Mar 22
10
March Board of Education Meeting
The following school board meetings and work sessions will be held in the
Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers at 144 Binkley Street, Soldotna AK unless otherwise noted.
PLEASE NOTE: The meetings are open to the public. The public is invited to attend in person and to listen and participate as noted below.
(877) 853-5257
Conference ID: 708 024 188
When prompted for an Attendee ID, press #.
Zoom ID: 708 024 188
Meeting Schedule
March 14, 2022
Betty J. Glick Assembly Chambers
10:30 a.m. Policy Review Committee Meeting (Public Listening)
11:00 p.m. Information Committee Meeting (Public Listening)
11:30 a.m. Finance Committee Meeting (Public Listening)
Work Sessions-(Public Listening)
1:00 p.m. Board Policy Review
1:15 p.m. K-5 Math Adoption
1:45 p.m. Legislative Bills
2:45 p.m. Finance Work Session
3:45 p.m. Student Council Resolutions
4:30 p.m. Board Discussion
6:00 p.m. Business Meeting: Public Listening and Participation will be as noted on the Agenda in BoardDocs
If you would like to pre-register to testify telephonically (optional) or if you have any technical difficulties or questions, contact Lisa Gabriel at lgabriel@kpbsd.k12.ak.us, 907-714-8836, Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To view the agenda and packet items, log on to: http://www.boarddocs.com/ak/kpbsd/Board.nsf/public. To view the live broadcast go to https://kpbsd.org or https://kpbsd.org/board/live-broadcast
Posted in Board of Education by .
Nikolaevsk School educator Billeen Carlson is the Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE) 2022 Teacher of the Year!
The 2022 ASTE Teacher of the Year journey began for Billeen Carlson in 2008 as a substitute teacher in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, then in 2017 after earning her Master of Arts in Teaching degree, she began teaching as a secondary (6-12 grade) generalist teacher at Nikolaevsk School. She is a Homer High School alumni [Class of 1994], and graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage.
ASTE President Bill Burr said, “We were honored to celebrate Billeen as the ASTE Teacher of the year. She is a true example of the power of teaching for her students. She is moving education forward by giving students choice and voice.”
“I am thrilled that Ms. Carlson was named the ASTE educator of the year,” said Superintendent Clayton Holland. “Ms. Carlson brings a high level of enthusiasm and a willingness to step in and help students and staff from across the district with remote instruction and the use of technology to maximize the effectiveness of instruction and learning. Congratulations to Billeen on this much deserved recognition!”
“I was surprised to receive this award,” said Billeen. “Our district is full of experienced, technologically savvy educators who put students first. Of the team who attended ASTE, most presented on tools and strategies to the statewide audience. As far as districts in the state, the Kenai was the most highly represented. As a district, we should be proud of our level of educational competency.
I would particularly like to thank my administrator, Mike Sellers, who has encouraged me to ‘fail forward’ at every step in my growth as an educator. I have felt empowered to learn and apply my learning to the benefit of my students. I would also like to thank Amanda Adams who lit a fire under me about collaborating with my colleagues and sharing my expertise. She made me feel like I had something to add to the bigger conversation and that I had better get off my tuckus and add it.”
Thoughts from the 2022 ASTE Teacher of the Year
With all of the chaos and hardships surrounding education in the last couple of years, I have been blessed with the right skills, the right mindset, and the right level of resiliency to rise above our challenges.
Billeen Carlson, 2022 ASTE Teacher of the Year
Career path influences
I was blessed by a series of deeply caring and inspirational teachers during my time as a student in the KPBSD. Jim Holcomb & Nina Faust were particularly supportive while I was in high school. They helped me believe in myself and encouraged me to develop my strengths rather than hammering on my deficits.
In the right place at the right time
I love the challenge of working with diverse groups of students in challenging environments. The pandemic shut down provided me the opportunity to leverage my technology skills to the benefit of my students and colleagues. I also enjoy working with students to personalize their learning experiences and to help them meet performance standards in non-traditional ways. With all of the chaos and hardships surrounding education in the last couple of years, I have been blessed with the right skills, the right mindset, and the right level of resiliency to rise above our challenges.
Challenges and solutions
I know firsthand that, in order to be a successful adult, people need to know how to advocate for themselves and how to manage their own learning; I have loved our school district’s push to provide these skills for our students. Our communities on the Kenai Peninsula are particularly hard hit by stressors and Adverse Childhood Experiences—it is important for our students to be deliberately taught resiliency skills and to learn how to learn and how to advocate for themselves as they move into adulthood.
Insight for K-12 students
Set goals, be an advocate for yourself and others, take ownership of your learning, and be confident that hard work will pay off. And know that the inverse is also true.
Billeen attended Chapman School (1990), Homer High School (Class of 1994), earned an Associate of Arts degree in English from Kenai Peninsula College (2004), a Bachelor of Arts in History (2010) and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) for Secondary Education with a social studies focus (2012) from the University of Alaska Anchorage UAA.
What is ASTE and why is it important for learning? An ASTE staff blog post explains, “Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away the landscape of education and learning was limited to the classroom that a student and teacher were sitting in. It depended on the books and tools at their disposal, and it depended on the capacity and endurance of the teachers and students to seek beyond what was in that room. There were borders, boundaries, and geographical distances isolating humans. Technology has continually diminished these barriers offering us a glimpse into the depths of what is possible. Expanding worldviews. Building relevance. Finding common ground to solve problems faced by not one person or culture, but by us all.”
Links
Posted in Awards by .
Mar 22
3
Wednesday Early Release Days
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is adding three Friday Early Release days to the 2021-2022 school calendar. The dates are March 18, 25, and April 1, 2022.
On Early Release for student days, school ends 90 minutes earlier than usual, and buses run 90 minutes earlier than normal. The previously scheduled Early Release days on Wednesday, March 16, and April 20, 2022, are cancelled.
“Thank you to all of our staff and families who provided input regarding early release days. From the more than 1,800 survey responses, it is clear that the early release days provided benefit to our students by allocating time for our staff to plan, review data, and collaborate. The extra time has been much needed this year with all the disruptions caused by COVID-19. We also heard how it has been a hardship on many working parents who struggled to make arrangements for their childcare when school ended 90 minutes earlier than normal, and acknowledge that difficulty.
Given all the input, and with the impact of COVID in schools waning, the KPBSD will add three additional Friday Early Release days on March 18, 25, and April 1, 2022. On these three days, school will end 90 minutes earlier than usual, and buses will also run 90 minutes earlier than normal. Then for the rest of this school year, we will return to the regular weekly school schedule. Thank you for everything you do to support student learning.”
Superintendent Clayton Holland
Links
Mar 22
2
Spring Break in the KPBSD
Spring Break is March 7-11, 2022*
*variance: Kachemak-Selo, Nanwalek, Nikolaevsk, Razdolna, and Voznesenka schools are in session and have a different spring break
“March is a time of hope and optimism on the Kenai with increasing daylight and warming weather. I wish all of our staff, students, and families a wonderful Spring Break and hope you make the time to get outside and do those things that make living here great. I look forward to seeing you all again when the last quarter of school begins on March 14th.”
Superintendent Clayton Holland
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
K-Beach Elementary teacher Jason Daniels receives national recognition
A Kenai Central High School graduate [Class of 1990] and a teacher at K-Beach Elementary for 24 years, Jason Daniels received national recognition as the Science Awardee for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). His Mom and Dad were educators in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, and inspirations for his career.
“The Presidential Award is a symbol of teaching excellence,” said Mr. Daniels. “I work with many excellent teachers who are deserving of recognition and I am humbled to receive this honor. The award process is a reflective journey of professional development and I am a better teacher as a result. It honors my students and families, colleagues, and administrators that believed in me and I am thankful for their support. The greatest reward in my teaching is to see my students succeed in their learning.”
“Mr. Daniels is an outstanding longtime educator with the KPBSD and I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition,” said Superintendent Clayton Holland. “He is not only an exceptional educator who makes learning real and relevant to his students, he is an even better person who develops positive and trusting relationships with his students, their parents, and his colleagues. Please join me to celebrate Mr. Daniels.”
K-Beach Elementary Principal Janae Van Slyke said, “Mr. Daniels is an outstanding educator who personalizes his instruction to meet the needs and interests of individual students. Mr. Daniels creates an immersive classroom experience focused on mathematics and science inquiry. His students are engrossed in science and learning how it impacts their daily lives. This honor is well deserved!”
In his words…
Early life inspirations
My parents inspired my career path. They were both teachers. They came to Alaska in 1969 from Oregon and settled in Seldovia. I was born there—actually in Homer because there was no hospital in Seldovia. My Mom’s teaching superpower was her love for her students. She earned a reputation by her colleagues for her nurturing caring teaching style. I joked that she treated her students better than she treated me! All kidding aside, she was a great role model for putting kids first. My Dad went on to get his principal endorsement and was the first principal to open the doors at Redoubt Elementary. I learned a great deal from him as well. As a marine science teacher in Seldovia, he introduced me to science at an early age in the tide pools near Seldovia. I was hooked on science from then on. My Dad demonstrated the traits of a strong leader who was dedicated and who always strived to be the best educator he could be. To this day he gives me advice, whether requested or not, about how to handle challenges in teaching. I joke with him that he has never stopped teaching.
