The Priority Standards Committee has drafted a priority standards and pacing guide for English Language Arts.  The guides are additional tools you can use to inform your instruction for the school year.

K-10 Priority Standards and Pacing Guides for ELA – 2014

Fed Programs Flow Chart is being provided as an awareness of the “who does what” for Federal Programs, and to visualize the overlap that occurs. This team can provide support, or direct you to the correct support, for any of the activities listed on the page.

The mission of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Federal Programs Department is to provide quality, timely, and collaborative academic support to enhance the success of targeted students, schools and parents in an ethical manner and in compliance with KPBSD policies, federal regulations and state statutes.

Dollar figures are provided for the Federal funding sources. This should reinforce the importance of school staff efforts to have students/parents complete paperwork. The funds listed are generated through the completion of qualifying forms of students and families. These are federal dollars available to supplement district efforts to support qualifying students because a couple of forms were completed.

Funds are allocated to schools through prioritizing academic need according to specifics of the individual funding sources. KPBSD Federal funds are used in a variety of ways and a few are:

•  10—Pre-K programs
• Supplemental Teachers, Interventionists, & Tutors
• Intervention Supplies and Materials
• Professional Development
• Family/Parent Involvement Activities
• Extended School (before or after school tutoring)
• Incorporating Native Culture and Language
• Provide Native Youth Leadership opportunities
• Support of Homeless students
• Supports of incarcerated students
• Support of Migrant students
• Support of students who’s primary language is not English

Please help us maximize the Federal dollars the KPBSD receives. For more information, visit the district’s webpage http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/departments.aspx?id=44.

-New Secretary: As mentioned by Mr. Dusek, my former secretary Natalie Bates is now working as the Asst. Superintendents secretary.  My new Administrative Asst./Secretary is Tiffany Eck (extension #8884)

-Digital learning Grant: KPBSD applied for and received a three year (3) roughly $821,000.00 grant entitled, the “Kenai Quality Blended Learning Initiative.”  We will be recruiting a cohort of 12 teachers each the next three years (total of 36) who are interested in learning how to create blended learning environments within their classrooms and beyond the classroom walls.  The grant covers some infrastructure upgrades, professional development, and is intended to eventually increase blended teaching/learning capacity throughout the district.

–KPC JumpStart now includes Juniors:  Additional focus on counseling will need to occur for those Juniors who wish to take advantage of college courses available to them.  We want to encourage as many students as possible who are ready for “early college” opportunities but ensure proper screening so we do not set some students up for failure. We will be working with counselors early this year on this message.

–Advanced Placement: The new School Board Policy is now  live that requires AP students to take the exam in order for the bump in GPA to occur.  Please make sure your AP instructors include this information in their course syllabi and PowerSchool course info. and at every opportunity they get to communicate with students and parents.  Weighting of gpa will not be occur until after verification of having taken the exam.  You may waive the fee through your fee waiver process if there is a financial hardship.  You will need to consider an alternative  funding source to cover the fee.

-Weighted Grades: Additional quality points will be assigned for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) courses for the purpose of calculating grade point average (GPA). For each passing semester grade in an Advanced Placement course, 0.021 will be added to the student’s cumulative GPA. Effective for SY 2015, in order to receive a weighted grade, students must also complete the National Advanced Placement course examination.

-SST/Cross fit training: Be aware that you PE staff is likely enrolled in the August 13^th PE training for SST/Cross fit and will not be attending the Opening Regional In-service.  Melissa is going to ensure that they attend the evaluation training by Sean and that there is an AVATAR component for the Opening Address by Dr. Atwater and Mr. Arness.  You will need to ensure they complete the remainder of trainings you have scheduled for that day at another time.

-Challenge Tests:  New State regulation allows high school students to receive high school credit by requesting and passing a “challenge test” for Lang. Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, and World Language courses.  We do not have these ready yet and will need to revise our current school board policy on challenging tests.  Please refer any inquires you may receive on this matter to my office.

-Activity Travel:  Please see Admin. Directors folder for my previous communication on this issue.  Changes have been made.

• Avatar’s name has changed to Generation Ready.  The link remains the same:  https://kenai.avatarlms.com/login.htm
• Check out the 2014-15 Course Catalog
• All certified staff must complete Gender Equity training through elearning http://education.alaska.gov/elearning/.  Remember that elearning accounts are archived after 12 months of inactivity All returning teachers will have to reactive their accounts by emailing elearning@alaska.gov. The account should become active again in 24 hours, however my contact number is 907-465-2304 to follow-up.

Contact Michelle Thomason with any questions.