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Read the Answers to the Steller Future Q & A now!

The questions we are facing as a community are:

With the move of all grade 6 students to Middle School, should Steller:

  • Become a 6 to 12 school
  • Become a 9 to 12 school

With ASD high schools adopting an Academy Model as part of the Career, College and Life ready Strategy should Steller:

  • Adopt an Academy Model
  • Not adopt an Academy Model
  • Adopt an Academy model – with proposed modifications,  the details of which will be discussed next semester

There are three parts to this decision making process:

FIRST: Learn

ASD website information  Middle School    Academy Model

 Fact Sharing Parent Forum (video recording from September 21)

Steller Principal’s response to Google Form for Questions, Concerns & Suggestions specific to Steller (September 21 to 29 and at October 10 at  SPG meeting. 

The meetings on October 16 and 19th are part of the DISCUSSION phase of the process. The purpose is to facilitate parent discussion of the pros and cons of options at hand to help make informed decisions. Please make sure you have read the information from the ASD website and The Future of Steller BEFORE the meeting. We will not be answering questions or presenting new information at these meetings. 

SECOND: Share

Steller Parent Group sessions for discussion. October 16 (by Zoom) OR October 19 (in person).

Community SURVEY with questions as above,.October 11 to 29

THIRD: Decide

All Community Meeting where, per our bylaws, the community VOTES on our final PROPOSAL to ASD. Need quorum of 75 SPG members, including 15 students for the vote to be valid (November 2). Maria to present our proposal to ASD. 

ASD will make the final decision. 

Follow up discussions regarding implementation of any decision we/ASD makes will take place in the second semester.

Important Message from Advocacy Group

 

Dear Steller Community –

An Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee  made up of Steller students and parents has formed over the last few weeks. This committee will submit/present a letter at the May 9th or May 23rd Anchorage School Board Meeting. 

You are invited to come on Thursday 4/27, at 5pm to hear a short presentation from the Advocacy Committee. This committee’s intent is to develop a broad statement of support for our school philosophy and values , our students, teachers, and principal, and to ensure a diversity of perspectives at the ASD Board Meetings. 

We will have an information table at the front entrance to the school where students and parents can ask questions and sign a letter to be submitted to the ASD Board should they like. The committee knows any statement will not cover all of the issues that may be important to you or state things the way you would personally, and we encourage you to attend, testify and/or submit your own comments to the school board. 

BACKGROUND:

Steller has been named at recent school board meetings, and a blogger has mentioned Steller teachers and principal by name, in particular as it pertains to a Steller class about the history of banned books. Following the blog publication, Steller’s teachers and principal have received hate mail. As a result, Steller staff have been reviewing and enhancing classroom and building safety protocols. More details are available in the March Steller Parent Group meeting minutes under the Principal’s Report  here (or find the link under https://www.stellerschool712.org – Parents – SPG Minutes). .

You can review ASD School Board meeting minutes and videos here:. For your convenience, you can go directly to some of the above mentioned public comments here (or search YouTube for ASD School Board Meeting 2/21/2023)(starting around 58:00).

In addition to this issue, school funding challenges make this an important time to voice our support for Steller loudly and clearly. 

HOW TO PROVIDE TESTIMONY/EMAIL THE SCHOOL BOARD: 

https://www.asdk12.org/Page/1443

Individuals can provide in-person, telephonic, or written comments to the School Board at their Regular Meetings. Speakers are limited to three minutes per person.

The School Board encourages anyone wishing to provide written public comments to use the link below by 11:59 p.m. the day before the meeting.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVWE-wiHua43o2AoMSntvjRU2hOo1Wb1rg1dUJaRK0sD03hQ/viewform 

These comments will become part of the meeting record.

If you would like to join the Advocacy Group please reach out to chairstellerparentgroup@gmail.com and they will put you in contact with the members! 

Warm regards,

Advocacy Committee

Elizabeth Peratrovich Day!

 

Elizabeth Peratrovich, who played an instrumental role in the 1945 passage of the first anti-discrimination law in the United States. In 1941, after encountering an inn door sign that read “No Natives Allowed,” Peratrovich and her husband–both of Alaska’s Indigenous Tlingit tribe–helped plant the seed for the anti-discrimination law when they wrote a letter to Alaska’s governor and gained his support. 

Elizabeth Peratrovich—whose Tlingit name is Kaaxgal.aat, a member of the Lukaax̱.ádi clan of the Raven moiety—was born on July 4, 1911 in Petersburg, Alaska during a time of extensive segregation in the territory. She was lovingly raised by adoptive parents, living in various small Southeast Alaska communities throughout her childhood. With a passion for teaching, Peratrovich attended college in Bellingham, Washington where she also became reacquainted with her husband, Roy Peratrovich, who was a student at the same school. The couple married and moved to Klawock, Alaska where their role in local politics and Elizabeth’s knack for leadership drove her heavy involvement with the Alaska Native Sisterhood, one of the oldest civil rights groups in the world, leading to her eventual appointment as the organization’s Grand President. 

Seeking better access to lawmakers who could help effect change, the Peratrovichs moved in 1941 with their three children to the Alaskan capital of Juneau, where they were met with blatant discrimination. When attempting to buy a home in their new city, they were denied when the sellers saw they were of Alaska Native descent. Instances like these were unfortunately common for Alaska’s Indigenous peoples and further motivated Peratrovich to take action in the name of systemic change. 

Elizabeth and Roy worked with others to draft Alaska’s first anti-discrimination bill, which was introduced in 1941 and failed to pass. On February 5, 1945 following years of perseverance, a second anti-discrimination bill was brought before the Alaska Senate, and Peratrovich took to the floor to deliver an impassioned call for equal treatment for Indigenous peoples. She was met with thunderous applause throughout the gallery, and her moving testimony is widely credited as a decisive factor in the passage of the historic Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945.

In 1988 the Alaska State Legislature declared February 16 as “Elizabeth Peratrovich Day,” and in 2020 the United States Mint released a $1 gold coin inscribed with Elizabeth’s likeness in honor of her historic achievements in the fight for equality.

Thank you, Elizabeth Peratrovich, for helping to build the foundation for a more equitable future.

 

(Taken from Google Doodles)

Register for Classes December 9

November 19, 2020

Good Morning Steller Families and Staff,

Second semester (third quarter) registration will be Wednesday, December 9, 2020.  Students will meet with their advisor on Zoom.  Please check with your Advisor for the Zoom link.

Registration Times:

8:00 – 9:00 = 12th grade

9:00 – 10:00 = 11th grade

10:00 – 11:00 = 10th grade

11:00 -12:00 = 9th grade

1:00 – 2:00 = 8th grade

2:00 – 3:00 = 7th grade

The class descriptions and schedule are posted on the Steller website, (see links below) to find a possible schedule. You will use this data to create your schedule with your advisor.  If you started a semester-long class in the first quarter, you must choose it again in the third quarter. For example, Algebra is usually a year-long class so this year you will take it first and third quarter. 

Course Schedule: https://www.asdk12.org/domain/4864 (Links to an external site.)

Course Description: https://www.asdk12.org/domain/4771 (Links to an external site.)

Please contact the front office staff or your advisor with any questions.

Have a Great Day!

Steller Office