Homer High-Lights
Volume 4, Issue 2, September 2015
Message from the Principal
Parents & Guardians,
KPBSD has adopted a new strategy for lockdown procedures known as the A.L.I.C.E. plan. A.L.I.C.E. is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. This plan offers a different philosophy than we have used in the past in light of recent school violence. The philosophy of A.L.I.C.E. is to provide technology and information to staff and students so they can make informed decisions in a crisis, remove as many people as possible from the danger zone and provide realistic training so that those involved in a crisis have a better chance of surviving.
We will continue to implement A.L.I.C.E. in phases. Last year the first phase of training all students consisted of an introduction to the program, a short video and a class discussion on specific armed intruder scenarios.
The second phase consisted of A.L.I.C.E. drills that coincided with fire drills. Each drill consisted of an ALERT in the form of an announcement from the principal notifying everyone of the location of the “Danger Zone.” Teachers and students discussed strategies they could take to provide the safest outcome for the scenario.
This year we will have a refresher training of the A.L.I.C.E. protocol for all students. We will then implement drills that coincide with fire drills at least 3 times per year. Since these events are not predictable, we will provide different dangerous situations for discussion during each drill.
If you need more information or have any questions on the A.L.I.C.E. program you can call me at 235-4600 or read the following articles from our local papers which are included below.
· http://homertribune.com/2014/10/alice-new-training-aims-to-protect-students-k-12/
· http://radiokenai.net/kpbsd-to-implement-alice-training/
· http://sewardcitynews.com/2014/08/keeping-kpbsd-schools-safe-with-alice/
· http://www.alicetraining.com/tag/alaska/
I expect to have another great year, but if something comes up or you have suggestions for improvement please let me know. My office is open and I appreciate hearing your opinions or thoughts. My goal is to be responsive to what our parents and community want and need. Please give me a call or come in and chat.
Sincerely,
Douglas Waclawski
Principal
Dates To Remember
Sept. 1 - Site Council - 3:45 in Library
Sept. 1 - Volleyball vs SOHI - 4:00, 5:00 & 6:30
Sept. 5 - JV Football vs Nikiski - 11:00 am
Sept. 7 - No School
Sept. 8 - KPBSD School Board Meeting - 6:00 pm
Sept. 10 - Volleyball vs ACS - 4:00, 5:00 & 6:30
Sept. 11 - Volleyball vs Grace - 4:00, 5:00 & 6:30
Sept. 11 - Homer Dive Invitational - 4:00 pm
Sept. 12 - Volleyball vs Houston - 11:00, 12:00 & 1:30 PM
Sept. 12 - Football vs Thunder Mountain - 11:00 & 2:00 pm
Sept. 12 - Homer Swim Invitational - 10:00 am
Sept. 12 - ACT Test
Sept. 16 - Early Release - Students dismissed at 1:45
Sept. 18 - Football vs Joe Redington - 6:00 pm
Sept. 19 - XCR Time Trial Invitational - Spit Trail - 11:00 am
Sept 21 - School Pictures
Nurse's Corner - Your Resilient Teen
Did you or your teen see the movie, “Inside Out” this summer? It was full of great information on how to get through a hard time. Some teens fly through high school with few worries, but as you remember and know from your own child, teens feel everything stronger than they did before puberty or they will after 25. This can be a stressful time for your child (and you) but there are well-researched things that can ease this transition to adulthood. Here are three resiliency factors that you can talk about as a family.
- A supportive adult in your child’s life—you, a coach, teacher, youth minister, aunt, uncle, grandparents, counselor
- An interest that your child loves to do ---music, sports, art, fishing, hunting, cooking, working, theater
- An ability to identify emotions and ways to deal with hard emotions—they are learning about this in health class, seeing you and other adults deal with hard emotions in a healthy way
This book can be purchased for $15 on Amazon.
Stress Workbook for Teens
http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Child_Trends-2010_10_05_RB_AssessingStress.pdf
Over-the-Counter Medicines at HHS
Would you like your child to receive generic Tylenol or Advil if they have a headache, cramps or other minor to moderate pain at HHS?
They are allowed to have a small amount in their locker as long as they are the only ones who use it.
Or you can print a form from the District’s website and fill it out, sign and return it to the nurses at HHS. The nurses are allowed to give it to your child. If they are 18 they can sign the form themselves.
http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=3474
The HHS nurses always needs to know about prescription medicines that are taken at school.
