Status Update

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Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to spring break 2.0… well, not really.  We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this unprecedented situation.  The School District Administration has been in high action, working through new processes and the necessary supports to continue the education of your children.

In the next few days Advisors will be in contact with you with a School Closure Needs Assessment Survey to gather information from contacts to online availability.

Steller will be open to pick up necessary items (needed in the next two weeks) Wednesday and Thursday from 10 am- 1 pm.  Friday pickup will be by appointment only (742-4950). Please check into the office to be escorted to the room for your belongings.

For the next two weeks, you will be receiving emails from your teachers with directions and links as to how to access supplemental learning materials for each class.  This work will not be graded, but you are encouraged to do it to keep your skills strong, keep your curiosity piqued, and your study skills fresh.  

Many teachers will be using Google Classroom or Canvas – both of which can be accessed from the ASD website https://www.asdk12.org/domain/1758 –  as a platform to provide learning materials.  It would be helpful to play around with these platforms, and ask questions when you can’t figure them out because, in the case that schools continue to be closed, these platforms are likely how teachers will deliver lessons in the future.

Teachers are available to help answer questions, connect you to more supplemental materials, and be a resource.  Please contact us through email or calls to the office.

In addition, please look for important information by Marianne (counseling/testing) and Annette (nursing/health) posted on The Steller Flash.

We hope you and your family are well, and we look forward to seeing you in person soon.

Sincerely,
The Steller Staff

Note from the school counselor

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Parents and students,
 
I have attached a parent handout from the National Association of School Psychologists with suggestion on how to communicate to your children about the Coronavirus. The situation we are experiencing may trigger anxiety in children and this is a time when everyone need a little extra TLC. COVID-19 Parent Handout.pdf
 
Many of our juniors plan to take the SAT and ACT this spring. Please check College Board and ACT websites for updates. SAT has canceled the May test date so they expect the available seats at the June test date to fill quickly. Please sign up as soon as possible if you plan to take the SAT this spring. There is another test date in August, but I recommend that is your backup date in case you want to retake the test.
 
If you are looking for something educational and interesting to do online as a family, what about visiting a museum online? Check out the link below.
 
 
Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can provide any support to your family. You can send me an email or leave a message on my phone if I am not in my office.
 
Stay safe. 
~ Marianne

 

Nurse News: COVID-19 update 3-13-20

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Dear Steller Community,

I realize there has been a lot of information going around about the Coronavirus, but I also wanted to update you all.

The District continues to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 in Alaska. As of today, there has been one confirmed case in Anchorage. We have carefully considered the risk and impact in the event additional cases are identified in the coming days, and we believe it is our responsibility to take preventative steps in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. In response to this concern, the District has decided to extend spring break for students through next week. Our goal with this action is to flatten the curve of additional cases within schools and, by extension, within the community, with the ultimate goal to resume regular operations in the District as soon as possible.

Although students will not return to school next week, ASD employees will report to work in order to plan and develop distance learning plans for students until they are able to return to their schools.

If you are sick, stay home. For those of you who traveled to any area identified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as Level 3, (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/coronavirus-europe); (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html)
the CDC’s direction is to stay home for a period of 14 days after returning to the United States. Do not go to work during this 14-day period.

Please continue to follow best practices to avoid the spread of COVID-19, (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/protect/index.html).
It is recommended that group gatherings be limited consistent with CDC guidelines for response during a flu pandemic. CDC information for People at Risk for Serious Illness from COVID-19 is a reliable resource for information.

Annette Johansen, M.Ed., BSN, RN, NCSN
Steller Secondary School Nurse
2508 Blueberry Road
Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone: 742-4963 Fax: 742-4966
Office hours: M-F 0730-1500

Happiness intensive

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Happiness intensive seeks individuals experienced in mindfulness and/or yoga.  Danielle and Ashley will be teaching an intensive about happiness.  One of the areas we will explore is mindfulness.  If you have any experience in teaching mindfulness or leading exercises in mindfulness or yoga, we’d love your expertise.  Please contact Ashley if you’re interested in contributing to our intensive: vanhemert_ashley@asdk12.org

Nurse News: COVID-19 update

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The CDC came out with a new update that is extremely important for families that are traveling over Spring Break. CLICK HERE to read directly from CDC.

A mandatory 14-day HOME ISOLATION is in effect for all people returning from the following countries with a LEVEL 3 TRAVEL HEALTH NOTICE :

CHINA
IRAN
ITALY
SOUTH KOREA

The Muni Department of Health will ONLY get notification of people returning from CHINA & IRAN which means that the muni will be calling anyone that returns from ONLY IRAN & CHINA; all others returning from ITALY & SOUTH KOREA will be notified at customs of the home isolation requirement and will NOT be monitored by the muni.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has enlisted Alaska 2-1-1 as a resource for handling the large volume of calls from the public with questions regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).  The 2-1-1 information referral specialists are currently equipped to take and triage such calls, and to refer callers to appropriate resources according to their current procedures. Starting Monday, March 9, the 2-1-1- call center staff will be supplemented with an Alaska Respond volunteer who will be in the call center and able to support the staff.  AK Respond volunteers are licensed medical professionals and will be able to lend their health care expertise to this effort. For Alaskans who live in areas where 2-1-1 cannot be accessed, please call 800-478-2221.

Annette Johansen, M.Ed., BSN, RN, NCSN
Steller Secondary School Nurse

Error during intensive registration

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Dear parents,

Please note that the price for the Hunter Education and Introduction to Shotgun Sports Intensive is only $70-$100, instead of the price listed during registration ($400-$600). If students are interested in that Intensive instead of the one they registered for, they can go to the Steller ASD website and re-register today. Also, today is the last day to register for Intensives. If they are having any problems with the website, they can come to see Leigh Anne.