Palmer High School
Principals Post
First day of school!
To my amazement the morning bell rang for 1st hour at 7:45am and the hallways quickly cleared. Even the guidance area, where students pick up their schedules, was practically empty. This is a testament to the incredible counselors and our front office support staff that works in tandem with our guidance department. The professionalism and dedication that this team possesses equates to a decrease in anxiety and helps to set a positive atmosphere for the school. I encourage you to thank our school counselors, Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Zimmer, and Mrs. Vanderwheele. Your students are in caring and capable hands.
Throughout the rest of the morning I visited most of the classrooms. What I found was more of the same. Positive classroom environments that students were relaxed and engaged with what their new teachers were sharing. In a nutshell, it was a great first day and at the end of the day my reflection left me with the the thought, 'I have a great job'.
This is officially the first year to be the head principal of Palmer High School and I'm not sure that realization has completely sunk in. It's an honor to be in this role and I'm truly looking forward to a great year. I have the confidence that it will be a great year because I'm surrounded by great educators, great students, in the best community in the state of Alaska.
CareDox medical record system
CareDox is the new medical record system that schools are using. Mrs. Pell (our school nurse) has expressed the need for more families to fill out the electronic document. This system will better assure MSBSD compliance with health regulations. The program is personalized to allow families to enter as much or as little information as they choose.
- The easiest way to access CareDox is by signing into your iParent account. Once signed in, choose any of your student/s and then use the CareDox link on the left to access your family CareDox account.
- If you need to create an iParent, complete this survey and we will assist you in getting it set up. Then you will be able to access CareDox from iParent.
- You can also visit https://secure.caredox.com/enroll/matanuska-susitna-borough-school-district, a link also exists in Parent Quicklinks, to create a CareDox account if you don’t have an iParent account.
IB program information
Last May, uncertainty regarding the State’s education budget led to rumors that Palmer High’s IB program would be cut. To be clear: Palmer High School’s IB program was never in danger of being cut, and I’m pleased to say that the program is fully funded for the 2017-2018 school year.
Over the summer, I communicated with community stakeholders regarding our need to pursue community partnerships to bolster our funding in order to maintain and grow the IB program now and in the future.
The current uncertainties in the State’s fiscal status mean that we still have plans to create community partnerships with organizations invested in academically rigorous high school programs. If you are interested in helping to facilitate these partnerships, please get in touch.
The International Baccalaureate Program is one of the many aspects of Palmer High School which makes us unique within our district. Over the course of this school year, we will be sharing more about the IB program and what it offers students. Keep your eyes open for an IB-focused principal post in two weeks, and watch for updates on the program on the Palmer High School website.
Benefits of Title I
Here are some of the other benefits to our school:
*Additional tutoring for all students
*Extended after school programs
*Cover cost for extra transportation (field trips)
*Increase access to technology for all students
*Reduced activity fees by 50%
What does it take to sign up?
Click on the link below and fill out the form. Everything is completely confidential. If your student does qualify for free lunch service, that is confidential also. When the student get their lunch they simply punch in their ID number, regardless if the family prepaid or if they receive free and reduced lunches.