Content Row

Dear Almond Families:

Welcome back from Spring break! I don’t know about you but I have been enjoying the warmer weather after our bay area monsoon season! I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing time away and that you have now settled back in here at school. It is hard to believe that we will be in the month of May next week and that the end of school is near. With the last weeks of school upon us, we have many upcoming activities to look forward to. Please see below for some events to check out in the next week.

Celebrating Students!

This past Wednesday, during a lunchtime ceremony, we recognized 45 students in grades 1-6 who have worked diligently over the years to learn English as a second language. Each student received a certificate that represented their English fluent proficiency across multiple measures, including reading, writing, speaking and listening. What a valuable skill to be able to speak two languages! Please see the pictures below.

Junior Olympics

Our 4-6th graders will be representing Almond school at Junior Olympics this Saturday. Please come out and join us at Mountain View High School and cheer on our fantastic kiddos as they compete with other LASD schools in various sporting events. Hope to see you there!

CAASPP testing

For our 3-6th grade students, CAASPP testing begins next week. What can you do as a parent to support this testing? First, please remind your child to get a good night’s rest, eat a healthy breakfast and try their best to show what they have learned. And please tell your child not to fret about the testing; we tell the students to do the best they can but not to worry about how they do. As a school, we look at the test results to measure the effectiveness of our instruction. Secondly, since almost all the testing will be done first thing in the morning (when minds and bodies are most fresh), it is essential that your child arrives at school on time each day. Lastly, if at all possible, please arrange appointments for your child outside the testing window.

Almond Singers

Next Wednesday, May 1st, our very own Almond Singers will be holding their Spring concert in the multi at 7pm. They have been meeting over the past months and are eager to share with you the beautiful music they have been practicing and preparing. All are welcome to attend!

Here’s to warmer, sunnier climes!

Raquel

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Important Dates for your calendar

  • Sat, April 27, JUNIOR OLYMPICS, MVHS, starting at 8:00 am
  • Wed, May 1, Almond Singers Concert, 7pm, Multi
  • Wed, May 8, PTA Board Meeting, 8:35 am
  • May 9, 10, 11, Lion King performances
  • Sat, May 18, Los Altos Pet Parade
  • May 20, LASD Spring Concert (grades 4-6), 1:00, Multi

So many events!

LASD Junior Olympics - Coming this Saturday, April 27th!

Mark your calendars! Junior Olympics is Saturday, for our 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event and must wear their green JO shirt. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com).

The Almonds Singers Present a Spring Concert!
Almond Elementary students, parents, and friends are cordially invited to attend The Almond Singers Spring Concert on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 7pm in the Multi. Almond Singers' members (who are students in grades 2-6) will delight you with their performances of fun and uplifting songs! (There will also be a morning concert at school on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 8:45am for students and staff only). Come out and support your Almond Singers and leave whistling a happy tune, and with a spring in your step! We hope to see you there!

The 72st ANNUAL LOS ALTOS PET PARADE will be held on Saturday, May 18th at 10 a.m.

Please join your fellow Almond families and their pets (dogs, cats, birds, goats, reptiles, stuffed animals or no animals at all) to meet at 9:30am in the parking lot behind The Post (formally First & Main) restaurant.

Look for the Almond balloons and the Almond Eagle mascot!

Please RSVP at http://evite.me/CMnsd7t6rp if can so we can get a preliminary head count. -- Come Join the Fun!

Yearbook! Please submit your photos of Almond activities!

If you haven't had an opportunity to upload any pictures for the yearbook, now is your final chance. I am taking pictures up until Thursday night. The yearbook needs to be submitted on Sunday so if you have pictures on your desktop or your phone, please upload them via the links below only - all other folders have already been downloaded and won't be looked at. I would love more pictures of the following: Community Service Events, Stem Expo, Spirit Days - Pictures with the Eagle Wings art project as well! 

Thanks again for helping make the yearbook a memorable item. More info on purchasing the yearbook will come shortly from Leon Yao.

Final Pictures - General (ex: fun group shots with friends in class, field trips, playground, etc) https://lizbacchi.smugmug.com/upload/T2ZtF6/final

Stem Expo https://lizbacchi.smugmug.com/upload/DjVsCn/stemexpo

Community Service Events: https://lizbacchi.smugmug.com/upload/Lx9Vkd/Communityservice

Spirit Days: https://lizbacchi.smugmug.com/upload/73H3CV/spiritdays

Community Services: Cleaning Supplies Needed for Families with Critically Ill Children

Almond Community Services, working with Bay Area Chapter of There With Care, is hosting an Essential Cleaning Supplies drive to collect much-needed supplies for families with critically ill children. We will be holding the drive from April 25th through May 9th – please drop off donations in the collection barrel located in Almond’s front office. Supplies we are collecting include:

  • Dish Sponges
  • Bathroom Sponges
  • Dishwashing Liquid
  • Paper towel rolls
  • Toilet bowl cleaner
  • Toilet bowl brush
  • Glass cleaner
  • Bleach-based cleaning spray
  • All-purpose spray cleaner
  • Antibacterial hand soap
  • Duster (feather or microfiber cloths)
  • Pair of Rubber Gloves
  • Multi-surface floor cleaner (i.e. Simple Green)
  • Dustpan/brush

There With Care provides a range of services to families with critically ill children to help support families. There With Care works with local hospitals and social workers to identify and ease the stresses for families - giving them more time with their children. Programs include transportation services; meal programs; baby essential program; home maintenance program; sibling assistance and several other programs. To learn more about There With Care and volunteering opportunities please visit their website at bayarea.therewithcare.org or video (https://bayarea.therewithcare.org/videos/)

If you have any questions please contact either Polly or Seema

Thank you for your support in Advance!

Polly Liu and Seema Chavan, Almond Community Services

L.A.E.F.--Los Altos Educational Foundation

LAEF is proud to have sponsored PE teachers and the Junior Olympics. Remember to donate to LAEF and ensure that teachers and staff for programs such as PE continue next school year.

Help us raise the final funds to meet our goal.

A gift of $50, $100 or even $300 will make a difference!

Let's cross the finish line and raise $3.5M to fully fund this school year.

Donate online or drop off a check in your school office.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @LAEFonline

Art Docent Event

The Art Docents are hosting a spring recruiting event including a fun art project and would love it if you could include the attached information in your school newsletter for the next couple of weeks.

Art du Jour

May 3rd from 10-12

iLearn Studio at LASD

201 Covington Road, Los Altos

Rsvp by May 2nd to ehongchin@gmail.com

Egan Viking Showcase

The Viking Showcase will be held this year on Thursday, June 6, 2019. Over 200 parent and community volunteers will be needed for this extraordinary event. Please sign up!

For over 20 years, the Viking Showcase Day has been a rite of passage for Egan 8th graders. The Viking Showcase is a special event for 8th grade students, faculty, and adult volunteers. Through personal interviews with community members, graduating 8th grade students showcase achievements from their years at Egan. The event provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate professional skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Students are divided into small groups and assigned to one or two adults. Student groups showcase their academic work as adult participants provide feedback, ask pertinent questions, and help the students celebrate their achievements. The review process increases student motivation, builds a sense of accomplishment, and fosters community involvement with the school. Past participants have truly enjoyed this invaluable experience.

Viking Showcase page on Egan Web site:

https://eganschool.org/egan/6696-PD.html

Any questions, please contact Lauren Hasenhuttl

lhasenhu@gmail.com

Parent to Egan 8th grader, Covington 5th grader

Co-chair of Viking Showcase

4th Grade Instrument Quest

June 4th, 2019

4:00 – 7:00

Covington Multi

In preparation for choosing a musical instrument to play in 5th grade, the LASD Music Department will host an instrument selection event called “Instrument Quest” for all 4thgrade students in the district. Your child will be able to try out every instrument we offer in our Band and Orchestra (flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello).

This is a great opportunity to see which instrument best suits your child. Parents are welcome to ask questions and to meet the LASD Music teachers.

Los Altos Pet Parade!

The 72st ANNUAL LOS ALTOS PET PARADE will be held on Saturday, May 18th at 10 a.m.

Please join your fellow Almond families and their pets (dogs, cats, birds, goats, reptiles, stuffed animals or no animals at all) to meet at 9:30am in the parking lot behind The Post (formally First & Main) restaurant.

Look for the Almond balloons and the Almond Eagle mascot!

Please RSVP at http://evite.me/CMnsd7t6rp if can so we can get a preliminary head count. -- Come Join the Fun!


Dear Almond Families:

Last Tuesday night, our K-6 students shared their best scientific thinking at our annual STEM Expo. Every year, this event lends itself to a variety of learning experiences for students, in class or at home, working individually or collaboratively with their peers or with adults amongst a wide range of STEM categories. Tuesday night was their opportunity to showcase their passion projects. A HUGE thank you to Ricky Hu, our STEM Coach, for coordinating this awesome event. And thank you to LAEF for supporting the STEM program. Please see below for some pictures from that night!

Tonight, please join us for the 6th grade Celebration of Learning, where students will share all of the learning that has taken place over the last trimester. The festivities begin at 6 pm in the multi. See you there!

Just a reminder that we will all be enjoying the beautiful sunshine for Spring Break next week, April 15-19. Classes will resume on Monday, April 22.

Here’s to soaking in more of that Vitamin D!

Raquel

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Project Cornerstone/ABC Reading

This month’s ABC book, One, by Kathryn Otoshi, is a colorful story of acceptance and tolerance that tells the tale of how just one voice can make a difference. According to Otoshi, “Many times we think, ‘I'm so small. What can I do?’ But we do have an effect! It's about changing thinking. When one person stands up for something, it might be just enough to tip the next person over and inspire him or her to also stand up.”

One helps students recognize that they have the power to effectively respond to bucket-dipping behaviors. The key messages are “Everyone counts,” and “It just takes ONE to make a difference.”

Students have also been discussing the difference between passive bystanders and proactive UPstanders. Bystanders can become UPstanders by saying or doing something to support targets of bucket dipping. UPstanders know that it just takes ONE to make a difference. UPstanders take action to influence others to stop hurtful behavior.

 

  • Here are some ways that we all can be UPstanders at home and in our communities:
  • - Refuse to join in with bucket-dipping behaviors.
  • - Use positive peer influence to help friends “do the right thing."
  • - Say or do something when someone needs help. (Just standing near someone will make him/her feel better!)
  • - Help all kids join the fun. Invite someone new to play!
  • - Use the ability to read body language to de-escalate conflict and keep things calm.

We hope you will invite your child to share about One and what they learned in their lesson. Help reinforce the positive messages at home:

  • - Talk about ways that each family member counts!
  • - Practice with your child ways to de-escalate emotionally charged conversations using a calm tone of voice, positive words, and comforting body language.
  • - Remind your child that you think they are ONE great kid!

