Nenana City School District - Home of the Lynx

Just a quick parent reminder that tomorrow, Thursday, November 9th is an early release day for students. Students will be released at 2 PM. No School on Friday, November 10, 2023 as well. NCS would like to remind community members that influenza season is here! Getting the flu shot is clinically proven to decrease FLU illness, hospitalizations and secondary pneumonia infections. Please schedule your influenza vaccine with your PCP soon! Our kids who have asthma, or other chronic respiratory conditions are at higher risk for complications from the flu, so vaccination is vital. Reminders for parents of NCS students: Please keep your kids home if they are feeling ill. Allow them to rest and recover so they can continue learning and thriving in the school environment!

Challenge Life Basketball Program @ Nenana City School starting this Saturday, November 4-7, 2023, with Coach Al Sokaitis! This weekend Coach Al Sokaitis and the Challenge Life basketball program will be in Nenana thanks to the Tanana Chiefs Conference. Coach Sokaitis is a former college coach and currently works with the New York Knicks, Uconn Huskies and various other college programs. Coach Al served as the basketball coach and a history professor at UAF along with working at six other universities and coaching professional and international. The Challenge Life Program is an opportunity to utilize coach's background as a vehicle to bring health and mental wellness programs to rural communities. Coach Al will utilize time in the gym with students to build basketball fundamentals, but he will also speak about drug and alcohol abuse, academics, goal setting and following your passions. Below and attached is a schedule for the clinic. Sat, 11/4. 2-4pm grades 9-12 5:30-7:00 skills competitions and games - community Sunday, 11/5 3:30-5pm grades 9-12 Monday 11/6 9:30-11:30 high school PE classes. LUNCH 11:30-12 12-12:30 BREAK 12:45-1:15 K-4 1:15-2:00 5-6 Afterschool Monday 2:30-3:30pm pee wee (k-4) basketball after school program. Coach Al guest appearance 3:30-5pm grades 9-12 5-6:30pm Volleyball Practice Tuesday, 11/7 8:30-9:30 high school PE 9:30-10:30 high school PE 10:30-11:30 7-8 PE LUNCH 11:30-12 12:05-1255 Assembly w/Guest Speaker coach Al - grades 7-12 Afterschool Tuesday 3:30-5 jr high practice 5-6:30 9-12 closing session David R. Huntington Asst. Superintendent NCSD Principal, Nenana City School dhuntington@nenanalynx.org 907-832-5464 (NCS office) District Website: www.nenanalynx.org

Parent Fall OASIS Survey will be available for Nenana City School Parents until Friday, November 3, 2023. Dear Parents, please take a few minutes to complete this survey which will generate information for the school regarding student access to technology & internet at home. This data will be used as part of the Fall OASIS data collection. The survey has 3 simple questions. Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqf9G7gsYb92w0XEMY9_Ok0UGKcUOGOdhuaSCAo0uJRRj0KA/viewform Please complete 1 survey for each student. The survey will ask for your email address, and the name of your student. Results will be sent directly to Andy Corbin. Thank you very much for you assistance. This information will also be sent out to parents via a PowerSchool Announcement.

Halloween fun at the school, Tuesday, October 31st! Haunted Hallway & Festive Games from 5-6pm. See attached flyer.

HALLOWEEN SPIRIT WEEK - Oct 30th - Nov. 3rd, 2023! Monday - Halloween Colors Tuesday - Costume Day Wednesday - Anything But A Back Pack Thursday - Cultural Day Friday - PJ Day Flyer is attached!

Parent Fall OASIS Survey is now available for Nenana City School Parents! Dear Parents, please take a few minutes to complete this survey which will generate information for the school regarding student access to technology & internet at home. This data will be used as part of the Fall OASIS data collection. The survey has 3 simple questions. Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqf9G7gsYb92w0XEMY9_Ok0UGKcUOGOdhuaSCAo0uJRRj0KA/viewform Please complete 1 survey for each student. The survey will ask for your email address, and the name of your student. Results will be sent directly to Andy Corbin. Thank you very much for you assistance. This information will also be sent out to parents via a PowerSchool Announcement.

