HUSKY UPDATE

Happy September!

As always, it was a great month to be Homestead Husky! We hope you are enjoying the long weekend and spending time with family and friends. September is shaping up to be an exciting month. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at open house night on September 12, 2024. Construction is wrapping up, classrooms are ready and students are excited to show off all their hard work.

Please mark your calendars with the following dates:

• September 2, 2024 - Labor Day (Holiday) - No school
• September 5, 2024 - First day of running club for grades 3-5
• September 10, 2024 - First day of running club for grades 1 and 2
• September 10, 2024 - SLC meeting
• September 11, 2024 - First day of choir
• September 12, 2024 - Open House Night at Homestead
• September 16, 2024 - PTO meeting at 5:30 PM in the library
• September 19th, 2024 - Picture Day
• September 27th, 2024 - SLC Event

As always, please contact the office with questions. Mrs. Nicole and Mrs. Kasey are always happy to help!

Hello Families,

What a great start to our 2024-2025 school year! I can’t believe we’re already two weeks in, and it’s wonderful to see everything beginning to settle into the school flow. I feel so lucky to be joining the amazing team, students, and community that Homestead has.

As we prepare to begin our beginning-of-the-year testing, please make sure your children are getting a good night’s rest, eating breakfast, and remind them to simply do their best. Below are the testing dates for September:

• September 4th and 5th: MAP Fall Testing (3rd-5th grade) - ELA & Math

• September 13th: mClass BOY Testing (K-3rd & select 4th/5th) - Reading

These scores and teacher input will help us place students in the correct WIN (What I Need) groups. WIN is a 30-minute block that targets each child’s specific reading needs. We plan to start WIN on September 23rd.

I would also like to invite all families to our Open House on September 12th from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. We hope to see you there! More information regarding the event will be shared soon.

As always, my door is open. Please feel free to stop in if you need anything.

Warm regards,
Mrs. Stone

Hot and fresh meal service starts Tuesday, September 3, 2024, for breakfast and lunch. Please help us give a big Husky welcome to the amazing Mrs. Dunk, our new Cafe Manager!

Breakfast is now served from 8:30 - 9:15 AM on Monday and from 7:30 am to 8:15 am Tuesday through Friday. Students will enter through the front door and go straight to the MPR for breakfast. Depending on the time, students will either line up outside after breakfast or walk to class.

Do you qualify for free and reduced breakfast and lunch? Check HERE.

BREAKFAST

TUESDAY:

• Breakfast Bagel Pizza
• Corn Chex
• Cinnamon Chex
• Frosted Flakes
• Frosted Mini Wheats
• Fruity Trix Cereal
• Fresh apple
• Orange juice

WEDNESDAY:

• Breakfast breadstick duo
• Corn Chex
• Cinnamon Chex
• Frosted Flakes
• Frosted Mini Wheats
• Fruity Trix Cereal
• Apple juice
• Fresh orange

THURSDAY:

• French toast stick duos
• Corn Chex
• Cinnamon Chex
• Frosted Flakes
• Frosted Mini Wheats
• Fruity Trix Cereal
• Diced pear cup
• Orange juice

FRIDAY:

• Celebration sprinkles benefit bar
• Corn Chex
• Cinnamon Chex
• Frosted Flakes
• Frosted Mini Wheats
• Fruity Trix Cereal
• Apple juice
• Peach cup

LUNCH

TUESDAY:

• All beef hot dog offered with a hot dog bun
• Hambuger patty offered with hamburger bun
• Southwest beans
• Fresh orange
• Lactose-free milk

Wednesday:

• Mini ravioli with sauce
• Banana
• Lactose-free milk

Thursday:

• Pepperoni pizza
• Fresh broccoli
• Fresh carrots
• Lactose-free milk

Friday:

• Teriyaki chicken
• Steamed rice
• Fresh broccoli
• Mango slushy
• Lactose-free milk

We are excited for Student Leadership Council to begin on September 10th! SLC is made up of third, fourth, and fifth graders who would like to work together to make our school and community a better place. Students work together to brainstorm ideas then vote on student-led projects and activities that focus on school spirit and community service. Past projects include spirit weeks, movie nights, our coin war, and the Eagle River food fight.

