Staying in the Current
News and Notes from The Watershed School
Approaching Mid-Year!
Halloween is over, Mrs. Arneson is back in third grade, and there's ice forming on the Chena...time for a newsletter!
ALICE
You should have received an email from the district last month inviting you to attend one of the ALICE informational meetings. If you would like to learn more about school safety and security at Watershed specifically, please come to the December 5th PTSA meeting (6:00 pm). I'll spend a little time discussing our school's safety plans and address your questions and concerns.
Gear (there's always a gear blurb at this school!)
'Tis the season to take rain gear home and bring in hats, mitts, snowpants, boots, wool socks, neck/cheek warmer, and coats to keep kids (even our tough middle schoolers!) happy and warm during our cold weather months. Snow will eventually fall, right? Once we get enough, we'll be asking for ski gear to come in as well. For those of you interested in ski club, we'll begin meeting on Mondays (at UAF) and Wednesdays (at Birch Hill) once there is enough snow (hoping for Monday, November 19). Feel free to drop off ski club registration forms at the office now.
Parking Lot Idles
I realize I'm jumping into the pike-infested waters of the local air quality debate here, but y'all chose to enroll your children in a school that will "encourage...a sense of social and ecological responsibility" (from our mission statement), so here I go...Cannonball!
PLEASE do not idle your vehicle in our parking lot before or after school. Our air handler does a great job of sucking up that exhaust and distributing it throughout the school. Instead of waiting in your warm vehicle, come on in! You'll be greeted by a warm building (and warmer people!). Yes, vehicle exhaust is a relatively small contributor to our community's poor air quality, but it certainly plays a role that we can diminish or eliminate at Watershed. Local air quality (we have a sensor at the school) is taken into consideration when making decisions about recess, ski trips, and other classroom outings - so please - bundle up, come inside, and turn off your engines (think of all the cappuccinos you can buy with the gas money you save!).
Volunteer Heroes
I better follow that up with something a lot more cheerful. This is way overdue and is not a complete list, but we had some parents go well out of their way with volunteering during the first quarter and they deserve to be recognized. Ty and Jen Humphrey are behind most everything you see involving the PTSA and school events. I won't list everything they've done this year because this newsletter would start to look like a Tolstoy novel (sounds snobby, but I never made it all the way through War and Peace). Don Werhonig spent an entire day at school sharing his expertise and training the staff in Wilderness First Aid (now we can splint a broken wrist AND tell you some colorful tales from his Montana days!). Caitlyn and Ben Overacker have bravely taken over Battle of the Books with support from Renee Rember (thanks again to Lori Schoening who started our Battle program and coached our teams for years)! Ursel Schuette helps keep our library well prepared and running smoothly for our insatiable readers with her weekly service. Mark Oldmixon coordinated the gear swap again this year. Several middle school parents stepped up big time and helped make the Kachemak Bay (Jason Shoening, Katey Hilpert, Rochelle Collard, Aimee Hart, and Sacha Layos) and Delta Clearwater (Marita Bunch, Sarka Meyer, Jennifer Young, Aelin Allegood, Natalie Ott, and Kathy Peterson) trips possible. Another middle school parent and Potato Wednesday saint, Jennifer Chown, deserves recognition for keeping everyone's favorite lunch running as smoothly as possible.
Thanks to all of you who help with trips, work with students or guest speak in classrooms, and help put on school events and fundraising activities.
Plowing Needed this Year
Speaking of volunteering...anybody out there want to take over plowing the school parking lot this winter? Unsung hero, Reggie Dallaire, has plowed our parking lot for the past five years and is taking a well-deserved break. If you have the time and the plow truck, give us a call!
Hot Links!
C'mon Snow!
Soggy, but Smiling
Rocking the Vote
Upcoming Events
- 1st Wednesday of the month at 6:00 (Nov. 7, Dec. 5)
Academic Policy Committee Meetings
- 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:00 (Nov. 15, no Dec. meeting)
- Member contacts, bylaws and minutes of past meetings
Friday, November 9: FULL day of school, but NO BUSING at Watershed
Monday, November 12: No School (professional development day for staff)
Saturday, November 17: Watershed Holiday Market
Wednesday, November 21: No School
- Enjoy the extended Thanksgiving break!
Jarrod Decker - Head Teacher
Email: jarrod.decker@k12northstar.org
Website: www.k12northstar.org/watershed
Location: 4975 Decathlon Avenue, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 374-9350