
Clark February Newsletter 2024
February 1st, 2024
Principal, Bennetta Orchitt
Dear Clark Families,
We hope you are doing well and staying warm during these cold winter months. We are busy with learning and activities every day here at Clark Middle School.
Our focus remains to cultivate a positive climate and create the best learning environment possible. High quality instruction and student learning are our highest priorities. Everything that we do at Clark Middle School is designed to help students learn in all areas and be successful well beyond their time in middle school.
We believe the partnership between school and home is a key ingredient for student success. With that said, we hope that your students are feeling safe and supported. This is an interesting time in their lives and development and can be challenging at times. If you have questions and or concerns, we want to hear from you.
For the 2024/2025 school year, school start times will look like this:
PLC Monday Schedule Start Time Release Time
Elementary School - 9:00 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
High School - 9:45 a.m. 3:15 p.m.
Middle School - 10:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday-Friday Schedule Start Time Release Time
Elementary School - 8:00 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
High School - 8:45 a.m. 3:15 p.m.
Middle School - 9:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
President's Day Holiday, February 19, 2024 [No School]
Hello Parent,
The application for the 2024 UAA Summer Engineering Academies is now open! We are excited to share that we are expanding the number of camps to 28. There will be 24 in Anchorage and 4 in Palmer. And we have several new camps this year, including Engineering Exploration (Grades 3-4), Text-Based Coding: AI Edition (Grades 8-12), 3D Printed Bridge Builders (Grades 6-8), and an Advanced version of our LEGO Robotics Junior camp (Grades 3-4).
This program and our growth is only possible due to ConocoPhillips Alaska, with additional support from the MTA Foundation and Siemens. Thanks to their generosity, we are able to offer the UAA Summer Engineering Academies at the low price of $225 per session for most families and for free to low-income families that qualify for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program.
Be sure to submit your application before the Early Bird Lottery Deadline of March 15th to have the best chance of being admitted to your child's top choices.
You can learn more and find answers to frequently asked questions at www.uaa.alaska.edu/sea.
Below are the Academies of Anchorage Parent/Guardian Survey in Multiple Languages
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AoAParentEnglish
Transition / Literacy Night
ACCESS Testing 2023/24
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Beginning February 1st our school will be conducting a state required assessment for English Language Learners. This assessment is called ACCESS and provides important feedback about the progress of our English Language Learners in Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing. Students will take the test using our school’s computers. Only students who are currently identified as members of the English Language Learners (ELL) Program will be assessed. Most of the assessments will be completed during the first two weeks of February but some may continue into March. More information about the ACCESS assessment can be found on the Alaska Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s ACCESS page, http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp.
If you have any questions about this test, you are encouraged to contact us here at school 907-742-4700. You may also contact the District’s ELL Department at 907-742-4452. Information about the English Language Learners Program in the School District can be found on ASD’s website.
As always, with testing, we ask that families plan so that their students are in school and are well rested for testing. Your patience and support for this process is very much appreciated as this assessment does provide useful information that helps our district and school improve programs for English Language Learners.
Sincerely,
Bennetta Orchitt
Clark MS Principal
Translations available at this link or on the following pages of this document - don’t forget to change the text in red before posting or sending the translations.
Spanish
Estimados Padres y Tutores Legales:
A partir del 1 de febrero nuestra escuela llevará a cabo una evaluación requerida por el estado para los Estudiantes Aprendices de Inglés. Esta evaluación se denomina ACCESS. La misma proporciona información importante sobre el progreso de los Estudiantes Aprendices de Inglés en lectura, conversación, comprensión auditiva y expresión escrita. Los estudiantes realizarán la prueba utilizando las computadoras de la escuela. Solamente los estudiantes identificados como participantes en el Programa de Aprendizaje del Idioma Inglés (ELL) serán evaluados. La mayoría de las evaluaciones se completarán durante las dos primeras semanas de febrero, pero algunas pueden prolongarse hasta marzo. Para más información sobre la evaluación ACCESS, consulte la página ACCESS del Departamento de Educación y Desarrollo de la Primera Infancia de Alaska, http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp.
Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre esta prueba, le animamos a que se comunique con nosotros llamando al (school phone number). También puede comunicarse con el Programa de Aprendizaje del Idioma Inglés (ELL), llamando al 742-4452. En el sitio web del ASD podrá encontrar más información sobre el Programa de Aprendizaje del Idioma Inglés del Distrito.
Como siempre, durante los exámenes, pedimos que las familias planifiquen bien para que sus estudiantes no falten a la escuela y estén bien descansados para las pruebas. Les agradecemos mucho su paciencia y apoyo en este proceso, ya que esta evaluación proporciona información valiosa que ayuda a nuestro distrito y escuelas a mejorar los programas para Estudiantes Aprendices de Inglés.
Sinceramente,
(Building Principal)
Samoan
Mo Matua ma Tagata Tausi Fanau,
E amata i le aso 1 o Fepuari o le ā fa'atautaia ai e le matou ā'oga se su'esu'ega e mana'omia e le setete mo Fanau o lo'o A'oa'o i le Gagana Igilisi. O lenei su'esu'ega e ta'ua o le ACCESS ma e tu'uina mai ai manatu tāua e uiga i le aga'i i luma o tatou Fanau o lo'o A'oa'oina i le Gagana Igilisi i le Faitau, Tautala, Fa'alogo ma le Tusitusi. E su'e tamaiti ā'oga i le su'ega e fa'aāoga ai komepiuta a le ā'oga. E na'o tamaiti ā'oga o lo'o fa'ailoa i le taimi nei o lo'o i totonu o le Polokalama i le A'oa'oina o le Gagana Igilisi (ELL) o le ā su'e i le suega. O le tele o le su'esu'ega o le ā mae'a i le lua vaiaso muamua o Fepuari ae o nisi e mafai ona fa'aauau iā Mati. O nisi fa'amatalaga e uiga i le su'esu'ega o le ACCESS e mafai ona maua i le itulau ACCESS a le Matāgaluega o Ā'oga i Alaska ma le Uluai Ā'oga Atinae o Tamaiti, http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp.
Afai e i ai ni au fesili e uiga i lenei su'ega, e fautuaina 'oe e fa'afeso'ota'i matou i le (numera telefoni a le ā'oga). E mafai fo'i ona e fa'afeso'ota'i le Matāgaluega ELL a le Itūmālō i le 742-4452. O fa'amatalaga e uiga i le Polokalama Fanau A'oa'o i le Gagana Igilisi i le Itūmālō o Ā'oga e mafai ona maua i luga o le 'upegatafa'ilagi a le ASD.
E pei ona masani ai, i suʻega, matou te talosagaina āiga ina ia fautuaina a latou fanau āʻoga ina ia lava le malolo mo le suʻega. O lō outou onosai ma lagolago mo lea tulaga e tāua tele ona o lenei su'esu'ega e maua ai fa'amatalaga aogā e fesoasoani ai i le tatou itūmālō ma ā'oga e fa'aleleia ai polokalama mo Fanau o lo'o A'oa'o i le Gagana Igilisi.
Ma le Fa'aāloalo Lava,
(Pule Ā'oga)
Tagalog
Minamahal naming mga Magulang/Tagapag-alaga,
Simula sa ika- 1 ng Pebrero, ang aming paaralan ay magsasagawa ng isang kinakailangang pagtatasa ng estado para sa mga Mag-aaral ng Wikang Ingles. Ang pagtatasa na ito ay tinatawag na ACCESS at nagbibigay ng mahalagang puna tungkol sa pag-unlad ng ating mga Mag-aaral ng Wikang Ingles sa Pagbabasa, Pagsasalita, Pakikinig at Pagsusulat. Ang mga mag-aaral ay kukuha ng pagsusulit gamit ang mga kompyuter ng ating paaralan. Tanging ang mga mag-aaral na kasalukuyang kinikilala bilang mga miyembro ng English Language Learners (ELL) Program ay tatasahin. Karamihan sa mga pagtatasa ay makukumpleto sa unang dalawang linggo ng Pebrero ngunit ang ilan ay maaaring magpatuloy hanggang Marso. Ang karagdagang impormasyon tungkol sa pagtatasa ng ACCESS ay matatagpuan sa pahina ng ACCESS ng Alaska Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp.
