Dec 20
18
KPBSD End of 2020 Update
December 18, 2020
Dear KPBSD staff and families,
“With the dawning of a new year, growing daylight, and a vaccine to help control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we are planning for a return to more normalcy for our schools in 2021. We are excited for the return of our students to in person onsite learning no later than mid-January, and possibly as soon as January 11, 2021. 2020 has been an extremely difficult year for all of us but I am confident that 2021 will bring with it brighter days and more certainty in our everyday lives. Our dedicated building administrators and staff are busy planning all the details to safely welcome students back into schools. Schools have enhanced mitigation plans and safety measures to ensure that students, staff, and visitors are safe, and that learning for our students will be optimal. Thank you all for your steadfast resilience and dedication to the education, safety, and well-being of KPBSD students, educators, and support staff.”
– Superintendent John O’Brien
Looking ahead
- Winter break for most KPBSD schools is December 21, 2020-January 1, 2021*
- School starts Monday, January 4, 2021*
- Pre-identified groups of students who attend onsite during 100% Remote High Risk may continue to attend onsite. This includes Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Special Education Intensive Needs students
- Pre-identified groups of students who attend onsite during 100% Remote High Risk may continue to attend onsite. This includes Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Special Education Intensive Needs students
- Onsite at school options in high risk begin no later than Tuesday, January 19, 2021:
- Pre-K-6th grade attend everyday
- Grades 7-12 attend school on a hybrid or A/B schedule. Schools will let students know their schedules
- By midday on January 5, 2021, an announcement will be made if the onsite, at school option will begin as soon as Monday, January 11, 2021
- No school on Monday, January 18, 2021—it is a school holiday for most KPBSD schools*
- No early release day on Wednesday, January 20, 2021
- Order free meals for pickup the week of January 4, 2021, no later than noon on January 1, 2021
- Check the KPBSD COVID-19 Hub for information, and review the KPBSD COVID-19 Risk Dashboard with daily updates over winter break
*Some KPSBD schools have variance calendars: Winter break at Nanwalek and Port Graham schools is January 4-15, 2021; Tuesday, January 19, 2021, is a school holiday for K-Selo, Razdolna, and Voznesenka schools, and an inservice day for Nikolaevsk School
Links
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub or covid19.kpbsd.org
- Order your free Get-It and Go Meals
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Dec 20
9
Farewell to Hot-Rod Todd Brewer
It is with sadness and heavy hearts that Seward learned of “Hot Rod” Todd Brewer’s death on December 3, 2020. He never regained consciousness after being intubated for complications from COVID-19.
He brought infinite joy with his cheesy jokes about rival schools (he especially loved giving Nikiski grief) and professionally printed photos of Seward Seahawks in action. He made those photos freely available to students and parents and took great pride in the happiness they created.
He loved driving Seward school activity busses. As he drove the bus into the school driveway, he would always say, “Welcome to Seward High where all the kids are above average.”
He was the Seahawks’ biggest fan. His gentle nature, expertise behind the wheel and camera lens, and the unending love for the students he served will be greatly missed.
Thank you to all for the outpouring of love and support for Todd while he fought for his life. Please turn that love and support to each other while we grieve his passing.
News Release
Board of Education approves bringing more students back to onsite learning in high COVID-19 Risk
Soldotna, December 9, 2020—The option to attend school onsite, at-school during high COVID-19 risk levels for students in Pre-K through 6th grade, and middle and high school ages is expanding in 2021, after the Board of Education approved the SmartStart Plan updates at their December school board meeting. The 100% Remote Learning option will continue to be available.
These changes begin no later than Tuesday, January 19, 2021 (Monday is a school holiday).
Estimates indicate the peak of COVID-19 transmission in the KPB is expected to happen in early to mid-January. Based on this information and the timeline needed to retrofit school HVAC systems*, the January 19 date was selected.
12-9-20 important clarification: Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Special Education Intensive Needs students currently attend school onsite during High Risk, and will continue to do so up until winter break starts, and when school resumes January 4, 2021. The change is for Grades 1-12 in January.
