ALMOND THURSDAY WORD

November 11, 2016

UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• Friday, 11/11 - Holiday (NO SCHOOL)
• 11/14 thru 11/18 - Sixth Grade Science Camp
• 11/21 & 11/22 - Parent Conferences
• 11/23 thru 11/25 - Thanksgiving Vacation
• Thursday, 12/1 - Kindergarten & New Family Information Night
• Tuesday, 12/6 - Almond Singers Winter Concert (Multi, 7:00pm)
• Wednesday, 12/7 - PTA General Meeting (Multi, 8:30am)
• Friday, 12/9 - TK/K Holiday Concert (Multi, 1pm)
• Monday, 12/12 - Gr. 4-6 Holiday Concert (Multi, 1pm)
• Tuesday, 12/13 - Gr. 1-3 Holiday Concert (Multi, 1pm)
• Wednesday, 12/14 - School Site Council, SSC (Library, 3:05pm)
• Thursday, 12/15 - Principal Coffee (Library, 8:35am)
• 12/19 thru 1/2 - December Vacation
• Tuesday, 1/3/17 - School Resumes

SCHOOL MESSAGE - special guest post by Sandra McGonagle

I have loved my time at Almond this week and feel privileged for filling in for Erika while she is out. Thank you for the warm welcome. While walking in and out of classrooms, speaking with students about their learning, and chatting with parents about their kids, I have observed first-hand deep and connected learning experiences all around the Almond campus.

The hustle and bustle of deep learning brings to mind two of my favorite quotes. The first is from an older post from Thomas Friedman’s January, 2013, NY Times Op-Ed piece It’s P.Q. and C.Q. as Much as I.Q, where he discusses the idea that individual initiative and a high skill set is what’s required to compete in today’s “hyperconnected” world.

“The winners won’t just be those with more I.Q. It will also be those with more P.Q. (passion quotient) and C.Q. (curiosity quotient) to leverage all the new digital tools to not just find a job, but to invent one or reinvent one, and to not just learn but to relearn for a lifetime.”

I love the idea of relearn. Another of my favorite quotes comes from Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”  Unlearning and relearning is tough to do; some find it terrifying while others find it exhilarating. The educational community around the world is right in the throes of this, and it is difficult for many to unlearn the practices that have been “successful” for so long. We can’t keep preparing kids for our past or present, but must make sure they are set up for their future, whatever that may bring.

This brings me to Almond - our Almond teachers are leading the way in unlearning and relearning what school could look like if it tried to meet the individual needs of ALL students - if the learner was at the center. They are working tremendously hard to get it right, to refine the model, to learn what’s working and what needs tweaking.  They are tireless in their belief that students deserve the best education for THEIR futures and not our past. It’s happening at Almond; it’s happening across LASD; it’s happening across the US; and it’s happening throughout the world. It’s happening because our kids deserve it - mine and yours.

Here’s to unlearning and relearning!

Sandra

PTA & SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS - NEW

Project Cornerstone ABC Reading

The Project Cornerstone/ABC Reader book of the month is Don’t Laugh At Me by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin. The book talks about how people might look different on the outside but on the inside we are all the same. It shares a message about empathy, compassion and caring. The goal of this month’s lesson is that students learn to practice intentional acts of caring and peaceful conflict resolution, in order to create a school where every student feels accepted, valued and safe.

The Kindergarten students are reading Talk and Work it Out by Cheri Meiners, which focuses on peaceful conflict resolution. The students are learning specific tools to resolve conflicts and get along, as well as how to accept and respect someone else's position.

Our 6th grade students are continuing the discussion about friendship by focusing on problem-solving friendship dilemmas and practicing how to make a genuine apology when one is required to mend a friendship.

For more information about the ABC Program, see our section [http://losaltos.cyberschool.com/Almondes/5731-ABC-Program.html] on the Almond website or contact Jen Walker, Julie Watson, or Mona Einaggar

Miss Ohlund’s Reading Group: Betta Fish Update

Hello Almond Community, this is Miss Ohlund’s reading group, and we have something to tell you. We now have a betta fish thanks to the families who donated money! The fish is a male and has beautiful blue, white, and red colors. Everyone in our class is very happy because we finally got the fish. We have just enough food for our fish and some nice decorations. In addition, we have a small house that looks like a pineapple. We really want to thank the Popescu Family for donating lots of the supplies, including a 10 gallon tank and filter.  With the extra-large tank and our knowledge about how to keep male bettas separated, we were able to add new dividers to include even more fish!  Another red betta and a purple-blue betta were added to our tank this week.  All three fish are very happy!  We like to look at the fish when we come into the classroom in the morning. Our fish move very gracefully, and are very interesting to watch. Did you know that pets help kids learn in the classroom?  Thank you for your support!   

