The Scoop
Chugach Optional Newsletter - January 2025 Edition
Message from Joel
Dear Chugach Families,
Happy New Year! I am excited to start the second half of this school year despite the weird weather we have been having. As we move into January we are looking forward to our Winter Carnival and welcoming our Artist in Residence, Ashley Young (see attached bio below). Ashley will be at Chugach from January 21st through the 30th, working with Shoko to teach our students form line drawing. Learning this art form is excellent timing as it ties directly into the Alaska studies our middle group is currently learning.
As always, please stop by the office and say hello if you have the opportunity.
Joel
January's Important Dates
Monday, January 13 - Lego League (3:00-4:30pm; Art room), CEC Board Meeting (3:00pm-4:00pm, Conference Room)
Tuesday, January 14 - Community Assembly Meeting (6:00pm-7:30pm, ZOOM)
Wednesday, January 15 - Lego League (3:00pm-4:00pm, Music Room)
Thursday, January 16 - Basketball Practice (3:00pm-4:00pm); Human Growth & Development Parent Meeting (5th/6th grade only; 3:00-3:30pm, Health Room)
Friday, January 17 - Hibernation Day (Kindy), EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal@11:15am), Basketball Game @ Northwood Elementary (3:00pm-5:00pm)
Monday, January 20 - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (NO SCHOOL)
Tuesday, January 21 - Thursday, January 30 - Artist in Residence with guest Ashley Young
Wednesday, January 22 - Lego League (3:00-4:00, Music Room)
Thursday, January 23 - 3/4 BOB in School Meet (12:30pm), Basketball Practice (3:00pm-4:00pm)
Friday, January 24 - Basketball Home Game vs. Wonder Park Elementary (3:30pm - 5:00pm)
Monday, January 27 - Lego League (3:00pm-4:00pm, Art Room)
Thursday, January 30 - Basketball Practice (3:00pm - 4:00pm)
Friday, January 31 - EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal@11:15am), Basketball Game @ Cambell STEM (3:00pm-5:00pm), WINTER CARNIVAL (5:00pm - 7:30pm)
Come to the next CAM to learn more about Science Share!
Our Community Assembly Meeting on January 14 at 6:00 PM will be on ZOOM ONLY and the topic is Science Share.
Click HERE to join the Zoom
Tuesday, January 14 6:00 PM
❄️Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Winter Carnival on Friday, Jan. 31, 5-7:30 pm. An opportunity to celebrate our school community, light up our winter season, and enjoy the fun winter brings. The evening will include ice skating (Central MS rink this year), music with DJ Spencer Lee, hot cocoa, food trucks (weather permitting), and playground fun with our Chugach community. Please consider helping with ice lanterns, candles, hot drinks, or fire pits to help create our winter wonderland.
If you have questions or would like to be involved in the event planning, please contact Sarah Jefferies at sarahgrunwaldt@gmail.com or visit the sign up to volunteer for this great event.
Sign up Genius:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CA4A622AAFAC52-54254227-winter
Junior Native Youth Olympics!
Dear Parents,
In PE we are learning about and preparing for the annual Junior Native Youth Olympics. We will be learning about the different games and how they originated. If your child would like the opportunity to compete in these games with kids their same age; the date is Feb 1 at Ravenwood Elementary. JNYO is a friendly competition that is a fun-filled time. There are medals awarded at the end of the events, but just as important is the fact that the kids are learning our Alaskan culture from each other and enjoying the simple act of competing.
Practices will be during Lunch Recess, Before School and during PE. I will have practices starting January 13.
COMPETITION SCHEDULE
9:00 Scissor Broad Jump (5th and 6th grade)
9:30 One Foot High Kick (5th and 6th grade)
9:45 Kneel Jump (1st and 2nd grade)
10:45 Two Foot High Kick (3rd and 4th grade)
11:15 Eskimo Stick Pull (1st and 2nd grade)
12:30 Alaskan High Kick (5th and 6th grade)
12:45 Arm Pull (3rd and 4th grade)
2:00 Eskimo Stick Pull (5th and 6th grade)
Please fill out the waiver and the Event form and return to Polly.
School Business Partnerships at Chugach
Chugach is looking to recruit local businesses to partner with in our ASD School Business Partnership program!
It is simple. Sign-up as a partner with us and we will work with you to help promote your business in our community while you help create relations, make donations or provide services, and help with ways that we can educate our students about the work that you do!
Click here for more information. We look forward to collaborating with you!
Email Mikelle with any questions or interests in our program at forbes_mikelle@asdk12.org
Special Chugach Optional rate for BEETLEJUICE at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts!
Join us on Saturday, Feb 1, 1:00pm. $40 tickets for students, teachers, family, & friends. Please use the link below and use the password 'Chugach'. Please contact sarahgrunwaldt@gmail.com if we run out of seats and we will request additional seats for your party. Recommended for ages 13+
Enjoy the show!
Chugach Science Share - March 20, 2025
Chugach Science Share is our non-competitive Science Fair which challenges students to practice the scientific method with their own experiment and share their findings with the Chugach community. All students are invited to participate. Participation is required for 5th/6th grade.
Science Share is special, because every student who completes a project gets to discuss it with a real scientist from our community. Students complete a project and then present it to a Community Scientist during a scheduled 10-minute time slot on Science Share Night. The Community Scientist will ask questions about the project and provide encouragement and feedback. It’s a really wonderful learning experience for the students.
Science Share night is fun! You can come even if you haven’t completed a project. There are scavenger hunts with cookie prizes for different age levels. You can also browse the projects and enjoy free pizza.
Parents! Please Help! We need Community Scientists (20-30 of them!) to meet with students individually about projects on Science Share night. Anyone from the Chugach Community with a Scientific/STEM background can help! Doctors, Nurses, Engineers, Biologists, Naturalists, Science Teachers, Geoscientists, Botanists, Water Scientists…on and on…. anyone from our Chugach community - parents, aunts/uncles, grandparents, family friends. Please sign up and/or help recruit others!
The Community Assembly Meeting (CAM) on Tuesday, January 14 at 6:00 PM is Science Share. Parents, this is a great opportunity to learn how to support your child on a Science Share project!
Follow these links to find out more:
Contact Rebecca Emerson at rebecca_bailey@yahoo.com if anything isn’t working or you have questions or ideas!
Thank you to Our School Business Partners!
Hockey, Coffee & Community
Arctic Shred “Shred Local”
This could be your business!
Email Mikelle for more information about the School Business Partnership Program
About Us
Email: chugachoffice@asdk12.org
Website: www.asdk12.org/chugachoptional
Location: 1205 E St, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-3730