Advice to my younger self, or a current K-12 student
Stand on your own two feet. Do not worry what others are doing. Start now to decide what you want to do with your life. Start thinking of small things you can do now to get you to your goal. You are not too young to start pursuing your passions.
Favorite part of the school day
Certainly one of my students’ favorite parts of school and one of mine as well is the opportunities to experience STEM through hands on learning. English and Language Arts are an important part of science learning, and there is nothing more engaging, exciting, and sometimes surprising, in my experience, than getting your “hands dirty”. Whether it is taking apart an owl pellet, solving a real world-engineering problem, or walking to Slikok Creek to conduct water quality tests, experiential learning adds color to an otherwise pastel science learning canvas.
On teaching science
Teaching science can be scary and intimidating for some teachers. It is not a core subject, so not as much attention is spent in teaching it. I would like teachers who are nervous about jumping in and teaching STEM to know that it can start with one good lesson. One good lesson will turn into another … and another, until you look back and realize ‘I’ve got this, and the kids are getting something out of it, and I’m enjoying the engagement and deep thinking and learning that is happening here.’ Start with one good lesson.
Stand on your own two feet. Do not worry what others are doing. Start now to decide what you want to do with your life. Start thinking of small things you can do now to get you to your goal. You are not too young to start pursuing your passions.
–Jason Daniels
Fun and Play
My wife and I like to get together with friends and be social, we like to bike, kayak, camp, work around the house, grow veggies, and travel.
Thankful
I want to thank my colleague Suzanne Klaben, my principal Janae Van Slyke, my PAEMST and teaching mentor Diane McBee, and many other partners in teaching over the years who have supported me, encouraged me, and inspired me.
Mr. Daniels earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from UAA, and an MEd in educational technology from UAS. He is a National Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist, and holds a master teacher certificate with an endorsement in educational technology.
Link:
Posted in Awards by .
Feb 22
28
COVID-19 Mitigation Plan Updates
Updates to the KPBSD mitigation plan will be effective Friday, March 4, 2022
Contact Tracing
KPBSD will no longer do in-school contact tracing. Schools will support staff and students with testing options, and educational materials about what to do if someone becomes a close contact or tests positive for COVID-19.
Face coverings
Face coverings are highly recommended, but not required for students and staff while indoors at school in all COVID-19 risk level scenarios. School visitors and volunteers have a choice to mask or not mask. An exception is for people who recently test positive for COVID-19. Read COVID-19 Positive Monitor, Mask, and Return Protocol
Bus Transportation: wearing a mask is required for all school bus passengers travelling to and from school and for all co-curricular activities and field trips per the US DOT mandate for public transportation
KPBSD will continue to follow Village or Tribal COVID-19 mandates for school facility operations
Symptom Free Schools
The KPBSD Symptom Free Schools Protocol remains in place
Testing
In addition to school based testing, Glacier Family Medicine Clinic in Seward and Soldotna Professional Pharmacy continue to provide free COVID-19 testing for KPBSD staff and students.
On March 4, 2022, the KPBSD website will be updated to reflect the changes to the mitigation plan and protocols.
Feb 22
22
Two-Hour Delay Start
►ALERT: TWO-HOUR Delay Start
Nikiski Middle-High School, Nikiski Northstar Elementary, Moose Pass and Seward schools will open with a TWO-HOUR DELAY START* on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, in response to weather and road conditions.
If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure for any schools, that announcement will be made about 7:00 AM. If you don’t hear anything, the two-hour delay start remains in effect. All Pre-K sessions—both morning and afternoon—at these schools are cancelled during a two-hour delay start.
A two-hour delay means that morning buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, and Pre-K sessions are cancelled. The school day ends at the normal time.
All other KPBSD schools will open on a normal schedule.
*TWO-HOUR Delay Start for these KPBSD schools
- Moose Pass School
- Nikiski Middle-High School
- Nikiski North Star Elementary School
- Seward Elementary School
- Seward High School
- Seward Middle School
Be safe. Parents and guardians, if school is open and you decide to keep your child at home based on weather and road conditions near you, absences or late arrivals will be excused.
Feb 22
18
It’s happening! www…
The new KPBSD website will begin to permanently roll out Friday evening and continue throughout the weekend! If all goes as planned, the curtain will close on the current website that we’ve had for 12+ years, potentially by Monday morning before school begins.
