Chapman's March Newsletter
February 29th, 2023
Mrs. Stokes' Notes
Hello Chapman Families,
It is crazy to think that third quarter is in the home stretch! February had a number of highlights including a strong finish from our cross country skiing program, volleyball, wrestling and a number of academic happenings. I want to congratulate our Middle School Battle of the Books team on a 4th place finish in the district competition and our Project Grad Science Olympiad team who took 2nd place at the flight competition in Fairbanks. I am proud of our students and the things that they accomplish and am thankful to the coaches and mentors who help them on their path to success.
February was a big month for monitoring legislation. As principal, it is my job to make sure that I keep families and staff informed about legislation that impacts them as stakeholders. The two areas of legislation that have taken a considerable amount of my time and focus have been The Alaska Reads Act and the budget. The AK Reads Act was signed into law last year and has had a large impact on our building. The passing of this act has resulted in changes in curriculum, changes in assessment, and changes in how we report how students are doing. This act has also resulted in conversations regarding retention or as this act calls it, progression or non-progression.
Prior to April 16th, teachers will be meeting with families who have students who are identified as struggling readers in kindergarten through third grade and discussing whether to progress students to the next grade. This is a conversation that we do not take lightly. While the AK Reads Act calls for increased parental choice on when a student is retained, the impacts of non-progression can be detrimental for students especially as they get older. Historically, the only students that our staff has considered for non-progression have been in kindergarten and these decisions were made after looking at multiple factors including student age, developmental abilities, and school readiness. Beyond kindergarten or first grade, many researchers agree that the impact of non-progression is actually negative on student academic performance and social and emotional health.
During the upcoming State required meetings, teachers, parents and I will navigate the decision of promotion or non-promotion by looking at student data and research. There will be open dialogue regarding what is best for each child. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we do our best to meet the requirements of the law while prioritizing student needs.
The second hot topic in legislation is the education budget. The legislature and Governor are continuing to debate and consider what funding they will provide to public education. This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart as our School District is facing a 13 million dollar deficit should an increase in Base Student Allocation (BSA) not take place. Should funding from the State not pass, our school will be looking at cuts. These cuts might come in the form of extracurricular programs and or staff. This would have a direct impact on your child. I am attending budget meetings, monitoring legislative decisions, and advocating through social media and email. I encourage each of you to get informed on the budget and on how future legislation may impact your student and our local school. Our site council meetings are a great way to find out more information on this.
As always, I am proud to be a Chapman Eagle. I love our students, families, and staff and hope that Chapman can continue to inspire and meet the needs of each child that walks through our doors.
With Warm Regards,
Heidi Stokes
March Events
- 1st: Winter Carnival Wrap up Assembly
- 2nd: Snow Rondi Chapman Hosted Pinewood Derby @ 10:00 am
- 3rd: Snow Rondi Dog Show @ 10:00 am @ Chapman
- 3rd Snow Rondi Chapman Hosted Chess Tournament @ 1:00 pm
- 7th: Early Release, Students Out At 1:00 pm
- 8th: No School
- 11th-15th: Spring Break
- 18th: Return To School
- 20-21: 2nd-4th Overnight Field Trip to the Seward Sea Life Center
- 21st: Middle School Field Trip to Alyeska: Tentative
- 23-30: 8th Grade Trip to Yellowstone
April Events
- 12th: Early Release, Students Out At 1:00 pm
- 16th: Mass Choir-Time TBA
- 18th: Site Council Meeting 2:45 pm
- 30th: Mass Band-Time TBA
March Menu 🍽️
Upcoming Sports
Track: 6th-8th
Track Starts March 20th
Track Ends May 11th
Coach: Mr. Herbst
6-8th Grade Practice Schedule
Mondays: Track and Field Practice at School
Tuesdays: Track and Field Practice at School
Wednesdays : Bicycling to the Beach / Track and Field Practice on the beach
Bicycles may be stored at school in the greenhouse or bike rack.
All riders must have helmets
(Please bring a lock as the Greenhouse is NOT secure)
Thursdays: No Practice
Fridays: Track and Field Competition- If there is no meet scheduled: no practice.
Track Events
- Friday, April 19, 2024 3pm Homer Invite @ Homer
- Friday, April 26, 2024 3pm Skyview Invite @ SOHI
- Friday, May 3, 2024 3pm Kenai Invite @ Kenai
- Tuesday, May 7, 2024 Borough Prelims @ SOHI (Hosted by Skyview) 12 pm
- Saturday, May 11, 2024 Borough Meet Finals @ Nikiski High (Hosted by Skyview and Nikiski High) Running Finals begin at Noon
After School Opportunities
Artist in Residence
Thank you to the Bunnell Street Arts Center with support from the Alaska Legislature which funds Alaska State Council on the Arts, thus providing matching support from Rasmuson Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware, Kenai Fine Arts Center and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. These groups made it possible for local artist, Sharlene Cline, to inspire and work with students on a mural for our Library. More information to come on when this piece of art will be put on display. It has been amazing watching kids create a beautiful piece of art together!
February Highlights
Kenai Challenger Center
5th grade had the opportunity to visit the Kenai Challenger Learning Center thanks to a generous grant from Marathon Petroleum and Title I. The Challenger Learning Center of Alaska offers students the next best thing to an actual space flight with a Mission Control room designed after NASA Johnson Space Center and a fully immersive Space Station. 5th grade students had the opportunity to participate in a Mars Mission simulation as mission control and astronauts. They were in charge of working as a team and problem solving using math and science skills. They were successful in their mission objectives! We had an excellent time and appreciate the support from both Marathon and Title I.
Middle School Career Fair
On 2/21/2024 we had 10 community members visit Chapman and share their career journey with 6th-8th grade. This was a great opportunity for the students of Chapman to hear about different careers and the steps that they would need to take to enter that field. Thank you to all 10 participants for sharing your journey.
Chapman School’s Mission
Empowering
All students to have
Great
Lives through
Educational
Success