A Message from our Principal...
We’ve made it to April and there is so much going on at Larson right now! State testing started this week and will continue through next week for our 3rd to 5th graders. Please make sure students get to bed early and eat a balanced breakfast to fuel them throughout the day. After state testing is over next week, we will take our final iReady diagnostics and AimsWeb tests to complete the testing window.
If you stop by the school, you might see all of the Eagle Feathers in the lobby. If a student is "caught" demonstrating one of our Eagle Expectations, they receive a Feather. So far there are hundreds of them lining the walls and more are turned in every day. I’m so proud of our students and the hard work they are doing both in the classroom and with their peers. Larson is definitely a special place, and we wouldn’t be successful without the help and support of our families.
If you would like to volunteer at Larson stop by the school or give us a call, we would love to have you!
Matt LaHue
Principal Larson Elementary
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
907-352-2300
State and District Testing Begins this Week!!
benefits students.
State Assessments
-AK Science Assessment; April 9th and 10th (Grade 5 ONLY)
-AK STAR Assessment ELA and Math; April 14th - 17th (Grades 3 to 5)
District Assessments
-Aimsweb - April 2st - 23rd (Grades K-3)
Dear Awesome Larson Families!
April is National Library Month, and we are celebrating Library! Parents help your students celebrate by finding any long over-due or missing books. Our goal this year is to have all library accounts cleared so overdues don’t follow our 5th graders to middle school and so our younger students can have lots of practice so returning books becomes second nature.
The District rolled out a new library fee collection system that went live for families on Mar 17th. Here are the important pieces to know:
• Library books are assumed lost after 45 days
• Once a book is assumed lost, the library system will automatically generate a bill for that book in SchoolPay
• Once the book is returned to the library in good condition, the bill goes away once the book is discharged.
• Mrs. Stegall will begin sending home overdue notices at least once month so parents can help their students keep better track of library books.
• Families will still have the opportunity to replace books with the same title, hardcover and in new or very good condition and have the bill forgiven as long as the student is still a Larson student.
• Bills will follow students between schools until paid for. Once a student leaves Larson, missing books can only be paid for and not replaced.
• Some books (non-fiction and library bound books), however can only be purchased from the publisher so a family will not be able to replace them, only pay for them.
Mrs. Stegall will continue to work with families to avoid missing by books teaching children proper book care, providing timely overdue notices for parents to find misplaced books, and work with families to replace missing books at lower cost if at all possible. Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Stegall with questions and concerns at chris.stegall@matsuk12.us
Some important dates
Monday, May 5th is the last day for students to check out books for the year.
Friday, May 9th is the last day to turn in all books so I can prepare for this year’s inventory of the library
May 5th - May 14th - Spring Scholastic Book Fair in the Library (please see link below)
I will have Otter Pops for all students who have totally cleared records by May 12th! Keep Reading Eagles!
Chris Stegall
Larson Elementary Librarian
Catch Spring Fever at Our End of the Year Concerts!
Catch Spring Fever at the Upcoming Spring Musical Performances!
4th/5th Grade and Band Concert
When: Tuesday, May 13th
Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Where: Larson Gymnasium
2nd/3rd Grade Concert
When: Wednesday, May 14th
Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Where: Larson Gymnasium
Kindergarten/1st Grade Concert
When: Thursday, May 15th
Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Where: Larson Gymnasium
We are incredibly proud of the Larson Elementary Chess Team for their outstanding achievement at the annual MSBSD District Chess Tournament on Saturday, April 4th! Out of 18 competing teams, Larson brought home FIRST PLACE — an amazing accomplishment that reflects the team’s hard work, focus, and strategic thinking!
A huge thank you to Mr. Hinds for his dedication and countless hours supporting the Larson Chess Club. This victory wouldn’t have been possible without his guidance and commitment.
Congratulations, team — you made Larson so proud!
The Matanuska Susitna Borough School District is a district of choice with an “open enrollment” policy, which means that a school can accept boundary exemption requests from all MSBSD students who reside outside their boundaries, based on whether they have staffing and capacity. Students from out-of-boundary schools must provide their own transportation to and from Larson. If your student is currently attending Larson Elementary on a Boundary Exemption, a new online application must be completed for the 2025-2026 school year.
