The Rapids Report
May 6th, 2024
Dear STrEaM Families,
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Join us in celebrating our amazing teachers throughout the week. STrEaM has amazing educators and we are thankful for them!
There are just two full weeks of school left! This is a good time to ask your student to log onto Q/Student Connect and talk with you about their learning, current grades, and any missing assignments. Help your student create a plan for success during the next two weeks to complete PAs (practice assignments) by Friday, May 17 and to redo MAs (mastery assignments) by Monday, May 20.
We are gearing up for our Student Showcase Week and end of year activities, May 15th through 22nd. Showcase Week Flier: Student Showcase_FINAL3.pdf
Our amazing secretary Mrs. Jessi will be the new Administrative Assistant at Highland Academy! We will miss her, but we’re excited for her and wish her the best. Interested in joining a great team and working at your child’s school? We are seeking a part-time secretary (hours/schedule flexible). Contact Mr. Mokelke if interested!
This Week at STrEaM:
Our Spring Auction is Open: Spring Auction 2024 link
Monday 5/6: Full Day P. 1-7
Tuesday 5/7: Block Day A Advisory & P. 1-4
Wednesday 5/8: Early Release 12:00
Girl Scout Troop 540 will be in the lobby selling cookies! $6/box
APC Meeting 5:30 PM
Thursday 5/9: Block Day B Advisory & P. 5-8
Friday 5/10: Full Day P. 1-7
Showcase Week!
Wednesday 5/15:
9:40-11:30, 6th and 7th grade Showcase: In the auditorium, students will show off projects from all classes and grade-level teams. It will include a few whole-room presentations as well as individual presentations with rotating presenters and audience members. At 11:30-11:55, we will have a potluck-style celebration (so bring a dish to share!) during which students and guests may celebrate and freely mingle.
Thursday 5/16:
9:10-1:15, 6th Grade TREK: Students will travel by bus to downtown Anchorage to analyze memorials, monuments, and art as part of our grade-level project. The 6th grade teachers will email you directly about completing a permission form if they have not heard from you yet. We want everyone to come with us! :) Students who do not have a completed permission form will be asked to stay home that day.
7th grade Rocket Launch! 8:30 to 1:00 PM Chugach Foothills Park
Monday 5/20:
8th Grade Plant Sale and Showcase! 1:45-2:45 PM
Tuesday 5/21: FIELD DAY AT STREAM- ALL GRADES
Wednesday 5/22: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
Smartphones, Social Media and Mental Health
A message from Principal Mokelke
Feeling pressure to get your child a smartphone? 40% of students attending STrEaM next year do not have a smartphone. It is ok to wait until high school!
Parents of students with smartphones, be assured that they will still have access before and after school, and you can still contact your child or get them a message any time, as outlined in this parent letter (link). Our APC will vote on the proposed policy at our meeting Wednesday this week. Contact us if you would like to submit testimony, in writing or in person.
Here is a great article from the Washington Post on the success of a middle school that went phone free. How a Connecticut middle school won the battle against cellphones
Visit our Phone-Free FAQ and resources page for more: Phone Free FAQ.pdf
School Governance
APC (Academic Policy Committee)
The Academic Policy Committee (APC) meets Wednesday May 8th at 5:30 PM. Community and parents are always welcome to attend. Please notify us prior to the meeting if you wish to provide public comment.
Friends of STrEaM
Friends of Stream
We have 10 lunch days left this year which translates to about 200 lunches. THANK YOU to every family and the Clarion Suites Downtown for helping us feed hungry students this year.
The School Lunch Program: Donations of shelf stable fruit are needed. We are thankful for the amazing support of our school community and our FY24 business partner, Clarion Suites Anchorage Downtown.
(LINK) Spring Auction 2024 ! Advisory classes will be competing to see which basket gets the most bids. The grade with the most bids wins a pizza party!
Health Updates:
Free bicycle helmets for children and teenagers are now available at Anchorage Fire Department (AFD) stations.
This safety program is a collaboration between Safe Kids Alaska, AFD, and International Association of Firefighters Local 1264, with generous funding provided by the Children's Miracle Network.
To receive a helmet:
Kids/teens must be present so the helmet can be fitted and adjusted; and
Supplies are limited to stock on hand.
Although any child can receive a free helmet, this program is intended for those who might not otherwise be able to obtain a bike helmet.
