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:
June 2;
June 3 (Board Planning Session).
Summer break approaching
The last day of school is May 21.
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 one-half 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 Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development and the Alaska Youth First Program.
Visit The Study
The Study will be holding Kindergarten Visitation for next year’s incoming Kindergartners and Pre-K students from 1-2 p.m. on May 16. Students can participate in an hour of school while parents register.
Connections Home-School
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday — Homer Shorebird Festival Please RSVP!
Wednesday — Owl Pellet Investigation 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Soldotna Office Please RSVP
Friday — Kenai River Clean Up Day 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Seniors: turn in semester reports and return all equipment
May 19 — 2nd Semester grade report Due and High School Eligibility Due
May 22 — Connections Graduation Day: 2 p.m. Practice and 4 p.m. Graduation Ceremony
Also, check out our Facebook page for more information and activities happening at Connections!
Homer Shorebird Festival — RSVP Required. Connections is offering an amazing opportunity to explore and celebrate the migration of the shorebirds of Kachemak Bay! Hundreds of thousands of shorebirds, representing over 25 species from as far as Asia, Hawaii and South America, use sites around Kachemak Bay as feeding grounds during their spring migration. Connections will be hosting a science field trip to explore these fascinating birds and science centers will be available, also! This invitation is to all Connections students and families. Where: Homer/ Mud Bay (down East End Road); When: Tuesday; Time: Begins at 12:30 p.m. on the beach. I suggest arriving at noon. Early birds can help set up the science centers. Who: Connections students- the field trip is geared for grades 3-6. Please email or call Shelli Furlong to RSVP (required limited space available) 907-714-8880 sfurlong@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
Owl Pellet Investigations — As we investigate these pellets we will be face to face with nature by learning about food chain studies, prey and predator relationships, the importance of a variety of predators, and how these animals help farmers control pests and play an essential role in healthy ecosystems. This is an elementary minded investigation with special attention to the scientific process! When: Wednesday; Where: Soldotna Connections Office; Time: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Space is limited and your pellet is waiting for your reservation! Please email or call Shelli Furlong: sfurlong@kpbsd.k12.ak.us or 907-714-8880.
Kenai River Kids Clean Up Day — Friday at 10 a.m. Mingle with other homeschool students/families, get outside to enjoy the springtime weather, and get an overwhelming feeling of pride that you helped improve your beautiful river community! If you are interested in participating, please contact Mark Wackler (mwackler@kpbsd.k12.ak.us). Lunch is provided for all participants and we d love to see you there! Below is a tentative time-line for the day along with the primary clean up locations we have selected. We will be using three primary clean up locations: Isaac Walton in Sterling, Swiftwater Park in Soldotna and Centennial Park in Soldotna. Each student will be given their own trash bag and label. Awards will be given to the class or classes that collect the most trash. General awards will also be presented to all the students that participate.
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
Monday — Bike rodeo for grades 1-6. Students are encouraged to bring their bikes and helmets for the outdoor activities which will include bike inspections, registration, and the obstacle course. If your child needs a helmet, they are available for purchase for $5. Money must be given to his/her teacher by Monday. The Kenai Moose Lodge will provide a hot dog lunch for all grades that afternoon. Hot lunch will not be available today.; 4-5 p.m. APC is meeting in the library and will be seating the new board.
Tuesday — Last day for morning tutoring groups
Wednesday — 6:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Mrs. Shelden and Mrs. Atchley’s classes are going on a Study Trip to Halibut Cove.
Thursday — 6:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Mrs. Fields and Ms. Lafferty’s classes are going on a Study Trip to Halibut Cove.; 9:15 a.m. 5th and 6th graders will go to the KCHS Auditorium to practice for the Spring Concert.; 6:30-7:30 p.m. 5th and 6th grade will be having their annual Spring concert at the KCHS Auditorium. Please have your children at KCHS no later than 6:15 p.m.
Friday — Student council is sponsoring Old Fashion Day. Come to school dressed up in anything that is from 1950’s and older and try not to use anything electronic.; 2:30-3:30 p.m. Our 3rd and 4th grade will be having Authors Tea, please see teachers for more details.; End Of Year BBQ and fun with the Firefighters from 6-7 p.m. This is an excellent and fun way to end the school year and also a great opportunity for our new families to meet other families and staff members. The PTA sponsors the event and will provide the hot dogs. They are asking that families with the last name beginning in A-M bring a dessert and N-Z bring a side dish. This will be an outdoor event so dress for the weather. Volunteers will be needed. There is no school carnival this year.