Sharon Gorman, RN, and Ella May Cooper-Waldron, RN
235-4626
KPBSD Will Now Take Online Payments
RevTrak is the online payment system that will allow parents/students/community members to make payments for student activities, class fees, food service and other items or to make donations. A 3.61% transaction fee is added, which is the cost of the service and not a source of revenue for the district.
There are 3 ways to access RevTrak:
- Through KPBSD website
- Through PowerSchool
- Through “online payments” icon on KPBSD mobile app
http://bit.ly/kpbsdonlinepayments
The KPBSD website link will take you to the web store.
Counselor Corner
It is no wonder that students and their parents become confused about what is expected of them in the course of completing high school. There are borough, state and APS (the Alaska Performance Scholarship) rules and criteria—some overlap and others are individual to that particular entity. The following is a brief summary of each category—do feel free to call the counseling office with any questions.
Homer High School (KPBSD) graduation requirements
- 4 years Language Arts
- 3 years Math
- 3 years Science (must include a year each of life and physical sciences)
- 3 years Social Studies (including a semester each of AK History and US Government)
- 3 credits (six classes) Arts (must include a minimum of one semester of each creative and practical arts)
- 4.5 credits of electives. Note that once a category is completed, any additional classes taken in that subject area go to elective credit.
- 1 Year PE
22 credit total
APS
There are two paths to this scholarship. One is more math and science based and the other leans to humanities. Go to AK.alaska.gov for more info and a handy chart of the requirements. Both pathways require test scores to qualify and the amounts of the scholarship are based on test scores* and grades. It’s important for everyone to remember that dropping a class can eliminate a student from qualifying. Keep in mind this is a scholarship and not a guarantee of money. It cannot be used for out-of-state colleges.
College Requirements
Each college or university has qualifications and requirements that are specific to that institution. The only way to be sure is to check out each college’s website, but some general rules usually apply. Four years of math and science, four years of English/Language arts, and some combination of social sciences are standard. One thing to begin considering early in high school involves international or "foreign” language. Many colleges require two consecutive years of the same language in high school; some hope for three years. Not having this required background may limit the choice of colleges a student might apply for, so it is best to be safe and take a foreign language. Keep in mind that this is not a requirement for graduation from HHS but is included in some APS categories as well as college entrance.
*Students can register for both ACT and SAT online at www.actstudent.org and
Go Mariner Football!
Homer runs against Nikiski
Homer makes a stop versus Eielson
Football loses a close game to Houston
Highly Qualified Teachers
August 25, 2015
Dear Parent or Guardian:
I hope that your child is having a great year at Homer High School. Our teachers have worked hard for many years to prepare themselves for the challenging and rewarding role of providing a quality education for your child.
To that end, I wanted to share with you that our teachers have met all the criteria established by the State of Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development, as well as the criteria established by the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, to obtain their teaching credentials and hold a teaching position with our school district.
In addition, the teachers listed below have acquired the “highly federally qualified” designation required under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. This is a wonderful accomplishment on their parts. You are certainly welcome to request, through your principal, information about the professional qualifications of your child’s teacher.
AKERS, CONNIE
MS SCIENCE
BIOLOGY
GENERAL SCIENCE
AKERS, SCOT
MS MATH
HS MATH
BEDINGFIELD, CINDY
MS SOCIAL STUDIES
HS SOCIAL STUDIES
WORLD/US HISTORY
BISHOP, SUZANNE
MS MATH
MS ENGLISH/LA
MS SOCIAL STUDIES
HS ENGLISH
HS SOCIAL STUDIES
BORLAND, MICHELLE
MS ENGLISH/LA
MS SOCIAL STUDIES
HS ENGLISH
HS SOCIAL STUDIES
WORLD/US HISTORY
CAMPBELL, SEAN
HS ENGLISH
JOHNSON, AMY
MUSIC
MS SOCIAL STUDIES
HS SOCIAL STUDIES
THEATER
KLOEPFER, WALTER
MS ENGLISH/LA
HS ENGLISH
MIDDLE SCHOOL CONTENT (SELF-CONTAINED)
LOWE, VICKI
MS SCIENCE
BIOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
MALL, ALISON
MS MATH
HS MATH
PITZMAN, GORDON
SPANISH
Major in the Subject
REICHENBERG, HEATHER
MS ENGLISH/LA
HS ENGLISH
REMSEN, KENDRA
MS SOCIAL STUDIES
HS SOCIAL STUDIES
WORLD/US HISTORY
RIFE, BRUCE
MS SCIENCE
BIOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
EARTH SCIENCE
PHYSICS
ROBERTS, FRANCES
MS MATH
HS MATH
RUGLOSKI, PAMELA
MS MATH
HS MATH
SCHNEIDER, KYLE
MUSIC
SEATON, LAUREN
MUSIC
BIOLOGY
CHEMISTRY
Praxis II Exam
STINEFF, MATTHEW
GENERAL SCIENCE
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
CHEMISTRY
Praxis II Exam
STOCKBURGER, MONICA
ELEMENTARY K-6
TEMPLE, REBECCA
MS MATH
HS MATH
TETOR, ALAYNE
ART
WACLAWSKI, DOUGLAS
ELEMENTARY K-6
MS MATH
MS SCIENCE
MIDDLE SCHOOL CONTENT (SELF-CONTAINED)
WELCH, DENNIS
MS ENGLISH/LA
MS SOCIAL STUDIES
HS ENGLISH
HS SOCIAL STUDIES
WYATT, CAMRON
MS SOCIAL STUDIES
HS SOCIAL STUDIES
WORLD/US HISTORY
Our district is fully committed to the success of your child. We appreciate your partnership in our efforts. With parental and community involvement supporting our teachers and administration, together we will ensure that success.