Dear Parents/Guardians, Please consider this reminder that there will be an information session on the Alaska Reads Act on Thursday, 10/26 at 5pm.  This meeting will be held in the Library at the school.  This meeting is intended to provide details relevant to the Act and how it may impact your student and the services they are provided at school.   Thank you,

A brief meeting was held Monday afternoon for boys interested in basketball. We discussed the preseason. The regular season begins November 29. Boys have been asked to run 30 miles prior to the start date. Those participating in wrestling are exempt. They will be invited to join practice following completion of the wrestling season. Please be advised students have been invited to the school Wednesday and Thursday at 630pm this week to begin their conditioning in the halls. Friday we will be in the gym after school until dinner running scrimmages. Preseason training will take place in the gym Tuesdays and Thursdays during the previously scheduled open gym hours at 7pm, following volleyball practice. Friday games will take place after school when the gym is available in the weeks ahead. The gym will continue to be open for preseason workouts from Tuesday -Friday at 6:30am.

NCS Update 10-19-23 Parent Teacher Conferences coming up next week on Thursday, October 26th and Friday, October 27th. Both days will be early release days. Students will be released at 2:00pm. PT Conference schedules for K-8 grade students have been mailed to parents with Q1 Report Cards. Parents please add these days to our Early Release Dates remaining for Q2, student will be released at 2:00 pm: All Mondays during Q2 October 26th - Parent Teacher Conferences October 27th - Parent Teacher Conferences November 9th - Teacher/Staff Meetings November 21st - Teacher/Staff Meetings December 15th - Teacher/Staff Meetings If you have questions, please call the school office.

Please join us for the Lady Lynx volleyball team's last home game of the season tomorrow, which also happens to be Senior Night. On this special occasion, we will honor our seniors for their dedication and leadership throughout their time on the team. While it may not be the final game of the season, it's a significant moment for our seniors as they play their last home game, and your presence and support would mean a lot to them and the entire team. Your cheers and encouragement will certainly make the evening memorable. We look forward to seeing you there!

Nenana Middle School Basketball games tonight, Thursday, October 12, 2023 at Tri-Valley School in Healy, . Games are at 4pm and 5pm. If you cannot make it to the games you can watch them on this livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcLWckMivgk Good Luck Lynx!

Nenana Lynx Volleyball at Glennallen Tournament - watch live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@copperriverschooldistrict/streams Attached are 2 pages of game schedules.

NCS Friday Principal Update 10-6-23 Greetings Lynx Families, We are wrapping up a very action-packed week here at the school. Students and teachers are busy as we head into the final week of the first quarter. Student-athletes are even busier, as they learn to juggle the commitments that come with that territory. The volleyball team traveled to Cordova last week and are in Glennallen as we speak. Jr. High Basketball is competing in Tri-Valley for the second day in a row. Our Cross Country runners that qualified for the state competition left today for Anchorage. Both Nenana City School and Cyberlynx runners are traveling and competing together, which is super fun. Thank you to all of our coaches and chaperones, as well as our teachers for the flexibility and willingness to make accommodations needed to support student athletes both in the classroom and on the road. Nenana hosts a volleyball tournament on Oct. 19-21. Please come by to support and enjoy some high school volleyball. Wednesday night marked our first Family Literacy Night of the school year. Thank you to our staff who organized and orchestrated the event, as well as to all of the families who attended. We hope that moving forward, a parent or adult sponsor is able to attend and participate with each student who attends. Another extra-curricular event worth celebrating is the Family STEM Night that occurred last week Friday at the Nenana RV Park. It was a great turnout and a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who played a role in this and all of our after school programs, of which there are many! The hallways and school building in general are a buzz with energy and excitement beyond the school day! Thank you Teena and team! Monday this week, partners from TCC Wellness and Prevention came to Nenana to deliver suicide prevention programming to interested middle and high school students. Those who participated enjoyed some pizza and spent time learning about self-advocacy. This program will run bi-weekly for the next several months. Thank you Tori and Kameron! Our Lynx Leaders after school youth group, led by Brianna Ketzler is also off and running and seeing good attendance. This program focuses on creating safe outlets for students as an alternative to substance misuse. Thank you Brianna!!! Looking ahead, Halloween falls on Tuesday, Oct. 31st. School personnel and members of Discover Nenana have exchanged communication and hope to coordinate efforts to provide some holiday fun for families. We are currently looking to organize an event at the school and likely at Coghill's on the night of Halloween. Stay tuned for more info. Lastly, parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for Oct. 26th and 27th. Mrs. Andy Corbin will be in touch with families to schedule these as the dates draw closer. These days follow the early release (Monday) schedule, with students release at 2 pm. Also on the evening of Thursday, 10/26, there will be a parent information session at 5pm to learn about the Alaska Reads Act. You can get a preview of what will be presented by checking out the News link on the school website. I am providing a direct link HERE. This information is especially relevant for parents of K-3 students. In closing, dust off your shovels and have some fun with that white stuff this weekend! Respectfully, David R. Huntington Asst. Superintendent NCSD Principal, Nenana City School dhuntington@nenanalynx.org 907-832-5464 (NCS office) District Website: www.nenanalynx.org

