Aubrie Ellis

Mountain View Elementary School
Kenai, Alaska
AEllis@kpbsd.org

Best Practices

1) Parent and Community Relations: Building strong relationships with parents and the community has been a key focus of my work. Creating meaningful connections between school and home helps students feel supported and strengthens our school culture. One of the ways I’ve done this is by launching an after-school intramural sports program, giving students the chance to play soccer, basketball, and volleyball while also bringing families together. These travel games have not only been fun for the kids but have also helped build a stronger sense of community and school spirit. I also started the Soaring Eagle Program to recognize students who go above and beyond in showing kindness and helpfulness. When a student earns their first eagle feather, they receive a coupon from a local business as a reward. To make sure families feel connected to their child’s success, I send out personal emails each week to parents of students who received a feather, celebrating their positive impact. Open communication with families has been a priority, even though I’ve only been part of this community since the beginning of last school year. I make it a point to build relationships with parents, keep them informed, and ensure they feel involved in their child’s school experience. By creating opportunities for families to engage—whether through sports, recognition programs, or direct communication—I’ve worked to strengthen the connection between school and home. A strong partnership with parents and the community makes a lasting difference for students and helps create a school environment where everyone feels valued and involved.

2) School Improvement: This year, a major focus of our school improvement has been ensuring a safe and secure school while making sure staff have the information they need at their fingertips. To support staff, I created a document dashboard that keeps all important school resources in one place and up to date. I also developed a staff calendar to streamline event planning and improve team collaboration. These tools have made it easier for everyone to stay informed and on the same page. Recognizing the need to support students’ well-being, I worked on the master schedule to include time for social-emotional learning and classroom culture building activities. I also provided teachers with materials and guidance for using morning meetings, closing circles, and the Zones of Regulation. These efforts have helped create a supportive and structured learning environment. When enrollment increased unexpectedly, I took on a classroom temporarily to prevent class sizes from growing too large while waiting for additional staff. This helped maintain a positive learning environment, kept classrooms from being overcrowded, and ensured students continued to receive the support they needed. Through these improvements, we have strengthened school safety, improved communication, and a more organized and supportive environment for students and staff.