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 dtressleratkpbsd.k12.ak.us no later than three business days before the meeting date. The board will meet:
— Jan. 16
— Feb. 6
— March 6
— April 3
— May 1 (Seward High School)
— June 5
— June 6 (Planning Session)
Holidays and vacation days scheduled
— 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 Homeschool
Dates To Remember:
Dec. 20 – Soldotna Office: Family Winter fun at Solid Rock Tubing Hill from 11:00am-1:00pm
Dec. 23 to Jan. 6 – Homer office closed
Dec. 22 to Jan. 6 – Seward office closed
Dec. 23, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 – Soldotna office will be closed
Jan. 11 – Next BOB for 3rd/4th grade
Jan. 17 – Homeschool Gym Time at Kenai Rec Resumes!
Jan. 21 – Connections Spelling Bee at Soldotna Library (more info below)
Feb. 23 – Seward: Overnight SeaLife Center Trip at 5:00pm (more info below)
Please Note: Soldotna Office Math Tutoring is canceled until further notice
Soldotna: Homeschool Family Winter fun at Solid Rock Tubing Hill: Please join Connections staff at Solid Rock Bible Camp December 20, 11 a.m-1 p.m. for fun, exercise, and excitement on the tubing hill, all ages are welcome! Dress warm and feel free to bring your snowboard if you prefer, inner tubes will be provided. RSVP with Reubin at rpayne@kpbsd.k12.ak.us . This is a weather dependent activity so please check with the Connections office the day of or before the event (714-8880). Solid Rock Bible Camp is located at 36251 Solid Rock Road #1, Soldotna. All Home School families are invited regardless of what program they are enrolled with. Cost is $6 per person (reimbursable for Connections students with PE on their ILP).
Connections Spelling Bee: Connections Homeschool is enrolled in the National Spelling Bee! All Connections students in grades 3-8 are encouraged to participate in order to build confidence, increase vocabulary and improve spelling skills. Connections Spelling Bee will be held on Jan. 26, 2017 at the Soldotna Public Library. The 2017 Alaska State Spelling Bee will be held at 9:00am on March 31, 2017 at the Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage (PAC: 621 W 6th Ave., Anchorage AK). For word lists and information, contact Carole Nolden at 714-8880 or cnolden@kpbsd.k12.ak.us. We look forward to hearing from you!
Connections Students in 3rd through 8th grade: Enjoy an overnight adventure at the Alaska SeaLife Center on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.! Students will spend the evening honing observation skills and participating in hands-on marine science programs. At night fall asleep surrounded by seabirds, Steller Sea lions, and harbor seals. During the evening students will learn about the mysterious animals that inhabit the ocean’s depths and will investigate bizarre adaptations of light-producers in the midnight zone and create actual bioluminescence. Students will also get their hands on a “head-footed” animal as they learn about cephalopods through a squid dissection and discussion. The cost of this overnight excursion can be paid for through student allotment. The cost is $50 per student and $50 per parent chaperone. Parents will need to pay out of pocket. The minimum number of participants is 12. Please email Jake Parrett at jparrett@kpbsd.k12.ak.us as soon as possible! The deposit is due on January 15th. More information about the SeaLife Center can be found at http://www.alaskasealife.org/.
Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
The Life Skill we are focusing on this week is Friendship: To make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring.
Check out the electronic bulletin board in the entryway for all upcoming events and meetings as well as pictures of Kaleidoscope in action.
Monday
— 1:30 p.m. 1st/2nd grade Gingerbread houses
Tuesday
— 3rd/4th grade Gingerbread houses
Wednesday
— KSAS Pajama Day
— 1st-5th grade PJ read-in day
— 2:30 Kindergarten Cookie Sharing
Thursday
— Inservice-No School
Friday-Jan. 8,2017
— Winter Break-No School
Winter is here and students need to be prepared to go outside unless the temps are below -10. Please remember to send them to school with their name written on their snow pants, hats, gloves and coats as well as backpacks and lunch boxes.
Mark your Calendar
January 11 — PTA meeting
January 16 — Martin Luther King Day-NO School
January 30 — APC meeting
Two steps are required each school year to be an approved volunteer. Go to http://kaleidoscope.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/volunteers and click the link to the background check. This may take 2 weeks for approval to be returned. The next link on the page will take you to the Online Volunteer Training. Read and complete the quiz at the end.
Kalifornsky Beach Elementary
Mr. Daniels’s class is headed to the Challenger Center to learn more about Astronomy. They are going to be Travel Agents to the Planets! In preparation for their mission, they enlisted the help of Andy Veh, professor of astronomy, physics, and math at Kenai Peninsula College. He took the class outside on Monday and Tuesday to view Jupiter and 3 moons! They sketched what it looked like on the first day and noted changes on the second day. Students were able to determine that the moons must be moving due to the changes in relative position around Jupiter. They will also celebrate reaching their Reading Goals for the quarter on Thursday. The class voted for a Research Party, where students can research and present on a topic of their choice.
