Husky Howl

Hello Homer Huskies!

This newsletter has a lot of important information, please please take a few minutes to read it! I ask that you take a moment to please provide us with feedback! There are QR codes at the bottom of the newsletter you can use to provide feedback on me (Principal Redmond), a teacher, or our school as a whole! You can fill these out as often and whenever you want to!

Please take a few moments to follow HMS on Facebook and Instagram (@hmsalaska), as we keep these very up to date with pictures and announcements about what is happening at HMS. You can also check out our school website (https://kpbsd.org/schools/homer-middle/), although it is updated far less often. You can also join our HMS Public Google Calendar to help you keep up to date too (Google Calendar Link Click Here) As always, if you need anything at all during the school year, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can email me at mredmond@kpbsd.k12.ak.us or call the office at 907-235-5700.

-Principal Redmond

MARCH EVENTS

March 3- School board meeting in Homer @ 6PM @ HHS

March 4- Band concert @ 7 pm @ HHS

March 6- Early Release @ 2:20

March 6- End of Quarter 3- all work is due

March 7- No School (Inservice Day)

March 10-14- SPRING BREAK

March 17- school resumes and Quarter 4 starts

March 20- Quarter 3 report cards get emailed home

March 24- track practice starts (make sure your paperwork and fee is turned in!)

March 24-28- AKSTAR Testing Week (see below for more details)

March 25- Site Council meeting 4 PM

March 26- High School coaches visiting with 8th graders during advisory

March 28- Activity Night 6-8 pm

I hope you will be able to attend the school board meeting today (March 3) in Homer. I want to share

Proposed Cuts to HMS

Alaska is facing some challenging times ahead, including significant cuts to education. The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD) is considering reductions of up to $17 million. More details will emerge following the school board meeting today. The good news is that this important meeting will be held at Homer High School in the theater at 6:00 PM. We encourage you to attend and become educated on the priorities for both education and budget decisions. You can access the full list of district-wide cuts that are being considered here... https://go.boarddocs.com/ak/kpbsd/Board.nsf/files/DEB2YK0477EC/$file/REVISED%20FY26%20Budget%20Reduction%20Scenarios.pdf

Potential Cuts at HMS If All Proposed Reductions Are Approved:

• Middle School reading Certified Salaries/Benefit elimination (1.0 position reduction for HMS)
• Programmatic Staffing Salaries/Benefits reduction by 50% (.5 position reduction for HMS)
• Quest certified Salaries/Benefits elimination (.5 position reduction for HMS)
• Middle School PTR increase to 1:27 +2 (no change to our staffing)
• Secretary work days cut to 199 days
• Special education aide workdays cut by 5 days
• School sites supplies reduced by 10%
• Extra-Curricular transfer elimination (for HMS this is about $5,000 we get to help pay for sports bussing)

Our first Career Talk Wednesday was a great success! We have the rest of the year scheduled out as well! Take a look and encourage your child to sign up to attend.

February 26th- Lauren Isenhour- general contractor

March 5th- Mike Booz ADFG- Sport Fish Area Manager

March 12th- spring break

March 19th- Lindsay Wolter- lawyer

March 26th- HS coach 8th grade meeting

April 2nd- Ryan Browning- HPD

April 9th- Megan Corazza- Commercial fishing

April 16th- Rachel Lord- Homer Mayor

April 23rd- Dr. Adamson- Dentist

April 30th- Cinda Nofziger Homer Library

May 7th- Jillian Rogers- Animal Control Officer

May 14th- Hannah Gustafson- nonprofit consulting

We will be participating in the AKSTAR (7th and 8th graders) and Alaska Science (8th graders only) assessments the week of March 24-28, 2025.

The Alaska state assessment (AKSTAR) is unique in that it actually provides us with two data points within one assessment. We get to see how students are performing compared to the Alaska grade level standards AND we get to see how students are performing compared to how their peers across the nation are performing.

Along with testing, we have some fun activities planned for this week. We will have spirit dress up days every day, some fun games and competitions, and we will have an activity night on Friday, March 28th as a reward and celebration of all the hard work students and staff will be doing. We will be holding raffles daily for free admission to activity night!

A few important things to note…

• Phones and smart watches are not allowed in the testing sessions. Students are required to either leave them in their lockers or turn them into the teacher during the testing sessions, without exception. Please help us prepare your child for this expectation.

• Help your child get a good night’s rest each night. A healthy breakfast also helps students perform better on assessments.

• Do not schedule any appointments or travel that will interfere with the testing schedule (see back). Students always perform their best when they test during the planned session as compared to having to complete tests during the make-up sessions.

This assessment is the way our school is held accountable for student learning to the state of Alaska and to our families. Year after year, I am so proud of the impressively high assessment participation rate of our school (97.5% last year!). This ensures the data from this assessment is reflective of our students and is usable by our teachers for guiding their classroom instruction. While we encourage all students to participate, parents always have the option of opting their child out of any standardized testing. If you would like to find out more about how to opt your child out of the AKSTAR and Alaska Science Assessments, please contact Mrs. Redmond by phone (907.235.5701) as soon as possible.

Please contact me if you have any questions at all!

Make sure to dress up to participate!