For more information, please contact Safe Kids Alaska at (907) 212-3194 or safekidsak@providence.org.
Please feel free to email or call me with any questions. zimpelman_bethany@asdk12.org
Wishing you well
~Nurse Bethany
From the desk of Ms. Hayden
Hello, all! It is finally feeling like Spring! The end of the school year is full of planning, deadlines, lack of motivation, and anxious excitement. In the middle of all of that, all of us - kids too - grapple with the various ways we are showing up in the world. It is not always perfect, for sure :) I wanted to share a TEDtalk I watched recently about embracing all the conflicting parts of ourselves, especially the parts we struggle with. I hope you all have a wonderful week.
After School Activities
Summer Art Camp
Join new STrEaM teacher Michael Dickerson for art camp this summer!
Does your kid love to draw? Paint? Make music? Create graphic novels? Place.ment youth art camp is a summer program open to middle school artists of any medium or discipline. From June 17-28, our teaching artists will give workshops and lead creative sessions that weave together all our campers‘ interests into a final project to share with friends, family, and our community. Together will explore a single important theme: people’s relationship with place. Sign up at https://www.placementcreative.com/ to reserve your spot!
Wednesday MATH CLUB
It is time to sign up for Wednesday’s Math Club for quarter 1 of the ‘24-’25 school year!
Math Club is hosted by math teacher Stephanie Olendorff. Math Club is open to any STrEaM student who has a permission form submitted. However, there is cap of 20 seats available and academic need will be considered when accepting students. It will take place on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. Students must be picked up or have permission to walk off campus by 1:30 pm. Please complete the permission slip in the following link: https://forms.gle/4TAHChYhGtzUY5rU9
For more information reach out to Mrs. Olendorff at olendorff_stephanie@asdk12.org
Advisory & Lunch MATH CLUB
Students have the option to spend Tuesday and Thursday advisory period in Mrs. Olendorff’s room for math support. Students are to check in with their advisory teacher for attendance, then go to room 4. Students can also spend lunch in Mrs. Olendorff’s room Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and/or Friday for math support. The expectation is that students are silently working on any PA’s and MA’s while Mrs. Olendorff is there to offer support and instruction. This is a great opportunity to incorporate more math into the students’ schedules. Please reach out to Mrs. Olendorff at olendorff_stephanie@asdk12.org with any questions.
24-25 School Year
START TIME CHANGES
For the 24-25 school year, we will be moving our start and end time up 30 minutes so that we do not start at the same time as elementary. This would be an undue hardship on our families with elementary students.
24-25 START/END TIMES:
M/T/TH/F: 8:30 AM TO 3:30 PM
WEDNESDAY: 8:30 AM TO 12:30 PM
RETURNING STUDENTS
If your 6th or 7th grader will not be returning to STrEaM for the 24-25 school year, PLEASE let us know. We track this closely for enrollment, seats, gender balance, scheduling, staffing, the lottery and waitlist.
To make it easy for you, you may also complete this short survey: https://forms.gle/zmrTUSawRZaVAhiQ9
We invite you to SAVE THE DATE to attend OPEN HOUSE the afternoon of Friday, August 9! We will orient new and returning students/families to grading practices, Q and Canvas, and strategies for success to prepare for the new school year a week before it officially begins! Students and families will also have the opportunity to meet teachers and walk through classrooms.
Online Registration Opens 4/25/24
Registration for next school year opens on April 25th! ASD requires all returning students (from any ASD school) to complete online registration every year. On April 25th log into ParentConnection and follow the link on the top left corner.
Anchorage STrEaM Academy requires four school-specific permission forms to be completed annually: FY25 Walking Permission, FY25 Personal Device, FY25 Science Lab Safety, for 7th & 8th only- FY25 FABLAB Safety and the Optional Carpool Connection Sign-up
Quyana!
Thank you for your continued support.
Call, email or stop by if you have any questions or needs!
Adam Mokelke, Principal mokelke_adam@asdk12.org
Rebekah Hayden, Assistant Principal hayden_rebekah@asdk12.org
Amy Bonertz, Counselor bonertz_amy@asdk12.org
Sylvia Biondich, Administrative Asst. biondich_sylvia@asdk12.org
Jessi Blackson, Secretary blackson_jessica@asdk12.org
Bethany Zimpelman, Itinerant Nurse zimpleman_bethany@asdk12.org
Chris Krejca, Special Education krejca_christine@asdk12.org
