Sports equipment and after school letter

5/2/19

Dear parents,

We are an active school; physical movement and outdoor time is very important to us.  We want to be sure our environment is safe and orderly with outdoor activities and sports, so we have a few requests:

-Students must wear a helmet if they are on wheels. This includes riding to and from school. If you cannot provide a helmet please contact us and we will help with this. 

-We have our own equipment including footballs and basketballs. Please do not allow students to bring equipment like balls to school, as this causes disruptions in the hallway and issues after school is out. We prefer to check out sports equipment to be used at the appropriate time. Beginning next week, if a student brings their own I will hold onto it unit a parent can pick it up.

-After school: Students who walk or ride home should leave campus in a timely manner and should not return. We've had issues with students hanging out to play in the parking lot, which is closed for activity after school. We have also had students leave campus then return. Both of these cause concern because we are responsible for safety and supervision of all students.

-As always, please pick students up by 3:30 PM as we have to supervise them as long as they are here. Please pull as far forward as possible for pick up and drop off.

If you have questions please call or stop by!

Thank you,

Mr. Mokelke 

Spring into Action

4/11/19

Our third year in existence is winding down, and it is amazing to look at all the things we've done at STrEaM this year. TREKs and trips including Arctic Valley, Eklutna Lake, Cheney Lake and the Rock Gym are some of the best experiences thus far. More than ever, STEM has been integrated across the curriculum; from Robotics, Rocketry and Coding classes to engineering challenges and science projects. Staff have collaborated closely to build engaging, exciting and relevant projects. Our Robotics teams had a strong showing in competition, and our first ever Battle of the Books team took 2nd place in the district!

PEAKS state testing is behind us, and we are well into the fourth quarter. However, it is important to us to keep our momentum up through the last day of school: Finish strong!
We still have Sports Day at the Center Friday 4/12, Rock Gym trips, and many visits to our local parks. Join us for the "Ride of Silence" bike ride May 15th at 12:00 to honor those injured or killed on bikes. Final celebrations in Advisory classes are Thursday May 16th, and final assessments completed by Friday May 17th. Many projects are still well underway, as we build towards our Spring Student Showcase Monday May 20th.

We aren't finished yet, and we plan to keep students engaged and learning right up to the last day on May 22nd, when we finish with our annual Field Day and BBQ. Thank you friends, parents, families, students and staff for another great school year, and for being on our journey of growth and discovery. #FullSTrEaMahead!

Looking forward to next year, we plan to have 150 to 170 students, and to continue growing Project-Based Learning, exploring the outdoors, and weaving STEM across the curriculum. We say goodbye to one of our founders and teachers, Mr. Kluever, as he sails into retirement, and to our awesome Administrative Assistant Ms. Sandy as she moves to the head of the ASD classified staff union: thank you and congrats to both of them!

The second lottery is open and we have a few seats open. #ExplorersWanted

PEAKS testing 2019

Dear parents and families,

PEAKS is the State assessment taken by all students in Alaska each spring.
6th, 7th and 8th graders will all take Math and English-Language Arts. Additionally, 8th graders take the Science test. You may learn more about PEAKS at www.asdk12.org/peaks
and find practice tests here: https://www.asdk12.org/Page/13914

STrEaM will administer PEAKS the following dates:

Tuesday 3/26 beginning at 8:00 AM
6th Grade: English-Language Arts
7th Grade:  Math
8th Grade: Math
lunch 11:15-11:45
11:50 ADVISORY
1:25 ELECTIVE

Thursday 3/28 beginning at 8:00 AM
6th Grade: Math
7th Grade: ELA
8th Grade: ELA
lunch 11:15-11:45
11:50 ELECTIVE
1:25 ADVISORY

Testing is scheduled for the morning, until lunch. On Tuesday and Thursday after lunch we will have elective and advisory classes.

Wednesday 4/3:  8th grade science

Make-up testing must be complete by Friday 4/5

Important reminders:

• It is important for all students to be present and ready to test
• No electronic devices are allowed during testing
• Please do not plan to pick students up before lunch on these days

Please contact us with any questions!

Adam Mokelke, Principal

(907) 742-9000

mokelke_adam@asdk12.org

The Mayor comes to STrEaM

Mayor Berkowitz visits STrEaM Academy!
Tuesday, March 5th

6th grade students presented their renewable energy recommendations to Mayor Ethan Berkowitz when he visited STrEaM Academy today.

The Mayor's visit was the finale for the multi-disciplinary "energy project" taught by Ms. Draeger, incorporating Science, Math, Social Studies and Language Arts. Students learned about non-renewable and renewable energy, civic implications, research and letter writing.  

