Shishmaref School

📣 Welcome Back, Shishmaref School!

All certified staff returns Monday, August 18th at 8:00AM — let’s kick off the school year strong and shine bright like the Northern Lights! ✨

We’ll be reaching out to classified staff soon with more details about your return-to-work date. Thank you for your patience and understanding! 📚

Here’s to an amazing year ahead! #ShishmarefStrong #NorthernLightsPride #BackToSchool

We are excited to welcome you to the 2025–2026 school year at Shishmaref School! It is with great joy and anticipation that we prepare to open our doors and begin another year of learning, growth, and community together. Whether you are a returning family or joining us for the first time, we look forward to partnering with you in making this a safe, engaging, and successful school year for all students.

We believe that when students, families, staff, and the community work in unity, we create the best environment for academic success and personal growth. We will continue to focus on high-quality instruction, strong attendance, and cultural connections that celebrate the heritage and values of Shishmaref.

Family & Community Partnership

We encourage you to stay connected through our school website, newsletters, and our Facebook page. Open communication is key to ensuring your child’s success, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We also invite parents, guardians, and elders to be active participants in school events, cultural activities, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year.

Our Commitment

At Shishmaref School, we are committed to creating a learning environment where every student feels safe, respected, and inspired to reach their highest potential. Our teachers and staff are eager to provide meaningful learning experiences that integrate both academic excellence and cultural values.

We look forward to an incredible school year filled with learning, laughter, and community connection. Thank you for trusting us with your child’s education—we are honored to serve the families of Shishmaref.

📅 The first day of school is Thursday, August 28, 2025!
We’ll be sharing more dates, details, and need-to-know info soon — stay tuned and keep an eye out!

Shishmaref School Administrative Team

Dear Shishmaref Community: Students who are in school today will receive their report cards to take home with them. Please check with your student to receive the official copy from them. Any student who is not in school will by the end of Friday will have their report cards mailed home to the PO boxes on file.

Dear Shishmaref Community: We are all very excited to host our graduation ceremony today at 7:00 PM. The doors will open at 6:30 for those who are looking for advanced seating. There will be three promotions featured in the ceremony including ECE, 8th Grade, and our Graduating Seniors. Please come and celebrate with us. Below you will find a copy of our graduation program.

Hello everyone, this is a friendly reminder that today is the last day of night rec. See you there.

Dear Shishmaref Community: Please see the following information about Prom from our Grade 11 Advisor: Prom is Saturday, May 10th beginning at 4pm-6:30 for grades ECE-4th Ticket price is $3 and includes snacks (lemonade, popcorn and cotton candy) Gr.5-7 prom is 6:30 to 8:00 Ticket price is $5 and includes snacks (lemonade, popcorn and cotton candy) Gr.8-12 prom (incl. dinner) is 9:00-midnight Ticket price is $15 for singles, and $25 for couples. Dinner is included Note: Snacks and drinks are available from 4pm till close. Tickets are available for purchase at the student store today and tomorrow after school, and at the door. Volunteers are needed for set up Friday and Saturday. We are looking for volunteers to chaperone as well. Dinner is provided for volunteers. Please contact Dan or the office for further information.

Dear Shishmaref Community, This is a reminder that today is the last day of after-school tutoring. We also have upcoming dates for: Prom: Saturday, May 10 Graduation: Monday, May 12

Attention Parents of Grade 7 and Grade 8: We are hoping to hold our annual Junior High Picnic before the busy season of graduation and prom begins. Students will receive a permission slip today at school, which must be returned before Friday, May 2. A copy of the permission slip is linked below this post if you would like to print your own. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EDYVkmdj_G_yZLJYAA-rKbNUZE8YloW02PI4S6E-Idk/edit?tab=t.0

Dear Shishmaref Community: Please review the provided information from the clinic about Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD): Patient Education Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease CHAM Patient Education Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease – Mouth 5 © 2006 Copyright Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium & Alaska Native Health Board 1. This problem is caused by a virus and usually happens in children. 2. The illness is usually mild and lasts 4 to 7 days. • Like other viruses, this illness is catching. • Keep child home from school and away from other children until fever and mouth sores are gone. 3. While child is sick, he/she should: • Get extra rest. • Drink plenty of liquids, such as water, fruit juice, weak tea, and milk. Limit soda. 4. Mouth sores are usually not very painful, and should not keep child from drinking liquids. • Child may not want to eat much. That is OK. 5. If child is not drinking well or seems to be getting worse instead of better after a few days, return to clinic.

Dear Shishmaref Community: We are erring on the side of caution to prevent the possible spread of a communicable virus in school. We will be dismissing all elementary students from school at 1:30 today. Please pick up your children if you are able. If they are showing any symptoms of Hand Foot and Mouth, please keep them home and consult with the clinic for next steps. Symptoms include rashes on hands and feet as well as sores within the mouth. The school will be undergoing a deep clean this afternoon in order to prevent any potential spreading of viruses. Please ensure good hygiene by washing your hands frequently. Avoid touching eyes and mouth with your hands. More information to follow.

