The Scoop

Dear Chugach Families,

I hope that all of you had a wonderful winter break and that you had the opportunity to spend quality time with your families. As we head into the month of January, we look forward to seeing each other again and to continue to have some of our favorite Chugach traditions, as well as returning to longer daytime hours.

An important topic the Anchorage School District is focused on this year is preventing bullying in our schools. While this is more prevalent in middle and high school, bullying does happen at the elementary level as well. Most often in elementary bullying looks like name-calling or pushing and shoving. Typically, bullying is a repeated, targeted behavior, but not always. Please encourage your child to report to their teacher and/or noon-duty if they feel they are being bullied, as this is not something we want happening at our wonderful school.

I look forward to seeing all of you around the building, and I hope that you can stop by the office when you have time to say hello.

Happy New Year,

Joel

Monday, January 5 - First Day of Quarter 3 -- WELCOME BACK!!, Upper Battle of the Books (11:45pm-12:20pm, Heidi's Room)

Wednesday, January 7 - Basketball practice (2:50pm-3:55pm, Gym), Middle Battle of the Books (3:00pm-3:50pm, Mikelle's Room)

Thursday, January 8 - Chugach Staff Meeting (3:05pm-4:05pm)

Friday, January 9 - Parent Coordinator Meeting (8:30am-9:30am, Seed Lab), Basketball Game @ Wonder Park Elementary (3:15pm-4:15pm)

Monday, January 12 -Upper Battle of the Books (11:45pm-12:20pm, Heidi's Room)

Wednesday, January 14 - Basketball practice (2:50pm-3:55pm, Gym), Middle Battle of the Books (3:00pm-3:50pm, Mikelle's Room)

Friday, January 16 - Kindy HIBERNATION DAY!, Early Release Day (Dismissal @ 11:!5am), Early Release Bowling @ Dimond Bowl (12:00pm-3:00pm), Basketball HOME Game vs. WillowCrest Elementary (3:05pm-4:05pm)

Monday, January 19 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday [[NO SCHOOL]]

Wednesday, January 21 - Basketball practice (2:50pm-3:55pm, Gym), Middle Battle of the Books (3:00pm-3:50pm, Mikelle's Room)

Thursday, January 22 - Chugach Staff Meeting (3:05pm-4:05pm)

Friday, January 23 - Basketball HOME Game vs. Williwaw Elementary (3:05pm-4:05pm)'

Monday, January 26 - Upper Battle of the Books (11:45pm-12:20pm, Heidi's Room)

Wednesday, January 28 - Basketball practice (2:50pm-3:55pm, Gym), Middle Battle of the Books (3:00pm-3:50pm, Mikelle's Room)

Thursday, January 29 - ASD Gifted Screener (2nd Grade only)

Friday, January 30 - Early Release Day (Dismissal @ 11:!5am), Basketball Game @ Northwood Elementary (3:15pm-4:15pm)

As we start a new semester, please take a moment to check your student's cafe balance. Students can purchase a full hot lunch ($6.25) or just milk ($1.00). Funds can be added to their cafe account through your Parent Connect account. Please stop by the office if you have any questions.

For the first few days of this new semester we will have only shelf-stable white milk available. Starting on Wednesday, January 7th, we expect to have fresh white and chocolate milk available for purchase once again. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility!

For information about ASD's Free and Reduced Lunch Program click here.

The CEC needs your skills! Please consider the volunteer opportunities below, and email chugachoptionalcecboard@gmail.com if you have questions or think you might be the right fit. Thank you!

• Library Couch Refurbishment Project Manager: We need a volunteer with some logistics and communication skills to make the dream of reupholstering the library couches a reality. We have already identified a local business to work with, gotten an initial quote, and we have the funding (thanks to the auction)! This will require coordinating with Librarian Amy, the local business handling the re-upholstering, and the CEC. This might also require rallying parents to help transport the furniture. Let’s make this happen!
• Constant Contact Email Coordinator: Do you have Constant Contact email marketing experience? We need help setting up a CEC account and learning best practices. This can be a one-time volunteer project or turn into ongoing (but limited) support, depending on your interest and availability. This is one of those “from-home, after-hours when the kids are asleep and you can simultaneously watch the new season of Stranger Things” volunteer asks! Unicorns do exist.
• Event Coordinators: We have two events on the calendar for next semester that need leadership: the Winter Carnival and the Spring Showcase (talent show). What does being an event coordinator mean other than earning adoration from lots of awesome kids? You set the vision and plan for the event, coordinate volunteers, manage logistics, and make it happen! Events can be coordinated by individuals or a group, so grab a friend and send us an email!

THANK YOU to 5/6 graders, Karina, Serena, Silvia, and Neiva for

leading the Treats For Others Halloween Candy Drive.

Generously in November, the Chugach Community left 75 lbs. of

candy in donation bins.

The loot was donated last week to the St. Frances Shelter.

A BIG “Shout Out” to everyone who participated!

Dear Parents,

In PE we will be learning about and preparing for the annual Junior Native Youth Olympics. We will be learning about the different games and how they originated. If your child would like the opportunity to compete in these games with kids their same age; the date is Feb 21 at Gruening Middle School. JNYO is a friendly competition and is a fun-filled time. There are medals awarded at the end of the events, but just as important is the fact that the kids are learning our Alaskan culture from each other and enjoying the simple act of competing.

Practices will be during Lunch Recess, Before School and during PE. I will have practices starting February 2.

Thank you,

Polly Smith

PE Teacher

Mark your calendars for Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026! This year’s Science Share is Chugach Optional’s non-competitive Science Fair, where curiosity takes center stage. Students design and carry out their own experiment or inquiry, practice the scientific method, and share their discoveries with our Chugach community – including meeting a Community Scientist on Science Share night.

All students are invited to participate, and fifth and sixth graders are required to complete a project. Now is the perfect time to start brainstorming questions, planning experiments, and gathering materials. Starting early means more time to explore ideas, test results, and have fun with science. Please check out the Science Share page on our CEC website for more information and to sign up to help as a community scientist or event helper.

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