Aquarian News

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

February

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- Valentine's Day WEAR RED!

2/14- Pizza Fundraiser

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

3/3- PTO 5:30 in the Library

3/4- Girl Scout Troop 150 Cookie Sales

3/7- Grading Day- No School for Students

3/10-3/14- Spring Break

3/17 5:45 APC Meeting

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 945 3161 5121

Passcode: 871491

3/18- Girl Scout Troop 155 Cookie Sales

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

3/30- Ice Skating Family Event 3:00-5:00 at the Diamond Center

Big news—Rhya in Ms. Jessica’s second-grade class was our top fundraiser for the Jog-a-Thon, earning her the exciting title of Principal for a Day! She has chosen, Monday, February 10th as her special takeover day, and she has a few fun rules for everyone to follow:

1️⃣ No homework on February 10th! 🎉
2️⃣ Extra playtime—every class gets 30 additional minutes of fun! ⏳
3️⃣ Dress-up day! Come to school dressed as your favorite Disney character. 🏰✨

We can’t wait to see what kind of magic Principal Rhya brings to the day!

We need YOU to volunteer!

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

• March 21 - 8:30-11:30 - Round 1, Gauntlet volunteers will role-play real-life scenarios with students. This year’s theme is the Upstanding Citizen Convention (~ 30 volunteers)

• March 27 - 11:30-12:30 - Round 2, Meet and Greet volunteers will mingle and converse with students in a meet and greet at lunch, testing and scoring them on their conversational skills and professionalism (~ 20 volunteers)

Click HERE for more information and to sign up to volunteer

New This Week: This past week in house hour 4-6th graders practiced for the Amazing Shake. They learned about how to participate in a meet and greet. They practiced how to approach someone and professionally introduce themselves. They learned how to hold a brief conversation and then how to exit that conversation gracefully.

Practice for the Amazing Shake at Home: Preparing for the Amazing Shake doesn’t end when you leave school. At home, you can: 1. Practice the Visit Anchorage Script LINK HERE; 2. Talk about job interview skills and how to promote yourself; 3. Brainstorm some fun community service opportunities for Anchorage; 4. Put together a professional outfit to wear on March 21’s Gauntlet.

Please check out our website for more information. Contact: Sarah F or Lisa C with questions.

fineman_sarah@asdk12.net chelmo_lisa@asdk12.net

Ms. Kristin and Ms. Jessica are excited to announce that Girls on the Run is coming to Aquarian! This incredible program inspires girls in grades 3-6 to be joyful, healthy, and confident through fun activities and running.

Season Details:
📅 Start Date: Tuesday, March 4
🏁 Final Race: Saturday, May 10
📆 Practice Days: Tuesdays & Thursdays
⏰ Time: 3:30 – 5:00 PM
💲 Cost: $175

Sign-up is open now! Don’t miss this amazing opportunity for your child to build confidence, make friends, and stay active. Spots are limited, so register today!

Thank you so much to all our amazing science fair judges’ and to you, parents, for the time and effort you put into supporting your children’s love of science learning. There was so much joy and learning in the gym on Thursday. We are so proud of your children.

Feedback and ribbons will be coming home on Monday. Teachers will be sharing the following message with students on how to respectfully receive constructive criticism. If your child has any questions, we encourage you to reiterate this message.

We want to celebrate your hard work on your projects and learning. We are proud of how you represented Aquarian with your unique scientific interests and abilities.

Here are a few things to ponder before you get your feedback:

1. At Aquarian, participation in the science fair is required for all k-2 classrooms and 3rd-6th grade students. The science fair is an opportunity to explore a scientific topic that is of interest to you. It is an opportunity for you to shine and share your learning with the community. Completing your project was a lot of work and you should be proud of your effort!

2. We couldn’t do the science fair without the judges. Please remember our judges are volunteers. They all came to support you, listen to you, and to celebrate your learning. We aimed to make the judging forms as objective as possible, yet scores may vary because judges are human. This is normal in any judging situation. Please read your feedback. It was meant to help you grow and improve. It acknowledges your success and can offer ways to do better in the future.

3. You may disagree with your score or feedback, or even think it is unfair. It is a skill to learn how to graciously accept constructive criticism. We encourage you to have a growth mindset when reviewing the feedback and scores and focus on it as an opportunity to grow and learn.

Science Fair Committee – Sarah, Lisa B, Monica, and Connie

Dear Families,

Happy 2025! It’s time to get out and play in our winter wonderland. You can use Healthy Future Activity Logs to help your child do just that! Get 15 days of 60 minutes of activity and you can fill out a log and receive a prize.

Use the link below to enter your child’s participation once they have completed their monthly activity. There is also provided a printable calendar, or you can keep track of activity on any home calendar. Having your child fill out the form will help them set a goal and be accountable for it. You can use stickers or just a star in each box when they complete a day of activity.

The form will not come back to school. Once your child has completed 15 days of 60 minutes of activity, use the link to enter their name. Please use the link for each of your children.

The February link to the log is https://bit.ly/FebHealthyFutureLog

It will be available after Feb 15th and should be entered before March 4th.

Have fun, get outside and enjoy getting activity!

Troop 150

It's cookie season! Troop 150 will be selling Girl Scout cookies after school on March 4th. Troop 150 is raising funds to travel to the Girl Scout National Convention in Washington, D.C. in July of 2026. This special gathering only happens once every three years and the Girl Scouts will be able to attend interactive workshops, watch inspiring speakers, and experience once-in-a- lifetime adventures that spark forever friendships. Support Troop 150 and stop by their booth for delicious Girl Scout cookies. If you aren’t able to stop by the booth you can purchase cookies from the troop at - https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/troop150c603?fpkp=1.

Troop 155

Cookies are here! Support Troop 155 and stop by their cookie booth on March 18th after school. This year Troop 155 will use the money earned to experience and learn about new things and to also help the community. Selling at cookie booths allows the Girl Scouts to work on the five key business skills: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. Don’t miss out on your favorite Girl Scout Cookies. If you aren’t able to make it after school you can purchase cookies from Troop 155 online at - https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/troop155c603?fpkp=1.

The School Connectedness & Climate Survey is now open, and we would love for you to share your feedback. This important survey helps us understand how well we are fostering a positive, connected, and supportive environment for our students and families.

Your input is invaluable in helping us create the best possible experience for everyone in our school community.

👉 Click here to take the survey: Climate and Connectedness Survey Link

The survey is quick to complete, and your responses are confidential. It will be available until March 21st.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and help us make Aquarian the best it can be for our students and families.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you to everyone that participated in the House Ball Basket Auction!

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we raised over $9,000 for Professional Development. These funds will go directly toward sending our amazing staff to the Ron Clark Academy this spring—an opportunity that will bring fresh inspiration and innovation to our classrooms.