Homer High-Lights
Volume 4, Issue 6, February 2016
Message from the Principal
Challenging times are coming!
There is no good way to deliver this news, but major cuts are expected at all KPBSD schools for the 2016-2017 school year. Homer High School is going to be hit hard next year. We could lose 4 to 5 teaching positions for this coming year. Assuming that the State Legislature keeps funding flat, class sizes will increase and the number of courses we can offer will decrease. Of course, if the State Legislature cuts funding even more, this will be more challenging.
We have a great dedicated staff and wonderful students. We will get through this just fine, but it will affect our ability to be responsive to all of our students needs. We need to be ready for the changes. If you have an opinion about what should be cut, please come to our Site Council meetings which happen on the first Tuesday of each month at 3:45 in the Homer High Library.
Alaska needs a stable funding system that is not dependent on oil prices. If you have an opinion on funding for schools or what this system should look like, please let your legislator know. If you don't say anything things will not change. If our system of funding remains the same we are anticipating similar cuts every year for the next three years. This will directly affect every student at HHS and the entire KPBSD. Let your voices be heard with the people who make these decisions at the state level!
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
Feb. 2 - Site Council Meeting - 3:45 pm in Library
Feb. 3 - Early Release - Students dismissed at 1:45 pm
Feb. 4 - Parent Teacher conferences 8:30 - 11:00 am & 12:00 - 3:00 pm
Feb. 4 - Evening Parent Teacher Conference Event - 5:00 - 8:00 pm in Commons
Feb. 5 - No School - Teacher In-Service Day
Feb. 8 - Grade Check
Feb. 11-13 - Winter Carnival Basketball Tournament
Feb. 13 - XC Ski Boroughs - 11:00 am
Feb. 18 - Basketball vs ACS - 3:30, 5:00, 6:30 & 8:00 pm
Feb. 19 - Basketball vs Grace - 3:30, 5:00, 6:30 & 8:00 pm
Feb. 20 - Basketball vs Houston - 3:30, 5:00, 6:30 & 8:00 pm
Feb. 26 - Basketball vs Seward - 3:30, 5:00, 6:30 & 8:00 pm
March - 2 First Day of Practice for Soccer, Track, Softball & Baseball
March 2-5 - Region 3 Basketball Tournament at Grace Christian
KPBSD Public Budget Meeting
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is holding Public Budget Meetings at the following locations:
- Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. in the Seward High School library
- Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. in the Soldotna High School library
- Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. in the Homer High School library
Everyone interested is encouraged to attend one of the meetings. If there are questions, please contact Lassie Nelson at 714-8838.
2016-17 Scheduling
By now, most parents are aware of the impending budget cuts. Just how drastic the results will be remains to be seen, but it is certain to have considerable impact. In response to such changes, the counseling department will be requesting that our students fill out their course requests earlier than usual so that we have sufficient time to plan a schedule that will accurately reflect what students want and need for graduation. We need your support in encouraging your students to carefully consider their decisions. With staff cuts there will be fewer sections so later class changes will be limited—what a student chooses this spring is what he/she will be taking in the fall with few exceptions.
We have provided a copy of the registration form below. Please review this with your child and understand that we may have to schedule your child's second or third choice.
Parent Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, February 4th!
We will also have traditional Parent Teacher Conferences during the same day, February 4th. Teachers will be available in their classrooms from 8:30 - 11:00 am and 12:00 - 3:00 pm.
Make sure you mark this date on your calendar. We will be giving out two $25 gift cards from a random drawing to people who fill out a survey during the evening event. We hope to see you all there.
Agenda
Daytime
8:30 - 11:00 am - Traditional Conferences in Classrooms
12:00 - 3:00 pm - Traditional Conferences in Classrooms
Evening
5:00 - 8:00 pm - Conferences in the Commons
5:00 - 8:00 pm - Cookies and Snacks Provided by Culinary Arts
College Prep
6:00 - Local scholarships
6:30 - Where Will You go Next? - College Prep for Parents of Juniors
Musical Performances
5:00 - 5:30 – Jazz Band (Johnson)
5:45 - 6:15 – NOSB Practice Round (Seaton)
6:30 - 7:00 – Swing Choir (Schneider)
Come See Student Work!
AMP is Coming for 2016
In the carts below the row labeled "School" is Homer High School. You can see that HHS has more students in level 3 and 4 than the State and District. In fact, HHS was one of the highest scoring schools in the state on the AMP test.
School Safety Closures or Delay Start Information
If school remains open despite adverse weather and you as a parent or guardian assess the conditions in your local area and decide to keep children home, please call the school to let the office know. An absence due to road and weather conditions will be excused.
Homer Wrestlers Earn State Championship!
Lindsey and Landon amaze at the Dimond DDF Tournament!
Homer Hockey split with Bartlett
Sarah Wolf finishes strong at the Homer Invitational.
Homer Girls basketball Earned 2nd Place at the Nikiski Tournament!
Chris Perk Earned Alaska State Wrestling Coach of the Year!
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 as well as 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.
Counselling Courner
PSAT 10
As advertised, we will be offering the PSAT 10 for sophomores who want to get some extra practice for next year’s “real” PSAT which is the entire point for the National Merit Scholarship competition. The test will be given on February 22 at HHS. This is an entirely new version of the test so it will be interesting to see how our sophomores score. The cost is $15 (students who need help with the fee can check with the counseling office).
PSAT 11
Those students who took the PSAT as juniors scored very well on the test. As has been the case for the past few years, it is likely that we will have students who qualify for the NMSQT. We are all really proud of our students and thankful for the excellent teachers and parents who continue to inspire them.
Class of 2019
Our unstoppable class of 2019 is continuing to preform amazing feats of excellence with 29 students scoring a perfect 4.0 for their first semester. Over half of the class ended the fall semester with a GPA of 3.5 or better. Here’s hoping the trend continues!
Spring Break
March is a great time to visit campuses in the Lower 48. If you find yourself visiting relatives, just vacationing near a campus, arrange for a tour. Whether it is a school your student is interested in attending or not, it’s good to start getting a feel for a variety of schools, large and small. It’s also great for younger brothers and sisters to go along. The data tells us that older siblings have the greatest impact on college choices (more than counselors and parents).
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Counselors will be available to talk individually with parents during conferences and will be presenting to small groups in the evening in room B-103. Please stop by.
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