School Events
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
Chapman School
Dec. 15: Winter concert, 7 p.m.
Dec. 16: Glow dance for fifth-eighth grades, 6 p.m.
Dec. 19: Site council meeting, 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 20: Second-fourth grade Pratt Museum and Islands and Oceans
Dec. 21: Fifth-eighth grade class party, 12:30-3 p.m.
Dec. 22: No school. Inservice and end of second quarter.
Dec. 23-Jan.8: Winter break, no school.
Jan. 9: Back to school.
Fireweed Academy (both schools)
Dec. 22-Jan. 8: No school. Holiday break.
Jan. 9: First day back to school.
Little Fireweed (K-2)
Through Dec. 15: Dance residency with Kara Clemens
Dec. 16: Celebration of Forces in Dance and Song, 1:30 p.m.
Big Fireweed (3-6)
Dec. 19: Swimming at KKAC, 1:30 p.m.
Dec. 20: Afternoon skating at Kevin Bell Arena, 3-6 p.m.
Homer Flex
Dec. 19: Winter concert at Homer High School, 7 p.m.
Dec. 21: End of the semester eligibility check.
Dec. 22: No school. Staff in-service: PLCs, interventions and turning in grades.
Dec. 23-Jan. 8: Winter break.
Homer High School
Dec. 15: Boys basketball at Sohi Tip Off, 3 p.m.
Dec. 15: Girls basketball at Kenai River Classic, 7 p.m.
Dec. 15: Hockey vs. Kenai Central High at Kevin Bell Arena, 7 p.m.
Dec. 16: Boys basketball at Sohi Tip Off, TBA.
Dec. 16: Girls basketball at Kenai River Classic, 5 p.m.
Dec. 16: Sohi Invite at Tsalteshi Trails, 2 p.m.
Dec. 17: Boys basketball at Sohi Tip Off, TBA.
Dec. 17: Girls basketball at Kenai River Classic, noon.
Dec. 19: Winter concert, 7 p.m.
Dec. 21: Candlelight, Carols and Desserts, 7 p.m.
McNeil Canyon Elementary School
Dec. 16: Skate night, 6:30-8 p.m. Admission by donation. Hot chocolate, cider and baked goods available for sale by donation. Light sticks and bracelets will also be available to buy.
Jan. 11: After-school skating program begins. Permission slips available now in the office. McNeil needs parent volunteers willing to make and/or serve hot chocolate and snacks to the kids when they are done skating. Please contact the office or Melon Purcell if interested. Jan. 27: New spelling bee date.
School announce winter concerts, programs
• Chapman School: Dec. 15, 7 p.m. Concert features kindergarten-fourth grade singing holiday songs; beginning and intermediate bands performing holiday selections. Root beer float sale following concert.
• Homer Middle School: Dec. 15, 7 p.m., Winter concert, Mariner Theater. There will be a sing-along of holiday songs, as well as a performance in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Attacks on Pearl Harbor, with the HMS band playing “Elegy for the USS Arizona” by Larry MacTaggart. Concert admission is by donation.
• Ninilchik School: Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Winter concert followed by root beer float fundraiser.
• Homer High School: Dec. 19, 7 p.m., Winter concert. The Homer High Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Concert Choir, and Swing Choir will be doing a wide variety of music, including Rutter’s “Gloria” by the Choir, and a joint piece by the Band and Choir, Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival.”
• Tebughna School: Dec. 21, 6 p.m.
• Homer High School: Dec. 21, 7 p.m., Candlelight, Carols and Desserts. Sounds of the season will be presented alongside luscious desserts and choices of hot beverages. Admission to the event is $10, and tickets are available at the Homer Bookstore.
Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Health Services
Every day a variety of coughs, runny noses and flu are in schools. Each day some students are just beginning to be ill while others are recovering. In this letter clarifies:
• the general procedure for keeping students in at recess
• general criteria for keeping children home
General Procedure for Keeping Students In at Recess
Every day classrooms are filled with a variety of people in various stages of wellness and illness. Indoor air can be very dry, especially in the winter, and also irritating to the nose and throat. These situations help transmit illness and discourage healing. A child who spends all day in the classroom tends to become drowsy and sluggish and has difficulty finishing his/her work.
Fresh moist air and mild outdoor exercise are better than remaining indoors, even for a mildly ill child, as long as they are dressed appropriately. The schools carefully checks for inclement weather such as strong winds, rain or extremely cold temperatures, including the wind chill factor, right before recess. In these cases all the children are kept indoors or the recess time is shortened as needed.
If a child is recovering from an illness, a note from a parent/guardian is appreciated. We then evaluate the child before each recess. If the child has been acting normally during class time and doesn’t appear ill, the child will be instructed to dress warmly and walk around in the fresh air.
They may also be instructed to only participate in half of the recess time. If there are other issues that complicate the child’s illness, please be sure to discuss these with the teacher and nurse. Our goal is always to help children be as successful as possible in the classroom.
When to Keep Children Home
Children should not be sent to school if they have vomited during the night, have diarrhea,
have had a fever of 100° or greater during the past 24 hours, or have a frequent, persistent cough. These conditions do not allow children to participate in the educational environment of the classroom and are usually contagious to the other children and the staff.
In addition, if children need over-the-counter cold, flu or pain reliever in the morning due to illness, please don’t send him/her to school. In most cases students who have received such medication are not able to remain in the classroom once the medication has worn off.