Kung mayroon kayong anumang mga katanungan tungkol sa pagsusulit na ito, hinihikayat kayong makipag-ugnayan sa amin dito sa (numero ng telepono ng paaralan). Maaari kayo ring makipag-ugnayan sa ELL Department ng Distrito sa 742-4452. Ang impormasyon tungkol sa English Language Learners Program sa School District ay matatagpuan sa website ng ASD.
Gaya ng dati, sa pagsubok, hinihiling namin na magplano ang mga pamilya upang ang kanilang mga mag-aaral ay nasa paaralan at nakapagpahinga nang mabuti para sa pagsubok. Ang inyong pasensya at suporta para sa prosesong ito ay lubos na pinahahalagahan dahil ang pagtatasa na ito ay nagbibigay ng kapaki-pakinabang na impormasyon na tumutulong sa ating distrito at paaralan na mapabuti ang mga programa para sa Mga Mag-aaral ng Wikang Ingles.
Taos-puso,
(Punong-guro ng Gusali)
Hmong
Nyob zoo cov niam txiv thiab cov saib xyuas,
Pib February 1, peb lub tsev kawm ntawv yuav tau ua ib qho kev ntsuam xyuas hauv lub xeev rau cov menyuam kawm Lus Askiv lossis English Language Learners (ELL). Qhov kev ntsuam xyuas no hu ua ACCESS thiab muab cov lus qhia tseem ceeb txog kev nce qib ntawm peb cov ELL hauv Kev Nyeem, Hais, Mloog thiab Sau. Cov kawm yuav xeem qhov kev ntsuam xyuas siv peb cov tsev kawm ntawv cov computer. Tsuas yog cov kawm uas tam sim no raug txheeb xyuas tias yog cov tswv cuab ntawm Cov Neeg Kawm Lus Askiv (ELL) lub program yuav tau xeem. Feem ntau ntawm cov kev ntsuam xyuas ua tiav thawj ob lub lim tiam ntawm lub February tab sis qee qhov yuav txuas ntxiv mus rau lub March. Cov ntaub ntawv ntau ntxiv txog qhov kev ntsuam xyuas ACCESS nrhiav tau ntawm daim Alaska Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s ACCESS page, http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp.
Yog koj muaj lus nug txog qhov kev xeem no, koj hu rau peb ntawm tus xov tooj no (school phone number). Koj xav hu rau ASD lub ELL Department ntawm 742-4452 los tau. Cov ntaub ntawv hais txog peb lubEnglish Language Learners Program nyob hauv ASD lub website..
Raws li ib txwm, peb thov kom cov tsev neeg tau npaj kom lawv cov menyuam tau so zoo ua ntej tuaj xeem. Ua siab ntev thiab txhawb nqa rau cov txheej txheem no tau txaus siab vim tias qhov kev ntsuam xyuas no muaj txiaj ntsig uas pab tau peb koog tsev kawm ntawv thiab txhim kho cov kev pab cuam rau cov kawm lus Askiv.
