Steller Secondary School

The School Messenger System allows us to place calls to you for reminders and updates. Please make sure the office has your correct home phone number so you can receive the calls. The system will call your home number three times. If someone answers at your home, please make sure they take a message. If you do not get a complete message but know you have received an automated call, please check this parent website where updated information is posted.

The Auction will be held Friday, March 28th here at Steller. Please mark this date on your calendar, as it is a change. We are still seeking donations and each Advisory Group will be putting together an Advisory Group basket for the Auction. This fundraising allows Steller to offer student travel scholarships, provide technology resources to our school, and supports the Yearbook.

Standardized Testing 

• The Terra Nova will be administered on February 5th and 6th to seventh graders. Please see the article in this newsletter for additional information on this testing. This is a norm-referenced test, which means that it allows us to know how our students are performing in comparison to students nationally.
• The Standards Based Assessments and the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam will be held on April 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and more information on these tests will be in next month’s newsletter.

My name is Jaymie Felton. I ‘m a registered nurse, retired from the District and subbing for your nurse, Wendy, while she is at home on maternity leave. She had a beautiful healthy baby girl on January 24th at 9:00 pm. Little Amelia Grace weighed in a 10lbs 1oz. and was just a hair over 20” in length. Both mom and baby are doing fine and enjoying their bonding time.

Please feel free to stop in to say hello, or contact me with any health-related concerns you may have. I’ve really enjoyed the interactions I’ve had with Steller students; they are friendly and polite – all in all, a delightful experience. One more addition to the health office is my certified therapy dog, Rosie. She comes with me about once a week and seems to really enjoy greeting students, staff, and visitors. She’s gotten some wonderful attention here at Steller!

She is a small Shih Tzu, a hypoallergenic breed, which has hair instead of fur. She has been a Delta Society therapy pup for the last four years, and has worked at Providence Horizon House and Romig Middle School in the past.

I’m truly enjoying my time here at Steller and appreciate getting to know the students, staff, and parents.

Thank You:

Thank you immensely to Steller’s Parent group for donating funds for a
Pulse Oximeter and paper/plastic supplies for the year for student’s in need
of a lunch.

Thank you to the family of Laree F. for donating lunch items.

Thank you to Danyiel Morrison, Steller Registrar for donating lunch items.

Thank you to Shannon Herda’s Advisory Group for donating snack/lunch items.

How to Make Homework Less Work

By this time in the year, the novelty of ice and snow has worn off, and with it some of the enthusiasm for homework. Below are some tips on how to make homework less work that students and parents may want to discuss together during their next dinner table conversation.

Homework is a major part of going to school and is your teacher’s way of evaluating how much you understand in class. Most importantly, it helps reinforce important concepts. Below are a few ideas for making homework less work and more enjoyable. Try some of them and see what works for you! (more…)

During first semester we had record numbers of Steller students enrolled in the Gifted Mentorship Program. The mentorship program is modeled after a college style internship whereby the student is paired with a professional or expert in their area of career interest. This provides the student with “real world” experience and application of their talents and skills, enabling them to make decisions regarding career and college choices. Junior or senior students must qualify as “gifted” to participate in this program.
Below appears a list of our current mentorships from 1st semester.

Dieter B. - neurosurgery with Dr. Godersky
James C. - fisheries with David Wigglesforth
Cooper G. - emergency room with Dr. Susan Dietz
AJ H. - ski guiding with Chugach Powder Guides
Sam H-K. - journalism with Rosey Robards, ATMI
Chris R. - mechanical engineering with Jeff Gries, Coffman
Dean R. - orthopedic surgery with Dr. Peter Schaab

If you’d like to learn more about the Gifted Mentorship Program opportunities, please contact Steller’s mentorship coordinator, Lisa Wiley at 742 3798 or Wiley_Lisa@asdk12.org. We would love to have some female students!
You can also drop by the office during lunch on any Friday to chat with her.

An issue of great importance has come up at recent staff meetings and has been addressed during one of our recent Advisory Group meetings: academic integrity and personal responsibility. We would like to share our thoughts with you and ask that as a family you discuss the topic and ideas herein at home.