Change is coming by January 19, 2021
Attending school onsite-at-school during High COVID-19 Risk levels (Red):
Pre-K through Grade 6: every day, Monday through Friday *this includes 6th grade at all KPBSD schools
Grades 7-12: attend two times a week onsite, with a split schedule
- School teams may identify additional at-risk or vulnerable students throughout the semester to attend additional time onsite
- Schools will communicate their plans with students and families. Your patience is appreciated as these schedules are created and shared
Previously identified vulnerable students may continue to attend five days a week
Enhanced Safety Plans
To keep schools safe and the COVID-19 transmission level low in school, these actions must be followed with fidelity at all times:
- Staff and all ages of students wear a mask at all times
- Mitigation plans at school sites must be faithfully and fully implemented
- Pods or cohorts will be in consistent groups
- 6’ physical distancing needs to occur whenever possible. Physical distance will keep staff and students healthy in school, minimize in-school exposure or transmission, and reduce the number of people who need to quarantine when a positive COVID-19 case occurs
- *Most school facilities are receiving upgrades to their HVAC air handling systems. KPBSD is currently installing O2 Prime in schools that have large central air handling units (that share air with other rooms in the building). Some areas and older schools do not have central air handling units supplying air to different rooms, and these facilities are being addressed differently as KPBSD continues to implement options for O2 Prime in unit ventilators and small furnaces
- Enhanced sanitation with electrostatic sanitizer: spraying Electrolytically Generated Hypochlorous Acid (HOCL) is currently occurring at all schools. Custodians can sanitize a classroom in about three minutes and complete approximately three classrooms per tank of HOCL. KPBSD is producing its own HOCL at the district warehouse
Winter break for most KPBSD schools is December 21, 2020 – January 1, 2021, with school starting again January 4, 2021. The updates to operations in High COVID-19 risk will not likely begin until Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
“This is a big step in the right direction with continuing movement towards the goal of getting all kids back at school onsite, full-time. These are trying and uncertain times but together we will get through this pandemic. I am hopeful that with a vaccination on the way, continued adherence to our mitigation plans, and a conscious effort on the part of our community to practice safe pandemic behaviors, we will get this virus under control. I appreciate our Board of Education, district leadership, and the KPBSD staff for their commitment to educate our children while at the same time navigating their own personal response to the pandemic.”
–Superintendent John O’Brien
Links
- December 7, 2020 Board of Education SmartStart Plan documents, survey results, etc
- KPBSD 21 Day Thankful Invite with free Sources of Strength Thankfulness journal download
- DHSS COVID-19 resources
- KPBSD COVID-19 risk level dashboard
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub or covid19.kpbsd.org
- Helpful new flyer: What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19: put your quarantine plan into action
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Posted in News Release by .
Nov 20
24
High COVID-19 cases cause 34 KPBSD schools to continue 100% remote learning for most students
News Release, Soldotna, November 24, 2020
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District COVID-19 update due to continued COVID-19 community contagion throughout the Kenai Peninsula:
A SmartStart plan update so more students could attend school onsite during High Risk operations will be presented to the KPBSD Board of Education on December 7, 2020
KPBSD Grades 1-12: 100% Remote Learning from home will continue through Friday, December 18, 2020
KPBSD Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Special Education Intensive Needs learners may again return to onsite learning at school beginning Wednesday, December 2, 2020, with greater safety plans in place*
The 100% Remote Learning continues for these groups, through December 1, 2020
Title-I Pre-K will only be offered onsite at school beginning December 2, 2020
Six small schools continue to be open to onsite at school learning in low-risk operations, but could shift to 100% Remote Learning at any time based on COVID-19 risk in the community
Ongoing emphasis: keep staff healthy and out of 14-Day Quarantine, so school instruction and operations can continue uninterrupted
What you can do
Help bring children back to school and resume sports
Leading into the Thanksgiving holiday, High COVID-19 Risk continues in most Kenai Peninsula communities, with an acceleration of people becoming ill occurring. Exposure and transmission is happening in family and friend groups, workplace break rooms, and everyday interactions. Local health care capacity and operations of essential services are closely monitored. Everyone knows the tools to prevent COVID-19 spread, so now is the time to use the tools—especially to wear a mask, physically distance, keep your bubble very small. Limit your actions to plank the curve and shift the trend downwards, so schools can reopen to the onsite at-school learning option for all grades.