Ua tsaug,
(Building Principal)
Korean
학부모님과 보호자 여러분,
2월 1일부터 영어 학습자를 위한 주 필수 평가 시험을 실시할 것입니다. ACCESS라고 불리는 이 시험은 영어 학습자의 읽기, 말하기, 듣기 및 쓰기에 관한 학습 경과에 대한 중요한 피드백을 제공합니다. 학생들은 학교의 컴퓨터를 사용하여 시험을 치릅니다. 현재 영어 학습자(ELL) 프로그램의 구성원으로 확정된 학생만 시험을 칠 것입니다. 대부분의 시험은 2월 첫 2주 동안 완료되지만, 일부는 3월까지 계속될 수 있습니다. ACCESS 평가 시험에 대한 자세한 내용은 알래스카 교육 및 유아 발달 부서의 ACCESS 페이지인 http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp 에서 확인할 수 있습니다.
시험에 대해 질문이 있으시면 여기 (학교 전화번호)로 연락해 주시기 바랍니다. 교육구의 ELL 부서 (742-4452)에 연락하셔도 됩니다. 교육구의 영어 학습자 프로그램에 대한 정보는 ASD 웹사이트에서 찾을 수 있습니다.
항상 그렇듯이 시험을 치르는 동안 가족들은 학생들이 학교에 출석하고 시험을 위해 충분한 휴식을 취할 수 있도록 계획을 세울 것을 요청합니다. 이 평가 시험은 우리 교육구와 학교가 영어 학습자를 위한 프로그램을 개선하는 데 도움이 되는 유용한 정보를 제공하므로 이 과정 동안 보여주시는 여러분의 인내와 지원에 감사드립니다.
감사합니다.
(교장)
Team Perseverance
LANGUAGE ARTS: Tina Parchman parchman_tina@asdk12.org
ELA classes are continuing to study argumentative writing and analyzing the novel by Lois Lowry, The Giver. We are exploring aspects of high school readiness for note-taking and Assessments. For career and college readiness; we are learning about speaking in front of an audience and presenting information to convince and inform. Students have been engaging in different platforms to present multimedia presentations about important topics and issues they care about that affect our communities. We have also included different grammar and writing techniques that will help them with high school English classes: parallel structure, avoiding run-on sentences, fragments, and other grammar/writing techniques to construct an essay. As we continue with our academic readiness for high school, students will explore different study techniques and strategies to help them navigate the upper grades. We look forward to helping your students prepare for the upper grades. Thank you for all you do to support our students and faculty. We are so happy to have the opportunity to help your wonderful students prepare for their futures.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Hannah Hewett hewett_hannah@asdk12.org
In February I anticipate us wrapping up the Revolutionary War and starting to learn about the government of America. This will cover the Constitution and the three branches of government.
TEAM TENACIOUS
“Tenacity is more than twice the weight of intelligence.”
Springboard, Language Arts 6: Ms. M. Smith: Springboard Language Arts 6:
Students will be writing a literary response essay for "Walk Two Moons" that involves analyzing characters, themes, and the author's style.
Students will be guided writing their essay:
- Summarize the plot.
- Delve into characters like Sal and Phoebe
- Discuss the themes like loss, identity, and self-discovery.
- Explore the author's writing techniques, such as symbolism and foreshadowing.
- Support their points with quotes from the book.
- Conclude by expressing their personal reflections on the story's impact.
SCIENCE: Ms. Olsen: In science, students have learned about kinetic and potential energy in January and moving into specific forms of energy for the month of February. We will be focusing on learning about renewable and non-renewable energy sources, such as oil, gas, wind and geothermal, in general for the first half of the month and then moving to focusing on learning about these types of energy in more detail starting with solar energy for the second half of the month.
Springboard Language Workshop/Language Arts 6: Ms. Ridgely and Ms. Foley
In the month of February, students will be starting Unit 3: Changing Perspectives. Students will be studying/examining controversial societal arguments by using structural and argumentative text to evaluate claims. Students will learn how to effectively gather information to debate contemporary issues of the world.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Mr. Moran: Social Studies is continuing our unit on Human rights and responsibilities, civil liberties, government policies and their impact on our individual rights, how people and groups respond to governmental policies, Bill of Rights, African American Civil Rights, Women’s Suffrage, Native American Civil Rights, Latino and Citizen Responsibilities.
