Bering Strait School District

Congratulations to our winners of Best in Show! Thank you so much to everyone who took a moment to vote, did the hard work of creating artwork to submit, supported students in the submission process, or otherwise helped make this virtual event a reality! To view all winners and see the full show, follow this link: https://sites.google.com/bssd.org/arts/k-12-online-art-show/2021-2022-art-show

Bering Strait students capture NYO for fans and families across the state. Read the article online on the Cook Inlet Tribal Council’s website at https://citci.org/2022/04/live-from-nyo/

LAST CHANCE VOTING Use this link to vote on the 2021-2022 Virtual Art Show: https://sites.google.com/bssd.org/arts/k-12-online-art-show Voting will be open through the weekend.

The student broadcast team, with students from Unalakleet, Stebbins, Teller, Shishmaref and Elim will be live streaming the State NYO on YouTube. Find the stream here or on the BSSD Student Broadcast Team YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/embed/live_stream?channel=UCU9X4R7TvoqnshpRLDN5oJg

Due to weather, NYO Events have been moved to Unalakleet. Competition will be held Saturday and Sunday.

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD Take the BSSD Superintendent Search Stakeholder Survey. Deadline to submit February 1, 2022. https://forms.gle/6hoqKrhdS15vpMwT9

One Action Required - FY22 Administrator Evaluation https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOB2TMU_6TtAjNrGGDOo6rf_kuAXY52PhfISj50WrBUa7SYQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

BSSD Superintendent Finalists https://5il.co/14t4n-2

2021 Alaska Wrestling State Championships https://asaa.org/activities/wrestling/

2021 Cheerleading Tournament results are now in. Check out the News Feed below for results.

2021 MIX SIX/2A VOLLEYBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP December 2-4, 2021 at Dimond High School in Anchorage LIVE WEB STREAMING The NFHS Network will be live streaming the Mix Six/2A Volleyball State Championship matches. Visit the NFHS Network website for more information. https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/playoffs/state/alaska For schedules and brackets visit the ASAA website. https://asaa.org/activities/volleyball/

Good Evening, Currently there have been a total of three cases of COVID identified at the wrestle/cheer tournament. The students are isolated away from the main group with an adult. The decision has been made to cancel the remainder of the wrestling/cheerleading tournament. There will be no further activities taking place at the Unalakleet School this weekend. We are working to schedule travel for students, coaches, and visiting parents to return home tomorrow. We will send out the information as soon as it's finalized, and it will be posted on Google Calendar. We thank you for your understanding and patience. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call me at (907) 625-1590. Respectfully, Kris Busk

Good Afternoon, This afternoon a student tested positive for COVID-19 at the wrestling/cheerleading tournament. The student has been removed from the school building and is currently isolating with family outside of the school. All teams are currently quarantining and separated from group contact until the results of NSHC testing efforts come back. Social tracing is currently being conducted. The following message was sent by the Unalakleet School administration a few moments ago: "Due to a positive case being identified, the elementary/wrestling cheerleading tournament is currently postponed until tomorrow. All teams will remain in their room. No spectators or visitors will be allowed to enter the school. The situation will be reevaluated tomorrow morning." If the tournament ends up being cancelled, all athletes and coaches returning to the village will be asked to quarantine until the results of a COVID test that is taken at site are returning. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on my cell phone at (907) 625-1590. Thank you for your understanding. Kris Busk

School Operating Protocols (Updated September 17, 2021): https://5il.co/z9tk

BSSD School Operating Protocols (Updated September 3, 2021): https://5il.co/yffi

BSSD School Reopening Family Letter for the 2021-2022 School Year: https://5il.co/y2ha

The 2021 Educators Rising National Conference took place June 24h - 27th, 2021. There were 22 students that competed from the State of Alaska. Fourteen of these students placed in the top ten of their fierce national competitions. We are thrilled to congratulate the Bering Strait School District on their student’s performance! Aryana Ivanoff, from Frank A. Degnan High School, placed 1st in Inside Our Schools Earl Ivanoff, from Frank A. Degnan High School, placed 8th in Inside Our Schools Mary Arca, from Frank A. Degnan High School, placed 1st in Inside Our Schools Payton Gandee, from Paul F. Asicksik High School, placed 5th in Lesson Planning & Delivery: Humanities Educators Rising Alaska is proud of your student’s performance, all the effort they put in, and their teachers (Giaana Peterson & Jessica Brabazon) who supported them. We are honored to highlight their accomplishments and the progress they have made. We are eager to see where their ambitions take them going forward and appreciate your support with the Educators Rising Program in your schools. Thank you for your time, we can't wait to work with your principals, teachers, and students in the future.

