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:
■ Oct. 3
■ Nov. 7
■ Dec. 5
■ Jan. 16
■ Feb. 6
■ March 6
■ April 3
■ May 1 (Seward High School)
■ June 5
■ June 6 (Planning Session)
Holidays and vacation days scheduled
■ Oct. 27-28 – Parent-teacher conferences, no school for students;
■ Nov. 24-25 – Thanksgiving;
■ Dec. 22 – End of second quarter, no school for students;
■ Dec. 22 to Jan. 6 – Winter vacation;
■ Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day;
■ Feb. 9-10 – Parent-teacher conferences, no school for students;
■ March 10 – End of third quarter, no school for students;
■ March 13-17 – Spring Break;
■ May 24 – Last day of school.
Connections Home School Program
■ Sept. 22 – Eligibility Due For High School Students
■ Sept. 27 – Kenai Rec Center Homeschool Gym Is Back! (more info below)
■ Sept. 28 – Soldotna School Pictures from 3-5 p.m. at the Borough Building in the Assembly Room
■ Oct. 7 – Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Field Trip (more info below)
■ Oct. 19 – PSAT for 10th and 11th graders at Soldotna Connections Office at 8:15 a.m.
■ Oct. 19 – PSAT for 10th and 11th graders in Homer (please contact the Homer office for more info)
■ Oct. 20 – Eligibility Due For High School Students
■ Nov. 4 – AVTEC Tour
– Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Field Trip: Connections Home School Program will be sponsoring a field trip to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center near Portage on Friday, Oct. 7. Please meet staff at the park entrance at 10:30 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 provide grilled hotdogs, drinks and chips.
Please feel free to bring a dessert or snack to share. Families can visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center website at alaskawildlife.org. If families have any questions or plan on attending email an RSVP to Reubin Payne at rpayne@kpbsd.k12.ak.us or call 714-8880 with the number of people in a party.
Connections will be paying a group rate for this activity therefore when families enter the gate at the Conservation Center, tell the attendant that the group members are part of the Connections Homeschool activity. Staff say ‘Thank you and hopefully we will see you there!’
– AVTEC Tour: All Connections High School Students are invited to attend a free guided tour of AVTEC in Seward on Friday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. AVTEC offers a variety of educational programs such as construction, welding, heavy equipment mechanics, maritime studies, electronics, culinary arts and many other courses.
– Kenai Rec Center Homeschool Gym Is Back: Free weekly homeschool open gym at the Kenai Recreation Center beginning Tuesday, Sept. 27 from noon to 2 p.m. Gym time will consist of some instructor led activities and games, as well as some open gym time. All homeschool students are invited, and parents are welcome to participate if they like. Please wear gym clothes and tennis shoes with non-marking soles. Contact Mark Wackler for more information at mwackler@kpbsd.k12.ak.us the staff hope to see everyone there!
– Battle Of The Books: Contact the Connections office for more information on how to participate in the Battle of the Books competition.
– School Pictures at the Soldotna Office: School pictures will be taken Sept. 28 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Borough Building in the assembly room.
– Book It – Pizza Hut Coupons: Book It Pizza Hut coupons are in, please stop by a Connections office to pick up 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 any of the Connections offices to pick up the certificates and start the Book It program.
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
■ Sept. 19 – Third and fourth grade Study Trip to Captain Cook State Park, 3:45-4:45 p.m. Running Club starts for those third through fifth grade students who are selected for this club
■ Sept. 20 – 5:30 p.m. Kindergarten connections and potluck for KSAS kindergarten families, fifth grade parent meeting and curriculum overview at 6 p.m.
■ Sept. 21 – 3:45-4:45 Dance Ensemble starts for those third through fifth grade students that have been selected for this club
■ Sept. 26 – 4:15 APC Meeting
■ Sept. 29 – School Pictures, sibling pictures are from noon to 1 p.m. PTA Meeting is at 2:30 p.m. in the art room.
■ Oct. 6 – Third and fourth grade study trip to Anchor River for egg take
Volunteers:
If parents would like to volunteer, be sure to complete a background check. Go to kaleidoscope.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/volunteers and click the link to the background check. The next link on the page will take viewers to the Online Volunteer Training for those who were unable to attend the in-house training last week. These two steps must be completed each school year in order to volunteer at Kaleidoscope. Volunteers make all the difference and are very appreciated!
Lunch menus are now only available online. They are on the Kaleidoscope webpage as well as the KPBSD webpage and KPBSD app.