ELL Math/SCIENCE: Ms. Mohammad
Greetings, parents, and students. We will be continuing to make learning decimals and fractions in our sixth-grade math classes in interesting and enjoyable ways in Ms. Mohammad's Room 103B. We will be learning the following decimal operations in fun drills and exercises throughout this month until spring break.
Decimals are important in mathematics. In mathematics, decimals are crucial because they allow us to measure a wide range of non-whole objects, including lengths, weights, money, time, and more.
What the decimal digits mean.
How to organize, round, compare, and read and write decimals in word form.
Additionally, with instances of real-world applications of decimals, decimals are a means of writing fractions with a dot (.) to distinguish the full number from the fractional part.
Lastly comparing decimals and fraction, how they are same and different.
Students in the ELL/NCC 6–8 Integrated Science Class will study energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, and energy transfer, forms of energies, renewable, and nonrenewable resources from the beginning of February until Spring Break. through instructional materials and hands-on activities. They discover that there are correlations between a moving object's mass and velocity and that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Students can witness firsthand instances of potential-to-kinetic energy transfers through the related activities. Through science and engineering practices, such as designing and constructing prototypes to meet design requirements, organizing, and conducting investigations, gathering, and analyzing data, refining system designs, and working with other research groups, the activities also give students opportunities to apply the fundamental ideas of energy. Future lessons on energy technologies and power production can be well-founded on the basic ideas covered in this section.
Language Arts 6: Ms. Foley.: We are learning about one of the most important pieces in American history, the Civil Rights Movement. Students will learn that great leaders and just ordinary citizens rose to the call for "Justice for All." They will learn that it was through perseverance and determination great progress was made to break down the barriers of segregation. Students will be researching African Americans who contributed to society in a meaningful way but were never really recognized for their great achievements.
Math: Ms. Cleopas: We will be studying ratio and proportion problems is a fundamental aspect of mathematics that plays a crucial role in various real-world scenarios. Ratios express the relationship between two or more quantities, highlighting their proportional connections. Understanding ratios is essential for comparing quantities, making predictions, and solving problems in fields such as finance, science, and everyday life.
Team Valor
Happy February from Team Valor! We hope you are having a wonderful 2024 and we look forward to continuing a strong Spring semester!
In English Language Arts, students will be studying Poetry and change-making women in history such as Sojourner Truth and Malala Yousafzi.
In Writing – This Quarter we will be studying SAT vocabulary words and taking tests on a weekly basis to determine our understanding of the appropriate use of those words.
What we will not do as we have the past two quarters is the daily five minute write, and writing sentences for each SAT vocabulary word. This is not a retreat from work assignments but will move students toward the quarter emphasis on Argumentative writing. The 5 minute writes and the sentences were preparation for using the skillsets which will be needed for the major essay in which students will take a position and support it with factual evidence.
Argumentative Writing is writing in which a writer makes a claim about a topic and proves it with logic and evidence. Learning how to develop an effective argument is key to learning critical thinking skills which will be needed in the academic, real, and business world.
In Social Studies, students will be studying South America and Europe, and will begin working on their Spring presentation projects.
In Science, students will be studying outdoor Alaska sports physics, include skating, mushing, and sledding. Students will also begin work on their robot coding projects.
Should you have any questions, you can reach Team Valor at:
schlicht_amanda@asdk12.org - Language Arts
smith_carol01@asdk12.org - Writing
holmes_david@asdk12.org - Social Studies
apgar-kurtz_breena@asdk12.org - Science
Team Honorable
Black History Month
February is a month to celebrate Black history, but not as something to be taken out, looked at, celebrated, and then put away. It is a time to refresh and renew our understanding of Black perspectives and voices as part of our shared history. We continue to work towards an educational system that strives for inclusion and equity. This includes a commitment to uplifting Black voices and supporting Black youth in our community, not just in February, but year-round. This also includes acknowledging the barriers that have contributed to the marginalization of students whose identities exist at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression. Black culture and achievements play a critical role and how we live, learn, work, and play. However, persistent practices, beliefs, and behaviors continue to uphold systems that contribute to disproportionality in schools. To learn more about inequities and biases that exist for students of color in special education, read Research conducted by the National Center for Learning Disabilities—Significant Disproportionality in Special Education.
