Homer Middle School Huskies shared the love during the Month of February to give back to the community and to show their spirit. The students at Homer Middle School partnered with the Homer Food Pantry to collect and donate 765 cans and other non-perishable items. The Student Government sponsored the event; Mrs. Jen Booz’s class won a pizza party for their class donation of 195 cans. In addition to the food drive, Student Government sponsored an ice cream fundraiser to purchase a gift card for Angelica Haakenson, a fellow student from Chapman School involved in a car accident earlier this year.
Author: Pegge Erkeneff
One small department and 8K PCs, 800 printers, 690 wireless access points
To the public, the face of the school district is likely the local school your kids go to now–or once attended–or maybe the local school you attended growing up. You remember your teachers, or your children’s teachers: the good ones you liked and maybe even some of the ones you didn’t like so much. Most people’s view of the district is generally pretty localized, and compartmentalized by our own limited local school experience.
The public doesn’t hear much about the district’s Information Services staff. These are the computer guys that work in the bowels of the Borough building in Soldotna or travel from school to school supporting technology in the field. The Information Services view of the district may be different than yours. They see a much bigger picture, because, well, they have to keep that big picture up and running. The district is big business, and it takes Information Technology professionals on top of their game to keep the peninsula’s largest employer running smoothly, with 8,000 PCs, 800 networked printers, hundreds of Interactive white boards, 690 wireless access points, and 900 security cameras, and so forth. The list of things to maintain and support goes on and on … and seems to gets bigger every year as technology evolves. Add all those schools together and the district is much bigger than many people realize.
Information Services lives in an evolving environment, adapting to the ever-changing needs of our students and staff. For example, last summer saw a major software upgrade to 30 point-of-sale computers used in our school cafeteria lunch lines. Those final 30 completed a multi-year move to Microsoft Windows 7 on all district computers. Since the beginning of school in August 2014, there have been some substantial bandwidth upgrades at Nanwalek, Port Graham, Hope, Seldovia, Tyonek, and Marathon school, improving network performance at those sites. Add to that 96 Terabytes of disk storage for servers and databases being installed now. Just a few activities, on a wide variety of fronts, in the Information Services department at KPBSD, where something big is always happening.
Link
KPBSD Information Services
Story contributed by Jim White, director of information services
March 2015
News Release: KPBSD Pre-Kindergarten assessment dates
Pre-Kindergarten Title I assessments will take place in April
Soldotna, March 17, 2015—Children who will be four years old by September 1, 2015, have an opportunity to attend pre-kindergarten classes at their local area school in the fall. To qualify for the classes, parents and guardians must contact their local area school to schedule a Pre-K assessment, and complete an application prior to the school screening appointment date.
“The Title I funded Pre-K programs available at specific sites in the KPBSD provide an excellent opportunity for children who turn four by September 1, 2015, to get a jumpstart on success in school. KPBSD’s Pre-K teachers are all certified and have specialized training in early childhood education. As a result, the programs they offer are engaging and developmentally appropriate, with an emphasis on preparing children to be successful when they enter kindergarten. Pre-K the KPBSD way focuses on experiences that facilitate each child’s growth in the targeted areas of social and emotional development; approaches to learning; communication, language, and literacy; cognitive development, and; physical well-being.” –Dr. Christine Ermold, director of elementary education
Parent or guardian action steps before school assessment date in April
- Contact local attendance area school for times and testing locations. (See alphabetical list of schools offering Pre-K sessions*)
- Complete a Pre-K Application—the school office in your attendance area will provide applications
- Return the application to your neighborhood school office during school hours
- Schedule your child’s assessment prior to the date for your neighborhood school. (Dates listed below)
- Children must be age 4 by September 1, 2015
- Title I KPBSD programs web link: Title 1 programs at KPBSD
*KPBSD Title I Elementary Schools and Screening dates
Students qualify for Title I services based on academic need
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Chapman Elementary, 235-8671, April 14, 2015
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Mountain View Elementary, 283-8600, April 16, 2015
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Nikiski North Star Elementary, 776-2600, April 15, 2015
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Paul Banks Elementary, 226-1801, April 23, 2015
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Redoubt Elementary, 260-4300, April 28, 2015
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Seward Elementary, 224-3356, April 30, 2015
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Soldotna Elementary, 260-5100, April 28, 2015
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Sterling Elementary, 262-4944, April 29, 2015
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Tustumena Elementary, 260-1345, April 9, 2015
Title I programs are required to utilize effective, research based instruction, and must also provide evidence that students receiving Title I support are showing academic growth. Such evidence is gathered through regular formative assessments and through annual state standardized tests.