If you have any questions about Project Cornerstone or the ABC Reading program, contact Sue Jones (tiramisujones@gmail.com),

Lily Wang (lily@alexwang.com) or Katie Liniger (kathryn_liniger@yahoo.com)

Parent Ed Opportunities

Parenting in the Age of Technology. Come join My Digital TAT2 for a highly engaging and informative presentation on Tuesday, April 23rd from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Covington Elementary School multi-purpose . Recommended for anyone interested in an overview of the digital landscape and learning about thoughtful ways to navigate media with your children. You will come away with strategies that support both you and your child. It is an event you will not want to miss! For more information about My Digital TAT2, please visit: www.mydigitaltat2.org. We are expecting a big turnout for this event, so please RSVP by clicking here.

MVLA Parent Education Speaker SeriesLIKE: A documentary about the impact of social media on our lives. Learn how to promote the use of self-regulation as a strategy to manage the negative impacts of technology, while benefiting from the positive ones. There will be two screenings on Tuesday, 4/30 at 6pm and 7:30pm at LAHS. To register, click here.

LAEF

One week until Junior Olympics!

We still need to raise $110K

If 12 families at each school donated, we could reach our goal of $3.5M!

Will you be one of the 12 and donate by April 26th?

A gift of $50, $100 or even $300 will make a difference this school year

Let's keep our neighborhood schools strong by fully funding teachers and staff for STEM, Wellness, Literacy, and Arts

LASD Junior Olympics - Coming on April 27th!

Mark your calendars! Junior Olympics training is now underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

Art Docents Event

The Art Docents are hosting a spring recruiting event including a fun art project. We would love to see you there and gauge your interest in joining us in bringing art lessons to our students!

Art du Jour

May 3rd from 10-12

iLearn Studio at LASD

201 Covington Road, Los Altos

Rsvp by May 2nd to ehongchin@gmail.com

 

From the Health Services Department

When to Keep Your Child Home From School:

Sometimes it is difficult, especially early in the morning, to know whether or not to send your child to school. The following guidelines are indications that you should keep him/her home. By doing so, you are helping to control the spread of colds, flu, and other contagious illnesses.

Keep your child at home when he/she has any of the following symptoms:

  • ● Fever of 99.6 or higher
  • ● Chills
  • ● Vomiting, diarrhea or nausea
  • ● Sore throat or trouble swallowing.
  • ● Coughing, sneezing, and/or runny nose
  • ● Rash or unusual sores or spots
  • ● Headache
  • ● Generalized muscle aches and pains
  • ● Wheezing or trouble breathing
  • ● Unusually red, crusted or burning eyes (Pink eye)
  • ● Head Lice

You need to keep your child home until he/she has been symptom-free without medication for 24 hours. Also, NOTIFY THE OFFICE IMMEDIATELY if your child is exposed to or contracts chickenpox, mumps or measles or whooping cough (pertussis). These conditions can be life-threatening to students who are undergoing therapies that suppress their immune systems. This is only a guide to common childhood health concerns.

Call our District Nurses (650-444-9702 or 650-537-8119) or your personal health care provider for more information. Always bring a copy of a physician’s note to school and/or notify the school if your child will have an extended absence due to a health condition for 10 days or longer.

From the Office

You may have noticed a colorful display of jackets and sweaters lining our front fence. Please take a look to see if you can find your student's belongings before tomorrow. We will be donating the remainders at the end of the day.

Have a wonderful Spring Break! We hope you all return well-rested and ready for the final few weeks of school. We're looking forward to seeing you all on April 22!


Dear Almond Families:

It is hard to believe that April is already upon us! Time flies when you are having fun. I know that with the end of the school year on the horizon many parents are thinking about class placement for next year. I would like to share our process so that it is as transparent as possible and to give some insight into the reasoning behind our decisions for placement.

The teachers work very hard reviewing and placing children in a heterogeneous home room environment, which is the best learning situation for children as supported by research. We look at a balance when we create our classes. This balance may include gender, academic levels, support levels of students and style of learning.

When we receive parent input, it is important not to request a specific teacher for your child. We will not be able to honor requests of this nature. However, I would love to know about your child as a learner. If you would like to share more about your child with me, please do so no later than April 26th.

Here’s to Almond Highlights from the last week!

~Raquel

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Dress for School

Safety, good taste, and appropriateness determine the choice of school clothing. Student dress should not disrupt the educational environment. Each student has the right to dress in ways which represent his/her individuality. However, some attire is not appropriate at school. When students do not follow the Almond dress code, their parents will be contacted to provide appropriate clothing.

Guidelines:

  • Outer clothing must cover all underwear.
  • Clothing with offensive language, or pictures, or with references to alcohol, drugs, or tobacco is not acceptable.
  • No bare midriff
  • Students should wear appropriate shoes for school (P.E. ready every day)

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR

  • Tomorrow is the LAST DAY of Spring Book Fair, Multi
  • Tomorrow, Fri, April 5, 4th graders to Sacramento!
  • Mon, April 8, STEM Expo projects due--bring them to the Multi
  • Tue, April 9, STEM Expo Family Event, 4:30-6:00, Multi
  • Thurs, April 11, 6th Grade Celebration of Learning
  • Fri, April 12, Coffee with the Principal
  • April 15-19, SPRING BREAK, No School!
  • Wed, April 24, PTA General Meeting, 8:35, multi

STEM EXPO IS NEXT WEEK!

Your students are engaged and excited to share their projects with you!

Parents: STEM Expo doesn’t happen without YOUR help! We need parents to:

  • Help set up the Expo the morning of Monday, April 8
  • Review projects throughout the school day on Tuesday, April 9 (*we especially need more folks here!)
  • Be runners for students throughout the school day on April 9

The students will take their projects home after the Family Event on Tuesday, April 9.

More information is available by clicking the “Get Involved” link on the “Almond” tab at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo

You can sign up to volunteer using the google form here:

https://goo.gl/forms/wui2Eo27ptBnejLo2

If you have any questions, please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST, at rhu@lasdschools.org

LASD JUNIOR OLYMPICS - COMING ON APRIL 27TH!

Junior Olympics training has been underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. We still need volunteers to get our young athletes ready!!! Please consider signing up to help during one or more PE periods. It is an easy way to get involved and learn more about this fun district-wide event and we cannot do it without your help! The volunteer sign up sheet can be found HERE. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

NEWS FROM LAEF

Double your Donation

LAEF still needs to raise $148,000 to fully fund our 2018-19 grant to LASD. Every dollar you give by April 26th, before Junior Olympics, will be matched by two anonymous LASD families, up to $6,500. They have generously offered this challenge to inspire you to help us reach our goal of 100% participation from every LASD family. Let's all work together and fully fund teachers and staff for STEM, Wellness, Literacy, and Arts for the 2018-19 school year.

If you have yet to donate, now’s the time! Donate at LAEFonline.org or drop off a check in your school office.

YEARBOOK CHAIRPERSON NEEDS YOUR PHOTOS

Hello Almond Families!

It is that time of year to upload your pictures of your children over the school year for the yearbook.

Below is the link to the website that has all the categories that I am looking for. It would be great if you can upload pictures right away to the different categories so that I can finish the yearbook.

Here is the link:

Yearbook • Page - Almond Elementary School

Thanks!

Liz

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

MVLA Parent Education Speaker SeriesLIKE: A documentary about the impact of social media on our lives. Learn how to promote the use of self-regulation as a strategy to manage the negative impacts of technology, while benefiting from the positive ones. There will be two screenings on Tuesday, 4/30 at 6pm and 7:30pm at LAHS. To register, click here.

The 18th Annual Los Altos Hills Pathways Run/Walk: Saturday, May 11, 2019 – 9 AM Early Bird Registration Discount: for $10 off, use discount code “pathways19” Come out for the 18th Annual Los Altos Hills Pathways Run/Walk, and make Los Altos Hills Pathways your Run * Sweet * Run! This fun annual event begins at the Westwind Community Barn, runs through the Byrne Preserve and extends into the Los Altos Hills Pathways system. The run features a hilly and challenging 5K and 10K Pathways Run/Walk and a 1-Mile Fun Run. Special athletic race shirts will be provided along with finisher medals to those who register. To register, volunteer or for more race information contact Sarah Robustelli 650-947-2518, srobustelli@losaltoshills.ca.gov or visit the event website at www.lahpathwaysrun.org. New this year are “Team” registrations so that your family or group of friends can all register as a team to compete and compare your race results and registration numbers with other team members or other teams! Saturday May 11, 2019 (Mother’s Day Weekend) 5K/10K: 9:00 am Fees for 5K/10K: $45 ($50 on race day) Group Registrations of 10 or more: $35 per person – Acquire group discount registration code from Sarah at srobustelli@losaltoshills.ca.gov Time for 1-Mile Fun Run: 10:30 am Fees for 1-Mile Fun Run: $30 ($35 on race day) Location: Westwind Community Barn - 27210 Altamont Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022

Flexible Opportunities for Working in our School: we need you!

Have you ever thought about working in our schools but didn’t know how to get started? We are looking for community members interested in substituting in our schools as classified substitutes. We have opportunities to work as instructional assistants in our kindergarten classrooms and opportunities to work in our school offices. If this sounds interesting to you, please contact Marlene Revelo, HR Specialist, mrevelo@lasdschools.org

FROM THE OFFICE

Attendance: Please let us know if your student will be late or absent. There are several ways: call the attendance line at 650-917-5454 or the front desk at 917-5400, or email almondsecretary@lasdschools.org.

Next time you are on campus, please check out the lost and found collection! There are dozens of sweatshirts and jackets! Everything will be collected next Friday, 4/12, before spring break to be donated to a local charity.

If you'd like to put something in the Thursday Word, please send an email to almondthursdayword@lasdschools.org by Tuesday for consideration for the following Thursday's edition.


Dear Almond Families:

Please read below for some important news at Almond!

Student Council Fundraiser: Pennies for Patients 

The numbers are in, and our Almond students and families raised $5,257.49 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Pennies for Patients this year. Thank you to our student council and teacher representatives, Bret Linvill and Kathy Day-Bobb, for spearheading this fundraiser. And thank you to our Almond community for making this year's event a huge success!

Book Fair Family Night

Take a night off from making dinner and bring the kids to Book Fair Family Night on Thursday April 4th from 6-8pm, in the multi. There will be food trucks available for both dinner and dessert! It will be a fun evening filled with food, books and music.

Coffee with the Principal

Please join me in the library on Friday, April 12 from 8:45-9:30. I will be sharing about how we support student academic and behavioral needs.

