38th Annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest

2022 Theme:  "History is Happening Now... Inspired by Annie Knapp Fitz"

The Los Altos Historical Commission and the Los Altos History Museum are co-sponsoring the 38th annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, open to third- through sixth-graders who live in the area and/or attend local schools.

Anna Knapp Fitz, known as Annie, moved from San Francisco to a farm in Los Altos in 1921. A self-taught artist, she loved to sketch scenes from everyday life. When asked what it was like in those bygone days, Annie responded with her paintbrush. Her portraits, historic sites, and landscapes capture the enduring spirit of early Santa Clara Valley and the towns of Los Altos, Mountain View, and Palo Alto. At a party celebrating 50 years living on her farm, she was asked what life had been like a half-century before. Her response is illustrated in the current Los Altos History Museum exhibit, titled "Annie Knapp Fitz Paints: A Legacy in Art." Her sketches, oil paintings, and sculptures, as well as the photographs that inspired her provide us with a picture of our past.

Come to the Los Altos History Museum to view this exhibit by February 6, 2022. You can also view an online tour of Annie's paintings by downloading "The Wondrous World of Annie Knapp Fitz" found on this page: losaltoshistory.org/StudentTours. 

The deadline to submit essays is March 4. 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.

Volunteer with Living Classroom!

Living Classroom is in need of volunteers to teach our fun, hands-on lessons and help care for our school gardens. No experience or green thumb necessary as we teach you everything you need to know! Join a community of people who enjoy connecting kids with nature and teaching them where their food comes from. The suggested time commitment is only 6 hours a month and you get to participate in fun volunteer enrichment activities such as nature hikes, garden tours, educational workshops, talks, and more! Living Classroom is a great way to act locally to help care for our planet and nurture our future environmental stewards! Get involved today!

Join us in-person for our upcoming Winter Docent Training!

Living Classroom

Winter Docent Training
Mondays 9-Noon
12/6, 12/13 & 1/10
LASD iLearn Studio
201 Covington Road, Los Altos
(masks and proof of Covid-19 vaccination required)

Please RSVP to livingclassroom@lasdschools.org if you plan to attend

Questions? Contact us at (650) 947-1103 or email livingclassroom@lasdschools.org

Volunteer with Living Classroom!

Living Classroom is in need of volunteers to teach our fun, hands-on lessons and help care for our school gardens. No experience or green thumb necessary as we teach you everything you need to know! Join a community of people who enjoy connecting kids with nature and teaching them where their food comes from. The suggested time commitment is only 6 hours a month and you get to participate in fun volunteer enrichment activities such as nature hikes, garden tours, educational workshops, talks, and more! Living Classroom is a great way to act locally to help care for our planet and nurture our future environmental stewards! Get involved today!

Join us in-person for our upcoming Fall Docent Training!

Living Classroom Fall Docent Training
Mondays 9-Noon
9/13-10/11
LASD iLearn Studio (masks required)
201 Covington Road, Los Altos
-or-
email for information on joining us virtually

Please RSVP to livingclassroom@lasdschools.org if you plan to attend

Questions? Contact us at (650) 947-1103 or email livingclassroom@lasdschools.org

Dear LASD Families, 

As the February break approaches, I would like to remind everyone that the Mandatory Directive on Travel is still in effect and that we must continue to be guided by our Community Commitments to Healthy Schools to keep our schools open.  

How we celebrate our February Break will impact our entire school community of teachers, staff, students, and families.  That is why I’d like to remind you of important updates to state and local public health orders.

Mandatory 10-Day Non-Essential Travel Quarantine

• All travel for non-essential purposes is strongly discouraged 

• All persons traveling into or returning to Santa Clara County from a distance of more than 150 miles from the county’s borders must quarantine for at least 10 days after arrival or return to Santa Clara County.  Quarantine information can be found at sccstayhome.org.

• Please notify your school office if you plan to travel more than 150 miles from Santa Clara County over the February Break.

Even if we do not travel, all of us must take important precautions to stay safe during the February Break.  Important restrictions to keep in mind: 

• All indoor gatherings of any size are prohibited.

• Outdoor gatherings of no more than three households are now allowed, however wearing a mask and keeping physically distanced during such gatherings is required.