Fact Sheet on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from OCR
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a fact sheet titled: "Fact Sheet: Diversity & Inclusion Activities Under Title VI."
This fact sheet was created to “assist school communities, including students, parents, families, educators, and elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions, in understanding that diversity, equity, and inclusion training and similar activities in most factual circumstances are consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI).”
The fact sheet linked above addresses disparate treatment based on race and clarifies that "activities intended, in whole or in part, to further objectives such as diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are not generally or categorically prohibited under Title VI [of the Civil Rights Act of 1964]. Congress has found that it is in the best interest of the United States to support public schools 'that are voluntarily seeking to foster meaningful interaction among students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, beginning at the earliest stage of such students’ education.'"
National Junior Honor Society
NJHS is a middle school student organization that promotes the values of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship within a school. Part of their service requirement is to engage their school and community in events. During the first part of February, they will be selling Carnations and Candy to raise funds for their organization. Flyers will posted throughout the school and will be delivered to the recipient on Valentine’s Day.
How do you become a member of NJHS?
Each Quarter 3 at the end of February an application will be given to those that meet the academic requirements. The candidate will complete the application, essay, and teacher's recommendation form and turn them into Mrs. Swisher.
Selection of Members:
1. To be eligible for membership, the candidate must be a sixth-grader OR a seventh-grader at Clark Middle School.
2. The selection of members to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the faculty council.
3. All faculty members will review the applicants’ names. Students who do not promote service, leadership, citizenship, and character in the classroom will not be considered for membership.
Scholarship Requirements:
All applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better as their overall score for each core class on the report card from the first two quarters.
Service Requirements:
All applicants are required to have documented and verified community service hours.
Leadership and Character Requirements:
Students will be asked to detail their leadership experiences while attending Clark Middle School or any other middle school they have attended.
Essay:
All applicants will be required to submit one essay, discussing how they meet the pillars of NJHS.
Letter of Recommendation:
Students are required to include a letter of recommendation from 2-3 adults who can speak to the pillars of character, leadership, citizenship, and service.
Team Pizzazz
Greetings, Team Pizzazz Parent/Guardian!
We hope you've had a great start to the new year. This quarter, your student will be working on argumentative writing prompts, data collection, energy labs/experiments, a graphic novel project, and National History Day work. These assignments will increase in rigor-level and build off previously learned concepts. As a reminder, we have a new assignment-grading policy that has been communicated to students every day since January 8th. In an effort to encourage students to turn in assignments in a timely manner, all Team Pizzazz teachers will be implementing the following late assignment policy: there will be a 2% grade deduction per day, per assignment. This means that if a student does not turn in an assignment on a Monday, they will have 8% off their total score by Friday (if the work is still not turned in by the end of the week). Please let us know with any questions you may have. End of Quarter 3 is Thursday, March 7th at 10:00 pm.
Best,
Team Pizzazz
Ms. Cash (Language Arts) --> cash_ellie@asdk12.org
Ms. Pfisterer (Science) --> pfisterer_abigail@asdk12.org
Mr. Manlangit (Writing) --> manlangit_cesar@asdk12.org
Ms. Nault (Social Studies) --> nault_tanya@asdk12.org
Team Fearless
Language Arts: William Gordon gordon_william@asdk12.org
Students will be reading and studying the novel Tangerine by Edward Bloor. While reading students will be keeping a quote journal and completing various activities based on character development, theme, and story structure.
