Winter is Here!
AK REACH Academy
Whether it's cloudy, snowy, or sunny...
Winter is packed with engaging topics to explore! From weather patterns and animal migrations to the winter solstice, these chilly subjects bring excitement to the season. Settle in with this cozy newsletter full of fun resources for winter-themed learning! 🧦
End of Semester 1: December 20th
Grades, progress reports, and one work sample for each subject on your child's Individual Learning Plan are due by Friday, December 20th. Please submit these items via email to reach@agsd.us, drop them off in the office, or submit them through our website under the "More" tab. Printable or online quarterly reports are available on the REACH website under the Quarterly Reports tab.
https://reach3.wixsite.com/akreach
Acellus courses labeled 24/25 should be 50% completed by December 20th. Acellus S1 and S2 labeled courses should be 100% completed by December 20th.
As the holiday season approaches, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt appreciation for your continued support and involvement throughout the year. This time of year is a special opportunity to reflect, recharge, and celebrate with loved ones.
Holiday Break Reminder:
Our school will be closed for the holiday break from December 23rd to January 3rd. We will resume on January 7. We hope this break provides your family with time to relax, create wonderful memories, and enjoy the spirit of the season.
A Few Helpful Reminders:
- Important Dates: Please mark your calendars for upcoming events and school activities in the new year. You can find the district calendar below.
- School Reopening: Our first day back after break will be January 7. Please ensure students are ready to continue their great work!
We also want to remind everyone that our school community is here to support each other, and we’re grateful for the kindness and resilience shown by our students and families throughout this year.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a bright New Year ahead! We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2025!
Important Dates
November 28-29: Thanksgiving Holiday - No School
December 20: End of Semester 1, grade reports & work samples due
December 23- January 3: Christmas Break - No School
January 6: Work Day - No School
February 6-7: Inservice - No School
March 14: End of Quarter 3, grade reports & work samples due
March 17-21: Spring Break - No School
May 16: End of Semester 2, grade reports & work samples due
May 22: School Closes
Please review the District calendar and REACH Handbook at the bottom of the newsletter for important dates and information.
DATES TO REMEMBER From the REACH Handbook (REACH will use adopted AGSD District wide calendar)
December 20 - Semester 1 Ends. 2nd Quarter Grades, reports, and work samples are due
January 15th - Requests or Reimbursements due for Curriculum of Semester 2
January 31st - Reimbursement deadline for Semester 1
February 14th - Deadline for ILP changes for Semester 2
March 14th - End of 3rd Quarter. Grades, reports, and work samples are due
May 16th - 4th Quarter Grades, reports, and work samples are due. Reimbursements deadline for Semester 2. Semester 2 Ends
🌨️ “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'” - Lewis Carroll
Winter MAP Testing Dates
Winter MAP Testing dates December 3, 4, & 5. Please contact the office if you are interested in having your child/children participate.
🧣 Learning About the Season
What Makes Winter, Winter?
- Here's a post from National Geographic that explains what a season is, and describes seasons in different parts of the world. It's a resource for 6th - 12th.
- From Education World, a great list of winter-themed resources, across all subjects and ages (and it's not too overwhelming!)
- Here's a really cool list of science experiments for winter. No cold and snow where you are? No worries. A freezer will suffice :)
🥶 Exploring Hibernation 🧦
Acellus
Eligibility
Eligibility to participate in AGSD sports for Semester 2 will be determined by grades and course performance during Semester 1.
Acellus Parent Login
To monitor your child’s course progress and ensure they stay on track for completion, create an Acellus Parent login at https://signin.acellus.com/sign-in/gold-key
Acellus Timeline
We have put together a timeline for Acellus students so you may monitor their progress and know where they need to be in order to complete their semester requirements in time. The percentages are expected as a minimum at the end of each week, and are as follows: (this does not mean you can’t go beyond - do as much as you would like). One semester courses are labeled as S1 for semester 1 or S2 for semester 2. Full year courses are labeled 24/25.
For semester 1 (S1) classes
Week ending November 30 - at least 90%
Week ending December 7 - at least 96%
Week ending December 14 - at least 100%
Week ending December 20 - at least 100% - End of Semester 1, grade reports & work samples due
Week ending December 28 - Christmas Break
Week ending January 4 - End of Christmas Break
For full year (24/25) classes
Week ending November 30 - at least 45%
Week ending December 7 - at least 48%
Week ending December 14 - at least 51%
Week ending December 20 - at least 51% - End of Semester 1, grade reports & work samples due
Week ending December 28 - Christmas Break
Week ending January 4 - End of Christmas Break
Week ending January 11- at least 54%
Week ending January 18 - at least 57%
Week ending January 25 - at least 60%
Week ending February 1 - at least 63%
Week ending February 8- at least 66%
Week ending February 15 - at least 69%
Week ending February 22 - at least 72%
Week ending March 1 - at least 75%
Week ending March 8 - at least 78%
Week ending March 14 - at least 80% - End of Quarter 3, grade reports & work samples due
Week ending March 22 - Spring Break
Week ending March 29 - at least 83%
Week ending April 5 - at least 86%
Week ending April 12- at least 89%
Week ending April 19 - at least 92%
Week ending April 26 - at least 95%
Week ending May 3 - at least 98%
Week ending May 10 - at least 100%
Week ending May 16 - End of Semester 2, grade reports & work samples due - all courses need to be 100% complete.
Week ending May 22 - End of School Year - School Closes
Remember that these are set as guides to help you be successful. There may be weeks you do more or less - just remember that you need to be 100% by the end of semester 1 for 1 semester classes or 50% by the end of semester 1 for full year classes.
Thanks to everyone for all your efforts and keep up the hard work. Please let us know if you have any questions.