Here's to our supportive students, staff and families!

~ Raquel

IMPORTANT DATES

  • April 1-April 5, Spring Book Fair, Multi
  • Fri, April 5, 4th graders to Sacramento!
  • Mon, April 8, STEM Expo
  • Thurs, April 11, 6th Grade Celebration of Learning
  • Fri, April 12, Coffee with the Principal
  • April 15-19, SPRING BREAK, No School!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ALMOND SINGERS CHORUS!

Our Almond Singers Chorus performed at the LASD Choral Showcase last night at Egan Middle School. Over 250 students in choirs from elementary and middle schools across The Los Altos School District, and from Bullis Charter School, came together to perform individually and as a large group chorus. The Almond Singers performed a rousing rendition of 'Yankee Doodle Song' to thunderous applause! Way to go Almond Singers! The Almond Singers Spring Chorus Concerts will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 8:45am (for the school) and Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 7pm (for families and friends) in the Almond Multi.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ELAC)- NEW FAMILY MEETING

Please join us next Thursday, April 4th at 8:30am in Mrs. Mountz's room (Next to room 1 at the front of the school) for our third ELAC meeting. We will be providing information about the ELD program and welcoming new families. All are welcome! Hope to see you there!

LOS ALTOS CHINESE SCHOOL (LACS) AT ALMOND!

 

As you may know, our school district is rolling out a partnership with the Los Altos Chinese School (LACS), which will now be located at each of our elementary school campuses, including Almond! LACS offers a Mandarin immersion program that begins at the end of the school day (even on short days) and ends at 6pm, 5 days per week.

 

The program located at Almond has already begun for currently enrolled LACS students. LACS is accepting applications for the upcoming 2019-20 school year. For more information about the LASD-LACS partnership click here. For more information about enrollment and tuition, please visit the Los Altos Chinese School at http://www.losaltoschinese.school/.

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW STUDENT SCCLD LIBRARY E-ACCOUNT

  • For immediate online access please visit http://student.sccl.org to check out eBooks, download music, or get free homework help
  • Student eAccounts are in the following format: S + Student ID + LASD (for example S12345LASD)
  • Your LASD 5-digit Student ID number can be found on page 2 or 3 of your child’s report card or on PowerSchool
  • The pin number is your birth month and birthday (for example May 1 is 0501).
  • Students may also visit the Los Altos Library to add a full use card for checking out books, movies and more. For identification, please bring along one of the following:
    • Any postmarked mail addressed to you, the student
    • Your student ID card

STEM EXPO

The Almond STEM EXPO is taking place on April 9. The students are engaged and excited to share their projects with you!

Parents: STEM Expo doesn’t happen without the YOUR help! We need parents to:

  • - Help set up the Expo the morning of April 8
  • - Review projects throughout the school day on April 9 (*we especially need more folks here!)
  • - Be runners for students throughout the school day on April 9
  • - Help take down the Expo the afternoon of April 9

Please consider volunteering for one of these roles.

More information is available by clicking the “Get Involved” link on the “Almond” tab at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo

You can sign up to volunteer using the google form here:

https://goo.gl/forms/wui2Eo27ptBnejLo2

If you have any questions, please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST, at rhu@lasdschools.org

FIRST GRADE FUNDRAISER UPDATE

Thank you for your support of our bracelet sales. With the money, we will purchase maker supplies to teach STEM Expo visitors about animal adaptations. Some stations include: Bird Beak Engineering, Moth Hide and Seek, Crab Claw Challenge, and more! The STEM Expo community Night is on Tuesday, April 9, from 4:30-6:00. To help the first graders know their impact and to get an estimate of how much material we need to purchase, please click on this link to let us know that you might be attending the STEM Expo Community Night.​​

JR. OLYMPICS COMING ON APRIL 27TH!

Junior Olympics training is now underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. We still need volunteers to get our young athletes ready!!! Please consider signing up to help during one or more PE periods. It is an easy way to get involved and learn more about this fun district-wide event and we cannot do it without your help! The volunteer sign up sheet can be found HERE. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

ENJOY A FUN-FILLED WEEK AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE SUMMER SPORTS CAMP AND SUPPORT THE PTA AT THE SAME TIME!

By using the promo code almond19 you will save $20 off your registration and Golden Eagle will donate $20 directly to the PTA. 

Golden Eagle Summer Sports Camp is a family run all-sports day camp for boys and girls K-8th grade. With a wide variety of sports and activities to choose from, including swimming, basketball, volleyball, soccer and more, it's one of the most loved camps in the Cupertino and San Jose communities. Camps this summer are running at both Homestead and Los Altos High Schools. Visit www.goldeneaglecamp.org or contact Carly at carly@goldeneaglecamp.org for more info.

YOUR PHOTOS NEEDED FOR THE YEARBOOK!

Hi Parents and Teachers,

It is that time of year to upload your pictures of your children over the school year for the yearbook.

Below is the link to the website that has all the categories that I am looking for. It would be great if you can upload pictures right away to the different categories so that I can finish the yearbook.

Here is the link:

Yearbook • Page - Almond Elementary School

Thank you!

Liz

lizbacchi@yahoo.com

LOS ALTOS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

If you've donated to LAEF this school year, you're already part of our team!

Now we invite you to join our March Magic Challenge. A corporate match works like magic to increase your donation. Find out now if your company offers a match. Then work your magic by requesting a match today. Help us raise an additional $200K to reach our goal of $3.5M! Donations of any amount are appreciated.

www.LAEFonline.org.

LAEF's "Funding an Excellent Public Education" brochure is now available in 5 different languages -- Have a look! Then watch new videos of international LASD parents sharing why they support LAEF - -- speaking in Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian.

Donate to LAEF today and help us raise the final $200K to reach our goal of $3.5M by April 27th. Donations of any amount are appreciated. Learn more & make your tax-deductible donation today atwww.LAEFonline.org.

FLEXIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORKING IN OUR SCHOOL: WE NEED YOU!

Have you ever thought about working in our schools but didn’t know how to get started? We are looking for community members interested in substituting in our schools as classified substitutes. We have opportunities to work as instructional assistants in our kindergarten classrooms and opportunities to work in our school offices. If this sounds interesting to you, please contact Marlene Revelo, HR Specialist,mrevelo@lasdschools.org

GET INVOLVED AT ALMOND SCHOOL

The Almond PTA is getting ready for the 2019-2020 school year and as part of that, we need volunteers to run the committees listed below. Many of these roles can be done outside of school hours if desired and documentation and/or guidance from previous chairs is available to make things simple and straightforward. You are also welcome to partner with a fellow parent to run a committee. 

Why should you get involved at Almond? Helping a PTA committee is a great way to learn more about what Almond has to offer, meet Almond teachers and staff and get to know other Almond families! Also, without parent volunteers we are not able to provide these programs so please consider getting involved. If interested, contact Andrea Bocking (andreabocking@gmail.com). Thank you!

Family Science Night - if you attended Almond's recent Family Science Night, then you saw why this amazing event is a student and parent favorite! We need someone who can organize and lead a team of volunteers to implement this fun evening.

Community Service - this committee helps inspire Almond students and families to give back through participating in nonprofit events. We need someone who can manage our participation in these events. More info about Almond Community Service can be found at https://almondschool.org/Almondes/Portal/almond-community-service.

Almond Directory - the PTA produces the Almond directory that gets distributed yearly to each family. We need someone who can create this printed directory using past templates or printing capabilities from our online directory.

Staff Appreciation - this committee honors Almond's teachers and staff with regular events or treats, such as a small welcome back present, Halloween candy and decorations, fall conference soup/salad luncheon and teacher/staff appreciation week. We need someone who can organize these activities and coordinate volunteers to provide food for some of the events.

Yearbook - this is a fun project that involves making the yearbook and helping distribute it to the classes. Let your creative side shine and keep a wonderful Almond tradition alive.

After School Programs - each season Almond offers students various after-school programs such as sports, technology, art, languages and more. We need someone who can coordinate with the program vendors and the school to continue to offer these programs.

Drama Club - if your child is currently enrolled or interested in Almond's Drama Club, then consider helping out! We need a co-chair for next year's Drama Club that can help and learn from our expert returning chairs.

6th Grade Events - we need a 6th Grade Events Committee (typically 2-6 parent volunteers) to plan and coordinate activities that are unique to 6th graders. If you will have a 6th grade student next year, please consider volunteering to chair this important committee and make your student's final year at Almond a blast!

ALMOND'S AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES SPRING SCHEDULE IS HERE!

We're pleased to announce that enrollment is open for Almond's Spring 2019 After School Activities schedule.

New Website

We now have a dedicated website for you to bookmark:

https://sites.google.com/view/almondafterschoolactivities/home

We'll update the site for every new session, so please check back frequently to ensure you are able to sign up your kids for the programs that they want

Signing Up - Get Them Before They Are Gone!:

Links to all of the sign ups are included in the program list (see link below). Please be aware that space on some of these programs is very limited. To ensure you can get a space for your child please do aim to review the choices and sign up soon.

Practical Stuff:

Reminder that our contact email address is:

almondactivities@gmail.com

FROM THE OFFICE

Every time your student is tardy, he/she is missing out on instructional time. In addition, every time a student is tardy, it takes at least four clicks/enters in PowerSchool for our office staff. If you multiply that number by the 20+ students that are tardy each day, you will see that we would love to see your student on time each day! Please make every effort to get your student to school well before the 8:30 bell.

Also, please call the Attendance Line if your student will be absent: 650-917-5454, or email Jane at jsanders@lasdschools.org.


Dear Almond Families:

We are so lucky at Almond to have such a lovely, diverse community of families at our school. With over 24 languages represented and even more countries, our students enjoy the benefit of a truly international community.

So in that spirit, please join us tonight for our 6th annual Almond International Celebration! The festivities begin at 6 pm for everyone--the more the merrier! Please join us with your favorite dish and enjoy the dancing, craft making and festivities with your Almond friends. I can’t wait to see you there!

~ Raquel

--------------

IMPORTANT DATES

  • TONIGHT, 3/21, International Celebration and Feast, 6-8pm, Multi
  • Fri, 3/22, Last day for Pennies for Patients fundraiser
  • Wed, 3/27, PTA General Meeting, Multi
  • Wed, 3/27, LASD Choral Showcase, 6:30 pm, Egan Middle School
  • April 1-April 5, Spring Book Fair, Multi
  • Fri, April 5, 4th graders to Sacramento!
  • Mon, April 8, STEM Expo
  • Thurs, April 11, 6th Grade Celebration of Learning
  • April 15-19, SPRING BREAK, No School!

