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It is hard to believe the year is almost at an end. In this last month as I have watched students in the hallways, observed them in classrooms, and supervised lunch I have noticed how much they have grown. Physically, some of them have shot up and appear to be 2-4" taller than when they first walked through the doors in August. Mentally, they have learned to navigate seven different teachers and classes. Granted, some are still working through that process, but even so, there is growth. Socially, they have created new friendships, while old ones have grown stronger. I hope you as parents have noticed the growth as well. Your children leave sixth grade changed humans.

Seventh grade will bring a new set of challenges and even more changes. The best way to support your kids is by listening to them. They will not always communicate clearly and as you know sometimes you must utilize CIA level decoding technology to get at what they are trying to tell you. Pay attention, ask questions about their interests, share your own interests for that is how you model learning.

The next two weeks are packed with end of year activities, final assignments, projects, and tests. Be sure to check out all the announcements in the newsletter. Encourage your students to finish the year strong. As always, if you have questions, please call or email.

Along with the yummy lunches provided this week by the KIBSD and KMS PTSA, we also transformed our small lounge/storage room into a temporary relaxing space for our always-busy teachers! Complete with massage chair, mood lights, serene sounds, refreshing spa water, tasty snacks and a hot towel - we hoped to provide a little luxury during each of their planning periods!

Teachers, we hope you ALL felt pampered and appreciated, for all you do for us!!

Students recently spent an entire school day immersed in cultural presentations, activities and games. From the Filipino Tininkling dance presentation and Native Youth Olympics, to documentaries about the language and arts of the Alutiiq Tribe. In-class activities focused on games, arts, educational boxes, and videos from many cultures! Students were also encouraged to dress to represent their own culture for SGA's Spirit Week, and they did not disappoint! There were some amazing outfits! Cultures represented during the festival included Filipino, Alutiiq, Native Alaskan, Polynesian, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Russian, African-American, Puerto Rican, English, Irish, Mexican, Midwestern US, and several more.

Special thanks to Mrs. Lhotka, KHS's Mrs. Vergara, the Kodiak History Museum, and all of the students for making this event a smashing success! Bravo!

Last week, we honored several staff members who will be retiring from our school district at the end of this year. Mr. Mat Freeman, Ms. Sheila Beardsley, Mr. Arsenio Guevarra - pictured above - we wish you well on your next adventure!

WHAT A FUN NIGHT! Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help make this dance a success! The outfits were fantastic, the atmosphere was festive, and the spring fever was in full effect!

Special thanks to:

• Mr. Steele and Mr. Fogle, for keeping the students in constant motion on the dance floor
• Mrs. Rankin for running the photo booth
• Ms. King, Ms. G, and Mrs. Amanda for making the beautiful decorations
• All of our amazing volunteers, for pitching in and making light work of all jobs
• KMS 6th and 7th grade students and parents for having a great attitude and making the night special for all who attended!

Students are finishing their final project of the year which is a geometry art design project for 50 points. If they use their time in class wisely, they should have plenty of time to finish and may even finish early. As soon as they complete it, I can close out their grade for the year!

They will still have a few days to practice on IXL or make up missing work. All assignments are due by next Friday, May 19 so we can have time to enter grades which are due the beginning of the following week. If anyone wants the math textbook, your child can bring it home this week. It will look fairly empty because we used it mostly for practice worksheets this year, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t use it! We ended up doing a lot of the lessons digitally or with projects or hands-on materials in class as variations to filling in the blanks in the workbook.

Thanks for sharing your children with us this year. It has been wonderful having them as students!

IF YOU SIGNED UP TO CHAPERONE THE 6TH GRADE FIELD TRIP ON MAY 25, YOU WILL RECEIVE A PACKET FROM ME WITH INSTRUCTIONS IN A FEW DAYS. If you haven’t signed up but would like to, please email me at aotto02@kibsd.org Thanks!

Students completed the 50 states and WH Geography Test on Monday & Tuesday. They have an opportunity to retake these tests next Friday, May 19 during recess. We began learning about three ancient civilizations in the Western Hemisphere: Aztec, Maya, and Inca. Students began creating a map to show the locations of each empire.

Next week in ELA we will be returning our library books to start the week. From there, we will spend the week working on our final writing project of the year. They will be writing a full short story while purposefully going through the writing process. We will be sharing them in class on Friday and I cannot wait to hear their stories. They’ve already created their main character, and I’m anticipating some true creativity!

Recently, students completed a weed pull at the Chiniak Bay Elder House as part of our community engagement unit. Each student had previously selected an issue that is important to them, and we then conducted research and prepared to interview a local expert on their chosen issue.

Last Monday, our classes hosted Ms. Julie Matweyou, a marine scientist and university professor from the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center, who shared information about the effects of marine plastic. This interview gave students an opportunity for a practice run. Next week, students will interview their own local experts.

1. Email volunteer@kibsd.org that you are interested in becoming a volunteer and let them know which volunteer opportunity you’re interested in.

2. Check your email for a message from Sterling Volunteers (TheAdvocates@sterlingvolunteers.com) and follow the steps in the email. If you don’t receive the email within 3 business days, please contact volunteer@kibsd.org

3. You will receive an email once your background check is complete, with instructions to visit a school site, complete a volunteer agreement form and present your ID to the secretary.

4. Start volunteering!

5. Any questions? Contact KMS at (907) 486-7460