Tuesday — K-Beach Band Concert 6:30 p.m. in K-Beach gym
Thursday — Inservice Day; NO SCHOOL
Friday to Jan. 6 — Winter Break; NO SCHOOL
Jan. 16 — No school due to MLK Day
Kenai Central High
KCHS held a silent auction and spaghetti dinner on Dec. 10 to help raise money for the KPBSD Students in Transition Program. The SIT program helps provide assistance to local homeless children and provides them with clothes, school supplies, food and other necessities. We would like to thank everyone for attending and for their support of the Students in Transition Program.
The KCHS canned food drive that took place throughout November was also successful collecting 721 pounds of food or 481 meals. The food was donated to our local community food bank. The Food Bank provides nourishing food to those in need and promotes public awareness of hunger issues.
This year is rapidly ending. The end of the semester is Wednesday. Students will be busy taking finals and are hopefully spending time studying at home.
Tuesday Finals Day Schedule 1, 4, 6
Finals Schedule
— Holiday Assembly 7:45 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
— 1st period finals 8:45 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.
— Break Time 10:20 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
— 4th period finals 10:35 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
— Lunch 12:10 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.
— 6th period12:40 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Wednesday Finals Day Schedule 2, 5, 7
Finals Schedule
— Advisory/Study/Review Time 7:45 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.
— 2nd period finals 8:45 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.
— Break Time 10:20 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
— 5th period finals 10:35 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.
— Lunch 12:10 p.m. – 12:40 p.m.
— 7th period 12:40p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Dec. 27-29 — Varsity Girls Basketball at Kodiak (Joe Floyd Tournament)
Dec. 30 — Varsity Girls Basketball at Kodiak 2:00
Jan. 5 — Boys and Girls Basketball (Home) vs Nikiski 3:00, 4:30, 6:00, 7:00
Have a Happy Holidays and don’t forget that classes will resume on Jan. 9, 2017.
Kenai Middle
Wednesday, students will choose Clubs. Clubs will begin on Jan. 18 and will occur each Wednesday until Feb. 22. Be sure to talk to you student about the clubs they are considering. A few clubs have minimal costs associated with them.
On this day we will also celebrate the end of the Canned Food Drive, hold an Awards Assembly, and end the day with the Annual Students vs. Faculty Basketball game.
There is no school on Thursday as it is an in-service day. This is also the End of the Quarter.
Friday begins Winter Break. Students return Jan. 9.
Mark your calendar:
Jan. 9 — Volleyball intermurals, XC Skiing and Wrestling begin.
Jan. 10 — Site Council Meeting at KMS 4:30
Jan. 13 — Quarter 2/ Semester 1 grades will be posted.
Mountain View Elementary
Thursday is an Inservice day. There is no school for students.
Winter break is Friday – Jan. 6. Students return to school on Monday, Jan. 9.
We would like to thank everyone that helped make our 2016 Christmas Drive a success. This year we were able to provide Christmas dinner, toys, and winter clothing for 67 families, including 180 children. Your generosity made this all possible. Thank you!
Nikiski North Star Elementary
Please make sure your child has warm gear for the weather. This gear includes boots, gloves or mittens, snow pants or snowsuit, jacket or coat, and a warm hat. NNS students go outside for recess unless it’s below -10 degrees.
There is no school for students on Thursday because of a teacher workday and inservice. Winter break begins on Friday and classes resume on Monday, Jan. 9. NNS wishes each of our families a safe, happy and restful holiday season!
Redoubt Elementary
Mark your calendar:
Thursday – No School for Students – In-service day
Friday-Jan. 6 – No School for Students – Christmas Break
Jan. 9 – School Opens
Redoubt’s 5th graders will be selling Christmas Grams to raise money for their community service project, “Kids Helping Kids”. Each Christmas Gram will come with a candy cane and a personal message from you. These will be delivered on Wednesday, December 21st. Send one to a friend. Send one to your child. Send them to a whole class. Please stop by the school office for additional information.
Family Game Night – Tuesday, 6:30-7:00 p.m. Redoubt families are invited to enjoy a fun filled evening of games. Mr. Joachim will have an indoor archery range area setup for intermediate grade students and adults. Activities for all ages. All students must be accompanied by an adult. There is no charge to attend this event.
Mrs. Bauder, Redoubt’s attendance secretary will be retiring at the end of December. The students and staff would like to wish her the best of luck! Mrs. Bauder will be greatly missed by all those who have had the pleasure of spending time with her at Redoubt Elementary. Good luck Mrs. Bauder!
Redoubt’s PTA Holiday Kindness program was a huge success this year. We were able to help over 20 needy families this holiday season. Thank you to everyone who opened their hearts and gave so generously to help those in need.
If your child is in need of warm winter gear, please call the school office. We want to make sure every child has the proper winter gear during these cold Alaskan months.
Outdoor recess is a huge part of our day, every child should have a warm coat, snow pants, boots, hat and gloves.