A Vaccination Clinic will be held at Shishmaref School on April 10th, offering a range of important vaccinations—not just for COVID, but for several other preventable conditions as well. Earlier this week, students brought home a form from NSHC, but a new, updated version will be sent home once it’s ready. If you would like to know which vaccinations your child may need, please contact the Shishmaref Clinic directly. (1-907-649-2127) Please keep an eye out for the updated forms coming home with your child soon. Thank you for helping us keep our school and community healthy!

Dear Shishmaref Community: First, we would like to remind you that today's Quarter 3 assembly is today, and doors will open at 2:30. The NFHS stream will go live at 2:20. We hope to see you there! Second, we are announcing that Night Rec will be switching the main door from the back of the school to the front of the school beginning this Friday.

Registration for 'Meals to You' program is now open! Register by scanning the QR code. Sign-ups are available from April 1st to April 30th.

Dear Shishmaref Community: Due to complications caused by weather and illness, we are moving our Quarter 3 Awards Ceremony from Wednesday at 2:30 PM to Thursday, April 3rd at 2:30 PM. The event will be broadcast on NFHS for those unable to attend in person. We look forward to celebrating our students' achievements with you—hope to see you there!

Dear Shishmaref Community, There are three announcements found below: Our Quarter 3 Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday March 26th from 4-6PM. We are starting and ending at a later time then the previous PTC's to allow for working families to attend at a later time. There will also be an early release 1:30 to allow for preparation for the PTCs. Our Quarter 3 Assembly will take place one week later on April 2nd. We will begin at 2:40 and release at the end of the assembly which should be at the normal time of 3:30. We hope to see you there. For those who cannot attend, the event will be streamed on NFHS. The link will be posted the day of the event. State testing will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. We hope that students arrive well rested and prepared to test.

📅 Community Calendar Updates – Submissions Needed! We are updating our Shishmaref Community Calendar and would love your help! Please submit any additions or updates, including important dates such as: Births of newborns Dates of passing of community members in Shishmaref Wedding anniversaries Other significant events 🗓️ Final Deadline: March 25, 2025 📩 Please send your contributions to Emmeline Mercurio at emmeline.mercurio@shh.bssd.org.

Dear Shishmaref Community! We hope you’re all excited to see our practice schedule! If you’re interested in Native Youth Olympics, Little Dribblers (Grades 4 and 5), or Junior High Basketball (Grades 6, 7, and 8), please join us for practice at the times below: 3:30 – 5:00 PM – NYO 5:00 – 6:00 PM – Little Dribblers Practice 6:00 – 7:00 PM – Junior High Basketball Practice Please like and share this post so that we can have a great turnout, and we hope to see you there! Go Northern Lights!

We Want Your Feedback – Help Us Improve Shishmaref School! To continue improving Shishmaref School, we would like to hear from you. Your honest and anonymous feedback on school leadership is incredibly valuable. Our goal is to serve everyone as effectively as possible, and your input will help us get there. Staff: We ask that you complete two surveys—one from your perspective as a staff member and another from your viewpoint as a parent or community member (if applicable). Parents: Your insights matter. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts through the parent survey. Students: Your voice counts too. You will have a chance to complete the survey at school. If you need help accessing it, please reach out to a school administrator. Your feedback plays a key role in helping us shape the future of Shishmaref School. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. The deadline for this survey ends this week, and we do hope that as many community members as possible can complete this anonymous feedback. The link for community members and parents is below. Staff and students will receive links for their personal use here at school. https://surveys.panoramaed.com/aasb/70110family

Region One 2025 Bering Sea Conference at Savoonga, AK. https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/bering-strait-school-district-unalakleet-co Link to updated schedule and brackets: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTlbSGjeiMFG_3a4YPpS_6L9GyntijZpkBVBKOuMu88Z6WfEPYXPMCGzSc5OI5Z2WMWMbMI4x8cOSye/pubhtml

Your input through a quick survey of our Building Administrators (Principals) at BSSD is crucial as we constantly work towards improvements.  Your feedback on their leadership is immensely valuable to us. Ensuring that we're serving everyone to the best of our abilities is our priority.  📢  If you're a staff member, we kindly request you to complete one survey from your staff perspective and another from your viewpoint as a parent/community member.  📢 Parents, your insights are highly appreciated! Please take a few moments to share your thoughts through a separate survey focusing on your parental perspective.  📢 Students, your voice matters! You'll have the opportunity to express your opinions by participating in the survey at school. If you need assistance accessing the survey, don't hesitate to contact a school administrator at your site. Your perspectives play a significant role in our plans for improvement. Thank you for taking the time to provide your valuable insights! THIS IS ANONYMOUS https://forms.gle/Bd1HMejYvryRCMks8