LAEF:  What’s an IST? Meet LASD’s New Instructional Support Teacher for Math

Ms. Noirin Foy is the district’s first IST, supporting 6-8^th grade math by providing our 27 math teachers with professional learning, coaching, and modeling. Teaching math in LASD since 2011, she is also strengthening LASD’s collaboration with the math ISTs from Mountain View and Los Altos High Schools. Check out Ms. Foy’s new LASD Math website with resources for students when they need extra support or practice and learn more at LAEFOnline.org!

LAEF’s meets $100K Challenge...raising $2.5M so far

LAEF’s Board of Directors is pleased to report that we have just reached $2.5M in donations on our way to meeting our $3.7M goal for the current school year. A special thank you to the families who made first time gifts or increased their annual donation to help us meet our $100,000 Matching Challenge from LAEF’s Board of Directors and the Honor Roll of Realtors Leadership Circle. For those of you that have not yet participated, please join our community’s 1,700 donors by making a contribution that is meaningful for your family. LAEFOnline.org

PTA & SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS - REPEATED

LOST & FOUND

There are many items in the Lost & Found racks! Please come look for your family's missing jackets and other belongings. And a note to the wise: if you write your student's name on things, we do our best to return things to their owners!  We will be bagging up all items and donating them to those in need the Friday before the week of Thanksgiving.

PARENT CONFERENCES, a note from Mrs. Benadom

The goal of parent conferences is to set aside time on 11/21 & 11/22 for a face to face conversations with families about learning.  Of course we hope that many families will be able to partake in this experience on these two days.  Please know that it is not mandatory.

A challenge exists in our current construct for parent conferences.  The days reside during Thanksgiving week when many of our families plan vacations and travel.  This reality presents a challenge for our teaching staff.  The two days that our district has set aside for conversations about learning are underutilized and teachers must then offer conferences outside of these two days in order to maintain a close connection with parents.  

In grades TK-4, conferences will remain at the homeroom level.  Any conference requests from parents outside of 11/21 & 11/22 will be based on the teacher’s availability.  Grades 5/6 are more complex due to regrouping and rotations.  A teacher potentially sees 120+ students.  If a family requests conferences outside of the designated days (11/21 & 11/22), we will collect this request and get back to you with an alternate day.  Almond will provide an additional sub day to teachers in grade 5/6 for conferences that were not able to be held in November.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Los Altos Little League Spring Softball and T-ball Baseball Registration open NOW

• Softball has two divisions:  T-ball (5-7 year olds/TK-1st grades) and Minors (7-9 year olds/2-3rd grades); T-ball Baseball is for 5-6 year olds
• Teams are created with classmates and friend requests.   There is one practice and one game a week and all are held at neighborhood Los Altos schools.  The season runs from early March to early June.  
• For more information and to register online, go to www.losaltoslittleleague.com Contact Alison Rao (alisonrao@gmail.com) with questions related to softball and Dean Dragoli (ddragoli@gmail.com) for questions related to T-Ball Baseball

Girls On The Run!!

Do you have a daughter in grades 3, 4 or 5? Does she like to have fun? Then join Almond’s newest after school activity “Girls On The Run”!  “Girls On The Run” or GOTR inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, curriculum that creatively integrates running. Over a period of 10 weeks the girls participate in lessons that encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development. The season finishes in a “Girls on the Run” 5k event.  This celebratory, non-competitive event is the culminating experience of the curriculum.  Completing the 5k gives the girls a tangible understanding of the confidence that comes through accomplishment as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals.

It is GOTR mission to offer our program to all girls who desire to participate, regardless of their financial status. Families who are unable to pay the program registration fees will be awarded financial assistance based on their income. Apply for financial assistance by November 30 to receive a scholarship code in time to register for the lottery. ALL need-based scholarships must be applied for and approved BEFORE registering a girl for the program. More information here.

Registration OPENS Dec. 3 - 5, register anytime in the window. The lottery for teams will be Dec. 6, 2016. GOTR 2017 Season Program begins the week of March 6  through May 20 on Wednesday & Fridays from 3:05pm - 4:35pm at Almond School. The program fee is $230. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Heath

WANT TO SUBMIT SOMETHING TO THE THURSDAY WORD?

Send announcements to us at AlmondThursdayWord@lasdschools.org by 12:00pm Monday, for that week's Word. Keep your announcements brief and, if applicable, send a PDF version of any flyer or additional information to be posted on the website.