STUDENT COUNCIL FUNDRAISER: PENNIES FOR PATIENTS

Tomorrow is the last day for Almond’s Pennies for Patients fundraiser, a program through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are raising money for kids with leukemia and other blood cancers. Every classroom has a box in which they can donate money. You can also donate money online! The website is https://events.lls.org/pages/svmb/Almond-Elementary-School-2019. On the left side you can search for your teacher’s name. The class with the highest donations earns a pizza party!

Almond Student Council

---------------

STEM EXPO

The Almond STEM EXPO is taking place on April 9. The students are engaged and excited to share their projects with you!

Parents: STEM Expo doesn’t happen without the YOUR help! We need parents to:

  • - Help set up the Expo the morning of April 8
  • - Review projects throughout the school day on April 9 (*we especially need more folks here!)
  • - Be runners for students throughout the school day on April 9
  • - Help take down the Expo the afternoon of April 9

Please consider volunteering for one of these roles.

More information is available by clicking the “Get Involved” link on the “Almond” tab at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo

You can sign up to volunteer using the google form here:

https://goo.gl/forms/wui2Eo27ptBnejLo2

If you have any questions, please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST, at rhu@lasdschools.org

ALMOND SINGERS TO PERFORM IN LASD CHORAL SHOWCASE, 3/27

Next week, the Almond Singers will perform at the LASD Choral Showcase, to be held at Egan Middle School on Wednesday, March 27th at 6:30 pm. Over 200 students in choirs from elementary and middle schools across The Los Altos School District, and from Bullis Charter School, will come together to celebrate and perform choral music individually and as a large group chorus. This fun concert is free and open to the public. Come out and support your Almond Singer friends, and hear some great music!

JR. OLYMPICS

Junior Olympics training is now underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. We still need volunteers to get our young athletes ready!!! Please consider signing up to help during one or more PE periods. It is an easy way to get involved and learn more about this fun district-wide event and we cannot do it without your help! The volunteer sign up sheet can be found HERE. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

YOUR PHOTOS NEEDED FOR THE YEARBOOK!

Hi Parents and Teachers,

It is that time of year to upload your pictures of your children over the school year for the yearbook.

Below is the link to the website that has all the categories that I am looking for. It would be great if you can upload pictures right away to the different categories so that I can finish the yearbook.

Here is the link:

Yearbook • Page - Almond Elementary School

Thank you!

Liz - lizbacchi@yahoo.com

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY: BOOKS FOR PRISONERS

We are holding a second book drive for adults to support a wonderful non-profit organization called Prisoners Literature Project, located in Berkeley. Prisoners Literature Project is an all-volunteers run organization that responds directly to prisoners’ book requests, and work closely with prisons around the country to get requested books into the hands of prisoners.

Some of the top requested books are:

  • – dictionaries of all kinds (including ASL sign language); thesauruses, almanacs, GED test prep materials, and other paperback reference books
  • – how-to books: drawing, origami, chess, construction, gardening, etc.
  • – books on African-American, Latino, and Native American history and culture
  • – books on politics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, science, mathematics
  • – fiction by or about people of color
  • – classic literature (in English or Spanish)
  • – books on meditation, yoga, and bodyweight exercises

If you are able to donate any of the above books (new or gently used), we will collect the books and drive them up to Berkeley. There will be a box in the office marked "Books for Prisoners Literature Project” from March 12th through March 22nd. Or feel free to drop off at either one of our homes (Polly: 235 Verano Drive, Seema: 658 Spargur Drive). If you’d rather paypal (please send to Seema at bhimsee@yahoo.com) us a donation, we would be happy to buy dictionaries and other requested self-help books for you. Thank you once again for your support and kindness.

Best,

Seema and Polly

Activists and artists such as Nelson Mandela, Eldridge Cleaver, Jean Genet, Angela Davis, and Gandhi have written about the great solace they received from books in prison.

LOS ALTOS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

LAEF's "Funding an Excellent Public Education" brochure is now available in 5 different languages -- Have a look! Then watch new videos of international LASD parents sharing why they support LAEF - -- speaking in Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian.

Donate to LAEF today and help us raise the final $200K to reach our goal of $3.5M by April 27th. Donations of any amount are appreciated. Learn more & make your tax-deductible donation today atwww.LAEFonline.org.

GET INVOLVED AT ALMOND SCHOOL

The Almond PTA is getting ready for the 2019-2020 school year and as part of that, we need volunteers to run the committees listed below. Many of these roles can be done outside of school hours if desired and documentation and/or guidance from previous chairs is available to make things simple and straightforward. You are also welcome to partner with a fellow parent to run a committee. 

Why should you get involved at Almond? Helping a PTA committee is a great way to learn more about what Almond has to offer, meet Almond teachers and staff and get to know other Almond families! Also, without parent volunteers we are not able to provide these programs so please consider getting involved. If interested, contact Andrea Bocking (andreabocking@gmail.com). Thank you!

Family Science Night - if you attended Almond's recent Family Science Night, then you saw why this amazing event is a student and parent favorite! We need someone who can organize and lead a team of volunteers to implement this fun evening.

Community Service - this committee helps inspire Almond students and families to give back through participating in nonprofit events. We need someone who can manage our participation in these events. More info about Almond Community Service can be found at https://almondschool.org/Almondes/Portal/almond-community-service.

Almond Directory - the PTA produces the Almond directory that gets distributed yearly to each family. We need someone who can create this printed directory using past templates or printing capabilities from our online directory.

Staff Appreciation - this committee honors Almond's teachers and staff with regular events or treats, such as a small welcome back present, Halloween candy and decorations, fall conference soup/salad luncheon and teacher/staff appreciation week. We need someone who can organize these activities and coordinate volunteers to provide food for some of the events.

Yearbook - this is a fun project that involves making the yearbook and helping distribute it to the classes. Let your creative side shine and keep a wonderful Almond tradition alive.

After School Programs - each season Almond offers students various after-school programs such as sports, technology, art, languages and more. We need someone who can coordinate with the program vendors and the school to continue to offer these programs.

Drama Club - if your child is currently enrolled or interested in Almond's Drama Club, then consider helping out! We need a co-chair for next year's Drama Club that can help and learn from our expert returning chairs.

6th Grade Events - we need a 6th Grade Events Committee (typically 2-6 parent volunteers) to plan and coordinate activities that are unique to 6th graders. If you will have a 6th grade student next year, please consider volunteering to chair this important committee and make your student's final year at Almond a blast!

FROM LASD HEALTH SERVICES

There has been an increased number of students and staff out for fever, cough, flu, and illnesses. Because of this, we would like to instate the 48-hour rule until Spring Break. If your student has an oral temperature of 99.6 or higher they will need to stay home for 48 hours, fever- and medication-free before returning to school.

Here are some specific recommendations from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department:

  1. Please review respiratory etiquette with students. (E.g. cover your mouth when you cough/sneeze, cough/sneeze into tissue or your sleeve, hand hygiene, etc.).
  2. Please remind students to discard tissues in the trash and do not leave them around the classroom.
  3. Routinely clean and disinfect commonly used areas and frequently touched surfaces.
  4. Students who are ill with cough, sore throat, and/or fever should be sent home.
  5. Students should not return until they have been asymptomatic for at least 48 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, (e.g., Tylenol or Advil). They should also be well enough to participate in school before returning.
  6. Encourage flu vaccination of students and staff.

FIRST GRADE FUNDRAISER

The Almond first graders have been learning about animal adaptations and are eager to share their knowledge with visitors to the STEM Expo in April. They want to set up maker stations for Expo visitors to design and make different things related to animal adaptations. They have one problem, though--first graders don’t have any money! Fortunately, they have a solution. The first graders have started a friendship bracelet business to raise money to buy supplies for the maker stations at the STEM Expo. The bracelets are $1.00 each and will be sold during recess and lunch from March 25 - 29 on the blacktop. Please consider buying a bracelet and donating to a great cause!

FROM THE OFFICE

Every time your student is tardy, he/she is missing out on instructional time. In addition, every time a student is tardy, it takes at least four clicks/enters in PowerSchool for our office staff. If you multiply that number by the 20+ students that are tardy each day, you will see that we would love to see your student on time each day! Please make every effort to get your student to school well before the 8:30 bell.

Also, please call the Attendance Line if your student will be absent: 650-917-5454, or email Jane at jsanders@lasdschools.org.

Dear Almond Families:

We are so lucky at Almond to have such a lovely, diverse community of families at our school. With over 24 languages represented and even more countries, our students enjoy the benefit of a truly international community.

So in that spirit, please join us tonight for our 6th annual Almond International Celebration! The festivities begin at 6 pm for everyone--the more the merrier! Please join us with your favorite dish and enjoy the dancing, craft making and festivities with your Almond friends. I can’t wait to see you there!

~ Raquel

--------------

IMPORTANT DATES

  • TONIGHT, 3/21, International Celebration and Feast, 6-8pm, Multi
  • Fri, 3/22, Last day for Pennies for Patients fundraiser
  • Wed, 3/27, PTA General Meeting, Multi
  • Wed, 3/27, LASD Choral Showcase, 6:30 pm, Egan Middle School
  • April 1-April 5, Spring Book Fair, Multi
  • Fri, April 5, 4th graders to Sacramento!
  • Mon, April 8, STEM Expo
  • Thurs, April 11, 6th Grade Celebration of Learning
  • April 15-19, SPRING BREAK, No School!

STUDENT COUNCIL FUNDRAISER: PENNIES FOR PATIENTS

Tomorrow is the last day for Almond’s Pennies for Patients fundraiser, a program through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are raising money for kids with leukemia and other blood cancers. Every classroom has a box in which they can donate money. You can also donate money online! The website is https://events.lls.org/pages/svmb/Almond-Elementary-School-2019. On the left side you can search for your teacher’s name. The class with the highest donations earns a pizza party!

Almond Student Council

---------------

STEM EXPO

The Almond STEM EXPO is taking place on April 9. The students are engaged and excited to share their projects with you!

Parents: STEM Expo doesn’t happen without the YOUR help! We need parents to:

  • - Help set up the Expo the morning of April 8
  • - Review projects throughout the school day on April 9 (*we especially need more folks here!)
  • - Be runners for students throughout the school day on April 9
  • - Help take down the Expo the afternoon of April 9

Please consider volunteering for one of these roles.

More information is available by clicking the “Get Involved” link on the “Almond” tab at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo

You can sign up to volunteer using the google form here:

https://goo.gl/forms/wui2Eo27ptBnejLo2

If you have any questions, please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST, at rhu@lasdschools.org

ALMOND SINGERS TO PERFORM IN LASD CHORAL SHOWCASE, 3/27

Next week, the Almond Singers will perform at the LASD Choral Showcase, to be held at Egan Middle School on Wednesday, March 27th at 6:30 pm. Over 200 students in choirs from elementary and middle schools across The Los Altos School District, and from Bullis Charter School, will come together to celebrate and perform choral music individually and as a large group chorus. This fun concert is free and open to the public. Come out and support your Almond Singer friends, and hear some great music!