Reminders
The end of the school year is May 21. We have lots of activities going on. Please see your child’s Friday classroom Newsletters for more information.
Year-end Study Trips are happening 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 Friendship: To make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring.
Kalifornsky Beach Elementary
Our visiting artist in residence Liz will be showcasing our students’ awesome artistic creations on Monday from 6-7 p.m. at K-Beach Elementary.
Mr. Daniels’s class is wrapping up their year with Earth Science studies. We are learning about fossils, making fossils, drawing them, and inferring information about them. We will also cover such topics and tectonics, aging fossils, reading tectonic maps, and landforms, weathering, erosion, and deposition. Thanks to all of those who attended our Ancestral Homes Art Show at the Kenai Art Center on Friday. These kids are amazing! Thanks to Mrs. Marcou for leading this Social Studies project
The Elementary Trimathlon was held at Seward Elementary School on May 2. K-Beach was represented by the following student teams: “Perpendicular Peeps” – Ryan Hill, Danielle Kjostad, Braden Lemm, Grace Wahl (2nd place Lightning Round and 3rd place Overall); “Estimating Einsteins” – Trayce Lyon, Liam Miller, Emma Mullet, Joseph Russo (3rd place Lightning Round); “Counting Cowboys” – Kieli England, Marceles Sepulveda, Blake Smith. Individual awards went to Kieli England (3rd place Counting Computation) and Braden Lemm (3rd place Mental Math). Congratulations to all students who participated – good work!
Kenai Central High
Congratulations to the following students for being selected as the April 2013 Students of the Month: Kard-of-the-Deck — Kendrick O’Rourke; Super-Staffer — Mrs. Sievert; Rotary — Lydia Power; Chamber — Jake Meyer; Elks — Hannah Hoff; Earth Science — Carola Chavez Pajares; Calculus — Kathryn Knackstedt; Spanish 2 — Tiffany Long; AP Literature — Courtney Stroh; Physical Training — Tommy Sheppard; Algebra — Ross Hanson; Honors LA 10 — Keenan Orth; Welding — Colton Sterling; Study Skills — Janie Stem; Music/Performing Arts/Choir — MacKenzie Evenson; Algebra — Baylee Roberts; English 11 Honors — Jamie Bagley; Health — Andrew Agosti; Music/Performing Arts/Band — Tori Askin; World History — Trinity Standifer (Tyonek)
Monday Kenai Central High School is recognizing six outstanding educators who have had a tremendous impact on our community. We cordially invite you to joins us in the Kenai Central High School Library at 3 p.m. to celebrate the careers of Ms. Renee’ Henderson, Mr. James Beeson, Mr. Joseph Trujillo, Dr. Timothy McIntyre, Mrs. Cheri Johnson, and Mrs. Laura Sievert.
Kenai Middle
Monday — Teacher Appreciation luncheon.
Tuesday and Wednesday — Mini Course Collection Days. Do not forget to bring your fees.
Wednesday-Friday — 6th Grade camp. 6th graders will return on Friday
Thursday — Solo Recital Band Concert at 7 p.m. in the Library at KMS.
Friday — 8th Grade Farewell will begin at 8 a.m.; Borough Track Meet in Kenai. Come support your fellow KMS students in what should be a fun and competitive meet.
Congratulations to last week’s Character Counts winners, Ashlynne Mathieson and Billy Morrow.
Mountain View Elementary
We have a limited number of yearbooks available at the office for $17 each.
Tuesday — the PTA will have their final meeting for the school year at 3:45 p.m. in the staff lounge.
Thursday — The Site Council will be meeting at 4 p.m. in the staff lounge.
Friday — “Hippie Day.”
Please check the Lost and Found outside the school office before the end of the school year. There are a lot of coats, hats, and gloves just waiting to be claimed.
May 21 — last day of school. Students will be participating in field day activities. We will be having a picnic for the students with chips, cookies, and juice provided by the PTA and hot dogs being provided and cooked by the Kenai Moose Lodge.
Please try to repay borrowed lunch money before school is out. There will no more borrowing from the lunch fund this last two weeks of school.
Nikiski Middle-High
Library Happenings — The Nikiski Middle High School Library will be hosting an all school Book Swap Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Here’s a chance for you to get rid of books you’ve already read and swap them out for something different.
Books can be brought to school any time and Mrs. Ribbens will put them in a box until the swap. If a person brings in two books then that person can take home two books. On Friday, all books will be available for everyone even if books were not brought in.Books must be age appropriate for school and in good condition.There will be a separate spot for the staff book swap.Talk to Mrs. Ribbens in the library if you have questions.
