Category: Perspectives

Survey: Should Paul Banks Elementary host a Boys and Girls Club?

KPBSD so pen school start and end times
Public Comment Opportunity now open through February 14, 2017
Dear Parents in the Homer area,
I need your input to determine the level of interest in our community to host a Boys & Girls Club at Paul Banks Elementary, which would serve Homer area schools.
I’ve heard from several parents who are concerned about after-school childcare starting in August, when the school start and end times will permanently change. Students from other Homer area schools could be bused to Paul Banks.
This survey is the first step in finding out the need and what population would use a Boys & Girls Club.

Thank you for taking time to complete this survey–it will close on February 14, 2017.  Click here to take the survey!

Thank you,
Eric Pederson, principal
Paul Banks Elementary School

KPBSD responds

To everyone who is concerned and outraged:
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and  Soldotna High School are disappointed and troubled by recent social media postings.
Today, more than ever, we each need to pause and think about what we tweet, post on social media, and say to one another.
Hate filled, racist, and disparaging remarks run counter to the mission of the KPBSD, our schools, our athletic programs, and will not be tolerated.
We want you to know that the school district and Soldotna High School administration are addressing this. We welcome constructive discussion. Conversations about the appropriate use of social media will continue with our students.
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National Suicide Prevention Week #NSPW16

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An open letter to the community from Sean Dusek, Superintendent  of Schools

September 5 – 11, 2016 is National Suicide Prevention Week #NSPW16. World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10, 2016.
Alaska has a high rate of suicide. In 2014, according to the CDC, our state was ranked second in the nation for death by suicide. In that same year, Alaska was rated the highest in the nation for youth ages 15-24, to die by suicide.
Experts believe that most suicidal individuals do not want to die, and they just want to end the pain they are experiencing. Experts also know that suicidal crises tend to be brief.
Our school district and communities are not immune to this public health issue. In several of our schools, staff and students are planning activities to provide support and educational opportunities for their peers, including the creation of a Wall of Hope. A Wall of Hope identifies positive aspects in the lives of students to highlight why living is important to them.
We work diligently to recognize the warning signs and provide as much support as we can to those in need. Our schools are staffed with caring adults who are there to help. Our teachers and staff receive training on suicide prevention and how to identify warning signs.
While prevention is our first priority, we know postvention is a critical component of a comprehensive wellness program when faced with the tragedy of suicide in a community. Postvention has the ability to ease distress, break the cycle of suicide, and be a preventative measure.
While KPBSD’s overall health and wellness curriculum is in place, a high priority need for our district is further education and supports for suicide prevention. Our goal is to create a network of community mental health providers collaborating to develop a purposeful and coordinated community support that responds quickly and effectively to provide safe havens in response to suicide.
This past spring, several high schools hosted You are Not Alone school assemblies. You are Not Alone is a peer-led youth suicide prevention campaign that includes elements of Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)—an evidence-based training that helps people understand suicide warning signs and how to connect people in crisis to help.
Through a five-year Project AWARE grant, KPBSD will train 125 staff and community members every year on Youth Mental Health First Aid. We are in year two of these trainings. Additionally, KPBSD received the state’s competitive Suicide Awareness Prevention and Postvention Grant (SAPP) and the funds will be used to provide gatekeeper training to staff, students, and any interested community member or organization in the next several years. We will also be developing a suicide awareness toolkit as a community resource.
When suicidal behaviors are detected early, lives can be saved. Please join the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in supporting suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. Together we can reduce the number of lives shaken by a needless and tragic death.

Links

Alaska’s Suicide Prevention and Someone to Talk To Line
Need  to talk ?

phone Call anytime, toll-free:
1-877-266-4357 (HELP)
love or text 4help to 839863
3-11 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

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Share awareness: students are homeless

I am a foster adoptive mother. My heart stretches to people on our margins–especially teens and children. I believe that change begins with awareness. So I pose the question to you:

Are you aware that 121 students are homeless in our school district? In our local towns? At the end of the 2010-2011 school year, 301 students were homeless in our district. The number this year will continue to rise.

What can I do? What can you do? We can start with what is right in front of us.
Attend a vigil for youth who are homeless
Thursday, November 10, 2011 | 6:00-7:00 p.m.
In Soldotna at Farnsworth Park, behind Key Bank, on Birch Street
Together we will learn about local agencies that offer support (and need suppport), and the KPBSD “Students in Transition Program for Homeless Children and Youth.” Students who attend will have an opportunity to apply for a $500.00 Scholarship of Hope. Beginning Wednesday, follow a series of articles in the Peninsula Clarion concerning teens who are homeless in the Central Peninsula.
Take a step–maybe a step you don’t want to take. Share awareness, show up. You matter–we each matter.

Please, dare to care.

When a bus stops…

Do you know what to do when a bus is stopping or stopped on a road? Alaska State Law lists eight “Stops Required” for motorists. Number seven is: 

School bus — “Stop when red flashing lights are in operation, and stop arm is extended. Drivers meeting and following bus must stop.”

Please drive with caution during our dark winter months, in winter driving conditions, especially while busses travel their routes and stop frequently. 
We all appreciate seeing children wearing reflective clothing alongside the dark roads, and adults waiting with children at bus stops. It would be nice if moose could wear reflective vests or caps too!
KPBSD busses travel 7,725 miles every day, transporting 2,500 plus students throughout the school district.
Links

Parking lot viewpoint

September 27, 2011–Nearly one hundred high school student council leaders convened at Kenai Central High School for the day. Their smiles and eagerness to collaborate, generate ideas, problem solve, and learn together inspires me. It was a powerful day. My web story was written; I’d sifted through dozens of photographs–so many smiling young faces.
I walked across the borough building parking lot toward the only car, letting images from the day of delight ripple through me. Then I looked up.

September Rainbows