Writing: Colleen Martinson martinson_colleen@asdk12.org
Students will continue to write informative writing with claim, counterclaim, evidence, reasoning and rhetorical appeal in argumentative writing. The topic will be forensics investigation.
Social Studies: Natalie Moten moten_natalie@asdk12.org
Students will be finishing their NHD projects during the beginning of January. Clark's NHD competition will be held early in February. Our next unit will be a study of Europe.
Science: Alexis Griffee griffee_alexis@asdk12.org
This February we will continue our journey into the world of physics. We will be learning practical applications of Newton's Laws and how those concepts relate to our daily lives. Our class is looking for donations of empty two-liter bottles or for upcoming lab days.
Team Resilience
Writing Department: Scott Macdonald macdonald_scott@asdk12.org
As we enter February, the Writing department is continuing to dive deep into the middle argumentative writing. Students are learning how to create claims and back them up with evidence and logic. They will also learn how to use different types of classical rhetoric to help support their arguments and persuade their audience toward their claim.
From Team Resilience:
Team Resilience is looking towards high school readiness and getting your students prepared for the next step of their education during the second semester. In Social Studies, students will begin looking at off - world colonization opportunities that may present themselves in the future. Our Little Town Economics project will also be on display in February, 2024 when Clark Middle School hosts a Social Studies night. In Science 8 we are using pre-AP strategies, class discussions, and hands-on activities to understand more about concepts of light, color, astrophysics, and cosmology; we will be understanding our universe through the discoveries of NASA's flying telescope, SOFIA. In Language Arts, students will continue reading The Giver. Students will focus on recognizing dystopian societies and the parallels between various forms of government that are case studies of dystopian worlds. Writing will be continuing to work developing argumentative skills and using information from sources to back up our claim.
Best,
Mr. Moberly
Clark's Transitional / Orientation Night
Clark School Dance
Friday, Feb 9, 2024, 03:00 PM
Clark Middle School, Bragaw Street, Anchorage, AK, USA
Math Dept.
6th Grade Math: Blake Baker baker_blaker@asdk12.org
Math is starting unit 3 with understanding ratio concepts.
7th Grade Math:
Mr. Weaver's class is starting Algebraic Thinking. That means we will be doing deeper dives into expressions, equations, and inequalities.
In Mr. Johnson's class we are continuing our work with integers by focusing on multiplication and division before we have our big Unit 2/3 assessment.
In Madden's class they are working on improving their MAP scores which includes improving their overall math ability with specific focus on fractions, mixed numbers, and geometry skills.
In March we will be having math night so keep your peepers pealed for that.
John Weaver weaver_john@asdk12.org
Joy Madden madden_joy@asdk12.org
Bradley Johnson johnson_bradley@asdk12.org
Math 8: Sarah Miller miller_sarah@asdk12.org,
Bryson Maxwell maxwell_bryson@asdk12.org
Students will be finishing unit 4: Functions and getting their new book!! Unit 5-7 are in volume 2 so their first volume will be coming home.
Algebra 1: Students will be finishing unit 4, taking their unit test, and starting unit 5 which is about exponential functions. Units 5-7 are in volume 2 so their first volume will be coming home. Look for the February email with the assignments calendar.
ALASKA STATE SCHOOL FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
In January, we welcomed everyone back! Our students have been working hard to complete projects and learn new skills! Although Pizza Night was fun as always and we are excited to see more faces in the upcoming months (see the schedule below).
February brings up the time we start to expand our reaches outside of the classroom! We will be going on a trip to Alyeska, as well as exploring space throughout the coming semester!
AKSDHH gear is still available to order! We have hoodies, vests, t-shirts, hats and more! If you would like to order anything or see the inventory list, please contact Clara Baldwin (Assistant Director of AKSDHH) via email at baldwin_clara@asdk12.org.
Upcoming events for AKSDHH:
- AKSD Annual Ski Trip – February 9
- Jr. NAD Pizza Night – February 15 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm – Round Table Pizza
- Jr. NAD Pizza Night – March 21 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm – Round Table Pizza
- Jr. NAD Pizza Night – April 18 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm – Round Table Pizza
FROM THE NURSE'S OFFICE...
