Dear Knik Families and Learning Community;
Happy New Year and welcome back to school! We hope you had a restful and joyful winter break filled with moments to recharge and spend quality time with loved ones. As we step into 2025, we are excited to build on the wonderful progress we’ve made and embark on a new chapter of learning, growth, and discovery.
This month, our focus is on reconnecting, goal-setting, and refocusing as we dive into the second half of the school year. Here are some exciting updates and key reminders to help us start the year strong:
What’s New This Month
Academic Goals: Teachers will be working with students to review and update personal learning goals in Reading and Math for the remainder of the year. These goals will empower students to reflect on their progress and strive for excellence.
January - May KINGS Focus: We are emphasizing and recognizing Kindness, Integrity, Nurturing, Growth mindset and being Safe in our classrooms and throughout our Campus for the second semester. These traits will help students develop the habits and mindsets for success in 2025.
1st Semester Academic Awards Assembly: We hope you can join us in celebrating our student’s growth and academic achievement on January 29th! Teachers will be contacting parents of students who are receiving awards. Academic Awards Schedule: 9:30 - 4th Grade, 10:15 -5th Grade, 11:00 - 3rd Grade
Typical Growth - a full year’s growth in 1st Semester
Stretch Growth - more than 1 year’s growth in 1st Semester
Principal “KINGS” Awards - Students who consistently support a positive school climate by modeling KINGS character traits.
Perfect Attendance: No tardies or absences in Quarter 2
Important Reminders
Dress for Success: Please ensure students come to school dressed warmly for outdoor recess. Jackets, hats, gloves, and boots are essential for staying comfortable during our winter weather.
Attendance Matters: With the new semester underway, consistent attendance is key. Let’s aim for a strong start to the year by ensuring students arrive on time and ready to learn each day.
Wishing all our families a healthy, prosperous and blessed new year! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions as to how we can improve our partnership with you and ensure the best learning experience for our students.
Sincerely,
Denise Gober - Knik Elementary School Principal
(907) 352-0302
“We envision a safe, dynamic, collaborative learning community where all students are engaged and motivated by their own progress, and growth is celebrated at all levels.”
Please remind your students to be charging their computers over night and on weekends when they bring them home and to bring them back to school daily. We are often short on computers and chargers to loan out from the library. If your student has checked out a loaner computer during the day, they should not be taking it home with them. If you happen to have one at home, please return it with your child as soon as possible. Please remind your students to keep their chrome books in the protective case provided to keep their computers safe from damage.
Loaner computers are checked out under the students name and ID number.
Lost or damaged computers and chargers may result in a fine.
Battle of the Books is continuing through February. The District even will take place at Colony High School on 02/06 for 3rd Grade and 02/07 for 5th Grade.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Michener
Knik Elementary School Librarian
The health office is beginning to roll through those health assessments! I am currently working on third grade. These health assessments are important to the health and well-being of our students and helps keep them in school and ready to learn! These screenings cover basic vision, hearing, height, weight, blood pressure and heart rate; and take about 10 minutes per student to complete. The State of Alaska and our Mat-Su Borough School District require these screenings for those Knik Elementary students in 3rd, 5th, and those new to district; unless directed otherwise by parents. You may always call my office to discuss your student’s screening, or for generalized questions you have for me!
I have a handful of families still missing some vital forms—exemption forms, action plans, or medication. If you are unsure if you are one of them, please reach out. If you know you are, please get them in as soon as possible! 😊 Your school nurse appreciates you.
Nurse Holly Rauchenstein, RN, BSN, NCSN
Knik Elementary School Nurse
holly.rauchenstein@matsuk12.us
907-352-0303
Good attendance is directly tied to school and life success. We want to work with you and your students to achieve regular attendance and increase their opportunity for school success. Parents are highly encouraged to take an active role in their child's attendance and to inform the school, either by phone, email or entering it into Parent Vue when your child will be absent or tardy.
If your child will be absent for multiple days, please make arrangements with your students' teacher for make up work.
Please let us know how we can best support you and your child's attendance.
Children who do not attend school will be counted absent, either excused or unexcused. Students arriving after 9:21 am are considered tardy, excused or unexcused, depending on whether there is parent communication. Students who spend less than 3.5 hours at school, regardless of the time of arrival or dismissal, are considered half - day absent. Students who are here at school for more than 3.5 hours, regardless or arrival or dismissal time are considered present for a full day.
After 3 consecutive days absent, a telephone call will be made to the parents / guardian; a written notice will be sent home after 5 days of absences. After 9 days absent, the students' absences will be considered habitual and another written notice will be mailed home.
Parents/guardians have access to GPS information for the buses associated with their students bus route. For a look at a student’s bus location, parents can go to www.matsuk12.us and click on Parents > Transportation Lookup > Where’s My Bus. This document walks you through how to access Where's My Bus with picture references.
The username and password will be the phone number that a parent/guardian used at the time of registration. Please note that GPS will not work if the route is being driven in a substitute bus. If you are having issues viewing the bus, please contact either the Pupil Transportation Department at 907-761-HELP (4357)
https://www.matsuk12.us/business-departments/transportation/transportation-overview
