We had a very emotional November. It was truly amazing to watch out Bear Valley Community come together and support the school that has been a part of our community for 40 years. Thank you all for your advocacy and strength as we researched the data, attended meetings and worked to provide additional information about Bear Valley and the challenges and needs our particular community has.

As we celebrate Gratitude for November and December we do have a lot to be thankful for. We completed our school middle of the year assessments and saw a lot of growth in our students's reading and math achievement. Thank you for helping our students take testing events seriously. We use this data to help guide our instructional practices. We had a wonderful choir performance thanks to Ms. Hayes. Our students participated in battle of the books, Spanish club, arts and crafts and now gym games. Our staff is always ready to help our students learn and grow outside of the school day. Look for more activities coming this spring.

BVCA will have preschool, summer camp and SACC registration opening after the new year so keep an eye out!

I know that I am thankful for this amazing school community and for our staff and students each day. We truly work together to create a wonderful educational partnership for our students and I thank you for your hard work and communication that occurs between home and school.

For whatever your holiday plans may be, I wish you blessings for a safe and healthy holiday season and winter break.

Mrs. Scherer

Principal

Our Bear Valley Choir performed at the Anchorage School District Education Center and Pioneer Home this month. Thank you Ms. Hayes for working with our choir students.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make the Holiday Store a success this year. We changed the format and times and it was a wonderful family weekend activity. We will be back in January with lots of great things going on and new information. Have a wonderful holiday!

Wear your HOLIDAY pajamas on December 19. Students should be able to wear their snow gear over their pajamas. Please make sure students are dressed appropriately for school.

Monday Gym Games

Tuesday Arts and Crafts Club

Wednesday Gym Games

Thursday Spanish Club

Now registering for Spring Beginning Spanish 1 (same as fall) Forms in the office!

Coming soon

Afterschool sports, reading club and NYO!

Here are some of the important resources available on our Student Nutrition Web Page Link.

• Meal prices
• Free & Reduced Meal Applications
• A list of Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools where meals are free for all students
• General information about Student Nutrition

Free & Reduced Meal Applications:

While paper copies are available, online submission via the Student Nutrition Web Page is faster.

SchoolCafe:

Families can sign up for balance notifications and view the menu through the, SchoolCafe Link.

Online Prepayments and Payments:

These are process only through Parent Connect.

We will NOT have a cafeteria manager on January 6 and 7. We will have shelf stable meals and shelf stable milk and no charge. Meal service will RETURN on January 8.

Our attendance rate has been staying close to 90%! Way to go!

If your child will be absent use this tracker to keep an eye on when absences can become an issue. We don't want students out of school more than 10 days.

ASD Personal Property Policy

Adapted from the ASD Student Handbook

Student desks and/or coat closets are not secure enough to store personal property (e.g. iPods, electronic devices, etc.) The same restrictions apply to toys, Pokemon Cards, legos, earbuds, etc. These and other items are not permitted at school. Cell phones must be turned off and stored during the school day (8:40-3:30- and not be taken out until students are in a bus or vehicle) including lunch/recess. Smart watches must have bluetooth/wifi disconnected as these can function in the same way as a cell phone.Repeated violations will be regarded as willful disobedience.

ASD is not responsible for loss or theft of personal property.

To minimize distractions during the school day, we are asking that parents refrain from bringing in balloons and treats for birthdays. We have students with allergies and treats are not always appropriate. We do a special certificate, pencil and announcement from the office, as well as classroom recognition.

In February, students will be given a couple different opportunities to spread kindness for Kindness month. For this year’s community kindness project, Student Council and Health will be collaborating on a community project once again. This year we would like to support the local animal shelters. In Health classes, students will be working on various donation projects for our furry, unhoused population: toys, comfort items and treats. If you find yourself purging drawers over the holiday break, please set aside the following items that will be needed in February:

Outgrown or damaged/stained T-shirts

Tube Socks

Tennis Balls

Empty disposable water bottles

Yarn (for cat toys)

Fleece Remnants

If you have experience making DIY animal shelter donations (or don’t have experience but this is right up your alley) and you would like to share your knowledge and expertise in this area, I would love to have you as a volunteer during your child’s Health block. Send me an email at mcdonald_jennifer@asdk12.org . Also, in need of pet treat recipe ideas (because of allergies, peanut butter and nut butters cannot be used).

Email: bvattendance@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/bearvalley
Location: 15001 Mountain Air Drive, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-5900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bearvalleyelementary