On Monday, May 10, 2021, the FDA approved the authorization of the Pfizer Vaccine for students aged 12-15, now allowing all individuals 12 and up to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine if they wish. The CDC formally approved the Pfizer Vaccine for 12 and up today as expected. This will begin to move us further towards our school reopening efforts for next year, as well as allow more communities to reach that 80% mark for further reopening of our region. Teams from NSHC will be put together Thursday, May 13 and be ready to begin administering shots on Friday, May 14, 2021. As stated before, I have approved teams from NSHC to come into the schools and provide shots as necessary. Attached are links to the Pfizer Vaccination Consent Form for parents and the EUA referenced on the form. If you would like for your child to receive the vaccination at the school, please complete this form and return it to your school office by Friday, May 14, 2021. The Bering Strait School District highly recommends all eligible students and community members get the vaccine to assist in our efforts of keeping all our students, staff, and communities safe. NSHC COVID19 Vaccination Consent Form: https://5il.co/sm1x Fact Sheet: https://5il.co/sjnd

BSSD Graduation Dates The Bering Strait School District is excited to announce that we will be holding in person graduation ceremonies for the 2021 high school graduates. Check with your school to see capacity limits for graduation day! https://www.bssd.org/page/graduation-dates

March Para of the Month This month, the Special Education Department would like to recognize the recipients of the Special Education Paraprofessional of the month. This month, we focused on honoring support staff demonstrating flexibility and adaptability in their everyday work ethic. Special Education who possess these traits are vital to our programs, and we thank them for all they do! Stebbins: Bridget Wongittilin Bridgette has a soft heart to the students most especially to special education students. She is gifted with long patience and initiative. She is sensitive to others' needs, and she responds to her students with care and a huge understanding. Bridgette is flexible and is happy to perform other functions whenever her service is needed. She maintains a happy disposition despite the challenges around her. She models a positive attitude by never giving up no matter how hard the situation can be. -Tukurngailnguq School Gambell: Orlin Booshu Orlin is amazing. He is flexible and is capable of working with any student and staff member on campus. I am so lucky that he is part of my team. He is also the vice-president of the village, so is very knowledgeable about the students and their families. Orlin is my right-hand guy who is willing to step in and help regardless of the situation. –Dolly Adams Wingfield, Special Educator Brevig Mission: Margaret LaBar Margaret is one of the most important reasons for the success that we have had this year with one of our students. She is ready and willing to offer advice and expertise. She also goes above and beyond each and every day to help all our students succeed! We rely on many personnel to serve all the minutes of our students. There have been many times that schedules changed suddenly or someone wasn't able to come to work at the last minute. Margaret has consistently offered to fill in on a moment's notice. I've never even had to ask! Thank you very much, Margaret!-Timothy Seibel, Special Educator Brevig Mission: Kevin Tocktoo Kevin is always adapting to the needs of the students he works with. When something isn't working in the classroom he talks to the general education teacher and the special education teacher. He explains challenges he is having, what he has tried, and asks for suggestions on other strategies he can use so that the students can be successful! -Cory Kralovetz, Special Educator Savoonga: Sabrina Toolie Sabrina is an exceptional paraprofessional serving grades 6-12 at Hogarth Kingeekuk Sr. School. Time and time again she has exemplified flexibility by always being willing to adjust to schedule changes that help best serve our students. She is also my go sub to fill in for me, whenever I can't be at school. I think adaptability is another strong ability that she shows on a daily basis. When a student is having a hard time learning, she uses her resources to find a new approach. When a student is showing difficult behavior, she adjusts her approach and persists until she sees the behaviors improve. She is a seriously dedicated educator that uses her best qualities to help our special education students. She is one of those paraprofessionals that we should all hope to see as a certified teacher, in the near future. –Nick Czelusniak, Special Educator