Link
Title 1 Programs at KPBSD
Media Release: March 17, 2015: Title I PreK testing in April
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News Release: Sean Dusek selected as Superintendent of Schools
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Contact: Pegge Erkeneff, 907.714.8888
Soldotna, March 3, 2015—At a special board of education meeting today, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District school board voted, with unanimous consent, to offer Mr. Sean Dusek the position of Superintendent of Schools.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected as the next superintendent of our district. We are on a journey of continuous improvement that will positively impact our students and enhance how they are being prepared for their future. It is exciting to be able to continue all of our good work with such outstanding students, staff, and communities in this capacity. I am very much looking forward to this opportunity.” — Sean Dusek
An Alaskan educator since 1991, throughout his entire career Mr. Dusek demonstrates a commitment to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. He has served the students of KPBSD as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, assistant superintendent, and now, superintendent. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education – Math, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership.
Superintendent Dusek’s focus is to ensure all students in KPBSD are prepared for their future. Problem solving, effective communication, respectful collaboration, and creativity are critical skills all students must develop while in our district. When these skills are combined with a solid academic foundation, including information and technology skills, students will be able to pursue all opportunities available to them upon graduation.
Board President Joe Arness said, “We have every confidence that Superintendent Dusek will be able to carry on the tradition of excellence we have come to expect in our school district. Thank you to everyone who provided public comment during this process.” Arness will meet with Dusek to negotiate the terms of employment, and bring a contract to the Board of Education for approval. The Superintendent of Schools position will begin July 1, 2015. Dusek has been the interim superintendent since December 1, 2014.
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This and all KPBSD media releases are online at this web page: http://bit.ly/MediaPublicRelationships
Suggest or contribute a story online link: http://bit.ly/SuggestKPBSDstory
Please contact me with questions or connections to be made for your KPBSD district and school stories.
Homeless liaison Kelly King receives Golden Apple award
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Golden Apple Award | March 2, 2015
Kelly King, Homeless Liaison
One of the more challenging tasks that we face is educating our homeless students. Because of the extraordinary effort and dedication of Kelly King, KPBSD homeless liaison, the district is able to do its best to meet this challenge.
Ms. Kelly King came to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in 2008. In the past seven years she has literally worn her car out traveling from one end of the peninsula to the other to offer support to families and youth in transition. A lifelong Kenai resident, Kelly understands the unique characteristics of our communities. She continually goes well above her job expectations to develop strong, respectful relationships with local and state agencies in order to provide the very best assistance possible for her clients.
The task of the homeless liaison is not a high profile position and it does not garner a lot of attention. King doesn’t need those accolades; she truly has a heart for families and youth finding themselves in difficult times. The goal of the Students in Transition Program is to provide consistent, uninterrupted education so that students can succeed in school. Kelly takes this goal to heart; during her time as homeless liaison, she has watched many of her unaccompanied youth make it through high school, graduate on time, and go on to college or enroll in vocational education. In a typical year, she supports approximately 300 students. It is not uncommon for her to receive a thank you—sometimes years later—from a former student or parent who expresses appreciation for the difference she made during a difficult time.
She works outside her 8:00-5:00 work day or work week to provide emergency supplies, or put documentation in place to help her clients continue their K-12 education without interruption. Kelly thinks outside of the box and determines a way to help students get what they need in order to succeed and stay in school. She continually works to raise awareness and get the community involved; examples include the annual Vigil for Youth and Family Homelessness, working with students and schools to increase advocacy and outreach, and to maintain a KPBSD Students in Transition Facebook page to keep the community updated. Kelly’s work to raise community awareness has long reaching impact. In 2013 two students from Kenai Middle School learned about young people who are homeless on the Kenai Peninsula. The boys decided to combine their birthday party and asked guests to bring a present or gift card that would benefit youth and teens in the KPBSD SIT program. This past year, the student government at Kenai Central High School worked with Kelly to provide education and create a community fundraiser, students at Skyview Middle School sponsored a Penny War, and most recently students from Nikiski Middle-High School raised almost $3,000 to assist youth who are homeless and want to stay in school. KPBSD is very proud of the work Kelly does and is pleased she received the Knight in Shining Armor from the community in 2013.
