West Homer Elementary

There are so many wonderful things happening at West Homer as we launch into the 3rd quarter. Excited events, activities, field trips, student-led parent teacher conferences, art enrichment in additions to core instruction to name a few. We experimented this quarter with having all students set goals based on changing a small habit. This idea is based off of James Clear's concept of Atomic Habits and rests on the premise that a small habit over time can have a huge impact. Ask your child what habit they are trying to form this year and how they feel they are doing at it. Take a look below and start planning your February calendar! Hope you will join us for some of the upcoming events.

Wonderful to see her important work honored at the State level. She will officially receive the award on February 7th in Anchorage.

Ms. Hargraves joins us as a half time instructional aide in the mornings where she will be working with students and families to address learning loss through improving attendance. She is the one that will be contacting you if your child is absent and we have not heard from you. She can also assist you by gathering work from classroom teachers in the event that your child has to be out so they don't fall behind in their studies.

If you know your child will be absent ahead of time, please call the office and she can assist you with the pre-approved absence form and pick up materials and assignments from the school.

These are student-led conferences, so please bring your child along as they have many things to share with you about their progress.

• Drama Club-Mondays
• Chess Club-Tuesdays
• Cross Country Skiing-Wednesdays and Fridays
• Japanese Club - Fridays

Inquire in the office about forms and availability.

We are excited to have Homer based Deland Anderson as our artist for our Artist in the Schools program from February 20 – March 3! You can learn more about Deland here: https://artists.ca/anderson/. Each class will have a total of five(5) 40 – 45-minute art sessions with Leland over a two-week period exploring his "dit dot" style of painting. The theme for the residency is “the spirit of the Orca.”

Come join us for a night of trivia competition for fun prizes. This event is put on by the 6th grade and is a fundraiser to support their field trips.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District requests input from staff, parents, and community members at the districtwide KPBSD budget meetings scheduled at the following times:

• Homer Community – Tuesday, February 14, 2023 @ 6:00pm Homer High Library
• Central Peninsula Community – Wednesday, February 15, 2023 @ 6:00pm KCHS Library
• Seward Community – Wednesday, February 22, 2023, @ 6:00pm Seward High Library

The February 15th meeting will also be a Zoom Meeting. The link will be posted on the KPBSD Events Calendar.

Additional information and the number to call in with questions will be posted on the Events Calendar on the KPBSD website. As new budget information becomes available, it will also be posted on the Finance page. If you have questions, please call Natalie Bates at (907) 714-8888.

Feb. 10 - Early Release

Feb. 14- Valentine's Day

Feb. 15- Talent Show Auditions

Feb. 16 & 17 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - No School

There is so much going on this month. February is Heart Health Month. The American Heart Association has put together a nifty handout that lists “Life’s Simple 8”-eight steps you can take to improve your health. The AHA is also fighting against manufacturers of e-cigarettes and their misleading advertsing to entice youth to use their product. For more information, the American Heart Association’s website is heart.org.

We have many local resources to help with the simple 8 goals.

-SVT’s Thriving Thursdays program-their number is 226-2228 if you would like more information.

-Homer’s Parks and Recreation program has a variety of fun ways to keep active throughout the year-their website is cityofhomer-ak.gov/recreation.

-The SPARC has a variety of ways to help keep active. Their website is sparchomer.org.

- Skiing lessons have started at The Kachemak Nordic Ski Club but it is not too late to get started. Their website is kachemaknordicskiclub.org.

The Bay Club, the Kachemak Bay Running Club, Katie Kuhns Aquatic Center, The Kevin Bell ice Rink, Yoga, Zumba, cardio dance, pickleball-LOTS of ways to be active. Check out Cycle Logical for fat tire bike rentals and expeditions. Homer Saw and Cycle for renting fat tire bikes, bicycles, snow shoes, and skis.

The list really goes on and on and I know I missed places. We are very fortunate in Homer to have so many opportunities to be active. And don’t forget the beach!

Here at school, wrestling is going strong. Cross country skiing started 1/25/2023 and goes until March 8. Girls on the Run (for 3rd-5th grade girls) will be starting the end of February. For the exercising the mind, we have chess and Japanese.

There are a variety of illnesses in the community and it is not too late to get vaccinated.

To help prevent illness, wash your hands frequently, try to get lots of rest and eat right. Oh, and avoid sick people! If your child has diarrhea, vomiting, productive cough, and/or a fever, they need to stay home from school to rest and heal. I am also reminding families to continue weekly head checks for lice.

If you have any questions, you can contact me at 907-226-1232, lpeek@kpbsd.k12.ak.us or stop by my office. I work 7:30-3:30.

Eric Waltenbaugh - Principal - EWaltenbaugh@kpbsd.k12.ak.us

Laura Peek - Nurse - LPeek@kpbsd.k12.ak.us

Tiffany Mayasich - Secretary - tmayasich@kpbsd.k12.ak.us

Email: EWaltenbaugh@kpbsd.k12.ak.us
Website: https://kpbsd.org/schools/west-homer-elementary/
Location: 995 Soundview Avenue, Homer, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 226-1200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestHomerElementary