School District Risk Levels
The southern, central and eastern regions of the school district are all at medium risk in terms of local transmission of COVID-19.
Regions of the peninsula are put into low, medium or high-risk categories based on the number of new cases of COVID-19 identified over a 14-day period. This model is based on rates of cases per 100,000 of population.
All students are currently able to attend onsite education five days a week in district schools, including when their school region is in the high-risk category.
As of Wednesday, the southern peninsula (from Ninilchik south) was in the medium risk category with 14 new cases in the last 14 days. The southern peninsula is in low risk if it has had zero to nine new cases in the last 14 days, is in medium risk if there have been 10 to 19 new cases in the last 14 days, and is in high risk if there were 20 or more new cases in the last 14 days.
The central peninsula, including Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna, Sterling and Kasilof, was also at medium risk as of Wednesday, with 35 new cases over the last 14 days.
The eastern peninsula (Seward and Moose Pass) is technically in the high-risk category with 13 new cases of COVID-19 within the last 14 days. The district has kept the region categorized as medium risk, despite the numbers indicating high risk according to the formula the district uses. According to the formula, the eastern peninsula enters high risk when there have been 10 or more new cases over 14 days.
Four of the rural communities within the school district remain at low risk. The schools in those communities are Nanwalek School, Port Graham School and Susan B. English School in Seldovia across Kachemak Bay, and Tebughna School in Tyonek.
Hope School and Cooper Landing School are both in the medium-risk category.
The district is still offering free Get-It and Go meals for remote learning students, which can be picked up daily between noon and 1 p.m. Families need to place meal orders by noon on Fridays.
Homer High School
Thursday — Basketball games vs Nikiski, starting at 3 p.m. DDF State Championship starts, with competitors in various Homer High Classrooms.
Friday — DDF State Championship continues. Hockey game (away) vs. Soldotna at 7 p.m.
Saturday — DDF State Championship continues. Nordic skiing race at the Lookout Mountain Trails. Basketball games (away) vs Seward starting at noon.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 — Early release
Thursday, Feb. 18 — Parent-Teacher conferences, no school
Friday, Feb. 19 — In-service, no school
Games at Kenai at Soldotna are streamed on their athletics Facebook page. Games at Seward will be on their YouTube Channel, Seward High School Sports.
Homer Flex School
February 18-19 — Parent/Teacher Conferences – please call the office to schedule a time. No school either of these days.
March 5 — No school, end of third quarter
March 8-12 — Spring Break, no school
Homer Middle School
Thursday — Homer vs Skyview volleyball at Skyview Middle School.
Friday — Nordic skiing Homer Invitational
Tuesday, Feb. 16 — Homer Middle hosts Kenai volleyball starting at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 — Early Release Day. Homer volleyball vs Kenai starting at 1:30 p.m. in Kenai.
Feb. 18-19 — Parent-Teacher conferences, no school
Fireweed Academy
Both Big and Little Fireweed
Wednesday, Feb. 17 — Early Release Day. Little Fireweed released at 1:20 p.m. and Big Fireweed at 1:45 p.m.
Feb. 18-19 — Parent/Teacher Conferences and in-service
March 5 — No school: End of quarter and in-service day.
March 8-12 — Spring Break
March 15 —Fourth quarter begins
McNeil Canyon Elementary
Thursday — Learning Lab. Battle of the Books Competition, third and fourth grades
Friday — Pajama Day
Monday, Feb. 15 — At the beginning of February, kindergarten through sixth grade students dive into a two-week immersion in the art of acrylics with Homer-based artist Sharlene Cline. Students will be painting scenes, creatures, and objects from our own Kachemak Bay. Please join in celebrating the learning and creativity of our students by attending a virtual gallery walk on Feb. 15, available through the school’s website (https://kpbsd.org/schools/mcneil-canyon/) starting Feb. 15.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 — Early Release
Feb. 18 and 19 — Parent-Teacher conferences
Kachemak Bay Campus
Shakespeare in Context will be held this Saturday. Join KBC Professor Emeritus Michael Hawfield on Saturday, Feb. 13 for a conversation about “Romeo and Juliet” and theater in Shakespeare’s time. Then, tune in at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14 for Second Sunday Shakespeare to read the play with the community, or just to listen. These Zoom events can be found at https://alaska.zoom.us/j/9072351674. Connect to both events through your computer, mobile phone or landline. Call 907-235-1674 with questions.
The Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference returns to Homer and Kachemak Bay Campus virtually on May 15 with a faculty of award-winning authors bringing fresh perspectives and a diversity of ideas. Participants can enjoy four days of classes, conversations, public readings and a panel discussion by writers from the Peabody Award-winning PBS show, “Molly of Denali,” as well as networking and community building activities. Early registration is open now at $80 for the general public, becoming $100 on Feb. 28. Registration for University of Alaska students will remain at $50. Academic credits are available. Visit writersconf.kpc.alaska.edu or call 907-435-7743 to register.
