The Scoop
Chugach Optional Elementary Newsletter - May 2024
Message from Joel
Dear Chugach Families,
As I reflect on this year, I realize how grateful I am to be the principal of this wonderful school. Starting back in September, when I was in the hospital and then out for an additional six weeks recuperating, the support I got from staff, students, and families was astounding. As the year progressed, we had all of the great family activities, and despite some, like the Winter Carnival, being held in frigid weather, it was amazing to see all those families show up. Now we are having our uppers prepare for Lion King, Madagascar, and Alice in Wonderland, to see the excitement on all the kids' faces and to see all the parent support. This is why I am grateful to be at this school.
Joel
May's Important Dates
Wednesday, May 1 - Kindy Mud Day (8:10am - 9:00am), Ultimate Frisbee Practice (11:40am - 12:30pm), Garden Club (2:50pm-4:30pm), Chugach Track Meet (4:30pm-7:30pm)
Thursday, May 2 - Ultimate Frisbee Practice (11:40am - 12:30pm), Casey's Family Group Play: Madagascar - A Musical Adventure Jr. (Show times: 1pm and 4:30pm in the Gym)
Friday, May 3 - SPIRIT DAY: Beach Day!, Primary Tacky Penguin Day, Parent Coordinator Meeting (8:30am-9:30am), Ultimate Frisbee Practice (11:40am - 12:30pm); Ultimate Frisbee Jamboree @ The Dome (4:30pm-6:30pm)
Monday, May 6 - CEC Board Meeting (8:30am-9:30am), Track Club (3:00pm-4:00pm), Kindy Field Trip to Greenhouse (1:00pm-2:30pm)
Wednesday, May 8 - Bike to School Day, Garden Club (2:50pm-4:30pm), Track Meet @ Hanshew (4:30pm-7:30pm), Community Assembly Meeting (6:00pm-7:30pm)
Thursday, May 9 - Susan's Family Group Play: The Lion King Jr. (Show times: 10:30am and 6:00pm in the Gym)
Friday, May 10 - CHUGACH OPTIONAL 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!!! (see below for more details!), Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast Bar (7:50am-8:40am), SPIRIT DAY: 70's Fashion Day, Early Release Day (Dismissal @ 11:15am)
Monday, May 13 - Track Club - End of Season Party (3:00pm-4:00pm)
Tuesday, May 14 - Kindy Sun Day (9:15am), Spring Band/Orchestra Concert (8:30am-9:30am in Gym)
Wednesday, May 15 - Garden Club (2:50pm-4:30pm); Track Club (for those going to Invitational meet; 3:00pm-4:00pm)
Thursday, May 16 - Kris's Family Group Play: Alice in Wonderland (Show times: 10:30am and 6:00pm in the Gym)
Friday, May 17 - SPIRIT DAY: Crazy Hair Day, Primary Penguin Celebration (8:10am-8:45am), Primary Field Day @ Frontierland Park (12:15pm-2:30pm), Kindy Spring Tea and Talent Show (1:00pm), Invitational Track Meet @ Mears MS (4:00pm-7:00pm)
Tuesday, May 21 - Kindy Bike Day (8:10am-9:00am), 6th Grade Celebration (1:00pm-2:30pm)
Wednesday, May 22 - Last Day of the School Year!!, Primary Bubble Arch/Second Grade Send Up (2:00pm-2:45pm)
50th Anniversary Celebration - May 10th
Click Below to support the 50th Birthday Event with presence!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0845A5AC2FA4FD0-48928412-happy
Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
We could not do what we do without the support from you!
Chugach staff wants to celebrate our family volunteers.
What a great way to start our 50th celebration by celebrating you!
Please join us on Friday, May 10 from 7:50-8:40 in the MPR.
While you will be enjoying your celebration, your children will be enjoying time playing outside.
We look forward to celebrating you!
Fondly, Chugach Staff
ONLINE REGISTRATION for 2024-2025
THANK YOU to everyone who has already completed online registration for next school year!
We are up to 130 students (49%) registered for the 2024-2025 school year.
Early online registration is important for a number of reasons. First, this is the main metric used by the district when looking at the number of teachers at each school. To retain our 11 family group teachers we need to show we have a sufficient number of students returning. Family Group lists can also not be finalized for the coming school year until we have everyone registered.
Please call the office (907-742-3730) if you need help recalling your PIN for Parent Connect. If you have your PIN but can't recall your password, please use the "Reset your Password" feature on the Parent Connect landing page.
Once in Parent Connect, there will be a link to register your student under the "ASD Quick Links" tab. It will say "Online Registration 2025 Incomplete" in red. You will know you have successfully registered your student for 2025 when the message in your "ASD Quick Links" tab turns to green and says "Online Registration for 2025 Complete".
If you know for sure you will not be returning, please let the front office know so that more seats can be made available to incoming families through the lottery process.
LET’S TEAM UP TO CLEAN UP!!! Super Sweepers City-Wide Clean Up Week!
