Alaska Native Cultural Charter

• April
• 4/1 - MAP / AK Star Math test (grades 6-8)
• 4/2 - MAP / AK Star ELA test (grades 3-5)
• 4/3 - MAP / AK Star Math test (grades 3-5)
• 4/3 - Family Bingo Night, 5:30 pm
• 4/6 - First day of Volleyball for grades 6-8 (permission slip required)
• 4/6 - Academic Policy Committee (APC) meeting, 5:30 pm
• 4/6 - 4/17 - MAP / AK Star make-up window
• 4/8 - April Story Night, 5:15 - 6:00 pm
• 4/9 - Alaska Science Assessment (grades 5 & 8)
• 4/10 - Kindergarten Zoo Field Trip
• 4/17 - Join us at Cimiq Leadership to give input on Title I goals
• 4/20 - 4/24 - ANCCS Culture Week
• 4/24 - Culture Week Feast & First Catch Celebration
• 4/29 - 6th Grade Archery Field Trip
• May
• 5/1 - 1st Grade Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Field Trip
• 5/2 - Brick by Brick, ANCCS Annual Fundraising Gala
• 5/2 - 5/9 - 8th Grade Close Up trip to DC & NYC
• 5/6 - 4th-grade Campbell Creek Science Center field trip
• 5/15 - ANCCS Student Showcase
• 5/19 - Field Day
• 5/19 - 8th Grade Promotion
• 5/21 - Last day of school

Waqaa ANCCS families! Our students have been working hard as they showcase their growth and learning on the AK Star tests. Students in grades 3-8 started the tests in Language Arts and Math this week. Students who were not present or who haven't finished will have additional opportunities to complete the tests during their makeup window. Classes that have had 100% attendance on their testing days have won the opportunity to earn a special prize--extra recess, a cotton candy party, or even the chance to silly string the Principals!!

As we move into the second-to-last month of the school year, we have lots of learning left to do as well as lots to celebrate. Later this month, our students will work in mixed-grade groups for a week of hands-on learning during Culture Week. This is always a fun week and its exciting to see everything our students work on and learn. We encourage families to volunteer during this special week--more information below!

Join us on Wednesday, April 8, in the library for a story night! Red Coffey, Youth Services Librarian at the Muldoon Library, will be here to share a story with our ANCCS students. Join us in the library for a story, a snack, and an opportunity to check out books.

During weeks 3 & 4 of the quarter, students are considering what it means to be umyugiuq or to follow your own mind without following the qanruyutet or elders teachings.

Reflect: Ask your student what they have learned about umyugiuq and the importance of qanruyutet in order to stay on one's tumyaraq.

Connect: Has there been a time in your life when you were umyugiuq? What happened and how did you learn from this experience to get back on the correct path?

Explore: There are rules and expectations everywhere we go. From the rules of the road when driving to acceptable behavior in a movie theater, church, or restaraunt, every setting has its own procedures, do's and don'ts. Brainstorm with your child about the expectations in 1-3 settings you visit as a family. Are the rules always the same? What would it mean to be umyugiuq in each of these places? How do the rules relate to our guiding native values or to your own family's values?

Join our Cimiq Team (school leadership) on April 17 from 4:00 - 5:30 pm to give input on our ANCCS Title I goals. We value your input as we plan for next school year.

We’re excited to be preparing for ANCCS Culture Week! We would love your help to make it a success. Parent volunteers play a huge role in creating a fun, safe, and memorable experience for our students. Any amount of time you can give is greatly appreciated. If you are available to volunteer during the week of April 20, please sign up for times you can dedicate to be at our school.

Parent Volunteers will be assigned to different rooms to help our students be successful in their cultural projects. This is a great learning opportunity for not just our students but our parents as well. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Wiseman at wiseman_caroline01@asdk12.org.

All parent volunteers must have an approved ASD volunteer form on file.

Do you or someone you know have an art form, craft, or cultural practice to share with others? ANCCS is currently seeking artists to teach during our annual Culture Week (April 20 - 24). During Culture Week, we pause our regular classes and instruction to work in small, mixed-grade groups led by an ANCCS staff member and an artist / culture bearer.

We invite interested family and community members to apply or reach out to Ms. Wiseman for more information.

ANCCS Families — We Need Your Help!

Our largest fundraiser of the year, Brick by Brick, will be held Saturday, May 2, and we would love your support.

