The Rapids Report
October 14th, 2024
Dear STrEaM Families, parents and guardians,
One Big Thing: There is no school Monday! At STrEaM Academy, we are proud to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day and honor the rich cultures, traditions, and contributions of Indigenous communities. Stewardship of the land is a core value at STrEaM, honoring the deep connection Indigenous peoples have with the environment. We are committed to fostering a sense of responsibility and care for the land and our community as part of our educational mission.
Quarter 1 ends this week, so the academic focus is REDOs for Mastery Assessments (MAs), which make up 80% of the grade.
Student-led conferences are next Wed, Oct. 23 at 1:00-7:00 (last arrival 6:30), drop-in style. Note that they are only ONE DAY this year at Stream. If this is new to you, please read below for more info.
It’s getting chilly! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for going outdoors every day! We have reflective material on the way to provide our walkers and bikers so they can be safe in the mornings.
Principal Mokelke
Key information in this Rapids Report:
Dates to mark on your calendar
Academic focus is on redoing mastery assessments or final drafts of projects
Student-led conferences are next week! Please plan to join us!
Next week includes two early release days (Wed AND Thurs)
Friends of STrEaM needs snack food donations
Dates for your Family Calendar:
10/14 School closed for Indigenous’ Peoples Day holiday!
10/18 End of quarter 1. School closed for students. Teachers’ grading day.
10/21 8:45 am Fall Picture Retake / Make-up Day
10/23 Student dismissal 12:30 + Student-Led Conferences 1:00-7:00 (last arrival 6:30)
10/24 Student dismissal 12:30. No conferences.
10/25 School closed for students. Teachers’ professional development day.
11/2 UAA STEM Day at 10-4 in ConocoPhillips Sci Building. Free!
11/5 Election Day and Remote Learning (remote Project Day for STrEaM)
12/18 8th grade Cardboard Boat Regatta 8:30 - 11:30am TREK to West Pool
Grades and Assignments
The last day of Quarter 1 for students is this Thursday, Oct. 17, so classes are focused on redoing MAs (mastery assignments), projects, and presentations. When you log onto Q/ParentConnect with your student, talk about redoing any low MAs and finishing entire projects. If questions arise, encourage your student to talk with teachers directly and/or help your student send a message to teachers through Canvas Inbox. Parents may contact teachers directly through email.
Student-Led Conferences (SLC) Wed, Oct. 23 @ 1:00-7:00
Come see the awesome showcase of projects, STEM, and outdoor-experiential learning your student has been engaged in during quarter 1! SLC is one of the big opportunities for students to practice owning their learning. Students will be prepared to discuss their progress and goals. It is “drop-in” style, so come anytime between 1:00-6:30. Be prepared to end by 7:00. Note that SLC is just one day this year. No conferences will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24, but students will still be released at 12:30 on Wed AND Thurs. The Advisory class with the highest attendance at SLC will receive a food party!
👀Academic Policy Committee (APC)
What is the APC? Each charter school within ASD is governed by an elected board called the Academic Policy Committee. STrEaM’s APC consists of parents, community members, a teacher liaison, and founders. The principal serves as CEO, advisor and sole employee of the APC.
The APC meets the second Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 to discuss and vote on a variety of school topics ranging from approving academic plans to ensuring STrEaM’s mission and vision are fulfilled.
Our APC Election will be held on Student-Led Conference day October 23rd. All parents and guardians of STrEaM students are eligible to vote. You can review bios of our candidates here (link). Each candidate is currently running unopposed.
⛷️Cross Country Skiing starts in January!
The next district sport is Volleyball, which starts tomorrow at neighborhood middle schools. We do not have volleyball at STrEaM, but our students have the right to participate in any sport not hosted by our charter school by registering at their zoned middle school.
We will start collecting paperwork for XC Skiing in early December. Practices start Thursday, 01/09/2025. Students need to have a current physical on file, pay the $110.00 fee on Parent Connect and have a participation form turned in to the front office in order to be on the team. SPORTS INFORMATION
🏥 Health and Wellness Updates
Anchorage students are being treated for pertussis, also known as whooping cough.
Pertussis is easy to screen for and is treatable with antibiotics. The test results take up to seven days.
