Almond Thursday Word

Dear Almond Families,

March Book Madness

It is that time of year again! Our Almond students will be participating in March Book Madness which is an “online bracket-style tournament that matches books in one-on-one ‘games.’” Each classroom reads a set of books per week and students vote on their favorite. After each round of voting the bracket is updated and the next round of voting begins. After four rounds of voting, a school-wide winner is chosen and revealed at our Friday assembly! You can see below for a picture of books in the bracket this year.

Update on COVID-19

As Superintendent Baier mentioned in a letter to all LASD families today, the District has no plans to close any schools at this time due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. However, LASD and Almond school are working together to ensure our students, staff and families are as prepared as possible for a variety of scenarios as the situation continues to evolve.

At this time, we are not planning to cancel our upcoming Gala this Saturday, March 7. The only caveat is, if you are feeling sick, please take care of yourself and stay home. Otherwise, we hope you will join us to support Almond School!

Just like all schools in the district, Almond staff is working to prevent the spread of illness by:

• Encouraging frequent and proper handwashing among students and staff
• Providing hand sanitizer in all classrooms
• Using disinfectant wipes to clean classroom door handles, faucets and desktops daily
• Reviewing restrooms to ensure proper functionality of sinks and hand dryers
• Cleaning school office surfaces, restrooms, the library and the multipurpose room daily

A reminder to all parents: LASD asks that any student who travels or has traveled to a nation with a CDC Level 2 or 3 health risk self-quarantine for 14-days from the date of return to the U.S. All student registrations include a passport check to ensure incoming students also adhere to this policy.

Almond staff is hard at work to prepare for the possibility of remote teaching and learning if our schools are required to close. Regardless of the outcome, we are confident we will continue providing an excellent educational experience for all students.

Here’s to community and celebration at this weekend’s Almond school gala!

Raquel

Sat, 3/7, Back to the 80's Gala and Auction evening

Sun, 3/8, Daylight Savings begins, turn your clock an hour forward--"Spring Ahead" 2:00am

Wed, 3/11, Family Science Night, 6:30-8:00pm

Thu, 3/12, Author visit, Judd Winick, for grades 3-6

Fri, 3/13, Blach Tour for Parents 9:30-11am at Blach School

Mon, 3/16, Blach Tour for Parents 1:30-3 pm at Blach School

Wed, 3/25, PTA General meeting, 8:30pm

Wed, 3/25, BookWave Blast! 6:00pm, multi

Thu, 4/2, Open House, 5:00pm

Fri, 4/3, Minimum Day, 12:15pm Dismissal

4/6-4/10, Spring Break, NO SCHOOL

Graphic Novelist, Judd Winick Will Visit Gardner Bullis!

We will welcome Judd Winick to talk to our 3rd-6th graders about what it is like to be an author and talk about this very exciting series. The author is also going to reveal his 6th book in the series to the students! Below is a description of the books and link to pre-order signed copies:

For five books, Razorwark has chased Hilo through the Universe. Now the chase is over. Find out how the epic war between Razorwark and Hilo ends and get ready to start the next adventure with the New York Times BESTSELLING GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES that kids and critics love!

Event Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2020

Order forms were sent home with students in grades 3-6--more are in the school office

Bookwave Blast is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 25 from 6-7:30pm in the Almond Multi. It is the evening when all kids who turned in their BookWave packets can pick up their publishing AND have an opportunity to present their work to friends and family. The event is also open to ALL Almond Families as we always invite a special speaker for our young authors to learn more about possible future careers and opportunities in being an author/illustrator/in the publishing/creative arts industry.

THIS YEAR, we have the privilege to invite our very own Almond Parent LUISA SMITH, the Editor-in-Chief of Scarlet Publishers & Buying Director of Book Passage based in Corte Madera, CA. She will be sharing her experiences in the publishing industry as well as to guide our author through the process by which a manuscript becomes published and eventually gets distributed all over the U.S.