Everyone knows the tools to prevent COVID-19 spread, so now is the time to use the tools—especially to wear a mask, physically distance, and keep your bubble very small.
November Timeline Review
- KPBSD shifted to 100% Remote Learning for all students following Governor Dunleavy’s November 12, 2020, plea to hunker down through November and bend the rise of positive COVID-19 back down in Alaska
- On November 24, 2020, after assessment of positive cases, health care capacity, and input from the KPBSD medical advisory board, Remote Learning from home is extended for KPBSD 1-12 Grades, through December 18, 2020
- Winter break for most KPBSD schools is December 18-January 4, 2021 (school calendars)
- Data demonstrates that schools can be safe when mitigation plans are always followed, and class sizes are small. Plans continue to bring more students back to school during High Risk operations
Links
- KPBSD 21 Day Thankful Invite with free Sources of Strength Thankfulness journal download
- KPBSD COVID-19 risk level dashboard
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub or covid19.kpbsd.org
- Helpful new flyer: What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19: put your quarantine plan into action
*Specific information for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Special Education Intensive Needs learners
To keep schools safe and the COVID-19 transmission level low in school, these actions must be followed with fidelity at all times:
- NEW: Staff and all students (PreK and older) must wear a mask at all times
- Mitigation plans at school sites need to be implemented with fidelity
- Cohorts need to be fixed groups, and maintained at all times
- 6’ physical distancing with staff-to-staff needs to occur at all times, especially in break rooms and common areas. This is not time to relax this directive; physical distance will keep staff healthy in school, and minimize in-school exposure or transmission
School staff will contact Pre-K, K, and Intensive Needs families to talk about school resuming onsite again on December 2, 2020. The COVID-19 risk level remains very high with widespread community transmission, so individual family circumstances may require a family to choose to continue with 100% Remote Learning Note: an immediate shift to 100% Remote could occur at any time if a positive case, or transmission at school occurs, and requires 14-Day Quarantine, staffing shortage, or school closure.
100% Remote Learning
Central Peninsula Schools Central Kenai
Peninsula includes Kasilof to Sterling, extending through Kenai, Nikiski,
Soldotna, and DHSS “other north” communities. Cooper Landing is not included in
the 17 Central Peninsula schools:
- Aurora Borealis Charter School
- Kaleidoscope Charter School
- K-Beach Elementary School
- Kenai Alternative School
- Kenai Central High School
- Kenai Middle School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- Nikiski Middle-High School
- Nikiski North Star Elementary School
- Redoubt Elementary School
- River City Academy
- Skyview Middle School
- Soldotna Elementary School
- Soldotna High School
- Soldotna Montessori Charter School
- Sterling Elementary School
- Other North: Tustumena Elementary School
Eastern Kenai Peninsula Schools
- Moose Pass School
- Seward High School
- Seward Middle School
- William H. Seward Elementary
Southern Kenai Peninsula Schools
- Chapman School
- Fireweed Academy
- Homer Flex School
- Homer High School
- Homer Middle School
- Kachemak Selo School
- McNeil Canyon Elementary School
- Nikolaevsk School
- Ninilchik School
- Paul Banks Elementary School
- Razdolna School
- Voznesenka School
- West Homer Elementary School
Small schools are open to onsite learning in low
risk
Six small KPBSD schools in Cooper Landing, Hope, Nanwalek, Port Graham,
Seldovia, and Tebughna will also continue to operate in low COVID-19 risk, and
offer both 100% Remote and onsite-at-school learning options. A shift to 100%
Remote Learning could happen at any time if there is positive COVID-19 in these
communities.
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Posted in News Release by .
Nov 20
20
21 Day Thankful Invite
21 Day Thankful Invite 2020
Kenai Peninsula, Alaska schools & communities
Do you know that if every day, for 21 days, you briefly pause three times to identify someone or something that you are grateful or thankful for, you can rewire your brain for happiness and resiliency?
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District invites students of all ages, families, staff, and the community, to participate in a Districtwide 21 Day Thankful Invite during November and December 2020.