Skyview Middle
Wednesday is the last day of the second quarter! Please make sure all class work is turned in and fees are paid.
Don’t forget to buy a yearbook! One may be purchased at the front office or by visiting the Skyview Middle School blog.
Winter Break for students begins Thursday and ends Sunday, Jan. 8.
Winter Sports begin on Jan. 9! Any student who wishes to join Volleyball, Wrestling or Nordic Skiing 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 at http://skyviewmiddleschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us > Skyview Sports > Required Sports Paperwork> Forms 1 – 2.
Soldotna Elementary
Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
Tuesday — Band and Choir Concert 6:00 p.m. in the Soldotna Elementary Gym
School News:
Colder weather is here! Please be sure to send students with appropriate cold weather attire.
There is a “Toys for Tots” donation box in the school lobby for new and unwrapped toys for kids of all ages.
Soldotna Elementary would like to wish our families and friends a safe and relaxing Winter Break beginning Thursday. School will resume on Monday, Jan. 9.
Soldotna High
SoHi PTSA will meet on January 12 at 5:30 p.m. in the SoHi Staff Lounge. New members are always welcome and encouraged! Please join us!
SoHi Parents of Juniors will meet on January 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the SoHi Staff Lounge to plan the After Prom event. Prom is early this year so we need to kick off fund raising efforts SOON! Please email Sheilah-Margaret Pothast at agr8fulmom@hotmail.com with “After Prom” in the subject line for more information or to volunteer.
Graduation is May 22, 2017 at 7 p.m .at the Sports Center.
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. We have helped over 500 ladies in the past 7 years. We are taking donations of prom dresses, shoes, and accessories. All sizes dresses are welcome, however we are 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 8am-3pm. Since the donations are made to a school, tax donation forms can be issued by SoHi upon request. If you have any questions, please email epokryfky@kpbsd.org for more info. Thanks for helping the young ladies of the Kenai Peninsula!
The SoHi SkillsUSA chapter is having a fund raiser selling rural mail boxes. Contact Advisor Mr. Gordon at 260-7000 for more information.
Soldotna Stars Letterman Jackets are available to order at www.neffco.com. Click on Varsity Jackets, find our school by State, select Soldotna High School, starting at $149 you can personalize it anyway you would like. Any questions contact Heather Parkki, 907-260-7022. Makes a great Christmas gift!
The afterschool tutoring buses leave at 4:15. You 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. You can also email them at twear@kpbsd.k12.ak.us or call 260-7036.
Soldotna Montessori Charter School
It will be a short week before Winter Break.
Wednesday will be the last day for students. School resumes Jan. 9, 2017.
Monday — Kindergarten and primary classes go ice skating.
Tuesday — Band and Choir Concert at 6:00
Wednesday — PJ’s, pancakes, and caroling
Soldotna Prep
Christmas Assembly during Advisory at SOHI Monday.
First Semester Finals Schedule:
Tuesday — 7th, 1st, 3rd, 5th
Wednesday — 7th, 2nd, 4th, 6th
No School December 22 and 23.
Robotic Club meets Monday and Wednesday from 2:30 – 5:00 in Room 19 and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m.
After School Tutoring Monday and Wednesday 2:30 – 3:30 in Room 10 and Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 30.
Lego Robotics Camp will be held every 3rd Saturday of each month from 1-4 p.m. at Soldotna Prep School. Ages 6-14 cost is $35 per student. For more information contact Kristin McGlothen, kmcglothen@KPBSD.k12.ak.us
Please visit Soldotna Prep School Page for important information http://soldotnaprep.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/home/
The Study
The Study wants to wish everyone in the community a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The last day of school for elementary students is Thursday and students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. Parents: don’t forget to attend the Christmas party at 11:00!
The Study’s Christmas Program is going to be held on Thursday at Birch Ridge Community Church. The first recital is at 5:00 p.m. and the second at 6:30 p.m., with a reception for both shows at 6:00. There will be performances from piano, voice, and guitar students, as well as the elementary school students performing as a class.
Coming up next semester, The Study is opening it’s classrooms to brand new and returning high school courses for credit! The Study is now offering Spanish I, World History, Alaska Studies, and US Government! Continuing from this semester, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry will begin again January 9th/10th.
In addition to private elementary school and high school classes, The Study offers the following:
— Piano, Voice, and Guitar Lessons
— Private/Group tutoring
— Summer School
— Workshops such as Mastery of Multiplication, Excellence in Writing, Jr. High Math, and Study Skills
— SAT Prep
The Study will be closed to tutoring, music lessons, and classes from Dec. 23 to Jan. 9.
As an accredited private school and learning center, The Study is committed to meeting the educational needs of the Kenai Peninsula.
Tustumena Elementary
Wednesday — Reindeer Games
Thursday — No school for students – Inservice Day – End of 2nd quarter
Dec. 23- Jan. 8 — Winter break
