Alaska Native Cultural Charter

January

January 12 - Alaska Reads Act Individualized Reading Plan letters sent home with students

January 14 - ANCCS Story Night, 5:15 - 6:00 pm

January 19 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

January 22 - ANCCS Spelling Bee

January 22 - ANCCS Family Night, 5:30 - 7:00 pm

February

2/1 - Online Lottery Opens for NEW to ANCCS K-8 students
2/2- 2/13 - ACCESS Testing for ELL students
2/16 - Elizabeth Peratrovich Day - NO SCHOOL
2/19 & 2/20 - ANCCS Spring Intensives
2/23 - School Climate & Connectedness Survey open
2/25 - Full School Day (other ASD schools have a half day)
2/26 - NO SCHOOL for parent/teacher conferences (other ASD schools have a half day)
2/27 - NO SCHOOL - Staff professional development day

March

3/5 - Last school day of Quarter 3
3/6 - Quarter 3 Grading Day - NO SCHOOL
3/8 - 3/13 - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
3/16 - Classes resume for Quarter 4
3/23 - MAP / AK Star Testing opens (grades 3 - 8)
3/26 - ANCCS Family Night, 5:00 - 7:30 pm

Happy new year! We are excited to be back in the building with students as we start off 2026. It has been a great first 3 days back to school. The start of a new year offers a fresh beginning for our students—an opportunity to refocus, set new goals, and re-engage with learning. There is still so much growth and discovery ahead, with many exciting lessons, projects, and milestones for our learners before the end of the school year.

Some important dates in January: 21st Century After School begins again on January 12. The Spelling Bee will be on January 22 for classroom champions to compete against each other. Basketball continues through mid-February with practice on Tuesdays and games on Fridays--please contact Coach Akagi with questions regarding the schedule. JNYO and NYO permission slips went home with students last week. Finally, please join us for our Family Night on January 22 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm!

During these first two weeks of quarter 3, students have been discussing kenkiyaraq, or ways of showing love.

Reflect: Ask your student what they have learned about kenkiyaraq at school.

Connect: Share stories with your student about ways you show love to your self, your family, and your community. Is there a particularly memorable time you remember feeling loved as a small child? Who showed you love and how?

Explore: With your student, make a plan to show love to someone in your lives or community. What will that look like, sound like, and feel like?

School opens at 8:15 am for breakfast. Our doors open at 8:15 am for students who want breakfast. Prior to 8:15 am, students may not enter the building unless they are here for a prearranged activity such as Migrant Ed tutoring, Yugtun Choir, or Battle of the Books. Students should remain in their vehicle and with their guardian until staff are on duty and the doors open at 8:15 am.

Yuuyaraq Gathering at 8:45 am. We begin our day with an all-school gathering in the MPR in order to share announcements and reflect on the Yup'ik word of the week and Elder wisdom. Parents are welcome to attend Yuuyaraq Gathering (please check in at the front office), but may not go beyond the MPR or visit classrooms without prior arrangements with the teacher.

School Starts at 9:00 am. The academic school day begins at 9:00. Students arriving after 9:00 am will be marked as tardy.

Dismissal at 3:30 pm. School ends at 3:30 pm. Students may be picked up in the car line or families can sign them up to be released as walkers. The car line may take a couple extra minutes in this winter weather as students must walk carefully on the ice and we do not want students standing out in the cold for too long. Dismissal is a very busy time in the office. It is quicker to wait in the car line and have your student dismissed through our regular dismissal process than it is to come into the office and have your student called down.

We value your partnership in supporting your student's success. As we begin semester 2, we want to ensure you know what to expect with regard to family communication.

* Schoolwide Newsletter - A newsletter like this one is sent out monthly via email. Newsletters also are posted on our website. The schoolwide newsletter provides general information about the school calendar, events, and schoolwide initiatives.

* Classroom Newsletter - Classroom teachers send out a classroom newsletter with information on upcoming events, field trips, and updates on what students are learning in class.

