HUSKY UPDATE

Happy September! As always, August was a great month to be a Homestead Husky! What a beautiful day it is to welcome September.

September is a busy month, so please mark your calendars:

Hello Husky Families,

September is here, and we are off to a great start at Homestead! It has been wonderful seeing our students reconnect with friends, build relationships with their teachers, and settle into their new classroom routines.

As we move into the month, our focus continues to be on creating safe, welcoming classrooms where every student feels a sense of belonging and is ready to learn. Fall assessments will also begin, helping our teachers better understand each student’s strengths and areas where additional support may be needed.

Thank you, families, for your continued partnership and support as we begin another great year together. I hope you enjoyed the Labor Day weekend and had an opportunity to spend some extra time with family and friends.

We are also excited to welcome you back to Homestead for our Open House on September 10 from 4:00–5:00 PM! We hope to see you there!

Go Huskies! 🐾

Warmly,
Maranda Stone
Principal, Homestead Elementary
stone_maranda@asdk12.org

Flag football (grades 4 and 5) and running club (grades 1-5) kicks off this week. There is still time to join, so please get those permission slips in.

Student Leadership Council (graders 3rd-5th) and Fun Club (k-2) permission slips will be sent home this week, so look for those in your student's backpack.

Join the fun and run with the best!

The spirit store will be open periodically throughout the year.

Join our team as an art long-term sub! We would LOVE to have you! If you are interested, or know someone who is, please email Principal Stone at Stone_Maranda@asdk12.org.

Join the PTO today - we would LOVE to have you!

Great work, Homestead families, getting your kiddos to school on time! Academics begin just 5 minutes after the bell rings, so every minute matters. Being on time helps your child start their day feeling prepared, connected, and ready to learn. Thank you for helping set our Huskies up for success each day!

Join us for our annual Homestead Open House on September 10TH from 4:00 - 5:00 PM! Come meet our dedicated teachers and staff, tour the classroom and school, and pick up important information for the upcoming school year. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mark your calendars for the Homestead Fall Carnival which will be held on October 2nd from 5:30 - 7:30 PM at Homestead Elementary.

You can look forward to the spooky library, win a fish (a real fish), carnival games, trunk-or-treat, petting zoo (weather permitting), concessions, and SO MUCH MORE!

Please share with our amazing little community as this event is open to the public! PTO will be selling bracelets for carnival games. More information on prices will be posted soon. If you know someone who needs funds support, The Mr. Noyes fund would love to provide a night of fun for students in our community!

If you would like to host a booth please fill out the following link: https://docs.google.com/.../1zegC-yZWN.../edit

If you would like to volunteer, please contact the office.

Please use the link HERE if you would like to help! Thank you for your support!

We have started the year off with 3 different projects. Our first week we learned that artists are people that notice their world with their senses. If you’ve ever noticed the shape of something in the clouds, you were using your artistic abilities! We created a class booklet with our ideas.

Week 2 was the basics of drawing. If students use a shadow or inside out drawing it’s a lot easier than trying to draw an object. We draw the shadow, then flip it over and add details.

Week3 is Printmaking! All grades are bubble printing to create texture in our art! Here are several examples. (See accompanying photos)

Looking forward to more great artwork in the coming weeks!

Mrs Murphy

Homestead PE starts off the year working on what it means to be a team player and how to be safe in class through several tag games. We also start with the fundamentals of throwing and catching so we can put them to use in the game of Ultimate Keep Away.

All students should have gym shoes here at school to help keep the gym clean and safe. If you need assistance getting your child a pair of shoes let Coach Payne know so he can help. Also, if you have any gym shoes that your child has outgrown that are still in good shape, send them in to Coach Payne so he can loan them out when needed.

Coach Payne will have Running Club after school during the month of September with Wednesdays for 4th and 5th Grade and on Friday for 1st grade through 3rd grade. Permission slips will go home on ####.

There will also be CoEd Flag football for 4th and 5th Grade on Tuesday starting September 1st.

We do the Healthy Future activity Log as well here at Homestead so visit www.healthyfuturesAKorg for more information and to print out an activity log for your child to earn a prize for being active.

Hello from Nurse Joan!

As we navigate the pilot of the new ASD nurse regional model and school nurse re-classification as itinerant staff, I am pleased to be assigned to Homestead as my ‘anchor school’. This placement offers vital continuity, allowing me to continue supporting the community I have proudly served for more than two decades.

If you would like to discuss your students' health-related concerns, please call, stop by, or leave a message on my direct line at 742-3555. I am available from 7:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

As we begin the school year, I’d like to share a few reminders regarding medications (daily and as needed) and care plans for students with specific health conditions. School nurses work closely with medical providers and families to support students who require additional health care services during the school day. A completed ASD form from both the medical provider and parent/guardian is required for the following:

• prescription medications given at school,
• cafeteria food allergy notifications
• care plans for anaphylaxis, asthma, seizures, diabetes, tube feeding & other medical concerns.
• medication self-carry, when age appropriate and student shows competency, can be authorized by a medical provider (usually for asthma or anaphylaxis). Please be sure to discuss this with me so we can ensure your student’s safety at school.
• 
  

Over the counter (OTC) medications, including cough drops, are considered a medication and must be stored in the nurse’s office. All OTC medications must be FDA approved; age appropriate, be brought in the original container and require a parent consent (OTC medication form).

I’d like to alert you to the additional importance of obtaining updated care plans for school as soon as possible. During the school year trial of the nurse regional model, when no substitute or health services nurse is available to cover nurse absences or ongoing vacancies, a nurse from a lower-medical-acuity school within the Eagle River/Chugiak region can be deployed to a higher-acuity school. A completed care plan will help ensure your child receives their asthma or allergy/anaphylaxis medication immediately during an emergency if your school nurse has been floated to another school. When completing the parent/guardian portion of the form you agree that “in the absence of the nurse, I [you] expressly authorize other trained ASD personnel to administer this medication”. The official forms you need are available directly on the Anchorage School District Healthcare Services Forms Page. [1] The ASD Healthcare Services web page also has more information about the nurse regional model.

Last, with the school year underway, we are seeing a few common illnesses going around. To help keep our classrooms healthy, please check the attached link for guidance on when to keep your child home Anchorage School District Healthcare Services.

I am happy to work with you and your student again this year. Please reach out if you have questions or I can help in any way.

See below for Homestead's upcoming testing dates and information:

Homestead Elementary has three positions available!

Please help us spread the word and share these opportunities with anyone who would be a great addition to our Homestead Huskies team!

🐾 .5 School Counselor
Job ID: 23998
We are currently fortunate to have Mrs. Sloan serving as our long-term substitute counselor while we search for the right candidate. We are so grateful to have her supporting our students, staff, and families!

🐾 BPO Position
Our BPO position will be available beginning September 14, 2026, and the posting should be live soon for applicants!

Elementary School Cafeteria Manager I

5.5 hours per day
Start Date: September 11

The position will be posted soon! If you or someone you know is interested, please email Mrs. Stone for more information.

Interested candidates should apply directly through the Anchorage School District (ASD) online application system:

Apply for ASD Positions

This school year Box Tops for Education Program is having a few contests. The first one we're giving away this big box of treats, cereals and other delicious food items. Here's how you can qualify to win - download the Box Tops for Education App using the following referral code: I7FZ5C6K (Use my code and you'll earn extra points). Once you download the App then scan a receipt with at least one participating item.