Important Information from the Office

Maria shared very important information about Steller’s future in an email to the community today. This is our opportunity to learn about changes coming to ASD, how they affect Steller, and have a voice in the direction Steller will take for years to come. 

Dates to remember:

Thursday, 9/21 from 6-7:30 PM, Steller will host a Fact Sharing Parent Forum.  

    1. An ASD administrator will share the details of CCL
    2. Maria will share the potential options Steller can consider regarding 6th grade moving to Middle School
    3. The community will then be encouraged to submit questions and comments via a QR code (open 9/21-9/28).

October SPG Meeting (10/10, 6-7:30pm), a Q&A (based on questions from above) will be shared, along with a short discussion.

SPG will host 2 additional meetings for parents – we will share the key facts and break into groups to further discuss the options:

  • Monday, 10/16, 7-8:30pm via Zoom
  • Thursday, 10/19, 6-7:30pm in person at Steller

 

Vote for the Steller Parent Group Budget!

 

At

At the Steller Parent Group Meeting on Tuesday, September 12 the Steller Board shared the 2023 SPG Budget Document

We have one major fundraiser planned this year. 

Cups4Kids will take place the first week of October. The Steller Community is invited to join us in the Lobby and share coffee and cocoa, and students will be collecting donations at this time via Square, check and cash. We have set a total fundraising goal of $18,400 this year. 

Funds raised are used for things like the Back to School BBQ, Sophomore Day, Staff Appreciation, Travel Scholarships for students in need, and Intensive support to reduce the overall cost for participants. All members of our community – Students, Staff, Parents & Guardians are invited to bring a proposal to SPG and make a Request for Funding any time throughout the year. 

Please review the attached Budget, and then vote “Yay” to accept the budget as presented or “nay”, and provide feedback.

The vote closes at 10 pm on Wednesday, September 20th. The budget will be passed with a simple majority of total votes.

 

 

Volunteers Needed!

  1. The Senior Class is looking for Chaperones for the Homecoming Dance  on September 29th from 7 PM to 11 PM, and chaperones are needed at least by 7 PM. The dance is 70’s themed, so put on your best 70’s outfit! Contact chairspg2@gmail.com if you can help.
  2. Our main fundraiser “Cups for Kids” will be the first week of October. We need parents and students to help us make and serve coffee and cocoa, and to collect donations, in the lobby and in the drop off line. 
  3. We need a tech guru to help us run the Zoom part of our monthly meetings. Please reach out to chairspg2@gmail.com.
  4. For all other volunteer opportunities visit our google form here.

Reminders:

  • Thursday, September 21 6:00-7:30 Community Forum on moving 6th grade to Steller. This is a big change for our community, and we need everyone’s input. Don’t miss this important meeting! 
  • Find important information on the ASD website here.
  • View the Steller Calendar here.
  • View SPG meeting dates, agenda and minutes here.
  • Join our Facebook Community here

 

Steller Directory

Dear Steller Community,

The Steller Parent Group (SPG) has in past years hosted a directory through a hosting service that required an annual cost to the SPG. This year we are trying to gather the information voluntarily through a simple Google questionnaire. The result will be a list or spreadsheet with basic contact information for individuals who agree to participate. We will send a PDF copy to everyone who participates in early October, and then again in February. We will need to update each school year.

We would like to invite you to opt in to the Steller Directory by answering with as much information as you are comfortable sharing with the rest of the school by Monday, October 2 to be included in the Fall Directory.

Questions? Contact Sarah at secretaryspg2@gmail.com

 

 

Zoom link for Tuesday Meeting

 

Steller Parent Group will have our first meeting Tuesday, September 12, 6:00pm to 7:30pm in person and via zoom.