Monday — High School Soccer vs. SoHi at Nikiski. Boys Varsity at 3:45 p.m. Girls Varsity at 5:30 p.m. Boys JV at 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday — High School Soccer vs. Kenai at Nikiski. Boys Varsity at 3:45 p.m. Girls Varsity at 5:30 p.m. Boys JV at 7:15 p.m.; Combined Band Concert at NMHS with Nikiski North Star at 7 p.m.
Thursday — Senior Awards Night at 7 p.m.
Friday — Middle School Track Meet at Kenai Middle School; Hershey’s Track Meet at NMHS track; High School Region Track Meet at Palmer High School; High School Soccer at Skyview High School. Girls Varsity at 4 p.m. Boys Varsity at 6 p.m.
Saturday — High School Region Track Meet at Palmer High School; High School Soccer vs. Grace Christian High School. Boys Varsity at 10 a.m. Girls Varsity at noon. Boys JV at 2 p.m.
May 19-20 — Middle School Campout!
May 20 — Graduation at 7 p.m.
Nikiski North Star Elementary
Thank you to the PTA and all of the volunteers who treated the teachers and staff to a wonderful week of special treats, desserts and lunches. We appreciate all you did for us!
There will be a combined band concert including both NNS and NMHS students on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The concert will be held in the auditorium of the high school.
NNS will be celebrating the end of the year with a school wide T-shirt tie dyeing celebration on Wednesday. Please send $1 in with your child to help pay for the T-shirt. If you need more information, please call the office at 776-2600.
A retirement party is planned for Thursday in the NNS library for Sherry Matson and Wayne Floyd. The celebration will begin at 3:45 p.m. The public is invited to attend and share memories of these teachers who together have dedicated over 53 years to our children.
Friday is the Hershey Track & Field competition at NMHS. Good luck to all participants!
Redoubt Elementary
Last week’s Box Tops for Education winners were Brook Belluomini, Taylor Estes, Indie Jones and Lexie Wells. Keep turning those Box Tops for Education.
Redoubt 3rd grade students will be preforming the play “Third Grade Rock Concert” Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Redoubt Elementary. Parents are invited to come and enjoy this fun musical performance. See you there!
Band Instruments — Students that rented or borrowed band instruments from the school need to return them to the school this week.
Redoubt Library books need to be returned to the school library. All library books need to be returned to the school before summer break.
Field Day volunteers are needed for the last day of school, May 21. If you have completed the volunteer registration with the school district and would like to help with our school wide picnic and or Field Day please contact the school office at 260-4300.
School Picnic — students are asked to bring in $2 for the school picnic the last day of school. Hotdogs, chips, cookies and a drink will be served at the picnic lunch. Parents are welcome to join us for the picnic. Please notify the school office if you plan to join your child for lunch so that we order enough hotdogs for everyone.
Yearbooks will be distributed the last week of school. If you are still interested in purchasing a yearbook please contact the school office, we have a few extra.
Seward Trimathalon Challenge
Second place overall — The X-treme Xponents team – Levi Rosin, Whitney Benson, Parker Kincaid and Emma Craig; First place in the Lightning Round — The X-treme Xponents team; Second place in the Lightning Round — The Orange Obtuzes team – Janna Krieger, Kaylyn Bearup, Chaz Bird and David Schramm
Individual Awards — Whitney Benson — 1st place in Mental Math; Parker Kincaid — 2nd place in Prime Factorization; Chaz Bird — 2nd place in Counting Computation
Skyview High
The softball team won their season opener against Eagle River 15-1. The team lost to Chugiak, went into overtime against Bartlett, but came up short, and lost to the state champion East team 9-1.
The Track and Field team was at the Dimond Invitational: Micah Hilbish finished 3rd in the 400, and 2nd in the 800; The girls relay team of Haille Landess, Hayley Ramsell, Kaylee Fisher, and Jessie McNamara finished 3rd in the 4×100 and 5th in the 4×200.
The soccer teams lost to Colony — girls 8-1 and boys 4-0
Monday — HomeGoing Field Spirit Day. Guys wear Black, Girls wear purple. Games outside in the afternoon, so dress for the weather.
Bell Schedule
7:50 – 8:35 — 1st
8:40 – 9:20 — 2nd
No 3rd hour or break just passing time
9:25 – 10:05 — 4th
10:10 – 10:50 — 5th
10:55 – 11:35 — 6th
11:40 – 12:10 — 7th
12:10 – 2:26 — HomeGoing Celebration
Spring Concert in the Commons at 7 p.m. on Monday.