Guest speakers from Alaska Resource Education, Renewable Energy Alaska and CIRI Fire Island Wind Project have presented to students as part of this project, engaging them in hands-on activities to increase their understanding of energy forms and sources. 

3rd Place State KidWind team

Ms. Draeger also prepared students by participating in the KidWind project. Students designed wind turbines and presented their models. Winners of the 6th grade class competitions went on to the State KidWind competition, earning third place! 

Students wrote letters to the Mayor summarizing their research on wind energy, and presented their ideas and findings during his visit. Mayor Berkowitz has focused on clean energy for Anchorage, replacing streetlights with LED fixtures, and introducing electric busses. STrEaM students are contributing the the vision for an energy efficient Anchorage! 

Check out the ASD feature on this event on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvkVWFb11qk&feature=youtu.be

Ms. Draeger, Mayor Berkowitz, APC member Rosa Perez, APC Chair Caroline Storm

Letters to Kenya

February 2019

Dr. Ashley and Ms. Laura-Ashlee!

After the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Alaska on November 30th, STrEaM Academy teachers planned a wide range of lessons and activities designed to allow students to explore and process the event. In 6th grade Language Arts, Ms. Twiford’s students wrote letters which told their personal accounts and experiences. She was looking for an audience to receive these letters and started a conversation with Dr. Don Ashley, a Wayland Baptist University professor. Their collaboration would end up connecting and positively impacting students on separate continents, providing deep and valuable learning experiences. 

Dr. Ashley brings letters to Kenya

Dr. Ashley was planning a trip to Kenya in his role as director of Wayland’s degree program there when Ms. Twiford approached him about the earthquake letters. They discussed the possibility of students in Kenya reading letters written by STrEaM students, realizing the potential for a connection spanning two different worlds. Dr. Ashley volunteered to bring the letters to a local Kenyan school. On January 16th he hand delivered the letters to a standard-six class (US sixth grade) at Enkereri Primary School in Lolgorian, Kenya. This school is located in the Masai Tribal area near the Masai Mara National Reserve. The Reserve is home to lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, zebra, wildebeest, and rhinoceros among many other species. The Masai tribe manage this area that is adjacent to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. 

Students in Kenya were excited to hear from students in Alaska, and responded by writing letters back to STrEaM. In February, Dr. Ashley presented to Ms. Twiford’s class about the school and culture in Kenya. STrEaM students were fascinated to hear about children from another culture, in another country, living vastly different lives from theirs. Dr. Ashley showed students pictures and slides, along with Masais artifacts including a spear and shield. What began as an earthquake reflection exercise has grown into a pen-pal partnership across continents, as Ms. Twiford’s students are now writing responses back to the students at Enkerei School.

Budget impacts

February 15th, 2019

Dear STrEaM friends and families,

Most of you are aware of Governor Dunleavy's proposed budget for FY20, which includes a $330M (25%) cut to public education funding.

I shared with our staff and APC (board) that the proposed FY20 budget would reduce funding for ASA by over $370,000. We take great pride in budgeting our money very carefully to meet our mission and vision. A cut in funding of this magnitude would drastically reduce our services and programs, and a decimate chances of building our own facility.

The proposed budget would reduce our funding by almost 25%. Total for salaries and benefits, and our facility lease with Wayland Baptist, adds up to $1.6M while our projected funding would be just under $1.5M.  Our program would be scaled back in every area, class sizes increased, TREKs reduced, and vacant positions unfilled. While we have carefully reserved funds in hopes of financing a future STrEaM facility, this cut would likely cause us to use that reserve and set us back, perhaps permanently, in our quest for our own building. Funding from the State does not currently include charter school facilities at all.

Although this is very serious, I also believe in being positive and doing the best we can with what we have. Whatever the funding we are provided, ASA will continue to serve kids and meet our mission and vision to the best of our abilities. We will be positive and proactive in our approach and how we respond to this. It is important to note this is just the beginning, a first step in the budget process.

Passing a budget is a long and involved process. It will go through subcommittees, then finance committees. The House passes a budget then sends it on to the Senate. Once both House and Senate agree on and approve a budget, it is sent to the Governor to review and sign, including line item veto power.

My goal is to provide information, allowing everyone to make their own decisions and form their own opinions. Whatever your beliefs or stance, our political process allows you to influence those you elect. Let your voice be heard on this matter. You can find contact information for your legislator here: http://akleg.gov/docs/pdf/session_phone_list.pdf 

Thank you,

Principal Mokelke