The Steller family congratulates math teacher Natalie on her latest “addition”: beautiful, tiny Aubrey Kathryn joined her family on Saturday, weighing in at 6 lbs, 2 oz.
Please email/call Ashton Curry (ashtonrcurry@hotmail.com/907-529-9503) or Seth Eggleston (seth.eggleston@gmail.com/907-717-3463) if you can help out or if you have more questions about this event. Thank you so much!
Bike to School Day, like the popular city-wide Bike to Work Day, is part of National Bike Month. We hope to encourage students to explore an active alternative for getting to school and promote bicycling safety.
Planning for Bike to School Day is well underway. I’m pleased to announce that the crew at The Bike Shop – Dimond will be sponsoring a bike safety carnival on May 4 — the Saturday before Bike to School Day on May 8th.
Sign up for bike to school day in the hall by the library. All participants will bike to school on May 8 and give the number of miles they biked to the Bike to School coordinator, Troy.
On Friday, April 26th, a.k.a. ORANGE FRIDAY, the Anchorage School District will STAND AGAINST RACISM By STANDING TOGETHER FOR:
Ø Respect
Ø Freedom
Ø Justice
Ø Equal Opportunity
Ø Equity
Ø Inclusion
Ø Peace
Ø Diversity
Ø Dignity
Ø Community
Ø Kindness
Ø Giving
WEAR ORANGE on Friday, April 26th
Will you STAND with us? Â What will you STAND for?
Thank you for ‘Taking a Stand Against Racism’!
Margo Bellamy
AG Announcements – 4/08/13
 Spring Fling Food Drive will begin next Monday April 15 – 2,000 pounds in 10 days for the Alaska Food Bank. Look for fliers throughout the school this week for more information.
Winter 2013 Intensive information meeting this Friday at lunch in the MPR. Any students interested in the Animal – Fish – Conservation – Environment Intensive in San Diego, California needs to see John as soon as possible to sign up and attend the meeting on Friday.
Students interested in the Belize trip, let your parents know that there will be a informational parent meeting at 5:30 on Wednesday in Danelle’s room. Also remember scholarships applications need to be turned in on the 26th.
For all students who signed up for BOTANY AND ART with Chris, or who have talked with Chris about signing up: Â please meet on Wednesday at 12:00 in the Art Room for special instructions.
If you are signed up for Leigh Anne’s International Lawn and Field Games Intensive, please stop by and pick up a registration form this week and get your class fee of $45 turned in ASAP, so I can order materials. All fees need to be turned in by the Wednesday the 17th.
Gifted Mentorship Info:  With only one Gifted Mentorship Coordinator next year, there will not be formal recruitment meetings this spring. Instead we will be informing students about the program through the school’s newsletter, classroom visits, and through the daily announcements. If you know of a student who would benefit from a Gifted Mentorship next year, please direct them to our website:  http://www.asdk12.org/projects/gifted/  The website has our application and is a good source of information regarding eligibility requirements and mentorship expectations.  There will NOT be a summer program, but students should apply early for next year, as space may be limited!  Students wanting a fall mentorship next year MUST have their applications in by April 26th at 3pm. The deadline for second semester mentorship will be September 20th, 2013.  For the remainder of this year, all three coordinators will continue their weekly school visits. Beginning next year, Jean Poulsen will be the only coordinator for all schools.
For the rest of the year, my weekly schedule is:
Monday – West Cove
Tuesday – Steller Library
Wednesday – Bartlett CRC
Thursday – Service CRC
Parents,
The information below consists of the most important facts you need to know about the norovirus. It is similar to the information in the attachment from the state. The Alaska Division of Public Health says students should remain at home until symptoms resolve and they feel better. The literature says that a person may be contagious for up to two weeks afterward symptoms resolve. If that is the case, exclusion until the virus is no longer contagious is impractical. Furthermore, you can contract a varied strain of the norovirus a few months after the first illness. Don’t dwell on that though! If you have (or recently had) the virus, as many of us have, drink plenty of fluids (when you can hold them down), get lots of sleep and think positively! 🙂 Anne
Important Facts about the Norovirus
Noroviruses are a group of viruses that can affect the stomach and intestines. These viruses can cause people to have gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach and the large intestines. Gastroenteritis is sometimes called food poisoning, even though it may not always be related to food. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps; children often vomit more than adults. A low-grade fever and headache are also possible.
Though norovirus can be passed via contaminated food and water, it is typically spread through physical contact with ill people or surfaces/objects (desk tops, computer keyboards, lockers, pencils, books), they may have touched. This includes shaking hands, caring for a sick family member, sharing food or eating from the same utensils, not washing hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers (the highly transmittable fecal-oral spread).
Unlike the flu or some other viruses, norovirus can last much longer outside the body. The virus can live on inanimate objects for days (or even weeks, I found from my research). People can touch these contaminated objects and become infected with the virus. Since norovirus can live ini contaminated food and water, it is a very hard virus to stop transmitting.
Once a person have been exposed to the virus, it takes anywhere from one to three days for symptoms to appear. Symptoms typically last only 24 to 48 hours, however, please keep up the good hygiene. I have read that people may be contagious for as long as TWO weeks after recovery.
To avoid coming down with the norovirus, first and foremost, wash your hands often with relatively hot water and soap. (Handwashing is usually more effective than hand sanitizer.) Wash your hands thoroughly before and after eating, after touching your face, after using the restroom, and whenever your hands are dirty. Limit person-to-person contact as much as possible. Wash your hands immediately after you touch someone’s hand.  Beyond that, avoid uncooked food as much as possible. Don’t share drinking glasses and eating utensils.
Hopefully, this virus will pass soon, as will the snow, and we can look forward to a real spring!
More info: Â Norovirus%20FAQ-1
Please call me if you have any questions (742-4963). Anne
The deadline for applications is Friday April 26th at 3pm.
Visit our website   http://www.asdk12.org/projects/gifted/  for more information on eligibility requirements.
Completed applications can be turned in to the office.
Parents: Â The mid-quarter grades for Steller are already upon us. Â Please check Zangle on Monday, Â April 8, to see how your student is doing. Â All grades should be up to date by Monday. Â If you don’t have your Zangle information, you can get it from the front office.
For one of the last Art projects this semester, I’m getting the supplies together for clay portrait sculptures. We need parents to help if possible with some additional supplies:
(8) 12″ x12″ squares of 3/4″ plywood OR 3/4 ” formica-covered plywood OR ANY scrap 3/4″ plywood (that I could cut into squares);
(8) 10″ pieces of 1″ PVC pipe (OR ANY lengths of 1″ PVC pipe to cut up)
(8) PVC 1″ flanges (for attaching the pipe to the plywood)
Please contact me at selin_chris@asdk12.org if you have these items to donate – thank you so much!
Chris