• August 15th - Meet 'n Greet; 5:30-6:30pm
• August 17th - First Day of School 8-2:30pm. Breakfast starts at 7:30am
• Sept 5th - Labor Day; NO SCHOOL
• Sept 13th - Open House; 5:30-6:30pm
• Sept 30th - Professional Development Day, NO SCHOOL

Welcome to Arctic Light K-5.

We are excited for this nearly normal start to the school year after the past pandemic starts. Our school is now K-5 which means we no longer teach our Encore classes and the school boundary expanded to include more of Ft. Wainwright. We are happy to have families in Tanana Trails join our school community.

Our secretaries have enrolled over 100 new students this summer. If are predictions are accurate we are more than full and will probably receive a new teacher during the first weeks of school. More soon as this mostly affects fourth grade.

My advice for having a Smart Start to the school year:

• Meet your teacher in person during our Meet n' Greet on Aug 15th.
• Apply for Free/ Reduced Meals at Schoolcafe.com. School meals are no longer free: $2.00 Breakfast and $3.50 lunch. These meal prices can add up fast.
• Talk with your teacher after-school outside about your child's day. We'll have a staggered release: Kinder 2:20pm, First 2:25pm, 2nd - 5th 2:30pm at the bell.
• Leave gym shoes at school. During the winter this will make even more sense.
• Have nightly reading time and/ or homework time when you review your child's work and learning.
• Reading is our district's learning focus for the school year. Ask your child to read to you and share their understanding of the material.

Meet n' Greet - Join us Monday Aug 15th, 5:30-6:30pm. Talk with our teachers, office staff, PTA members, and many other school community members. At 6:15pm our Admin staff will introduce themselves in the gym and discuss best practices for success at school. Questions and ideas can be dropped-off at the office on a principal's 'Red Form'.

Dismissal - our front loop is for our Kindergarteners and First Graders. Please stay in your vehicle unless you are parked in a designated spot. Our Second- Fifth Graders will exit the gym doors, please pick them up in the gym loop. We do not have bussing this year.

Communication - make sure your Powerschool information is up-to-date. Calls to-and-from school are common and important. When you have concerns, reach out to your child's teacher in the preferred format. If needed, the teacher will reach out to other staff to answer your question.

Digital World - Arctic Light is a 'cell phone free' zone. In reality, there are cell phones but they must be turned-off and stored in backpacks during school hours. Students have access to Chromebooks and iPads while at Arctic Light. Please complete the Powerschool computer use forms and let us know if we can share your child's picture on our website or Facebook feed.

Title I - Due to our drop in applications for free/ reduced meals (last year meals were free) we lost most of our Federal Title I funding. We are hoping to return - fully - to Title I status as our families complete the Schoolcafe.com application. These funds bring us extra teachers, tutors, and trainings.

Recess - Daily, students have 30 minutes of recess. Each classroom has an assigned 'duty' that communicates with the teacher before and after recess. If you have questions about recess, please contact your teacher.

Winter Gear - Before you know it students will need: boots, snow pants, winter coats, hats, and gloves everyday for recess. Start looking now and consider helping us with our 'Winter Gear Swap' where you can trade for the sizes you need.

Arctic Light Student Handbook - is a great resource for having a successful school year. The Arctic Light Student Handbook is linked below.

Thank you for being our partners in your child's education.

Do Good Work, Be a Friend, Every Day.

Principal Keener