Panther Pride News

Last Spring, Mears guitar and ukulele musicians had an incredible opportunity to play, record, and appear in a music video Niicugniaqa Nunakilili "I am listening, I am happy" arranged for an orchestra of guitars and ukuleles by Darin Au. Many thanks to Stephen Griesgraber of the Augustine Foundation who provided the grant to make this project happen. Enjoy this rich cultural experience as we celebrate and honor the diversity of indigenous music and heritage.

• Mears Dine to Donate Fundraiser: August 29th, 4:00p-9:00p, Texas Roadhouse, dine-in or curb-side, tell your server or place in the special instructions, you are supporting our school!

• PTSA Meeting: September 11th, 6:30p-7:30p, In the Mears Library - Approve Board Positions, Review '24-'25 budget

• 4:45-6:00: 6th Grade Only

  • Principal Welcome

  • 6th grade and Elective Teacher Introductions

  • PTSA

  • Visit pods and meet staff

• 7:00-8:15: 7th & 8th Grade

  • Principal Welcome

  • 7, 8, and Elective Teachers Introductions

  • PTSA

  • Visit pods and meet staff

ASD Student Nutrition fuels student success through strengthening and supporting optimal learning by delivering high-quality meals and exceptional customer service. We prioritize the development of our staff and cultivate positive engagement with students and the community. Mears is not a Title I school, therefore we charge for individual meals provided by our student nutrition team members.

Middle School Breakfast: $4.25

Middle School Lunch: $6.25

Your family may be eligible for free or reduced meal pricing, please follow the link below to see if you qualify!

As of today, all students should have a usable ASD Chromebook and charger checked out to them for the remainder of their time in our school district.

Take good care of them, they should last our students through to high school graduation.

Intentional damage to Chromebooks will be reported for discipline consequences.Replacement of damaged parts of the Chromebook range from $25 to $100 and replacement of an entire intentionally damaged Chromebook is $250.

If your student doesn’t currently have a working Chromebook and charger, they should communicate with their Homeroom teacher who will fill out a Chromebook Needs form for them.

Our students are amazing! They have learned so much this week -- navigating lockers, classes, Canvas, lunch room process --all with a great attitude. We look forward to a great year.

Students should come to their Math, Social Studies, ELA, and Science classes every day with their:

• binder

• student planner

• sharpened pencil

• charged Chromebook

Electives may also require these. Check with individual teachers if your student is still unsure.

Science - Keep those (clean) 2-liter bottles coming! We will need to set up our ecosystems in the next two weeks so tell your friends you’ll take those 2-liter bottles off their hands. Also, dress for the weather next week because we’re hoping to go outside, and bring colored pencils every day too.

Ms. Gustafson

ELA - This week in ELA we are talking about teamwork! Students are thinking about when we need a team and why teamwork is so important. Students should have time in class to complete their assignments on Canvas and so should not have homework. Please feel free to email me with any questions!

Mrs. Thuya

Click on the links below for Sports & Activities dates and visit the Mears Sports Page for all up to date sports information!

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.

Is your child going to absent from school? Save time and send a quick email to our attendance email box, mearsattendance@asdk12.org or you can call the school at 907-742-6400 and select the Attendance Line option to leave us a voice mail, either option is a great way to notify us!

Our office staff is available daily, please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help you in any way, our hours are 8:45-4:15. Thanks so much, we are here to help serve you!

We do not accept, Door Dash/Uber Eats/ETC, food deliveries for students before, during, nor after school. We will NOT accept deliveries of any kind. We have a school meal program offering balanced meal choices daily. In addition, the Black Cat Cafe offers smart snacks daily for purchase

Lunch Detentions are held daily during each lunch wave in Room ST6.. Students are expected to check-in with the supervisor at the beginning of lunch. Students who need to purchase food from the cafeteria will be issued a fast pass to procure their food and return to Room ST6 to serve the assigned lunch detention.

Detentions are 8:45 am-9:20 am, in Room ST6, Tuesday-Friday. Please drop-off your student at the MPR EAST entrance to access the building. Security staff will greet your student and escort them to Room ST6. Please contact AP Svendsen or AP Matthews with any questions.

Everyone

Accepted

Respected

Safe

Email: marquand_carla@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/mears
Location: 2700 West 100th Avenue, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-6400