School Community Newsletter

A Season of Service and Celebration

As we move through the season of Thanksgiving and into the Christmas holiday, our school community has truly exemplified the value of service before self. On Veterans Day, the entire school community lined up along Dolphin Street to honor our veterans as the car parade drove past. High school music students performed beautifully, elementary students waved heartfelt signs showing their love and appreciation, and, halfway down the route, several local veterans were honored with Quilts of Valor—handcrafted in partnership with some of our high school students. It was a powerful and moving tribute.

December has been filled with holiday spirit and joy. Students shared their talents by singing for patients at Long Term Care, spreading cheer throughout the community. Our K-12 students shined during their musical holiday concerts, which brought families together. The K-2 and 3-5 concerts were packed with standing room only, and the high school concert ended with a community sing-along, conducted by one of Petersburg’s finest students. Amidst all this, our teachers and staff have remained focused on student learning and growth in their classrooms.

As we head into the holiday break, I encourage all families to enjoy this time together, rest, and recharge. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on January 8th as we begin a new year of learning and growth.

Wishing you all a joyful and peaceful holiday season.

Warm regards,
Robyn Taylor
Superintendent
Petersburg School District

At its December meeting, the Petersburg School Board approved the district administration's proposed winter budget revision. Revenues received have exceeded the district's initial projections, placing us in a fortunate position to revisit expenditures as well as address both short-term needs and long-term liabilities. One key aspect of the revision is the removal of the activity travel fee for middle and high school students for the 2024-2025 school year.

Accounts will be updated by January 15th and updated statements will be emailed to families.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do I need to do as a parent since the travel fee has been removed for this year?
All middle and high school students' activity travel fees will be refunded to their student accounts.

• If there are other outstanding fees, the balance will automatically be applied to pay those fees.

2. What happens if there is still money left on my student's account?

You have two options:

1. By default, the funds will remain as a credit on your student's account to cover upcoming class or activity fees.
2. You may request a refund check.

3. How do I request a refund check?
To request a refund check, please contact Nancy Curtiss at:

• Email: ncurtiss@pcsd.us
• Phone: 877-526-7656, Ext. 201

Nancy can assist you in initiating the refund process.

Processing of activity travel fee removal will occur by January 15th. Updated student statements will be sent electronically shortly after this is completed.

It has been a musically filled Fall term for all K-12 music students. The school and community at large has been graced with the sound of music, 16 performances to be exact! These student spend countless hours both in and outside of the school day perfecting their practice, and practice pays off.

Solos in the PHS concert were Heidi Brantuas on Trombone and Elias Ward in Choir. The jazz improvers were: Waylon Jones (Alto Sax), Oliver Petersen (Alto Sax), Torey Fry (Alto Sax), Sean Toth (Tenor Sax), Thomas Olsen-Phillips (Bari Sax), Adrian Ducat (Trombone), Heidi Brantuas (Trombone), Eleanor Kandoll (Piano), and Canek Elias Sosa (Drum Set)

Eleanor Kandoll is a Senior Clarinet in the Concert Band, Jazz Pianist, and Choir Accompanist.

Adrian Ducat is a Senior Percussionist in the Concert band, Jazz Trombonist, and sings bass in the Choir. He also has a passion for conducting and conducted two pieces on the concert including the combined band and choir sing along.

MMS solos:

6th grade band: Ivy Worhatch (Clarinet), Traezja Tarquino (Clarinet), Eden Bailey (Flute), Cali Compton (Flute), Namir Davis (Alto Sax), Maria Holder (Trumpet), Daphne Brantuas (French Horn), Ruger Fittje (Trombone), Duncan Durst (Trombone), Brea Randrup (Percussion), Lilith Scrimsher (Percussion)

7/8th grade band: Ashlyn Sakamoto-Quezon (Flute), Camden Johnson (Alto Sax), Nate Olsen (Alto Sax), Hakon Eddy (Alto Sax), Freya Fenner (French Horn), Andi Mihai (Clarinet), Kaylee Kvasnikoff (Clarinet), Isabelle Hammer (Clarinet)

February 14-16th All-Northwest Music Festival @ Spokane, WA

March 5-8th Region V Pep Band Tournament @ KTN

April 10-12th Region V Music Fest @ JNU

May 1st 3rd-5th Grade Music Concert @ 6:30pm

May 2nd K-2nd Grade Music Concert TBD (during the school day)

May 6th PHS Spring Concert @ 7:00pm

May 7th MMS Spring Concert @ 7:00pm

Stedman Elementary Webpage-Click Here

Important Dates

January

2nd-4th Theater Camp (more info below)

3rd-4th Cheer Camp (more info below)

7th Partners in Education Meeting 4pm Stedman Library

8th 1st Day of School for 2025

30th STREAM Night @ 6:30pm in Stedman Library

This semester, the Petersburg LEGO Robotics team has diligently worked on building and then programming a robot to accomplish a variety of different tasks on this year’s LEGO Robotics map while also exploring different problems that STEM professionals who work in underwater environments regularly face and some different ways in which these problems can be solved.

This year’s LEGO Robotics theme was, “Submerged”. Therefore, the students' robot was challenged to navigate an underwater themed LEGO map, which presented a variety of underwater simulated challenges that engineers who work in submerged environments deal with regularly.

Further, students worked on 2 different submerged innovation projects. The students on the varsity team explored ways in which glacier researchers can better latch onto ice when using underwater ROVs to collect data from glaciers. Meanwhile, the JV team interviewed individuals in our community to see how an underwater ROV could help them perform their jobs better and how current ROVs could be improved.

The JV Team walked away scoring 115 points and placed 9th overall in the competition while the Varsity team scored 180, placed 3rd overall, and qualified for the LEGO Robotics State competition in Anchorage this February. Go Vikings!

Over Christmas Break

Boys Basketball team will be holding a free basketball clinic for all 4th-8th graders on December 28th in the high school gym from 5-6pm with a scrimmage at 6pm. Parents are invited to come watch the scrimmage at 6.

Cheer Camp January 3rd & 4th see schedule below

January Cheer Camp

Enjoy the holidays and get geared up for Wrestling and NYO’s in the new year.

Wrestling will start in January & NYO’s in February

Schedule of all MMS activities can be accessed on the school website or here at

https://www.pcsd.us/page/mmsactivitiesathletics

Mitkof Middle School Gear Store- Click here to order your Mitkof Viking Gear

Click here for the weekly MS/HS Bulletin

The Glacier Survey Team is looking to add a few new people to the team. If you are interested in being part of this unique school activity, please stop by Mrs. Cumps' room and pick up an application. Applications are due Friday, January 10th 3pm.

Secondary Testing Schedule (including ACT & SAT)

9-12 Gr Students Interested in Taking a College Course Next Semester

Are you interested in taking a college course through Prince William Sound College (University of Alaska Anchorage)? This is a great opportunity to challenge yourself and earn college credit!

If you'd like to participate, please complete the linked forms below and return them to Rachel Etcher by January 9th. Submitting them earlier would be wonderful, but if you need more time, please communicate with Rachel Etcher about your plans and what course(s) you’re considering.

It’s important to ensure we can find a spot in your schedule for this class, so let Rachel Etcher know soon if you need to make some adjustments to your schedule.

Please read all the documents carefully to confirm that this commitment aligns with your goals and availability. Taking a college course requires focus and dedication, so be sure you’re ready to take this on.

PWSC Course Info Registration & Permission Forms

If you have any questions or need help with the forms, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can also contact the registrar at PWSC if you have questions.

Rural Alaska Honors Institute Info Session

When: January 17th, 11:00 AM (AKST)

Where: Zoom - Register Here!

This session is designed for students, families, and educators to:

· Learn about the 2025 RAHI program.

· Get answers to questions about the application process or program.

· Hear from RAHI alumni about their experiences.

We'll kick off with a short presentation, but hope to spend most of the time answering questions from attendees! This is a great chance to gain insights and learn how to make an application stand out.

If you're interested, we'd love for you to join.

December 20-21st Basketball vs. Sitka

December 23rd-January 7th- Christmas Break

January 3-4th Basketball @ Craig

PHS Cheer Clinic @ PHS Gym

January 6th Teacher inservice- no school for students

January 7th Teacher inservice- no school for students (new)

January 8th Students return to school

Policy committee meeting 3:30 District Office

January 10-11th PHS Homecoming vs. Wrangell

January 13th MMS Awards Assembly 7th hour

January 14th Poetry Out Loud- Auditorium 2-3 pm

January 15th Wellness committee meeting 3:30 PHS Library

January 16-18th 3rd Annual Petersburg Varsity Invitational Tournament

January 21st School Board Meeting 6:00

January 23-25th MMS Wrestling @ Wrangell

PHS Basketball 3rd Annual JV Jamboree

January 27th Regular School Day (new)

Jan 30-Feb 1 PHS Basketball @ Lumen Christi

February 5th Policy committee meeting 3:30 District Office

February 7-8th Basketball vs. Metlakatla

February 11th Budget Committee meeting 6:00 p.m. PHS Library

February 14-15th PHS Basketball @ Haines

February 17th President’s Day- No School for Student/Teacher Inservice

February 18th School Board meeting 6:00 PHS Library

February 21-22nd PHS Basketball @ Wrangell

February 27-28th Parent Teacher Conferences-

Early Out Elementary

Robyn Taylor, Superintendent

supt@pcsd.us

Petersburg School District

PO Box 289

Petersburg, Alaska 99833

877-526-7656

Vision: Inspiring all to become responsible and healthy citizens, positively contributing to our global community.

Mission: Petersburg Schools will advocate for continuous growth, promote a healthy environment, and provide diverse educational opportunities where all students achieve.