While the majority of students undertake assignments and take tests to the best of their ability, there have been numerous instances of copying homework, plagiarism in written work, and cheating during exams. As a staff we discussed how to address this growing problem and what steps to take to help curtail such behaviors. During the ensuing conversation, we discovered that it is a multi-layered issue and as a teaching staff we deal with infractions in a variety of different ways. Should we have a consistent policy when dealing with issues of personal integrity and cheating? Should the age of the student play a part in the consequences outlined? How do we define “cheating”? Have we made known to the student body what our expectations are with regard to cooperatively preparing for an exam or project and for individual accountability during the evaluation phase? What should the consequence be for each type of “cheating”?

Both teachers and students have a role to play when it comes to creating a safe learning, and testing, environment. Classroom set up during evaluation activities can be important for a student who feels pressured to share his or her work with friends. A clear explanation of what is expected and what is not allowed is another important aid for those students who need concrete guidelines for written assignments and projects. Parameters for cooperative work and individual accountability are another way to help students understand where the line between acceptable assistance and “cheating” exists.

We have asked that the student body come together to form a study group or committee to help determine what we can do together as a community of learners to foster an environment where each student feels comfortable and able to produce their best, honest work. We understand that this is a shared responsibility and look forward to examining the root causes of these behaviors and what we can do to resolve the problem.

*5/6, Tues/Weds - Standardized Testing, MPR, AM

*7, Thurs -  Ad Board, 11:50AM-12:40PM

*8, Fri- Dance, 7-11PM, MPR

*12, Tues- Mid-Quarter reports. Copy to be mailed home.

*12, Tues- Open House, 7-8:30PM, MPR

*18, Mon- President’s Day, NO SCHOOL

*27, Weds- Parent Meeting, 5PM, Ken’s Room

*26/27/28, Tues-Thurs- 4th Quarter Registration

February is Valentines Month, and it’s a good time to LOVE YOUR LIBRARY. Donate a book you have enjoyed that we don’t have, or give us a recommendation for new titles we should add. The fiction department could use lots of fresh new titles. (How about Eldest by Paolini, the sequel to Eragon?) Donate books not suitable for the school library to the Steller Library account at Title Wave Bookstore. I frequently go there for new and gently used books.

Thanks to those many people who love the library with their time and talents. Your help is invaluable and the library would not operate effectively without you.

Karen & all the Steller Community.

College Goal Sunday

Feb 11, 2:00
Polaris, East or West High

Do you know that everyone who is going to college, and plans to use any kind of loan or scholarship must fill out a FAFSA*? Do you know how? Come to College Goal Sunday and get a quick game plan (and some help) in completing the form.
More info at alaskacollegegoalsunday.org
If you can’t make this session, Karen, our Librarian, has FAFSA instructional booklets in the library.
*FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid - www.fafsa.ed.gov

Get ready, set, GO TO COLLEGE! Then, check out this website: http://readysetgotocollege.com/

The Massachusetts Board of Education has developed this website to help students navigate prep for college. It is actually pretty well done and anyone can use it. While the specifications mention Massachusetts requirements for graduation, etc., the general information, steps, and procedures are great information.

ASVAB - Armed Services Vocational Aptitude test
April 23, (Wed.) 2008
7:30 – 10:30 am
East High School library annex

This is a free test for Juniors and Seniors, Sophomores allowed. The version of the ASVAB given in high schools is designed to help students assess their aptitudes for various careers. There is NO military recruitment and scores are not reported to the military.
A follow up session to interpret results can be scheduled for Steller. Call Vonnie Gaither at East HS to register. 742-2283

We are trying a new process for 4th quarter registration. This is a compromise between utilizing a full day and incorporating the registration into our regular school day.  Registration for 4th quarter will take place in the afternoon on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, February 26, 27, and 28.  Classes will end at 12:30 on each of these days and students will then register for classes in their regular grade level groups from 12:30-2:30 each day.

For students with transportation issues, study hall will be available in the advisors’ classrooms.  Students do need to understand that if they are staying at school for study hall, they must be in their advisor’s classroom working quietly on homework.

Monday, February 25
Regular Monday schedule

Tuesday, February 26
Period 1      8:30  -   9:20
Period 2     9:25  - 10:15
Period 3     10:20 - 11:00
Period 6     11:05 - 11:45
Lunch     11:45 - 12:30
Seniors and Eighth graders report to their advisors at 12:30 and register at 1:30.

