january newsletter

1/30/2026

Upcoming events

February:

Mon., Feb. 2nd: 4/5 Volleyball Game @ Willow, 4:30pm
Mon., Feb. 9th: Q3 Progress Reports Go Home
Wed., Feb. 11th: 4/5 Volleyball Game @ Dena'Ina 4:30pm
Fri., Feb. 13th: Early Release @ 1 pm
Fri., Feb. 13th: Intent to Return Due
Mon., 16th & 17th : No School, PT Conferences & PL
Wed., Feb. 18th: 4/5 Volleyball Game @ Pioneer Peak, 4:30pm
Thur., Feb. 19th: Picture Day
Thur., Feb. 19th: Informational Night @ 5 pm @ AMC
Mon., Feb. 23rd: 4//5 Volleyball Game @ Iditarod, 4:30pm
Sat., Feb. 28th: 4/5 Volleyball Jamboree @ Wasilla MS

intent to return due february 13th

If you have misplaced your form, a new one on can be found on AMC's website or at AMC's front office.

To ensure a student's slot at AMC is not filled through the open enrollment process, the Intent to Return forms must be returned to the front office with signatures of each student and their parent/guardian no later than February 13th.

a note from your AMC secretary

Important Items to Note

School Lunch:
Subway and pizza order forms for February went home on 1/26. If you need another copy, please have your student ask the front office for one.

SUBWAY: For the month of February, all students who order a 6 inch or 12 inch meal will receive a free cookie for each day they order as a Valentine's Day thank you from Subway. Additionally, Subway will randomly place a free sandwich coupon into one lucky winner's subway meal bag each Wednesday and Friday for the month of February.

Fundraiser:
AMC Kidwind's monthly fundraiser at Raising Caines will be on Feb 23rd of this month. Please come out and support our students. Your order at Caines will only count toward our fundraiser if you mention the word "fundraiser."

Siblings of Current AMC Students:
Friendly reminder that all siblings of current AMC students must submit an application for enrollment. Please indicate their name and grade level on the green Intent to Return forms, and I will send home a yellow application. Sibling applications to be submitted no later than March 4th, to accurately plan for SY26-27.

Last Chance!! 8th Grade Baby Photos:
If you would like your student to participate in the AMC's yearbook 8th grade Guess Who, please send pictures as soon as possible. Email a current and a baby photo to [email protected].

Picture Day is February 19th and is with Fitzgerald Photography. Fitzgerald does not collect preorders. Parents will be available to view and purchase photos within 24 hours of picture day by logging into Fitzgerald's website. The password is your student's school ID.

Buses - For planning purposes:
There will be NO bus service on 3/6/2026.

Student Highlights

Mrs Maynard's Classroom

Mrs. Maynard's classroom got to celebrate School Choice Week while on their Ice Skating Fieldtrip.

mrs. beech's classroom

Mrs. Beech's students have been enjoying some fun outdoors this winter. They have also been working together on writing assignments in the classroom.

mrs. blankenship's classroom

In Mrs. Blankenship’s Eighth Grade Physical Science class, students are actively investigating reaction rates, catalysts, enzymes, and balancing chemical equations through hands-on experimentation with catalase. By observing how catalase speeds up chemical reactions and analyzing the factors that affect reaction speed. Students connect abstract concepts to real-world biochemical processes while strengthening their critical thinking, data analysis, and scientific reasoning skills.

battle of the books

AMC's Battle of the Books teams participated in the District level competition this month. All of these students have been working hard since October. Each student has dedicated the time to read and study their set of 12 pre-selected books Thank you to Mrs. Kerkove and Mrs. McElvain for facilitating this opportunity.

3rd & 4th gr. team at the District Competition – placing 14th out of 23 teams
Mara Blankenship
Sadie Werner
Sage Jefferson
Kynlee Harper

5th & 6th gr. team at the District Competition – placing 11th out of 19 teams
Abigail Andrews
Willow Jefferson
Hatcher Pokryfki
Grady Johnson

national school choice week

AMC students represented American Charter Academy at the first annual Students Shine event sponsored by Alaska School Choice. Mrs. Ostendorf's Super Star class treated the audience to patriotic singing and recitations, and Mrs. Blankenship's KidWind students explained 3-D printing techniques for creating efficient blades for wind turbines. Well done students!! Thank you AMC parents and staff for supporting students.

Mrs. Ostendorf's Super Star Students

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development's commissioner, Dena Bishop was in attendance and was very complimentary and delighted with the students' performances.

Mrs. Blankenship's KidWind Students

Each KidWind student spoke to the audience explaining different aspects of solar and wind energy. Do you see the students' wind turbines? They have been hard at work.

kidwind gearing up

Twenty-seven students are hard at work designing and building wind turbines and solar houses as they prepare for the state competition in Anchorage this April. With guidance from Mrs. Blankenship and Dan and Carol Drake, students are being coached through the engineering process—testing ideas, refining designs, and collaborating as teams.

february kidwind fundraiser: 2/23

AMC Kidwind's monthly fundraiser at Raising Caines will be on Feb 23rd of this month. Please come out and support our students. Your order at Caines will only count toward our fundraiser if you mention the word "fundraiser."

AMC's new school update

This photo is looking down the upstairs hallway toward Church Road; framers will soon be stacking the roof. Gym walls are under construction and windows will be going in soon. The contractors are planning to have the roof on by the third week of February. Currently, the completion date of the new school is still the middle of September, but a timeline extension might be required.

ACF Foundation
Next Meeting: March 2nd @ 2:10pm in the AMC Conference Room

APC
Next Meeting: February 10th @ 4pm in the AMC Conference Room

Attendance and timeliness data

September- 135 Tardies, 5.35% absenteeism
October- 144 Tardies, 5.59% absenteeism
November- 144 Tardies, 5.31% absenteeism
December- 107 Tardies, 4.69% absenteeism
January- 166 Tardies, 6.68% absenteeism

Can AMC get fewer than 100 tardies in a month?
Can AMC keep the absenteeism rate under 5%?

Principal's corner

Hello AMC Families,

Did you know there are 31 public charter schools in Alaska, and Alaska charter schools were first authorized in 1995 when the Alaska Legislature passed the Charter School Act.

Charter schools in Alaska are public, nonsectarian, and funded through the same state foundation formula as traditional neighborhood schools. While charter schools in Alaska are part of the local school district, they operate with more autonomy and are governed by an academic policy committee (APC).

If you would like to learn more about American Charter, please attend AMC's informational night on February 19th.

I look forward to the rest of the school year as we ‘Stay True to Our Mission and Plan for the Future.’

Sincerely,
Ms. Farren

American CHarter Chats