Paw Print Press 2.0

Our running wolves are well into Quarter 3, working hard to finish this year strong. We are working to meet our school wide expectations, classroom expectations, as well as safety expectations. We are preparing for our ACCESS testing for English Language Learners, NAEP testing for selected 4th graders, and are preparing for this April's round of summative assessment, AK Star, and our final round of interim assessments, mClass and MAPGrowth assessments.

As the daylight increases, please continue to support a healthy balance of play and rest. Limiting screen time before bed will help our students' developing brains rest and restore so they are sent to school on their A Game! Thank you to the parent volunteers who have attended field trips and helped within classrooms. Your support is integral to our teachers and school, as a whole.

This February, I welcome new to Rogers Park families to come for a tour of the school. If you know a family that is new to our community, please encourage them to call our front office to schedule a school tour. We are excited to add to our wolf pack next year!

Parents, please be sure to enter through the front entrance when you are at the school to volunteer or visit during school hours. Entering from alternate doors is not permitted, as all visitors are to sign in at the front office. Volunteers must have an approved volunteer form on file with ASD. Please help us keep our students safe by following these safety protocols. As always, we thank you at home for your support with the progress of your students. Our partnership is fundamental for student success! Let's complete the last 6 weeks of Quarter 3 strong!

Rogers Park students worked with Mrs. Grey-Levine in Library class to share kindness for the upcoming Valentine holiday. Students made some truly lovely valentines for our VA hospital and domiciliary. Mrs. Grey-Levine plans to deliver them to the VA this week. What a heartfelt gesture!

Please join the Girl Scouts for Discovery Night happening at Rogers Park on Thursday, 2/15 in the library from 5:30-6:30pm.

The annual Ski 4 Kids event will be held February 17, at Kincaid Park from 12pm-3:30pm. This event exposes children to fun outdoor activities, including a 3km ski race, obstacle course, lemon drop biathlon station, ski orienteering, and more. For more information about Ski 4 Kids please visit the event page at http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/events/ski-4-kids/

Ski 4 Kids is committed to assisting ASD Title I schools and those close to that designation with financial support for busing, lunch, and waving the recommended registration donation of $20.

The V.I.B.E. Tour is an outreach program initiated by Sankofa Dance Theatre-Alaska. It involves visiting schools and delivering an informative and educational presentation on African-American heritage and culture through artistic expression. Founded by Tonya Sherman in 1997 in Savannah, Georgia, this program has gained popularity as it leverages the universal language of dance as a means of communication to reach the students.

In efforts to spread cultural awareness and enlightenment throughout Alaska, Sankofa Dance Theatre believes it's their responsibility to teach, inform, educate, and reinforce the significance of African American history through artistic expression. They recognize that this program is a cultural exchange, and they aim to lead by example, acting locally to build the communities we envision and inspiring others to do the same. Our ultimate goal is to make a positive impact on the world, and we believe that starts with empowering the youth with knowledge and appreciation for cultural diversity.

This presentation is being offered by one of our own parents at Rogers Park, Misha Baskerville, the Artistic Director of Sankofa Dance Theatre - Alaska. This experience is an excellent addition to the teachings surrounding Black History Month.

The Conference Scheduler will be open and links available to parents on Tuesday, February 6th - Tuesday, February 20th.

Parents will be able to access the online conference scheduler in various ways:

• ASD home page/Families Tab/Learning Section
• ASD home page via the web slider https://www.asdk12.org/conferences
• ASD Mobile App
• ParentConnection/Quick Links

If families need help resetting their password, direct them to ParentConnection/Reset Your Password, the reset password also provides the PIN in addition to a temporary password. Confirm the parent email on file and this self-serve process will work for parents to reset their own password and retrieve their pin.

If parents do not have access to the web, they can call their school or their student’s teacher to schedule a conference time. If families do not see their school on the drop-down list of schools, it means that the school has not completed the setup process for the Conference Scheduler yet. Rogers Park's Conference Scheduler will be available to families on February 6th

Rogers Park Elementary has been selected to represent schools across the nation by participating in the 2024 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various subjects and is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education.

Selected Rogers Park's grade 4 students will take the assessment on 2/28/2024. Approximately 50 students from our school will be selected to participate, but that number will vary depending on actual fall 2023 student enrollment numbers. The assessment will take about 120 minutes for most students, including transition time and directions.

Here are a few key points to keep in mind regarding NAEP participation:

• NAEP does not produce scores for individual students and participation is anonymous;
• The NAEP assessments do not impose any consequences for students, teachers, schools, or districts and are intended solely to provide an overall measure of educational achievement for the nation and individual states;
• Participating students are not required to complete the entire test and may skip any test question. Even when a student does not complete the entire test, valuable information is obtained from the item responses provided; and
• A parent notification letter is sent home to families of selected students. The letter explains the importance of NAEP and lets parents know that they may decide that their child will not participate.