JR. OLYMPICS

Junior Olympics training is now underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. We still need volunteers to get our young athletes ready!!! Please consider signing up to help during one or more PE periods. It is an easy way to get involved and learn more about this fun district-wide event and we cannot do it without your help! The volunteer sign up sheet can be found HERE. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

YOUR PHOTOS NEEDED FOR THE YEARBOOK!

Hi Parents and Teachers,

It is that time of year to upload your pictures of your children over the school year for the yearbook.

Below is the link to the website that has all the categories that I am looking for. It would be great if you can upload pictures right away to the different categories so that I can finish the yearbook.

Here is the link:

Yearbook • Page - Almond Elementary School

Thank you!

Liz - lizbacchi@yahoo.com

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY: BOOKS FOR PRISONERS

We are holding a second book drive for adults to support a wonderful non-profit organization called Prisoners Literature Project, located in Berkeley. Prisoners Literature Project is an all-volunteers run organization that responds directly to prisoners’ book requests, and work closely with prisons around the country to get requested books into the hands of prisoners.

Some of the top requested books are:

  • – dictionaries of all kinds (including ASL sign language); thesauruses, almanacs, GED test prep materials, and other paperback reference books
  • – how-to books: drawing, origami, chess, construction, gardening, etc.
  • – books on African-American, Latino, and Native American history and culture
  • – books on politics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, science, mathematics
  • – fiction by or about people of color
  • – classic literature (in English or Spanish)
  • – books on meditation, yoga, and bodyweight exercises

If you are able to donate any of the above books (new or gently used), we will collect the books and drive them up to Berkeley. There will be a box in the office marked "Books for Prisoners Literature Project” from March 12th through March 22nd. Or feel free to drop off at either one of our homes (Polly: 235 Verano Drive, Seema: 658 Spargur Drive). If you’d rather paypal (please send to Seema at bhimsee@yahoo.com) us a donation, we would be happy to buy dictionaries and other requested self-help books for you. Thank you once again for your support and kindness.

Best,

Seema and Polly

Activists and artists such as Nelson Mandela, Eldridge Cleaver, Jean Genet, Angela Davis, and Gandhi have written about the great solace they received from books in prison.

LOS ALTOS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

LAEF's "Funding an Excellent Public Education" brochure is now available in 5 different languages -- Have a look! Then watch new videos of international LASD parents sharing why they support LAEF - -- speaking in Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian.

Donate to LAEF today and help us raise the final $200K to reach our goal of $3.5M by April 27th. Donations of any amount are appreciated. Learn more & make your tax-deductible donation today atwww.LAEFonline.org.

GET INVOLVED AT ALMOND SCHOOL

The Almond PTA is getting ready for the 2019-2020 school year and as part of that, we need volunteers to run the committees listed below. Many of these roles can be done outside of school hours if desired and documentation and/or guidance from previous chairs is available to make things simple and straightforward. You are also welcome to partner with a fellow parent to run a committee. 

Why should you get involved at Almond? Helping a PTA committee is a great way to learn more about what Almond has to offer, meet Almond teachers and staff and get to know other Almond families! Also, without parent volunteers we are not able to provide these programs so please consider getting involved. If interested, contact Andrea Bocking (andreabocking@gmail.com). Thank you!

Family Science Night - if you attended Almond's recent Family Science Night, then you saw why this amazing event is a student and parent favorite! We need someone who can organize and lead a team of volunteers to implement this fun evening.

Community Service - this committee helps inspire Almond students and families to give back through participating in nonprofit events. We need someone who can manage our participation in these events. More info about Almond Community Service can be found at https://almondschool.org/Almondes/Portal/almond-community-service.

Almond Directory - the PTA produces the Almond directory that gets distributed yearly to each family. We need someone who can create this printed directory using past templates or printing capabilities from our online directory.

Staff Appreciation - this committee honors Almond's teachers and staff with regular events or treats, such as a small welcome back present, Halloween candy and decorations, fall conference soup/salad luncheon and teacher/staff appreciation week. We need someone who can organize these activities and coordinate volunteers to provide food for some of the events.

Yearbook - this is a fun project that involves making the yearbook and helping distribute it to the classes. Let your creative side shine and keep a wonderful Almond tradition alive.

After School Programs - each season Almond offers students various after-school programs such as sports, technology, art, languages and more. We need someone who can coordinate with the program vendors and the school to continue to offer these programs.

Drama Club - if your child is currently enrolled or interested in Almond's Drama Club, then consider helping out! We need a co-chair for next year's Drama Club that can help and learn from our expert returning chairs.

6th Grade Events - we need a 6th Grade Events Committee (typically 2-6 parent volunteers) to plan and coordinate activities that are unique to 6th graders. If you will have a 6th grade student next year, please consider volunteering to chair this important committee and make your student's final year at Almond a blast!

FROM LASD HEALTH SERVICES

There has been an increased number of students and staff out for fever, cough, flu, and illnesses. Because of this, we would like to instate the 48-hour rule until Spring Break. If your student has an oral temperature of 99.6 or higher they will need to stay home for 48 hours, fever- and medication-free before returning to school.

Here are some specific recommendations from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department:

  1. Please review respiratory etiquette with students. (E.g. cover your mouth when you cough/sneeze, cough/sneeze into tissue or your sleeve, hand hygiene, etc.).
  2. Please remind students to discard tissues in the trash and do not leave them around the classroom.
  3. Routinely clean and disinfect commonly used areas and frequently touched surfaces.
  4. Students who are ill with cough, sore throat, and/or fever should be sent home.
  5. Students should not return until they have been asymptomatic for at least 48 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, (e.g., Tylenol or Advil). They should also be well enough to participate in school before returning.
  6. Encourage flu vaccination of students and staff.

FIRST GRADE FUNDRAISER

The Almond first graders have been learning about animal adaptations and are eager to share their knowledge with visitors to the STEM Expo in April. They want to set up maker stations for Expo visitors to design and make different things related to animal adaptations. They have one problem, though--first graders don’t have any money! Fortunately, they have a solution. The first graders have started a friendship bracelet business to raise money to buy supplies for the maker stations at the STEM Expo. The bracelets are $1.00 each and will be sold during recess and lunch from March 25 - 29 on the blacktop. Please consider buying a bracelet and donating to a great cause!

FROM THE OFFICE

Every time your student is tardy, he/she is missing out on instructional time. In addition, every time a student is tardy, it takes at least four clicks/enters in PowerSchool for our office staff. If you multiply that number by the 20+ students that are tardy each day, you will see that we would love to see your student on time each day! Please make every effort to get your student to school well before the 8:30 bell.

Also, please call the Attendance Line if your student will be absent: 650-917-5454, or email Jane at jsanders@lasdschools.org.


Dear Almond Families:

Happy Pi day! March 14th (3.14) is a day when students, teachers and numerates come together to celebrate the greek number Pi, otherwise known as the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is a challenging concept to think about for kids and adults alike (and has mystified humans since ancient times) because it doesn’t act like other numbers--you could even call it irrational. ;) Pi is infinite and goes on and on, as one 80’s rocker sings for us in her song about Pi. This gal from Google literally set another world record this morning calculating Pi to 31 trillion digits.

When I was a kid, I knew how to use the formula “C=πd” to calculate the circumference of a circle but my understanding of when I would use it was pretty shaky. Today, on Pi day, many students are learning about circles, but they are doing it differently than when I was a kid. They are engaged in problem-solving activities to learn what it is, what procedures they can use to calculate it and why we need to know about it. Today when I asked Aiden, a 5th grader, to tell me what he would use Pi for, he said, “if I had a circular garden that I wanted to build a fence around, I would need to know how to use Pi to find the circumference.” Aiden’s response is exactly why we have expanded our approach to math understanding in school and a testament to the learning he receives from his teacher every day.

Not only is it important that students know the procedures to solve math problems but they also need to have deep conceptual understanding paired with multiple hands-on opportunities to solve problems to fully understand the real-world application . And of course, the more engaging and fun we can make these experiences, the more they stick.

Check out the pictures below for a peek into how our students are learning and celebrating the concept of Pi!

Here’s to well-rounded math learning!

Raquel

-----------------------------

We are excited to have some special visitors on campus the week of March 18th. All LASD school sites will have a media team visit, and will be collecting staff, student, and parent interviews, as well as classroom video clips. The goal is to create a professional video to promote each of our schools, our district and the special programs within the district. Please know that students without media release permission will be out of sight in any classroom footage.

IMPORTANT DATES--SO MUCH HAPPENING AT ALMOND!

  • TODAY, 3/14, Minimum day, 12:15 dismissal
  • Wed, 3/20, New Family/Kindergarten Tour, 11:30, Multi
  • Thurs, 3/21, New Family/Kindergarten Tour, 11:30, Multi
  • Thurs, 3/21, International Celebration, 6-8pm, Multi
  • Wed, 3/27, PTA General Meeting, Multi
  • April 1-April 5, Spring Book Fair, Multi
  • Fri, April 5, 4th graders to Sacramento!
  • Mon, April 8, STEM Expo
  • Thurs, April 11, 6th grade Celebration of Learning

6TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION--SEARCHING FOR PERFORMANCES!

We are pleased to announce the 6th Annual International Celebration slated for Thursday, March 21st, 6:00-8:00pm.

The event brings together Almond families for a fun, casual evening while celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of our school community. All families bring a favorite dish to share (appetizer, entrée or dessert) while supporting various dance and music performances including appearances by our own Almond School students and alumni.

How can you help?

1) Sign up to share your talent!

  • You or your child can showcase your unique talent.

  • If your child participates in local classes bring the troupe or solo performance; or if your child just loves to perform - let us know! The evening is a perfect opportunity for kids to perform in a welcoming environment.

2) Have any suggestions for a local dance or performance group - please send us the information.

3) Interested in helping with the planning and execution - we definitely would love to grow the group.

We hope you and your family can join us at the International Celebration! More details to follow. For information or to signup - please contact Marcsi Elovson (mkratochwill@yahoo.com) and Lori Sevcik (loriandshea@me.com).

YEARBOOK CHAIRPERSON NEEDS YOUR PHOTOS!

Hi Parents and Teachers,

It is that time of year to upload your pictures of your children over the school year for the yearbook.

Below is the link to the website that has all the categories that I am looking for. It would be great if you can upload pictures right away to the different categories so that I can finish the yearbook. Ordering information will be coming soon!