We will also have a time for presentation for our young authors and EVERYONE who comes to pick up their book will receive a prize!

Hope to see you on 3/25 at 6pm at the Bookwave Blast!

Family Science Night is coming Wednesday March 11th 6:30-8 pm!

Do you enjoy science or helping children explore and experiment?

We need volunteers to run a table. Please sign up here (we provide everything you need including instructions.) We also need help setting up the morning of the event after drop off.

Questions? Fereshteh Mahvar fmahvar@gmail.com

What is Family Science Night?

An amazing night of science exploration at Almond School! 30+ stations for children TK-6th grade to interact with everything from robotics to anatomy!

• Learn about 3D printing and see it in action.

• Float on a lazy river, fly alongside Arctic terns, relax under a sky full of stars and more - all in cardboard VR.

• Learn core concepts of engineering battling remote controlled robots.

• Navigate through a laser maze

• Make slime that glows

• Observe bats, bugs and much more!

• 
  

Peggy Orenstein

Boys and Sex: Navigating Sex and Masculinity in Today’s Hook-up Culture
Tuesday, Mar. 24, 2020 - 7:00 - 9:00pm | LAHS Eagle Theatre | 201 Almond Ave., Los Altos, CA

Join us as Peggy Orenstein dives back into the lives of young people to once again give voice to the unspoken, revealing how young men understand and negotiate the new rules of physical and emotional intimacy.

Drawing on comprehensive interviews with young men, psychologists, academics, and experts in the field, Boys & Sex dissects so-called locker room talk; how the word “hilarious” robs boys of empathy; pornography as the new sex education; boys’ understanding of hookup culture and consent; and their experience as both victims and perpetrators of sexual violence. By surfacing young men’s experience in all its complexity, Orenstein is able to unravel the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important realities of young male sexuality in today’s world. The result is a provocative and paradigm-shifting work that offers a much-needed vision of how boys can truly move forward as better men.

Audience: Parents and educators of students grades 4 - 12.
Register: https://mvla2019-20-peggyorenstein.eventbrite.com
Books: Available for purchase, thanks to Books, Inc., (cash or check).

Also, check out the following resources from our recent speakers.

William Stixrud, M.D. and Ned Johnson - The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Kids More Control Over Their Lives

If you missed our January event, The Self-Driven Child, with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, or would like to watch it again, you may view video from their presentation at Menlo-Atherton High School, thanks to the generosity of the Sequoia Union High School District Parent Education Series and the Media Production team from Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula (BGCP). A handout is also available thanks to the Sequoia Union High School District Parent Education Series.

Video - The Self-Driven Child: William Stixrud and Ned Johnson - Menlo-Atherton Parent Education Series

Handout - The Self-Driven Child: Top Tips for Parents - William Stixrud and Ned Johnson - Menlo-Atherton Parent Education Series

Scott Hartley - The Fuzzy and the Techie

If you missed our February event, The Fuzzy and the Techie, with Scott Hartley, or would like to listen to it again, you may access our recording of his presentation.

Audio - Scott Hartley - The Fuzzy and the Techie

Sponsored by Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF), MVLA High School Foundation, Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), and Los Altos-Mountain View PTA Council.

It’s the last week for our Challenge Match.

Donate to LAEF today and your gift will be DOUBLED!

The John and Liane Davila Foundation, the Field Family, and 2 anonymous LASD families have offered to match every dollar donated before March 15th, up to a total of $22,000.

Gifts of any amount are appreciated!

We welcome one-time donations, monthly donations, stock donations, and pledges.

Help fund teachers and staff at your school.

Every student's physical and mental health is a priority for LASD.

Your student is nurtured through caring teachers and staff at your

school, along with LAEF funded programs such as parent education speakers,

elementary school PE teachers, and CHAC mental health counselors. Find out more.

Are you an experienced photographer?

We are looking for a parent or community volunteer who is willing to take photos for LAEF in the next few weeks. Please send email to admin@laefonline.org or call 650 559-0445 to learn more. This is a great opportunity to make a difference for our schools!

