Dear Almond Families:

This past Tuesday I attended a screening of the documentary “Angst” at the Eagle theater at Los Altos High School. The film brings to light the challenges that school kids face when they are weighed down by constant or recurrent anxiety. As I watched I thought about the children in my life--my students at Almond and my own children.

During the rainy morning commute this week, my four year old son began asking questions about our cat Loki, who passed away of old age at the end of November. Questions turned to tears, and tears turned into a very emotional conversation (on both our parts) about what happens when we die. I am glad that he was verbalizing his fears in thoughts and questions instead of holding all those big feelings in. I wondered if his anxiety about Loki could explain his less than stellar behavior at preschool the day before and his tummy ache at home? Was he already feeling anxious and trying to work through the questions going on in his head?

Sometimes anxiety shows up in tears, tummy aches and questions (like in my young son). Other times, severe anxiety is manifested as school refusal, acting out in class, aggression and work avoidance. On a neurological level, anxiety causes our brain to be “highjacked” by our amygdala (the emotional part of our brain that regulates the flight or fight response) and we no longer have access to our short term memories or have the ability to learn. As you can imagine, when students feel this way at school, not only does it affect their feelings of well-being but also prevents them from learning.

We want all of our children to feel equipped with tools to overcome their fears, dream big and pursue their passions. Mindfulness is one of the tools that many of our teachers use to help students quell their anxiety. There are some great resources that you could try using at home to practice mindfulness, too, like Headspace. This New York times article also has some great strategies for parents about practicing mindfulness with kids.

Anxiety is tough, but our kids are lucky to live in a time in which we know more than ever about what anxiety is and how to help.

Here’s to awareness, and mindful living!

Raquel

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From the Walkathon: Adult parties available, and some kid activities too!

Happy New Year, Almond Community! 2019 brings lots of opportunities to socialize with the parent community! Almond families are hosting a variety of adult parties and experiences, as well as activities for our kids. See a full list below of events available in the Walkathon Silent Auction catalog at the link here: https://almondschool.schoolauction.net/auction2018/catalog

As a reminder - all ticket sales fund important PTA programs and are tax deductible!

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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!

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

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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 Dona 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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News from our ELAC

We will be holding our second ELAC (English Language Advisory Committee) meeting of the year next Thursday, January 24, at 8:30 in the ELD room.

This second meeting is an ACTION meeting. We would like input and feedback from you regarding some important school matters. ELAC is for everyone and we especially want to see parents of students who are just learning English, who have been learning English for a while, who are almost proficient and who have exited the English learner program.

During this meeting we will discuss:

– ELPAC practice tests: general information will be provided followed by a Q&A.

– School Climate goals: we would like your feedback around playground rules and the student SOAR ticket incentives.

We would love to hear your feedback and input so please join us!

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Upcoming Message from Curriculum and Instruction Department regarding Math Changes

Please be on the lookout for an email from Sandra McGonagle, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, on Friday regarding an update to proposed junior high school math course changes. The LASD administrative team has decided to extend the window of planning and teacher training prior to making the proposed changes. More information can be found in the email coming Friday.

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LASD Preschool Openings

The LASD Preschool Collaborative Program currently has openings for typically developing peer role models for the 2018-19 school year.

We are looking for children with strong speech/language, pre-academic, social/emotional, self-help and motor skills.

We have an AM class that runs 8:15-11:15 MTWF and 8:15-10:30 TH and a PM class that runs 12:00-3:00 MTWF and 11:15-1:30 TH.

We will do a screening to see if your child is a good fit for the program. This will be scheduled in the

next upcoming weeks.

Important notes/requirements at a glance:

-Must be 3-5 years old

-Program is located on the Covington Elementary camps by Champions, LAPP, and Stepping Stones

-No fees- It is free!

-Being able to attend 5 days a week M-F is preferred

-Class is a mix of children with special needs and children without special needs

-Must have/had some type of group experience (e.g. Mommy and me class, swim class, gymboree, music together, preschool/daycare etc).

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LAEF News

We recognize 55 families that donated in the last week of December and helped us reach our $3 million milestone. Thank you! We are well on our way to raising $3.5 million for this school year to fund teachers for STEM, Wellness, Literacy, and Arts.

If you have yet to give, help us finish the job and donate online, or text "LAEF" to 50155 to donate. The suggested donation is $1200 per student, but your donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated.

If you are interested or have further questions- please email me at kchang@lasdschools.org or give me a call at 650-947-1171.