Celebrate KPBSD music teacher Jonathan Dillon

2017_Jonathan Dillon - concert picture mountain view

Meet Jonathan Dillon, music teacher at Mountain View Elementary!

In 2016, three Alaska Arts Educator Fellowships were awarded, including a music specialist, a visual arts specialist, and a kindergarten teacher. All three were awarded to KPBSD educators!
Mr. Dillon, Mountain View Elementary music educator,  furthered his study of elementary choral conducting through the Kodály Program at Seattle Pacific University in July 2016. During the program, Dillon participated in choral conducting masterclasses, performed in lab choirs directed by professional conductors, taught an elementary general music lesson, wrote a number of new learning plans, and more—all under the guidance of some of the top elementary music and conducting experts in the Pacific Northwest. Dillon used his follow-up grant to start an elementary choral music library for the Mountain View Youth Chorus, an after-school program in Kenai, Alaska.
In his final report, Dillon reflected:

“This professional development program exceeded my expectations as an opportunity to improve my craft as a conductor and artist, but also prepared me to become a better teacher in general … I’m ecstatic about putting what I’ve learned into practice!”

Links
Facebook: Mountain View Elementary, Kenai, Alaska
Website: Mountain View Elementary
Website: Alaska State Council on the Arts

Meet KPBSD Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Mrs. Engebretsen and two of her students visit a KPBSD elementary school during Celebraille month!
Mrs. Engebretsen and two of her students visit a KPBSD elementary school during Celebraille month!

Do you have a dream?

 

Meet Jordana Engebretsen, KPBSD teacher of the blind and visually impaired! Mrs. Engebretsen teaches KPBSD students who are blind and visually impaired, and she herself is blind. Jordana organizes community events and outreach in KPBSD schools to aid sighted people learn about braille and blindness. #Celebraille

 

In addition, Jordana has a vision, and serves students with disabilities through summer camps. She entered The 2017 Holman Prize for Blind Ambition competition to expand that service, and Jordana needs your vote by March 7, 2017, to progress in the competition. Winning will help her realize her dream to expand her summer camps for children with disabilities to Iceland and Peru.
Meet Jordana in her 85 second video, and CLICK HERE to vote

I have always want to give to others. Yes, I am blind and mobility impaired, however, I am blessed beyond comprehension. I am alive, able to talk, to touch, to hear, and to think. I have a beautiful family, a strong faith, a job that I like and so much more! I believe what Hellen Keller said, ‘The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision’.
I entered the The 2017 Holman Prize for Blind Ambition competition, which could allow me further my dream to expand camps for children with disabilities if I’m awarded $25,000! I made a video, that needs your popular vote in order to progress to the next level of competition. Yes, I’m blind, and made a video!

I uploaded a YouTube video of my project, and it’s titled “Jordana Engebretsen: Reaching Your Full Potential No Matter Your Ability.”  I want to develop camps in two new locations: Iceland and Peru.

Your help is needed for me to progress, please watch the video and please give it a thumbs up.
I want to give more children and youth with disabilities the opportunity to participate in a camp experience. You can check out what I’m currently doing at our website www.cristovive.net. I have developed and led these camps for several years.
Muchas gracias,
Jordana Engebretsen
KPBSD teacher of the blind and visually impaired, TVI, MA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIMRR9jrHrE&index=7&list=PLBgTkRMP5uaz784GjDzUKRvog4TSpAwPA
Holman Prize for Blind Ambition

“The Holman Prize is not meant to save the world or congratulate someone for leaving the house. This prize will spark unanticipated accomplishments in the blindness community. You will see blind people doing things that surprise and perhaps even confuse you. These new LightHouse prizes will change perceptions about what blind people are capable of doing.”
 — Bryan Bashin, CEO at LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Jordana and vision impaired student

Jordana and KMS ramp 2011

KPBSD FY18 Budget 101 ~ funding, expenses, links, facts

PDF: 2017 Spring KPBSD Budget Awareness

2017 Spring KPBSD Budget Awareness_Page_1

KPBSD FY18 Budget 101

Where does revenue come from?

KPBSD receives funding from three sources:

  1. State funding (this is a constitutional mandate)
  2. Borough, or “local” funding ($ linked to state funding)
  3. Federal and Grant funds (designated expenditure categories that are non-transferable to other expenses)

A school district does not have authority to raise its own revenue.

