The RAPIDS Report
News from Anchorage STrEaM Academy
October 12th, 2017
Dear STrEaM friends and families,
There is just one week left in the first quarter, and parent/teacher conferences are less than two weeks away. Friday we are on our second school-wide TREK, to Eklutna Lake for the day. We won’t have a regular school day on a Friday again until November 3rd! Once again, the month of October seems to fly the fastest of all months in the school year.
School Culture: October is National Bullying Prevention Month. An article from the American Psychological Association states, “Studies based on playground observations found that in 75 percent of bullying incidents, at least four other peers were present as witnesses, bystanders, assistants to bullies, reinforcers, or defenders of victims (O'Connel, Pepler, & Craig, 1999). Assistants to bullies take part in ridiculing or intimidating a schoolmate. Reinforcers, in turn, encourage the bully by showing signs of approval (e.g., smiling when someone is bullied). In contrast to the pro-bully participants, those who defend victims are rare.”
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/bullying.aspx?item=4 At STrEaM we empower students to say “we don’t do that here” when they witness bullying. Let’s make it the norm, not the rarity, to positively and appropriately stand up to bullying.
Communication: One great tool for communication is to “go to the source.” Often when we have an issue, instead of speaking to the person we talk to others, avoid them or go around them. As a principal, when parents or students come with a concern, the first question I ask is “have you talked to the teacher?” I am always happy to facilitate or mediate. However, the most effective way to communicate is to first “go to the source” with patience, respect and empathy, and seek a resolution.
Safety: By now you’ve heard of the ALICE protocol for school safety. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. ALICE protocols provide options and responses in the event of a violent or dangerous intruder. Remember that the “Counter” part of ALICE is a last resort: if students are unable to evacuate or successfully barricade a door, and a violent intruder is seeking to do harm, they are empowered to take action. If you ever have any questions please call or stop by and see me. Nothing is more important than the safety of our students.
Finally, thank you so much to the volunteers, parents, community members and students who participated in our first “Women in STEM” event! We had approximately 50 students engage, learn about STEM careers, participate in an engineering challenge, and enter to win awesome door prizes. This was positive and successful, and we look forward to doing this annually.
~Mr. Mokelke
INFORMATION/DATES/REMINDERS:
- 10/13 Friday: ALL DAY TREK-Eklutna (8:30-3:00). Pickup at Totem Theatre after school.
- 10/20 Friday: No School, end of the First Quarter
- 10/25-26 Early release days for Parent/Teacher Conferences (full schedule attached)
- 10/27 Friday: No School
BLOCK SCHEDULE
MONDAY 10/16 “B” DAY: Periods 5-8
TUESDAY 10/17 “A” DAY: Periods 1-4
WEDNESDAY 10/18 EARLY RELEASE
THURSDAY 10/19 “B” DAY: Periods 5-8
FRIDAY 10/20 NO SCHOOL
Academic Policy Committee (APC)
The APC (STrEaM’s board) meets the second Monday of each month. The next meeting is November 13th, at 6:15 PM in room 205 at Wayland Baptist. Parents and community are always welcome!
Our Chair Whitney D’Atri can be reached via email at datri_whitney@asdk12.org
Caroline Storm is a parent and APC member who coordinates volunteers and transportation including carpooling. You can contact Caroline at caroline.f.storm@gmail.com
COMMUNICATION:
Watch for the Rapids Report on Friday 2 times per month
Sign up for text updates through remind.com https://www.remind.com/join/streamac or text @streamac to the number 81010
Twitter @AKSTrEaMAcademy
Instagram @Anchorage_Stream_Academy
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
10/25 Wednesday Early Release
Lunch at 11:30, students released at 12:00
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES 12:30 PM to 6:00 PM
- Conferences in the auditorium
- Teacher break 2:30 to 3:00 PM
- Conferences not scheduled- open format
- Students encouraged to attend and participate!
- NO AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS TODAY!
10/26 Thursday Early Release
Lunch at 11:30, students released at 12:00
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES 12:30 to 3:00 PM
- In classrooms- open format
- Students encouraged to attend and participate!
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