Sincerely,
Douglas Waclawski
Principal
Homer High School
Sports Scores
Homer 14 - Houston 21 (August 14, 2015)
Homer 18 - Eielson 61 (August 22, 2015)
Homer 18 - Nikiski 42 (August 29, 2015)
Volleyball
Placed 3rd at Homer Invitational
Swimming
No Events in August!
Cross Country Running
11th-12th grade Champions at Nikiski (August 17, 2015)
Boys placed 7th and Girls placed 6th at Tsalteshi Invite (August 21, 2015)
Boys and Girls EARNED 1st place at the Homer Invitational (August 28, 2015)
We Want You to Follow HHS on Facebook!
We want to be able to give you instant up-to-date information about what is going on at school. This can include emergencies, sports scores and dates and times of events. To stay tuned to what is going on at Homer High, "like" us on Facebook. The address is www.facebook.com/homerhs. Join close to 600 other people who have liked HHS on Facebook and the over 2000 people who view our Facebook posts.
Cross-Country Runners Shine in the Tsalteshi Invite
Message to Seniors Going to College
Apply to schools early!!!
Many schools inside and outside of Alaska, both private and public, that have been popular destinations for HHS graduates are strongly encouraging prospective students to apply early in their senior year of high school. These schools often practice rolling admissions or have multiple priority deadlines throughout the fall whereby applicants learn whether or not they have been admitted within about a month instead of having to wait until April. Applying early also helps applicants qualify for specialized programs like honors colleges as well as for institutional scholarships that may not be available if they wait to apply until winter. And schools like AVTEC in Seward have long waiting lists for training programs like Welding. So start the application process early. And if you have questions, or if you don’t even know where to start, come talk to the counseling office. We’re here to help!
Parents of seniors, please be on the lookout for a notice in the mail on what coursework your student needs to complete this year in order to graduate and whether or not s/he is on track for the Alaska Performance Scholarship. If you don’t receive this or have questions, contact Paul Story.
Gallop Survey
Our school district has elected to participate in the Gallup Student Poll as a means of measuring our District’s Key Performance Indicator of social/emotional wellbeing in grades 5 and 10. By taking this important step, we are joining thousands of other schools in helping to measure the hope, engagement, and wellbeing of America’s students.
Students in these grades will bring home permission slips for the poll in the near future. Please complete the permission slip and return it to the school office. The poll will take place during school hours sometime between September 28th and October 30th. Look for more information on the Gallup Student Poll in the weeks to come.
Visit the Homer High School Website
Are you wondering when sports teams have home games? Do you have a senior who needs paperwork for their senior service project ? Do you want to see agendas and minutes from our site council meetings? Check out our school website to find answers to these and other questions.
The address is http://homerhighschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/.
You can access PowerSchool from our website and weekly activities as well. There are lots of great links and valuable information about Homer High School. If you have suggestions for things you would like to see on our website, please talk to Mr. Waclawski.
Homer High School
Email: dwaclawski@kpbsd.org
Website: http://homerhighschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/
Location: 600 E Fairview Ave, Homer, AK
Phone: 907-235-4600
Facebook: www.facebook.com/homerhs