Friday, January 24, 2020

Family school climate survey

Dear STrEaM Families,

Thursday our students will took the School Climate and Connectedness Survey in Advisory. This survey provides very useful data on how our students feel about school, peers, and staff. Each year we include this data in goal setting to improve our program. For example, our goals of enhancing our school culture and positive climate this year led to adding a counselor, more frequent assemblies, STAR badges, focus on Social-Emotional Learning and changes in Advisory structure.

This year we would love for FAMILIES to take the survey as well! Please give us your feedback on our program. Go to the following link, https://surveys.panoramaed.com/aasb/login, and use the code: streamfamily

Improvement cannot happen without feedback. At STrEaM we cultivate a culture of coaching, collaboration and feedback.  Please help us out by taking this survey. We appreciate your time and involvement!

Sincerely,

Adam Mokelke, Principal

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Staff Spotlight on Megan Gatlin

Megan Gatlin, Assistant Principal


Mrs. Gatlin is moving into an Assistant Principal role in 2022-23!

One of the original founding staff members at STrEaM Academy, Megan Gatlin has done much of the work “behind the scenes” to make our program special. Coordinating Project-Based Learning, outdoor and experiential education, community engagement, and professional development, Megan wears many hats and has a plethora of responsibilities, all tied to the mission and vision of STrEaM Academy.  

Working closely with and coaching our staff, Mrs. Gatlin facilitates professional development and supports Project-Based Learning, helping teachers to plan and implement projects and providing them with resources and collaborative learning. With her strong science background, she is excellent at organizing STEM events, challenges, guest speakers and presentations. These areas she supports constitute the three domains of the STrEaM mission: STEM, Project-Based Learning and Outdoor/experiential Education.

Megan added “coach” to her role at STrEaM after completing Cognitive Coaching training, and has worked to develop a "culture of coaching" at our school. She works closely with teachers to provide them feedback, support, coaching and mentorship. Working closely with STrEaM’s principal and leadership team, Megan helps to organize and provide professional development for staff aligned with the mission of the school.

Born and raised in Sitka, Alaska, Mrs. Gatlin graduated from Sitka High School before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Western Washington University. She went on to earn a Masters in teaching from the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2022 Mrs. Gatlin completed her Educational Leadership degree, continuing her growth as a school leader. 

Megan’s spouse Ben also teaches in the Anchorage School District. Their daughter Olive is a spunky fashionista who likes to ride her bike and catch bugs in cowboy boots. Megan, Ben and Olive love camping and exploring Alaska in their RV, being outdoors hiking and biking, gardening and spending time with their fuzzy black dog Louis.

Mrs. Gatin enjoys working at STrEaM because she loves getting students outside, spending time in wild places they haven’t been before, and exploring nature. She loves supporting the dedicated and passionate educators at ASA as they work to make learning fun and meaningful.

Among her many accomplishments, Mrs. Gatlin has been nominated for ASD’s prestigious Denali Award, completed Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools training, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. Megan also developed a school-wide recycling program at STrEaM. She has been vital to the development of STrEaM Academy since its inception, and is invaluable to staff and students. Mostly working quietly behind the scenes, she is the glue that holds our program together.

Contact Mrs. Gatlin at gatlin_megan@asdk12.org or (907) 742-9000
Visit us on the web at https://www.asdk12.org/stream



Sunday, January 12, 2020

School Climate Connectedness Survey

January 2020

Dear STrEaM families,

Anchorage STrEaM Academy is partnering with the Association of Alaska School
Boards to conduct the School Climate and Connectedness Survey ©, a statewide
survey for students, staff, and families. This survey measures their perceptions of each school’s climate including the engagement of students, staff, and families.

The Student Survey will be given to students in Advisory on Thursday, January 23rd.  Students will complete the survey online at school.

The student survey will ask questions such as how students feel about school rules, their perceptions of how students treat each other, their relationships with staff, social and emotional skills, and observed risk behaviors of other students at school and school events. There are different surveys for younger students (grades 3-5) and older students (grades 6-12).

Family Survey: We also value input from our families. You are an important partner as we work to continually improve each school’s environment. Each parent/guardian is asked to complete one survey. If you have more than one child attending this school, you only need to fill out one survey. This survey is open January 20th and will be available during conferences.

All of these surveys are voluntary, anonymous, confidential, and do not ask questions about students’ families. If you do not wish for your child to participate, please notify the school in writing by January 16th.

More information on this survey is available on the ASD website, other if you wish to review them. Results from this survey will be used to identify student, staff and family perceptions of school climate issues within our school. School staff use the results to inform their efforts to ensure schools are safe, supportive, and caring places for all students.

Thank you for your cooperation in this year’s survey! Please call or email with questions.

Adam Mokelke
Principal

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Welcome back, Semester 2 letter




Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back! Monday we kick off the second semester, which will be packed with dynamic projects, STEM activities, field trips, guest presenters, Robotics and Battle of the Books competitions, cross country skiing and more. We are excited to engage our students in high quality education!

It is COLD out! We will still offer the opportunity to go outdoors every day because this is Alaska! When it is below zero we won’t require students to go out for breaks. However, they still have the option. Please make sure students have proper winter clothing and are prepared for the weather. If your student is in need of gear, please see Mr. Mokelke or Ms. Biondich.

We’ve made changes to the master schedule, including new electives. Students should retrieve new schedules Monday morning in the lobby. Please call me with any schedule questions or concerns. As always, we strive to offer the most engaging options possible.

This week there is an APC meeting Wednesday at 5:30 PM, room 6.
Ski team practice begins Tuesday at 3:15 PM. Wednesday practice is at 7 AM! Students must have a permission slip prior to starting. Parents and volunteers are needed to support skiing: please contact Mr. Mozen to help out. He can be reached at mozen_howard@asdk12.org

If you can help with supplemental lunches, please contact Mrs. Biondich at biondich_sylvia@asdk12.org or 742-9000. Thank you again to those who have contributed!

We do have a position open for a classroom aide. Please apply online through ASD, or contact us for details! I would be happy to share more about the position and help with the application process.

The lottery for the 20-21 school year is now open. Current students do NOT need to apply. However, share with anyone interested in our program that the time to apply is now! Encourage prospective families to call, email or come by to learn more about our program https://www.asdk12.org/lottery.

Mark your calendars: There is no school on Monday, January 20th.

This semester will be awesome! Thank you for choosing STrEaM,

Principal Mokelke
(907) 742-9000
mokelke_adam@asdk12.org