The Scoop

Chugach Families,

It's hard to believe that we're already heading into December, which will mark the halfway point of the school year. In the next couple of weeks, we will be doing our winter benchmark testing. This is important for Chugach as it shows the growth that our students have made from the fall. Chugach is typically within the top elementary schools in the district for reading and math.

As many of you know, the Anchorage School District is still facing an approximately $77 million dollar gap in funding for the next school year. Please continue to reach out to your State representatives to encourage them to fully fund education. In February, the school district will need to submit a balanced budget to the Municipality of Anchorage, and without adequate funding, there will likely be cuts to staff and schools.

I would also like to thank everyone who planned and participated in our Auction Night. It was a very nice evening, and a good time was had by all. Although I haven't heard the final numbers, I'm sure we raised a lot of money to help support all the good things that are part of the Chugach Optional experience for your students.

I hope that everyone has a safe and joyful end of 2025, and I look forward to seeing you around the building.

Tuesday, December 2 - MAP testing (Grades 3-6), Choir (11:45am-12:15pm, Music room)

Wednesday, December 3 - Heidi's Family Group Field trip (12:30pm-2:30pm)

Thursday, December 4 - Holiday Sing-a-Long (8:10am-8:20am, Library), Choir practice (11:45am-12:15pm, Music room), Genie's Family Group Field trip (12:30pm-2:30pm), Chugach Staff Meeting (3:05pm-4:05pm)

Friday, December 5 - Holiday Sing-a-Long (8:10am-8:20am, Library), Parent Coordinator Meeting (8:30am-9:30am, Staff Lounge), EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal @11:15am), Early Release Ice Skating (12:00pm-3:00pm @ Diamond Ice Chalet)

Tuesday, December 9 - MAP Testing (Grades 3-6), Choir (11:45am-12:15pm, Music room)

Wednesday, December 10 - mClass Winter Benchmark testing (grades K-3)

Thursday, December 11; Holiday Sing-A-Long (8:10am in Library), Band & Orchestra Winter Concert (9:00am-9:30am, Gym), Choir (11:45am-12:15pm, Music room); Human Growth and Development Parent Preview (3:00pm-4:00pm, Health Room)

Friday, December 12 - Holiday Sing-A-Long (8:10am in Library), St. Lucia Day (Kindy)

Wednesday, December 17 - Upper - Immigration Suitcase Showcase (1:00pm-2:30pm, MPR), Cocoa & Cookies with the CEC (3:00-4:00pm, Chugach Playground)

Thursday, December 18 - Last day of school before Winter Break, Chugach Staff Meeting (3:05-4:05pm)

Friday, December 19 - In-service Day [[No School for Students]]

Monday, December 22 - Friday, January 2 - WINTER BREAK

The Weidner Family were this year's auction winners of the prized Chugach Optional Parking spot. Please be sure to respect the RESERVED - AUCTION WINNER sign and avoid blocking this spot with your vehicle. Thank you for your cooperation!

Come join us for an early release Friday ice skating fundraiser at the Dimond Center Ice Chalet! The ice rink is reserved for Chugach from 1-3 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 5 after early release. All skating skill levels are welcome. Tickets are $10/person and include skate rental (or you can bring your own). Purchase tickets here.

To ensure every child has the energy to focus and thrive throughout the entire school day, we wanted to send a friendly reminder about bringing a small snack from home, even when your student is having a hot school lunch.

Why the extra snack?

• A small, healthy snack helps bridge that gap, keeping blood sugar steady so students can stay focused on their learning.

What to pack:

Please send an easy-to-eat, nutritious snack that is separate from their lunch. Some great options include:

• Fresh fruit or vegetable slices
• Cheese sticks or yogurt
• Crackers or pretzels
• A granola bar

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students healthy, energized, and ready to learn! The office has an emergency supply of student snacks, but our stock is running low. If you would like to donate a box of granola bars, please see Nurse Maya.

When to Keep Your Child Home from School

• Temperature of 100.4 F

• Vomiting more than 2 times in 24 hours

• A constant runny nose and/or a cough that is frequent and wet

• Experiencing nausea or is too tired and uncomfortable to function at school

For more details on when to Keep Your Child Home, please click HERE

The three 5th /6th Grade classes at Chugach had a culminating learning event for a series of STEM lessons on boat science. The 70 kids have learned about buoyancy, center of gravity, density, surface area, and displacement over the last four weeks. On Friday, November 21st, we went to the WEST pool to test our learning! The kids were put into groups of three and given one giant box, one roll of duct tape, and were told to build. They have spent 6 hours designing, constructing, and problem solving to build a seaworthy vessel. They had to make it down the length of the pool, then turn and paddle down the width of the pool. The kindergarten classes made little tugboats that were attached to the back of the boats.

As the weather turns colder, we are working to ensure that every student has the proper outdoor gear to stay warm during recess.