Kalifornsy Beach
This week’s Box Tops winners are Trissi Avery and Taylor Avery. Keep up the good work, Caribou!
Ms. Chambers’ third grade has the opportunity to earn a Popcorn Party from Grandma Brenda! All they need to do is have every student read their required minutes (or be read to), record it on the Reading Log (or any piece of paper), have an adult sign the log, and turn it in on Friday.
Fifth grade will be visiting Slikok creek to begin monthly water testing with Stream Melissa.
In social studies, fifth grade students are embarking on an adventurous, oceanic journey in galleon ships.
Mr. Daniels’s class is studying plants in science. They will investigate how and why celery dipped in colored water turns color at the top. They will also investigate how plants reproduce and the structures that support growth.
Second graders in Mrs. McCoy’s class participated in the “Great I-pad Eggsperament” on Friday. Students were asked to babysit an egg for the entire day. The class’s goal was to find out what safety rules for the I-pads should be.
By the end of the day everyone decided that students should never leave an I-pad on the floor, food and water should not be near an i-pad, I-pads should stay in the middle of a desk, and it is important to walk at all times with an I-pad. Everyone learned pretty quickly, “If you can crack an egg, you can crack an I-pad.” Mrs. McCoy’s class thanks Mrs. Delzer for sharing her fun lesson with everyone.
Mr. Vedders’ class has been studying bully prevention and building positive self-esteem. The class would like to thank Dawn Musgrove from the LeeShore Center who presented on both topics last week. Students made anti-bullying posters “Don’t be a Bullydog” to post around K-Beach.
Third grade students are getting excited because something fishy is in the air! The school salmon tank is up and running. Kids have been studying salmon life cycle and habitat preparing for their field trip to the Anchor River. The staff asks “Did you know Alaska has 5 species of salmon? Students will be returning from the river with fertilized eggs to begin their year-long salmon study.”
■ Sept. 23 School Picture Day.
Kenai Central High
■ Sept. 19 – C Team Football @ Soldotna High School 4:00
■ Sept. 20 – Volleyball at Seward at 3, 4 and 5:30 p.m. (Endowment Game)
■ Sept. 22 – Senior Parent Night at 6:30 p.m.
■ Sept. 23 – Volleyball at West Spiketacular (Tourney), Football at Palmer at 4 and 7 p.m., Swim and Dive at Sohi
■ Sept. 24 – Cross Country Running Regions at Soldotna High School, Volleyball at West Spiketacular (Tourney), Swim and Dive at Sohi.
Mountain View Elementary
■ Sept. 20 – Picture Day
The Mountain View Ice Cream Social will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 5–6 p.m. Ice cream sundaes will be served in the gym. Families are asked to donate a topping if possible.
Kindergarten, first and second grade students are asked to bring one of the following: sprinkles, crushed cookies, maraschino cherries, mini M & M’s, chocolate chips, gummy bears, etc. Third, fourth and fifth grade students are asked to bring one of the following: chocolate syrup, caramel topping, strawberries, whip cream, etc.
If families are able to help scoop ice cream please call the office at 283-8600 to sign up. Please bring donations to the office by Wednesday, Sept. 21.
The Site Council meeting has been rescheduled and will be meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. in the Library.
The 30-day grace period for Free and Reduced meal benefits will end on Tuesday, Oct. 04, 2016. Students who do not have a new application in and approved will have to bring a sack lunch or bring $2.85 for a hot lunch. Please allow up to 10 working days for an application to be processed. Applications are available at the office.
Nikiski Middle-High
■ Sept. 19 – C Team Football at 4 p.m., at Homer, Peach Fuzz Volleyball Game at 5:30 p.m.
■ Sept. 20 – C Team Volleyball at Nikiski versus SoHi at 3 p.m., JV Volleyball at Nikiski versus SoHi at 4 p.m., Varsity Volleyball at Nikiski vs. SoHi at 5 p.m.
■ Sept. 22 – Middle School Soccer at Kenai at 3 p.m., Powder Puff Football ninth and 11th versus 10th and 12th game at 6 p.m.
■ Sept. 23 – Middle School Soccer at Nikiski versus Seward at 3 p.m., Middle School Cross Country Running at Seward at 3 p.m., C Team Volleyball at Nikiski versus Seward at 3 p.m., JV Volleyball at Nikiski versus Seward at 4 p.m., Homecoming volleyball game versus Seward at 5 p.m., Homecoming Bonfire from 7–9:30 p.m., Nikiski High School Students Only!
