Karen's News & Notes
From the desk of Superintendent Karen Gaborik
Second Quarter 2019-20
Congratulations on the completion of a successful fall semester! Hard work, dedication, and collaboration among all our staff, students, parents and volunteers are a huge part of what makes our school district so amazing. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the education and support of our students this fall.
As we look forward to a much-anticipated Winter Break, I hope you each have the opportunity to enjoy your kids and to connect with family and friends. After we collectively re-charge, I’ll see you on January 7 when we kick off spring semester and celebrate the slow return of the sun!!!
Warm Wishes,
Karen
Coming soon to Fairbanks....North Star College!
Beginning in Fall 2020 eligible high school seniors will have the opportunity to take classes on the UAF campus where they will earn both high school and college credits.
More information is coming in January. Watch for announcements and pre-registration materials at the high schools.
The Milken Educator Awards are given to select educators across the nation. The recipient names are kept secret from the nomination process until the announcement is made.
For Rebecca's award announcement, the students and staff at North Pole High School were gathered for an assembly and the great reveal was done in true Milken fashion .
We are so proud of Rebecca for her daily dedication to her students and co-workers. Her continued passion for teaching is what makes her the perfect candidate for this award. Not only does she get the recognition she so deserves, she also received a check for $25,000.00. What a way to close out 2019! Congratulations Rebecca!
Photo courtesy of Milken Family Foundation
Teacher of the Year
Support Professional of the Year
Bernice M Joseph Education Advocate of the Year
Region 6 Principal of the Year
Life Saver Award
Amy Growden Bell, a teacher at Ticasuk Brown Elementary, was awarded the American Red Cross Life Saver Award.
On Saturday, April 28, 2018, Amy and her husband, Bruce Bell principal at Ben Eielson Jr/Sr High, were at home enjoying their weekend when Amy saw that Bruce was choking on his breakfast and couldn’t breathe. Amy quickly took action by using the Heimlich Maneuver and saved Bruce’s life.
Congratulations to Amy for her skill and quick thinking!
Region 6 Assistant Principal of the Year
Heather Johnson, Assistant Principal at West Valley High School, was honored as the Region 6 Assistant Principal of the Year by the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.
School of Choice and Out of Attendance Area Lotteries
There are other options available to your student besides the traditional schools in your attendance area.
Out-of Attendance Area (OAA): If you want your student to attend a school that is not their attendance area, parents need to complete the OAA application using the online system. On January 10th, the application process for Secondary OAA will be open until February 26th. Results will be available in early March.
School of Choice: If you are interested in having your student attend any of the following schools, you can find more information through the online system.
- Barnette Magnet School;
Discovery Peak Charter School;
Hutchison High School;
Grades 7 & 8 at the K-8 Options schools (ARC, JOY, LAD); and,
Select special programs
School Start Times Exploration
On November 5th, the school board approved to continue researching the possible change of school start times.
A survey was posted on the district's website to gather some preliminary data and the next phase will be a series of Open House sessions. Your attendance at these Open House sessions will provide us with the valuable feedback we need to make a decision and for you to get some questions answered. These sessions will be held in the last few weeks of January at various locations. Please keep an eye out on our social media accounts and our website for these important dates, times and locations.
Early Outs and Winter Break
Monday, Dec. 23-Monday Jan. 6th is the Winter Break and there is no school for students.
Let's Talk
Electronic Report Cards
No One Left Behind Banquet
Alaska Native Heritage Celebration
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Email: publicrelations@k12northstar.org
Website: k12northstar.org
Location: 520 5th Avenue, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 452-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fsdk12
Twitter: @fsdk12