Have relatives traveling to Alaska this summer? Remodeling? The Anchorage School District is looking for RV travelers to park and provide a presence at school facilities (especially at new to sixth-grade middle schools) this year. The ASD Camper Host Program is accepting applications for the Summer 2024 season. Applicants must be 21, pass a basic background check, and have current insurance for their RV. Click the ASD Camper Host page for more information. Applications will be accepted beginning February 5.

Announcing an upcoming STEM event at UAA that is free and open to the public. As part of the National Engineers Week celebrations in Anchorage, the University of Alaska Anchorage College of Engineering and the E-Week Planning Committee are pleased to announce that the 2024 E-Week Student Competitions will be held on Feb. 17, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the UAA Engineering & Industry Building (2900 Spirit Dr.).

This event is FREE and open to the public. The first 200 youth to arrive will also receive a free t-shirt!

The Student Competitions are a core E-Week tradition, each year bringing together hundreds of families and young people to participate in fun and challenging carnival-like games with an engineering theme. Students can attempt to design, build, and test the tallest tower, most buoyant boat, and more. In doing so, they will learn more about the engineering design process.

The Student Competitions are only possible thanks to the time and energy of volunteers from the engineering community. Each competition is presented by a different professional organization or company. The competitions this year are:

• Tower Shaking and Breaking Competition – Presented by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, Air-Conditioning Engineers
• Newspaper Tower Competition – Presented by the Society of Petroleum Engineers
• LEGO Long-o Competition – Presented by the Institute of Transportation Engineers
• Paper Airplane Distance Competition – Presented by HDR
• Floatable Moatable Competition – Presented by the Society of American Military Engineers
• Egg Drop Competition – Presented by the Society of Women Engineers
• Marshmallow and Spaghetti Tower Competition – Presented by ConocoPhillips Alaska

Stay Warm, Rogers Park!

Dine to Donate – Tuesday 02/06

We are happy to announce our second Dine to Donate of the year! We are back at the Lucky Wishbone on Tuesday, February 02. Mention Rogers Park to the cashier!

Movie Night – Friday 02/09

We have decided on a movie for movie night! Join us for a showing of Pixar’s Soul (after landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife), on Friday, February 9th, at 6:00pm.

Concessions will be available. Cash is highly suggested.

Next Scheduled Meeting

Our next scheduled PTA meeting will be February 15th at 6:00pm in the Library and Zoom. Agenda and Zoom link will be sent to the membership the week of the meeting.

Speaking of Membership, Dr. Seuss Breakfast (and Read Across America).

Dr. Seuss Breakfast is scheduled for March 1st. We would love to have your help for that day! We need a volunteer (or many!) to help us plan and coordinate this amazing event. Let’s celebrate reading! Contact us at rogers.park.pta@gmail.com

It is never too late to become a PTA member! Sign up or renew here. Givebacks (formerly Member Hub) will prompt you to create a new account.

You will receive news and notices for meetings, where you will be able to vote or volunteer for events (this is not a requirement).

Rogers Park PTA needs your help!

We have many open committee/event positions in our PTA this year, including:

· Box Tops;

· Dr. Seuss/Read Across America;

· Earth Day Celebration;

· Multicultural Potluck;

· Science Day with East High;

· Staff Appreciation Week;

· Super Sweepers/City Wide Cleanup.

2023-2024 PTA Board

President: Anna Spilker

Treasurer: Kate Blank, CPA

Secretary: Meghan O’Brien

VP, Membership: Jessica Noble

VP, Communication: Maria Crookes

VP, Legislative Liaison: Jennifer Collins

VP, Volunteer Coordinator: Lara Stone

Thank you, Rogers Park PTA

Rogers Park Elementary- Where awesome meets education!

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February

(SEL Focus- Kindness)

Feb 1 Career and Technical Education Month

Feb 1 *ELL Students* ACCESS Window Open

Feb 1 *6:00pm - 7:00pm* 5th & 6th Grade Middle School Transition Parent Meeting

Feb 5-9 School Counselor Appreciation Week

Feb 9 *6:00pm - 8:00pm* Family Movie Night

Feb 15 (Th) *6:00pm - 7:30pm* PTA Meeting (Library/Zoom)

Feb 16 *ELL Students* ACCESS Window Closed (Make-ups through 3/8)

Feb 17 Ski 4 Kids

Feb 19 (M) *no school* President’s Day

Feb 20 3-6 SCCS Window Open

Feb 21-22 *12:30pm* Parent-Teacher Conferences

½ Day for Students (9am - 12:30pm)

Feb 21-22 *During Conferences* Book Fair Spirit Wear, Coffee

Sales-library entry

Feb 22 School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

Feb 23 *no school* PD Day: In service

Feb 27 V.I.B.E Tour Presentation

Feb 28 NAEP Testing (select 4th graders)