KMS NEWSLETTER

Dear KMS Families,
Report cards were sent home with most students Friday. The rest will be sent home Monday, or alternatively, you can log into the PowerSchool portal. These quarterly reports offer a snapshot of your child’s academic progress and growth. Please take time to review the report card together, celebrate successes, and talk about any areas needing support. If you have questions, please contact your student's teachers or call the office to set up a conference.
We also want to keep you informed about upcoming state assessments for grades 6–8:
- 8th Grade AK Science Assessment: April 1, 2, 3, & 7
- AK STAR ELA (Grades 6–8): April 9 & 10
- AK STAR Math (Grades 6–8): April 15 & 16
To help students do their best, please ensure they get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast, and bring a fully charged iPad each day. Breakfast at the middle school starts each morning at 8am.
On ELA and Math testing days, KMS will follow an adjusted bell schedule. Please check the attached schedule if your student attends part-time.
This year, KMS will be holding a testing prize raffle! Students can earn entries for raffle drawings on testing days by:
- Showing up every day, on time
- Having a charged iPad
- Giving their best effort (e.g., using scratch paper, pacing themselves, etc.)
Please talk with your student about the importance of doing their best on these tests, so we can have accurate assessments of their progress. Thank you so much! We appreciate all you do at home everyday to support KMS students!
Rena Rankin, Principal
Judith Bruns, Assistant Principal
WEEKLY PLANNER APRIL 7-11 - SEE BELL SCHEDULE FOR AK STAR, ELA
- GSA CLUB, 3:30-4:15, COUNSELING AREA
- STUDENT GOV'T, 3:35, KMS #103
- HOMEWORK HELP FOR MIGRANT ED, 3:30-4:30, KMS #222
- KMS MANGA CLUB, #201, DURING LUNCH & RECESS (6TH/7TH GRADE TODAY)
- YEARBOOK COMMITTEE, 3:30, KMS COMMONS
- CHESSBEARS, 3:30, KHS #A127
- GUITAR CLUB, 3:30-4:30, KMS #107
- HOMEWORK HELP FOR MIGRANT ED, 3:30-4:15, KMS #222
- GAME CLUB, 3:45-4:45, KMS ART ROOM, #214
WEDNESDAY (4/9):
- AK STAR TESTING, 8:45-11:05, ELA
- EARLY RELEASE
- HOMEWORK HELP FOR MIGRANT ED, 2:30-4:15, KMS #222
- AK STAR TESTING, 8:45-10:55, ELA
- GUITAR CLUB, 3:30-4:30, KMS #107
- CODING CLUB, 3:30-4:45, KMS #101
- HOMEWORK HELP FOR MIGRANT ED, 3:30-4:30, KMS #222
FRIDAY (4/11):
- HOMEWORK HELP FOR MIGRANT ED, 3:30-4:30, KMS #222
STATE SPOTLIGHT ON KODIAK MIDDLE SCHOOL
"At Kodiak Middle School, administrators partnered with our school's Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) to help increase family participation in our spring parent-teacher conferences. Together, we developed and promoted a survey to identify family-preferred conference formats, times, and barriers that have kept them from attending past conferences." - Beate Daly, KMS parent and PTSA President
Click here to read the whole article from Alaska Family Engagement Center!
HELP STOCK OUR NEW KMS FOOD PANTRY
We’re excited to share that our school has started a food pantry to support students and families in need — and we could use your help!
We’re currently collecting non-perishable items such as:
- Rice, ramen, soups, mac & cheese
- Canned goods (Spam, tuna, chicken)
- Oatmeal, cereal, shelf-stable milk
- Pasta and pasta sauce
- Peanut butter, jelly
- Bread, crackers, and instant mashed potatoes
If you'd like to donate fresh items like fruit, vegetables, or eggs, we kindly ask that those be dropped off on Fridays before noon so we can store them properly.
Thank you for supporting our school community!
MRS. LHOTKA'S CLASS
Matthew Salinas, 8th grade, taught Mrs. Lhotka how to make origami tulips, to celebrate spring!
MRS. NORTON'S CLASS
Mrs. Norton’s 4th period US History taking advantage of the sunshine and warm temperatures to learn about Jacksonian Democracy.
MRS. KING - ART OF GAMES
Mrs. King's Art of Games class, learning about Kakangaq, a disc game.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
MONDAYS
CHESS BEARS
TUESDAYS
YEARBOOK COMMITTEE
TUESDAYS
GUITAR CLUB
TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS
GAME CLUB
TUESDAYS
(THROUGH APRIL)
MANGA CLUB
TUESDAYS
(DATES IN APRIL)
CODING CLUB
THURSDAYS
GSA CLUB
MONTHLY
Here you will find events that will be happening in the next couple of months,
but not during the coming week.
We want to give our families plenty of time to plan around our activities and opportunities.
Details will be posted later in this newsletter and/or another newsletter in the near future.
APRIL 2025
- 4/15 & 4/16: AK STAR, Math Assessment for all KMS students, see bell schedule below
- 4/23: Mrs. Lhotka's Skills Development Class Field Trip to Kodiak College, Permission Slip Below
- 4/30: KMS & KHS Choral Concert
APRIL 14-18 BELL SCHEDULE
AK STAR, ELA
MAY 2025
- 5/3: Ask a Sub: Learn What it Takes to Become a Substitute, Peterson Elementary, 9-11am
- 5/6: KMS & KHS Orchestra Concert
- 5/7: KMS & KHS Band Concert
- 5/7: PTSA Full Meeting, Board Members Election for 2025-26, 6pm, KMS #216
- 5/9: FAMILY FUN NIGHT hosted by the KMS & Elementary PTSAs, for rising 6th graders
- 5/17 - 5/28: City of Kodiak Swimming Pool Closed (tentatively)
- 5/26: Memorial Day, NO SCHOOL
- 5/28: 8th grade Class Night
- 5/30: Last Day of School
KMS GENERAL INFO - QUICK REFERENCE
If you need any general info, we have contained it to its own link/newsletter.
This helps keep the current events for each newsletter streamlined.
Click the link below for things like staff directory, front office procedures, bell schedule, healthy schools protocol, long-term flyers, etc.