THE SCOOP

Dear Families,

I would like to start off by saying thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who came together to make our Fall Carnival a huge success. There were wonderful games and activities for the children to play, a very spooky haunted house, and all the fantastic dishes prepared for us to enjoy. Our upcoming Chugach Auction at the 49th State Brewery on November 4th (6-10 pm)is sizing up to be just as successful. If you haven’t already, please make sure to go online to chugachaution.com to get your tickets.

If you have been following the local news, you’ll undoubtedly have heard of some of the proposed changes in the school district based on the budget deficit we are facing next school year. Please make sure to get out and vote this November 8th, as our next cohort of state leaders will be tasked with deciding what the future of funding education in Alaska will look like.

I would also like to remind everyone that if you are part of a business or organization that wishes to post anything in the school or put things in student cubbies, you must first complete the ASD form “Flyer Approval for Community Activities and Events” and receive approval from the district. This form can be found on the district website. If you have trouble locating the form, the front office at Chugach will be glad to help you.

In closing, I want to remind everyone that winter has arrived. Please make sure your child has the appropriate gear (hats, gloves, boots, snow pants, jacket), so they can get the most out of their recess.

I’ll see you around the building.

Joel

November 2: BOB 3/4 (2:50pm) & Community Assembly Meeting (5:30pm)

November 4: Primary Group Field Trip (11am) & Chugach Auction (6pm@49th State Brewery)

November 7: BOB 5/6 (11:40am) & Choir (2:50pm)

November 8: Asynchronous Learning Day (KIDS STAY HOME)

November 9: Else's Family Group Field Trip (10am) & BOB 3/4 (2:50pm)

November 10: Jihee's Family Group Field Trip (10m)

November 11: In-Service Day (NO SCHOOL)

November 14: SCHOOL PHOTO RE-TAKES!!! & BOB 5/6(11:40am)

November 15: Choir (2:50pm)

November 16: BOB 3/4 (2:50pm)

November 18: Early Release Day - Dismissal at 11:15am

November 21: BOB 5/6 (11:40am)

November 22: Choir (2:50pm)

November 23: BOB 3/4 (2:50pm)

November 24 & 25: Thanksgiving Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

November 28: BOB 5/6 (11:40am)

November 29: Choir (2:50pm)

November 30: BOB 3/4 (2:50pm)

• The entire Chugach Optional community would like to say a sincere "THANK YOU!" to Paulina Larenas-Bajwa for spearheading the revival of the Chugach Fall Carnival. Much fun was had by students, staff and families.
• A special thank you to the Sierra Becia Fund at the Alaska Community Foundation for their generous donation of $2,000 to our Big Simple Fundraiser!
  

Cold & Flu Season: At Chugach we are seeing the signs that Cold & Flu Season has arrived. Lots of sniffly noses, coughs and taking days off school to rest and recover are becoming more common. Did you know there are more than 200 different viruses that are known to cause the symptoms of an Upper Respiratory Virus, aka the common cold! If your child has a cold with a nose that runs constantly or a cough that is frequent and wet, it would be best to let them stay home for a day or two of rest. Students should always stay home for fever (100.4) and/or vomiting. Current ASD policy does not require COVID testing for illness, however if you believe your child’s illness is related to COVID and choose to test we do require that the current CDC guidelines for isolation are followed when positive:

• If you have a positive test, isolate for 5 days.

• You may return to school/work with symptoms resolving on day 6. You will need to wear a mask at school days 6-10.

Please look HERE for ASD guidelines on When to Keep Your Child Home from School. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Head Lice: A Friendly Reminder about an itchy subject…..Head Lice 🐜

• Remind children to not share: hats, scarves, clothing and/or hairbrushes with their friends

• If you notice your child itching their head, or if you notice sores (caused by scratching) please check their head and hair

• If you find head lice on your child notify Nurse Maya

• If you are unsure, Nurse Maya is happy to check your child's hair for you 🙂

Head lice are a nuisance, but they're not dangerous, they don't spread disease and they are not a sign of poor hygiene. Please see this link for more detailed suggestions for handling head lice—so we can stay ahead of potential cases in the future.

Stay Warm & Safe:

WARM - Remember students go outside for recess to a chill factor of -10F degrees. Be sure students come to school every day with appropriate winter clothing including hats, gloves, snow pants, jackets and appropriate footwear.

SAFE - Stay visible when it's dark out......Free Reflective Tape....from Safe Alaskans

Student council will be collecting candy to donate if families are wanting to unload some loot from Halloween 🎃. We will weigh it, sort it, and bring it to the shelter with the sock donations gathered during our SOCKTOBER event.

The Chugach Educational Corporation (CEC) held its October Board meeting on October 26th, 2022. Meeting minutes are available on the CEC page of the Chugach Optional website.

There will be a Community Assembly Meeting on Wednesday, November 2nd from 5:30pm to 7:30pm in the Chugach Optional Library.

Friday, November 4th - 6pm-10pm at the 49th State Brewery

This adults-only event is a chance to celebrate our community and fund our assembly's budget. It will be a great night of food and fun - and supporting our amazing school at the same time.

To buy tickets for the auction, please go to chugachauction.com

Attendance

• Please note: Notifying your child's teacher that they will be absent is not enough! The office must be notified as well to avoid the ASD truancy robo-call.
• If your child is going to be out of school for the day please contact the office before 9:30 am at 907-742-3730
• All students arriving after 8:15 am must sign-in at the office
  
• More details on Attendance can be found here

Parent/Visitor Sign-in

• All parents, visitors, and volunteers who are going to be in the school after 8:30 am need to sign in at the office.

Opportunities

• We are still in need of several Noon Duty attendants at the school. Please go to the ASD website to apply if interested in these positions.

The Chugach Optional Office is open from 7:30am - 4:00pm every school day. We can be reached at 907-742-3730 or by email at ChugachOffice@asdk12.org

Email: Chugachoffice@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/chugachoptional
Location: 1205 E Street, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-3730