School announcements

School district risk level update and upcoming events

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.