Together let us celebrate the KPBSD Information Services Department team (many who are KPBSD graduates!) and our webmaster who designed the robust new website, with all the safeguards, firewalls, what had been tens of thousands of pages of content, and made it mobile friendly, accessible to individuals with disabilities, and with great UX—user experience design. Every day our small but mighty team quietly makes sure that everything tech in our school district runs smooth, 24/7.
And, we acknowledge there may be growing pains, and some pages you navigate to won’t be where they used to be—so, reach out with questions if you can’t find something.
Posted in KPBSD District Stories by .
Dear KPBSD Parents, Guardians, and Staff, What do you think?
Please complete this brief, online Early Release survey open through noon on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.
For nine years, we have designated six school days a year as a minimum day—with a 90-minute early release for students, while staff works a maximum day.
To address the learning gaps many students are experiencing since the pandemic began, there is value and additional time needed to plan, collaborate, review data, and design targeted instruction to meet the individual needs of our students. This is largely why we added three additional early release days prior to spring break, and moved them all to Friday.
The shortened school days affects families, so through this survey, families and guardians can offer feedback to help us improve. Our nearly 1,200 school staff will also take a survey, and share their perspective and thoughts. All of your responses will help guide future early release days. Thank you in advance for your time, and the many ways everyone has needed to be flexible these past few years. My team and I would appreciate your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Clayton Holland
Start survey.
Posted in KPBSD District Stories Survey by .
UPDATE 7:15 AM
►Update: SCHOOL CLOSURE ALERT*
It is a snow and ice day for KPBSD schools in the Central Peninsula and Homer area. These schools will be closed on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, in response to weather and road conditions.
►A TWO-HOUR Delay Start remains in effect for Cooper Landing and Hope schools
►Normal Schedule: Moose Pass, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seward area schools, Susan B. English and Tebughna schools will open on a normal schedule, and are not included in the two-hour delay start.
*SNOW DAY-NO SCHOOL for these KPBSD schools
- Aurora Borealis Charter School
- Chapman Elementary School
- Connections Homeschool Program
- Fireweed Academy
- Homer Flex School
- Homer High School
- Homer Middle School
- Kachemak Selo School
- Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
- Kenai Alternative School
- K-Beach Elementary School
- Kenai Central High School
- Kenai Middle School
- McNeil Canyon Elementary School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- Nikiski Middle-High School
- Nikiski North Star Elementary School
- Nikolaevsk School
- Ninilchik School
- Paul Banks Elementary School
- Razdolna School
- Redoubt Elementary School
- River City Academy
- Skyview Middle School
- Soldotna Elementary School
- Soldotna High School
- Soldotna Montessori Charter School
- Sterling Elementary School
- Tustumena Elementary School
- Voznesenka School
- West Homer Elementary School
Be safe. Parents and guardians, if school is open and you decide to keep your child at home based on weather and road conditions near you, absences or late arrivals will be excused.
5:15 AM ►TWO-HOUR Delay Start ALERT
KPBSD schools in the Central Peninsula, Cooper Landing, Homer area, and Hope will open with a TWO-HOUR DELAY START* on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, in response to weather and road conditions.
If weather and road conditions warrant a full closure for any schools, that announcement will be made about 7:00 AM. If you don’t hear anything, the two-hour delay start remains in effect. All Pre-K sessions—both morning and afternoon—at these schools are cancelled during a two-hour delay start.
A two-hour delay means that morning buses run two hours later than normal, school begins two hours later than normal, and Pre-K sessions are cancelled. The school day ends at the normal time.
Normal Schedule: Moose Pass, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seward area schools, Susan B. English and Tebughna schools will open on a normal schedule, and are not included in the two-hour delay start.
*TWO-HOUR Delay Start for these KPBSD schools
- Aurora Borealis Charter School
- Chapman Elementary School
- Connections Homeschool Program
- Cooper Landing School
- Fireweed Academy
- Homer Flex School
- Homer High School
- Homer Middle School
- Hope School
- Kachemak Selo School
- Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science
- Kenai Alternative School
- K-Beach Elementary School
- Kenai Central High School
- Kenai Middle School
- McNeil Canyon Elementary School
- Mountain View Elementary School
- Nikiski Middle-High School
- Nikiski North Star Elementary School
- Nikolaevsk School
- Ninilchik School
- Paul Banks Elementary School
- Razdolna School
- Redoubt Elementary School
- River City Academy
- Skyview Middle School
- Soldotna Elementary School
- Soldotna High School
- Soldotna Montessori Charter School
- Sterling Elementary School
- Tustumena Elementary School
- Voznesenka School
- West Homer Elementary School
Be safe. Parents and guardians, if school is open and you decide to keep your child at home based on weather and road conditions near you, absences or late arrivals will be excused.