“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” -Oscar Wilde
A Note From Clare
Dear Families,
February is here and we are on to days with more light! This past Friday, Chugach had an outstanding Winter Carnival. It was an absolute pleasure to gather again and experience community in a safe and festive way. Thank you to all the parents that worked together to pull off such a magical experience! A special thank you to parent, Sarah Jefferies for leading the effort!
This month we have parent/teacher conferences coming up. Those will be in-person and we are excited to welcome families into the school. Conferences are a time to celebrate your child's growth. If you would like to have more in-depth conversations regarding any learning concerns or wonderings, we always invite those at anytime. Thank you for continuing to place a strong emphasis on the power of the teacher-parent partnership that is crucial to the success of children and our program.
We have seen an increase in COVID casesat our school. We remain diligent with our mitigation strategies and Nurse Maya continues offering testing to students and families. We do know that many of our families are testing regularly, which is outstanding. However, that can cause our numbers to be higher on the COVID dashboard in comparison to other school communities that might not be testing as regularly. With that said, we thank the entire community for a continued focus on health and wellness as we navigate the next few months.
We are ready to jump into the month of February with excitement over our learning and a readiness for challenges. Many classrooms will be having celebrations of friendship, which always bring an extra dose of excitement! Theme studies are underway and we encourage you to reach out to your classroom teacher or your classroom PC to see if there are any volunteer opportunities that could support their efforts.
I close this note with an invitation to read a college student's response, Noah Goltz (son of teacher Else), to a question on a scholarship application. As a principal I often hear from about the impact of Chugach on students' educational journey--far after their years in elementary school. Thank you for being an engaged community member for our outstanding school!
In gratitude,
Clare
A former Chugach student's response to a scholarship application question.
Describe something about yourself that you would like us to know.
High school has been a formative time for me, but it hasn’t been the most critical part of my education. That title belongs to my elementary school experience. My elementary school was named Chugach Optional, and it wasn’t a typical K-6 education. If you walked in for the first time, you’d notice classrooms without doors, a complete absence of grades, and many small groups of kids working independently of a teacher. The common theme between these things is an unusually high level of trust placed in young students. With this trust, I developed a sense of responsibility for my own education. I became passionate about learning rather than focused on completing assignments. As I’ve grown up, Chugach has remained the educational experience I’m most grateful for.
The initiative that I learned during elementary school is still evident in me today. I think it’s largely responsible for the success I’ve found in high school and sports, but it shows in other parts of my life as well. One of those parts is building. Through YouTube videos, trial and error, and my parents’ patience, I’ve recycled my family’s polypropylene waste in a purpose-built oven, melted aluminum for a go-kart transmission, and built a cargo rack for my bike so I could carry my ski gear to school. I love to try new projects and learn new skills. This process of learning, experimenting, and finding solutions is how I want to spend my professional career.
My early education inspired me to take initiative and pursue new projects. Certainly, careful planning and safe design are essential to engineering, but so is exploration. I’d like you to know that I have a drive to expand my capabilities in order to better myself and the world around me.
Important Dates to Remember
Friday, February 11
Early Release Day @ 11:15 a.m.
Wednesday, February 16 & Thursday, February 17
Parent / Teacher Conferences
Early Release at 11:15 a.m. for Students
Friday, February 18
Inservice Day (No School)
Monday, February 21
Presidents' Day (No School)
Wednesday, February 23
Community Assembly Meeting @ 7 p.m.
via Zoom
*Please refer to our website calendarfor dates specific to grade levels or clubs*
The Anchorage School District Communications team is working hard to provide current and up-to-date information on the district website. Please go to that site for any questions about our COVID-19 response, information to download the ASD App, and more. If you have feedback or need additional support for any resources, do not hesitate to reach out to our school directly (742-3730).
Thank You to Our School Business Partners
*We are still looking for additional business partners *
