HUSKY UPDATE

Only 8 days remaining until we welcome back students in the hallways and in the classroom. We are ecstatic with the thought of the upcoming school year and seeing all the smiling faces we missed over the summer.

This edition of the Husky Update will cover the following topics:

• Back to School Night
• Lunch for the 2022/2023 school year
• Summer fun
• Box Tops

If you have any questions please call the front office and ask for Kasey or Suzie at 907-742-3550, your front office staff.

Save the date for Back to School Night on Wednesday August 17, 2022 from 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM at Homestead Elementary School. Teacher meet and greet will be held from 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM and social hour from 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. During the meet and greet, students will be able to meet their teacher, see their classroom, and drop school supplies at their desk. Social hour will include treats from PTO, as well as information booths from PTO, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and SLC.

If you have any questions please call Kasey or Suzie at 907-742-3550.

Lunches are $4.50 this year and can be purchased online through Parent Connect here. You can load money onto student accounts ahead of time to be used throughout the year. Mr. Keith, the most fabulous Cafe Manager, will be out of the kitchen until after Labor Day, so shelf stable options will be served the first few weeks of school. We highly recommend sending your student with a bagged lunch/snack until Mr. Keith is back.

Please click here to apply for free or reduced lunch. Homestead does not have a breakfast option.

Eagle River has an amazing food pantry located in the Eagle River Presbyterian Church at 12836 Old Glenn Highway. It is open Mondays and Fridays from 10 am to 1 pm, and on Tuesdays 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Also check out the Blessing Box located near the exit from Homestead's property.

We may be biased, but we have the best staff at Homestead! Teachers and staff took full advantage of the beautiful Alaskan summer and adventured all over this fabulous state of ours.

If you would like to share your student's summer activities please email pictures to callison_kasey@asdk12.org with a brief description and we will gladly share in an upcoming newsletter.

Mrs. Johnston's favorite activity of the summer was exploring the tide pools at Bishops Beach in Homer with her family. Mrs. Johnston has taught music at Homestead for 6 years and this is her 12th year in the district. Mrs. Johnston attended Homestead as a Student and we are so lucky to have her back!

Suzie spent her summer outside as much as possible, exploring all around south central and the Kenai. Her favorite adventure was to Adak, where she and her family explored all the old military buildings, hiked to magical remote lakes, fished babbling brooks and combed beaches for hours looking for sand dollars, sea glass, shells and other treasures. Many hours were spent training and hiking with the family's new puppy Iggi, and tending to the garden and greenhouse. Suzie has been with the district for 7 years now - first as a teacher sub and now in the office.

Mrs. Lenoir spent her summer camping and fishing from Talkeenta to Homer enjoying every minute of the midnight sun. Mrs. Lenoir's family had a cabin on the Kenai for many years, so Kenai is her second Home. Mrs. Lenoir has been at Homestead for 8 years and with the district for 10 years. Mrs. Lenoir grew up in Eagle River not far from Homestead and attended Ravenwood, Alpenglow, Gruening, and Chugiak High School.

Mrs. Kahler attended a family reunion in Sunset Beach, North Carolina in July, a tradition that is 30 years standing. The reunion theme nights included Diamonds and Pearls Night, Hollywood Night, and Let's Glow Crazy. Mrs. Kahler very much enjoyed seeing her family and spending time with her niece, Freya.

Mrs. Kahler has been in the field of education for twenty-two years. She has worked in a variety of positions in both North Carolina and Alaska with Pre-K to 6th grade students as a classroom teacher, a lead mentor for beginning teachers, Title I support teacher, and a positive behavior support coach. Mrs. Kahler's recent administrative experience was at Lake Hood as the assistant principal and principal for the past 5 school years. We are proud to announce Mrs. Kahler now calls Homestead HOME. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Kahler and are looking forward to an amazing school year!

Box Tops can be found on numerous food products and non-edible products such as Ziploc Bags, tissues, and paper products. Collecting Box Tops has evolved. No more cutting and counting. Now Using the FREE Box Tops App, families can also turn their grocery receipts into funds for the music program. Simply download the app, shop and keep an eye out for the box top image, purchase your products, open the app and scan your grocery receipt to earn Bonus Box Tops funds! There are also extra chances to win Box Tops online through sweepstakes, store promotions and more. These Box Tops are electronically credited to Homestead.

If you’d like to learn more about box tops, including the hundreds of products included in the program, head on over to the Box Tops for Education website.

You can also register thru Box Tops for Education here. Download the app, buy Box Tops products, scan your receipt, and earn money for Homestead.