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

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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!

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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.

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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.​

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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

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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!

Strictly Strings Concert

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