HUSKY UPDATE

Happy December! As always, it was another great month to be a Homestead Husky! It's going to be an action packed month, so please mark your calendars with the following dates:

• December 6th - Choir performing at the Tree Lighting Ceremony
• December 7th - Homestead Holiday Bazaar
• December 11th - Poetry slam event - 5th grade
• December 12th - Basketball jamboree
• December 13th - Revolutionary War wax museum - 5th grade
• December 13th - 2nd quarter awards assembly
• December 13th - SLC dance
• December 17th - Choir concert at 6:00 PM at Homestead
• December 19th - IT sing along and last day for students

Dear Husky Families,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break, filled with joy, rest, and quality time with loved ones. As we move into December, I want to share some important updates and reminders with you.

State Testing Season

Our state testing season begins this week, and we are working to ensure students feel confident and prepared. These assessments provide valuable insights into student growth and learning. We encourage our students to work hard, maintain good study habits, and most importantly, just do their best!

Winter Benchmark Dates

• mClass (Grades K-3): December 4th
• MAP Growth (Grades 3-5): December 5th - 11th

Upcoming Events

We hope to see everyone this Saturday at Homestead's Holiday Bazaar! There will be something for everyone to enjoy, and it’s a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit.

Our 2nd Quarter Awards Assembly will take place on December 13th. If your child is receiving an award, their teacher will reach out to invite you to join us in celebrating their accomplishments. We are incredibly proud of ALL our Huskies!

As the holiday season and winter break approaches, I encourage everyone to take time to celebrate, relax, and recharge with family and friends.

Thank you for your continued support and for being an integral part of our amazing Homestead community. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year!

Warm regards,

Maranda Stone, Principal

The Food Fight at Homestead collected 2,198 items! Will it be enough to beat the competition? Only time will tell. The Chugiak-Eagle River Food Pantry is out collecting and weighing items and will let us know in the next few weeks who will hold the title of the 2024 Food Fight champion.

Thank you to SLC for another successful Food Fight!

Mrs. Johannes' third grade class won the school-wide competition by collecting 589 items! Mrs. Johannes' class received a donut and cocoa party sponsored by SLC.

The Homestead Holiday Bazaar is quickly approaching and we would love to see you there! You can look forward to food, performances, gifts, and so much more!

There is still time to secure a booth if you or your student is interested. Please email callison_kasey@asdk12.org or fill out the google form here.

Coach Payne is planning on hosting a basketball jamboree on December 12th. Look for more information being released in the upcoming days as we are waiting on other schools to confirm.

The date is set! The venues are awaiting our arrival! The choir has prepared and rehearsed! Homestead Elementary Choir members will have the privilege of providing festive and holiday music for our Chugiak & Eagle River community. Our tour will take place, Wednesday, December 18th.

Cookies, cocoa and carols, OH MY! The Homestead Elementary Choir will be performing LIVE at the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce Winter Wonderland and Tree Lighting ceremony on Friday, December 6th. The choir has been working so hard in preparation for this hometown tradition. Join the Homestead Choir at 7:05 p.m. as their voices help sing in the Holiday season. We truly hope you and your family can join us for this enjoyable and festive program.

Order your yearbook today and save!

SLC is hosting a movie night on December 13 in the MPR. Mark your calendar and look forward to watching Kevin take down the sticky bandits in Home Alone. As always, SLC will be selling concessions and pizza will be available for pre-sale.

SLC is hosting the 12 days of holiday spirit from December 4th - December 19th.

SLC is currently selling Elf Grams; order forms went home last week. Fill out your form and turn it in to your teacher or the office. SLC members are working busily in Santa's workshop to fulfill orders!

You can send a card and candy to yourself, or to a friend or teacher at Homestead! These are a fun way to share kindness during December!

Individual sales:

Card/Candy Cane - $2.00

Card/Chocolate - $1.00

Card/Both - $3.00

Class sets:

Cards/Candy Cane- $30.00

Cards/Chocolate- $25.00

Cards/Both- $35.00

All profits will be used to buy supplies to make care kits for the Homeless.

Dear Parent,

This is a second reminder to turn in your completed paperwork or sign up online to participate in the ASD Wellness Initiative study. ASD has partnered with the University of Alaska in a study looking at longer lunch periods, longer recesses, and more movement breaks throughout the day. Our school will participate in a portion of the study that will look at the amount of food eaten by students who eat a hot lunch on December 9th and 11th. If you and your child agree to participate, your child can get up to $100 for being in this study. More details about how to participate in this study can be found at this link:

https://redcap.link/ne0yv1cp

Information will also be sent home with your child. Thank you for considering helping us learn more about ASD’s Wellness Initiative!

Please click HERE for the MAP Growth Newsletter Information 2024-2025.

Please click HERE to read about our new Raptor visitor management system.

This year our teachers will be completing a universal social-emotional behavior screener (SAEBRS). Important information we want to share in partnership with all families.

1. This screener will take place 3 times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring).

   Teachers will be conducting the screening for their students on December 5th.

2. The teacher rating will be completed outside of class time and will not disrupt learning.

3. This screener will help our teachers strengthen classroom structures and the school meet students’ social, emotional and behavioral needs.

4. 
   

Please check in with Mrs. Stone if you have further questions or would like more information.

Please click HERE for mClass newsletter information.