People who have active pertussis first display some or all of the following symptoms:
Runny nose
Low-grade fever (less than 100.4 degrees)
Mild cough (babies do not do this)
After the initial onset of the infection, more severe symptoms may develop to include:
Coughing very hard, over and over. These coughing fits occur more at night
Gasping for breath after a coughing fit. Individuals may make a “whooping” sound. This sound is where the name “whooping cough” comes from. Babies may not cough or make this sound—they may gag, gasp, or stop breathing
Difficulty breathing, eating, drinking, or sleeping
Turning blue from lack of oxygen
Vomiting/gagging after coughing fits
Apnea (life-threatening pause in breathing in babies) and cyanosis (turning blue or purple) in babies and young children
Coughing fits can last 10 or more weeks and sometimes happen again the next time the child has a respiratory illness.
Action steps
Your child may have pertussis if they have a severe cough that occurs in sudden, uncontrollable bursts, especially if followed by vomiting. Or if the cough lasts more than two weeks. Please see a primary health care provider to get antibiotic treatment.
Keep vaccines up-to-date. The TDap vaccine can prevent or lessen the severity of pertussis. Local vaccine clinics have free Tdap (tetanus/pertussis), flu, and COVID shots available.
For more information please check out the following links:
You can check your immunization status with the State of Alaska Docket app. Click here to learn more.
Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable bacterial disease that is spread through respiratory droplets (coughing and sneezing) and sharing saliva (e.g., kissing, sharing cups/utensils). Infected people can spread pertussis to others during the first three weeks of their illness unless they have been treated for five days with appropriate antibiotics.
The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Given what we know at this time, and based on guidance from our health and medical partners, we believe there could be a risk of infection to others.
If you have any questions, please reach out
Wishing you well ~ Nurse Bethany zimpelman_bethany@asdk12.org
Friends of STrEaM Lunch Program
FOS organizes free lunch for students who are hungry. We are so thankful for the outpouring of donations that help to make this possible! Thank you to our business partner, Clarion Suites Downtown, and the many families who have donated lunch and snack supplies.
We served 75 lunches in August and in September 303 lunches. We continue to serve between 18 and 28 lunches every day. Thank you.
PHONE POLICY
If your child has a smartphone please check with them and make sure they are using their Yonder pouch!
DAILY PROCESS
As students arrive at school, they will:
Turn their phone on airplane mode or power off
Place their phone inside their pouch and secure it in the presence of school staff
Store their pouch in their backpack for the day
At the end of the day, students will unlock their pouch, remove their phone and put their pouch in their backpack.
Students must bring their pouch to school with them each day, and students are responsible for keeping their pouch clean and dry.
Update about Wednesday’s After School Math Club
Starting in quarter 2, there will no longer be an after school math club on Wednesdays. Please see the Math Support section below with options for your child to receive additional time working on math PAs and MAs. Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Olendorff at olendorff_stephanie@asdk12.org with any questions.
Math Support @ STrEaM
Advisory on Tuesday/Thursday with Mrs.Olendorff (8th graders) or Mr. Bahner (6-7th graders). Select students identified by teachers are invited, and other students may attend as requested.
Midday break on Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday with Mrs. Olendorff (grades 6-8). Any student may attend as often as needed. This option provides an additional 30 minutes of math work time.
Pull-outs during periods 5, 6, 7 with Mrs. Olendorff (grades 6-8). Only by recommendation from a math teacher. Mrs. Olendorff will email you if your student will be scheduled for this option.
📚Battle of the Books
Calling all readers! We invite you to join the STrEaM Battle of the Books (BOB) team this year. We will have two groups, a 6th grade group and a 7th/8th grade (Middle School) group. The STrEaM library has multiple copies of each title for both lists, you can also use the public library system, check them out electronically, or even audiobook! Permission forms are available electronically on our website or by clicking this link PERMISSION. Practice began in September and continues after school through February. Please plan on picking up your student promptly at the end of practice each Wednesday. Contact BOB coaches if you want to join us: Mr. Bahner and Mrs. Lojewski
LEFT & FOUND
Label all items. If your student is missing something, please have them check the LEFT & FOUND box. It is located just past the main lobby at the top of the main stairwell. We neatly lay items out for students to collect, and we help to return items with name tags. When the collection is FULL of items with no name tags, we have to donate items to charities because we do not have adequate storage space.
Thank you for being a part of the ASA family!
Adam Mokelke, Principal mokelke_adam@asdk12.org
Emily Smith, Assistant Principal smith_emily@asdk12.org
Sylvia Biondich, Administrative Asst. biondich_sylvia@asdk12.org
Jessica McCalvy, Secretary mccalvy_jessica@asdk12.org
Bethany Zimpelman, Itinerant Nurse zimpleman_bethany@asdk12.org
Chris Krejca, Special Education krejca_christine@asdk12.org
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