Denali Peaks

Denali Peaks Team Newsletter

Parents please sign up as Canvas Observers!  This is a useful tool for helping your student stay on track - you can monitor past and upcoming assignments as well as  grades that come from Canvas. Q is the official grade of record.  Here is the link if you would like to sign up:   ASD Parent Observer

Science (Forbes) - Students will be exploring and comparing ecosystems this quarter. Activities will range from hands-on explorations, data collection, display, and analysis, to research, diagram construction, and in-class presentations. Please be aware that we will be going outside every Wednesday this first quarter to explore different ecosystems. Students should be prepared to spend time outside on Wednesday. Jackets and appropriate footwear are a must. Remind your student on Wednesday to bring a jacket to school or, better yet, have your student bring an extra jacket to school to store in their locker.

Math (Petrash) - Welcome to a new year!  In Math, your child will first be tested using the i-Ready Diagnostic to measure your child’s current math level for our curriculum.  Then, students will begin their Hanshew Math Experience learning about area and volume of 2- and 3-dimensional shapes.  By the  end of the month, students will be practicing all the math operations, as well as working with Algebraic expressions, exponents, factors and multiples!  You will be receiving bi-weekly letters from me concerning specific units of math and how YOU can help your child!

Social Studies (Baguley) - This month, we will explore the geography of Alaska. Our studies will cover map skills, the state’s regional characteristics, and the economic activities that shape Alaska’s communities. We will also discuss the diversity of indigenous cultures located around the state and how they interact with the world around them.

English/Language Arts (Dillman) - This month in 6th Grade Language Arts we will be focusing on Analyzing a text and practicing close reading for information. Each Monday we read in class time and students need a book. I conference with every student on this day to help support their grades and organization. 

P.E. (Dooley) - Welcome to our monthly PE update! All class details are available on Canvas. Students are required to dress out for each session, which includes a T-shirt, shorts, sweatpants, or joggers, and athletic shoes—NO Crocs, slides, or UGG boots. We have a fitness day once a week, so come prepared and ready to participate. Your grade will be based on participation, dressing out properly, and following safety guidelines. We aim to create a safe, enjoyable environment for everyone to stay active and healthy. Please ensure you are prepared to make the most of each class. Thank you for your effort and commitment—let’s have a great month of fitness and wellness!

Revelation Mountains

Cascade Mountains

We have had quite a few parents sign up as Canvas Observers!  This is a useful tool for helping your student stay on track - you can monitor past and upcoming assignments as well as  grades.  Here is the link if you would like to sign up:   ASD Parent Observer https://www.asdk12.org/domain/4476

🦅 Hawk Highlights 

Math (Mr. McKenzie) - Math 8 students will be studying rigid transformations and their properties, we will also be completing MAP testing. Algebra 1 students are learning single variable statistics and completing MAP testing, and the Geometry class is learning construction techniques of geometric figures and MAP testing.

Social Studies (Dyer) - In 8th Grade Social Studies we are studying civilizations before the time of exploration and colonization. We will then study European colonization and the formation of the British colonies, along with the effects these had upon the peoples of North America and Africa. In 7th Grade Social Studies we are exploring the Themes of Geography and using the themes to examine ancient civilizations. We are also planning a dedicated day to celebrate Constitution Day on September 17. Students are also  keeping up with current events and learning to use tools such as Padlet to create projects and assignments that we will use throughout the year.

English/Language Arts () - 

Science (Fee): In Miss Fee’s 8th grade science class we are wrapping up our lab safety and classroom expectations mini unit. We are moving into our first unit “Nature of Science.” During this unit we will learn how to use scientific instruments, make observations, ask questions, and collect data! 

8th Grade Health with Mr. Deckert

In Health class, we opened the year by learning about making healthy decisions—including how choices affect our physical, emotional, and social well-being. Students have been practicing goal-setting and exploring real-life situations to help build lifelong wellness skills.

We’re now starting a new unit on Mental and Emotional Health, covering topics like:

Understanding and managing emotions

Coping with stress

Building resilience

Learning about mental health disorders

This unit helps students recognize the importance of mental health and equips them with tools to care for themselves and support others.

Thanks for staying connected—go Hawks! 