Monday March 24- Backwards Day

Tuesday March 25- Sports Day

Wednesday March 26- Disney Day

Thursday March 27- Teachers Dress Like Students and Students Dress Like Teachers

Friday March 28- 90s Day

Track practice starts Monday, March 24! Students must have their permission packet and $60 fee turned in before they can attend practice. We are still looking for one more assistant coach if you are interested!

Track Schedule https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kmgGpU5BkCbPUeh4Vt97pRVNVhEaKzc09B8R8VMCJKw/edit?tab=t.0

If parents or students have any photos they want to be considered for the yearbook such as; sports, activity night/dances, concerts, etc. they can email me at harmony.davidson1@g.kpbsd.org or use the QR code to the left.

You can purchase your yearbook now by using the QR code to the right.

Fill out the form at this link to give a staff member a shout out in our next newsletter! You must enter your name and email to complete the form, but when shout outs are included in the newsletter, they will be anonymous.

https://forms.gle/FnSrYzRN1LrXjTHu8

Ms. Andrea-Andrea radiates warmth and kindness, whether it be in-person, on the phone, or even an email. Thank you!

Mrs. Redmond-I truly appreciate Principal Redmond's stellar parent-communication. I always feel very informed with plenty of notice about upcoming events and any concerns or issues happening at the school.

I would like everyone to take a moment to review the HMS electronic device policy before returning to school. A specific issue we are currently having is students texting from the restrooms. To help us curb this issue, I ask that if you receive a text during school hours you either ignore it or tell the student to go to the office and call you. I do appreciate your help with this....If you have any questions or concerns please just reach out and let us know.

Here is the exact policy from our handbook....

The use of electronic devices, such as cell phones, bluetooth headphones, smart watches, etc., not provided by the school for student use, is not allowed in school by students. If students bring these items to school, they must turn them off when entering the building and leave them off and out of sight until the last bell rings. The school is limited in resources and will not assist in searching for lost electronics. The only exception to this rule is if a teacher gives permission for a student to use a device for a specific activity in class.

• All students are warned of this rule explicitly at the beginning of the school year.
• 1st offense- Device is taken away and given to the office. Student may get device back at the end of the school day.
• 2nd offense (and each offense thereafter)- Device is taken away and given to the office. A parent or guardian will be called and the parent/guardian or designee must pick up the device.

All students (new and returning) are required to have registration paperwork completed every school year. You can complete your child's paperwork at this link https://forms.kpbsd.org/. If your child is a returning student, nothing is required to be completed in person. If your child is a new student, you will need to drop off a copy of their birth certificate and physical form.

There is also a $25 band/choir fee and a $10 art fee for each student. If you have not paid these fees yet you may do so by sending cash/check to school or logging into PowerSchool to pay online with a credit card.

Regular attendance at school is a vital part of student success. Parents/guardians are expected to call or email the school by 9:30 am whenever their child will be absent.

Phone Number: 907-235-5700

Email: tshafer@kpbsd.k12.ak.us

• Excused Absence- a parent has notified the school that their child is or will be absent from school.
• Unexcused Absence- a parent has not notified the school that their child is or will be absent from school.
• A student is considered absent from a class period once they are 15 minutes late.

When a student will be absent from school for 5 consecutive days or more, a prearranged absence form must be completed and submitted to the office in advance of the absence. The student is expected to be responsible for completing this form and following up with his or her teachers about missing work once he or she is back from the absence.

If a student will be absent more than 10 consecutive days, the parent is required to meet with the principal to discuss the absence and determine next steps.

If you need info about bussing, please contact Apple Bus at 907.235.0124.

Students are required to have a bus note if they need to get off the bus at a different stop than usual. Parents/guardians must do the following by 2:00 PM to request a bus note for their child.

• Step 1: Call First Student at 907-235-0124 to find out the bus number and bus stop name you are requesting for the bus pass. You also need to verify that there will be space on the bus for the bus pass to be accepted by the driver.

• Step 2: Call or email the HMS secretary before 2 PM to request the bus pass and provide all info needed. (bus number, stop name, destination contact name and phone number, dates for pass).

See our full student handbook here. A reminder that the signature page must be turned in to the office for a student to be permitted to attend the dance. https://kpbsd.org/schools/homer-middle/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/05/Homer-Middle-School-Handbook-2024-2025.docx-3.pdf

Have you updated your registration for this year yet? If not please do so here https://forms.kpbsd.org/guardian/login?returnUrl=%2Fguardian .

Add funds to your child's lunch account here https://kpbsd.revtrak.net/

Check your child's grades and see if you still owe any course fees in PowerSchool here https://kpbsd.org/students-parents/powerschool/

Are you interested in volunteering at Homer Middle School? Complete the KPBSD volunteer application at this link https://kpbsd.org/departments/assistant-superintendent/instructional-services/hr/volunteer/. Once you are approved, reach out to the office and we can find a way for you to help!

Please take the time to complete the surveys below. They can be filled out at any point in the year and as many times as you would like! We value your compliments and constructive feedback!

• Morning tutoring- 8:00-8:30 am every day in the library

• Morning library- 8:30-8:50 am every day the library is open for work time

• Enrichment- set up a time to meet with a teacher in advance

• Enrichment- the library is open every day to work on class work

• Advisory- most Tuesdays will be study hall. Study hall time may be available other days in advisory as well.

• After school tutoring- Mondays and Wednesdays 3:50-5:00 in Ms. Booz or Mr. Olson's classroom.

• Work on school work when I am at home!