Download your free Thankfulness journal, or pick up your free printed Sources of Strength Thankfulness Journal arriving to a location around the Kenai Peninsula during Thanksgiving week, or when picking up “Get-It-And-Go” meals at schools.
Pegge Erkeneff, KPBSD Director of Communications, Community, and Government Relations offers a brief invitation to you in this video. Practicing gratitude helps us to be more positive, joyful, kind, and resilient. Plus, especially in a pandemic, it can have a significant positive impact on our mood in daily life. Times are challenging right now for many of us, and every positive act can help us navigate easier.
What are you thankful for today? Maybe it is someone, or something. Think about it … what moves your heart, catches your attention?
It can be really simple!
Keep your thought close to your heart, talk with your child, partner, or friend, or text a friend, write it in your thankfulness journal, or on a slip of paper and tuck it in your purse or pocket.
Visit KPBSD.org or @Kenai Peninsula Schools on Instagram to learn what others are thankful for. Help us share gratitude and build resiliency in our communities. We all need it. Together we can be #KPBSDstrong and #KPBSDthankful #Thankful2020 #KPBgrateful
Post what you are thankful or grateful about and add one of these tags, or #ThankfulInvite
Start your 21 days any day—and maybe today is the best day to begin, or start again!
Ideas:
- Share a round robin during a meal with each person telling one thing they are grateful for that day – and everyone listen carefully to what matters to someone else
- Choose a friend or partner, and text your word or a sentence about what you are thankful for, every day during the next 21 days
- Before you go to sleep, let your day pass through your memory, and choose one or more people or things you noticed that evoked gratitude or calm in you
- Say thank you to someone when you notice their act of kindness or service
Practice pausing for 30-60 seconds in the morning, midday, and evening to take a deep breath, shake like a dog or stomp your feet a bit, then think of something that makes you happy, and brings you strength and a sense of belonging and gratitude.
There is no right or wrong way to do this. Simply orientate yourself to appreciation and be willing to be surprised what you discover!
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
News Release
Community Survey: Be involved in the KPBSD Superintendent of Schools Search
The KPBSD Board of Education seeks public input into its process to select the next superintendent of schools. The school board has sole responsibility for the selection of candidates, final interviews, and selection of the superintendent, and McPherson & Jacobson LLC search firm is conducting a stakeholder survey. Results will be shared with the Board of Education so they can consider the views and interests of the public to help guide their decisions.
A Community Input Survey is open through 11:59 PM on December 7, 2020
The brief survey invites public comments through four primary questions. The school board requests everyone who cares about schools, including parents, students, KPBSD staff, site councils, PTAs, volunteers, business and community organizations that partner with schools, community groups, elected officials, and the public to participate.
Online survey – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KenaiPeninsulaAK
A link to the community survey and important dates is also located on the www.KPBSD.org home page in the “Community Interest” section.
Superintendent of Schools Search
McPherson &
Jacobson LLC is facilitating the search, and working with the KPBSD Board of
Education
The
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education seeks a successful
candidate who must have the background, skills, and abilities essential for
excellence in educational leadership. The position begins July 1, 2021. The
online application period is open until December 30, 2020 (11:30 PM, CST).
Selection of finalists is the week of January 18, 2020, and candidate
interviews will be the week of January 25, 2020.
Application Link: macnjake.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx
Announcement of Vacancy: Download the Superintendent Search brochure
McPherson & Jacobson LLC | Lead Consultant: Dr. Steven Lowder
Application Deadline: December 30, 2020 (11:30 PM CST)
Contact or visit McPherson & Jacobson LLC for detailed information about the superintendent search including the position description, qualities, and timeline
Amanda Adams of Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in Soldotna, Alaska, has been selected for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short Term (Fulbright DAST) Program to Uzbekistan, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Adams is one of 12 U.S. citizens who will travel to six countries around the world in 2021 on the Fulbright DAST Program.
“Our greatest challenge is ourselves,” says Amanda Adams, KPBSD Lead Innovation Designer. “We create boundaries and limits for ourselves continually and detrimentally. Much of my time is spent convincing people of what they are capable of. I do not see barriers where others see them, and my thinking is typically not limited to the options we have before us. As someone who ultimately sees herself as a servant, sharing my skills with others is a requirement. The opportunity to help teachers in Uzbekistan see possibilities and hone skills is something I can and should do. When reading the project description, I had all the pieces that could support this work. A Peace Corps volunteer at heart forever, I did not hesitate to take a risk to see if I could be competitive for the honor. If you do not take a risk, you will never know.
I continue to be passionate about the change that we are making: empowering learners must serve as the crux of our mission. What interests me the most at this current juncture is the empowering of educators to drive their own learning. And, that everyone in the organization from the superintendent to the learner is growing and deepening their work, with systemic support for learner-driven education.”
“This Fulbright fellowship is a well-deserved distinction for a truly inspiring instructional teacher leader. It is refreshing when the very best in a profession get the recognition that they deserve and can benefit others through an incredible experience such as this. Amanda Adams will share her talents and gifts with others through this fellowship and will continue to grow as a professional educator. We are so proud of Amanda and supportive of her continued professional growth.”
Superintendent John O’Brien
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as record of service and demonstrated leadership potential. Learn more about the Fulbright Program, a the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S government, and created to increase mutual understanding and build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Short-Term Program sends expert U.S. K–12 educators to participating countries to support projects in schools, teacher training colleges, government ministries, or educational nongovernmental organizations, as identified by U.S. Embassies and Fulbright Commissions.
Thoughts from Amanda Adams, KPBSD Lead Innovation Designer
Q:
Fulbrighters address critical global challenges; what is a global challenge
that you want to solve, or contribute to with solutions?
“Education for
the global citizen is a real challenge for educators. Across the globe,
ministries and departments of education are limited in their funding and their
resources so much so that the result is limited training for educators or
training for educators that is not keeping up with innovation in both
technology and globalization. By participating in the broader global
conversation about innovation in education and educating global citizens, I
have the opportunity to make a difference on a larger scale while offering all
that I gain in this realm back to my home school district. Our children do not
see the world as a place with a limited sphere of influence, it is one world
for them. I don’t believe that we should draw artificial boundaries for them.”
Q: With no limits, what professional learning experience would
you like to pursue?
“My dream
professional learning experience would be to build cohorts of teachers that are
driven by community and customize their training to empower them and cultivate
leadership skills! Helping them to build a sustainable, responsive and growing
practice with innovative designing of learning that break down geographic and
cultural barriers. Combine such a vision with my love of travel, culture, and
global perspective and that takes me to seeking opportunities like the
Fulbright DAST Project in Uzbekistan where I will adapt my vision to fit within
the professional culture and readiness for innovation. I will layer my design
of my six-week project in training teachers in Uzbekistan with prioritizing
what the outcomes are that they are trying to achieve. Ultimately, I am a
passionate servant.”
Q: How do you see education evolving, and what change or
awareness most interests you?
“Actually, we are
on the cusp of fundamental shifts as we speak. Not for reasons that we would
have chosen but nevertheless, education has leaped forward from the innovation
precipice that we have been teetering on for so very long. Many years ago, Superintendent
John O’Brien interviewed me at a districtwide inservice regarding my vision for
education. I believe what I said then has happened. We are creating
student-driven and personalized education with deep integration of technology
to enhance the opportunities and resources available for learning while
strengthening the foundation of our profession—relationships and people.
I predicted in that interview that we would offer combinations of online, blended, and face-to-face learning customized through student agency.
-Amanda adams
I continue to be passionate about the change that we are making: empowering learners must serve as the crux of our mission. What interests me the most at this current juncture is the empowering of educators to drive their own learning. In addition, that everyone in the organization from the superintendent to the learner is growing and deepening their work, through systemic support for learner-driven education.”
Q: Is there a specific someone or something that influenced
your career path?
“I have had
several wonderful mentors over the years, but continually supportive
administrators that allowed me to drive my own learning and growth have been a
large part. I would say that in the last seven or so years of my work, Kim
Leslie, has played a vital role. She is my professional comrade, and I give her
credit for being the sounding board and partner in this most crucial part of my
career. I am intrinsically motivated and ambitious, but she continually
provides honest, creative, and solution-oriented perspective. I am greatly
inspired by leaders in our profession that share their work continually through
blogs and twitter. I read a LOT and am constantly staying up on the latest
research and perspectives the thought leaders share.”
Q: What does receiving the Fulbright DAST Program Award
evoke in you?
“I am ecstatic
about a new and meaningful challenge. Receiving this award has many layers of
meaning to me! I am constantly pushing myself to grow and challenge my
abilities. This is incredibly important to me as it takes the skills I have
been honing in andragogy and innovative professional development and crosses it
with my Russian language abilities, culture layers of education systems in
other places, adaptations to design for cultural awareness. I served in the
Peace Corps in Kazakhstan, a neighboring country of Uzbekistan. I am thrilled
to explore the differences in culture while reviving my understanding of former
soviet education systems analyzing them for where change and growth is
possible. Working with the Ministry of Education in Uzbekistan offers me the
opportunity to influence large scale change. And that is incredibly exciting!”
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
“My younger self
was passionate about her craft and the students I served, but I would tell a
younger me not to wait to get involved in larger scale change. I would tell her
to get out into the broader movement earlier. You can serve 150 students in
your classes in a high school or you can serve 8,000 students at the district
level, but if you refuse to limit yourself and collaborate with teachers across
the globe, you contribute to the world. I would tell her that she can learn
from so very many people and they want to learn from her too. We are not
limited to the educators who are next to us in the hallway. Our foundational
relationships lie with them, but expanding to include the wider cause
monumentally expands our growth. Do not settle. Ever.”
Q: Do you have a favorite aspect to your work each day?
“The very best
part of my work and the part that I truly thrive on is collaboration toward
solving problems of practice.
There is tremendous creativity and design that we are capable of when all parties focus on growth.
-Amanda adams
Every day I work with teachers and my district level partners to make learning better for kids. I love building relationships founded on professional trust and offering the very best part of ourselves to each other and our students.”
Q: Is there a challenge or inspirational part of your work
combined with this opportunity that deeply matters to you?
“Our greatest
challenge is ourselves. We create boundaries and limits for ourselves
continually and detrimentally. Much of my time is spent convincing people of
what they are capable of.
I do not see barriers where others see them, and my thinking is typically not limited to the options we have before us.
As someone who ultimately sees herself as a servant, sharing my skills with others is a requirement. The opportunity to help teachers in Uzbekistan see possibilities and hone skills is something I can and should do. When reading the project description, I had all the pieces that could support this work. A Peace Corps volunteer at heart forever, I suppose, I did not hesitate to take a risk to see if I could be competitive for the honor. If you do not take a risk, you will never know.”
Q: Do you have a favorite motivating phrase or movie?
“No more silo.
Educators that I have worked with on many, many projects know this phrase from
me. Historically as a profession, we tend to be very lonely and working
independently in our silos. We may not even see other teachers in the building
for weeks. We used to go into our rooms and close the doors and do what we do.
It was lonely and extremely exhaustive contributing to things like poor
retention, stagnant practice, and diminished results. For years, I have been
using the phrase #nomoresilo emphasizing that it doesn’t have to be that way.
We do not have to do it all ourselves, but rather that we are so very much
better together.”
#nomoresilo
-Amanda Adams
Q: Is there something you would you like people to know
about you or your work?
“I have been an
educator for over 20 years, and I am still learning. I am the culmination of
all my experiences to this point. Village teaching, ELL, Peace Corps, At-Risk
Kids, Instructional and Technology Coaching, Personalized Learning, online
teaching, leading cohorts of teachers, leadership roles in the state, state
boards, ECET2, all of it. All of it contributes to the educator that I am now,
and I am not done.”
Connect with Amanda Adams on Twitter @amsuad or at her professional teaching website: www.teachingjedi.com
Posted in Awards by .
News Release
Soldotna, November 16, 2020—The Board of Education of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD) seeks an excellent educational leader to become the next Superintendent of Schools. Applications will be accepted through December 30, 2020. The Board of Education accepted Superintendent John O’Brien’s retirement in July, and approved their Superintendent Search Oversight Committeeat the May 6, 2020, board meeting. The detailed position description, brochure, and application details are online at https://bit.ly/2IHuW8e, and the position will begin July 1, 2021.
