Dragon Tale

1/6- In-service Day / End of 2nd Quarter/ No School

1/7 - Students Return to School

1/10 - After-School Biathlon (extended dates)

1/13 - After-School Skiing Begins (Weather Dependent)

1/14 - Site Council Meeting @ 3:15

1/15 - After-School Skating Begins (Weather Dependent)

1/16 - After-School Forensics Begins

1/17 - Early Release Day

1/17 - After-School Biathlon

1/20 - After-School Skiing

1/22 - After-School Skating

1/23 - After-School Forensics

1/24 - After-School Biathlon (Last One)

1/27 - After-School Skiing

1/28 - School Spelling Bee @ 1:30

1/29 - After-School Skating

1/30 - After-School Forensics

Volunteer Opportunity - We are in need of parent helps to help with getting skates on and off during our after-school skating program. Please contact Joy in the front office if you can help with this.

A new semester is starting and we are looking forward to all the great activities and learning that teachers have planned for the rest of the school year. We also begin to look at plans for next year. Those plans are based upon the staffing that we will be given based on projected enrollment and available funding. McNeil Canyon anticipates an enrollment similar to our 145 students this year. Unfortunately, because our state legislators once again chose not to produce a budget that involves other sources of revenue, we are stuck in the uncertainty of previous years and we will not know the staffing levels for next year until the legislators make their final decision in April.

Between now and then there is much that you can do to get the word out to as many people as possible regarding the importance of K-12 education. Our students deserve the best we can provide.

Please let your legislators know what kind of difference their funding decisions have made for your child. You should also contact your local school board members and borough assembly members to let them know your interests. Letters from parents or e-mails are the kind of information that influence their decisions. Your input is very valuable. Please set aside a few minutes to send them your thoughts.

Our last week of school before winter break was packed full of giving, creativity and fun! We started our week with giving back to the community by putting together soup kits along with filling our class food pantry boxes with items to donate to the local Homer food pantry (we collected a total of 1062 boxed/canned food items!). Next, our students participated in the annual mini workshops where creative juices were flowing within the thirteen different groups they were able to chose from. These included winter slime, salt dough ornaments, foam ornaments, homemade Christmas cards, Macramé Gnomes, origami boxes, snowman ornaments, light-up snowmen, stained glass ornaments, wire snowflakes, caroling, and Christmas wreaths. We finished the week in cozy pajamas and made homemade gingerbread cookies thanks to Two Sisters Bakery and their delicious dough that they donated! Fun was had by all!

Monday, January 6th is the end of our 2nd quarter and an inservice day for our staff. There is no school on this day. Students will return to school from winter break on Tuesday, January 7th.

After-school 4th - 6th grade forensics begins Thursday, January 16th. A reminder to bring a bulk snack to share. Thank you!

After-school skiing begins Monday, January 13th and ice skating begins on Wednesday, January 15th (weather and conditions dependent- we will notify by school messenger if we need to postpone). These will continue until Spring Break depending on weather, trail, and ice conditions. A reminder to bring a bulk snack to share (granola bars, crackers, etc). Thank you!

Volunteer Opportunity - We are in need of parent helps to help with getting skates on and off during our after-school skating program. Please contact Joy in the front office if you can help with this.

Friday, January 17th is an early release day. School ends at 1:20 and buses will arrive at their stops an hour and a half earlier than normal.

We will hold our school spelling bee on Tuesday, January 28th at 1:30pm. The bee is open to all 4th -6th grade students. They MUST join the spelling bee study group during lunch on Mondays leading up to the bee to participate. Parents are welcome to watch the bee!

Happy Winter Break, Families! As we move into 2025, I want to take a moment to wish everyone happy holidays and a wonderful start to the new year! This has been an incredible semester for McNeil Elementary and its Title I program.

2024 Fall Semester Title I Highlights

• Annual Family Game Night: Title I took over sponsoring this cherished tradition and brought families together for an evening of fun with board games and Capture the Flag.

• Book Purchases: Title I invested $500 in classroom libraries so far, purchasing a total of 48 books for the 1st, 2nd, and 5th grades to support the CKLA Core Curriculum.

• One School, One Book Family Engagement Event: Title I distributed 90 copies of The Boxcar Children, ensuring every family received a copy. Several additional copies were also added to the school library.

• Seward Sea Life Center Nocturne Trip: Title I sponsored an overnight trip for the 2nd and 3rd graders to the Seward Sea Life Center. Students explored the center and participated in programs where they learned about deep-sea bioluminescence and created clay statues of an Alaskan puffin while learning about its unique features.

• Student Support: Title I has been hard at work providing targeted support in math, literacy, and a bit of social-emotional learning. Our focus has been on key areas to help students grow and achieve their potential.

Additionally, we’ve made an important resource available for parents and guardians to review. This document is designed to keep families informed about McNeil Elementary’s Family Engagement Policy which was created and approved by a team of parents & staff. A link to this document will be provided at the end of this article. Questions and feedback can be sent to Veronica Jones at vjones@kpbsd.k12.ak.us.

Looking Ahead to Spring Semester 2025

As we gear up for the second semester, we’re excited to announce that Title I will be supporting a Science Fair in March (more information to follow). This promises to be an enriching experience, and we’ll be collaborating with other organizations within the school and the broader community to ensure its success.

Title I will continue to support students in their academics, with a focus on providing targeted assistance in literacy and math for those who need an extra boost to succeed.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Have a safe and joyous holiday season and a happy new year! See you in January!

Warm regards,
Veronica Jones
Title I Tutor

The following students have been selected as Spotlight Students for the month of January: Adie Dickerson, Aurora Maurer, Atticus Stafford, Sigrid Frank, Camden Brown, Isla Duff, Emmett Forbes, Wilder Roth, Cedar Galbraith, Ellowyn Hanson, Thalia Peter, Gage Conley, Sage Ault, Bella Donyes, Alowan Rogers, Zeke Arnold, and Theodore Lukin.

Parents are invited to join their child and the principal for lunch on Thursday, January 23rd at 11:55 am.

Spotlight Student forms are being sent home with these children tomorrow. Please return them as soon as possible so they can be placed on our Spotlight Student bulletin board. Thank you!!

Thank you!

Email: joverson@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
Website: kpbsd.org/schools/mcneil-canyon/
Location: 52188 East End Rd, Homer, AK, USA
Phone: 907-235-8181
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McNeilCanyon/