At the Creek....
August 12, 2022
Coming Soon:
August 18th-School start for 1st through 6th grade levels
August 18-24th-Kindergarten transition events
August 25th-School start for Kindergarten
- Parent event in library at 9:05
Welcome back to school!!!!
We have many new staff members at Rabbit Creek this year. Changes since the end of last year include Ms. Runge moving to a Health teacher position and Ms. Rinehart moving to the German immersion program. They will be dearly missed. I hope you will join me in welcoming our new staff members who have traveled across town, across the state and even across the country to work at Rabbit Creek! You'll have a chance to meet them Tuesday at our event and I hope you'll take time throughout the year to build wonderful connections as well. We are very lucky to have them here to Build a Bright Future for our students.
I realize that the news this week from our district regarding transportation brings challenges to many of our families. Please use the links in the message from Dr. Bryantt to learn more about how your family will be impacted, to include determining which cohort groups our school falls (2 and 3). Specific information regarding bus routes will go to all families who use busing on Saturday.
As you can imagine, the change in busing will increase the number of parents who will be driving students to school which will impact our lines at arrival and dismissal. I encourage families to work with friends and neighbors to carpool-it shortens our line and time spent, builds relationships and even helps with the price of gas! It will be as important as ever for families to follow the procedures for arrival and pick up to help things run smoothly. Your pick up card can be printed at the link here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19MEOu7YWEbm3i5eF00JyNOFYJ3RFV1qr/edit
You'll also see notes below about staffing needs here at Rabbit Creek. If you could join our team for support on our playground for a day or more a week, it would make a world of difference for our school.
I am looking forward to a wonderful year here at Rabbit Creek. I'm excited at the opportunities in front of us as we learn from our new staff members and their talents. We have a chance to do many new things this year, as well as to build on the ones currently in place. I envision a team that is driven towards student achievement in all aspects of not only school, but life in general. If I can be of support to your family, please don't ever hesitate to reach out.
Kristina Peterson, Principal
Transportation information and links from Dr. Bryantt
Dear ASD Families,
First, I want to thank you for your patience. We understand this situation directly impacts you and your ability to plan.
Next Thursday is the first day of school and you need to know what we can share at this time. Please understand that as soon as I was informed of the potential severity, I wanted you to know what I knew and I sent you a letter on August 3rd. It’s vital that you have as much information as we can deliver.
Even though we continue to make progress retaining more and hiring new bus drivers, the situation isn’t improving fast enough. This will require adjustments to transportation service district-wide. That will happen in tandem with continuing to recruit staff and working towards restoring the level of service that our families expect in their school system.
Our District faces a severe shortage of bus drivers. Staff recruitment and retention is a national and growing problem across school districts. ASD is thinking outside of the box to find short-term and intermediate solutions. The District has implemented aggressive recruitment strategies, and they are starting to pay off. However, with the start of school a week away, we need to plan for the reality of today.
At this time, the District is unable to provide full-time bussing for all eligible students. The most equitable solution is to implement a Rotating Bus Route Plan. This will impact all general education students eligible for transportation services. This includes our JBER schools-this community is our highest priority to return to full service as soon as possible, given the disruptions and challenges they currently face with the Ursa Major Relocation Project. Special Education transportation will not be impacted at this time.
All general education routes will be divided into three cohorts and provided bussing on a planned rotation. Each student cohort will receive three consecutive weeks of transportation. This means there will be six weeks between bus service for each cohort of routes. Additionally, routes have been condensed for efficiency, therefore students will be walking farther to bus stops than in prior years.
Bus route and cohort information will be available to families on Q ParentConnection by Saturday afternoon, Aug. 13 at 5 p.m.
The following web pages will be regularly updated to keep you informed with the latest information:
Transportation Hot Topics Page
Available Aug. 13: Find your route and cohort information on Parent Connect
Transportation Rotation Bus Route Plan FAQs
We continue to work on solutions and that includes outreaching to our partners including the mayor’s office, who we met with this morning, for additional support through this crisis. I would like to make a community ask and a call to action for public service. You can support this community crisis in one of the following ways:
Become a bus driver. If you or anyone you know would like to join our bus driver team, apply here.
Carpool. Families can assist by carpooling to reduce student pick-up and drop-off congestion.
Drive safe! I cannot emphasize enough how important it will be to look out for walkers; avoid main roads where schools are located during drop-off and pick-up times if possible.
