12/5/24 Trailside Parent News

Hello Trailside Families!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend!

As we officially begin December, we have a jam-packed 10 school days left! mClass and MAP State testing are here!

The second mClass (k-3) and MAP (3-5) testing windows are quickly approaching in the beginning of December. Classrooms follow a tight schedule in order to have every student assessed. Schools use this important data point to help adapt and differentiate instruction.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is coming to present to students on our last day of school Dec. 19, to talk about Bear and Moose Safety. There will be two assemblies for students in the morning.

Finally, after a few years, Trailside has restarted the Swim/Boat Safety PE Unit for three weeks in December (Grades 3-5). Please see the important information below if you would like your 3-5th grade child to participate in this wonderful opportunity.

Thank you!

Eric Niessner, Principal

Parents who wish to chaperone or volunteer with school events must complete a Volunteer Application each school year (it does not carry over through multiple school years). If you have not done so already, please complete a volunteer application :

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSft2SM758xCY0fkBu7cYj6vdYGO4RRJt7LFAqrCKaQDHMwPMg/viewform

Dec. 2- Texas Roadhouse Dinner Roll Fundraiser BEGINS! Order Yours today!

Dec. 3-4: mClass Testing for all K-3 students and 4-5th students below 40%tile.

Dec. 3-19- SWIM & Boat Safety PE Unit @SHS Pool for 3-5th Grades

Dec. 6- TWIN DAY

Dec. 6- A.L.I.C.E

Dec. 9-13: MAP Testing (Grades 3-5).

Dec. 13- PJ Day

Dec. 19- Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game- Bear and Moose Safety Assembly.

Dec. 19- Last day of 2nd Quarter.

The Student Council would like to thank the Trailside Community for supporting our Food Bank donation drive. Together we sent 1,392 pounds of food to the Food Bank! This is what makes Trailside such an amazing place to be! Thank you!

There is a lot going on in the month of December! Please note all of the dates below.

December 2nd - until we sell 400, Don't forget to order your snowman soup! $3.00 each for a cute snowman soup bag with contents to make hot chocolate, along with a note for a friend or family member! Order on the PTA website or send in cash along with a filled-out note.

December 2nd-December 19th

Toys for Tots- Student Council has partnered with the Marine Corp to gather toys for children in need. Please consider sending in a new, unwrapped toy .

Spirit Days- December 6th is twin day and December 13th is PJ day

mClass Newsletter Information

2024 - 2025

As part of The Alaska Reads Act, the State of Alaska requires that districts administer an early literacy screening tool three times a year. This screening is for students in grades K-3 to identify potential reading difficulties in order to improve reading outcomes for students. Families can read more about this comprehensive K-3 reading policy at The Alaska Reads Act website: education.alaska.gov/akreads

mClass with DIBELS 8th Edition Assessments is the State of Alaska Department of Education’s and ASD’s Early Literacy benchmark screening and progress monitoring tool for students in grades K-3 in reading. mClass utilizes curriculum-based measures and is used by schools as part of the ASD Comprehensive Assessment System to support informed instructional decisions.

The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development explains the decision to adopt mClass as the statewide literacy screener here:

https://education.alaska.gov/Alaska-Reading-Resources/Statewide-Early-Literacy-Screener

mClass screening assessments will only be administered in-person during the benchmark window listed below:

• December 2 - 13, 2024

Results for K-3 students that were assessed during a benchmark window, will be available in Parent Connect by January 10, 2025: ParentConnection Login Information and Reference Guide: parentconnect.asdk12.org

MAP Growth Newsletter Information

2024-2025

MAP Growth is the ASD and State of Alaska required benchmark/interim reading and mathematics assessment for students in grades 3-9. Grades 10-12 students identified as needing Tier II and Tier III reading and mathematics support also take MAP Growth as part of the Anchorage School District's MTSS framework.

Alaska's Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) has partnered with NWEA to implement a creative approach to a balanced statewide assessment that connects fall and winter MAP Growth benchmark/interim assessments and the Alaska spring AK STAR summative assessment. AK STAR eliminates the spring benchmark/interim assessment window for grades 3-9 by combining the summative and benchmark assessment into one test that produces a spring benchmark score, which includes a growth measure. More information is available at the State of Alaska AK STAR website, education.alaska.gov/assessments/akstar.

MAP Growth is an online, adaptive assessment that provides each student a personalized testing experience with data that speaks to their individual progress and growth in mathematics and reading.

The MAP Growth reading and mathematics benchmark will be administered in person during the 2024-2025 fall and winter benchmark windows. The spring benchmark will be embedded in the AK STAR summative assessment as outlined above.

• Fall Benchmark 1: September 3 - September 13 (make-ups through September 20)

• Winter Benchmark 2: December 2 - December 13 (make-ups through December 19)

• Spring Benchmark 3: embedded in AK STAR administered during the summative assessment window: March 24 - April 4 (make-ups through April 25)

• MAP Growth assessment only: Grades 10-12 identified as needing Tier II and III support

MAP Growth practice tests and tutorials allow students and families the opportunity to become familiar with the types of questions and tools available on the actual MAP Grow assessments such as the highlighter and calculator. An overview of these resources with links to the practice tests are compiled on the MAP Growth Practice Tests Quick Sheet.

Calling Presenters for Math and Science night 2025!

The Science/Math Night committee is activity seeking any parents, uncles, aunts, friends, grandparents who would like to share their math or science knowledge with Trailside students and families!

