The Scoop

Dear Chugach Families,

It was shared with me recently that we have made it through the 10 darkest weeks of the year (November 15-January 21). While I love Alaska, I am so happy to begin seeing dawn break before 9 am! I am also glad to be out of our "Rainy" season and back into a little more typical winter-like conditions. However, this also means that we can be in bone-chilling temperatures like we saw this week. Please make sure your child comes to school prepared to be outside for recess with a winter jacket, hats, gloves, boots, and snow gear.

I am looking forward to our first family night of the new year with our Winter Carnival on Friday from 5:00-7:30. While it's supposed to be cold, we can all look forward to warming ourselves up by coming together as a Chugach family and having a hot cup of coffee or cocoa. I hope to see you all there.

As always, please feel free to stop by the office and say hello.

Sincerely,

Joel

Tuesday, February 4 - Kid's Heart Challenge Kick-off event (12:45pm-1:15pm, Gym)

Thursday, February 6 - Chicken Club Meeting (4-6 grade, Morning Recess in Angie's room), Basketball Practice (3:00pm-4:00pm, Gym)

Friday. February 7 - Parent Coordinator Meeting (8:30am-9:30am, Seed Lab), Basketball Home Game vs. Lake Hood (3:00pm-5:00pm, Gym)

Saturday, February 8 - Alternative Schools & Programs Expo (noon-4pm @ Begich Middle School)

Wednesday, February 12 - School Tour (9:00am-10am)

Thursday, February 13 - Kindy Event for Kid's Heart Challenge (11:00am-11:30am), 1st-6th Grade Kids Heart Challenge Event (11:30am-12:35pm), Basketball Practice (3:00pm-4:00pm), Evening School Tour (6:00pm-7:00pm)

Friday, February 14 - SPIRIT DAY: Red, Pink & Purple Day, Kindy Friendship Celebration Day, Middles: AK Native Studies Presentation (10:30am-11:00am), Early Release Day (Dismissal @ 11:15am), Chugach Tubing Party (Arctic Valley, 1:30pm-3:00pm).

Monday, February 17 - President's Day (NO SCHOOL)

Tuesday, February 18 - Community Assembly Meeting/Alumni Night (6:00pm-7:30pm, library)

Wednesday, February 19 - School Tour (9:00am-10am)

Thursday, February 20 - Evening School Tour (6:00pm-7:00pm)

Friday, February 21 - Art Night (6:00pm-8:00pm)

Monday, February 24 - Primary Work Share Conferences (8:10am-8:50am)

Tuesday, February 25 - Primary Work Share Conferences (8:10am-8:50am)

Wednesday, February 26 - Primary Work Share Conferences (8:10am-8:50am), School Tour (9:00am-10am), Early Release for Parent/Teacher Conferences (Dismissal @ 11:15am)

Thursday, February 27 - Early Release for Parent/Teacher Conferences (Dismissal @ 11:15am)

Friday, February 28 - Insevice Day (NO SCHOOL for Students)

Join us for Winter Carnival

Friday, Jan 31

5:00-7:30pm

Winter Carnival is THIS FRIDAY!!

JOIN US!

Put on your winter layers and ice cleats and join us on the playground

The school foyer will be open for restrooms

Hot drinks and small treats provided

Food truck services (at your own expense) are TBD based on Friday’s temperatures

Bring your skates - Central’s ice rink is reserved just for us

Take a Book walk ~ enjoy tunes by DJ Spencer Lee ~ hunt for kindy crystals

Bring your camp chairs to join around the fire pits

Suggested Donation: $5/person or $10/family of 4 or more

WE STILL NEED HELPERS

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4CA4A622AAFAC52-54254227-winter

Sign up today~

The temperatures are great for making ice lanterns

Help supply hot drinks (we can help connect you to a carafe if you need one)

Bring your fire pit and wood

Plan to help fill hot cocoa cups for our students

Help with set up on Friday

Help with clean up

Chugach Optional Elementary will be holding school tours for prospective parents during February and March! Tours will be held on specific Wednesdays (Feb. 12, 19, 26 and March 19) from 9-10 a.m. We will also have two evening tours on Thursday, Feb. 13 and Thursday, Feb. 20 from 6-7 p.m.

