Some highlights of our first September parent group meeting of the school year!  We had a great turnout–looking forward to a fantastic year!

•       Ranking goals for the 2013/2014 school year in preparation for our October All Community Meeting at Steller
•       Discussion about volunteering for fundraising
•       Parent Group elections
•       Advisory Board parent representative elections

Read more here.

130904 Parent Group Minutes

Community Service/Spanish Culture Intensive to Jinotega, Nicaragua-May 2014

Come join us for the May 2014 travel/community service intensive to Jinotega, Nicaragua. This two-week adventure will take us to the mountains of Nicaragua, about 100 miles from Managua, Nicaragua.

We’ll be spending our time in Jinotega tutoring young children in English, performing manual community-building tasks, and experiencing the sights in and near Jinotega with Outreach 360. Outreach 360 is a non-denominational service group, dedicated to raising the education standards of disadvantaged children so that they can complete high school, attend college, and bring their expertise back to their town to raise the standard of living in the poorest country in Central America.

While Nicaragua has had a somewhat controversial relationship with the United States in the past, it is now considered one of the safest countries for travelers in Central America.

While there, we’ll be staying on the Outreach 360 compound and working in the Outreach 360 learning center. We’ll also be taking side trips to other interesting sights, learning about the local culture, and geography.

Outreach 360 has a lengthy and positive relationship with the community of Jinotega. Rather than describing the program in detail here, I would refer you instead to their website, Outreach360.org which has extensive information on what you can expect to experience as a volunteer in Jinotega.

The program costs, flight itinerary and estimated airfare costs are detailed below:

Program: Includes food, lodging and transportation in Nicaragua

$1200 per student for two weeks

Airfare: Based on group rate with early commitment

$866 per person

Since students are responsible for the airfare and program costs for two teachers, the total cost per student, based on a minimum of 10 students and two teachers, is $2263. If we get more students to come on the trip, the cost per student will decrease accordingly as the teacher costs are spread over a larger group. Since the price for the group rate is time sensitive, the deadline for the airfare deposit of $300 is Monday, September 30. In addition, because our scheduled transportation connection with Outreach 360 is confined to a relatively narrow window, we have limited number of carriers and flights, so it is imperative that we lock in our reservations as early as possible. The proposed flight itinerary on United Airlines is as follows:

02May Depart ANC at 5:00 pm / Arrive Houston at 5:12 am (03May)

03May Depart Houston at 8:58 am / Arrive Managua at 11:25 am

18May Depart Managua at 7:15 am / Arrive Houston at 11:45 am

Depart Houston at 2:30 pm / Arrive Seattle at 5:15 pm

Depart Seattle at 8:55 pm / Arrive ANC at 11:25 pm

Please email Ken Varee or Chris Selin with any questions or for more information.

Varee_Ken@asdk12.org or Selin_Chris@asdk12.org

We will begin serving a hot soup meal to every staff and student who would like one, each regular Friday, starting on September 20th!!! Leigh Anne’s advisory group will be leading the way! Don’t forget—bring your own bowl and skip the line! Anyone can help any week; you don’t have to wait for your advisory group week.         Have fun and help! Have an hour every few months? Would you like to join our team of helpers?  Email Alyse.galvin@gmail.com and she will fill you in on how to have a great time souping it up with amazing students during our lunch hour. Also looking for help on Thursdays 2-4pm for prep time. Donations Kindly Accepted:  There are funds to last through the semester, after that, we will go until the $$ run out. If you’d like to donate, there is an envelope in the Parent Mailbox in the office- Make checks out to “Steller Parent Group” and put “Souper Steller” in memo please. Want to know all the news hot off the press about Souper Steller?  Like the Souper Steller page on Facebook!

Our preliminary schedule:

Parents,
Next Monday, September 16th, students who have a consent form on file will receive the flu mist vaccination here at Steller. A parent volunteer will help with the paperwork while I administer the nasal spray. A few students who cannot take the mist will instead receive the injection. If you have time, I would appreciate additional help. The more assistance I have, the less time students will be away from their classrooms.

If your adolescent received the vaccination elsewhere this season, please call and let me know. There is no need to waste resources. If you did not fill out a consent during registration and want your adolescent to receive the vaccination, either come by and fill one out a consent or call and I can fax one to you.

If you have reservations about the vaccination, please review the reputable, informative Mayo Clinic website.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/influenza/DS00081

Thank you for your attentiveness.
Nurse Anne

Anne M. McCarron, R.N. NBCSN
Steller Secondary
2508 Blueberry Rd.
Anchorage Alaska 99503
Main office (907) 742-4950
Nurse’s office (907) 742-4963
Fax (907) 742-4966

Steller Parent Group has become very instrumental in fundraising at Steller.  Last year the Parent Group brought in over $20,000 to help with programs and activities at Steller including Souper Steller, funding travel intensive scholarships, funding Passages and Peer taught classes, buying mats for the acro-balance club, technology purchases, doing a complete over haul on the website, and providing food and paper products for events. The Annual Auction is by far our largest fundraiser of the year.  Last year the auction brought in over $14,000.  It is very important that we make sure that this event continues to happen.  Please click HERE to read more about funding at Steller.