Topic: SPG Meeting

Time: Sep 12, 2023 06:00 PM Alaska

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81100847163?pwd=NWFuZEs4RXUwU3dvY3hNRURvMkt6Zz09

Meeting ID: 811 0084 7163

Passcode: 477461

Dates to Remember:

  • September 13 to September 20 Vote for SPG budget online
  • September 12 register for 14 PSAT for grade 10 and 11
  • September 13 6:30 to 8:00 College Prep Family Night
  • September 21 6:00 to 7:30 Grade 6 community forum – this is an opportunity to learn more about adding grade 6 students to our school and share feedback. 
  • October 10 6:00 to 7:30 Next SPG meeting

Reminders:

Questions? chairspg2@gmail.com 

Steller Parent Group Fundraising

Budget and Fundraising at Steller

Welcome to our fourth post in the our series all about Steller Parent Group and the work we do. This week we are going to talk about our budget and fundraising.

Fundraising is essential to Steller Parent Group’s mission to enrich the lives of Steller students.

Monies raised support school activities and are divided into four general  “buckets”:

1. SPG OPERATIONAL EXPENSES : Eg. Website, FLASH, Insurance

2. SPG HOSTED EVENTS & ACTIVITIES: Eg. BBQ, Staff Appreciation, Community Events

3. STELLER HOSTER EVENTS & ACTIVITIES: Eg. Souper Steller, Sophomore Day and 50th Anniversary Celebrations in 2024

4.GRANTS: Eg. Travel Scholarships, Intensive Support, Program Support and Passage & Special Projects

SPG will share the proposed budget for 2023/2024 with the community for feedback and approval at the September 12th meeting – please join and share your thoughts. Voting will take place on line in the week following. 

FUNDRAISING

To reduce volunteer hours we will host one major fundraiser in 2023-2024. Cups for Kids is a simple drive for donations, and will take place in the first week of October. 

Passive fundraising relationships with businesses has been an important part of our budget in the past.  With many businesses choosing not to renew these programs we are very pleased that Fred Meyer is continuing with its Community Rewards program.

Here is how the program works:

  1. Sign up to the Community Rewards program by linking your Rewards Card here. Search for Steller Secondary or use code RJ417
  2. Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card you are helping Steller Parent Group earn a donation. 
  3. You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points and Rebates as normal.
  4. If you don’t have a Rewards card they are available at any customer service desk, and through the till.

In recent years we have earned about $600 a year from Fred Meyer, and about $400 through Amazon. We are hoping to be able to replace the loss of Amazon through an increase in participation in the Fred Meyer program. 

We are always looking for ways to fundraise! If you have ideas, or would like to join our committee please reach out to our Fundraising Chair Monica Perez-Verdia at fundraisingspg2@gmail.com

And of course, you can always donate directly to SPG via our website. Steller Parent Group is a registered non-profit 501(c)3 #06-1760342 and we can write receipts for donations. 

Regards,

Steller Parent Group

 

Volunteering at Steller

Volunteering at Steller 

All volunteers must complete the ASD Volunteer Form annually. 

Steller Philosophy is built on the Three Pillars: Students, Staff, and Parents & Guardians working together to build the community and learning experiences we want. There are many opportunities for ALL our community members to get involved and make a difference at Steller! 

Steller Parent Group organizes volunteers on behalf of the staff and student groups and our own initiatives. We will post requests and links to Sign Up Genius on our website as needs arise. 

School Hosted Events and Activities

Occasionally SPG will help recruit volunteers for school lead activities like the following:

  • Intensives       
  • Open House and Ice Cream Social  
  • Steller Olympics 
  • Dances
  • Souper Steller
  • Field Trips

Steller Parent Group Hosted Events and Activities      

The mission of the Steller Parent Group is to promote involvement in school activities, to solicit address, and make recommendations regarding issues and policies facing the Steller Community, and to support fundraising activities and facilitate the disbursement of those funds. 

Steller Parent Group meets the second Tuesday of each month from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Our first meeting will be on Tuesday, September 12 in person and via Zoom. Watch for the announcements on the Steller Flash (SUBSCRIBE HERE). You can find meeting agendas and minutes on this website.  

We have need for both leadership positions, and volunteers on the date of events, and various time commitments. This is just a summary to get a sense. Visit our Google Form here for a complete list, and to indicate your interest. 