For more information about Santa Clara County’s new health orders, please click here. 

Please Help Keep Our Schools Healthy and Open

Our schools are essential community assets tasked with the well-being and academic success of our children. By abiding by the public health orders, you will help reduce COVID-19 transmission and ensure we can continue our reopening process and keep our schools open.   

We are grateful for the commitment from staff, teachers and families to make plans for the February Break that are in line with all public health guidelines and our Community Commitment to Healthy Schools to ensure our schools remain open.  If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out at any time.  I hope you all have an enjoyable February break.

Sincerely, 

Jeffrey Baier
Superintendent 
Los Altos School District

37th Annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest

2021 Theme:  "Rise Up: Inspiring Women!"

The Los Altos Historical Commission and the Los Altos History Museum are co-sponsoring the 37th annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, open to third- through sixth-graders who live in the area and/or attend local schools.

One hundred years ago, the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, and women were finally granted the right to vote in the United States. However, the 19th Amendment in 1920 did not guarantee full voting rights for all women. The work needed to grant this right to women of color faced many obstacles in the coming years. Still, the law became the first in many steps along the United States' journey to full voting rights for all people.

Come to the Los Altos History Museum to celebrate the "100th birthday" of women's suffrage with an exhibition in our main gallery called "Rise-up, The Fight for Women's Suffrage," and a special outdoor exhibit displayed along the wrap-around porch of the J. Gilbert Smith House. We invite you to visit both of these exhibits to learn about the inspiring women of this era. The Museum is open Thursday - Sunday, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. with masks required. The porch of the Gilbert Smith House is always open as it is one of several outdoor exhibits. (Both exhibits are on display until Feb. 21, 2021).

Our world survives on the accomplishments of both men and women and we are grateful to the women suffragists who fought for the women's right to vote. For our essay contest this year, we would like you to reflect on inspiring women in your life. It could be someone who you know at school, church, at home or in your community. You might also recall women you have read about in different areas, such as science, medicine, space, social justice, government, the legal profession, literature, art or music. Select one inspiring woman and reflect on what this woman has achieved in her area of expertise. What obstacles did she face in achieving her goals?

The deadline to submit essays is March 5. Students should submit their entries to anneroberts13@gmail.com. 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.

We hope that all of you are doing well as we continue to shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this challenging time, Living Classroom is continuing to help balance "screen time" with backyard "green time" by creating activity videos that help connect students with our nature-based curriculum at home. If you haven't done so already, check out the new Living Classroom PARENT PAGE where you can find our new how-to activity videos as well as additional nature-based resources. Please share this resource widely and check back frequently as new videos and activities are being added weekly. Click here to view a fun video on making your own bird nest or here to learn how to make simple dyes from plants and other materials found in nature!

Keep Calm and Garden On! - Living Classroom Staff

Living Classroom is in need of more volunteers!... With more teachers than ever before signing up for our fun and engaging lessons, we need your help to meet our lesson demand!  Please join us for our upcoming Spring Docent Training on Monday mornings in March from 9-Noon (3/2, 3/9 & 3/16) at the Los Altos School District iLearn Studio located at 201 Covington Road in Los Altos. Our trainings are fun, educational and even include breakfast! The suggested time commitment is only 6 hours a month and, in turn, we invite you to join us for our docent enrichment events which include socials, hikes, garden tours, workshops and lectures. No experience or green thumb necessary as we teach you everything you need to know! Volunteering with Living Classroom is a great way to act locally to help nurture our future environmental stewards and care for our planet!
 
Living Classroom Spring Docent Training
Mondays 9-Noon  -  March 2, 9 & 16
Los Altos School District – iLearn Studio
201 Covington Road, Los Altos
*Can't make Mondays? Ask us about our apprentice-style training!

Click here to view and/or print our flyer!
RSVP/Questions?  Email livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.
Check us out at www.living-classroom.org!
 
Who we are:
 
 We are a dedicated group of trained volunteers who teach hands-on garden-based lessons to students in grades K-8.  
 
Why volunteer?
 
 Living Classroom is about more than just teaching students how to plant in the garden.  It’s about using the edible and native plant gardens at each school as living laboratories and engaging student learning in fun and relevant ways.  Most of our standard-aligned lessons are interdisciplinary and tie into science, social studies and math curriculum.  Our hands-on lessons also get kids outside (green time vs. screen time), encourage healthy eating habits, and promote environmental literacy and stewardship.  
 