These vacancies are not unique to Anchorage but they are something we need to tackle boldly. The District is committed to a successful year ahead and keeping our community informed as we address staffing challenges.
Best,
Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Anchorage School District
Most Recent Transportation Update
The busing cohorts and dates were just sent out by our district to families within the last hour or two. Rabbit Creek will have students in both Cohort 2 and Cohort 3. Please check your Parent Connect to determine which cohort your child's bus is located. Note that the bus numbers this year are completely different from in the past. Here is a breakdown of rotating bus routes from our district team:
o Cohort 1 (Bus #1-38): Aug 18 - Sept 9
o Cohort 2 (Bus #39-77): Sept 12 - Sept 30
o Cohort 3 (Bus #78-116): Oct 3 - Oct 20
If you have any questions about your student’s route or how to log into Q ParentConnect, please contact your child’s school directly. Front office staff are equipped to take your calls and can assist you.
Let's plan for a great year!!
Arrival and Dismissal Routines
Download Your Pick-Up Card Here!
Student Nutrition
Or, families may apply for free and reduced meals at the following link:
ASD is using SchoolCafe as our new menu system for Anchorage School District meal
plans.
Use the button below to launch the menu system, and then click on "View Menus (as guest)" to see a list of schools and menus for that day.
Additional options allow you to filter allergens and view nutrient data.
Launch the SchoolCafe Menu System
Supply lists
Staff will also have the lists available to hand to you at our Back to School event on Tuesday, August 16th from 4:30-6:00. See you there!
Playground visitors
This is a reminder to our community and friends that the school grounds are closed to the public daily during the school day. Our team will be working to get the message about this closure to folks who cross our playground to reach the overpass or to walk pets daily. If you know anyone who uses the school grounds during the day or can speak to this topic in social settings, we would appreciate getting the word out. Thank you in advance!!
Come join our team!!
· Do you enjoy spending time with children of all ages? There is nothing more wonderful than a smiling child who is excited to see you each day!
· Do you have a ‘knack’ for building relationships with youngsters?
· Do you have an interest in being a part of a great school family?
If any of these answers are YES, we may have a job for you!!
Special Education Paraprofessional: These parapro staff work in our self-contained Special Education program and support the learning of students in grades k-6. Each of these classrooms will have 2 assistants who team with the classroom teacher each day. This is a full-time position, with staff working from 8:15 to 3:45 daily. Job ID 12388 and Job ID 11881
Noon Supervisors: Our Noon Supervisor team makes recess possible-that’s what I tell the kids! We need 3-5 people throughout the 11:00 to 1:15 timeframe daily to be outdoors with our students to maintain supervision at recess. This team works with students to referee games, problem solve challenges, and listens to stories shared. They also monitor the entire playground for wildlife, keep students within their vision and communicate school rules as needed. Job Id 9448
To apply for a position with ASD, please head to https://www.asdk12.org/Page/2390.
We NEED you!!! I hope to hear from you soon!!!
At this point, we do not have enough noon supervisors to support recess when we start the school year next week. We NEED you!!! I hope to hear from you soon!!!
Rabbit Creek Website Link Below:
Dear Rabbit Creek Families,
On behalf of your Rabbit Creek PTA board, welcome back to Rabbit Creek Elementary! We hope that you’re looking forward to all of the growth and change that this year is sure to bring both for our students as individuals, and together, as a whole community.
Rabbit Creek PTA is proud to offer many programs to enrich the time your child spends at school. We hope you will consider becoming a part of our PTA family by signing up to be a member. There is absolutely no obligation to attend meetings or volunteer your time--your membership simply helps support programs and activities here at RC and helps keep you in the know!
Our monthly board meetings begin August 9th at RC library at 7pm. Our meetings are open to everyone and typically occur the second Tuesday of each month, with a few exceptions. September’s board meeting is one of those exceptions. With Labor Day the second week of September, our meeting will be held Tuesday, September 13th at 7pm. We hope you can join us!
We are always looking for volunteers to join our PTA Board. Please let us know if you are interested in helping out this year. You can always reach out to our Executive Board members with any questions. Stay connected by visiting our website at www.rabbitcreekpta.org or by joining our closed Facebook group “Rabbit Creek PTA”. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Respectfully,
Kelly Joy Quisenberry
PTA Board President
907-744-4571
Rabbit Creek Elementary
Email: peterson_kristina@asdk12.org
Website: www.asdk12.org/rabbitcreek
Location: 13650 Lake Otis Parkway, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-5700