We are currently looking to restock our loaner gear inventory with larger-sized winter coats and gloves. If you have any gently used items in the following sizes, we would be grateful for your donation:

• Winter Coats:
• Size 14 (youth)
• Small (adult)
• Medium (adult)
• Gloves/Mittens:
• Larger sizes (youth and adult)

Your generosity helps us keep all students warm, safe, and ready to learn throughout the winter months.

How to Donate: Please drop off your clean, gently used donations with Nurse Maya.

Parents are needed to help get the coop ready for winter.

Friday, December 5th (early release day) 11:30-12:30

SIGN UP HERE TO HELP

Chickens (Teacher contact: Angie Riley riley_angie@asdk12.org )

Things to bring with you:

• hand sanitizer and/or gloves

• Warm jacket/ hat

• Boots

• Rake

• Wheelbarrow

Winterization Tasks:

1. Remove all straw and organic matter from the run, nesting box, and coop.

2. Empty the old compost bins (may have to throw the entire bin away…broken?)

3. Set up a new compost system if we have to throw bins away.

4. We need someone with a truck who can haul the waste to the dump.

5. Lay new straw in the coop, nesting box and chicken run.

6. Take inventory of supplies, boots, etc. and get rid of what we don’t need.

7. Get new netting and zip-ties to keep the starlings out, (smaller holes), and install.

8. Make sure perches are secure and everything looks clean and safe.

**Do you REALLY love chickens and are looking for a way to be more involved at school? We are looking for a new Chicken Parent Coordinator. Julia O’Malley has done a fabulous job taking on this volunteer position for many years and she will be retiring soon when her son moves on to middle school. Please reach out to Angie Riley riley_angie@asdk12.net or Julia 907.317.4387 juliaeomalley@gmail.com if you would like more information.

During this month’s Counseling lessons, students will learn to consider the emotions of others and action in a way to support people both at school and in their lives.

All students will learn the following skills: What empathy is, different skins of empathy, and how to help others.

Primary students will learn: steps to understand how to practice empathy and the importance of working together with their family groups to establish a helpful classroom community.

Middle students will learn how to get involved with their community and how to plan for volunteering.

For Upper students the counselor will be supporting teachers in social emotional learning lessons as needed.

By practicing empathy, students will be able to understand how others feel, as well as how to use their actions to show they know how others feel and work together to support one another.

Thank you,

Logan Power

FASHION PACT: The Chugach Educational Corporation now has an ally account with thrift boutique FasionPact. Drop off your used clothing, shoes, jewelry, purses, home decor, kitchen goods, or books (and more!) at a FashionPack location and let them know it supports Chugach! When someone buys your item, Chugach earns 15%! Additionally, shoppers can choose to donate an additional 15% of their purchase to a non-profit of their choosing (including Chugach). That’s right -- 30% of each sale is donated to local organizations! https://www.fashionpact.com/

FRED MEYER COMMUNITY REWARDS: Support Chugach when you shop at Fred Meyer! Log in to your digital account, then select "Chugach Optional School" as your community rewards recipient! We will receive a donation from every purchase!

https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards

MINTED: Order holiday cards, stationary, or other fun items from Minted! When you use the code “FundraiseChugach” at check out, you get 20% off your order and Chugach gets a 15% donation. Minted also sells labels for all your school gear! https://www.minted.com/

MABEL’S LABELS: Are your student’s mittens hats, water bottles, and lunch boxes going missing? Are you a regular at the Lost & Found? Get Mabel’s Labels for all school stuff! Search for Chugach to access our fundraiser: https://mabelslabels.com/fundraising/support

We have a few more shop-and-support opportunities in the works that will be posted on the CEC website soon! If you have ideas for similar fundraisers, email chugachoptionalcecboard@gmail.com.

Instead of our monthly Community Assembly meeting, please join the CEC on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 3-4 p.m. on the Chugach playground for cocoa (and coffee) and cookies. This is a casual event where kids can play on the playground while parents visit. Let’s celebrate our community before winter break!

Please be aware of the IDLE FREE Zones around our school building. These areas are on 12th Ave by our school's back entrance and outside our school front doors. Vehicles should not be left running in these areas. Thank you for your cooperation!

• Please refrain from parking in any of the "RESERVED" parking spots, the fire lane or the loading dock area. We know parking is tight and the weather is cold, but for safety and courtesy reasons these areas/spots must be respected.

Raptor System

• Please remember to bring your government-issued ID with you when you enter the school so that you can check in at our Raptor station. Check in is required after 8:30am and before 2:35pm.

Outer wear

• All students need to have proper winter gear when going outside for recess.
• For Kinder, Primary and Middle, this means boots, snow pants, jackets, hats, and gloves.
• For Uppers, they must have boots, jackets, hats, and gloves (although snow pants are recommended as well).

Please encourage your student(s) to be prepared.

Attendance

• If your child is going to be out of school for the day please contact the office before 9:00 am at 907-742-3730
• All students arriving after 8:20 am must sign-in at the office

The Chugach Optional Office is open from 7:30am - 4:00pm every school day. We can be reached at 907-742-3730 or by email at ChugachOffice@asdk12.org

Email: chugachoffice@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/chugachoptional
Location: 1205 E Street, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-3730