 Volunteering with Living Classroom offers a way for docents to act locally to help protect our environment and nurture our future environmental stewards!
 
 You don’t have to have a green thumb to be an amazing Living Classroom docent.  In fact, our program is great way to learn how to turn that black thumb into a green one!
 
 Living Classroom docents enjoy ongoing educational programs, hikes, field trips, social activities and a wonderful sense of community.  Just seeing the students smile and get excited when a docent arrives to give a lesson is rewarding and priceless!
 
 The commitment is only 6 hours (3 lessons) a month and you can tailor the program to fit your interests and availability.
 
Thanks and we hope to see you in the gardens soon!
 
Living Classroom Staff

February 3, 2020

Dear Los Altos School District Families,

The health and safety of our students is our top priority.  Please read the below letter from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD), which provides an update on the coronavirus, as well as federal guidelines to prevent the spread of the illness.
We ask that our parents, students and staff--particularly those who have traveled recently to China--follow these guidelines to keep our community safe and well.

Regards,

Jeffrey Baier
Superintendent
Los Altos School District

Dear Administrators, Teachers, Staff, and Parents:

The CDC and state and local public health departments are continuing to closely monitor new developments regarding the Novel Coronavirus outbreak. A woman in the Bay Area who became ill after returning from a trip to China has become the ninth person in the U.S. to test positive for the Coronavirus, bringing the national total to 11. “I understand that people are concerned, but based on what we know today, the risk to the general public remains low,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer, Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD). “With our large population and the amount of travel to China for both personal and business reasons, we will likely see more cases, including close contacts to our cases.” Dr. Cody emphasized that there is no evidence that the virus is spreading anywhere in the county, Bay Area or Northern California. The confirmed cases are being monitored closely coupled with confidentiality as required with any medical condition. Dr. Cody also stated that there was no risk of infection for the general public from the Santa Clara County cases.

Federal Guidelines are summarized by Dr. Sara Cody below and state the following:

1. Any staff or student who has been in the Hubei province within the last 14 days should not attend school. They should be at home, in a separate room, with separate bath, until 14 days after last exposure to Hubei. They should monitor for symptoms and report any symptoms to Public Health. They should not seek medical care without calling ahead first and letting care providers know of their exposure history.
2. Any staff or student who has been in China, in a province other than Hubei province, within the last 14 days should also not attend school. This would be voluntary quarantine, with symptom watch.

Dr. Cody reiterated the importance of common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases:

1. If you’re sick, stay home.
2. Wash your hands and don’t touch your eyes, nose, and mouth.
3. Recommends to get your Flu shot.

Below are revised health guidelines for schools in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ national public health emergency declaration issued Friday, January 31, 2020.

Updated Federal Guidelines
As part of the emergency declaration, which went into effect today (Sunday, February 2) at 11 a.m. PST., Americans returning to the United States, who have been in China’s Hubei province within 14 days, will face a mandatory quarantine and be monitored by public health officials. Americans returning to the United States from other parts of China will face enhanced screening and a self-quarantine of up to 14 days to ensure they do not pose a health risk.

Updated Guidelines for Santa Clara County Schools
In response to the new federal guidelines, schools will exclude students who are under mandatory quarantine from school for 14 days from their last exposure and will communicate with Santa Clara County school districts, colleges and universities to ensure high-risk students remain out of school for the identified period.  Students who are under voluntary self-quarantine will be excused from school during this period.
It should be noted that the risk to the public remains low.

Guidelines for Students Under Mandatory and Self-Quarantine
Please know that Santa Clara County is committed to maintaining the privacy of our students.  Our schools will work with students and families under mandatory or self-quarantine with sensitivity and confidentiality.

Mandatory Quarantine

• Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD) will notify districts of any students under mandatory quarantine, who have been excluded from attending school due to recent travel from China’s Hubei province within 14 days.
• Once SCCPHD has received notification these individuals are cleared to return to campus, schools will communicate with affected families to make arrangements.
• Schools will work with students to support continued learning at home.
• Related absences will be excused.