Six Ways You Can Help:

1. Donate or Solicit Auction Items

• Live Auction: Items valued at $500+

• Silent Auction: Items valued under $500

2. **Purchase Tickets at **www.friends-of-anccs.com

• Table of 8: $750

• Individual Ticket: $100

3. Sponsorships
   Help promote sponsorship opportunities among businesses and corporations:

• Yugnikekngaput (Our Friends) – $2,500 (includes table of 8)

• Cingumasteput (Our Supporters) – $5,000 (includes table of 8)

• Tumyaraliuteput (Our Trailblazers) – $10,000 (includes table of 8)

4. Dessert Dash
   We are looking for 16 beautifully displayed dessert donations for May 2.

5. Year of Dining Raffle
   Donate $100 gift certificates from local restaurants (12 total needed).

6. Like & Share the Event on Facebook
   Help us spread the word!
   https://www.facebook.com/share/1DAgbYQK7W/

Proceeds support cultural and academic enrichment at ANCCS.

📧 Let us know how you can help: friendsofanccs@gmail.com
🎟 Tickets: www.friends-of-anccs.com
🎁 Auction donations: Drop off at the school with Ms. Harrington

Questions? Contact Ms. Harrington (pick-up line) or email friendsofanccs@gmail.com.

Hey Middle School Students!

Come bump, set and spike with the first ANCCS Volleyball Club!

Mondays and Wednesdays during the month of April staring April 6th.

Open to boys and girls in grades 6, 7 and 8.

Turn in your permission form and $5.00 to Mrs. Ward quickly... only 18 player spots available!

Our ANCCS students in grades 5 & 6 will begin the Human Growth & Development lessons during health class during the weeks following culture week. Parents and guardians who wish to preview the curriculum may do so between 8:15 - 8:45 am on Tuesday, April 7, and Wednesday, April 8.

If you would not like your child to participate in the Human Growth & Development curriculum, please inform Principal Sweetsir in writing.

ASD Goal: Every student will attend school at least 90 percent of the time.

ANCCS Goal: Less than 8 is Great!

The graph below shows our ANCCS student attendance as of April 3, 2026. We are thrilled to share that over 70% of ANCCS students have regular attendance!

246 students have regular attendance (attending 90% or more of school)

78 students have at risk attendance (chronically absent, attending 80-90% of school)

17 students have severely chronically absent attendance (attending only 70-80% of school)

2 students have attended less than 70% of school days so far this year

Our goal is to grow the number of students who have regular attendance during the month of April! We also want 100% of students to attend at least 80% of school. Let's work together!

The percentage of students with regular attendance dropped from over 73% in February to 67.92% in March. There are 22 school days in April. To achieve regular attendance, your student may not miss more than 2 days this month. How can you ensure your student has regular attendance in April? How can we help? Please let your student's teacher or the front office know how we can support your student's attendance.

Your child can be entered to win a bike! Every time your child attends school 9 out of 10 days, their name is entered to be drawn at our end-of-year attendance celebration. Two lucky winners will be drawn to win a bike! Additional prizes will be awarded.

CITC is hiring parent educators to work in ANCCS classrooms! Parents of Alaska Native or American Indian K-3 students are eligible to apply. CITC will be hiring multiple parent educators to work as teacher assistants supporting our K-3 classrooms through academic and cultural activities, STEAM lessons, and Social-Emotional Learning. Parent Educators collaborate with teachers and families to strenthen the home-school connection and increase parent engagement in student success.

Part-time position (20 hours/week), $20 - $22 / hour, on-the-job training. Apply today!

citci.org/citc-jobs

April is Autism Acceptance Month, a dedicated time to move beyond mere "awareness" and foster true understanding, inclusion, and appreciation of neurodiversity. Neurodiversity is the concept that neurological differences, such as Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others, are natural variations in the human genome, not deficits to be cured. Acceptance means creating a world where autistic people are fully valued and supported, which involves making communities, schools, and workplaces more inclusive.

Pediatric Application link for Summer Speech Language Clinic

All ASD students can attend select Midnight Sun Theatre productions for free. This is an opportunity for student to experience live theater in our community.

How it works

• Visit the Midnight Sun Theatre website
• Select tickets for a show
• Use code SeniorStudent at checkout for free student tickets

Location

• UAA Fine Arts Building: 3700 Alumni Dr, Anchorage, AK 99508
• Free, well-lit parking
• Accessible entry

Upcoming shows

• Tick, Tick… Boom!
  Musical about the journey to becoming a Tony Award-winning playwright
  April 10–25 | 7 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Please encourage students to take advantage of this opportunity to engage with the arts and support local theater.

Link to learn more about this camp

Link to learn more about this camp

Our 8th-grade students showed us they were RED-y to rock the AK Star with an underground spirit week. On Friday, they dressed for the beach to celebrate a successful testing week.

ANCCS athletes represented our school with pride at various athletic events throughout the month of March. Many athletes competed at NYO events and our Bandminton team was named the 2025-2026 tournament champions while earning many sportsmanship awards. We are proud of our ANCCS student athletes!

While our older students show us what they've learned on the AK Star tests, our youngest learners are busy learning and growing. Our K-1 students played lots of hands-on math learning games. From snowkitty addition in Kindergarten to a race for points in 1st grade, math is engaging and fun and students play with number concepts.