Aquarian is built on three foundational pillars: academic rigor, relationships, and engagement.

February

2/1- House Ball 7-9

2/3- ACCESS Testing

2/3- PTO Meeting 5:30 in the Library

2/5-2/6 Science Fair

2/10- Rhya Principal for the Day

2/10- 5:45 APC Meeting

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 945 3161 5121

Passcode: 871491

2/14- Pizza Fundraiser

2/14- Parent Date Night/ Movie Night

2/17- Presidents' Day- No School

2/21- 3rd Quarter ASAs End

2/25- Day of Play

2/26- Parent Teacher Conferences- No School for Students

2/27- Professional Development- No School for Students

2/28- Parent Teacher Conferences- No School for Students

March

3/7- Grading Day- No School for Students

3/10-3/14- Spring Break

3/21- Round 1 of the Amazing Shake

3/24- MAP/ AKSTAR Testing Begins

3/31- 4th Quarter ASAs Start

3/27- Round 2 of the Amazing Shake

The wait is over—our 2025 Aquarian House Ball Basket Auction website is LIVE! Dive in to check out the incredible baskets up for grabs, and keep an eye out as we add even more in the coming days. The best part? 100% of the funds raised will send our amazing teachers back to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia! This auction is open to everyone, so spread the word, share the link, and let the bidding battles begin. Don’t miss out—let’s make this the most exciting auction yet!

http://aquarianpto.betterworld.org/auctions/2025-house-ball-basket-auction

We are thrilled to announce this year's House Ball, happening on February 1st from 7:00-9:00 PM at West High. This exciting event is always a highlight of the year, and we can’t wait to see everyone there!

To make the evening truly magical, we need a few volunteers to lend a helping hand. If you’d like to contribute to the success of this special night, please check out the available opportunities and sign up here: Volunteer Sign-Up.

Thank you for helping us create an unforgettable evening!

Dear Aquarian families,

The Science Fair is in two weeks! It is on Thursday, February 6th, and Friday, February, 7th. Your child’s teacher may request their project earlier. It is time to put on the finishing touches and begin practicing the presentation for the judges.

We NEED volunteers: We are looking for 30-40 volunteer judges on February 6th from approximately 8:00-11:30 a.m. Parents, family members, and friends are welcome. For more information, or if you’re interested in committing, sign up at bit.ly/AQSciFairJudge

Important reminders :

Check-in begins at 7:45 AM on Thursday, February 6th, at the gym entrance.

Your child’s first and last name, teacher’s name, and checklist (given by your teacher the week of) should be on the back of the science fair board. If your child’s board is at school before Thursday, it will already be set up in the gym by volunteers on Wednesday evening.

SCIENCE FAIR OPEN HOUSE 3:15 – 5:00 Thursday, February 6th.

Friday, beginning at 7:45 AM - 2 PM.

Classes will tour the fair throughout the day on Friday.

Viewing will close at 2:00 and boards will be collected.

All projects must go home at the end of the day on Friday.

All ribbons will be sent to classrooms for teachers to hand out on Monday.

Thank you for supporting your child's love of learning. We are looking forward to a fantastic science fair!

Your science fair committee,

Lisa Botero botero_lisa@asdk12.org

Sarah Fineman Fineman_Sarah@asdk12.org

Monica Severson severson_monica@asdk12.org

Connie Tracy tracy_connie@asdk12.org

Pam is the author of Ellie’s Long Walk, Hug a Husky, Douggie, Ordinary Dogs, Extraordinary Friendships and, along with Ann Dixon, is the co-author of Alone across the Arctic: One Woman’s Epic Journey By Dog Team, and Big Enough Anna. Pam Flowers and her team ran the Iditarod, mushed to the Magnetic North Pole, and made a 2,500-mile trans-arctic expedition. She is the 14th recipient of the Gold Medal from the Society of Woman Geographers, following in the footsteps of Amelia Earhart, Margaret Mead, and Jane Goodall. Pam was named an Outsider of the Year by Outside Magazine.

She has participated in nine arctic expeditions and completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Pam has spoken to more then 700,000 students at over 1,200 schools and has spoken at the Smithsonian, the St. Louis Science Center, and hundreds of public libraries.

Pam Flowers last visited Aquarian over 9 years ago and will be visiting us February 21st. Students loved her stories of her dogs and their shared adventures. Order forms for her books (that will be signed) will go home in a couple weeks.

Aquarian is excited to announce that we will have Artists in Residence during the week of February 10th! Casey Silver and Dimi Macheras of 80% Studios are the creators of Chickaloonies, a graphic novel series that combines contemporary culture, traditional Alaskan legends, and storytelling. Casey and Dimi will meet with all fourth—through sixth-grade classes during their art time (with a little schedule finagling) during the week of February 10th. Students will participate in a storytelling workshop that combines art, writing, and oral storytelling with a focus on character development.

For more information, check out their website https://eightypercentstudios.com/

Last Call! The Spirit Wear Store will close tomorrow!

Shop Here: Spirit Wear Store

Please note: After the store closes, items will take 4-6 weeks to arrive. The store will not open again until August of the 2025-2026 school year, so now’s the time to gear up and show your school pride!

Here’s the rundown of The Aquarian Amazing Shake for 2025

Round 1 - The Gauntlet - March 21, 2025, 8:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

• All 4th-6th graders will participate in 10 exciting stations that test students’ poise under pressure, confidence, presentation skills, and charisma

Round 2 - Work the Room - March 27, 2025, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

• 25 Winners of the Gauntlet will participate in a work-the-room scenario with business professionals

Round 3 - Lunch and Interview - date TBA, 11:30-1:00 p.m.

• Four Round 2 winners will have lunch with community leaders. Only one will be this year's Amazing Shake Champion

The Amazing Shake needs YOU to volunteer!

Support Aquarian students by volunteering for one of The Amazing Shake Competition. Similar to the science fair, please pass this along to your friends and family who would be willing to participate. What to expect:

• Round 1 volunteers will role-play real-life scenarios with students. This year’s theme is the Upstanding Citizen Convention (~ 30 volunteers)

• Round 2 volunteers will mingle and converse with students testing their conversational skills and professionalism (~ 20 volunteers)

Click HERE for more information and to sign up to volunteer

Each year, students identified as English Learners take the ACCESS for ELLs language proficiency test. The test measures academic English language proficiency for students learning English in our school and throughout our state. Our students that are identified as English Language Learners will be tested on February 3rd.

Teachers in our school use this information to help them make decisions about instruction for your child. Teachers also use these test scores to monitor the progress your child makes toward English proficiency.

Aquarian Art Camp is a visual arts camp for children entering the first through eighth grades in the 2025-2026 school year. Please see the attached flyer for more information and check out our website to view the registration form.

The annual Ski 4 Kids event will be held February 15th at Kincaid Park from 2pm-5pm. This event is a festive winter day full of fun events for children 14 and under! It includes ski races, obstacle courses, biathlon, fat tire biking and more! Schools can also apply for a grant for ski equipment. For more information about Ski 4 Kids, please visit the event page at http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/events/ski-4-kids/

The spring 2025 wrestling season is here, and we’re thrilled to share an incredible opportunity to help grow happy, healthy, and strong-minded youth in our community.

Attached, you’ll find: