- Ursa Major Elementary
- Ursa Major Relocation Information
Messages from the Superintendent
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July 29, 2022
Good afternoon, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Aurora, and Orion Elementary Families.
Thank you for your patience and support as information unfolds regarding the Ursa Major Elementary School relocation project.
This week the District administration has created an efficient and thoughtful relocation plan for all Ursa Major students. The goal is to minimize the impact on students, staff, and families. I’m happy to report there will be space for all Ursa Major students to be relocated to one of our three other elementary schools on JBER.
As of today, all returning Ursa Major students have been rezoned to their relocation site. Please log-in to Q ParentConnection to see the school to which your student has been rezoned.
New to District families may call Ursa Major to learn more about their relocation site. In-person enrollment will take place August 2-4.
Transportation will be provided for students zoned for Ursa Major and attending Aurora or Orion Elementary.
Our Ursa Major relocation project website has been updated to include the following information:
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Registration information for returning Ursa Major students
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Enrollment information for students new to the District
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FAQs
Please know the principal at your relocation site will be messaging you along with all other school parents with information pertaining to back-to-school needs.
I am grateful for everyone’s patience as we work through the logistics and planning for keeping everyone safe!
Best,
Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Anchorage School District -
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July 25, 2022
Good Day, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Aurora, and Orion Elementary Families and Staff,I hope you and your families are having a safe and happy summer.
Safety has been the recurring theme this summer as the Anchorage School District prepares for the return of students. One of the major projects taking place has been seismic evaluations at Ursa Major Elementary School. Ursa Major is one of 85 schools under analysis by an engineering firm since the 2018 earthquake.
I am writing to make you aware of findings from a verbal report the engineers brought forth late last week that included concerns that if a seismic event was to occur, the building would not perform at a level of collapse prevention that the District requires of its campuses.
Out of an abundance of caution, I have decided to halt the use of Ursa Major until further evaluation has been done. The District will receive a full written report from the engineering firm this week.
This is a developing situation and I will provide updates as they become available. With only a few weeks until the start of the school year, my intent is for families and staff to be among the first to receive information of this nature.
Conversations are beginning now with numerous stakeholders, including all principals at JBER, JBER leadership, and others.
I understand you may have many questions and possible concerns, among which will include how the closure will impact your students. Please know we are working to determine next steps and information will be sent through email updates to JBER families and staff, in addition to being posted to the Ursa Major website and to the District Hot Topics page. Details regarding rezoning, transportation, registration, and more will be delivered as information unfolds.
Again, we are in the early discovery stages of what this means for the JBER community. This will be a large logistical puzzle to piece together over the coming weeks. Please know—there is a space for you in our ASD community and we will work through this to start the school year strong.
Best,
Jharrett Bryantt, Ed.D.
SuperintendentAnchorage School District
News Articles
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Krakow, Morgan, "Ursa Major Elementary on JBER expected to stay closed at least a year amid earthquake concerns" Anchorage Daily News, July 27, 2022.
Maxwell, Lauren, "Anchorage School District releases more information about school closed because of earthquake danger" KTUU, July 26, 2022.
