K-12 school in Cooper Landing is CANCELLED until Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at the earliest
This closure is caused by a wildfire in the area and evacuation level at #2 “SET”
SET means that you must be ready and prepared to leave at any time.
Learn about 1-2-3 Ready-Set-Go at www.kpbOEM.com
www.KPBSD.org
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District wildfires and air quality alert:
outdoor activity, sports, travel cancellations & restrictions, school closure
“KPBSD places the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff, and parents before any other consideration. Since the resurgence of the Swan Lake Fire after the wind event on Saturday, August 17, 2019, and two new fire starts, our community has been challenged by smoke, fire, road closures, and is on edge. Depending on wind direction, every region of our district has also contended with unhealthy air quality. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this ongoing event.” –Superintendent John O’Brien
School administrators will determine if recess, outdoor classroom activities, and sports practice will take place based on Air Quality conditions in their immediate area. Cancellations or restrictions may happen if conditions change rapidly.
Daily evaluations and consultation with the Borough Office of Emergency Management (OEM), fire officials, and state air quality resources will inform changes.
*At 7:45 PM on 8/26/19, The Cooper Landing evacuation alert moved to Level 2, SET. A Level 2 (SET) Evacuation is NOT a notice to leave. At Level 2 SET, load your 6 P’s: People, Pets, Pills, Photos, Personal (computer back-up info), and important Papers. Read the full Level 2 SET evacuation alert for Cooper Landing: http://bit.ly/2ZgWrwV
Follow KPB Alerts on Facebook, and for additional information on the Ready-Set-Go! Evacuation Guidelines and up-to-date fire information, visit www.kpboem.com or call 907-262-INFO.
###
8/20/19: 6:00 PM
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools and the Swan Lake Fire
The final determination about a full day closure will be made no later than 9:00 AM. A two-hour delay start allows the KPBSD to work with multiple agencies to determine the safety of opening or closing a school. If a full day closure is warranted, an announcement is made as soon as possible in the morning through the district website www.KPBSD.com, social media, mobile app, school communications, and media partners.
All other KPBSD schools will open on Wednesday, August 21, 2019, on a normal schedule.
Absences will be excused if parents choose to keep children at home due to air quality, road closures, or wildfire activity in their area.
The northern bus stops for Route 108 and Route 110 might be adjusted depending on Sterling Highway closures or partial closures. Information will be assessed early in the morning, and if there are changes, they will be announced by Apple Bus at approximately 6:00 AM for Route 108, and by 7:30 AM for Route 110. KPBSD will also post these updates on social media.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District utilizes a text messaging service for parents and staff through mobile phone contacts in PowerSchool or the employee portal. A positive OPT-IN is required to receive text messages. Text yes or Y to 67587. This communications service only includes KPBSD staff, parents, and guardians.
Air quality levels and highway closures will be assessed late in the week to determine if sporting events will happen. A decision about the 2019 Tsalteshi Invite will be made on Friday.
###
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
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
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