Skyview High School Graduation at 7 p.m. on May 20.
Soldotna Elementary
May 21 will be our Soldotna Elementary School PTA Picnic. All grade levels, staff, and family members are invited to the SOEL PTA-sponsored picnic on the last day of school. Invitations are also extended to our Central Office staff, School Board members, and supportive community members. We are asking for the following donations from the different classes: Kinders — popsicles (pkg); 1st — Juice Boxes; 2nd — popsicles (pkg); 3rd — hot dog buns; 4th — hot dog buns; 5th — hot dog buns; and 6th — hot dogs. Please have all donations in by May 19. Thank you for your support.
Congratulations to Thsheaiy Sullivan, the winner of last week’s box top drawing.
TriMATHlon: Soldotna Elementary was represented by the following teams at last week’s TriMATHlon held in Seward: “Multiplying Maniacs”: Tim Cashman, Ryder Giesler, Bryan Kingrey and Tyler Johnson; “Explosive Equations”: Clara Moore, Josh Pieh, Iona Reutov, and Colton Sorhus; The Explosive Equations took 3rd place in the Lightning Round. Clara Moore also won an individual 3rd place award for Prime Factorization. Congratulations to all students who participated, and that was great work!
Art from the Heart Family Night was last Thursday night. Gorgeous pottery pieces were auctioned off to the highest bidders. Thank you for your support for this event which raised funds for the continuing clay arts program at SOEL, plus it was a fun evening for all.
Our school recycled 760 pounds of aluminum this year, tying with Cooper Landing School (2 pounds difference) for the Grand Prize! In addition we will be receiving $152 from the borough and $200 from Re*Group for coming in 1st place in the Medium School Category. Thanks to Alaska Waste for sponsoring the prize money. Thank you, Miss Renee, and your helpers for organizing and transporting the aluminum to the landfill!
To our dear Nurse Tammy: Thank you for all you do to protect us and keep us healthy! We love you, too, and hope you are feeling much better! Happy Nurse’s Day!
Congratulations to last week’s Reading Counts Winners: Dalton Cullen, Gracie Bras, Alexis Martinez, Aubree Schneider, Lillian Katelnikoff, Hayes Howard, Misty Gardiner, Josh Pieh, and Payton Diehl. Fine work you’re doing, students! We are proud of each of you!!
The final Site Council meeting will be Thursday at 3:45 p.m. Please join us.
This is our last call to stop by the Lost and Found area. All items left at the end of the year will be donated to charity. You might find something you didn’t realize was missing from the closet.
Soldotna High
SoHi will be hosting its very own Decision Day on Wednesday! Decision Day is a day to celebrate those seniors that have made a decision to attend some form of post-secondary education including but not limited to the military, vocational/technical schools, 2-year or 4-year schools, and apprenticeship programs. To be invited to the lunch event, seniors must have shown significant steps toward pursuing post-secondary education such as applying to a school or program, completing the FAFSA, submitting scholarship applications, OR actively working with a military recruiter. For questions, contact Emily Cotton, College and Career Guide, at 907-260-7083.
Yearbook — 2014 Soldotna High School yearbooks will be available for pickup during the last week of school prior to graduation. We have a limited number of extra copies if you haven’t purchased yours yet. The yearbook class is working on a spring event insert for this year’s yearbook. The insert will include all spring sports, prom and graduation. If you are interested in a copy of the insert, they are on sale at the Soldotna High School front office or at the distribution event for $10. Inserts will be available at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year for pickup or will be mailed to graduated seniors upon request.
Looking Ahead to Next Year — Families of incoming seniors (class of 2015) are being offered a 10 percent discount on senior recognition ads if they are purchased before June 1. Next year’s recognition ad prices will be: $275 for a full page, $200 for a half page, $100 for a quarter page and $60 for a business card size. Recognition ads can be purchased at the Soldotna High School office or by emailing Mrs. McGlothen at kmcglothen@kpbsd.k12.ak.us. 2015 Senior portraits will be required to be head and shoulders portrait with a resolution of at least 300 dpi and are due no later than Oct. 1. We can take either digital or physical copies of photos. Kelly Reilly Photography Studio does a great job with senior portraits and can be reached at 907-283-7757. Thank you for your support.
