Huffman Headlines

What an interesting start to the second half of the school year! Alaska weather always manages to keep us on our toes. I hope that everyone is staying safe out there. We are trying to keep our walkways and parking lots sanded and graveled, but I encourage everyone to wear ice cleats if you have them.

Hopefully we will make a return to winter here soon. The good news is that our ice rink is in pretty good shape and we are starting our Winter Sports unit in PE. All classes will be going out to the rink for PE, so please make sure your child has full winter gear, including snow pants. Our trail grooming team is on standby as they wait for more snow in order to get the trails ready for cross country skiing.

Our after school Basketball Club is off to a great start, with our 1st-3rd graders enjoying their first day yesterday. Our 4th/5th grade program will kick off on Monday, as their first day was cancelled due to the icy road conditions. Thank you to Mrs. Waters, Mr. Liston, and our PTO for organizing this opportunity.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or celebrations to share, please don't hesitate to reach out to me anytime.

Respectfully,

Molly Hickox, Principal

Huffman Elementary School

Thank you for following our new guidelines. We will reduce the amount of flagging and barriers for the side spots next week but those spots are still not available during pick up and drop off. I do feel like we have greatly reduced the risk of an accident both for our students and our drivers and I appreciate your help in keeping everyone safe. If you have other family members that drop off or pick up your child, please feel free to share our map and guidelines with them.

As with other schools in the district, Huffman will implement a new visitor management software system in our school beginning January 13th.

The software has been piloted at ASD schools and is now being rolled out District-wide. The District is implementing the visitor management system to aid in the standardization of visitor check-in procedures in all schools, which supports Board Policy 3515.5.

The Raptor Technologies safety software will add an extra layer of campus security. Upon entry, visitors, volunteers, and ASD staff (whose primary location is outside of our campus) must sign in using their government-issued ID at the self-serve kiosk.

Starting January 13, all adult visitors to Huffman will be required to present and scan a current government-issued photo ID upon entering the school. This adjustment to our visitor management policy is a significant step forward in strengthening our school’s safety protocols.

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our students, staff, and school community, we are excited for this important enhancement to our ASD visitor management policy.

This new requirement will enable us to:

• Quickly and accurately verify the identity of all visitors.

• Enhance our ability to maintain a secure environment for our students and staff.

• Ensure that we have accurate records of who is in our buildings at all times, further enhancing our ability to respond in the event of an emergency.

What is Raptor?

The visitor management system records the visitor’s name, date of birth, and last four digits of the ID, and checks against a national database of registered sex offenders. Schools will follow School Board policy regarding registered sex offenders in the building (see: Restrictions on Sex Offenders on Campus BP 3515.5). The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency.

We understand that changes in protocol may require adjustments from our community, and we appreciate your cooperation and support in making our school a safer place for everyone. Please rest assured that all information collected will be treated with the utmost respect for privacy and confidentiality, used solely for the purpose of enhancing the security of our school premises.

Thank you for your understanding and your continued partnership in keeping our school community safe.

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

This letter is to let you know that your child’s class will be receiving age-appropriate lessons, in February, on child sexual abuse and assault prevention education as required under the state’s Alaska Safe Children’s Act (Erin’s Law).

Erin’s Law Education is comprised of two lessons (one lesson at the beginning of each semester) taught during the Health classes. Combined, these lessons meet the full requirements for students under the Alaska Safe Children’s Act (Erin’s Law) and are designed to help prevent childhood sexual abuse. Theses lessons will be presented in a non-threatening way, along with the skills needed for self-protection and will be handled in a sensitive, respectful manner.

Information about the lessons can be viewed HERE.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1J4mCSGZi6GBUv14WBpiO-7gsrj7DbXtA?usp=sharing

If you do NOT want your child to receive the instruction under the Alaska Safe Children’s Act, you must write a letter to the school principal requesting that your child be excused from these specific lessons.

Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to provide learning opportunities to improve the safety and well being of our students.

Sincerely,

Jennifer McDonald

Health/SEL Specialist

Huffman Elementary School

Thanks to our PTO, our ice rink is flooded and ready to go for the season. Keep your fingers crossed that our temperatures remain below freezing so that it stays in good shape. Families are welcome to use the rink after school hours, and there is a light that can be turned on via the covered box on the post near the edge of the rink. As a reminder, school grounds are closed nightly from 11 pm until 6 am.

For kindness month in February, students will be given an opportunity to participate in a community kindness project. Student Council and Health will be collaborating once again. This year we would like to support the local animal shelters. In Health classes, students will be working on various donation projects for our furry, unhoused population: toys, comfort items and treats. If you find yourself purging drawers over the holiday break, please set aside the following items that will be needed in February:

Outgrown or damaged/stained T-shirts

Tube Socks

Tennis Balls

Empty disposable water bottles

Yarn (for cat toys)

Fleece Remnants

If you have experience making DIY animal shelter donations (or don’t have experience but this is right up your alley) and you would like to share your knowledge and expertise in this area, I would love to have you as a volunteer during your child’s Health block. Send me an email at mcdonald_jennifer@asdk12.org . Also, in need of pet treat recipe ideas (because of allergies, peanut butter and nut butters cannot be used).

We are fortunate at Huffman to have a fantastic crew of volunteers who groom the trails in Huffman Park and on school grounds, and we are always looking for new people. If you would like to join this team, please reach out to the front office and we can add you to the volunteer trail crew list. When conditions are right, there is a text group that coordinates grooming. It's a great way to learn some trail maintenance skills and meet new people.

Monday, January 13

• Basketball Club (4th/5th)

Wednesday, January 15

• Basketball Club (1st-3rd)
• Skate with the Wolverines: 6:00-7:30 pm

Monday, January 20

• No School: MLK Jr Holiday

Tuesday, January 21

• Battle of the Books: 8:15 for 5th grade
• Basketball Club (4th/5th)

Wednesday, January 22

• Battle of the Books: 8:15 for 3rd/4th grade
• Basketball Club (1st-3rd)

Monday, January 27

• Basketball Club (4th/5th)
• PTO Meeting: 5:30-6:30 in Library

Wednesday, January 29

• Basketball Club (1st-3rd)

Monday, February 3

• Basketball Club (4th/5th)

Wednesday, February 5

• Basketball Club (1st-3rd)

Monday, February 10

• Basketball Club (4th/5th)

Wednesday, February 12

• Basketball Club (1st-3rd)

Monday, February 17

• President's Day Holiday: No School

Wednesday, February 19

• Basketball Club (4th/5th)

All parents and visitors to our classrooms will need to complete the ASD Volunteer Application. Please fill it out now so that you are ready when you want to volunteer or visit.

Email: hickox_molly@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/huffman
Location: 12000 Lorraine Street, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-5650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuffmanElementary