North Star College

Parents and Guardians,

We are looking forward to seeing our students back on campus on Tuesday, Jan. 16th. With a new semester comes new schedules, new class locations, and new routines for students. Make attendance EVERY DAY for EACH course a priority. It should be a very rare occasion that a student isn't in attendance for a course session. The amount of content covered in one day of a college course is vastly different than what students may have experienced in their high school setting.

I'd like to encourage all parents and students to make a drive to campus this weekend and plot out your strategy for parking, know the locations of your classrooms, and observe how much time it takes to get parked, possibly take a shuttle, and make it to class ON-TIME. Planning ahead is critical, especially in these winter months. We want students to get started off on a successful path right away next week.

NO SCHOOL, Monday, Jan. 15th, MLK Day

UAF courses start Tuesday, Jan. 16th.

(All calendars are at the bottom of this newsletter for easy access.)

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support. Our offices are open from 7:30-3:30pm and all email/phone contacts of staff are always available at the bottom of this newsletter.

Sincerely,

Stacey Kennedy

We have stopped access to the previous Excel template form we emailed earlier this week and are requesting that all senior parents/guardians complete this form instead. We apologize if you had already completed the Excel template.

This Google Form North Star College Diploma Template Form allows us to collect the necessary graduation/diploma information.

We really appreciate your assistance in moving this process forward. We are certainly looking forward to seeing your student graduate in May.

How do you know what books you need?

1) Go to the following link for the UAF Bookstore

2) Along the top of the screen, click on “Textbooks”

3) Create Account if you haven't already

4) Select Spring 2024 Term

5) Enter the Term, Department, Course # (CRN) and Section for each UAF class

6) Click on “Retrieve Materials” button

7) The book list will populate and there is a print list option at the top

Now that you have your list, how do you purchase them?

NOTE: If you are questioning about staying in a course, then please wait to purchase until you are certain after attending class the first couple weeks.

Go to: UAF Bookstore

Under "Sign In", click on "Create Account". You will need your UAID

You'll see your list of books ready to purchase

Once you proceed to your payment method from your shopping cart you will:

1. IF you are renting any texts, you will be prompted to put in a personal credit/debit card number just in case there are damages/lost book. Your card will not be charged. Then click proceed to checkout.

2. Click on Program Voucher

3. Check the box next to Internal Provider

4. Your Student ID # should come up

5. Click on "Apply Student Financial Aid" Box

This should complete the process showing a green confirmation message.

Each student has a maximum of $750 loaded to their account. If your textbooks are over this amount, please contact Stacey Kennedy to request your account to be increased BEFORE your purchase.

The bookstore is located in Constitution Hall if you would like to purchase your books in person.

Our recommendation is to NOT load any book purchased codes until after attending your first class to assure it's done correctly.

How can I receive messages from the UA Alert notification system if I am not affiliated with the University system but I live in the community, I am a patron, or I am a parent?

Individuals not affiliated with the University system who want to receive UA Alert can sign-up here: at the UA Alert Community site. Active Students and Staff are already enrolled or follow UA Alert Twitter or UA Alert Facebook The University of Alaska employees do not need to sign up for UA Alert. The system integrates with the University's Banner system and automatically enrolls persons with active records.

Parents and members of the public can also receive emergency alerts from the university or the City of Fairbanks by signing up with Smart911. Residents of the Fairbanks North Star Borough will also have the option to customize their borough Smart911 information.

• Sign up for Smart911 alerts from University of Alaska

• Sign up for Smart911 alerts from the City of Fairbanks

The period for students to be allowed to meet with their advisor and have a conversation around adding/dropping a course is Jan. 16-Jan. 25. These conversations also require advisor permission and even instructor permission during the second week of this time period. Please be very aware of how your course load is feeling and that you're thoroughly reviewing course syllabi to make quality judgements about adding/dropping courses. Schedule an advisory appointment with Lexi Here.

All North Star College students will participate in our graduation ceremony on May 20, 2024, at 7:00pm, here at UAF's Davis Concert Hall. We are currently working with the Herff Jones company setting up our website link for purchasing NSC graduation packages (caps, gowns, tassels, etc.) where parents/students will be able to order directly in preparation for our ceremony starting in January.

It is required that all books are returned by students each semester, so you are not charged later. If you rented a textbook that should have already been returned by the UAF Bookstore's preset date. For all other purchased textbooks, students are able to return them now to our Bunnell Office 402, however, starting in February (that's when the bookstore will begin this process) we are asking that you return your books from 1st semester to the bookstore directly. The steps to the process will be:

1. Tell the UAF Bookstore employee that you are a North Star College student.

2. Provide your UA Student ID # to verify your NSC Student Account

3. Return all books they are able to buy back from you.

4. Our North Star College account will be refunded the money with each book's return value. Students ARE NOT ALLOWED to take any cash for their books as those are our school district funds.

Thank you to all of you who have already returned books to our office!

If you know any current 10th or 11th grade students who may be interested in joining North Star College for the 24-25 school year, our lottery is now open! Here is the link to the requirements and how to apply to the lottery: https://www.k12northstar.org/domain/5712

Note: Current NSC students do not need to reapply.

Know anyone who wants to learn about North Star College? Please join us for any informational night you prefer:

• Thursday, February 1, 5:30-6:30 pm @ UAF Schaible Auditorium
• Tuesday, February 6, 5:30-6:30 pm @ North Pole Public Library
• Wednesday, February 7, 5:30-6:30 pm @ North Pole Public Library
• Tuesday, February 20, 5:30-6:30 pm @ Nordale Education Center

After February 1st, a recorded session will be available on our website.

During the Spring 2024 semester, we will be opening the application process for inducting new members. Look for the new member NHS application link in coming newsletters and on the NSC website's home page during the first week of February. The basic NHS application requirements for new membership are as follows:

• A cumulative GPA of at least a 3.6 (including students’ Fall 2023 semester grades!).

• Student should be enrolled in challenging coursework (as an NSC student being challenged in university level classes, students won’t need to be worried about this requirement).

• Student should be involved in at least one substantial school sponsored extracurricular activity.

Currently, we will plan on meeting approximately once a month (likely on a Wednesday afternoon at 12 PM) as we look forward to serving our community through our individual and collaborative service projects.

We look forward to working with both our current NHS members and future inductees as our NHS chapter gets up and running here at NSC. If you are already an NHS member, please email Mr. Stoddard at: greg.stoddard@k12northstar.org, so he can place you in the email group for NHS related information.

SENIORS: There doesn't seem to be much interest with our yearbook, so we may decide in the next month to cancel this idea unless we see more participation in the coming weeks. If you'd like to have a NSC yearbook, we need you to start submitting your photos in your folder using the step by step directions (see below) for you all to be able to create your own page to be included in the yearbook and then purchase, if you'd like. Contact Natalie Tanner at natalie.tanner@k12northstar.com if you have any questions.

1. Go to: https://legacy.treering.com/validate2/

2. Type in the following code: 1016990433784359 (Treering will ask for the code twice)

3. Create account (Select- I am a student)

4. Click Next
5. Select Let’s Go

6. Select Natalie’s Yearbook (this will be your name) in the top left corner

7. Scroll down & find the option—share school photos

8. Click UPLOAD SCHOOL PHOTOS

9. Find your folder and add your photos
Please add 3-4 photos. Preferably a baby photo, 1-2 photos as a child, and a senior photo.

Below is a video link providing directions for uploading photos:

https://watch.screencastify.com/v/69mD7EJFxYHxX4GNzPQx

In time, we will also be requesting parents/guardians to write special thoughts on the page to their graduate, as well. More information to come.

The school code for North Star College is 012350. Because we are a new school, the name of the school likely will not populate and students will have the option of selecting wording similar to “my school is not listed.” For counselor name, students should list Kristan Kelly at kristan.kelly@k12northstar.org. (Please note the nonstandard spelling of Kristan’s name.) Students needing help with applications can schedule an appointment or drop by Kristan’s office in Bunnell between 7:00am-3:00pm weekdays.

Is your student needing to take the SAT or ACT this year? The SAT and ACT are qualifiers for the Alaska Performance Scholarship and many colleges/universities require one or both of these test scores for their admission applications. Many student still need to submit these scores for their Alaska Performance Scholarship requirements.

UAF Exam Services administers the SAT and ACT tests several times during the academic year. Space is limited so be sure your student registers early. Registrations for these exams typically close 30 days prior to the exam date. Students can find registration deadlines and test information HERE.

North Star College received SAT fee waiver codes. If you are eligible to receive the SAT fee waiver code, please reach out to me at least 30 days prior to your test date, and I will provide you with the six character electronic fee waiver code. Below you will find eligibility information and instructions from the College Board.

Who is eligible to receive the SAT fee waiver benefits

- Enrolled in or eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). If your school is community eligible, meaning all students receive free or reduced lunch automatically without being individually verified as eligible, an alternate qualifier must be used to individually confirm a student's eligibility for SAT fee waiver benefits.

TO USE SAT FEE WAIVER CODE

- Do enter all 12 characters, and put the 6 digit (CEEB) school code (012350) before the 6 character electronic fee waiver code.

- Do not have any spaces present before, within, or after the code when submitting the code.

- Do not enter the letter O or the letter I. Instead, these would be zeros or ones.

If your students are seeing the "Pay for the SAT With a Voucher" option during SAT registration, this space is not intended for SAT fee waiver codes and if an SAT fee waiver code is entered it will not be accepted. Additionally, students will see a total due during the registration process as available SAT registration benefits do not get applied until the step where a student would otherwise enter their payment information.

Students having difficulty with redeeming their SAT fee waiver code may call the SAT Student support line at (866) 756 - 7346 for assistance.

Does your student experience a disability and related barriers in academics or accessing campus? Your student may register with Disability Services (DS) and request accommodations to address those barriers.

Documentation

1.) Fill out and submit the Registration Form. The Registration form covers a broad range of information. Some things may apply to you, the student, and some things may not, don't get hung up on any one question. You may skip any of the questions you feel do not apply to you. There are no right or wrong answers.

2.) Provide documentation from a medical provider stating your disability, diagnosis, and/or symptoms you experience. Alternatively, your provider may complete the Disability Verification Form. If you have any questions about medical documentation and how to access it, please let them know.

Accommodation Letter

At the conclusion of the initial appointment a letter will be drafted and emailed to your student for your student to share with their instructors as needed. Please note that your student is responsible for contacting Disability Services to renew your letter every semester.

Disability Services Team

Gruening Building 211

907-474-5655

Natalie Tanner, Program Secretary 907-452-2000 ext. 52101 natalie.tanner@k12northstar.org

Stacey Kennedy, Director 907-452-2000 ext. 52102 stacey.kennedy@k12northstar.org

Kristan Kelly, Counselor 907-452-2000 ext. 52103 kristan.kelly@k12northstar.org

Greg Stoddard, Teacher 907-452-2000 ext. 52104 greg.stoddard@k12northstar.org

Lexi Amstutz, UAF Advisor 907-474-7159 adamstutz@alaska.edu

Email: stacey.kennedy@k12northstar.org
Website: https://www.k12northstar.org/Domain/4979
Location: UAF Bunnell Building, 1790 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 456-1477
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthStarMiddleCollege/