SVS Vision:

We aim to provide students with the necessary tools to achieve their full potential.

SVS Mission:

In collaboration with family and community, we will build strong relationships and share challenging, innovative instruction to inspire student passions, potential, and the ability to think critically and creatively

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we settle into Semester 2, we recognize that the weather has made for a challenging start. However, we remain optimistic about the great things ahead as we work together to support our students and their success.

We also want to inform you that the school calendar has been adjusted to make up for the weather-related closures. Please note that the following days are now regular school days:

• Monday, February 17
• Friday, March 7
• Wednesday, May 21

In addition, as we move into the new year, our Monthly Mindset focus shifts from Self-Awareness and Self-Honesty to Brave. This mindset encourages students to:

✅ Take risks in their learning
✅ Embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth
✅ Approach challenges without fear of getting the wrong answer

These skills are essential for building confidence, resilience, and a love for lifelong learning.

Also, we are excited to share that The Su Valley RAMcast is running a special series from February 7th through March 14th, Monday through Friday, where we highlight one staff member each day—similar to how we spotlighted seniors last year. We will continue this tradition later in the year by once again featuring our seniors. Stay tuned!

Thank you for your continued support, and please reach out if you have any questions. Let’s make the rest of this semester a great one!

Bryan Kirby, SVS Principal

Bryan.Kirby@matsuk12.us

907-733-9300

Monday February 3 - HS BB at Redington

Tuesday February 4 - MS Volleyball at (V/JV) at Houston

Thursday February 6 - HS BB at Nenana

Friday February 7 - HS BB at Nenana MS Volleyball at Fronteras (C)

Saturday February 8 - HS BB at Nenana

Sunday February 9 - XC Ski Poker Ski at Talkeetna

Wednesday February 12 - MS Volleyball at PJMS PTSA Meeting

Thursday February 13 - HS BB Crowley Classic XC Ski Manitoba

Friday February 14 - HS BB Crowley Classic XC Ski Manitoba MS Volleyball at Glennallen MS Wrestling at PJMS

Saturday February 15 - HS BB Crowley Classic XC Ski Manitoba MS Volleyball at Glennallen MS Wrestling at PJMS

Wednesday February 19 - HS BB (C Boys) at Houston

Thursday February 20 - HS BB vs Lumen

Friday February 21 - HS BB Su Valley JV Tournament MS Volleyball at Tri Valley MS Wrestling at Redington XC Ski at Denali Park

Monday February 24 - XC Ski last Practice

Tuesday February 25 - HS BB at Lumen MS Volleyball at HOME

Friday February 28 - HS BB vs Seward

Scholarships

New scholarships are being advertised daily at Su Valley. Students can find hard copies on the scholarship bulletin board and from Mrs. Harrison.. There are thousands of scholarships available through sites such as: www.fastweb.com, www.scholarship.com, www.akcis.org, www.wiche.edu, www.cappex.com, www.myscholly.com, www.raiseme.com, www.healthymatsu.org.

Seniors

Seniors intending to apply for loans and scholarships need to file the FAFSA! Federal Student Aid (FSA) The FAFSA opened December 1st. The earlier you apply, the more aide you may receive. The FAFSA is free to apply.

Remember, you should file the FAFSA as early as possible after it is released – some institutions have very early FAFSA deadlines – check with your college or trade school’s Financial Aid Office to find out. Some programs may have later deadlines. The priority deadline to file the FAFSA for the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) and the Alaska Education Grant (AEG) is June 30, however the University of Alaska recommends submitting the FAFSA by February 15th.

Juniors/Seniors

Students in 11th & 12th grade will be given the opportunity to take the digital School Day SAT on April 16th 2025. It is recommended that 11th graders take the SAT in the spring. The test is digital and has a math and language arts section. The test takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to complete. Students who would like to take the SAT must sign up and pay $68 at the office by March 3rd. Fee waivers are available for those in need.

Fast Facts about the SAT

• Most students take the SAT for the first time in spring of their junior year; some take it again in fall of senior year. Learn more about when to take the SAT.
• Students can take the SAT as many times as they like; College Board recommends taking it at least twice..
• Different colleges evaluate SAT scores differently. In general, test scores aren’t the most important part of a student’s application—their high school transcript is, and some colleges have adopted test optional policies.
• The SAT connects your child to scholarship opportunities as well as to colleges that are looking for students like them.

SAT Practice

• Your child can practice for the SAT for free by using Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy, where they can get a personalized study plan by taking short quizzes or providing their scores on the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10.
• They'll also find interactive problems, video lessons, and full-length practice tests. Official SAT Practice shows your child which specific skills they need to work on most and customizes their practice plan to help them turn areas of weakness into areas of strength.
• A recent study showed that 20 hours of practice on Khan Academy is linked to an average 115-point increase from the PSAT/NMSQT to the SAT.
• Other free ways to practice include the Daily Practice for the SAT app, full-length practice tests, and online practice questions.

Spirit Week is February 10th-14th

Monday: Country Club VS Country Western

Tuesday: Spaced Out

Wednesday: Super Fan Day

Thursday: Class Color War Day

Friday: Spirit Day (wear blue and gold)

Please contact Tamra Harrison at tamra.harrison@matsuk12.us if you have questions.