REACH Office Hours
Monday: 8am- 4pm
Tuesday: 8am- 4pm
Wednesday: 8am- 4pm
Thursday: 8am- 12pm
REACH Office Phone 907-883-2591
Please email nnorthway@agsd.us outside of office hours
REACH Library Times for Book Check-Outs
The Tok School Librarians available times for REACH students to check out books
Mondays & Tuesdays: 12:30-3:30
Wednesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays: 2:30-3:30
Don't forget to thank the Tok School Librarian, Marlene Griffith, when you visit her!
REACH Student Study Support in the REACH Academy Office by appointment
Academic support provides students with additional help. REACH will be offering academic support times by appointment only on
Monday's from 1pm - 3pm
Wednesday's from 1pm - 3pm
Students must be accompanied by their parent/guardian during these study support times. Email nnorthway@agsd.us or call 907-883-2591 to schedule
REACH Resource Center!
Don’t forget to make the most of our resource center! We offer a variety of manipulatives, learning activities, games, and materials designed to support you in helping your students succeed.
Check back often to see our latest additions. We’re always updating and improving, so stop by and explore what’s new!
https://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/index.php
Library name is AK REACH Academy. No password is required to view the REACH Resource Center online.
REACH Resource Center Survey
Please complete this brief survey to help us make our resource center the best that it can be!
REACH Facebook Page
SMS Text Opt-In for SchoolMessenger
🗣 We value your feedback ✍🏽
AK REACH Academy wants to know what you think about your school. This brief survey has been designed to help us improve learning and working environments for students, families and staff. Please take this brief survey to provide your candid opinions about academics, resources, and the program. Your answers are confidential and anonymous.
UAF
Tok School Events
12/10/24 Performing Arts Night/showcase 5-7pm MPR room
High School Wrestling (subject to changes)
12/6 - 12/7: Scott Johnson Memorial (Tok)
12/13 - 12/14: Regionals @ Hutch (Fairbanks)
12/20 - 12/21: Alaska State Wrestling (Anchorage)
High School Basketball (subject to changes)
12/4: First Practice
12/19: Tok @ Reddington
1/2 - 1/4: Tok @ Northway Tournament
1/10 - 1/11: Tok @ Cordova (Conference Games)
1/14: Tok @ Delta
1/24: Effie @ Tok (Conference Game)
1/25: Nenana @ Tok (Conference Game)
1/28: Tok @ Glennallen (Conference Game)
2/6 - 2/8: Tok @ Richard Fraser Tournament
2/13 - 2/15: Tok @ Ninilchik Tournament
2/21: Tok @ Effie
2/22: Tok @ Nenana
2/25: Tok @ Glennallen
3/8: Last regular season contest
Essay Grading - A Manageable and Amicable Way by Ruth Tennis
Evaluating essays can pose challenges for parents. For multiple reasons, we can become discouraged and challenged with responding effectively to student writing. What should be “good” for student and parent instead becomes “the bad and the ugly.” Don’t pull out the white flag (or a grading service or AI, for that matter)! Evaluating your student’s writing and encouraging them in this process is important, doable, and can provide wonderful results.
Establish writing goals. Students sometimes have difficulty seeing the value of an essay assignment. Then the questions begin: “What’s the point? Why are you making me do this?” And then, perhaps, disputes begin. Remember the ultimate goals for essay assignments: creating order out of information, becoming a better thinker and a better communicator, and practicing the art and craft of writing—to name a few. Sharing these reasons with your student may help, but most likely not until they’re 25 and they say to you, “I’m glad you made me write essays every week.” Or maybe not. Either way, putting their thoughts to paper in effective ways will generate invaluable rewards.
Make the assignment real. Find ways to make an assignment more practical and authentic. One approach we used significantly improved results. For each writing assignment, students jot down the audience and the purpose. For example, the audience of a persuasive paragraph could be, “My friends at co-op.” The purpose? “To convince them to attend my upcoming concert.” Audience and purpose will shape their writing, influencing the paragraph style, the word choice, the arguments made, etc. Now, what if the student changes the audience to “Grandma”? The entire paragraph will change. Assigning an audience and a purpose—and perhaps even sending the finished product to that audience—can help students engage with and understand the purpose for all the hard work that writing requires.
React in phases. Particularly in the early stages of your student’s writing development, guide your student through. Don’t wait until your student’s done all the writing and is “finished.” Check in with your student during the pre-writing (idea gathering), the drafting, the revising, and the finalizing stages. Help your student see that every writer works through all these stages. Talk out ideas with your student. Ask questions. Help them think through their points.
Guide with a rubric. Use a grading rubric. For each key skill evaluated, create a point system or a satisfactory/unsatisfactory category. Rubrics clarify your expectations and your assessment, help students identify their strengths and areas for improvement, and make improvement an identifiable task. Many rubrics are available online for free and can be tailored to meet your needs.
Give up on gruesome grammar. This tends to be a real sticking point. Soon, errors are all you can see. To quote a friend, “Keep the main thing the main thing.” Bad grammar can impede a message, but the message is the main thing. Here are a couple evaluating tips to help you and your student keep the focus on ideas instead.
• Don’t correct every grammar error your student makes. Instead, identify overarching problems. If there are lots of different types of errors, make a couple top priority. Model correcting as you work alongside your student, asking for their input on corrections. You may find it helpful to step aside and review a grammar skill and then return to the essay.
• Know what grammar your student is not familiar with. Mark the first time or two an error shows a grammar skill your student is unfamiliar with. I like to draw a line (NOT in red) to the side and say “fragment,” for example. If you see repeated fragment errors throughout, try writing, “Please check for and fix the rest of the fragments in this essay.”
These are a few ways to diminish essay writing and grading stress. Establishing goals, abilities, and an action plan can also enable them to take the lead. Contact us for more ideas! ~ Ruth