Self-Quarantine

• Students who have recently returned from other parts of China are asked to self-quarantine and provide schools with documentation.
• Schools will work with students to support continued learning at home.
• Related absences will be excused.

Missing school, for any reason, can cause concern and stress for our families and students.  We will work collaboratively with families throughout this process.  However, to maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students and families, these guidelines have been put into place.
In addition, we ask parents, caregivers or others, who may be under mandatory or self-quarantine to remain off campus as well.

Masks
At this time, public health officials say there is no need to wear facemasks in the United States. However, as a precaution, students should be allowed to wear face masks on school campuses. Please note, students who are sick must follow health guidelines and should not be sent to school sick, even if they wear a mask.

Additional Information and Resources
For the most up to date information about the Coronavirus, visit:  http://bit.ly/2OnX4x3

The SCCOE in partnership with the SCC Public Health Department will continue to closely monitor this situation, which is evolving as countries and expert health agencies learn more about the Coronavirus.  As we have updates, information and resources from SCCPHD or other agencies, they will be provided to our communities.

36th Annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest

2020 Theme:  "Peek into Your Past!"

The Los Altos Historical Commission and the Los Altos History Museum are co-sponsoring the 36th annual Margaret Thompson Historical Essay Contest, open to third- through sixth-graders who live in the area and/or attend local schools.

A photograph can capture a moment in time and preserve it for future generations. Photos help us remember special occasions, loved ones, and family traditions. J. Gilbert Smith, an orchardist who built the 1905 Smith House at the Los Altos History Museum, was also a photographer. Mr. Smith and his wife, Margaret, enjoyed traveling around California photographing the natural beauty of our state. A few examples of his photography and cameras of the time will be on display in the upstairs gallery of the Smith House from mid-January through early spring. If you wish to visit, the Museum and the Smith House are open Thursday-Sunday, from 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Do you enjoy looking at photographs of when you were young? Have you seen photos of your parents, grandparents or other loved ones from years past? Were those photos in color or in black and white? Are these photos in frames, in albums, or on your parents' cell phones? How do these photographs help to tell your family's story?

The deadline to submit essays is March 6. 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.

Living Classroom is in need of more volunteers!... With more teachers than ever before signing up for our fun and engaging lessons, we need your help to meet our lesson demand!  Please join us for our upcoming Winter Docent Training on Monday mornings in December from 9-Noon (12/2, 12/9 & 12/16) at the Los Altos School District iLearn Studio located at 201 Covington Road in Los Altos. Our trainings are fun, educational and even include breakfast! The suggested commitment is only 6 hours a month and in turn we invite you to join us for our enrichment events which include socials, hikes, garden tours, workshops and lectures. No experience or green thumb required! 
 
Living Classroom Winter Docent Training
Mondays 9-Noon  -  December 2, 9 & 16
Los Altos School District – iLearn Studio
201 Covington Road, Los Altos
*Can't make Mondays? Ask us about our apprentice-style training!

Click here to view and/or print out flyer!
RSVP/Questions?  Email livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.
Check us out at www.living-classroom.org!
 
Who we are:
 
 We are a dedicated group of trained volunteers who teach hands-on garden-based lessons to students in grades K-8.  
 
Why volunteer?
 
 Living Classroom is about more than just teaching students how to plant in the garden.  It’s about using the edible and native plant gardens at each school as living laboratories and engaging student learning in fun and relevant ways.  Most of our standard-aligned lessons are interdisciplinary and tie into science, social studies and math curriculum.  Our hands-on lessons also get kids outside (green time vs. screen time), encourage healthy eating habits, and promote environmental literacy and stewardship.  
 
 Volunteering with Living Classroom offers a way for docents to act locally to help protect our environment and nurture our future environmental stewards!
 
 You don’t have to have a green thumb to be an amazing Living Classroom docent.  In fact, our program is great way to learn how to turn that black thumb into a green one!
 
 Living Classroom docents enjoy ongoing educational programs, hikes, field trips, social activities and a wonderful sense of community.  Just seeing the students smile and get excited when a docent arrives to give a lesson is rewarding and priceless!
 
 The commitment is only 6 hours (3 lessons) a month and you can tailor the program to fit your interests and availability.
 
Thanks and we hope to see you in the gardens soon!
 
Living Classroom Staff