Category Archives: General Announcements

Future of Steller (Meeting 1 Video)

Major changes are coming to ASD and Steller in the 2024 school year:

  • All ASD high schools are going to become Academies starting with the 2024 Freshman year. 
  • All grade 6 students will be moved to middle school.
  • New schedule changes will be implemented.

These changes have a direct impact on Steller’s future, and our community is being given an opportunity to make a recommendation to the board about what Steller wants to do.

In November we will be asked if we want to:

  • Become a 6 to 12 school.
  • Become a 9 to 12 school.
  • Stay 7 to 12 school.
  • Join the ASD Academy or if we want to do something different. 

It is important to be informed about these issues in order to make the best recommendations we can, in the interest of our current and future students.

  1. Listen to the presentation from September 21st (see above). View the accompanying slide show.
  2. Visit the ASD website:
  3. Ask your questions to Maria using this form.
  4. Follow the Steller Website for updates.

How you can have your voice heard:

  1. Listen to the answers to community questions 
    • Steller Parent Group Meeting on Tuesday, October 10.
  2. Share questions, comments, concerns at the SPG parent forum:
    • Monday October 16, 7:00 to 8:30 pm via Zoom OR
    • Thursday October 19, 6:00 to 7:30 pm at school.
  3. Make our final recommendation 
    • All Community Forum on November 2nd (we need a quorum of 75 people) 

 

Big Changes are Coming to ASD and Steller!

An Important Message from Maria (sent out via email September 12);

As you are aware, the Anchorage School District has been making many changes to support students’ needs and provide new opportunities for growth.  These changes include moving all 6th graders into Middle Schools, changes to school start times, and the College/Career/Life Ready (CCL) academic model.  With all these changes come many shifts for us in the Steller community.  Our three pillars of Steller: Students, Staff and Parents will be an integral part in guiding the future of our community.

To ensure that everyone is aware of what all these changes mean, we are going to be holding some forums and meetings in the coming months.

Our first initial Fact Sharing Parent Forum will be held  Thursday, September 21, 6:00-7:30pm at Steller. We will have an ASD representative from Teaching & Learning to discuss College/Career/Life Ready academy model, and we will present facts around 6th graders moving to middle school and school start times.

To get familiar with these district initiatives, please check out ASD’s link to Q&As and lots of great information: https://www.asdk12.org/HotTopics . For Steller specific questions, concerns, and suggestions we will have a survey coming soon, where you will be able to provide your input. This survey will be opened from September 21 – 28.

All three pillars will have an opportunity to discuss these topics and the impacts to Steller. We will utilize the information gathered from the original survey to guide our discussions. So, take the time to provide your input. Students will have a chance to have discussions within their Advisory groups starting Monday, September 25. Staff has been discussing and will have a more in-depth meeting held on Tuesday, October 3.

The Steller Parent Group (SPG) will be holding various discussion meetings for parents and community members. During the SPG Tuesday, October 10 meeting SPG will provide an overview of the topics and have data from the original survey to share, along with a short discussion. In addition, SPG will hold 2 meetings where they will share key facts and break into smaller groups to further discuss concerns. Meetings will be held Monday, October 16, 7:00-8:30pm via Zoom and Thursday, October 19, 6:00-7:30pm in person at Steller.

After these meetings and discussions our goal as a community is to present the district with what we would like Steller’s future to be. All of you are encouraged to vote on what the future will hold through an online survey that will be open October 11th through October 31st. We will then hold an All-Community Meeting where the results of the vote will be shared along with a proposal to move forward within ASD.

Our philosophy reads, “Steller is a school devoted to the creation of independent, courageous people capable of dealing with the shifting complexities of the modern world.” As an educational leader, I am committed to our Steller philosophy and as part of that commitment, I encourage all of you to be a part of this process. It is time for Steller’s three pillars to come together and help guide what Steller’s next 50 years will look like. Thank you in advance for taking the time to be involved, see you all at our upcoming meetings.

Sincerely,

Maria

Read more about this in the SPG Meeting Minutes and Slides from September 12.