Wednesday, February 27
Period 1      8:30  -   9:20
Period 2     9:25  - 10:15
Period 3     10:20 - 11:00
Period 6     11:05 - 11:45
Lunch     11:45 - 12:30
Juniors and Seventh graders report to their advisors at 12:30 and register at 1:30.

Thursday, February 28
Period 1      8:30  -   9:20
Period 2     9:25  - 10:15
Period 3     10:20 - 11:00
Period 6     11:05 - 11:45
Lunch     11:45 - 12:30
Freshmen and Sophomores report to their advisors at 12:30 and register at 1:30.

Friday - regular Friday Schedule

It is the policy of the Anchorage School District to provide equal educational and employment opportunities, and to provide services and benefits to all students and employees without regard to race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, marital status, change in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood or other prohibitions.
This policy of the Anchorage School District is consistent with numerous laws, regulations, and executive orders enforced by various federal, state, and municipal agencies, including but not limited to Executive Order 11246, Title 41, part 60-1, 60-2, 60-3, 60-20, Title VI and VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the School District Equal Employment Opportunity Office, the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, the Department of Education or the Department of Health and Human Service.

In order to comply with FERPA rules, we must notify parents of the district’s procedures related to records transfer.  As part of this notification, we are changing the language in the student handbook to read as follows:

“No Child Left Behind requires all school districts to transfer information related to students suspensions and expulsions in addition to academic records when students transfer to any public or private elementary, middle, or high school   When transferring their students, parents have the right to request a copy of the information that was disclosed to the new school.

Rhonda Gardner
Asst Superintendent, Instruction

The time is here for sixth graders and their parents to be thinking about the next school year.

Please encourage your friends and family to consider Steller. An Open House is scheduled for February 12th at 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room at Steller, located at 2508 Blueberry. This is for parents and students of any grade. There will be a short program about Steller’s alternative program. Staff, students, and Steller parents will be available for questions and small group discussion after the presentation.

SPECIAL DATES AND DEADLINES

OPEN HOUSE (all grades)
February 12, 2008, 7:00-8:30 pm
Steller Multipurpose Room

APPLICATIONS DEADLINE
March 17, 2007 in Steller’s Office
No later than 3:00 pm

DRAWING - March 18

PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS.

The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.- Charles Dudley Warner
Do give books. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal. - Lenore Hershey

As we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season, I am reminded of the many opportunities each of us have to contribute to our community. Many volunteer opportunities are available, and not surprisingly, many of our students and their families donate time and energy to worthy causes in the greater Anchorage Community. Thank you to each of you that support our students in these efforts, who give back to our community, and who inspire others to give of themselves.

At a time when all of us, particularly our young people, are bombarded with advertisements and pressure for the ownership of “things,” I thought the above quotes held special value. In my own life, treasured gifts have been those that were either handmade or were books. At ready access, I can pull out the first “chapter” book I was given and a small wooden box that my grandfather made for me when I was five years old. Each of them holds a special place in my holiday memories. My hope for each of you during the holiday season is that you are able to give a gift that touches someone in a way that is both meaningful and holds the lasting spirit of the holiday season.
All of us at Steller wish you and your family the joys of your holiday season, as well as peace and happiness in the New Year.
Karin

Requests for Transcripts – Please plan ahead and allow a minimum of three days to process transcript requests.

Friday, December 21st is a grading day for teachers.  This is not a school day for students and students should not be in the building unless they have a pre-arranged appointment with a staff member. The building will close at 3:00pm on Friday, December 21st.  The building will be closed from 3:00 pm on Friday, December 21st through 7:30 am on Monday, January 7th.

Intensives will be held from January 7th through 18th.  Students should have already registered for their January Intensive.  Students who have not planned an Intensive MUST immediately see their advisor to arrange their credits for the Intensive time period.

Monday, January 21st is a holiday.

3rd Quarter registration is Tuesday, January 22nd

Thursday, January 31st, 7:00pm
All Community Meeting.  We will hear the report from the team that attended the Coalition of Essential Schools Conference.

Head Lice
Several cases of head lice have been reported at a variety of schools within the ASD, including Steller. Knowledge of a potential problem is key to prevention. As such, I thought it prudent to share a little information regarding head lice with our Steller families. (more…)