February is kindness month at Bear Valley! Each month we have a different theme for social-emotional learning and this month is all about kindness. We are doing a few different things for kindness month. 1. Students will be working with Mrs. McDonald in Health to create toys and treats for animals in the animal shelters. Thank you for all the donations that came in with student council earlier this month.

2. We are participating in the Kids Heart Challenge with the American Heart Association. We had a kick off assembly on February 18 and our challenge runs until 2/28. We are looking for 50% of the school to sign up. We will be talking to students about Finn's Mission and hands only CPR. Sign up here:

https://www2.heart.org/site/TR;jsessionid=00000000.app30024a?company_id=497101&fr_id=11217&pg=company&NONCE_TOKEN=60BC43D9F2C3EA0312E9C52EF9DA9186

If we get 18 students to complete Finn's Mission (learning hands only CPR) then we are entered to win a $10,000 PE equipment sweepstakes for the school. Pretty cool!!

Parent-teacher conferences will be on February 26 and 27. Please sign up for a time with your child's teacher. These conferences are important for continuing the strong partnership between school and home. Thank you for attending and working as a team. February 26 and 27 are half days and school dismisses at 11:30. February 28 is a no school day. Spring Break is coming up and will be from March 7-16. March 7 is the last day of the quarter and a teacher work day. Students will return to school on March 17.

We ask that you take a moment to fill out our School Climate and Connectedness Survey. We encourage every family to participate because your voice matters. Your thoughts and feedback are important so that we can continue to maintain a learning environment where students feel safe, successful and engaged. Our goal is at least 80%, although 100% would be amazing. Thank you for taking the time to give feedback! 2025 SCCS Family Link to Share

IditaREAD has started! Just as the amazing dog sled race kicks off and will travel across Alaska, our amazing readers will try to make it across the trail with minutes read this month. Reading logs will be due each week and minutes will count toward the classroom total. Students can see their class husky as is moves across the trail in the lunchroom. Help your child by finding time to read each night and track their time. Thank you for making reading an important part of the daily routine. Look for the reading logs each week in the Thursday or Friday folders (or backpacks).

Have a wonderful month,

Mrs. Scherer

Principal

First grade did a wonderful job preparing an assembly with their teachers. They sang a wonderful song and taught the school about Kindness. Each month, classes are responsible for an SEL assembly. Below is a short video to hear them sing.

Amanda Hayes is back at Bear Valley, after being a kindergartener in the same classroom, she is now a student teacher for early childhood education. We are so glad to have a former cub in the building helping students!

We have students who are completing the Heart Hero Challenge with the Kids Heart Challenge. These 4 students completed Finn's Mission and learned hands only CPR.

Monday- Hawaiian Dance (adults can join!)

2:30-3:30

Tuesday- 2:30-3:30 Johnny Appleseed Actor Practice

Wednesday- 2:30-3:30Johnny Appleseed Choir/Actor Practice

NYO grades 1-5 2:30-3:45

Thursday- Hawaiian Dance 2:30-3:30 (adults can join)

Spanish Club 2:30-3:45 Grades 2-5

Here are some of the important resources available on our Student Nutrition Web Page Link.

• Meal prices
• Free & Reduced Meal Applications
• A list of Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools where meals are free for all students
• General information about Student Nutrition

Free & Reduced Meal Applications:

While paper copies are available, online submission via the Student Nutrition Web Page is faster.

SchoolCafe:

Families can sign up for balance notifications and view the menu through the, SchoolCafe Link.

Online Prepayments and Payments:

These are process only through Parent Connect.

Our attendance rate has been wonderful this year. We are currently averaging 93.1%. Thank you for making attendance at school a priority and routine!

We know there are certain times of year that lend itself to more vacations and February is one of those times. If you family will be traveling, you might miss Parent/Teacher conferences. These conference are important to learn how your child is growing during the school year.

Please remember that any absence over 10 for the school year means Chronically Absent and students can be at risk of academic difficulties. Use the tracker below to help track your child's attendance for the second semester.

ASD Personal Property Policy

Adapted from the ASD Student Handbook

Student desks and/or coat closets are not secure enough to store personal property (e.g. iPods, electronic devices, etc.) The same restrictions apply to toys, Pokemon Cards, legos, earbuds, etc. These and other items are not permitted at school. Cell phones must be turned off and stored during the school day (8:40-3:30- and not be taken out until students are in a bus or vehicle) including lunch/recess. Smart watches must have bluetooth/wifi disconnected as these can function in the same way as a cell phone.Repeated violations will be regarded as willful disobedience.

ASD is not responsible for loss or theft of personal property.

To minimize distractions during the school day, we are asking that parents refrain from bringing in balloons and treats for birthdays. We have students with allergies and treats are not always appropriate. We do a special certificate, pencil and announcement from the office, as well as classroom recognition.

Email: bvattendance@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/bearvalley
Location: 15001 Mountain Air Drive, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-5900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bearvalleyelementary