Application and Timetable
McPherson & Jacobson LLC is facilitating the search. The KPBSD Board of Education established a timetable for the superintendent search:
Application closing date: December 30, 2020
Selection of Finalists: Week of January 18, 2021
Onsite Finalist Interviews with Board: Week of January 25, 2021
Selection of new Superintendent: February 1, 2021
Start date: July 1, 2021
A survey requesting community, staff, student, and family input will open in mid-November.
Qualifications
The successful candidate must have the background, skills, and abilities essential for excellence in educational leadership. They will be:
- An experienced leader with a strong sense of compassion, open mindedness, and someone who embraces cultural diversity. They will maximize the skills and abilities of staff members, with outstanding soft skills to lead staff in continual improvement and meaningful change
- An individual who will work closely with the KPBSD Board of Education, and build trust relationships among and between staff and community, so the entire school district feels heard and included
- A fiscally sound instructional leader who has a strong background in curriculum and instruction, who understands personalized learning (PL), and is skilled in social emotional learning (SEL)
- An optimistic, inclusive, collaborative leader who is goal oriented and trusts staff to work together to accomplish the school district goals using different methodologies and pathways
- A spirited and adventurous individual who will enjoy and embrace the majestic beauty, cultural, and recreational opportunities which the Kenai Peninsula has to offer
- A leader with superior communication skills and who will be a positive vocal advocate for the KPBSD, students and staff, on local, state, and national levels
To apply
Application Link: macnjake.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx
Announcement of Vacancy: Download the Superintendent Search brochure
McPherson & Jacobson LLC | Lead Consultant: Dr. Steven Lowder
Application Deadline: December 30, 2020 (11:30 PM CST)
Contact or visit McPherson & Jacobson LLC for detailed information about the superintendent search including the position description, qualities, and time line
www.KPBSD.org offers additional information about the district, schools, and communities
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is one of the top performing K-12 school districts in the State of Alaska, and encompasses 37 communities within 25,600 square miles, educating nearly 8,500 students. Four of the district’s schools are accessible only by water or air, and the 42 diverse schools include neighborhood schools, K-12 schools, alternative schools, charter schools, a performance-based school, and Connections Homeschool.
News Release
Friday, November 13, 2020, marked another significant leap of positive COVID-19 cases on the Kenai Peninsula, so beginning Monday, November 16, 2020, learning at 34 of the 42 KPBSD schools will be 100% Remote for all students. This means that Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Intensive Needs students will not attend school onsite, and education delivery for students enrolled at schools operating in High COVID-19 Risk areas will be delivered remotely via digital platforms or with paper packets.
In an effort to do our part during this acceleration phase of COVID-19 on the Kenai Peninsula, KPBSD must act prudently and proactively. Governor Dunleavy made a plea to Alaskans on Thursday: “I’m going to ask Alaskans to sacrifice a little more by changing their daily routines. If you own a business that can operate remotely, send your employees home. I’m urging municipalities to take similar action and protect your workforce and communities.”
The KPBSD continues to build the plan to bring more students back onsite during high COVID-19 risk, and it is true that school buildings may be one of the safest places to be. However, the extreme phase of exponential spread that is happening now must first be slowed, and begin to trend down before onsite learning can resume. You can track the data yourself on the KPBSD COVID-19 data dashboard—today the state reported an all-time high of 90 positive cases on the Kenai Peninsula. Please do your part—we are all still learning new habits. You know how hard this is, and we are all concerned for everyone’s safety and well-being. It will take effort from each of us in our daily habits and choices to shift this dangerous trajectory.
However, the extreme phase of exponential spread that is happening now must first be slowed, and begin to trend down before onsite learning can resume.
What to know
- Schools will continue to be in contact with their families. If you or a friend are struggling or need assistance, do not wait. Call your school secretary, a teacher, the principal, school nurse, or counselor, if you have questions about materials, packets, mental well-being, or other questions
- Get-It and Go Meals are free for all students during 100% Remote Learning, and can be picked up daily at school between 12:00–1:00. Make sure to place your order by noon on Friday for the following week daily pickup: Signup online for FREE lunch and breakfast meals
- Need some supports for mental wellness? This is a recycle of a free resource for you: Sources of Strength Family Toolkit
Links
- New! Parent tips to talk to kids about COVID-19 alerts to their phones
- KPBSD COVID-19 risk level dashboard
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub or covid19.kpbsd.org
- Helpful new flyer: What to Do if You’ve Been Exposed to COVID-19: put your quarantine plan into action
- Governor Michael J. Dunleavy’s statewide message the morning of November 12, 2020.
