End of the year reminders from the Nurse:
Vaccinations
Summertime is a great time to update your vaccinations to have your child ready for the 24-25 school year! PreK moving into kindergarten will commonly have several boosters to complete: Dtap, Polio, MMR, Varicella… Good News! Once completed, you’re often good-to-go through 5th grade! I am working on reminders to alert families about their specific required vaccinations for the upcoming school year.
The state of Alaska requires students be vaccinated and up-to-date for:
Dtap (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis)
Polio
Hep A, Hep B
MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
Varicella (Chicken Pox)
And Hib (H. influenza type B) for PreK only.
Of note, Alaska is noticing a rise in measles. As always, seeking exemption is an option, however your un-vaccinated student can be excluded from school for up to 28 days should the school experience an exposure. Alaska schools require a notarized religious exemption on file each school year. Religious exemptions need to be dated AFTER July 1st, 2024, for the upcoming 24-25 school year to be valid. Medical exemptions are determined by your healthcare provider and are ongoing. 30-day exemptions are available for families in transition (including military).
Link to Alaska/ASD immunization information:
https://www.asdk12.org/Page/6617
Link to community clinics: (many with walk-in or online scheduling!)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1579vF9WDziuwqKAkCc_r2Kr5opKblNu5/view
Referrals
Also, summer break is a great time to follow up on any referrals for vision or hearing screenings. Challenges with seeing or hearing in class can easily be the source of frustration for your child which result in missed instruction and be a cause of difficult behaviors. If you have received a call or note from myself or our Audiology team, please make it a point to reach out. I currently have a few VSP vouchers for a free exam and glasses (if prescribed). Please complete the form below if you would like information on locating a provider, if your child would benefit from an exam voucher, or if you would appreciate a phone call to ask questions about your child’s specific needs for this or the up-coming school year. Vision and Hearing are vital for your child’s success in school.
For ease of communication for all end of the school year needs, I have a brief survey set up that can help coordinate a quick phone call or email from me to address questions on immunizations, vision concerns/referrals, and any medical concerns (picking up medication on the last day, OTC or prescription paperwork, care plans for asthma, allergies, etc.) for the coming year. Please identify the best time and way to contact you and I will try to coordinate an opportunity in the next couple of days to help ensure next year gets off to a great start!
I would like to connect with the nurse.
Sending Medication Home at the End of the Year
If your child has medication at school, please contact me directly (or select the link above to schedule a call back) to coordinate appropriate pick-up. Some items are safe to transport home with the child, but others are not. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
As always, if you have any questions, I am happy and available to help!
Sincerely,
Julie Craft DNP, APRN, FNP-C
Ptarmigan School Nurse
907-742-0417
Ptarmigan Families,
The month of May means that we are coming to the end of the school year, Timberwolves! Overdue library book notices will be sent home for those library books that are still checked out. Please make sure you check at home for any books that belong to the school library and get those turned in.
Enjoy your summer and don't forget to keep up on your reading!
Mrs. Alyson Giammalva
Teacher-Librarian
As part of The Alaska Reads Act, the State of Alaska requires that districts administer an early literacy screening tool three times a year to 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:
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:
- Spring(EOY) 2023-24: April 22-May 3
Results for K-3 students that were assessed during a benchmark window, will be available in Parent Connect by May 17, 2024: ParentConnection Login Information and Reference Guide: parentconnect.asdk12.org
The year is coming quickly to a close and it has been a great musical year at Ptarmigan. Students have been able to perform in our quarterly awards assemblies. It was a great opportunity for them to showcase their musical skills. I hope this tradition can continue into the next year. The last awards assembly on May 15th will give Ptarmigan students one last chance to show their singing skills.
This last month fifth graders will be line dancing in the music room and learning about careers in music. Our fourth graders are finishing up their unit on recorder playing. They are getting better and better with each music lesson. Third graders will continue to explore rhythms and doing some xylophone playing.
Our littlest musicians are exploring Camille Saint-Saëns, Carnival of the Animals. Exploring the expressive qualities of each musical piece.
I always like to end my year with some karaoke singing in the music room. It is so fun to see the students gain confidence in their singing voices and it also helps with reading. Music covers it all.
Have a safe and fun summer break.
Best of luck to our fifth graders moving on to middle school. I know they will find great success in band, orchestra, and choir next year.
Remember to sing, dance, and play with your children this summer.
Mrs. Benton
Classroom Music Specialist
Are there any Parent/Guardians interested in helping out with Face Painting and other stations during Field Day?? If you haven't applied to be a Volunteer yet, do so by scanning the QR code below. Then email Assistant Principal, Ms. Black at black_chantel@asdk12.org.