Forging partnerships with many organizations and area businesses, Kelly has presented at the Student Council Conference, Rotary meetings, and collaborates with Covenant House in Anchorage, Love Inc., and other service agencies, just to name a few. Her beautiful smile and attitude helps put students at ease—they know they have found someone who truly cares, and that makes all the difference.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education is proud to recognize Kelly King for her dedication to the students of the school district—past, present, and future.
Links
KPBSD Students In Transition program on Facebook
KPBSD Students in Transition program
Golden Apple awards
Chapman School students head outside for service learning
Chapman School Charitable Works
The eighth grade class in working on a documentary about the good that the Chapman School students do. The main focus of the documentary is about a field trip in late September. During the field trip, the students erected a new trail. That required clearing out the path, hauling the wood a quarter mile up a hill, then laying out and constructing the boardwalk.
Not only did we build a trail, we built a new outhouse. A lot had to be done to build the outhouse: first, the hole was dug, the wood was gathered and transport-ed, then the wood was measured and cut, a couple nailed the boards to put the walls together, then the ground where the hole was had to be leveled, after that, the walls were put up. We were not able to complete the outhouse, but we helped them a lot. Please stay tuned for the documentary.
Contributed by Garrett Cooper
10K benefits Seward Elementary classroom instruction
$10,000 Worth of Gifts Arrive at Seward Elementary
The gifts have arrived, and teachers at Seward Elementary School are very excited about integrating all the new equipment into their lessons. After receiving a $10,000 gift for computer hardware from the education non-profit organization, Code.Org, teachers selected items that would enhance classroom instruction, especially S.T.E.M. lessons. For example, the new 3D printer by MakerBot will allow students to engineer tangible solutions to simple real-world problems, design their fix in SketchUp, then print the object out!
Third grade teachers are thrilled to have 28 new Chromebooks for their students. These are a cross between a notebook and a laptop, and they run without fans—allowing for stackable storage. The Chromebooks use Google for education applications, which KPBSD supports for all teachers and students.
“The third grade classes are looking forward to using the Chromebooks,” said Erin Flowers, a third grade teacher. “These devices will provide extra opportunities for our students to prepare for AMP tests, improve fluency in reading and math, as well as provide the technological foundation required for continuous improvement in technology skills.”
Excitement stems from the possibilities that the new web cameras give each teacher, too. Leigh Ray, a second grade teacher, explained how websites such as www.epals.com allow teachers to connect with other classrooms around the globe—making contact based on age, academic unit of study, or other similar purposes.
Several other items rounded out the gifts received, including mp3 players, a new digital projector, and document cameras. With these new tools, students at Seward Elementary are definitely receiving a leading-edge, twenty-first century education.
Many thanks to Hadi Partovi, the CEO and co-founder of the education non-profit Code.org, for having the vision to bring computer science to every student in the United States, for instituting the now-famous Hour of Code, and for gifting Seward Elementary School with $10,000 of computer hardware.
Story contributed by David Kingsland, principal, Seward Elementary
Cooper Landing School celebrates achievement and performance
Cooper Landing School is recognized by The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development as one of 41 Alaska Reward Schools for the 2014-2015 school year honoring their performance from the 2013-2014 school year!
Cooper Landing School was recognized as one of 12 schools in the state of Alaska as a highest performing school and, for the second year in a row, as a high progress school!
On Wednesday, December 18, 2014, the Cooper Landing School and community gathered to celebrate a great accomplishment. Fifty to sixty community members, students, and staff came to a luncheon to celebrate this awesome achievement. Cooper Landing School recognizes that it takes the whole community to achieve this kind of success and we wanted to thank everyone for their hard work and support.
“It is a pleasure to announce Alaska’s Reward Schools for 2014-2015, an achievement shared by their families and educators,” said Alaska Education Commissioner Mike Hanley. “Reward Schools strive to meet the academic needs of all students, however large or small the school is. They support students’ progress toward the goals of college- and career-readiness and graduation. We congratulate them.”
“It was such a joy to share this celebration with everyone who help make this all possible. Congratulations and thank you to all who attended!” –Michael Hanson, principal
Read Alaska Reward Schools media release
An outpouring of advocacy, care and service for homeless students
KPBSD students demonstrate incredible compassion and support for their homeless peers and the KPBSD Students in Transition (SIT) Program. They are on the move, making a tangible difference.