School Picture Day is tomorrow, Wednesday, September 27th, starting at 8:30am Just a reminder for parents that School Picture Day is taking place tomorrow, . We did not receive the official hard copy order forms, but you can access a copy of it on the school website or mobile app. Printed order forms were sent home with K-8 students today. You can order online using the order form, or you can come to the school and fill out a printed copy in the office, and pay with cash or check. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause parents.

NCS Friday Principal Update 9-22-23 Greetings Lynx Families, As I write today, we conclude our fifth week of school, saying goodbye to the last day of Summer and hello to the first day of Fall. Before we know it, the holidays will be upon us. Between now and then, we have much work to do! I would like to thank families, staff, students, and the community at large for everyone's efforts to welcome students back to school, set the expectations for conduct, rigor and attitude, and for embracing the learning process. Last Friday marked the mid-quarter believe it or not. Fall sports and the after school program are well underway, with Cross Country competing in the regional tournament this Saturday at Tri-Valley. Volleyball traveled out on Thursday to Cordova to see their first action of the season. Soccer is traveling Friday to Delta for games this weekend. The official start date for Wrestling season is September 27. Open gyms have been occuring on Tuesday and Thursday nights. We are excited by the numbers of students that are participating in varsity sports, after school activities, and open gyms. Next week, there are a few events worth noting. On Tuesday, 9/26 we will host Mike Stevens the Harmonica Man and guitarist Marc Brown, who offer a program called Healing thru Music and Dance. There will be an all school assembly at 10am, followed by workshops during music classes. Wednesday, 9/26, is school picture day. Another event to put on your calendars is the Family STEM Night, which will begin at 5:30pm on 9/29 at the Nenana RV Park and Campground. In closing, I will leave you with a thought that has been engrained in our staff development work thus far; "The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its' teachers". It is through this lens that our teaching and support staff approach work each day. We look forward to working with families and community members to extend the learning beyond the school walls. Respectfully, David R. Huntington Asst. Superintendent NCSD Principal, Nenana City School dhuntington@nenanalynx.org 907-832-5464 (NCS office) District Website: www.nenanalynx.org

School Picture Day Flyer for Wednesday, September 27, 2023, it is attached to this posting. We are still waiting for the hard copies to arrive by mail.

School Picture Day is next Wednesday, September 27th! Ordering flyers have not yet arrived by mail, but will be posted as soon as they arrive.

Exciting news for Nenana City School! On September 18th, representatives from all branches of the military will be visiting our school to provide information, answer questions, and discuss various career options available to students interested in pursuing a future in the armed forces. We encourage all interested students to join us and explore the possibilities for their future.

Dear Parents/Guardians, I am Brianna Ketzler, the Positive Youth Development Afterschool Program Coordinator through Nenana City Public School in partnership with Railbelt Mental Health and Addictions. I will be working with the youth of Nenana School to provide them with positive after school activities focusing on mental health and wellness. This program is available for Junior High (5th - 8th grade) and High School (9th-12th grade) students interested in building connections and support for success in their lives. Our activities will revolve around team building, wellness, leadership skills, STEM, culture, and reflection. Each meeting will include all of these different aspects as we work to equip students with strategies for managing stress and coping with everyday life. The Lynx Leaders will hold their meetings at the Nenana Recreation Center Classroom located at 402 3rd Street. Jr. High youth will have their meetings on Mondays from 2:00pm to 3:30pm. Meanwhile, High School Youth will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00pm to 5:30pm. Snacks will be provided. Family Fun Nights will be offered once a quarter. This schedule will be effective from August 28th to September 29th. An updated schedule will be shared afterwards. I am excited to collaborate with young people and their families to develop resilience, strength, and empowerment towards success. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Ana Basee’ Thank You Brianna Ketzler (907) 987 5130 brianna@railbeltmentalhealth.org

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