Would you like to be part of our tour team? We will provide a sample script and talking points and a tour partner! Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040948A5A92DA6FD0-54638385-lead#/

Mandatory Chicken Club meeting for 4-6 graders who are part of the Chugach Chicken Club in Angie's room on Wednesday, February 6th during morning recess.

Alaska Native Song and Dance performance

Chugach Gym, Friday February 14th, 10:30am

Friday, February 14th will be a school spirit day! Join the fun by wearing Red, Pink and Purple!

Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 26th and Thursday, February 27th. On both of these days, Chugach students will be released at 11:15am (please be sure to have your pick-up plan in place!).

The Online Conference Scheduler will be available for parents to schedule a meeting time starting on Monday, February 10th. More information on how to set up your parent-teacher meeting will be sent out on that day.

Dear Families,

We are getting ready to kick off the Kids Heart Challenge adventure with the American Heart Association, and we need your help! Our students will be learning about their heart, raising awareness and funds for the American Heart Association and staying strong in body and mind. We’ll get moving with fun activities, meet kids with special hearts and raise funds for the health of all hearts. Plus, they’ll feel good for doing good!

I will be passing out the donation packet in PE, but if you want a headstart please download the Kids Heart Challenge App or visit heart.org/schools to register today. Once you've registered, start Finn’s Mission and complete the challenges. As a family you can help to create a community of lifesavers by learning the lifesaving steps of Hands-Only CPR. It’s quick, easy, and

fun!

Our school wide event will be February 13 during lunch recess!

This year, participating students and staff who complete Finn’s Mission will earn an entry to win two tickets to Super Bowl LX! For every 18 students who complete Finn’s Mission, our school will earn one entry for a $10,000 fitness equipment update!

Sign Up online and help our school win the Principal's Challenge to earn an additional $500 in new PE Equipment!

Why we support the American Heart Association: About 90% of people who suffer out of hospital cardiac arrests don’t survive. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double, or even triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

Thank you for joining us and helping us save lives!

Polly

Please join the CEC and our community for the February Community Assembly Meeting (CAM) on February 18th at 6:00pm in the library. This month's CAM will be combined with our annual Alumni Night. Details below!

Are you or your 6th grader feeling anxious or curious about the transition from Chugach to middle school? Do you have questions about what to expect? If so, Alumni Night is the perfect event for you! Hear from former Chugach students who are now thriving at various middle schools in our district. They’ll share their firsthand experiences and answer any questions current Chugach students or parents may have. After all, who better to explain the transition than the kids experiencing it right now? Alumni Night will be combined with the February CAM to give parents more opportunities to ask questions. This special event is now scheduled for Tuesday, February 18th, from 6:00–7:30 PM. Be sure to update your calendars and join us for an informative evening, complete with breakout sessions for parents. You won’t want to miss it!

Refreshments provided. Please contact Kelsey Saari @ kelseysaari@gmail.com if your middle school alumni would like to be on the student panel.

Families who's students are moving up to Middle School next year may be interested in these flyers we received from Steller Secondary and Romig Middle School. Please note these events are open to both incoming 6th and 7th grade students.

The SCCS is a voluntary statewide survey taken by students grades 3-12, all school-based staff, and ASD families since 2006, developed by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in partnership with Alaska Association of School Boards (AASB) and Panorama Education. It measures school climate, how connected students feel to adults and peers, social and emotional learning, and observed risk behaviors at school or school events.

ASD uses the data in strategic planning, evaluating programs, and improving community-school relationships both at the school and district level.

Research has shown that when students feel safe, connected, and engaged in their schools they are more successful learners and exhibit fewer risk behaviors.

Click the following link or use the QR code below to access the Family Survey:

2025 SCCS Family Link to Share

The 2025 Chugach Optional School Art Night is scheduled to take place on Friday, February 21st from 6 to 8 PM.

The goal of this event is to raise funds to support our sister school, Mauni in Malawi, Africa. We will also be collecting items to support the food pantry at New Hope Compassionate Ministries (located across the street from Chugach).