😍It is February and love is in the air 😍… also a lot of germs are in the air. Therefore we are going to talk about handwashing! Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Here is a list of times that you should wash your hands:

· Before, during, and after preparing food

· Before Eating food

· Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick or wounded

· After using the bathroom

· After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

· After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

· After touching garbage

Whew, that’s a lot! Here is my motto: when in doubt, wash your hands!

It is important to also use soap when you wash your hands and to scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. 20 seconds has been determined to be the optimal length of time in which all most all microbes would die when in contact with soap. Microbes are all tiny living organisms that may or may not cause disease. The microbes that cause disease are called germs or pathogens. If you do not have access to soap, then hand sanitizer will do but it doesn’t get rid of all types of germs. Have a happy valentine’s day and stay healthy!

Stay Healthy,
Romy Byrd RN - School Nurse
Matanuska Susitna Borough School District
Susitna Valley Junior/Senior High School (907) 733-9300

Girls HS Basketball is cruising along. The Girls won the Dillingham Tournament and are about to head out to the NIT this coming weekend.

Boy's HS Basketball team has had a strong start to the season with a record of 9-6 and 4-1 in the conference. We are looking forward to our home tournament on February 13 - 15th.

Middle school volleyball is rolling along and is a little over half way through the season. The first half was largely C Team Tournaments, this second half of the season is more upper level JV and Varsity Tournaments. Progress is being made on many levels, success is sometimes an athlete figuring out how to jump serve, sometimes success is just a young athlete realizing they do have the strength to send a ball 30' down court and over the net. They are both big steps for that individual athlete. Come out and watch the teams play in our final event of the season at home on February 25th.

Su Valley Ski Team hosted a dual meet with Nenana this past weekend. Jasper, Murray, and Sawyer swept the podium for HS boys, Kylie and Wren were first and second place for HS girls. For the middle school, Judy, Skye, and Jorie swept the podium in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively, and Wyatt and Matt took 2nd and 3rd place for boys.

Transportation from practice:

Please make sure students are picked up from practice at 4:30 PM. There will be Sunshine Transit shuttles running IF RESERVED, first come first served. Students MUST tell the front office they plan to ride a transit before lunchtime each day in order to secure a spot.

We're excited to share that we are going to continue our podcast focused on all things Su Valley. We are excited about our journey so far and know things will get better. We're committed to improving with each episode.

Stick with us as we grow and refine our content. We're dedicated to providing valuable insights and engaging conversations as we are navigating the school year. Thanks for joining us on this journey!

We highly encourage families to fill out the Free and Reduced Meals application, even if you think you may not qualify. These dollars and this designation, is what gives our school it's Title I status, and helps provide additional dollars to put towards educating your child(ren).

This application does need to be filled out each school year, for all families who qualify, or would like to qualify.

FREE & REDUCED MEAL PROGRAM

Free & Reduced Meals Parents can submit applications to enroll their student(s) in the free and reduced meal program. Applications should be submitted annually and may be completed online (LINK here). Paper applications can also be picked up at SVS if you do not have the ability to print at home.

Paper applications cannot be submitted via email or fax, but must be submitted to the student's school or directly to Nutrition Services (690 E Cope Industrial Way, Palmer, AK 99645).

The application process will require the following information be provided:

• Total household size
• Income for all household members
• Student name(s)
• Additional information that is helpful, though not required, includes the student's birth date, enrolled school, and MSBSD ID number

Questions regarding the application process can be directed to (907) 861-5100.

Here at Su Valley we know that hungry, growing teenagers need to eat! Here are option for both in school, and families at home:

• We have free almond butter and jelly sandwiches & free fresh fruit available every day at the Snack Station - students can help themselves
• We provide free shelf-stable portable snacks as available through the Snack Station - students can help themselves
• We have a free School Food Pantry - available every Friday during lunch, or by request. This is food for any family who needs additional food at home. The items in the pantry are shelf-stable and range from snacks to ingredients for full meals. We also have toiletry items (toothpaste, deodorant, etc) available. Students may help themselves. This is provided in partnership with the Upper Susitna Food Pantry.

SVS PTSA has Su Valley spirt gear for sale. Please contact them at svptsa@gmail.com or call the school to leave a message for them. (907)-733-9300

Every Monday we will be starting school at 9:30 am. The rest of the week we will be starting at the normal time of 8:30 am. Another change this year is that we will be in school everyday of the week until 3:00. See Bell Schedule link above.

What are PLC Mondays, click on the link to go to an informative webpage to learn more.

Our behavioral health counselor, Tanya Korta, is available all summer and throughout the school year. During the summer, she can be reached at Sunshine Clinic. During the school year she can be reached at school (907-733-9300), and she will be here Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Please do not hesitate to reach out to her if you need to talk, or if you know someone who may need support. Her email is TKorta@sunshineclinic.org.

The Public Information Office and Office of Instruction encourages schools to share this MSBSD website with their families to share what's happening for kids in the Mat-Su Valley. Schools, parents and other community stakeholders may download, read, or print informational flyers distributed for sharing to all schools each week.

Flyer approval requests may be sent to Laura Richardson, Family & Partnership Coordinator for review and approval for distribution to schools.

"Home of the Rams"

Email: Bryan.Kirby@matsuk12.us
Website: https://svs.matsuk12.us/
Location: S. Parks Highway, Talkeetna, AK
Phone: 907-733-9300