What is an expenditure?
Primary expenses are staff and classroom instruction. Like a business, planning and operations, information systems, utilities, etc. are also included.

How-to balance the budget?

  1. Align revenues and expenditure
  2. Request that the state legislature, and the Kenai Peninsula Borough fully fund education
  3. If available, use General Fund reserves (savings account) to fund deficit, in order to avoid staff reductions and increased class sizes

Balancing the FY18 Budget
Status Quo Revenue projects a deficit of  ($ 3.45 million)*
Projected FY18 Expenditure Reductions      
(2.48 million)
Use of General Fund Balance (savings)          1.13 million
*The Alaska State Legislature may recommend and vote to make additional reductions to education funding.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough has the ability to increase support to education funding, by contributing to the maximum allowable contribution, also called a cap.  

Go-To resources:

2017 Spring KPBSD Budget Awareness_Page_2

KPBSD Fiscal Reality – Our challenge


“Alaska is addressing its ongoing fiscal challenges, and it is important that everyone is involved in the conversation to ensure a long-term fiscal plan is finally implemented.”
— Superintendent Sean Dusek, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

KPBSD Reductions:
For several years, budget reductions have come through efficiencies, Pupil to Teacher Ratio (PTR) increases, and reduction of staff.

The effects of these cuts have been kept as far away from the classroom as possible and most of the public do not realize these are already in effect. But, $8,550,530 has been reduced since FY15.
FY15 Budget Reductions        ($1,254,000)
FY16 Budget Reductions          (1,375,000)
FY17 Budget Reductions          (3,436,829)
FY18 Budget Reductions          (2,484,701)
Total Budget Reductions    ($ 8,550,530)

Further reductions to education funding in FY18 will increase the deficit, thus likely impact KPBSD staff, classroom instruction and support.

If the Alaska State legislature passes additional revenue cuts to state education funding, the KPBSD $3.45 million budget deficit will increase. And, state reductions can affect the Kenai Peninsula Borough maximum allowable contribution to KPBSD. This is the additional state funding impact to KPBSD:

  • 1% Reduction to BSA = ($ 1.05 million)
  • 3% Reduction to BSA = ($ 3.18 million)
  • 5% Reduction to BSA = ($ 5.29 million)

Ten KPBSD teachers equates to one million dollars.

What can you do? #ideas

www.KPBSD.org

Parent Survey: Do student early release days make a difference?

KPBSD logo 4c no tag SMALLPlease take a brief survey for parents open February 22 – March 11, 2017, to share your perceptions and thoughts about the six early release days for students.

KPBSD staff is also completing a similar survey.

“Each school day, more than 1,200 KPBSD employees do all that they can to provide a quality education to our district’s students. A part of this work is our continuous improvement process that requires us to regularly evaluate our practices so that we can in turn, make the necessary changes to help our students’ find success. An intricate piece of our improvements is our professional development for our certified staff.
With the need to do more for our staff in this area, for the past four school years we designated six school days as minimum days–with a 90 minute early release for students, while staff works a maximum day in order to deliberately devote time to collaborate and collectively address the learning needs of our students.
Now that you are familiar with these shortened student school days, we want to receive your feedback. Please complete these questions, and provide your optional comments.” – Sean Dusek, superintendent

Link: Take the survey now

http://bit.ly/2017KPBSDEarlyReleaseSurveyPARENTS
Thank you very much for your time.
The next early release date is April 5, 2017
Links

FY17 Early Release
survey

K-Beach fourth grade engineering and design

Fourth grade students were guided through the engineering design process by a parent who is an engineer! Hands-on learning included brainstorming, designing, constructing, testing, and redesigning. The three day tower project included seismic, wind, and strength tests. Winners were determined based on their performance. We had a lot of fun and learning!
“We are thankful for our involved parents, Mr. and Mrs. Winslow, who visited our class for the three day tower project with the K-Beach fourth grade students!” –Jason Daniels, fourth grade teacher, K-Beach Elementary School
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Middle School students code for Project Zero Waste

Curious about if you can recycle something? Anything? And then … where to take it on the Kenai Peninsula?
Embedded maps of Kenai Peninsula recycling locations
Middle School students in Anchor Point, Alaska, built a website to give you what you need to know, on the go.

The Kenai Peninsula Recycling website is hosted on KPBSD servers, and Chapman School students explain they will keep adding pertinent information, “Hopefully we’ll need to do so as recycling programs continue to expand!”

“This project helped me learn more about where to recycle. It allowed me to use my skills and discover the wonderful world of coding.” –Andy Drake, Chapman School
Chapman 8th grade web coding class
“Learning how to code can help us change the world because electronic devices are popular and people are more likely to use a website than a book. Coding is a fun and educational way to use time.” –Melissa Baxter, Chapman School

“The project grew out of the “Zero Waste Project” that Chapman School eighth grade students are doing with the Center for Alaska Coastal Studies,” explained teacher Mr. Jon Crocker. “We realized that a lot of people don’t know what can be recycled, and where to go locally. There are resources out there, but none that can be easily accessed while somebody is on the go. It also fits in with our year-long thematic unit about community. Once it became clear that such a resource would be a good idea, I asked my eighth graders to put designing their personal webpages on hold for a few weeks while we developed the site. Each student took one topic, researched it, and came up with their page based on a few guidelines. If a student was assigned something that isn’t recycled locally (such as #3 plastic), I asked them to focus more on reducing and reusing strategies. We wanted it to be something people could access from their phones while doing things like making decisions on what to buy in the grocery store.”
Students worked to improve on the information available on the Borough website. For example:

  • Embedded maps (students figured out how to do this!) replace written descriptions of facility locations
  • Recycling #5 plastics through private parties is included
  • Recycling #4 plastics—many plastic bags are actually #4, and those can be recycled in a couple of places

Visit the Chapman School coding class Kenai Peninsula Recycling website: http://bit.ly/KenaiPeninsulaRecycling
Embedded maps of Kenai Peninsula recycling locations
 
What do you want to recycle? Click a link below to find out where it can be recycled.
Tip: you can also learn about reducing and reusing strategies for each item! Or visit the main site at http://bit.ly/KenaiPeninsulaRecycling

Find your local recycling center
Visit the Kenai Peninsula Recycling website: http://bit.ly/KenaiPeninsulaRecycling
The Chapman School 8th grade coding class built the website, and the 7th grade students are also learning HTML. Chapman School 5th and 6th graders are learning programming with Scratch http://scratch.mit.edu.

The 2017 Book Battles!

The winning KPBSD Battle of the Books teams will represent KPBSD at state battles the beginning of March!
#golden #AKlearns
Congratulations!
Grades 3- 4: Connections Homeschool
Grades 5- 6, and Middle School: Cooper Landing School
High School: Voznesenka School

Soldotna Connections 3-4 Grade Team
Grades 3 – 4 – Soldotna Connections

 
Cooper Landing Grades 5-6
Grades 5 – 6 – Cooper Landing School

 
Middle School – Cooper Landing School
Middle School – Cooper Landing School

 
High School – Voznesenka School
High School – Voznesenka School

Voznesenka HS reading
High School – Voznesenka School

 

Opportunity to testify – HB 115 Comprehensive State Revenue Restructing

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Statewide Public Testimony Opportunity
Friday, February 17, 2017
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
In person, by telephone, via email*

House Bill 115 Comprehensive State Revenue Restructuring Act
STATE INCOME TAX; PFD CREDIT; PERM FUND INCOME
“An Act relating to the permanent fund dividend; relating to the appropriation of certain amounts of the earnings reserve account; relating to the taxation of income of individuals; relating to a payment against the individual income tax from the permanent fund dividend disbursement; repealing tax credits applied against the tax on individuals under the Alaska Net Income Tax Act; and providing for an effective date.” Read the full bill.

The number one KPBSD Board of Education legislative priority is, “Provide sustained, reliable, and adequate education funding for Alaska’s students.”

If a solution to the state fiscal challenge, and funding public education is a priority to you, please be part of the solution, and make time to tell your story or offer your opinion on Friday. The House Finance committee will listen to public testimony about the proposed bill HB 115 for two hours.
*HOW-TO TESTIFY

Go to a local LIO office in Homer, Kenai, or Seward; call-in; or email your testimony.

General instructions

  • Public testimony limited to 2 minutes per testifier
  • If you are a member of a group with the same message, in the interest of time, please select a spokesperson to testify for the entire group
  • Identify yourself (first and last name), the community in which you live, and any relevant affiliations

By Phone (LIO offices in Homer, Kenai, and Seward, plus Off-Net):

  • Public members are strongly encouraged to testify from their Legislative Information Offices (LIOs), as there are limited Off-Net phone lines that are prioritized for those who are unable to physically reach their LIO;
  • If public members cannot reach their LIO, they may use the limited Off-Net phone system
  • 844-586-9085 (toll-free) or 907-586-9085
  • All Off-Net callers are required to hang up immediately after testifying in order to keep as many lines open as possible for other callers.

