Paul Banks Elementary

Dear Paul Banks Families,

The yellowing birch leaves and the frost lingering on the grass reminds me that fall is here. And what a fall it has been! Our sunny days have afforded many opportunities for outdoor learning, and the rain creates countless opportunities for irrigation projects during recess. Plus, we have had so many highlights already this fall. Our kindergarten classes learned about bald eagles from Ranger Kendra from Islands and Ocean. Our PTA sponsored Outdoor Classroom BBQ was a huge success. Students from Chapman and Fireweed joined us for a concert by Wild Shore New Music, a piano, violin and flute trio. Our violin program is in full swing; kindergarteners will be building their cardboard violins shortly.

One of the biggest highlights is watching our students learn to read every day; the joy they experience as sounds and letters become words, then sentences, and stories is awe inspiring! This process is something that our teachers and staff dedicate themselves to, knowing how important it is. They have immersed themselves in our new language arts curriculum, and we are excited to see how it supports all of our students in their reading journey.

Our assessment process also supports our students' reading, informing instruction and our intervention process. Early intervention has always been a hallmark of Paul Banks Elementary, and we will continue this into the future. Our intervention groups, both academic and social emotional, will begin next week. Our goal through intervention is to provide the extra support a student may need academically or socially. The recently adopted Alaska Reads Act provides additional direction and support to support students' reading, including developing Individual Reading Improvement Plans (IRIPs).

As we move into October, we have so much to look forward to as you will see in the remainder of the newsletter. As always, don't hesitate to reach out with questions, concerns or celebrations.

All the best!

Sean Campbell

We appreciate your feedback. Please feel welcome to offer feedback directly to our school or provide feedback via one of three school district surveys (school, administrator and teacher)

-Monday 10/2: School Board Meeting @ 6:00 pm

-Wednesday 10/4: Site Council Meeting @ 3:30 pm

-Tuesday 10/10: PTA Meeting @ 6:00 pm

-Thursday 10/12: Early Release @ 1:00 pm

-Friday 10/13: In-service/Workday - no school for students

-Wednesday 10/25: Coffee & Donuts with the PTA & Principal @ 7:30-8:00 am

-Wednesday 10/25: Picture Re-takes

-Thursday 10/26 & Friday 10/27: Parent Teacher Conferences

-Thursday 10/26 & Friday 10/27: Book Fair

-Tuesday 10/31: Halloween Parade @ 1:00 pm

Little Free Library

• Please feel welcome to take a book or books from our little free library, which is in our school's entryway.

Reading List

• Need book suggestions? Check out this month's read aloud reading list.

Reading Challenge

• Read for 15 minutes a day during our October Reading Challenge. Reading Challenge forms will go out in student folders Monday 10/2.

Thanks to everyone who purchased items during our fall fundraiser! We raised over $3200 that will be used to support classroom projects and school needs. And thanks to everyone who has donated rain gear and winter gear to help keep all of our students warm and dry.

Our after school programs have been a terrific success. We are offering after school activities every day of the week from Japanese and arts and crafts, to zumba and ninja skills. If you would like to lead an after school program, please reach out to paulbankspta@gmail.com.

Important Dates:

Oct. 10: PTA meeting, 6:00 in the staff lounge. Pizza and childcare provided

Oct. 25: Coffee with the PTA and Principal

Oct 26 & 27: Scholastic Book Fair during parent-teacher conferences

Principal - Sean Campbell

Secretary - Katy Countiss

Phone: 907-226-1801

Fax: 907-235-8163

Paul Banks Website

KPBSD Website

Facebook (a great resource to see our school in action on a daily basis)