It's Covid Red Zone in Kaktovik

 

 Do you see all the pretty tabs to mark which section will be referred to on which day during our 15 minute phone calls?

        Yes it's been confirmed, on Tuesday, September, 14, 2021 we were told there was a confirmed positive case of Covid of a non-resident or visitor in Kaktovik.  This means that we had 30 minutes to contact parents and get students ready to send home (fortunately I had a teacher's assistant help with the phone calls).  This also means that we will not be back in school for 12 days and are sending home packets for the students in addition to making 15 minute phone calls home at a scheduled time for each child.  Considering Point Hope has 140 positive cases and does not think they'll be back in school before the end of the semester, we are faring quite well.  However, while picking up mail we were told of another confirmed positive case, this time of a resident.  

That was a lot of sticky notes to mark, glad I only have 12 students in my K-1st class.

All the packets have been placed in backpacks with the student's names written on them in Sharpie.  We will pick them up on Monday when we drop new packets off.

ALL ABOARD!!!  PARTY TIME!!!  Now it's time for us to distribute backpacks to families on the PARTY BUS!!! (Note: that's really the name, party bus, I promise).  We even got some neat dance moves in when we weren't running from stray dogs nipping at our heels as we knocked on student's houses or petting the new litter of puppies sleeping in the Kunichuk (arctic entry) at one of our student's homes.  

 

 

Afterwards we made a pit stop at the whale feast as the community caught their 2nd whale on Tuesday right after students were sent home to quarantine (not to many seemed to quarantine as seen below at the photo of the 2nd whale being caught). 

 

 Do you think we should remind them to stand 6 feet apart on the whale?

 

Book Bins & Polar Bears in Kaktovik, Alaska

         So you may have been wondering about my life so far teaching in Kaktovik, Alaska.  Well on the 4th day of school I walked out of my house about to begin my hike to school when I was encountered by a young man wielding a large stick and ushering me back indoors saying there is a polar bear.  I couldn't see it but he said it had went around a dumpster and was within view.  I still couldn't see it but was a bit afraid to leave my safe zone to look.  Either way after about 10 minutes I asked if he thought it was safe to walk to school and he said "no, call for a ride."  Deciding not to become bear breakfast the first week of school,  I texted the principal and lingered in my arctic entry until he arrived.  He showed up after having picked up another teacher whom I told him was closer to the animal than me and was best to be warned, something I could not do as the teacher was having a problem obtaining working cell service.  I've managed to arrive safely to school every morning since then but I did wake up a few days ago to the sound of a loud gun shot near me that the polar bear patrol uses to scare meddling bears away who just can't resist the urge to fuddle around in our village.  

    We use Bridge's Math in Kaktovik and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!  Part of the lesson was to create a graph using student's favorite popsicle flavors.  Being as I only have 12 students on good days, I allowed them to choose two flavors.  We then posted them on a graph.  How fun!  

After school today I decided to make labels for my book bins to make organizing and finding books easier.  Obviously I am proud.

 

Very Proud.

Do I really have to show you every picture?

Okay just one more and then I promise we're done with book bin pictures (for now).

 

Ta Da!

To be continued...