North Star News - May 2024

Photo: Class of 2024 Effie Kokrine Charter School

• Letter from Superintendent
• Strategic Planning Survey and Focus Groups
  
• Kindergarten Backpack Giveaway - Early Registration
• 2025-26 Academic Calendar Survey
• and more!

Dear families and staff,

As we approach the end of another school year, I take this opportunity to reflect on the incredible accomplishments of our entire school community: students, staff, and families. This year has been filled with challenges and achievements, and I am incredibly proud of the dedication and enthusiasm you’ve shown to ensure our students' success.

Highlights from this Year:

At the beginning of the school year, I set three goals for schools: implement Alaska Reads Act, improve attendance, and improve school climate and culture. Here’s how that went!

• Alaska Reads Act: We've seen tremendous progress implementing the Alaska Reads Act! Student literacy rates in our primary grades have shown significant improvement, with many schools exceeding benchmarks. This is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated educators and families who are fostering a love of reading in our students.

• Improved Attendance: We've made strides in improving attendance rates across the district. This is a crucial factor in student success, and it wouldn't have been possible without the collaborative efforts of teachers, staff, families, and community partners working together to ensure students are in school, ready to learn.

• Positive School Climate: Our schools continue cultivating positive and welcoming environments for every student. This year’s climate survey data shows improvements in engagement, safety, and climate in our schools.
  
  

Looking Ahead:

As we enter the summer months, let's take this time to celebrate what we've achieved and recharge for the exciting year ahead.

Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students and their success. I look forward to partnering with you again in the fall as we continue to build upon this year's achievements.

Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable summer!

Sincerely,

Dr. Luke Meinert, Superintendent

Complete the Community Engagement Survey to help in the district's strategic planning process! The purpose of this survey is to better understand what our community would like the district to prioritize in its upcoming strategic plan. Your response to this survey will be kept anonymous. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, May 24, 2024.

If you would like to provide more in depth feedback than a survey allows, please consider signing up for a focus group!

We’re seeking your feedback on the draft 2025-26 academic calendar! Please take a couple minutes to share your thoughts in this survey by Tuesday, May 21, 12 p.m. We appreciate your time and feedback! The school board will review the draft 2025-26 academic calendar at their regular meeting on Tuesday, May 21.

Enroll your incoming kindergarteners for the 2024-25 school year by May 15, and be eligible to WIN a backpack filled with school supplies for your little one! To enroll in kindergarten this coming school year, your child must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2024.

If you have already enrolled, great! You will be entered in the giveaway drawing. Winners will be selected randomly and prizes will be available for pickup at the child’s new school. THANK YOU to Summit Church Alaska and World's Biggest Backpack for the generous donation of backpacks and school supplies!

Our Ready Raven Program team is offering TWO in-person summer programs. Registration is FREE! Ready Raven is a 17-day intensive, literacy-focused, fun opportunity for 4 and 5-year-old children who will enroll in kindergarten this coming fall. Ready Raven will be held Monday-Thursday, June 3–June 27 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. at Anne Wien and Midnight Sun Elementary.

Congratulations to West Valley Seniors Symone Bailey, Kweku Lassey, and Mariana Low for being selected by Senator Murkowski for her high school summer internship program in Washington D.C. Students will spend a month on Capitol Hill shadowing the Senator and working for her constituents. "Symone, Kweku, and Mariana represent the best of our school district and have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of model citizens," said Amy Gallaway, Civics and History Teacher, West Valley High.

The Hutchison High School Career Technical Education (CTE) building project is finished and available for bidding. Congratulations to Mr. Ratzlaff and the 2022–24 CTE students on the completion of this project!

To bid on the Deluxe Studio Shed, click here. The Shed is not currently outfitted with vending or home amenities; no plumbing, no heat, no appliances, etc. Proceeds to benefit the Hutchison High School CTE Program. Bidding closes May 23, 2024, at 4:30pm.

In this episode, Superintendent Dr. Meinert is joined by Jessica Weber, Midnight Sun Elementary teacher, and Nicole Krenzke, Ticasuk Brown Elementary teacher, to delve into the implementation of Walk to Read in our schools.

They explore how Walk to Read utilizes Mclass test scores and classroom data to group students according to their reading abilities and requirements. By providing teachers with the necessary time for reading interventions, Walk to Read aims to bridge the reading gap early on, setting students up for success in their academic journeys. The discussion also touches on the Alaska Reads Act, which focuses on Kindergarten through third grade, with the ultimate goal of ensuring students are on grade level by the conclusion of third grade.

On May 7, the school board approved the revised 2024-25 academic calendar. Please review the updated calendar for date adjustments.

North Star College is still accepting applications from eligible sophomores and juniors! Students enrolled will earn a FNSBSD high school diploma from North Star College and college credits towards a certificate or a degree. Learn more and apply for the lottery here.

i-Ready Classroom Mathematics was adopted by the school district in 2021. i-Ready Classroom Mathematics ©2024 is the first core mathematics program to receive perfect scores for all Grades K–8 from EdReports—across all gateways:

• Focus and Coherence

• Rigor and Mathematical Practice

• Usability
  
  

The district will shift to the 2024 updated edition of iReady Classroom Mathematics (at no cost to our district) this fall.

MAP, mCLASS, and AK STAR testing have come to a close. Thank you to each family for ensuring that your children were able to show how much they learned this year! Third grade students who qualify for 20 hours of summer school reading tutoring will be contacted by their school. After that, they will receive an email from the district with instructions to sign up for the tutoring at either Hunter Elementary or Midnight Sun Elementary. We hope to see the qualified 3rd graders over the summer!

Prior to the pandemic, our regular attendance rate (or the percentage of students attending school 90% or more of the school year) was around 73%. While our rate hasn’t recovered to that point yet, we have continued to see growth in recent years and will continue to work to provide support for our students and families to be able to attend school regularly.

Thank you to all of our school staff for providing support and to our students and families who continue to value the importance of attending school!

Stay tuned for Surplus & Auction opportunities happening this summer; visit our Purchasing & Warehouse website for the latest information.

The ANE program supports Alaska Native and American Indian students in grades K-12 and provides cultural enrichment for all students in the district.

ANE Services include: Tutoring and mentorship, Cultural Enrichment, NYO, Cultural Connection Activities, Family Engagement Nights, Parent Advisory Committee.

Learn more and enroll online here.

Photo credit: West Valley Boys Soccer

Click the google sheet links below for activity calendars.

• SPRING SPORTS

Learn more about student activities.

Eielson: https://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=6726

Hutchison: https://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=10685

Lathrop: https://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=12446

North Pole: https://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=16328

West Valley: https://www.arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=25400

2024 Graduations have commenced! View upcoming District calendar and graduation dates online here.

MAY 14 | 7:00 p.m. Lathrop High Graduation, Carlson Center
MAY 15–17 | Early Dismissals (End of second semester)

MAY 15 | 7:00 p.m. Ben Eielson High Graduation, BEJHS Gym
MAY 15 | 7:00 p.m. BEST High Graduation, Hering Auditorium
MAY 15 | 7:00 p.m. West Valley High Graduation, Carlson Center
MAY 16 | 7:00 p.m. North Pole High Graduation, Carlson Center
MAY 16 | 7:00 p.m. Star of the North Graduation, North Pole High
MAY 17 | Last Day of School
MAY 20 | 7:00 p.m. North Star College Graduation, UAF Campus Davis Concert Hall
MAY 27 | Memorial Day (District offices closed)

Meeting Information & Agendas
MAY 21 | 6:00 p.m. Board Regular Meeting

Email: publicrelations@k12northstar.org
Website: www.k12northstar.org
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