FROM ASD WEBSITE on the Move to Academy Learning Model:

The primary strategy for achieving transformation will be the creation of career-themed academies in our local high schools. The academies will provide students with planned elective pathways within each high school beginning with an orientation experience or Freshman Academy during their 9th-grade year.

Students will choose an academy pathway within one of the available career-themed academies at the end of their freshman year. The academy pathway is made up of a sequence of at least three elective courses aligned to a viable college, trade school and / or career pathway that are completed during the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.

The progression of courses will be coupled with learning experiences that bring businesses and college / trade school partners into the school setting and send students out to college / trade school campuses and into the workplace to explore and apply what they are learning in high school at a deeper level.

THIS WILL DIRECTLY AFFECT STELLER in 2024 and the future.

From ASD Website on Moving 6th Grade to Middle School:

On 2/21/23, the Board voted 6-1 for this year (2023) to be a planning year, and for all (comprehensive) 6th grade students to move to middle school in the 2024/25 school year.

Steller is the only 7 to 12 school in the district, and this change will directly impact us in 2024.

From ASD Website on School Start Times:

THIS CHANGE WILL DIRECTLY IMPACT STELLER in 2024.

 

September and October DATES:

  • Thursday, September 21 6:00 to 7:30 Listen and Learn about BIG CHANGES to ASD and Steller 
  • September 21 to 30 Ask your questions on the online survey 
  • October 2 to 4 Cups for Kids Fundraiser. Join SPG for Coffee in the foyer in the morning. Donate via QR code, online, cash or cheque.
  • Tuesday, October 10 6:00 to 7:30 SPG meeting – hear answers to the Q & A, vote on Intensive Request for Funding
  • Monday, October 16 7:00 to 8:30 Zoom Meeting for parental input on changes OR 
  • Thursday, October 19 6:00 to 7:30 In person meeting for parental input on changes.
  • Thursday, November 2 (TBC) All Community Meeting to vote on Steller Recommendations for 2024 school year and beyond.

Our Annual Fundraiser – Cups for Kids – is coming soon!

 

Hello Steller Families and Students!

Steller Parent Group is excited to announce our annual fundraiser

Cups for Kids!  October 2, 3, & 4.  

Please help us meet our fundraising goal of $15,000

This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and will help to support:

  • Intensives 
  • Teacher grants like Brian’s Electronic Music Class
  • Leadership Club 
  • Community events like the BBQ
  • Staff appreciation
  • and whatever else members of our community request! 

You are invited to join us in the lobby for coffee or cocoa and students will also bring coffee and cocoa to your car during drop off and pick up.  They’ll also be ready to take your donation. 

Donate 

  1. Cash or checks (made out to Steller Parent Group) are accepted when you receive your coffee/cocoa or in the office.
  2. With a credit card via QR code or directly on the SPG website 

We also need volunteers to help make this event happen.  Ask your student to help and volunteer together! 

Warm regards,

Steller Parent Group

P.S. Please make sure you are extra careful as you drive through the drop off/pick up line and help keep our students safe. 

Questions? Please contact Monica at fundraisingspg2@gmail.com 

 

 

Vote for Steller Budget

At the Steller Parent Group Meeting on Tuesday, September 12 the Steller Board shared the 2023 SPG Budget Document

Please review the attached Budget, and then vote “Yay” to accept the budget as presented or “nay”, and provide feedback.

The vote closes at 10 pm on Wednesday, September 20th. 

FAQ:

  • Why isn’t Souper Steller funded? We do have funding available under “School Hosted Events and Activities” if any students decide to take on this wonderful tradition. At this point, no students have expressed interest. 
  • Why don’t we have line items for regular and known expenses? An important aspect of the Steller philosophy is that things are driven by student and staff interests.  Our budget is designed to be flexible so that we can fund new and exciting things as they develop throughout the year.

Funding Requests for September:

  1. $5000 to support the Travel Intensive to Vietnam this term.
  2. $5000 to support the Travel Intensive to Costa Rica next term.
  3. $500 to support purchasing equipment for Brian’s Electronic Music Production Class.