We are looking for at least 3-4 people who will step up to be the leaders of this project.

These people would work together to plan, solicit donations from the Steller community and beyond, and organize our volunteers.

Currently, the same small group of people  have been responsible for planning and organizing the auction for the past three years.  We know how it is done and have gotten good at it.   It is time for us to pass the reins but if a team of people will step forward we will lead them through the entire process and be full time team members this year. We never have any trouble finding enough volunteers to donate items, bring food, set up and clean up, and do data entry.  We also receive help from the 11th graders who help with work and organization.  What we need are leaders. Time commitment includes weekly meetings for the 6 weeks prior to the auction and one or two meetings before that.  There are two work days the week before the auction and at least 12 hours the day of the auction.  Extra hours here and there are required depending on specific tasks. The auction is only 2 months away (that is plenty of time) so we need to hear from people in the next week.  Contact Rebecca Johnson at beckinak@gmail.com or 240-8907 or Wendy Woolf at paww@alaska.net. If no one steps forward the auction will not be happening this year and the expertise that has been accrued will be lost.

If you’re interested – it is important a parent contact me (John) by Friday Sep 13^th. Stahl_john@asdk12.org / (W) 742-4951 or (C) 250-4829 It will take at least 10 students to make this trip happen…we need a few more. The anticipated cost is $2,500 – $3,000 (determined by how many students sign up) A $400.00 non-refundable deposit / student is required to reserve a place on the trip. If you have any questions let me know, John

UAA ACT Test Prep

Juniors (and Sophomores if they want to)

PSAT

Preliminary SAT

 Saturday, October 19^th,

8:00 AM, at Steller Secondary

 $22.00 cash or check (made out to Steller); pay Michelle in the office, she will put your name on the registration list, give you a receipt and a Study / Guide Book.

Northstar Elementary would like more student volunteers for the Steller – Northstar Community Service.

The teachers at Northstar value your help so much and there are more slots to fill…especially after school (your 7^th period).   This is a great opportunity to play an important role with their kids and in their classrooms, get Community Service credit on your transcript, and have volunteer hours for applications (maybe an amazing Letter of Reference).  If you have any questions or would like to sign up stop by and see John.

Mandatory 9th grade class meeting at noon on Tuesday in Ashley’s room.  We are hosting the September dance and we need to get organized!

 8^th Grade class meeting Tuesday at lunch in Marla’s room.  We are electing class officers.

There will be a Belize meeting in Danelle’s room on Wednesday, Sept. 11th at 12 pm.  All students who are signed up for the Belize intensive must attend.

There will be a brief Garden Club meeting on Wednesday at noon in Danielle’s room.

Nurse Anne wants to remind you of several upcoming events:

• First is the flu clinic for students next Monday, September 16th.  The parents of about half of you signed a consent form to receive the flu mist vaccination at school. For those who cannot take the nasal mist, the injection will be given. Nurse Anne will start giving the vaccinations at 8 am Monday morning and continue to give as many as she can in the morning, preferably during gym and study periods. The reminder she hopes to finish after advisory announcements. See her during advisory if you did not received the vaccination earlier that morning or in did not receive it in your health care provider’s office earlier this school year.
• Second–on September 23rd, adolescent educators will be here to talk about drugs and specifically what happens to cause addiction. These peer presenters have not had time to prepare a specific presentation on marijuana but will be back later to address that subject.  This group made an impact on the Sophomores last year, so have been invited back.  If you are inclined at all to hear what they have to say and to ask questions of the presenters who are about your age, then be in the MPR September 23rd, in the morning, to hear their presentation. The exact time is yet to be determined.
• Third, in November, we will have a blood drive at Steller. If you are 16 or older you can donate with a signed parental consent. There will be more about that later.

Heads up, artists of Steller! Yearbook is hosting an awesome new design contest, where your artwork can be used as the cover of this school year’s yearbook. If you are a Steller student with a talent for art, take part in this great opportunity. Voting will be done by the yearbook staff, and if your cover is chosen you will receive a FREE copy of next year’s finished yearbook, complete with your winning cover art.  If you are serious about creating original artwork for all of the Steller community to see, please contact Svetlana about further details.

Students interested in the Nicaragua Intensive trip in May will be meeting this Wednesday at noon in Ken’s room. He will have updated information on the costs as well as the travel itinerary for the trip. This is an incredible opportunity to practice your Spanish and be immersed in a culture where your efforts will be greatly appreciated. Credit will be available for community service with other possibilities as well. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to be the change!

Students who need Art supplies for regular class projects (other than Art projects) must get them from other sources besides the Art Room. This includes things like colored paper, pens, pencils, markers.  The Art supplies are paid for by students’ Art fees and are available for Art class projects only.

PSAT :  Juniors (and some Sophomores)

Saturday, October 19^{th, ,Â} 8:00 AM, at Steller Secondary.  $22.00 cash or check (made out to Steller); pay Michelle in the office, she will give you a receipt and a Study / Guide Book.