October 1, 2026

Hello, Polaris Families!

We have officially made it through the beginning-of-the-year sprint and are moving into the next season at Polaris: quarter grades, intensive planning, Fall Festival preparations, concerts, and all things October. 🍂

There is a lot happening over the next few weeks, but there is also a lot to look forward to. Thank you for continuing to read these updates, stay connected, and help us make all the wonderfully complicated pieces of a K–12 community work.

Parking Lot Tip of the Week: Pick Up on the Side!

This one may feel like a shift, but it has actually been our intended procedure since 2020—we just haven't been able to maintain the consistency needed to make it work well. So, we're asking for everyone's help in finally getting there!

Please plan with your student to meet for afternoon pickup on the SIDE of the building, rather than at the front entrance.

Our parking lot flow is already improving significantly (thank you!!), and consistently moving our active pickup/drop-off traffic to the side loop will make an even bigger difference. Keeping the front of the building clear reduces congestion at our tightest pinch point and helps vehicles move safely and efficiently through the lot.

We will begin communicating and reinforcing this expectation with students during morning announcements beginning this week. Please talk with your student about your family's pickup plan so they know where to find you at dismissal.

Review All Arrival & Dismissal Procedures HERE

New This Week:

Picture Retakes | October 15

If you're interested in ordering photos, visit the Fitzgerald Photography website and use your student's Student ID number to access their image proofs and purchasing options.

Fall Festival | Save the Date– October 30!

It's almost time for one of our favorite Polaris traditions!

Our Fall Festival is Friday, October 30, and Family Group teachers and advisors will soon be reaching out with specific ways families can help.

Once again, each Family Group/Advisory will be working together to:

• Sponsor a game or activity during the Fall Festival
• Create a themed basket for our basket raffle
• Decorate their classroom door for our door decorating contest

This is always best when students and families get involved, so watch for communication from your student's teacher/advisor with ways to donate, volunteer, create, decorate, or otherwise join the fun! PPTA will also be looking for many many many volunteers– keep an eye out for their communications!

Quarter Grades

October 16 marks the end of Quarter 1

For our middle school students, Quarter 1 grades will be finalized and posted by October 20.

For our high school students, Quarter 1 marks an important progress grade checkpoint rather than a final semester grade.

Now is a great time for students and families to check grades, review missing assignments, and connect directly with teachers with any questions or concerns. Our goal is always for students to know where they stand and have the opportunity to take ownership of their learning.

Polaris Food Drive | October 1–30

Our annual Food Drive begins October 1 and runs all month long! This year, our donations will support the Rescue Mission, and we're hoping to build quite the mountain of food at Polaris.

Families can donate canned proteins, pasta, rice, canned fruits and vegetables, water, soups, ramen, and other non-perishable foods throughout October. Please send donations first to your student's Family Group or Advisory teacher so they can be counted toward our friendly competitions before being added to the growing donation mountain in the lobby!

And because everything is a little more fun with some friendly Polaris competition...

Elementary: Grade bands will compete based on the average number of donations per class, with the winning grade band earning a Celebration Party!

Secondary: Advisories will compete for the highest overall number of donations—and the winning Advisory gets a Waffle Sundae Party! 

Every donation helps support members of our greater Anchorage community. Let's see how big we can build this mountain, Wolves!

Dine to Donate | Texas Roadhouse — October 14

Our first Dine to Donate of the year is coming up!

Join us at Texas Roadhouse, 9001 Old Seward Highway, on Wednesday, October 14 from 4:00–9:00 PM. Dine in or place a curbside order through the Texas Roadhouse mobile app, and be sure to tell your server or To-Go Specialist that you're participating in the Polaris K–12 Fundraiser (or show them the flyer). Texas Roadhouse will donate 10% of your food purchase back to Polaris!

Funds raised through our Dine to Donate events help support our Intensive Scholarships, making these uniquely Polaris learning experiences more accessible to our students.

So... don't cook dinner on October 14. Eat rolls for a cause instead!

See the attached Texas Roadhouse flyer for details.

PPTA Update:

Hello Polaris Families! Here's what's happening with your PPTA:

Ongoing Needs

• Pickup Pack: Volunteers are needed to support safety in the side loop during arrival and dismissal.
• Wolf Den Store: Help is needed Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Training is fast and easy!
• Fall Festival Donations: We are collecting individually wrapped candy. Donations can be dropped off in the main office.

Save the Date

• October 27: General PPTA Meeting at 6:30 PM — in person and online.
• October 30: Polaris Fall Festival! More details about games, costumes, volunteering, and sign-ups are coming soon.

Fall Festival Amazon Wishlist

Get Involved! Annual PPTA memberships are open. Join the Fall Festival, Fundraising, or Family Events committees and help support our school community.

Thank you for supporting our pack! 🐺💙

Connect with Polaris PPTA on Givebacks

Reminders from Last Week:

Wolves in the Wild | Help Us Celebrate our Students!

Our mural is taking shape, and we need your photos!

Send in a printed 3 × 5 photo and a brief description of something your student has accomplished, explored, learned, participated in, or experienced outside of Polaris.

Big or small, we want to celebrate it! Athletics, arts, travel, community service, hobbies, outdoor adventures, competitions, new skills, personal milestones—we want our wall to reflect the incredible variety of things our K–12 Wolves are doing beyond our walls.

Band Booster Club Save-the-Date | Panda Express Fundraiser

October 8 | Panda Express — 595 E. Dimond Blvd.

Enjoy dinner while supporting Polaris Fine Arts and Music! 20% of event sales will benefit our programs.

Bring the fundraiser flyer (paper or digital) or use fundraiser code 3866148 when ordering online.

Donations Appreciated

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has already donated! It has made a genuinely positive difference. Staff are grateful for the cold pick-me-ups; our Fall Festival candy supply is starting to grow, and those disinfecting wipes definitely get used. 😂

We're going to keep these items on our wish list for anyone who would like to continue helping:

• Clorox/disinfecting wipes — because 500+ kids create plenty of opportunities to wipe down tables and shared spaces!
• Individually wrapped candy — we're getting an early start on preparations for our upcoming Fall Festival.
• Yummy Soft Drinks for Staff – because we can all use a pick-me-up mid-day 🙂

Donations can be dropped off in the front office. Thank you for helping us keep Polaris stocked, ready (and caffeinated)!

Quick Link to Important Resources

• 2026/27 School Calendar
• ASD Volunteer Application
• Early Wolves Registration (before school)
• CampFire Information (after school)
• Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
• Technology Policy page

• Polaris website
• Polaris on Facebook

Dates at a Glance

October is going to be a full one—and a fun one. Thank you for the many ways you support our students, our staff, and one another. The strength of Polaris has always been the people who choose to invest themselves in this community, and that shows every single day.

Here we go, October!

“Our continued drive for excellence will never truly cease, it will merely open new doors of opportunity to strengthen who we are, what we do, and what we continue to become.” 

-Dr. Tia Clay

 

🐾