Treasurers Claudian Libiesch & Kirsten Tschofen

REMINDERS

  • Sign up for the Steller Directory here.
  • Volunteer opportunities (here). Cups for Kids (here)
  • SPG September Meeting Minutes here.
  • Did you  know you can find Advisory Notes in Canvas under the Advisory Course?

Important Information from the Office

Maria shared very important information about Steller’s future in an email to the community today. This is our opportunity to learn about changes coming to ASD, how they affect Steller, and have a voice in the direction Steller will take for years to come. 

Dates to remember:

Thursday, 9/21 from 6-7:30 PM, Steller will host a Fact Sharing Parent Forum.  

    1. An ASD administrator will share the details of CCL
    2. Maria will share the potential options Steller can consider regarding 6th grade moving to Middle School
    3. The community will then be encouraged to submit questions and comments via a QR code (open 9/21-9/28).

October SPG Meeting (10/10, 6-7:30pm), a Q&A (based on questions from above) will be shared, along with a short discussion.

SPG will host 2 additional meetings for parents – we will share the key facts and break into groups to further discuss the options:

  • Monday, 10/16, 7-8:30pm via Zoom
  • Thursday, 10/19, 6-7:30pm in person at Steller

 

Volunteers Needed!

  1. The Senior Class is looking for Chaperones for the Homecoming Dance  on September 29th from 7 PM to 11 PM, and chaperones are needed at least by 7 PM. The dance is 70’s themed, so put on your best 70’s outfit! Contact chairspg2@gmail.com if you can help.
  2. Our main fundraiser “Cups for Kids” will be the first week of October. We need parents and students to help us make and serve coffee and cocoa, and to collect donations, in the lobby and in the drop off line. 
  3. We need a tech guru to help us run the Zoom part of our monthly meetings. Please reach out to chairspg2@gmail.com.
  4. For all other volunteer opportunities visit our google form here.

Reminders:

  • Thursday, September 21 6:00-7:30 Community Forum on moving 6th grade to Steller. This is a big change for our community, and we need everyone’s input. Don’t miss this important meeting! 
  • Find important information on the ASD website here.
  • View the Steller Calendar here.
  • View SPG meeting dates, agenda and minutes here.
  • Join our Facebook Community here

 

Steller Directory

Dear Steller Community,

The Steller Parent Group (SPG) has in past years hosted a directory through a hosting service that required an annual cost to the SPG. This year we are trying to gather the information voluntarily through a simple Google questionnaire. The result will be a list or spreadsheet with basic contact information for individuals who agree to participate. We will send a PDF copy to everyone who participates in early October, and then again in February. We will need to update each school year.

We would like to invite you to opt in to the Steller Directory by answering with as much information as you are comfortable sharing with the rest of the school by Monday, October 2 to be included in the Fall Directory.

Questions? Contact Sarah at secretaryspg2@gmail.com

 

 

Steller Parent Group Fundraising

Budget and Fundraising at Steller

Welcome to our fourth post in the our series all about Steller Parent Group and the work we do. This week we are going to talk about our budget and fundraising.

Fundraising is essential to Steller Parent Group’s mission to enrich the lives of Steller students.

Monies raised support school activities and are divided into four general  “buckets”:

1. SPG OPERATIONAL EXPENSES : Eg. Website, FLASH, Insurance

2. SPG HOSTED EVENTS & ACTIVITIES: Eg. BBQ, Staff Appreciation, Community Events

3. STELLER HOSTER EVENTS & ACTIVITIES: Eg. Souper Steller, Sophomore Day and 50th Anniversary Celebrations in 2024

4.GRANTS: Eg. Travel Scholarships, Intensive Support, Program Support and Passage & Special Projects

SPG will share the proposed budget for 2023/2024 with the community for feedback and approval at the September 12th meeting – please join and share your thoughts. Voting will take place on line in the week following. 

FUNDRAISING

To reduce volunteer hours we will host one major fundraiser in 2023-2024. Cups for Kids is a simple drive for donations, and will take place in the first week of October. 

