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex at noon. Congratulations Jeremy!
StuCo members serve in a variety of capacities at our school, including service projects, conferences, snack program, activity nights, and more. Skyview Middle School Student Council Members for first semester include: Kya Ahlers, Luke Anderson, Vydell Baker, Gracie Bass, Brooke Belluomini, Whitney Benson, Haven Best, Kortney Birch, Cameron Blackwell, Denali Blackwell, Brittani Blossom, Jacob Boze, Galen Brantley III, Haley Buckbee, Claudia Calderon, Tim Cashman, Autumn Chumley, Ray Chumley, Harley Copenharve, Hunter Crosby, Abigail Croom, Elena Dimitrovsky, Hannah Delker, Wyatt Denna, Payton Diehl, Tyler Doolin, Eve Downing, Savannah Eberhard, Faith Glassmaker, Laurel Glaves, Wyatt Harvey, Kianna Holland, Kennedy Holland, Jacob Jackson, Jayden Kemp, Bryan Kingray, Victoria Kitson, Jared Knight, Nicole Kreider, Justin Lavender, Serena Larrow, Derek Lewis, Reva Lovett, Jacob McConnell, Amanda McGlothen, Darby McMillan, Clara Moore, Daisy Nichols, Trinity Palm, Draven Olson, Timmy Opheim, Ayla Read, Arin Reger, Chance Reynolds, Renee Rogers, Makenzie Schjoll, Aliann Schmidt, Danica Schmidt, Kayli Smith, Kristina Sopkowiak, Trapper Thompson, Allison Towell, Jersey Truesdell, Alexander VandeGraft, Andreah Walker, Makala Whittom, Aidan Whitney, Maia Whitney, Colleen Yeskie.
Mark your Calendar! Parent Teacher Conferences at Skyview Middle School will be Oct. 30 and 31. Appointment times are scheduled. Please make sure a conference scheduling form has been filled out and returned to school.
Attention Parents! Have you activated your PowerSchool account? If not, please contact the school at 260-2500 to request the information you need to view your child’s grades, attendance, and fees. This is an excellent way to monitor their progress throughout the school year!
Intramural Basketball Begins on, Oct. 6! All students who wish to join 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 on the Skyview Middle School Webpage > Skyview Sports > Required Sports Paperwork. The intramural season will end on Oct. 24.
Soldotna Elementary
This Thursday is National Custodians’ Day. We are celebrating our wonderful custodians and amazing work they do for all of us.
Movie Night is this Friday and Wednesday is Walk Your Kids to School Day. Everyone is invited to join us, along with members of the Police and Fire Departments and other community members. We will meet at the Catholic Church at 222 W. Redoubt Avenue, in the parking lot, at 7:45 a.m. There will be snacks, prizes, and hot chocolate served before the walk. The walk will start at 8:20 a.m. All Children must be accompanied by an adult.
The SOEL “Pack” Meeting (formerly SOEL PTA) will meet on Oct. 6, 3:45 p.m., in the library. Hope to see you there!
Congratulations to Rylan Broyles, the winner of last week’s box top drawing!
If you are excited about saving money on dinners out, oil changes, bowling, greens fees, flowers, car washes, etc., stop by our SOEL office and pick up a discount card. The cards are sold for $20 each but have unlimited potential to save you lots of $$$. These discount cards are our Fundraiser this year, and we are very excited to offer them to you. The cards are available to the general public as well as our SOEL parents. Please come by and support our school with your purchase. Thank you so much!
Last week was school picture day at SOEL, and I just wanted to let you know how enjoyable picture days are. The children look especially amazing, and from where I sit, I get to see more than 300 beautiful smiles in that one day. It’s just the best! So, thanks Mom and Dad.
Please check the Lost and Found area next time you’re in the school as it is beginning to fill up already. That means somebody has lost jackets, gloves, hats, etc. It might be your little ones.
Like us on Facebook: Soldotna Elementary and the Parents Pack
We are learning to be responsible by recycling aluminum cans. We have someone willing to take the cans to the landfill for recycling. Please drop off your bagged cans at our school. Last year we won second place in the Medium School Division.
Soldotna High
On Oct. 8, Juniors and Seniors will have the opportunity to visit two college campuses. The SoHi counseling department will be taking a bus of 40 students up to Anchorage to tour the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and Alaska Pacific University (APU). The cost of the trip is $5 per student and both breakfast and lunch will be provided. The bus will leave at 6 a.m. and return at approximately 5:30 p.m. For more information please contact our College and Career Guide, Emily Knight, at 907-260-7083.
We are collecting pictures to get a jump start for graduation. For the senior video, we are looking for school activities (sports, academics, etc.). We also need baby pictures/senior pictures for the slide show. The best format is to scan them and send to dgordon@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
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.
ATOSS tutoring will run in the Library until May 4 from 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Pool Schedule:
■ Morning lap swim 5:30-7:30 a.m. Monday–Friday
■ Evening lap swim 6-7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday
■ Evening open swim 7-8:45 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Sport Calendar available at http://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=21192
SoHi will be locking the Parking lot entrance Door during the following hours:
■ 7:40-11:55 a.m.
■ 12:30-2:15 p.m.
There are two ways to order a transcript. Each way serves a different purpose.
If you need a transcript sent to a college or NCAA or a similar agency, then you will need to log on to: parchment.com to order transcripts to be sent. The request is then forwarded to SoHi. After processing, it then goes through cyberspace… rather than the US mail… to get to its destination, which is much faster! All transcripts that are headed for NCAA, colleges, etc. have to be processed this way!
A final transcript is one that shows your second semester grades. If you order your transcript when we are in second semester, you will need to make sure you choose “next grading period” when you go on to Parchment that way your transcript request will wait until the grades are in at the end of the year before it is sent.
Tustumena Elementary
■ Sept. 29 — Site council meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 16 — Picture Retakes
■ Oct. 17 — End of quarter, no school for students, inservice day
■ Oct. 21 — PTO Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 21 and 22 — Lynx Track Activity
■ Oct. 27 — Site council meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 29 — Early release at 2:05 p.m.
■ Oct. 30 and 31 — Parent teacher conferences
■ Oct. 31 — Trunk or Treat from 5-7 p.m.; Halloween Carnival from 6-8 p.m.
