Arctic Light K-8
Do Good Work, Be a Friend, Every Day - April 18th, 2022
Upcoming Events:
April - Month of the Military Child
April 22nd - Intent to Return forms are due
April 22nd - 5th-8th Grade Social/ Dance: 6-8:00pm
April 25-29th - Spirit Week (see flyer below)
April 26th - STEAM Night and Open House: 5:30-7:00pm
April 27th - Open House at Tanana Middle School: 6-7:00pm
May 2nd-3rd - Kindergarten Round-Up
May 3rd - Art Night
Arctic Light Elementary is awarded the Purple Star Award!
Principal's Message - Accreditation
This past year our school district worked through accreditation with Cognia, a large educational non-profit. Accreditation was a lengthy process involving hours of meetings and paperwork. Our school's final report included over 40 pages with embedded links connecting the reader to our school systems and processes of best practices.
As a district we did well individualizing student learning, connecting each student to a caring adult and teaching the curriculum. Areas of need included improving our staff professional development and using data to drive our instruction. This is where Title I has pushed and pulled Arctic Light Elementary for years and, as you'll read below, we have lost their support for next year. But, we can get it back.
Our time with students is limited. Covid has created significant challenges and varied student needs. At Arctic Light we use student data to target our instruction, a practice we developed with Title I. Teachers give short whole group lessons and then pull small groups for their leveled learning needs. I believe the whole district will be following this example following the public release of the Cognia Accreditation report.
- School Social/ Dance - April 22nd, 6-8pm for our 5-8th grade students. Tickets on sale: $5 for entrance, 2 slices of pizza and drinks.
- Please return your 'Intent to Return' forms by April 22nd to helps us plan for a successful next school year. The more information you add the better we can place your child, though we can only fulfill request to a certain degree. Forms linked here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19HlgOnKj5k6HHOQ-5AnIgWMtSmXTmDU0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=108667950797486345032&rtpof=true&sd=true
We have had many Covid challenges this year including our students' varied learning levels. The Cognia accreditation process required an honest review of our district and school educational practices. The final report will better guide our school district systems. I predict our current school practices will be the goal for our district in the year to come.
Thank you for your support and always share your ideas to improve our educational systems.
Do Good Work, Be a Friend, Every Day.
Principal Keener
Purple Up Day - What a Great Day!
Next Year: Loss of Title I Funds & Meals Cost: $2 & $3.50
We obtain Title I Funding through families qualifying for free or reduced meal costs at SchoolCafe.com. During these past two Covid years school meals have been free. We hear there is little incentive for families to apply when something is free.
Next year, school meal costs will be - breakfast: $2.00 and lunch: $3.50. I highly encourage families to apply now for next years' free or reduced school meals through SchoolCafe.com.
We expect the costs to prompt families to apply as will the loss of our school programming. If we can return to our previous Title I rates we will be readmitted into the program. I do hope this is the case.
Please apply for your free or reduced school meals through SchoolCafe.com. This can reduce your expenditures and support our school programming.
Counseling Corner - Kate LaSota
“We Don’t Talk About Uno, no no no…!”
I heard this joke sung by a student in Ms. Grogan’s class, and it reminded me that students do need to Talk About Uno, to learn to negotiate the different ways people interpret rules.
“I am so sick of playing alone!” I heard this statement from another student in a younger grade.
Now that Covid rates are declining, it’s finally time for us to flex back into having students and neighbors play together in-person. It’s also time for us to structure schedules so that some types of games get more play time than others. I was made aware of this when watching students use legos to bombard each other, as if playing an Angry Birds video game.
Of course, instead of just the destructive tasks of some video games, we want to support cooperative goals and rules. Structured competition can be learned through a variety of board games and cards, and through pick-up games of sports, like soccer or basketball.
It’s time for seeing friends in-person and for more playtime offline. It’s time to Talk About Uno, and to have outdoor adventures together.
North Haven Earth Day Coloring Contest
North Haven Communities is doing a Salmon coloring contest for Earth Day!
Completed coloring sheets are due April 20th to the Front Office of Arctic Light Elementary.
North Haven will provide each winner with a special Earth Day themed kit, for example a pot, soil, seeds, etc. to grow a plant.
Go to Schoolcafe.com to apply for "free or reduced" lunches or download the app. Qualifying students will receive a scholarship to the Summer camp that takes the price from $230 to $25. After you finish applying on Schoolcafe.com, fill out the scholarship form below and
contact Ms. LaSota at the school at 907-356-2038.
Monday Humor
Is it always "I before E, except after C"?
Neigh neigh!
My math teacher called me “average.”
She is so MEAN.
For awhile Houdini used a trap door in every show, but it
was just a stage he was going through.
Why was Mr Mushroom so popular?
Because he was a fungi.
Last night my wife asked me if I’d seen the dog bowl.
I said, “I didn’t know he could.”