Welcome to the 2012-13 school year in the North Slope Borough School District. I know working together we can and will make a difference for our students.

Ours is a mission-driven school district. Our mission is the foundation for every decision I make as the superintendent and I ask teachers to make it the cornerstone of their teaching and their daily work with our students. One way teachers can initiate this is to personally be involved in their communities. Parents and community members can help by inviting teachers to community events and getting to know them so they better know their schools’ families and communities.

The Mission of the North Slope Borough School District is:

Learning in our schools is rooted in the values, history and language of the Inupiat. Students develop the academic and cultural skills and knowledge to be:

·      Critical and creative thinkers able to adapt in a changing environment and world;

·      Active, responsible, contributing members of their communities; and

·      Confident, healthy young adults, able to envision, plan and take control of their destiny.

We are committed to have a teaching and learning system that is true to our mission. We are doing this work, not because it is easy, but because it is the right thing to do. We owe it to our students to do this work; they are worth the commitment.

Teaching and learning on the arctic slope is like learning everywhere and it is unique. No matter where you are, students perform better if their teachers have high expectations for their learning and if their parents value and support their being in school. 

Attendance is critical. We’ve looked at student achievement in our district and students who are in school regularly get better grades get higher test scores and just plain learn more than students who are absent a lot.

Have a great school year across the slope!

Sincerely,