Passive fundraising relationships with businesses has been an important part of our budget in the past.  With many businesses choosing not to renew these programs we are very pleased that Fred Meyer is continuing with its Community Rewards program.

Here is how the program works:

  1. Sign up to the Community Rewards program by linking your Rewards Card here. Search for Steller Secondary or use code RJ417
  2. Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card you are helping Steller Parent Group earn a donation. 
  3. You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points and Rebates as normal.
  4. If you don’t have a Rewards card they are available at any customer service desk, and through the till.

In recent years we have earned about $600 a year from Fred Meyer, and about $400 through Amazon. We are hoping to be able to replace the loss of Amazon through an increase in participation in the Fred Meyer program. 

We are always looking for ways to fundraise! If you have ideas, or would like to join our committee please reach out to our Fundraising Chair Monica Perez-Verdia at fundraisingspg2@gmail.com

And of course, you can always donate directly to SPG via our website. Steller Parent Group is a registered non-profit 501(c)3 #06-1760342 and we can write receipts for donations. 

Regards,

Steller Parent Group

 

Volunteering at Steller

Volunteering at Steller 

All volunteers must complete the ASD Volunteer Form annually. 

Steller Philosophy is built on the Three Pillars: Students, Staff, and Parents & Guardians working together to build the community and learning experiences we want. There are many opportunities for ALL our community members to get involved and make a difference at Steller! 

Steller Parent Group organizes volunteers on behalf of the staff and student groups and our own initiatives. We will post requests and links to Sign Up Genius on our website as needs arise. 

School Hosted Events and Activities

Occasionally SPG will help recruit volunteers for school lead activities like the following:

  • Intensives       
  • Open House and Ice Cream Social  
  • Steller Olympics 
  • Dances
  • Souper Steller
  • Field Trips

Steller Parent Group Hosted Events and Activities      

The mission of the Steller Parent Group is to promote involvement in school activities, to solicit address, and make recommendations regarding issues and policies facing the Steller Community, and to support fundraising activities and facilitate the disbursement of those funds. 

Steller Parent Group meets the second Tuesday of each month from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Our first meeting will be on Tuesday, September 12 in person and via Zoom. Watch for the announcements on the Steller Flash (SUBSCRIBE HERE). You can find meeting agendas and minutes on this website.  

We have need for both leadership positions, and volunteers on the date of events, and various time commitments. This is just a summary to get a sense. Visit our Google Form here for a complete list, and to indicate your interest. 

  • Steller Finance Committee – one student, one member at large. Monthly review of funding requests and recommendation at SPG meeting; conduct annual review; prepare budget for approval by SPG (2-4 hours/month).
  • Fundraising Committee – co-chair, and volunteers to help the chair plan and execute Cups for Kids in October, and seek out other fundraising opportunities. Students are especially invited to get involved here! 
  • Advocacy Committee – help plan advocacy and communication on behalf of Steller with ASD.
  • Student Recruitment Committee – support Steller Staff in student recruitment and school promotion. 
  • Webmaster: Assist migrating SPG website to a new host, updating themes and plugins, and possible redesign. 
  • Zoom/Tech Guru: Setup and monitor Zoom at all monthly SPG general meetings and link to external monitor and speaker (5:30-8PM, second Tuesday of month x 9 months)
  • 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee – help plan celebrations for Steller’s 50th Anniversary! 

If you would like to know more about any of these roles, or have your own idea for something SPG could do reach out to our chairs – Dee Dee and Amy at  chairspg2@gmail.com 

Dates to Remember (this is NOT comprehensive!)

View and subscribe to the Steller Calendar here

Wednesday, August 30 6:00 to 7:30 Back to School Night (meet the teachers) and All Community Meeting (meet Steller Parent Group and other families)

Monday, September 4, Labour Day – No School for Students

Tuesday, September 12 6:00 to 7:30 Steller Parent Group Meeting in person and via Zoom. We will present the budget at this meeting, and then share with the wider community for a vote via email. 

Thursday, September 21 6th Grade Community Forum details tba