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July 2013

Welcome to Almond Elementary School!

The Los Altos School District vision is to “be a leader in revolutionizing learning for all students.”  To revolutionize is to change something radically or fundamentally.  Not one tool, nor a single approach, can accomplish this goal.  Instead, it must be a mindset!

At Almond we believe that learning should capture curiosity and wonder.  Babies are born naturally inquisitive and fascinated with the world.  Limits, boundaries and parameters are introduced by all of us grown-ups as a necessary framework to ensure safety and order.  At the same time, some of our greatest thinkers pushed limits, thought outside the box, questioned the ordinary and as a result created the extraordinary.

As 21st Century Learners, our students will need to analyze and synthesize the prolific amount of information that is available in the world.  They will need to build relationships to solve social challenges.  They will need to design innovations and share these creations with the world. It is our moral imperative to instill in all of our youth the self-confidence and skills necessary to change the world. 

Almond staff and parents partner in support of this mission by offering an unparalleled educational program that includes a 1:1 laptop initiative to all sixth graders, a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) offering that aims to ignite a passion for learning in these specific content areas at all grade levels, along with music and physical education instruction to ensure a focus on the whole child.

As a newcomer to Almond, I can already see that our neighborhood school accomplishes its goals through putting children first, developing relationships and making an unwavering commitment to community.  There is remarkable brilliance in each individual that contributes to our school and as a result our collective whole is luminous.

It is an honor and privilege to join this impressive team of students, parents and educators.  I look forward to learning a great deal from each and every one of you in the coming year.

At your service,

Erika Benadom


Teaching Staff for 2013-2014

What a great year we have had at Almond! With the end of the school year approaching, we are busy planning for another successful year. There will be a couple of changes in the staff list as we welcome three new teachers to Almond.


We wish the best of luck to our two retiring first grade teachers, Betsy Childrey and Pam Sanderson. The Almond first grade team and students have greatly benefited from their expertise and excitement for learning. We wish them exciting journeys as they enjoy having more time for family and friends. We will miss them both!

We also wish the best to Vanessa Jordan. She is returning to Texas to be close to her family and friends. She has been such an asset to our sixth grade team. Her enthusiasm for learning and her interactive ways of teaching Social Studies, will be greatly missed!

We welcome Summer Reeves to our first grade team. She is a product of the Los Altos School District! She grew up in Los Altos, attended Oak School, Blach, and Mountain View High. She graduated from Cal Poly with a major in Child Development, then received a minor in Psychology and a Master's degree in Elementary Education from the University of San Francisco. She is currently teaching first grade at Loyola and is looking forward to joining the Almond community.

We will be welcoming another teacher, Rachel Commons, to our second grade team. She has previously taught first grade at Gardner Bullis. She returns to LASD after taking a short leave of absence to complete her Master’s. Rachel is excited about joining the Almond community and integrating innovative strategies into her teaching.

We welcome Jasen Stuart to our 6th grade team. He is originally from San Jose and attended Santa Clara University. He has been teaching for nine years and enjoys working with kids and challenging them to become more proficient, confident and conscientious young adults. He has most recently taught sixth grade Science in San Antonio, TX.

It is with pleasure that I announce our tentative teaching staff for 2013-2014. 

Kindergarten:

  • Mrs. Laurie Lamb (PM)

  • Mrs. Melissa Powell (AM)

  • Ms. Lisa Schubert (AM) 

First Grade:

  • Miss Summer Reeves

  • Mrs. Sarah Hall

  • Miss Alicia Chapman 

Second Grade:

  • Mrs. Nancy Liu

  • Mrs. Tammy Reilly

  • Ms. Jill Williams

  • Ms. Rachel Commons 

Third Grade:

  • Mrs. Jenny Wishnack

  • Mrs. Joann Martinez

  • Mrs. Anna Uhm

Fourth Grade:

  • Mrs. Melissa Dowling

  • Ms. Annie Daggett

  • Mrs. Lisa Call 

Fifth Grade:

  • Mrs. Samantha Nguyen

  • Mr. Joe Chan

  • Miss Laura Ohlund

Sixth Grade:

  • Mrs. Beth Leach

  • Mr. Jasen Stuart

  • Miss Amy Shelley




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