Alaska Native Cultural Charter

January

• 1/14 - Kids Heart Challenge assembly, grades K-5
• 1/14 - First day of 21st Century after-school program
• 1/20 - Dr. Martin Luther King Day holiday - NO SCHOOL
• 1/21 - ANCCS Schoolwide Planning Community Survey closes
• 1/21 - ANCCS Academic Policy Committee (APC) meeting, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
• 1/27 & 1/28 - Alaska Ninja Warrior visiting ANCCS
• 1/28 - ANCCS Family Night, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
• 1/31 - Attendance Celebration

February

• 2/1 - Online Lottery Opens for NEW to ANCCS K-8 students
• 2/3 - 2/7 - ACCESS Testing for ELL students
• 2/10 - 2/14 - Spirit Week!
• 2/16 - Elizabeth Peratrovich Day
• 2/17 - Presidents' Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
• 2/20 - 3/7 - School Climate & Connectedness Survey open
• 2/24 - 2/28 - Preschool closed for professional development & conferences
• 2/26 - Full School Day (other ASD schools have a half day)
• 2/27 - NO SCHOOL for parent/teacher conferences (other ASD schools have a half day)
• 2/28 - NO SCHOOL - Staff professional development day

March

• 3/6 - Last school day of Quarter 3
• 3/7 - Quarter 3 Grading Day - NO SCHOOL
• 3/10 - 3/14 - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
• 3/17 - Classes resume for Quarter 4
• 3/24 - 4/4 - AK Star / Spring MAP, grades 3-8
• 3/25 - MAP / AK Star Testing opens (grades 3 - 8)
• 3/27- ANCCS Family Night, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Happy new year! We are excited to be back in the building with students as we start off 2025 with lots of exciting learning opportunities and celebrations! This month, we will be welcoming several visitors to ANCCS! The Alaska Ninja Warriors will be working with students during PE classes and with families at our upcoming family night on January 28. Kaladi Brothers will be celebrating the dedication of our ANCCS parents and families in getting our students to school every day by providing free coffee during drop off on January 31!

Congratulations, ANCCS families! ANCCS was recognized by the school district for having the best growth in student attendance from November to December. Our attendance rate grew by over 10%!

Quyana for your dedication to supporting your student's social, emotional, and educational development by ensuring your student attends school every day.

In order to celebrate this accomplishment, we will be celebrating on January 31 in several ways...

* FREE COFFEE for parents and families provided by Kaladi Brothers during school drop off!

* UAA's Seawolves will celebrate with our students in a special assembly!

* Lunch provided for our amazing staff by Texas Roadhouse!

As we enter 2025, we turn our sight and begin to plan for the 2025-2026 school year. We invite family and community input into our 2025-2026 schoolwide planning and goals. Please complete the linked community survey in order to provide your perspective. The survey will close on January 21, 2025.

Mrs. Hamacher, our ANCCS art teacher, has been working with artists through a CIRI Heritage Project grant to provide students amazing opportunities to explore culture and express themselves through art. Please check out the below video to see some of the amazing things our students have created.

As a whole-school project, we are hoping to decorate our hallway with an ANCCS family tree that includes photos of each of our ANCCS families. Please send a 4 x 6 photo of your family to school with your student so that your family can be represented on our tree.

During these first two weeks of quarter 3, students have been discussing kenkiyaraq, or ways of showing love.

Reflect: Ask your student what they have learned about kenkiyaraq at school.

Connect: Share stories with your student about ways you show love to your self, your family, and your community. Is there a particularly memorable time you remember feeling loved as a small child? Who showed you love and how?

Explore: With your student, make a plan to show love to someone in your lives or community. What will that look like, sound like, and feel like?

ASD Lottery opens February 1! Please share with any friends or neighbors who may be interested in ANCCS for their child.

Families interested in joining ANCCS need to apply through the ASD lottery--this includes current ANCCS preschool students who wish to return to ANCCS for Kindergarten and beyond as preschool is run through its own enrollment process. Current ANCCS K-8 students do not need to reapply through the lottery. The District utilizes a randomized lottery system to provide equal opportunity for all students who would like to participate in alternative schools or programs other than their child's neighborhood school.