■ Sept. 24 – High School Cross Country Running Regions at SoHi at noon, JV Football at Nikiski versus Eielson at 11 a.m., Homecoming football game versus Eielson at 2 p.m., Homecoming dance at 8 p.m. at midnight. The cost is $8 for singles and $15 per couple. Guests must be pre-approved by administration. Pick up forms at the school office.
Coming up:
■ Sept.28 – High school wrestling begins
■ Oct. 17 – Picture Retakes.
Nikiski North Star Elementary
NNS uses Facebook to update families on events and happenings so please “like” the page if you are a Facebook user. In addition, KPBSD also has a Facebook page and a free KPBSD app which provides you with district and school notifications. Also, the lunch menu can be found on the KPBSD page and app.
The NNS PTA is gearing up and beginning to plan for the 2016 Annual Fall Carnival. This fun filled family event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22nd. If parents are interested in volunteering or helping out in some way, please contact a PTA board member.
Over the summer all of the students were invited to participate in the NNS Cosmic Book Challenge. The goal of this challenge was for students, staff and parents to read 1200 minutes from June 1 through Aug. 31. Grade level top winners are: Kindergarten – Dwight Sullenger, first grade – Sabella Christoffersen, second grade – Aiden Quiner, third grade – Ethan Anding, fourth grade – Ethan Boehme, and fifth grade – Nolan Boehme. The overall primary winner is Sabella Christoffersen with 5520 minutes and the overall intermediate winner is Nolan Boehme with 13, 735 minutes! All of the students who participated received an ice cream party and the top readers received a gift card to River City Books. Staff want to say “Thank you to Trisha Young for organizing this program for NNS.”
Redoubt Elementary
Front doors are unlocked at 8:15 a.m. School is in session from 8:45 a.m . to 3:18 p.m. It is important that students are at school on time every day.
Redoubt is a “Positive Behavior Intervention Support” school. Students at Redoubt Elementary are off to a “Responsible, Respectful, and Safe” school year. Grades 1-6 participated in PBIS lessons reminding them of the Redoubt expectations. The school staff are working hard to demonstrate these expectations to new kindergarteners.
Everyone is super excited to get back into the routine earning pink tickets, Roadrunner cards, and class compliments. Ask a child about the three Redoubt expectations and take a peek at the PBIS board outside the office.
Important dates:
■ Sept. 15 to Oct. 7 – School Wide Fundraiser “Believe Kids”. Information will be sent home with students.
■ Sept. 19 – Talk Like a Pirate Day. Students and staff are welcome to dress like a pirate. Please make sure a child’s attire is tasteful, no weapons.
■ Sept. 20 – Site Council Meeting at 3:45 p.m. in the staff lounge.
■ Sept. 27 – Walk Your Child to School Day
■ Sept. 30 – School Photos (retakes Nov. 8)
– Free and Reduced Lunch Program: Applications have been sent home in student and parent folders. Additional applications are available at the school office. Students who were receiving lunch benefits at the end of last school year will continue receiving benefits through Oct. 3 2016. Oct. 4 is the drop date unless a new application has been submitted and approved. A new application must be filed each year.
Update a child’s contact information. Communication with parents is important, so please let staff know if families have a new mailing address, telephone or cell number or email address.
Parents, please make sure to have an after-school plan in place for children. Students are released at 3:18 p.m. If a child is being picked up, please make sure parents arrive in time to pick them up by 3:18 p.m.
The school has new staff this school year – Mr. Stitt the fifth and sixth grade teacher!
Skyview Middle
Sports Schedule this week:
■ Sept. 20 – Skyview Soccer A versus Kenai at Skyview at 3 p.m., Skyview Soccer B Teams A and E versus Kenai at Skyview at 3 p.m.
■ Sept. 22 – Skyview Soccer B Team A versus CIA at CIA at 3 p.m.
■ Sept. 23 – Skyview Soccer A vs. Homer at Skyview at 3 p.m., Skyview Soccer B Teams A and E vs. Homer at Homer at 3 p.m., Cross Country at the Nikiski Invitational at Nikiski at 3 p.m.
School Pictures are Monday, Sept. 26. A picture packet will be given to all students this week.
Please have the student bring the picture packet back to school and give to the photographer on picture day. Pictures will be in the upstairs gym during PE class. All students are asked to have a picture taken even if not purchasing a packet. Volunteers are still needed. Volunteers must have completed the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s online volunteer application and be approved. Please call Mrs. Kircher at 260-2500 with questions.