This year’s Math and Science night is March 21st from 5:30-7:30pm

Please email Ulbrich_carleen@asdk12.org if you would like to present or have questions! We love new ideas! Thanks!

As our secure entryway is now completed, all adults entering the building during dropoff or an early pickup will be required to sign into the office through a Raptor Kiosk.

Students are expected to walk to their classrooms in line with their teachers, by themselves (age appropriate) or escorted by a school staff member.

Thank you for your support in keeping Trailside safe for children.

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 the self-serve kiosk.

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.

Starting December 12, 2024, all adult visitors to Trailside Elementary 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.

Why is a districtwide visitor management system being implemented?

ASD is implementing a visitor management system (Raptor) during the 2024-2025 school year to aid in the standardization of visitor check-in procedures in all schools and add an extra layer of safety for students and staff. The Raptor visitor management system allows visitors, staff, and students to sign-in or sign-out using the self-service kiosk.

What are the benefits of the Raptor visitor management system?

• Quick and accurate visitor identity verification

• Enhanced ability to maintain a secure environment

• Accurate records of building occupants for emergency response purposes

When will Raptor visitor management kiosks be installed in schools?

The districtwide implementation of Raptor visitor management kiosks will begin in the fall of 2024 with additional schools being added each week. The rollout is expected to be completed by early spring semester. Schools will be contacted to determine the configuration and placement of the Raptor kiosk prior to scheduling installation.

How does this sign-in/sign-out process work for visitors?

ASD requires all visitors entering a school building during school hours to show government-issued ID and sign into the building. Visitors will sign-in/sign-out using the Raptor visitor management self-service kiosk. The visitor management system checks visitor name, date of birth, and the last four digits of the license number (the other digits are replaced with **). If two or more visitors have the same first name, last name, and date of birth, the system uses the last four digits of the license number to differentiate between them. Only the minimum data needed to accurately identify a visitor is collected (i.e., no address information, no Social Security Numbers, no physical characteristic data, etc.). No other data is collected from the ID and no photocopy of the ID is gathered or recorded, ensuring privacy and confidentiality.

• FAQs
• Raptor Visitor Check-In Video

Trailside PTA Updates

The PTA will be covering the full cost of grades 3-5 swimming and boating safety classes in December. They still need male volunteers to help!

The PTA will be supporting our community ice rink again this winter. This is available for use by anyone (and grades k-5 will have ice skating PE lessons in February with Mr Leiser). Get outside over winter break and enjoy the rink. This is tentatively scheduled to be ready Dec 13, weather contingent

Upcoming events:

• Family Movie Night: Dec. 13

Mark your calendars for our Holiday Family Movie Night on Friday, Dec. 13 from 6-8 p.m in the MPR. Concessions will be available to support 4th and 5th grade fundraising efforts. Help pick the movie by casting your vote here: https://forms.gle/PhRSC29ihEUhWfZt5

• German Club: Dec. 2-16

Calling all language enthusiasts! Our German Club (Stammtisch) is open to students in grades k-5, Wilkommen to a sampling of German culture, language, fairy tales, and food. It will meet Mondays and Fridays in December: Dec 2, 6, 9, 13, and 16, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Sign up at https://trailside.myptezcentral.com/

• Readathon!

The Trailside Readathon will happen once again in January, but we need your help! Interested in helping out and encouraging our students to read? Contact Grace Stout at trailsideptavp2@gmail.com to join the Readathon Committee!

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Upcoming events:

• Dec. 2-13: Texas Roadhouse Rolls fundraiser(with picking up rolls Dec. 19-23)
• Dec. 13: Family Holiday Movie Night
• January 17: Read at hon kickoff event
• January 22: PTA Membership Meeting
• January 26-February 1: Readathon!
• Feb. 19: PTA Membership Meeting
• Friday, February 21: Winter Family Fun Night
• Friday, March 21: Math and Science Night

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Get Involved!

• Your PTA membership makes these enriching experiences possible for our entire community! Not a member yet? Join today to help support more amazing opportunities like these.

• If you have ideas and want to with an ASA, please reach out to Lia Slemons at trailsideactivities@gmail.com. We pay instructors $30/hour and are always looking for new activities to engage our students!

• Questions or want to get involved with any of the above or other ideas? Contact TrailsidePTAPresident@gmail.com.

A friendly reminder that the arrival/dismissal car lane must keep moving. We ask that parents do not leave their cars or remain stationed in one spot- please follow the flow of the line. Thank you!

Families interested in applying for free/reduced lunch can apply here:

https://www.asdk12.org/Page/13248

Please call the office when excusing your student due to sickness, or pre-arranged absence (Travel, Etc.)

When leaving messages for the office, please make sure to leave the student's first and last name.

Please also leave a good contact name and number we can reach you at if we have questions regarding the message.

907-742-5500

All parents, please check your parent connection and make sure all of your contact information is correct.

Please notify the office of any of the following changes:

• Custody/Legal Documents (as soon as possible)
• Address Changes
• Phone number updates
• If you are moving, please notify the office as soon as possible.

Please make sure when using Q Parent Connection to excuse your student, it has to be done in the system prior to 8:30 am. If not, you will get a Robo-Call from the district notifying you that your student was absent for the day. Please call the office if it is after 9:30 am and the office staff will get your student excused.

If you are traveling please contact the office so we can get your student excused, you will then see a "P" (Travel status and other pre-arranged absences) in Q- Parent Connection instead of "E" (Excused).