Robotics — Do you plan to become an engineer after school? Do you like building or tinkering? Do you want to do something creative and fun? Do you need some scholarships next year? 2014/15 Soldotna High School Robotics Club will have an informational meeting in room 76 on May 23 from 10 a.m.–noon. If you are interested in helping with the club, please attend to get more information. We had a very successful year this year and look forward to combining the two schools into one dynamic club next year. Students eligible for the club need to be ages 14-18 during the 2014 year and have transportation to all meetings. Meeting times to be determined based on student availability. I have approximately 15 spaces available. Commitment outside of club meetings will include three overnight tournament trips to Anchorage and the monthly Kids Camp fundraisers. More information about the FIRST family of programs is available at www.usfirst.org. If you can’t attend the meeting, but would still like to be part of the club you can email Mrs. McGlothen at kmcglothen@kpbsd.k12.ak.us. Summer weeklong kids camps will be held during the week of July 21-25 and Aug. 4-8 from 9:30 a.m.-noon. Cost for the each camp is $125. To register please email Mrs. McGlothen at kmcglothen@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.
A HUGE thank you to our sponsors this year for all your help: Amy and Andy Mitzel, NW Customs, Frosos Restaurant, Sweeny’s, Trust Worthy Hardware, Big Dog Automotive, Bub’s Pizza and Buckets Restaurant. We couldn’t have been as successful without your assistance. The club is actively looking for both sponsors and mentors for next year.
We will continue to have kids camps next year as a major part of our fundraising. We are taking registrations for any month during the 2014/14 school year. We will offer two camps: Lego Adventures for ages 6-9 and Lego Robotics for ages 10-14. If you are interested in preregistering your student, please email Mrs. McGlothen at kmcglothen@kpbsd.k12.ak.us. Camps will be held on the third Saturday (August-April) each month from 1-3 p.m. and cost $35/month or $300 for all nine sessions.
The track/football area/field is closed until further notice. No cars will be allowed in the area. The utility road between SoHi and SMS will be closed to all traffic!
Graduation is May 19 at 7 p.m. at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex.
Higher Expectations Greater Success Parent Guide (Alaska Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics) is now available at the front office. Alaska’s standards in English and math set high expectations for students from kindergarten to grade 12. Students who meet these goals will be ready for success after high school-whether it is in the military, on the job, or in a union apprenticeship, technical school, or college. Your schools will decide how to meet the standards through a local curriculum and teaching methods that respect your community’s cultures.
Soldotna Middle
Events this week:
Tuesday — Band and Choir Concert and Awards Night at Soldotna Middle School Main Gym at 6:30 p.m.
Friday — Borough Track Meet at Kenai Central High School at TBA
2013-2014 Yearbooks are for sale at the front office. Price is $35. Yearbooks will be handed out on May 19.
Many students have outstanding fees. Please check PowerSchool to see if your student has an unpaid balance — all fees are payable by cash or check to the front office. Please contact Mrs. Kircher at 260-2500 if you have any questions.
Spartan Student Council would like to thank all those who helped put together the Spartan History display for the Soldotna Middle School Spartan History Celebration! Lots of wonderful memories were shared.
Mrs. Pothast’s Spanish classes would like to extend a special thanks to parent volunteers, Rhonda Risley & Connie Ferguson, for their help with refreshments and clean up at the Art Exhibit Fiesta. You are very appreciated!
Tustumena Elementary
Tuesday — Lynx Tracks Field Trip to pool – Bosick, Michael, Young
Wednesday — Lynx Tracks Field Trip to pool – Mills, Blossom
Thursday — Mills Field Trip
Friday — Lynx Tracks Field Trip to pool – Gossett, Hopkins, Werner
May 19 — Awards Assembly at 2 p.m.
May 20 — Talent Show at 2:15 p.m.; Egg Drop at 10 a.m. Bridge demo at 9:30 a.m.; Picnic K-3
Wings Christian Academy
This week at Wings, Valerie Cázares and Jayla Conner won the “Cleanest Desk of the Week” award. Students who finish their goals early this week will be allowed to leave school early. Thursday is the final day to finish up school work. On Friday, students are still required to attend school and will finish emptying their desks and lockers, look through the lost and found, and participation in the last merit auction for the year. Uniform for that day will be PE clothes. Graduation will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday. Everyone is invited to attend and there will be a reception after the program.
In volleyball news, Wings Christian Academy placed 1st in the final tournament for the spring season. Way to go! Don’t forget to practice during the summer! Matanya Bush and Salena Peña, Wings 2014 graduates, will be missed!