Here is the link:

Yearbook • Page - Almond Elementary School

Thanks!

Liz Bacchi

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

We're pleased to announce that enrollment is open for Almond's Spring 2019 After School Activities schedule.

New Website

We now have a dedicated website for you to bookmark:

https://sites.google.com/view/almondafterschoolactivities/home

We'll update the site for every new session, so please check back frequently to ensure you are able to sign up your kids for the programs that they want.

Signing Up - Get Them Before They Are Gone!:

Links to all of the sign ups are included in the program list (see link below). Please be aware that space on some of these programs is very limited. To ensure you can get a space for your child please do aim to review the choices and sign up soon.

Reminder that our contact email address is: almondactivities@gmail.com

LOS ALTOS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

If you've donated to LAEF this school year, you're already part of our team!

Now we invite you to join our March Magic Challenge.

A corporate match works like magic to increase your donation.

Find out now if your company offers a match.

Then work your magic by requesting a match today.

Help us raise an additional $200K to reach our goal of $3.5M!

Donations of any amount are appreciated.

www.LAEFonline.org.

STEM EXPO

It’s not too late to sign up (alone or with up to 2 friends) for the Almond STEM EXPO, happening on April 9. The signup deadline has been extended to March 15, 2019.

Check out the website at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo to find out more! Be sure to click on the Almond link to get school-specific information and to sign up.

If you have any questions please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST at rhu@lasdschools.org

Parents: STEM Expo doesn’t happen without the help of parent volunteers! We need parents to:

  • - Help set up the Expo the morning of April 8
  • - Review projects throughout the school day on April 9
  • - Be runners for students throughout the school day on April 9
  • - Help take down the Expo the afternoon of April 9

Please consider volunteering for one of these roles.

More information is available by clicking the “Get Involved” link on the “Almond” tab in the URL above.

You can sign up to volunteer using the google form here:

https://goo.gl/forms/wui2Eo27ptBnejLo2

Thank you for helping to make STEM Expo a successful and meaningful experience for our students.

JUNIOR OLYMPICS--VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

LASD Junior Olympics - Coming on April 27th!

Junior Olympics training is now underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. We need volunteers to get our young athletes ready!!! Please consider signing up to help during one or more PE periods. It is an easy way to get involved and learn more about this fun district-wide event and we cannot do it without your help! The volunteer sign up sheet can be found HERE. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

STEM CAREER DAY EVENTS AT JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

LASD & LAEF are excited to kick off the 3rd STEM Career Day Events at Egan and Blach Jr. High Schools this spring. STEM pervades every part of our life. STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. We believe that exposing students to different aspects and careers in this field will inspire them and spark passion.

If you are a parent, grandparent or community member who would like to share your career story with students at Egan on March 25 and/or Blach on March 26, please contact Karen Wilson, STEM Coordinator at kwilson@lasdschools.org or Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney, LASD parent at anjana.nagarajan1@gmail.com

Also, please mark your calendars for the STEM Night Event being held on Monday, March 25 at Egan Jr. High starting at 7pm. Speakers to be announced in the near future.

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY

Dear Almond Families,

Thank you so much for your generous donations for our Paradise Elementary School Drive. We are holding a second book drive but this time we are collecting books for adults to support a wonderful non-profit organization called Prisoners Literature Project, located in Berkeley. Prisoners Literature Project is an all-volunteers run organization that respond directly to prisoners’ book requests, and work closely with prisons around the country to get requested books into the hands of prisoners.

Some of the top requested books are:

  • dictionaries of all kinds (including ASL sign language); thesauruses, almanacs, GED test prep materials, and other paperback reference books
  • how-to books: drawing, origami, chess, construction, gardening, etc.
  • books on African-American, Latino, and Native American history and culture
  • books on politics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, science, mathematics
  • fiction by or about people of color
  • classic literature (in English or Spanish)
  • books on meditation, yoga, and bodyweight exercises

If you are able to donate any of the above books (new or gently used), we will collect the books and drive them up to Berkeley. There will be a box in the office marked "Books for Prisoners Literature Project” from March 12th through March 22nd. Or feel free to drop off at either one of our homes (Polly: 235 Verano Drive, Seema: 658 Spargur Drive). If you’d rather paypal (please send to Seema at bhimsee@yahoo.com) us a donation, we would be happy to buy dictionaries and other requested self-help books for you. Thank you once again for your support and kindness.

Best,

Seema and Polly

Activists and artists such as Nelson Mandela, Eldridge Cleaver, Jean Genet, Angela Davis, and Gandhi have written about the great solace they received from books in prison.

AUTHOR VISIT NEXT FRIDAY

National Geographic Live authors Trudi Trueit and Erika Bergman will be presenting their two books, The Nebula Secret and The Falcon’s Feather, to Almond’s 4th-6th grades on Friday, March 22. 

Here are a few reviews:

"This series opener from a new imprint of National Geographic is a fully packed high-tech adventure that offers both cool, educational facts about the planet and a diverse cast of fun characters." —Kirkus
"This exciting series opener introduces young readers to the joys of science and nature." —Publisher's Weekly
"Sure to appeal to kids who love code cracking and mysteries with cutting-edge technology." —Booklist

If you would like to order autographed copies for your child, there are order forms available in the school office.

Thanks!

Ms Carla, Almond Librarian

FROM THE OFFICE

Please be sure to call the attendance line 650-917-5454 or email Jane Sanders jsanders@lasdschools.org if your student will be absent. Thank you!


Dear Almond Families:

We had a huge turn out last night for our Family Science Night! Thank you to Melissa Neal and all of the volunteers who helped make the event interactive, engaging and fun for kids, big and small. Please enjoy some pictures below and on our twitter account @AlmondEagles:

Parking Lot Haiku

“All the Way Up”

Pull your car forward

All the way to the front.

Then drop off your kid.

"Two Blocks Away"

Two blocks from the school

There are no worries over here

Chaos ensues at curbside.

Since we have been in the throes of rainier weather lately, a reminder of our parking lot etiquette is always helpful to ensure the safety of all members of our Almond community:

  • Pull your car close to one ahead of you before letting students out. This leaves more room for other cars to enter drive through.
  • Please have students exit on the passenger side only.
  • Please no drop off/pick up at the 2nd lane!
  • Drivers MUST stay in car at all times.
  • Please use the crosswalk, follow the crossing guard’s instructions, and be aware of traffic. Walking while using your cell phone is dangerous!
  • Bikes and scooters must be walked as soon as they are on campus

Please slow down, leave yourself ample time to get where you are going, and be super cautious in our parking lot. We are thankful for your diligence.

Here’s to our amazing Almond Community!

~Raquel

-------------------

Author Event: Kathryn Otoshi

Bookwave is sponsoring a morning assembly featuring Award Winning Author and Illustrator Kathryn Otoshi Friday, March 8th between 10:30-11:15 for TK-3rd graders and 9:00 to 9:45 for 4-6th Graders. Parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend! Otoshi's illustrated story, "ONE" is a Project Cornerstone Book for this year, it will be a Blast for all Almond families and staff to meet the author of the book Almond students will be familiar with and to hear Kathryn Otoshi's journey to become a renowned author and illustrator!

International Celebration!

6th Annual International Celebration - Searching for Performances!

We are pleased to announce the 6th Annual International Celebration slated for Thursday, March 21st, 6:00-8:00pm.

The event brings together Almond families for a fun, casual evening while celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of our school community. All families bring a favorite dish to share (appetizer, entrée or dessert) while supporting various dance and music performances including appearances by our own Almond School students and alumni.

How can you help?

1) Sign up to share your talent!

- You or your child can showcase your unique talent.

- If your child participates in local classes bring the troupe or solo performance; or if your child just loves to perform - let us know! The evening is a perfect opportunity for kids to perform in a welcoming environment.

2) Have any suggestions for a local dance or performance group - please send us the information.

3) Interested in helping with the planning and execution - we definitely would love to grow the group.We hope you and your family can join us at the International Celebration! More details to follow. For information or to signup - please contact Marcsi Elovson (mkratochwill@yahoo.com) and Lori Sevcik (loriandshea@me.com).

Junior Olympics

LASD Junior Olympics - Coming on April 27th!

Junior Olympics training is now underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. We need volunteers to get our young athletes ready!!! Please consider signing up to help during one or more PE periods. It is an easy way to get involved and learn more about this fun district wide event and we cannot do it without your help! The volunteer sign up sheet can be found HERE. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

From the Almond Student Council

Hello parents,

The Almond Student council has a new fundraiser! The organization is Pennies for Patients, a program through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It is to raise for kids with leukemia and other blood cancers. Every classroom has a box in which they can donate money. You can also donate money online! The website is lls.org/pages/swab/Almond-Elementary-School-2019/

Your teacher's last name and grade.

Ex, /Linvill6thgrade.

Please donate to help kids with leukemia and other blood cancers. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest non-profit health organization dedicated to finding cures for blood cancers.

Thank you,

Almond Student Council

Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF)

If you've donated to LAEF this school year, you're already part of our team!

Now we invite you to join our March Magic Challenge.

A corporate match works like magic to increase your donation.

Find out now if your company offers a match.

Then work your magic by requesting a match today.

 

Help us raise an additional $200K to reach our goal of $3.5M!

Donations of any amount are appreciated.

www.LAEFonline.org.

E3 Youth Philanthropy Club, Los Altos High School

E3 Youth Philanthropy is a group of Los Altos High School students who are learning about nonprofits and are making an impact on those around us through community service and service projects. The mission of this group is to normalize the lives of local foster youth by assembling "care packages" of school supplies. They work with a nonprofit organization called CASA (https://bemyadvocate.org/) to deliver these packages to foster youth in middle and high school.

They are asking for donations of the following items:

  • Notebooks (3-ring, spiral)
  • mechanical pencils
  • dry-erase markers
  • Rulers
  • Protractors
  • highlighters

There are boxes in the Almond office for donations. The deadline is Wednesday, March 13. Please consider supporting our local high school students in their community service efforts!

New Family and Kindergarten Tours!

We have two Kindergarten and New Family Tours scheduled for 3/20 and 3/21 at 11:30, starting in the Multi. Please share this information with your friends and neighbors that live in our attendance area. Email jsanders@lasdschools.org or visit our front office to learn more!

From the Almond Office

The School Board has approved the 2019-20 Calendar so you can plan ahead!

If you would like to submit a blurb for the Thursday Word, please email your request to almondthursdayword@lasdschools.org by Tuesday to be considered for that week's newsletter.


Dear Almond Families:

Over the next two months there will be many opportunities for Almond students to engage in science learning beyond the classroom. Please read below for upcoming events!

Family Science Night

We would love for you to join us next Wednesday, March 6 from 6:30-8:00pm in the multi, for an evening of fun at our Almond Family Science night. With over 25 stations to explore, you and your child can create, tinker and even interact with creepie crawly bugs! There will also be an interactive station involving slime and yours truly.

Thank you to our PTA for funding this amazing event and to Melissa Neal, Family Science Night chair, and all of the other volunteers who are helping to make this event fun for our kiddos. If you can help, please contact Melissa or Dharti at dharti@gmail.com or mbryantneal@yahoo.com. You can sign up to help with a station or set up/clean up here: 2019 Stations.

STEM Expo

Do you want to design a robot? Do you think you have the next big invention or piece of wearable tech? Do you love taking things apart and figuring out how they work? Or do you just love science? Then STEM Expo is an opportunity for you!

It’s not too late to sign up (alone or with up to 2 friends) for the Almond STEM EXPO, happening on April 9. Signups end on March 8, 2019.

Check out the website at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo to find out more! Be sure to click on the Almond link to get school specific information and to sign up.

If you have any questions please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST at rhu@lasdschools.org

Parents: STEM Expo doesn’t happen without the help of parent volunteers! We need parents to:

- Help set up the Expo the morning of April 8

- Review projects throughout the school day on April 9

- Be runners for students throughout the school day on April 9

- Help take down the Expo the afternoon of April 9

Please consider volunteering for one of these roles.

More information is available here: https://sites.google.com/a/lasdk8.org/lasdstemexpo/wish-list/almond/almond-get-involved

You can sign up to volunteer using the google form here:

https://goo.gl/forms/wui2Eo27ptBnejLo2

Thank you for helping to make STEM Expo a success and a meaningful experience for students. And a huge thank you to Ricky Hu, our STEM IST, for coordinating the event for Almond students!

STEM Lunch Club

This engaging club happens on Fridays during lunch in the STEM lab for 1st through 6th grade Almond students. STEM IST Ricky Hu leads students through activities include STEM challenges, coding and tinkering. Early sessions have been really well attended and students are excited about a space to create and explore outside of the classroom.

Here’s to pursuing our curiosity in the sciences!

Raquel

--------------------

EVEN MORE SCHOOL EVENTS

 

AUTHOR VISIT--KATHRYN OTOSHI, FRIDAY, 3/8

Bookwave is sponsoring a morning assembly featuring Award Winning Author and Illustrator Kathryn Otoshi on Friday, March 8th between 10:30-11:15 for TK-3rd graders and 9:00 to 9:45 for 4-6th Graders. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Otoshi's illustrated story, "ONE" is a Project Cornerstone Book for this year, it will be a Blast for all Almond families and staff to meet the author of the book Almond students will be familiar with and to hear Kathryn Otoshi's journey to become a renowned author and illustrator!

If you are interested in purchasing one of Ms. Otoshi’s books and having her autograph it, there are order forms available in the office, and are due with payment TOMORROW, Friday, 3/1.

6TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION - SEARCHING FOR PERFORMANCES!

We are pleased to announce the 6th Annual International Celebration slated for Thursday, March 21st, 6:00-8:00pm.

The event brings together Almond families for a fun, casual evening while celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of our school community. All families bring a favorite dish to share (appetizer, entrée or dessert) while supporting various dance and music performances including appearances by our own Almond School students and alumni.

How can you help?

1) Sign up to share your talent!

- You or your child can showcase your unique talent.

- If your child participates in local classes bring the troupe or solo performance; or if your child just loves to perform - let us know! The evening is a perfect opportunity for kids to perform in a welcoming environment.

2) Have any suggestions for a local dance or performance group - please send us the information.

3) Interested in helping with the planning and execution - we definitely would love to grow the group.

We hope you and your family can join us at the International Celebration! More details to follow. For information or to signup - please contact Marcsi Elovson (mkratochwill@yahoo.com) and Lori Sevcik (loriandshea@me.com). 

NEW AND PROSPECTIVE FAMILY TOURS

We are proud to show our campus and classrooms to our new and prospective families! If you know of neighbors or friends that are in our attendance area, please invite them to visit us. Mrs. Matteroli will be leading these tours, beginning in the multi:

March 20: 11:30-12:15 - March 21: 11:30-12:15

LAEF SUPPORTS SO MANY OF OUR PROGRAMS!

As you may know, LAEF funds our STEM, PE, Living Classroom, Art Docent, Music and other programs.

Love Your Neighborhood School!

Donate to LAEF today and fund teachers at your neighborhood school. Help ensure that your student receives an excellent, well-rounded education. We need to raise the final $350K to reach our goal of $3.5M for this school year! Your donation funds STEM, Wellness, Literacy, and Arts.

The timing is just right because we have a $15K Challenge Match from The John and Liane Davila Foundation and an anonymous LASD family to DOUBLE all donations made by February 28th.

It couldn't be easier: Donate online or text "LAEF" to 50155 to donate. As always, our goal is 100% participation from all LASD families.

Become a LIVING CLASSROOM docent... share your love of nature with kids!

It's time to plant tomatoes, dissect flowers, and make yummy pretzels from the wheat the students planted last Fall! If you like all those things and more, please consider becoming a Living Classroom docent! Living Classroom is in need of more docents to help deliver hands-on garden-based lessons to the students of the Los Altos School District. No experience necessary as we provide all the training needed! Our Spring Docent Training will take place at the LASD iLearn Studio (201 Covington Road, Los Altos) on Monday mornings in March from 9-Noon on 3/4, 3/11, and 3/18. Please click HERE to view our Spring Training Flyer. Apprentice-style training also available to those who can’t make our Monday morning trainings.

Questions? Email us at livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103. For more information about Living Classroom, please visit our website at www.living-classroom.org.

STEM Career Day Events at Junior High Schools

LASD & LAEF are excited to kick off the 3rd STEM Career Day Events at Egan and Blach Jr. High Schools this spring. STEM pervades every part of our life. STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. We believe that exposing students to different aspects and careers in this field will inspire them and spark passion.

If you are a parent, grandparent or community member who would like to share your career story with students at Egan on March 25 and/or Blach on March 26, please contact Karen Wilson, STEM Coordinator at kwilson@lasdschools.org or Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney, LASD parent at anjana.nagarajan1@gmail.com

Also, please mark your calendars for the STEM Night Event being held on Monday, March 25 at Egan Jr. High starting at 7pm. Speakers to be announced in the near future.

JUNIOR OLYMPICS!

LASD Junior Olympics - Coming on April 27th!

Junior Olympics training is now underway for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes. Please remember to have your student wear appropriate athletic clothes and shoes for PE days. We need volunteers to get our young athletes ready!!! Please consider signing up to help during one or more PE periods. It is an easy way to get involved and learn more about this fun district wide event and we cannot do it without your help! The volunteer sign up sheet can be found HERE. All students must have a signed permission slip to participate in the event. Please fill out this online form, whether your child will be participating or not: JUNIOR OLYMPICS PERMISSION SLIP. For more details on Junior Olympics, check out this information sheet: LASD JO INFO SHEET or contact the Almond JO chairs: Alix Apfelberg (alix_apfelberg@yahoo.com), Vicky Lee vicster_chin@yahoo.com) and Kirsten Sirey (ksirey@yahoo.com)

FROM THE HEALTH SERVICES STAFF

When to Keep Your Child Home from School

The following guidelines are indications that you should keep your student home:

Fever---Vomiting or Diarrhea---Sore throat or trouble swallowing---Rash or unusual spots or sores---Generalized muscle aches/pains---Chills---Nausea---Coughing, sneezing and/or runny nose---Headache---Wheezing or trouble breathing---Head lice

You need to keep your child home until he/she has been symptom-free without medication for 24 hours. Please be sure to call the attendance line 650-917-5454 when your child is absent.

Pertussis Booster for Students in 6th grade:

Students currently in 6th grade must have proof of a Tdap or Dtap (Pertussis or Whooping Cough) booster given after their 7th birthday in order to begin 7th grade in August of 2019. Please provide a copy of your child’s immunization record to your school office as soon as possible!

Please refer any questions regarding this requirement to our District Staff: Clare Luna 302-1448 and Sandy Anderson 302-1449.

ENJOY A FUN-FILLED WEEK AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE SUMMER SPORTS CAMP AND SUPPORT THE PTA AT THE SAME TIME!

By using the promo code almond19 you will save $20 off your registration and Golden Eagle will donate $20 directly to the PTA.

Golden Eagle Summer Sports Camp is a family run all-sports day camp for boys and girls K-8th grade. With a wide variety of sports and activities to choose from, including swimming, basketball, volleyball, soccer and more, it's one of the most loved camps in the Cupertino and San Jose communities. Camps this summer are running at both Homestead and Los Altos High Schools. Visit www.goldeneaglecamp.org or contact Carly at carly@goldeneaglecamp.org for more info.


Dear Almond Families:

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is the observed holiday of showing others in our lives love and kindness. At Almond School, students and staff are wearing spirit colors of pink, red and purple and giving and receiving “heart-grams” to show friends and buddies that they care. The giving of heart grams is the culmination of many weeks of planning by our student council, led by teachers Ms. Kathy Day-Bobb and Mr. Bret Linvill. All Almond students were invited to spend time during recess creating and making heart grams that would be saved and then delivered today, February 14th. Please enjoy some student pictures celebrating Valentine's Day below. Thank you to our PTA for the "heartfelt" staff appreciation treats!

On this day of love, I encourage you to take time to do as our students and staff and send someone a heart gram (whether that be in the form of words of love, a hug or an act of kindness). I will leave you with one of my favorite songs from (arguably) the best band ever: All you Need is Love by the Beatles.

Here’s to spreading love and kindness,

Raquel

---------------

Family Science Night

What is Family Science Night?

An amazing night of science exploration at Almond School! 25+ stations for children TK-6th grade to interact with everything from robotics to anatomy!

  • Navigate through a laser maze
  • Create amazing lego structures with Kidizens
  • Program a robot
  • Interact with real live bugs!
  • Make slime that glows and your own flavored lip balm
  • Create your own motor and working catapult!
  • Observe bats, bees, anatomy of various body parts and much more !

A fun and action-packed evening of discovery! Dress warmly for outside stations. Come check it out! Funded by Almond PTA. This is not a drop-off event - children must be accompanied by an adult.

If you can help or have ideas for hands on stations, please contact Melissa or Dharti at dharti@gmail.com or mbryantneal@yahoo.com. You can sign up to help with a station or set up/clean up here: 2019 Stations.