Mount Olympus

Mt. Alyeska

Mrs. Barrett

Social Skills:

In 6th -8th social skills, students will learn a variety of social skills such as conversational skills, asking for help, apologizing, understanding feelings of self and others, and much more. Students will complete virtual daily check-ins that ask how their day has been so that Mrs. Barrett gets an idea of where they are when they enter the classroom. The class will utilize videos, role playing, modeling, worksheets, and conversation as a group to practice these skills. We also have a weekly game day, where students get to organically practice their social skills with their peers utilizing games such as Uno, Sorry, and more.

Study Skills:

In 6th - 8th study skills, students will learn and apply skills such as Growth Mindset Strategies, routine building, time management, note-taking, studying to understand material, and more. We will be utilizing the SOAR curriculum to learn a variety of hard and soft skills related to academics. Students will work on organizing their personal binders as well as keeping their SOAR curriculum binder. Students will monitor their own work and organization with the assistance of a teacher when necessary. 

Ms. Labadan:
Language Arts 6
The new school year brings fresh energy as we welcome our new 6th Grade Language Arts students. We started the week strong by reviewing school expectations, and the eager students were both receptive and cooperative as they explored ELA routines—from daily grammar warm-ups to the purposeful use of reading logs. To make our reading logs more meaningful, we practiced regularly and focused on building summarizing skills using a variety of sentence stems. We also began unpacking Unit 1 of our Springboard textbook and introduced vocabulary words through the QHT strategy. As August comes to a close, our LA6 students are off to a fantastic start and are already enjoying their learning journey.

Mrs. Kessler:
In September for 6th grade math, students will be working on Expressions and Equations. Our focus will include finding the area of figures, evaluating expressions, and the greatest common factor (GCF) and the least common multiple (LCM). In 7th grade math, we will be working on Proportional Relationships. The main focus will be ratios, unit rates, and parts of circles.

All math students will be taking the MAP test on either September 10th or 11th, depending on their schedule. Additionally, each student is expected to complete one lesson per week on My Path. These lessons are designed to address individual learning needs by helping students close skill gaps and extend their understanding of key math concepts.

Mr. Swiderski
6th Grade World Geo, 7th Grade Geo & World History 

Welcome to room 200, Hanshew and the 2025-2026 School Year! In both 6th and 7th grade social studies we have been busy developing our classroom culture, creating shared expectations and our Social Contracts. 6th graders have been learning about basic geography concepts and terms and have been learning how to find and submit assignments on Canvas. The 7th graders have been reviewing geographical concepts, completed a slideshow about themselves and the 5 Themes of Geography, and have begun a short postcard assignment on a historical landmark of their choice. Please check your student’s Canvas to determine if there are any of our beginning assignments that may be missing, so they can have a strong start to their school year. Students were also given syllabi to bring home to have parents and guardians sign. Finally our afterschool tutoring begins in the Hanshew Library on Tuesday, September 2nd from 4:15-5:15. This can be a great opportunity for students to catch up on work and get support every Tuesday and Thursday. Students do not need to sign up but they do need to arrange a ride home. 

Mr. Harms:

This opening week was really smooth. Students got their first taste of Canvas and online assignments. 

Health—We are in an introductory unit about Lifelong Learning. We are covering the Health Triangle (Physical, Social, and Mental/Emotional Health). Major topics are self-management and self-awareness. 

PE—Students are getting accustomed to how PE works at Hanshew Middle School when combined with two other classes at the same time (possibly a 7th grade and an 8th grade class in addition to their own 6th grade class). 

Activities currently available are running/walking the track, softball, football, and frisbee.  

The hope next week is to organize students into an actual "Ultimate Frisbee/Ultimate the first week.

Ms. Harper: 

6/7 Science

In the 6th grade sciences we are learning about ecosystems and the energy pyramid.  Starting in September, we will be doing multiple activities and projects as we go deeper into ecosystems.  The year has started off nice, and the students are settling into their routines.

In the 7th grade science class we are currently learning about the scientific method and lab safety.  For the next few weeks we will be doing a variety of experiments to support this.  When they are finished with this unit, the students will be starting a unit on classification and the kingdoms, along with the characteristics of living organisms.

Montes Rook

Mauna Kea

Career & Technical Education, CTE

Computer Technology - Mr. Stanley Bolling

Family Consumer Sciences - Mrs. Cam Graves

Applied Technology - Mr. Anders Harstad-Bell