This year's event will include:

• purchase of art made by Chugach students as an in-class project
• auction of art created by members of the Chugach community including staff, parents and alumni
• a school dance

Please consider donating art you have created to the auction! This year is a little different than previous years -- we are looking ONLY for art created by our community for the auction piece. Donations can be dropped off at the front office. Please make sure to fill out a donation form.

You can contact Beth McLaughlin at: artnight2025@gmail.com for more information.

Please also consider volunteering to help staff this event -- we'll have a sign up coming out soon!

We are celebrating 21 years of supporting our sister school in Malawi. In September 2004, after Chugach’s nurse, Madelyn, volunteered in Mauni and shared with her experience, Chugach students chose to support the students of Mauni. Since then, our community has raised funds to support Mauni from building latrines to purchasing pencils and soccer balls to school uniforms and desks to supporting Mauni through natural disasters. These funds are raised through our Art Night and our Kindy Bread Sale.

Thoughts from a former Chugach student…

Chugach has supported Mauni students through the small things like creating a piece of art for Art Night, buying a piece of Kindy Bread or a book during our used book sale. Just those three events have gotten Mauni students so much help. We have added classrooms for the school, bathrooms so girls could start going to school, and we’ve paid for older students to go to secondary school. When I think of our choice to support Mauni students and teachers, I feel that we are changing lives. I feel that not only are we affecting lives in Malawi, we are affecting our own lives. When helping others, we are helping to make the world a better place.

For more in-depth history, please read Mauni/Chugach History

For pictures and more information, please visit our Mauni website (also found on our Chugach website):.www.chugachsisterschool.org

For more information about Malawi Children’s Village, please visit their website.

http://malawichildrensvillage.org/

Thank you all for your patience and understanding regarding our limited parking spots at Chugach Optional. In addition to the school parking lot, parents are also welcome to park at:

• New Hope Compassionate Ministries on the other side of E Street
• Municipal Emergency Management Building to the south of the school
• Along 12th Ave

In each of these areas, please be mindful of your speed and watch out for pedestrians. Also, please

refrain from parking in any of the "RESERVED" parking spots, fire lanes or the loading dock area. For both safety and courtesy reasons these areas/spots must be respected.

Join us for a fun early-release event on Friday, February 14th (Valentine’s Day). We have reserved the entire Arctic Valley Tube Park for the 1:30-3:00p session. Come straight to the Arctic Valley chalet right after school release if you’d like for Moose’s Tooth pizza, salad, and a sweet treat. More info and ticket purchase info will be posted on the announcements area across from the cafeteria.

Tubing tickets are limited to 60, ages 3+. Grownups and siblings are welcome to tube, or just join us for lunch!

Pricing Options (per person):

$30 tubing + lunch

$25 tubing only

$5 lunch only

You can also purchase your tickets online here:

https://chugachoptional.betterworld.org/events/tubing-at-arctic-valley#tickets

Help us fill our blue bin with food donations for our New Hope Neighbors! They are in need of "Can Soup, Can Veggies, Can Fruit and Can meats”. Our blue bin is located in the MPR by the bulletin board and "Share Cart". Donations can be dropped off any time as items are taken over regularly.

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.

WE STILL NEED MORE COMMUNITY SCIENTISTS!! Anyone from the Chugach Community with a Scientific/STEM background can help! Please sign up and/or help recruit others!

Follow these links to find out more:

SCIENCE SHARE Q&A

SCIENCE SHARE INTRODUCTION

SCIENCE SHARE REGISTERATION

COMMUNITY SCIENTIST SIGN UP

Contact Rebecca Emerson at rebecca_bailey@yahoo.com if anything isn’t working or you have questions or ideas!

Outer wear

• Chugach Optional students go outside for morning and lunch time recess in almost all weather. The only exception is when the outdoor temperature falls below -10F. Please make sure your student(s) come to school with the appropriate outdoor gear.

Please encourage your student(s) to be prepared.

Parent/Visitor Sign-in

• All parents, visitors, and volunteers who are going to be in the school after 8:30am need to sign in at the office using the new kiosk. Please also remember to come through the office to sign out when you are leaving the building. Thank you!