Students of Spanish will be taking the annual STAMP assessment at Steller from February 26th- March 8th. This is an assessment that measures students’ abilities to speak, listen, read, and write in Spanish. It is a computer based assessment that students will move through at their own pace. All testing will occur during Spanish classes and should not impact other classes. The assessment can take anywhere from one to five class periods, dependent on students’ level of Spanish and test-taking speed. If you have any questions, please contact Rosa hohnstein_rosalie@asdk12.org or Ashley vanhemert_ashley@asdk12.org. Please read the attached LETTER from Brandon Locke, head of World Languages at ASD for more information.

Opportunity for students to study in China – Interested parties can find additional information and applications here: 2018-2019-chinese-scholarship

See flyer HERE

There will be an all-school presentation on Tuesday, February 20th by Butch Moore, father of Bree Moore who was killed by her abusive boyfriend when she was 20 years old. Butch Moore will talk about the new state law, Bree’s Law: Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention. For more information about this topic, you can visit breeslaw.org. Please direct any questions to Reed at 742-4950.

This presentation will affect the day’s schedule slightly. Here is the class schedule for Tuesday:

• 1st period-8:30-8:55

• 2nd period-9:00-9:25

• 3rd period-9:30-10:0

• 4th period-10:05-10:35

• MPR presentation 10:40-11:30 – All students go to the MPR immediately after 4th period.

• Advisory 11:30-11:45 to debrief

• Lunch 11:45-12:40

• 5th period 12:40-1:20

• 6th period 1:25-2:05

The 7th and 8th grade students of Steller Band entered the ASD Middle School Solo/Ensemble Festival on February 2. The participating students are Ry Allwright on alto saxophone, Arnan Anthony on flute, Jaymie Arnold on percussion, Ciara Bismark on trombone, Avery Bashford-Blumer on tenor saxophone, Johnathen Jencks on tuba, Sarah Dout-Kelly on flute, Liam Lauderdale on clarinet, and Reagan Miller on alto saxophone. They played “Musette” by J.S. Bach together as a small ensemble, and received “1” (superior). In addition, Jonathan, Reagan, and Sarah each played a solo piece, and they, too, earned the superior ratings. Jonathan’s selection is “Cappricio” by Daniel Turk; Reagan’s selection is “Country Garden, an English Folk Song”; and Sarah’s selection is “Entr’act” from Carmen by George Bizet. “Our 7th and 8th grade band students did very well for the solo/ensemble festival”, said Mr. Toba, the band director. “All students who participated achieved the superior ratings, which is a major accomplishment not only for the students themselves, but also for the Steller band program.” Johnathen, Reagan, and Sarah would like to thank Marcia Stratman for providing the piano accompaniment.

Attached HERE is a flyer for the annual IditaZoo event on Saturday, March 10th, 2018 from 12pm to 4pm at the Alaska Zoo. This is family-friendly, outdoor event focused on the Alaska state sport, dog mushing! This event is great for all ages and grades. IditaZoo(tm) Event 2018 Join the Alaska Zoo to celebrate dog mushing, the Alaska state sport! You will learn all about the history of the Iditarod® including interesting facts about Iditarod® checkpoints. Be here Saturday, March 10th, at the Alaska Zoo from Noon to 4pm for IditaZoo(tm)! You can “race” through zoo grounds while playing the checkpoint game, learn some cool facts about dog mushing, view Iditarod® race standings, and get hands-on with equipment used for winter outdoor dog sports. Kids will enjoy a craft station and a special sled dog Storytime program at 2pm. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the Alaska state sport and see some of the animals Iditarod® mushers may see along the trail! Contact Stephanie Hartman, Education Director at (907) 341-6463 or slhartman@alaskazoo.org for more information.

The Steller Parent Group held a regular meeting on Tuesday, February 13 at 6:00 PM. The meeting minutes have been prepared and posted. Click here to download the draft minutes.

Upcoming Events:

There will be a parent meeting for the Steller intensive trip to Italy & Greece that is happening December 2018. It will be held Thursday, February 15th at 6:00pm at Steller Secondary in Simone’s room. Please attend the meeting if you and your student are interested in the travel intensive — there will be a presentation and plenty of time to answer any questions you may have. Svetlana and Simone will see you on the 15th!

Yearbook class is hosting a Valentines Dance. We need parents to volunteer to be chaperones this Friday.

5 chaperones for each shift.

• First shift is 6:45 pm – 9 pm.

• Second shift is 8:45 pm – 11 pm.

Please, sign up in the front office, or call 907 742-4950. We would also love it if you would bring baked goods to share at the dance. Parents can drop them off in the kitchen in the morning![😍] Thanks and see you there!!!

Dear Anchorage School District students, parents/guardians, staff and faculty:

Anchorage is currently experiencing an outbreak of mumps. Since May 2017 over 230 people have been diagnosed with mumps. Prior to this outbreak, only 3 persons in Alaska were diagnosed with mumps in the past 5 years. Some students and staff in the Anchorage School District have recently been diagnosed with mumps. Mumps is a contagious viral illness that is spread from person to person by contact with respiratory droplets such as when coughing, sneezing, talking, touching contaminated surfaces and sharing cups and utensils. Common symptoms are painful, puffy, swollen cheeks, a tender swollen jaw, fever, tiredness, and muscle aches. It usually takes about 14-18 days from when someone is exposed/infected with the virus to when they develop symptoms. Infected individuals can spread mumps without realizing it; the infectious period is 7 days, 2 days before symptoms start and for 5 days after. The most effective way to prevent mumps is vaccination – 90% of persons who have had two doses of MMR vaccine are immune to mumps. It is recommend that persons who received their second MMR vaccination more than 5 years ago get a 3rd dose now to provide greater protection during this outbreak. Make sure you and your family members are up to date on MMR vaccination. If you, your child or another family member has mumps symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider. Because mumps is contagious, healthcare workers may not want you to come to the clinic and sit in the waiting room. To stop the spread of mumps, persons with mumps should stay home and away from others for five days after the start of puffy cheeks. If you are unable to see a healthcare provider, please contact the Anchorage Department of Health at 343-4767 or 343-4799 to make arrangements for testing. If you have any questions please call the Municipality of Anchorage, Department of Health at 343-4799 or the State of Alaska Section of Epidemiology at 269-8000. Sincerely, Bruce Chandler, MD, MPH Medical Officer Municipality of Anchorage.  See ASD Mumps letter HERE.

Extreme is Alaska’s longest running technology camp. We have been featured on KTUU and the Anchorage Daily News. Join us! See flyer HERE