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 3/2, 3/9 & 3/16

Los Altos School District – iLearn Studio

201 Covington Road, Los Altos

*Can’t make Mondays? Ask us about our apprentice-style training!

RSVP/Questions? Email livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.

Check us out at www.living-classroom.org!

Our school has decided to take on blood cancers! We are raising funds to help The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fund life-saving research. You can help our efforts by donating today: https://events.lls.org/pages/svmb/Almond-Elementary-School-2020

The Student Council students will be kicking off the Pennies for Patients drive tomorrow at the morning assembly!

As a reminder, LASD is following federal and state guidelines related to the coronavirus outbreak. We ask our families and staff to follow all guidelines to keep students and staff healthy.

Anyone returning from mainland China should stay at home for 14 days and not go to school or work, or other public places such as the grocery store, or use public transit. They should also self-isolate from others in the same household. If a returning traveler has questions, they should call the Santa Clara County call center between 8 am - 5 pm at 408-885-3980.

Please review CDC guidance on returning travelers here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/risk-assessment.html​

In the unusual event that a student or staff member who returned from mainland China prior to February 3, 2020, and who has symptoms of respiratory illness, such as fever and cough, AND became ill within 14 days after their departure from China,

Please take the following steps:

1. Separate the individual from others as much as possible and arrange for the individual to go home, and

2. Contact the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department during regular business hours (408-885-3980, M-F 8-5) for further guidance.

3. 
   

For more information, check out the helpful FAQs from Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

Precautions to Prevent Spread of All Infectious Diseases

At this time the health risk to the general public in Santa Clara County from novel coronavirus remains low, but schools can take common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases. These precautions will be helpful to prevent the spread of other common illnesses such as influenza and gastroenteritis.

Encourage all students, parents, and staff to take everyday preventive actions:

• Stay home when sick.

• Remain at home until fever has been gone for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines.

• Seek immediate medical care if symptoms become more severe, e.g., high fever or difficulty breathing.

Use “respiratory etiquette:”

• Cover cough with a tissue or sleeve. See CDC’s Cover Your Cough page (https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm​) for multilingual posters and flyers, posted at the bottom of the webpage.

• Provide adequate supplies within easy reach, including tissues and no-touch trash cans.

• Wash hands frequently.

• Encourage hand washing by students and staff through education, scheduled time for handwashing, and the provision of adequate supplies.

• Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces.

• Separate sick students and staff from others until they can go home. When feasible, identify a “sick room” through which others do not regularly pass.

• Encourage flu vaccine for those who haven’t had it this season to reduce illnesses and absences on campus (but won’t prevent coronavirus illnesses).

A note about face masks: face masks are most useful for preventing disease spread when they are worn by people who have symptoms. People are asked to wear a mask at doctors’ offices and hospitals if they are coughing or sneezing.

For the latest updates on Novel Coronavirus, visit: www.sccphd.org/coronavirus.

COVID-19 Info Sheet

Below is a link to a great information sheet on the Corona Virus (COVID-19).

It's important to note that the risk to general public still remains low and for approximately 80% of the population the disease is mild. Please continue to stress the importance of hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.

https://www.mountainview.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=31921

Almond is an amazing community of people, with active and caring families. We rely on this community to provide images so we can socialize and honor your achievements. Please upload images to the yearbook: https://www.almondschool.org/Almondes/6662-Year-Book.html

Attendance: Please be sure to call the school attendance line (650-917-5454) or the office (650-917-5400) if your student is going to be absent for any reason. And please, please help your student get out the door and to school on time. The kids miss out on important beginning-of-day announcements and sharing, even if they miss five minutes.

Parking Lot etiquette: Be safe, be calm, go with the flow. We've had reports of people driving the wrong direction in our small parking lot, not allowing time and space, leaving a car unattended in the drive through, and generally making each other a little nervous. Share this with your drivers, your babysitters, anyone who is driving a car near our school. We all thank you!