Our SLC group will meet each Tuesday in the MPR from 2:30-3:30 PM.

SLC is hosting an event at Homestead September 27th, so save the date! More details will be available after the first SLC meeting on September 10, 2024.

Check out the photos below for an idea of the amazing impact SLC makes for our community and Homestead.

The Homestead Elementary Choir is looking for singers! We start rehearsals on Wednesday, September 11th. Rehearsals will take place in the Music Room on Wednesday afternoons, from 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Because this is an after-school activity, students will either need to walk from school or be picked up at the conclusion of our rehearsal. No busing will be provided. Your support in ensuring your student is picked up on time is greatly appreciated.

We already have a number of potential performances on the horizon. Stay tuned for more information regarding performances for the Chugiak/Eagle River Chamber of Commerce Winter Wonderland and Tree Lighting Ceremony, Homestead Choir Holiday Tour, an afternoon and evening Homestead Choir Winter Concert, Music in Our Schools Month at the Simon 5th Ave. Mall and an afternoon and evening Homestead Choir Spring Concert.

There are NO tryouts for this group!

All 4th & 5th grade students are welcome!

If your student would like to join, I am beyond thrilled to have him/her! Attendance at rehearsals is very important. I understand that students may occasionally be absent from school due to illness or a family related event. However, after three unexcused absences in a semester, I will invite your child to rejoin the group at the start of the next concert season (Fall or Spring). It is nearly impossible to make up for the missed music and ensemble collaboration. Please also note that students who are frequently absent also miss out on field trips and concerts.

Student conduct in Choir will mirror that of our school-wide expectations and that found in our student handbook. Students are expected to Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Responsible and Be Respectful. If these expectations are not met, a student may not be allowed to participate.

Being an after school activity is a whole new world for Homestead Elementary Choir. That said, please support the sustainability of this program by picking up your student(s) on time. Those students who are continually delayed in pick up, will receive a Tardy Pick-Up reminder. After three, that student may be asked to pause participation until a more reliable source of transportation can be arranged. Thank you for understanding our attendance and late pick-up policy!

Email will remain Mrs. Johnston's primary form of communication with Choir families. However, from time-to-time Mrs. Johnston will use the app Remind to communicate announcements or changes to our Choir rehearsal schedule. Choir families, please visit https://www.remind.com/join/h639a9 or visit the QR Code found below, to sign up to receive messages and text notifications.

With all of that said, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions. Please fill out and sign the accompanying permission slip. Your students can return it to me up until the first day of rehearsal, September 11th. I am so excited to see what the year has in store. Thank you so very much for your support!

Picture below are from the Husky Choir during the 2023/2024 school year.

Coach Payne is hosting running club again this fall and we would love to have your student join. No experience is necessary and permission slips will be sent home in the near future.

Dates:

(Grades 3-5) Thursday, September 5th

(Grades 1-2) Tuesday, September 10th

(Grades 3-5) Thursday, September 12th

(Grades 1-2) Tuesday, September 17th

(Grades 3-5) Thursday, September 19th

(Grades 1-2) Tuesday, September 24th

(Grades 3-5) Thursday, September 26th

Message from Coach Payne:

Our running club is designed to help students set goals and work to reach them through running.

We ask for a $5 donation for each sport your child participates in here at Homestead to help the Physical Education department at Homestead raise money for equipment, technology, and guest presenters at Homestead. Thank you for your support.

Volunteers are needed to make this club be successful. Please contact Coach Payne if you can help out at practices by running or standing :)

If you have students of both age groups you can pick one for all kids to come to if that will help.

Please return this sheet signed on the FRONT and BACK to Coach Payne before the first club with your $5 donation.

Please make checks payable to Homestead Elementary School.

Thank you to everyone who attended the first PTO meeting on August 26, 2024; the turnout was fantastic and we are looking forward to a great year. If you missed the meeting we would love to see you at the next on September 16, 2024.