Written testimony:

2017 KPBSD Budget Awareness_Page_1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

invitation: Possibility becomes reality for Project SEARCH interns

You are invited!Project SEARCH
Project SEARCH intern showcase

Possibility becomes reality when a school district and hospital collaborate to create a business-led, one-year, school-to-work program for students with disabilities.

Everyone is invited to discover how Project SEARCH is a positive impact in our community.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Denali Room, Central Peninsula Hospital, Soldotna, Alaska

 Families, local employers, educators, partner organizations, and the community are invited to:

  • Meet student interns who will showcase learning from their internship rotations
  • Talk with the teacher and job coach; meet the hospital job mentors
  • Light refreshments will be served


2017 intern
The Project SEARCH High School Transition Program is a total workplace immersion, facilitating classroom instruction, career exploration, and relevant job-skills training in strategically designed internships. Through targeted internship rotations, students acquire competitive, marketable, and transferable skills. Students also build communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills which is important to their overall development as a young worker. The goal: independent adults prepared for competitive employment opportunities.
Local employers of previous interns include: Safeway Bakery; Fred Meyer; Wal-Mart; Central Peninsula Hospital; Heritage Place; Blue Moose Bed and Biscuit; Charis Place Assisted Living; Walgreens; KPBSD.
 
Kenai Peninsula Project SEARCH is made possible through the collaborative efforts of Project SEARCH Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Central Peninsula Hospital, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Frontier Community Services, and the Kenai Job Center.
Questions? Contact: Cindy Worley, Project SEARCH Instructor, KPBSD and CPH, 907.513.9691
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Volunteer Laura Johnson receives Golden Apple award

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Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Golden Apple Award | February 6, 2017

Ms. Laura Johnson

Ms. Laura Johnson is an exemplary volunteer at Cooper Landing School.
Once a week she volunteers to teach art to the kindergarten through eighth grade students at Cooper Landing School. “She consistently finds a way to engage the students of every grade level,” said Susanna LaRock, school secretary.  “If a lesson plan is geared toward a specific age group, Laura will personalize it so that it becomes interesting for every student in our small school. Students learn art skills and to talk about art, with terms like perspective, realism, and abstract. Ms. Johnson takes pride in displaying the student’s art projects in the halls of the school and keeping the school looking beautiful, which in turn encourages the children to do the same. Every art project is mounted and displayed beautifully, and our school always looks colorful and bright.”
Last fall at Halloween time, Ms. Johnson decided that it would be fun for the kids to do a mural of Edvard Munch’s The Scream. She spent hours at home drawing the general outline of the painting in mural size and making it into sections so that each student could paint a section. Then she came into the school and taught the students about the background of the painting, and about the artist Edvard Munch. She also taught about paying attention to colors and shades, and then gave each student their section. Ms. Johnson chose sections for students, ranging in age 5 to 13, according to each student’s ability and strengths. The finished product was fantastic—16 students with varying abilities created one work of art together.
Throughout the school years, Laura notices which projects students find most interesting. She then locates other similar projects to build on their learned skills. When she notices that one student has a harder time following the directions, and thinks more outside the box, she sits down with that student and teaches them how to do the project their own way, but to keep within the parameters of the assignment. Students at Cooper Landing School learn art skills and to talk about art, with terms like abstract, realism, and perspective.
Ms. Johnson puts in countless volunteer hours making sets for the school’s Christmas play. It is common for her to spend an entire school day working on sets, and she finds ways to involve the students in the process to encourage pride and ownership of the sets. Last year, the older students helped to decorate and design the set for the production of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” When Laura realized that the younger students did not have much of an opportunity to participate, she invited each of them to decorate stockings to hang by the fireplace. This year she was even more determined to make sure that every student participated in the set design, so she created window scenes, and every student, in every grade, made items that were displayed in the windows.
Cooper Landing School is welcoming and bright because Ms. Johnson volunteers with her heart and spirit, making a difference for each child.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education is proud to recognize Ms. Laura Johnson for her dedication to the students of the school district, past, present, and future.
Link
Click here to nominate a business, community member, volunteer, or KPBSD staff for Golden Apple recognition
School website: Cooper Landing School
Golden Apple recipients
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