----------------

Author Visit--Kathryn Otoshi

Bookwave is sponsoring a morning assembly featuring Award Winning Author and Illustrator Kathryn Otoshi on Friday, March 8th between 10:30-11:15 for TK-3rd graders and 9:00 to 9:45 for 4-6th Graders. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Otoshi's illustrated story, "ONE" is a Project Cornerstone Book for this year, it will be a Blast for all Almond families and staff to meet the author of the book Almond students will be familiar with and to hear Kathryn Otoshi's journey to become a renowned author and illustrator!

-----------------

Girl Scout Cookie Sales

The Almond Girl Scout troops are selling your favorite treats after school TOMORROW 2/15 and Monday, 2/25, after school! Cookies are $5/box; S'mores and GF ToffeeTastic are $6/box. Cash and checks accepted. We are also accepting donations to send cookies to our Troops.

---------------

STEM EXPO is coming!! Sign up Now!!

MORE THAN A SCIENCE FAIRE!! On April 9, 2019, Almond will hold LASD’s Annual STEM EXPO. The EXPO invites students in grades K-6 to participate by engaging in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) projects. 

Students will have an opportunity to design hands-on projects while exploring just how fun STEM can be!

This event lends itself to a myriad of learning experiences as students engage in inquiry, engineering, and experimentation in a wide range of STEM categories including:

Rube Goldberg, Invention, Environmental Innovation, Reverse Engineering, Robotics, Scientific Inquiry and Wearable Design. Ultimately, students get the chance to showcase their STEM work in a fun and unique venue, with learning opportunities for the entire family.

Check out the website at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo to find out more! Be sure to click on the Almond link to get school specific information and to sign up.

Sign ups end March 8 2019. If you have any questions please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST at rhu@lasdschools.org

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35th Annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, for 3rd-6th graders

2019 Theme: "Inspired by Juana!"

The Los Altos Historical Commission and the Los Altos History Museum are co-sponsoring the 35th annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, open to third- through sixth-graders who live in the area and/or attend local schools.

The current exhibit at the Los Altos History Museum is "Inspired by Juana: La Doña de la Frontera (the Lady of the Frontier)". This exhibit tells the story of Juana Briones, a dynamic 19th century woman who owned several businesses, many parcels of land, and was a talented businesswoman. She was also a traditional healer and an advocate for the rights of her family and friends in what is now Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, San Jose and San Francisco. The story of Juana Briones is a tale of a resilient spirit, an inventive imagination, and business know-how--the hallmarks for Silicon Valley.

Visit the "Inspired by Juana" exhibit at the Los Altos History Museum or research on your own about the life of this important local historical figure. Think about Juana as a businessperson, a healer (herbalist), and an advocate for her personal rights, as well as those of her large family. Consider how Juana was able to have a relationship with people of all groups and nationalities, different religions, and customs.

The deadline to submit essays is March 8. Public school students should submit their entries to Los Altos School District teachers. For the detailed essay prompt, click here. For the essay rubric, click here. For the cover sheet, click here. For more information, visit losaltoshistory.org.​

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From the Los Altos School District Office

Please add your voice to the LASD Survey!

Los Altos School District is asking for staff, family and student input in our first annual communication survey. Please visit https://schoolcommunication.typeform.com/to/ocpUtr to take the survey now through February 26 at 5:00pm.

The survey results will help guide our efforts to improve communication practices and ensure everyone has the information they need to help our students succeed. The survey also provides you with an opportunity to share what you value most about our schools and where you see opportunities to improve.

Thank you for lending your voice and opinions to this effort as we partner with you to provide an excellent education to all of our students.

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Los Altos Educational Foundation

Love Your Neighborhood School!

Donate to LAEF today and fund teachers at your school. Help ensure that your student receives an excellent, well-rounded education. We need to raise the final $400K to reach our goal of $3.5M for this school year!

The timing is just right because we have a $15K Challenge Match from The John and Liane Davila Foundation and an anonymous LASD family to DOUBLE all donations made by February 28th.

It couldn't be easier: Donate online or text "LAEF" to 50155 to donate. As always, our goal is 100% participation from all LASD families.

STEM in Every Grade

Find out what our students are learning in STEM this school year. Check out new photos of kids in action, watch a video, and learn about exciting projects. Your donation to LAEF supports the LASD STEM program and more.

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From our Health Services Department

Pertussis Booster for Students in 6th grade:

Students currently in 6th grade must have proof of a Tdap or Dtap (Pertussis or Whooping Cough) booster given after their 7th birthday in order to begin 7th grade in August of 2019. Please provide a copy of your child’s immunization record to your school office as soon as possible!

Please refer any questions regarding this requirement to our District Staff: Clare Luna 302-1448 and Sandy Anderson 302-1449.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Health Services Staff

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From your School Office

Many of you have asked, and here it is! The School Board has approved the 2019-20 Calendar so you can start planning ahead. Please note that there will be two added minimum days that will be decided after the new school year starts.

Enjoy next week with your family and friends!


Dear Almond Families,

Yesterday, many students at Almond celebrated the 100th day of school! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will let you enjoy the activities and festivities with visuals instead of more words.

Here's to 78 more glorious days,

Raquel

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Walk or Wheel Day was a HUGE success!

Many thanks to Reena Grover and Kinnery Patel and their wonderful volunteer team! This morning we had a huge turnout of walkers, bikers and all-kinds-of-wheelers! It was a great way to start off this chilly day. Come to tomorrow's morning assembly to hear the names of the winners of Yogurtland gift cards--one participant's name was drawn from each grade level. Well done, Eagles!

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Family Science Night is on Wednesday, March 6th from 6:30-8pm in the Almond Multi!

What is Family Science Night?

An amazing night of science exploration at Almond School! 25+ stations for children TK-6th grade to interact with everything from robotics to anatomy!

  • Navigate through a laser maze
  • Create amazing lego structures with Kidizens
  • Program a robot
  • Interact with real live bugs!
  • Make slime that glows and your own flavored lip balm
  • Create your own motor and working catapult!
  • Observe bats, bees, anatomy of various body parts and much more!

A fun and action-packed evening of discovery! Dress warmly for outside stations. Come check it out! Funded by Almond PTA. This is not a drop-off event - children must be accompanied by an adult.

If you can help or have ideas for hands on stations, please contact Melissa or Dharti at dharti@gmail.com or mbryantneal@yahoo.com. You can sign up to help with a station or set up/clean up here: 2019 Stations.

Looking forward to a great night of hands on science!

Dharti Dhami & Melissa Bryant Neal

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STEM EXPO is coming!! Sign up Now!!

MORE THAN A SCIENCE FAIRE!! On April 9, 2019, Almond will hold LASD’s Annual STEM EXPO. The EXPO invites students in grades K-6 to participate by engaging in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) projects.

Students will have an opportunity to design hands-on projects while exploring just how fun STEM can be!

This event lends itself to a myriad of learning experiences as students engage in inquiry, engineering, and experimentation in a wide range of STEM categories including:

Rube Goldberg, Invention, Environmental Innovation, Reverse Engineering, Robotics, Scientific Inquiry and Wearable Design.

Ultimately, students get the chance to showcase their STEM work in a fun and unique venue, with learning opportunities for the entire family.

Check out the website at www.tinyurl.com/LASDStemExpo to find out more! Be sure to click on the Almond link to get school specific information and to sign up.

Sign ups end March 8 2019.

If you have any questions please email Ricky Hu, Almond STEM IST at rhu@lasdschools.org

------------

Bookwave is sponsoring a morning assembly featuring Award Winning Author and Illustrator Kathryn Otoshi on Friday, March 8th between 10:30-11:15 for TK-3rd graders and 9:00 to 9:45 for 4-6th Graders. Parents are welcome to attend!

Otoshi's illustrated story, "ONE" is a Project Cornerstone Book for this year, it will be a Blast for all Almond families and staff to meet the author of the book Almond students will be familiar with and to hear Kathryn Otoshi's journey to become a renowned author and illustrator!

------------

Love Your Neighborhood School!

Donate to LAEF today and fund teachers at your school. Help ensure that your student receives an excellent, well-rounded education. We need to raise the final $400K to reach our goal of $3.5M for this school year!

The timing is just right because we have a $15K Challenge Match from The John and Liane Davila Foundation and an anonymous LASD family to DOUBLE all donations made by February 28th.

It couldn't be easier: Donate online or text "LAEF" to 50155 to donate. As always, our goal is 100% participation from all LASD families.

Save Us a Call

On February 12th, we'll have a winter phonathon. If you have not donated this school year,donate now, and we'll take you off our call list.

STEM in Every Grade

Find out what our students are learning in STEM this school year. Check out new photos of kids in action, watch a video, and learn about exciting projects. Your donation to LAEF supports the LASD STEM program and more.

------------

Repeat: 35th Annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, for 3rd-6th graders

2019 Theme: "Inspired by Juana!"

The Los Altos Historical Commission and the Los Altos History Museum are co-sponsoring the 35th annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, open to third- through sixth-graders who live in the area and/or attend local schools.

The current exhibit at the Los Altos History Museum is "Inspired by Juana: La Doña de la Frontera (the Lady of the Frontier)". This exhibit tells the story of Juana Briones, a dynamic 19th century woman who owned several businesses, many parcels of land, and was a talented businesswoman. She was also a traditional healer and an advocate for the rights of her family and friends in what is now Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, San Jose and San Francisco. The story of Juana Briones is a tale of a resilient spirit, an inventive imagination, and business know-how--the hallmarks for Silicon Valley.

Visit the "Inspired by Juana" exhibit at the Los Altos History Museum or research on your own about the life of this important local historical figure. Think about Juana as a businessperson, a healer (herbalist), and an advocate for her personal rights, as well as those of her large family. Consider how Juana was able to have a relationship with people of all groups and nationalities, different religions, and customs.

The deadline to submit essays is March 8. Public school students should submit their entries to Los Altos School District teachers. For the detailed essay prompt, click here. For the essay rubric, click here. For the cover sheet, click here. For more information, visit losaltoshistory.org.​

----------

From LASD Health Services

Pertussis Booster for Students in 6th grade:

Students currently in 6th grade must have proof of a Tdap or Dtap (Pertussis or Whooping Cough) booster given after their 7th birthday in order to begin 7th grade in August of 2019. Please provide a copy of your child’s immunization record to your school office as soon as possible!

Please refer any questions regarding this requirement to our District Staff: Clare Luna 302-1448 and Sandy Anderson 302-1449.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Health Services Staff

-------------

Strictly Strings Concert

6th Grade Orchestra Students from Almond, Covington, Gardner Bullis and Santa Rita will be featured in a performance with Egan and Los Altos High School Orchestras. Come to see the progression of string students from elementary to high school. It is a free concert, everyone is invited!

Strictly Strings Concert

Thursday, Feb. 14th - 7:00 PM - Los Altos High School Eagle Theatre





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