Do you know? “Most Alaskans get COVID-19 from a friend, family member or coworker. Alaskans should avoid indoor gatherings with non-household members, avoid crowds, wear masks when around non-household members and stay six feet from anyone not in their household.” –DHSS, November 13, 2020
100%
Remote Learning through Thanksgiving break for all students
Central Peninsula Schools Central Kenai Peninsula includes Kasilof
to Sterling, extending through Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, and DHSS “other north”
communities. Cooper Landing is not included in the 17 Central Peninsula
schools:
- Aurora Borealis Charter School
- Kaleidoscope Charter School
- K-Beach Elementary School
- Kenai Alternative School
- Kenai Central High School
- Kenai Middle School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- Nikiski Middle-High School
- Nikiski North Star Elementary School
- Redoubt Elementary School
- River City Academy
- Skyview Middle School
- Soldotna Elementary School
- Soldotna High School
- Soldotna Montessori Charter School
- Sterling Elementary School
- Other North: Tustumena Elementary School
Eastern Kenai Peninsula Schools
- Moose Pass School
- Seward High School
- Seward Middle School
- William H. Seward Elementary
Southern
Kenai Peninsula Schools
- Chapman School
- Fireweed Academy
- Homer Flex School
- Homer High School
- Homer Middle School
- Kachemak Selo School
- McNeil Canyon Elementary School
- Nikolaevsk School
- Ninilchik School
- Paul Banks Elementary School
- Razdolna School
- Voznesenka School
- West Homer Elementary School
Small schools are open to onsite learning in low risk
Six small KPBSD schools in Cooper Landing, Hope, Nanwalek, Port Graham,
Seldovia, and Tebughna will also continue to operate in low COVID-19 risk, and
offer both 100% Remote and onsite-at-school learning options. A shift to 100%
Remote Learning could happen at any time if there is positive COVID-19 in these
communities.
Ideas to help our kids understand and cope with recent media messages
- Alaska Governor Michael J. Dunleavey sent out an Emergency Alert on November 12, 2020, that students may have received on their cell phones or that they heard other people receive
- In his YouTube Video, Governor Dunleavy asked Alaskans to change their behavior, and said, “The next three weeks are critical. … I’m speaking to you today, because Alaska is facing an escalating crisis that I need your help to solve. … Like the rest of the nation, Alaska’s COVID-19 status is now in the red.” (Source, Alaska.gov website)
Parent Talking Points:
Help kids identify their questions
- What is an emergency alert?
- We have a national Emergency Alert System that allows alerts to be sent through TV stations, radio and cell phones to alert the public of an emergency. We use them for many different reasons including weather advisories, Tsunami warnings, and missing people are among them (Source)
- Our Governor used this system this week to let the Alaskan people know that the rate of the spread of COVID is rapidly increasing and give instructions on how we can help slow the spread
- Why is the virus spreading so fast?
- It is a very, very contagious disease.
- People are still building the habits of mask wearing and limiting their activities and contacts.
Help kids identify what they know
- They have their family to watch out for them
- School will continue even if remote
- School Staff care about them and want to connect with them
- Scientists are continuing to research the disease and are working on a vaccine (or medicine) to protect us
- They have control over their behavior
- They can connect using phones and technology with their friends
Help kids connect with what they are in control of
- Washing their hands
- Wearing a mask
- Keeping 6 feet away from others
- Limiting the number of people they come in contact with
Help kids recognize the supports they have
- Family and friends
- Teachers and school staff
- Their knowledge of how to help protect themselves
Helpful Links
- Sources of Strength family toolkit
- Kenai Peninsula COVID-19 Risk dashboard: https://covid19.kpbsd.org/dashboard
- KPBSD COVID-19 Hub