IMPORTANT: Current contact information is essential for effective communication with parents and, or guardians during the school day. If a student has a change in address or phone number, please contact the front office to update. Thank you!
Soldotna Elementary
■ Sept. 21 – Picture Day
School News:
To keep the school safe, visitors and volunteers are asked to sign in at the front office and pick up a visitor badge to wear while in the school. Anyone interested in volunteering can complete an online form by visiting the KPBSD website at kpbsd.k12.ak.us and click on the volunteers link. This process must be completed each school year. Please contact the Human Resources Department with any questions.
The Title 1 Pre-K program is still taking applications for the 2016-2017 school year. Children must be 4 years old by Sept. 1. Paperwork is located in the Soldotna Elementary office.
Please wait in the lobby if families pick a child up in the afternoon to help keep hallways and classrooms clear. Teachers will always escort students to the lobby for dismissal.
The Parent PACK would like to welcome anyone interested in volunteering this year. With support of amazing parent volunteers, the Parent PACK is able to offer many fun events for students. To volunteer please sign up for email communications or follow the PACK on Facebook to keep up-to-date on volunteer events in the school.
Soldotna High
Soldotna High School is collecting gently used formal dresses, shoes, and accessories for Cinderella’s Closet 2017. This is a program which helps all area high school ladies with free prom dresses, shoes, and accessories. The school has helped more than 500 ladies in the past 7 years.
The school is taking donations of prom dresses, shoes, and accessories. All sizes dresses are welcome, however the closet is in particular need of dresses in size 12 to 18. These items can be dropped off to the main office at Soldotna High School between 8 a..m to 3 p.m.
Since the donations are made to a school, tax donation forms can be issued by SoHi upon request. If families have any questions, please email epokryfky@kpbsd.org for more info. Thanks for helping the young ladies of the Kenai Peninsula!
SoHi PTSA welcomes new members! Membership dues are $10 annually and forms can be picked up in the office. Please email Sheilah-Margaret Pothast at agr8fulmom@hotmail.com with “SoHi PTSA” in the subject line for more information.
The SOHI Counseling Department will be hosting a Financial Aid Night on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. in the SOHI library all grades are welcome. Topics include scholarships, FAFSA, and funding your college education.
Mr. Gordon is collecting Baby and Senior pictures for the Graduation Slide show. Turn in no more than one of each. Dec. 2, 2016 is the due date for all pictures to be turned in. Staff will also be collecting video highlights from the various extra-curricular events throughout the year.
Due date for the video highlights will be April 21, 2017 but please turn them into Mr. Gordon immediately after the events if possible. Pictures and video clips can be sent by email to dgordon@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.
Pictures and video clips turned in after the above dates will not be included in the Graduation Senior Video/slide show.
Soldotna Stars Letterman Jackets are available to order at www.neffco.com. Click on Varsity Jackets, find the school by State, select Soldotna High School, starting at $149 anyone can personalize it anyway they would like. Any questions contact Heather Parkki, 907-260-7022. Makes a great Christmas gift!
The afterschool tutoring buses will start running on Sept. 6. There are two buses that leave at 4:15 p.m. A student must be on the route list to ride the bus. See Ms. Wear or Ms. Bartman in the library to find out more information and, or get on the bus list. Families can also email them at twear@kpbsd.k12.ak.us or call 260-7036.
Sterling Elementary
■ Sept. 21 – Bus Evacuation Drill before busses leave in the afternoon. Buses may be a couple minutes late dropping students off.
■ Sept. 22 – Picture Day! Sibling pictures from noon to 12:45 p.m., picture retakes are on Oct. 20
■ Sept. 22 – Site council meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Oct. 4 – PTA meeting at 4 p.m. in the library
■ Oct. 8 – PTA Recycle bin building party! Community welcome to help out! Starts at 9 a.m. and refreshments are provided! Help build a new shed-bin to collect aluminum cans with which everyone earn a lot of money for the school!
■ Oct. 20 – Falcon Fun Night from 3:45-5 p.m. Volunteers who have completed the background check process are encouraged to call our office to help!
■ Oct. 21 – No school, in-service day and the end of the quarter
■ Oct. 26 – Early release, students are out at 2:05 p.m.
Tustumena Elementary
■ Sept. 20 – PTO Meeting at 4 p.m.
■ Sept. 22 – SEM
■ Sept. 26 – Site Council Meeting, 4pm
■ Sept. 29 – SEM.