Greetings Clark families,
I have enjoyed meeting and caring for your students. I would like to remind families of the guidelines regarding student medication at school.
Per Anchorage School District, students are not allowed to carry any prescription or over the counter medications. This causes a major safety risk for other students that are allergic to the medication. If your student needs medication at school, their guardian needs to bring it to the school nurse in its original packaging. I am not allowed to take loose pills in a Ziploc bag.
In the nurse's office, I have a locked medication cabinet with the following over the counter medication for students:
Acetaminophen 500 mg tablets
Ibuprofen 200 mg tablets
Tums antacid (calcium carbonate) 750 mg chewable tablets
Per ASD and my personal Alaska State Registered Nurse license, I require permission from the guardian to give a minor child any over the counter medications. I am allowed to give the above medications one time with verbal permission from the guardian via the telephone.
If you prefer not to be called every time your student comes to the nurse requesting ibuprofen, acetaminophen or Tums, please complete the attached "non-prescription (over the counter) medication authorization" form and have your student give it to me. Please be aware that the form expires at the end of student's current grade year. A new form must be signed by their guardian at the start of every new school year. I also have blank forms in my office. I am available Monday-Friday 8AM-3:30 PM if you have any questions.
Nurse Brown, 907-742-7784
Anchorage School Based Health Center
The Clark Medical Clinic is available to see students who cannot get to a doctor in the community. If your student plans to do track and field, after spring break, have them reach out to request an appointment through the link below.
https://forms.gle/DUMfETYDpArMaV23A
School Clinic appointment request
Please complete this form to let us know that you need to have a clinic visit. We will determine what paperwork you need, if any. When it is your turn to be seen, we will find you in class.
Heather Ireland
Executive Director
Anchorage School Based Health Centers
907-742-0479 (office)
907-917-6764 (work cell)
Cross Country Skiing
Hello Cross-Country skiers: parents and students
We are looking forward to a fun and successful ski season and can’t wait to see everyone at the ski meets. Your awesome students will learn classic and skate skiing skills that will help them in the meets and for their future skiing adventures. Your student received a ski packet that outlines the dates of the meets and practice times. If you would like to volunteer at the meets, the information is in the ski packet sent home with them. Thanks so much for all your dedication and hard work during the upcoming season. Ski on….
Coach Parchman- parchman_tina@asdk12.org
Mark Your Calendar
February
Feb. 1st-16th - Access Testing
Feb. 1st - Girls Basketball Game
Feb. 2nd - Q3 Discipline Committee Meeting
Feb. 6th - Q3 Safety Committee Meeting
Feb. 6th - Girls Basketball Game @ Clark
Feb. 7th - X-C Ski Meet
Feb. 7th - Wrestling Meet 5:30 @ Clark (Mears, Goldenview, Begich, Hanshew)
Feb. 8th - Girls Basketball Game @ Clark
Feb. 9th - School Dance
Feb. 9th - Bettye Davis Youth Leadership Summit @ Bettye Davis East Anchorage HS [5pm-9pm]
Feb. 10th - Wrestling Jamboree
Feb. 12th - Sports Pics
Feb. 13th - Girls Basketball Game
Feb. 14th - X-C Ski Meet
Feb. 14th - Wrestling Meet @ Hanshew
Feb. 15th - Girls Basketball Game
Feb. 17th - Wrestling Jamboree
Feb. 17th - Girls Basketball Tournament
Feb. 17th - Debate Tournament
Feb. 19th - President's Day [No School]
Feb. 21st - X-C Ski Meet
Feb. 22nd - Clark Family Engagement Night & Transition Night
Feb. 23rd - In-Service Day [No School for Students]
Feb. 27th - X-C Ski Meet
Feb. 29th - X-C Ski Meet