This past week, the Chugach Student Council began distributing orange trash bags. Families interested in cleaning our city after what’s been a very long winter, please look for a table in the hallway near the front office. Bags will be available until Friday, May 10.
● Each filled orange trash bag earns 1 raffle ticket. The Raffle Drawing will be Monday, May 13th.
● Bags will need to be deposited either at your participating neighborhood school Saturday May 4th. Or designated areas around town hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.
https://www.anchoragechamber.org/citywide-cleanup-regulations-and-bag-pickup-locations-2/
● Families that want to continue beautifying our city throughout the next few weeks, will just need to dispose of the bags themselves.
● To earn a chance at winning a Fred Meyer gift card, please sign your name on the participants list poster along with the number bags your child filled, no later than Monday morning May 13th.
● The winner of the drawing will be announced at the end of the school day Monday, May 13, 2024.
HAPPY TRASH HUNTING!
Susan's Family Group Presents
On Thursday, May 9th 10:30am & 6pm
Activities!
Track Meets!
Wednesday, May 1 @ Chugach Optional (4:30pm-7:30pm)
Wednesday, May 8 @ Hanshew MS (4:30pm - 7:30pm)
Friday, May 17 - Invitational Meet @ Mears MS (4:00pm-7:00pm)
Bike to School Day: May 8th
Since we aren't a neighborhood school we can bike from anywhere, so if your home is too far away to bike to school maybe drive to New Sagaya, the Park Strip or Westchester Lagoon among other places and bike from there. Each biker gets a sticker and entered into a raffle for a new bike!
Ultimate Frisbee Jamboree
Friday, May 3 - Ultimate Frisbee Jamboree @ the Dome (4:15pm-5:30pm)
Kris's Family Group Presents
On Thursday, May 16th 10:30am & 6pm.
Chicken Care - Summer 2024
Our wonderful chickens need to be cared for throughout the summer months and we are hoping to have families sign up to help care for the girls. Please click this link to learn more and/or sign-up. We appreciate your help!
@ Our Library
Time to return library books!
May 3rd is the last day to check out library books. While this doesn’t feel very ‘love of library’ for me, I do need two weeks to find all the books that have not been returned…yet. If a student needs to finish a book and is unable to return the book by May 3rd, I will absolutely work with each student on a plan.
Thank you for supporting your child in finding and returning library books. On my Clever page, there is a video on how to look in the library catalog for checked out books. There are bonuses for using the online catalog: *being able to see the cover of the book, *saving paper and trees, and *supporting our students being in-charge library users.
If your student is unsure of their ASD username and password, I can help!
Missing a library book?
If a library book is missing and/or needs to be replaced, please use the following guide to help you: Missing a library book plan If, for whatever reason, you are unable to replace a book, please connect with me and we will make a plan. I feel very strongly about the following quote:
“schools … can make it easy and unrisky for children to take books home … by worrying less about losing books to children and more about losing children to illiteracy.” Richard L. Allington
We are hoping to schedule a Lousaac librarian to share information about the APL Summer Discovery Program with our students. Studies show how important it is that students read year-round! Since students will not have access to Chugach Library, please make a plan to visit our public libraries this summer. What a great way to support the love of reading! APL’s Annual Reading Rendzvous is on May 18 from 12pm-4pm on the Loussac Library lawn - a great way
Please connect if there is any way I can support!
Many thanks!
Amy
Music Notes
Chugach's Got Talent: Did you miss the talent show? Now you cn watch it on the Chugach Optional YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TzSL2w9Jio&t=1226s
Upper Family Group Musicals!
Madagascar : May 2nd, 1pm & 4:30pm
The Lion King: May 9th 10:30am & 6pm
Alice In Wonderland: May 16th 10:30am & 6pm.
Chugach Stage Upgrades
Your one-time donation will directly support Chugach Productions and Presentations: sound, light and technology. Currently, Chugach students have been participating in the full cycle of sound production, light engineering and technology at limited capacity. We have had to beg, borrow and steal the equipment from other schools to pull off our A class performances and presentations. Suggested donation is $100. A personal mic with wireless receiver costs $1598 dollars. If you are interested in being a founding donor or personal mic sponsor please contact Lauralee. Visit our Chugach YouTube page to see examples of our work and applaud our amazing students and staff.
Parking Etiquette
Friends - please help our community to ensure a safe and efficient parking lot for arrival and dismissal.
We know parking is limited but please refrain from parking in any of the "RESERVED" parking spots, the fire lane or the loading dock area. We would appreciate your help keeping these areas clear for emergency vehicles at all times.
Also, please do not park in the handicapped parking spaces unless you are permitted to do so. We need to have these spots accessible to those who need them. We would also appreciate it if you could park in such a way as to not block others from getting out of their parking spots or that blocks the flow of traffic.
Chugach families are welcome to park at the New Hope Church across the street and in the Municipal EOC parking lot but please be good neighbors and do not park in their reserved parking areas and be mindful of your speed at all times.