Please visit the ASD Lottery Website for more information about the lottery or call the office at (907) 742-1370.

For K-8 students NEW to ANCCS (including current preschool students):

• Spring lottery opens for parents on February 1, 2025 at midnight for the 2025-2026 school year
• Spring lottery closes for applications on March 20, 2025 at 5:00 pm
• Spring lottery runs March 21, 2025
• Parent notifications released March 28, 2025 at 5:00 pm

For new preschool students:

Families interested in ANCCS preschool for 2025-2026 will need to apply through the preschool department. The application will be posted in February.

Dear Parent or Guardian,

Each year, students in English Learner programs take the ACCESS for ELLs language proficiency test. The test measures academic English language proficiency for students learning English in our school and throughout our state. The testing window is from February 3 - 7.

Teachers in our school use this information to help them make decisions about instruction for your child. Teachers also use these test scores to monitor the progress your child makes toward English proficiency.

Please contact me if you have questions about the ACCESS for ELLs test

Sincerely,

Pamela Dupras

ELL Resource Teacher

Alaska Native Cultural Charter School

ASD Goal: Every student will attend school at least 90 percent of the time.

ANCCS Goal: Less than 8 is Great!

While our attendance took a dip in November, the dedication of our students and families really shows in our attendance rate growth in December! 69% of students attended school at least 90% of the days in December. Let's keep up this growth and commit to school attendance in 2025!

The below graph shows the percentage of ANCCS students who attend 90% or more of school this year as compared to the previous 3 years. Our December attendance rate this year was the highest it has been since the 2020-2021 school year!

Grateful for a light dusting of snow - Kindergarten made snow angels!

Students working hard in language arts.

Art meets technology in Mrs. Hamacher's art room. Using iPads and Apple Pencils generously donated by ASRC, students are able to explore digital design.

Ringing in the New Year 2025 with apple cider in Kindergarten

Dear ANCCS Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

This letter is to let you know that your child’s class will be receiving age-appropriate lessons on child sexual abuse and assault prevention education as required under the state’s Alaska Safe Children’s Act (Erin’s Law).

Erin’s Law Education is comprised of two lessons (one lesson at the beginning of each semester) taught during the Health classes. Combined, these lessons meet the full requirements for students under the Alaska Safe Children’s Act (Erin’s Law) and are designed to help prevent childhood sexual abuse. Theses lessons will be presented in a non-threatening way, along with the skills needed for self-protection and will be handled in a sensitive, respectful manner.

Information about the lessons can be viewed HERE.

If you do NOT want your child to receive the instruction under the Alaska Safe Children’s Act, you must make this request in writing to the school principal (Principal Sweetsir), requesting that your child be excused from these specific lessons.

Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to provide learning opportunities to improve the safety and well being of our students.

An OPTIONAL In-Person Parent Preview opportunity is scheduled for:

ANCCS, Room A-1

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

8:00 – 8:30 am

During the 2nd semester, students in 5th & 6th grade will study human growth and development and diseases as part of ASD's Elementary Health curriculum, The Great Body Shop.

5th grade will cover:

● Unit 5 Growing Up

○ Lesson 1 Hormones and Your Body

○ Lesson 2 Puberty: Growing and Changing

○ Lesson 3 Hygiene and You-- Keeping Clean

○ Lesson 4 Growing Up with a Healthy Attitude

● Unit 8 - About Blood and Disease

○ Lesson 3 HIV, Enemy of the Immune System

6th grade will cover:

● Unit 4 The Reproductive System

○ Lesson 1 Growing Up Physically

○ Lesson 2 From Fertilization to Birth

○ Lesson 3 Emotional Maturity

○ Lesson 4 Relationships

● Unit 6 Infectious and Noninfectious Diseases

○ Lesson 2 All about HIV

○ Lesson 3 Sexually Transmitted Infections

For more information about lesson topics, student issues and videos, please visit the preview folder. An OPTIONAL In-Person Parent Preview opportunity is scheduled for:

ANCCS, Room A-1

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

8:00 – 8:30 am

Please share with any friends or family who may be interested in joining our school family.