* Phone Calls and Emails - ANCCS staff reach out to families via phone and email. You will hear from your student's teacher at least quarterly. Some staff use Remind to send quick updates, group announcements, and one-on-one messages.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to reach out to their student's teacher and/or the office if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns.

AK Reads Act Individualized Reading Intervention Plan Notification

Kindergarten through third grade is the critical window to developing strong reading skills to be successful in school. In Alaska, all students in grades K-3 are administered an approved literacy screening assessment three times a year. Educators review the results of the screener to identify areas of strength and areas of need for each student.

Letters will be sent home with K-3 students on January 12 if they have been identified as needing additional support in reading based on the reading screener performed in December. If you have any questions about the letter or your student's progress, please contact your student's teacher.

Keeping track of your student's grades and assignments is a great way to monitor their progress and learning. Parents and guardians are encouraged to monitor their student's grades and missing work on Q/Parent Connection.

ASD Lottery opens February 1! Please share with any friends or neighbors who may be interested in ANCCS for their child.

Families interested in joining ANCCS need to apply through the ASD lottery--this includes current ANCCS preschool students who wish to return to ANCCS for Kindergarten and beyond as preschool is run through its own enrollment process. Current ANCCS K-8 students do not need to reapply through the lottery. The District utilizes a randomized lottery system to provide equal opportunity for all students who would like to participate in alternative schools or programs other than their child's neighborhood school.

Please visit the ASD Lottery Website for more information about the lottery or call the office at (907) 742-1370.

For K-8 students NEW to ANCCS (including current preschool students):

Spring lottery opens for parents on February 1, 2026 for the 2026-2027 school year
Spring lottery closes for applications on March 19, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Spring lottery runs March 26, 2026
Parent notifications released March 27, 2026 at 4:00 pm

For new preschool students:

Families interested in ANCCS preschool for 2025-2026 will need to apply through the preschool department. The application will be posted in February.

Dear ANCCS:

From February 2 to February 13, our English language learners in grades K through 12 will

take the ACCESS for ELLs which is given once a year. ACCESS stands for Assessing

Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English language

learners. The tests adjust to the student’s level of language acquisition and will be given

over a two day period during the 2 week testing window.

The reason for this letter is to help you understand the test. It will also give you a few ideas

for helping your child to do his/her best on this test. Students will be tested for academic

English language proficiency with a focus on speaking, listening, reading and writing. The

ACCESS test is an important test. It provides useful information about your child’s progress

in learning English. The test helps both parents and schools see how well we are helping

students meet standards in learning academic English.

The most important thing that you can do for your child during testing is make sure that

he/she comes to school on the days they have tests. Making up a missed test means time

out of class and losing important learning time that cannot be made up. In addition to

attendance, your child will do his/her best on the tests if they:

o take the tests seriously and give his or her best effort,

o get to bed early the night before to be well-rested on the day of the test,

o have a good breakfast on the morning of the test,

o come to school on time.

This testing is very important for your child, Wonder Park, and the Anchorage School

District. Thank you for supporting your child and our school during this test. Please call if

you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Pamela Dupras

ELL Resource Teacher

Alaska Native Cultural Charter School

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

ANCCS Goal: Less than 8 is Great!

While our attendance took a dip in November, the dedication of our students and families really shows in our attendance rate growth in December! 71.31% of ANCCS students had regular attendance during the month of December, meaning they attended at least 90% of school days in December. Let's keep up this growth and commit to school attendance in 2026!

The below graph shows the percentage of ANCCS students who attend 90% or more of school this year as compared to the previous 3 years. Our December attendance rate has been improving year after year. We had more students maintain regular attendance this December than in the previous 3 years. Quyana for supporting your student's attendance and participation in school.

With the cold and snow, it is essential that your child come to school with full winter gear. Our students go out for recess every day as long as it is above -10 degrees. K-5 students have a full 30 minutes of recess and 6-8 students are outside for 10-20 minutes.

Please ensure your student has a warm coat, snow pants, boots, a hat, and mittens every day. While the nurse and classroom teachers have a limited amount of gear available to borrow, we do not always have enough or the correct size for every student. If your student is in need of gear, please let your student's teacher know.