Socktober!
Kenai Middle School Leadership Class
Leadership students organized a collection drive for socks, hats, and gloves to benefit the local homeless population. Students created a PowerPoint presentation to inform their peers about the issue, designed promotional posters, and placed decorated collection boxes in each Advisory class. KMS students brought in donations for this “Socktober” event – collecting over 1,700 items.
Penny Wars!
Skyview Middle School Student Council
Panther Student Council sponsored a Penny War to benefit the SIT Program. Two collection jars were placed in the school office, one for seventh grade and one for eight grade. Pennies were collected and added up for each grades’ score. Other coins and dollar bills subtracted from the score for that grade level; sabotaging the other grade by adding silver or bills was encouraged!
Going Social!
Maddy McElrea
Wanting to make a difference for a family in need, Kenai Alternative Community Projects leader Maddy McElrea reached out to the community through Facebook. Within two days she had collected a variety of items including clothing, books, food, and household goods. “It really warmed my heart seeing that there were so many people willing to help within hours of me making a post. If I was able to do that, just think about what we could accomplish for all the other kids by coming together as a community,” said McElrea.
Birthday Gifting!
Damien Redder and Devin Every
For the second time in recent years, these two KCHS boys decided to celebrate their birthdays by thinking beyond themselves. Invitations were sent to friends and family asking that in lieu of gifts, donations be made to benefit the SIT Program and local homeless youth. This resulted in a monetary donation as well as numerous food cards for local vendors to be used in emergency situations.
Spaghetti feed and auction raises thousands!
Kenai Central High School Leadership Class
KCHS Leadership class initiated, organized, and hosted a spaghetti feed and silent auction fundraiser with all proceeds benefitting the SIT Program. Students approached local businesses to gather auction donations, advertised, sold tickets, and cooked the meal for attendees. KCHS senior, Kyla Whannell, had this to say: “We feel that no child should have to worry about when their next meal will come or where they’re going to sleep. Knowing that this issue affects many youth in our community made us want to help in some way. Making this an annual event is something KCHS Leadership finds important, so we can keep spreading the word about youth homelessness.”
Reindeer delivers donations!
Jenna Hansen
This Nikiski Middle-High School student and her reindeer, Crash and Comet, have made several public appearances throughout the Central Peninsula, as a fundraiser for the SIT Program and to help spread awareness. In addition to these photo opportunities with the public, Jenna does additional fundraising for homeless youth issues through her “Scene of the Crash” Facebook page and GoFundMe account.
Hats and gloves adorn the tree!
McNeil Canyon Elementary School
McNeil Canyon again sponsored their annual “Helpful Holiday Tree.” Food for the Homer Food Pantry was collected beneath the tree, which was decorated with hats and gloves donated for local homeless children.
Packing!
Chelsea Marsh (Teens Inbetween)
Chelsea is completing her senior project, collecting goods for backpacks she plans to put together for homeless teens. These backpacks will include items such as toiletries, job applications, business cards for community resources, and an invitation for a clothing giveaway at the Rec Room.
Links
SALT offers flexibility and individuality, a bedrock for success
Soldotna Alternative (SALT) is new program at Soldotna High School designed to serve primarily juniors and sophomores who are at risk of dropping out or not graduating from high school on time. SALT enables students to earn credits at an accelerated rate through an individualized learning experience, smaller class size and an altered school schedule. Ultimately, SALT offers students the flexibility, small class size, and individuality needed for them to succeed.
A day in the life of a Soldotna Alternative student looks a little different from other students at Soldotna High School. Each day includes time to journal, eat a hot breakfast, extended time to focus on only two subjects at a time, and get some physical exercise. To help meet their physical and emotional needs, a hot breakfast is cooked every morning and consumed as a group. Each learning “rotation” lasts approximately six weeks so students are able to make up missed credit at an accelerated rate while having the ability to focus their attention on only a couple of classes at a time.
This is what students have to say about the program:
- “We have more time to do work.”
- “It’s small, calm and I can clearly think.”
- “It has helped me calm down about school work and has helped me catch up.”
- “I’m getting my credits back that I’m missing.”
The goal of Soldotna Alternative is for every student to graduate high school with a diploma and be able to pursue their own dreams. This is based on the belief that all students are important and capable of learning and succeeding.
Questions? Please email or call Soldotna Alternative School, housed in Soldotna High School, 907-260-7000.