PTO has some big plans for this year and we would love for you to be apart of them! Homestead has a few larger wishlist items that we hope to fill including a new laminator, a new welcome sign, and so much more! Help make a different and join the PTO today HERE.

Thanks to our amazing volunteers, popcorn Friday will be poppin' again this year! Order forms will be sent home in the near future and popcorn Friday will start October 4, 2024.

We are still looking for 2-3 more volunteers for popcorn Friday. If you interested in helping one day, every Friday, or anything in between, please reach out to the office.

Homestead was blessed this month with school supply donations from the Elks Lodge, The Eagle River Masonic Lodge, and the Beaty family. We are incredibly grateful for the donations, which will be put to good use.

This year, our school will be using a screener to look at school-wide systems of support for social emotional learning and behavior. This screener, much like our academic Universal Screeners (FastBridge and MAP Growth), will be completed with all students in the Fall (September), Winter (December) and Spring (April). Teachers will rate students relative to various behavioral risk factors. The assessment is called the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS). The tool will help teachers identify what additional structures they might need to have in place in their classrooms and as well as identifying students who may need additional support to increase their academic and social emotional success. This screening is completed by teachers and will not take away from instructional time nor require input/answers from students. Should you have any questions about the use of this universal screener, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs. Stone.

If your student comes home with a Power Of PAW-sitive (POP) slip please know that it's a huge deal! Students are given a POP slip for following our school-wide expectation of being safe, kind, respectful and responsible.

When students receive a POP slip they celebrate with Mrs. Stone and Mr. Inch, are recognized during lunch, and then put in for a drawing for a prize. Winners will be announced at our all school quarterly assemblies.

Mrs. Victory, our school counselor, will be meeting with students in small groups to focus on social emotional learning lessons. Classroom teachers help to identify areas that students can benefit from focusing on. Some of these areas are friendship, frustration tolerance, taking turns, self advocacy, etc.

Mrs. Victory has been with the district for 25 years and has spent 6 years at Homestead. We are incredibly lucky to have her; she's the best!

If you have any questions or concerns, please email/call Mrs. Stone.

Picture day is Thursday, September 19, 2024. You can preregister using the QR code below. You will need your student's ID number to access photos. Student ID numbers can be found on Parent Connection HERE. As always, if you are having any issues please call the front desk as Mrs. Nicole and Mrs. Kasey are always happy to help.

Please give a big Husky welcome to our new IGNITE teacher, Mr. Jones!

This Fall in IGNITE students will spend a semester exploring flight. They will learn mapping concepts such as legends, compasses, latitude, longitude, and distance as they race to be the first team to cross the imaginary continent of Andorania. They will also study aviation history, learn about the properties of air, investigate Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion, and examine Daniel Bernoulli's principles of aerodynamics. Students will learn the fundamentals behind lighter-than-air flight, rotorcraft, airplanes, and rockets. They will design and experiment with various flying devices as they explore each concept.

Please let me know if you need additional information!

Thanks,

Ryan

Throughout the school year, we will conduct three ALICE drills as per district policy. These drills help us learn and practice the best ways to use situational awareness, combined with the knowledge acquired through training, to create a safe environment for our students. Our first ALICE drill is scheduled for September 9th. As a whole school, we will walk to our Rally Point. We will send out a reminder as the date gets closer.

For more information about ALICE drills, please visit this website.

Questions or concerns can be directed to Mrs. Stone.

Homestead Elementary School has joined over 29 million children and adults around the globe in over 190 countries to celebrate International Dot Day – a grassroots “creativity and courage” movement, started in 2009 by a teacher in Iowa. Inspired by New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds’ classic storybook for all ages The Dot, International Dot Day inspires young and old to embrace the power of personal creativity, confidence, courage and bravery, to help make their mark on the world and move it to a better place.

Beginning, this Tuesday, September 5 and running through Friday, September 13, Homestead student’s library activities will center on the book The Dot.

We will end with dress in dots day on Friday, September 13.

Take a look at The Dot by Peter Reynolds

https://youtu.be/D4fgucTYq58?si=twOVcRCv7HHqVk6V

Happy Reading,

Leslie Gale
Homestead Librarian