  • Steller Finance Committee – one student, one member at large. Monthly review of funding requests and recommendation at SPG meeting; conduct annual review; prepare budget for approval by SPG (2-4 hours/month).
  • Fundraising Committee – co-chair, and volunteers to help the chair plan and execute Cups for Kids in October, and seek out other fundraising opportunities. Students are especially invited to get involved here! 
  • Advocacy Committee – help plan advocacy and communication on behalf of Steller with ASD.
  • Student Recruitment Committee – support Steller Staff in student recruitment and school promotion. 
  • Webmaster: Assist migrating SPG website to a new host, updating themes and plugins, and possible redesign. 
  • Zoom/Tech Guru: Setup and monitor Zoom at all monthly SPG general meetings and link to external monitor and speaker (5:30-8PM, second Tuesday of month x 9 months)
  • 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee – help plan celebrations for Steller’s 50th Anniversary! 

If you would like to know more about any of these roles, or have your own idea for something SPG could do reach out to our chairs – Dee Dee and Amy at  chairspg2@gmail.com 

Dates to Remember (this is NOT comprehensive!)

View and subscribe to the Steller Calendar here

Wednesday, August 30 6:00 to 7:30 Back to School Night (meet the teachers) and All Community Meeting (meet Steller Parent Group and other families)

Monday, September 4, Labour Day – No School for Students

Tuesday, September 12 6:00 to 7:30 Steller Parent Group Meeting in person and via Zoom. We will present the budget at this meeting, and then share with the wider community for a vote via email. 

Thursday, September 21 6th Grade Community Forum details tba

How Steller Parent Group Communicates with You

Dear Steller Community, 

Steller Parent Group wants to make sure that we are reaching as many members of our community with up to date and relevant information as possible.  We have four ways we communicate with you:

  1. Website/Steller Flash updates appear on the SPG website or parents, students and staff can SUBSCRIBE to receive updates directly in your inbox.  Please refer to the Steller Parent Group Website for anything pertaining for SPG – including Meeting Dates, Agendas, and Notes, ByLaws, Volunteer Opportunities, and the Student Showcase where students can share their accomplishments.
  1. Steller Secondary Parent Group is a closed Facebook Group created to promote communication between current parents, teachers, and staff for organizing school activities, announcements, questions, and keeping up with everything that is going on. Feel free to jump in with questions or posts.
  1. Steller Secondary Page is an open page visible to the public. If you are a Steller Alumni and want to stay informed about special activities, fundraisers and student highlights we encourage you to follow our page.  
  1. Steller Directory is a voluntary opportunity to share student and adult contact information so members of our community can communicate with each other. 

You can reach Steller Parent Group at the following:

**Please refer to the district website at https://www.asdk12.org/steller for announcements coming from the school, calendar, scheduling and course descriptions, and staff list.   Make sure you have updated your contact information in Q in order to receive email, robo call and text notifications from the school and district, and to ensure the school has proper emergency contact information. **

Dates to Remember:

Wednesday, August 30 6:00 to 7:30 Back to School Night (meet the teachers) and All Community Meeting (meet Steller Parent Group and other families)

Steller Parent Group General Meeting: Tuesday, September 12, 6:00 to 7:30pm.

Monday, September 4, Labour Day – No School for Students

Warm regards,

Steller Parent Group

 

Have a Great First Day Back!

Whether it’s a first day at a new school or first day back after summer, we hope everyone has a great time! 

Check out the District Website for:

School Start Times and Bell Schedule for 2023/2024

View and subscribe to the Steller Calendar.

Schedule for Thursday, August 17th

8:30 – 11:45AM – Students meet in Advisory Groups

11:45AM – 12:40PM – LUNCH

12:40 – 2:05PM – Students meet in their Grade Groups

Schedule for Friday, August 18th

8:30 – 11:45AM – Students meet in Grade Groups

11:45AM – 12:40PM – LUNCH

12:40 – 2:05PM Students meet in Advisory Groups

Save the Date:

Wednesday, August 30: Back to School (meet the teachers) and All Community Meeting (meet the Steller Community and Steller Parent Group) 

Tuesday, September 12: Steller Parent Group Meeting – Report from Principal and Staff, Budget, Committee sign up and more! 

Steller Parent Group