Almond Thursday Word

Dear Almond Families:

The week we get back from break, starting February 24 and running through March 6, will be Almond’s version of Digital Citizenship Week. All students need digital citizenship skills to participate fully in their communities and make smart choices online and in life. These weeks will include grade level appropriate lessons around online privacy, media balance, digital footprints, cyberbullying, and more. More information will be going home this week in the Friday updates, but enjoy this research article from Common Sense Media about Tweens, Teens, and Phones.

Our STEM Expo is just right around the corner on Wednesday, February 26 from 5-7 pm in our multi. We are still short volunteers so if you haven’t already signed up, please consider doing so. It is a great opportunity to support all of our student scientists! You can sign up here: Volunteer at the STEM Expo

And speaking of STEM activities...we had a lot of fun on our playground last Monday testing out different message-holding containers on a zipline! Students in grades 1-6 were invited to create a design for our second Almond Design Challenge that answers the question: How might we quickly deliver a message to our valentine using a zipline? The following parameters were set: Develop a message-holding container that can quickly slide down a zipline to your valentine that is:

• Smaller than 6inx6inx6in

• Less than 1lb

• Must use recycled materials

• Goal is to be delivered within 5 seconds

Check out the pics and video below that captured this creative event!

Anti-Idling Campaign

You may have noticed that we have installed signs on the fences that border the pick up/drop off lanes in our parking lot to help remind parents to turn off car engines while they wait. We have joined GreenTown Los Altos in an anti-idling campaign to “reduce air pollution that causes health problems, save money and gas, and do [our] part to mitigate climate change!”

In 2018, GreenTown conducted surveys with the Los Altos Environmental Commission of idling cars at LAHS to quantify the amount of idling that was occurring and to estimate the resulting level of toxins and CO2 emitted. GreenTown shared the results with the LAHS Green Team and provided resources for schools that would like to start their own campaign of education and prevention. We have taken up that mantle and are implementing our own anti-idling campaign. You can read about the harmful effects of motor vehicle engine exhaust here: Idle Engines are Harming our Children.

Here’s to enjoying time with family and friends next week!

Raquel

TONIGHT, Thu, 2/13, Strictly Strings Concert, 7pm, LAHS Eagle Theater

TONIGHT, Thu, 2/13, MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Scott Hartley, 7pm, MVHS

**2/17-2/21, NO SCHOOL**

Wed, 2/26, PTA General Meeting, 8:30am, Conference Room

Wed, 2/26, Walk or Wheel to School Day!

Wed, 2/26, STEM Expo, 5-7pm, Multi

Fri, 2/28, Egan Parent tour, 9:30am, Egan library, parents only

Mon, 3/2, Hearing Screening for grades K, 2, and 5

Thu, 3/5, Minimum Day, 12:15 dismissal, special dismissal time!

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

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

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

Here is the calendar for 2020-21! Please bookmark it for future reference. We will start the new school year on August 19, 2020!

Our Student Council students led a project called "What Makes My Heart Happy?" Each student was given a paper heart to write something that brings them joy. Then our SC put them into the shape of a heart and the word ALMOND. Come see it tomorrow if you get the chance!

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

TONIGHT

Thursday, Feb. 13th

7:00 PM

Los Altos High School Eagle Theatre

We have a 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.

Our students just marked their 100th day of school. Now it’s your turn.

Donate now and help us reach 100% parent participation.

We still need to raise the final $330,000 to fund the 2019-20 school year.

Gifts of any amount are appreciated!

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

Help fully fund teachers and staff at your school.

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! We have 10+ new stations in addition to your favorite stations and experiences this year.

• 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!

Family Science Night is not a drop off event, children must be accompanied by adult.

Do you enjoy science or helping children explore and experiment? Please volunteer to run a table here (we provide everything you need including instructions.) We could also use help setting up the morning of the event after drop off. Questions? Dharti Dhami dharti@gmail.com, Melissa Bryant-Neal mbryantneal@gmail.com, Fereshteh Mahvar fmahvar@gmail.com

Children in grades two through six who wish to learn basic drawing and painting skills may take a Kids’ Art Class led by the Art Docents of Los Altos at the Los Altos History Museum. Held from 9:30 – 11am, the class for second- and third-graders is on Feb 29, and fourth, fifth, and sixth-graders on March 7.

The classes are part of the program line-up for the Museum’s exhibition, “Gallery 9: Celebrating Art in Los Altos,” on display through March 8. The exhibition showcases the work of artists from Gallery 9 in Los Altos, a cooperative fine art gallery now in its 50th year of operation.

“This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Art Docents of Los Altos, a group that has done so much to foster art education in Los Altos schools,” said Exhibition Curator Dr. Amy Ellison. “We want to celebrate their accomplishments. The classes they are offering at the Museum are special because the docents will be teaching the kids skills using art that is in the gallery as examples.”

The Art Docents are a group of volunteers through the Los Altos School District who provide a comprehensive visual arts education to students in grades K - 6. Their goal is to create a sense of excitement about art and the freedom to be creative.

Fee for each class is $20 per child. Register at losaltoshistory.org/gallery/9

Los Altos History Museum began in 1977 with the opening of the J. Gilbert Smith House historic farmhouse, built in 1905. In 2001, the Los Altos History Museum opened its modern building next door, which houses the Museum's collections, permanent and changing exhibits, store and administrative offices. The Museum and its grounds are available for rent during evenings and weekends. Its collections are owned by the City of Los Altos and are managed by an independent nonprofit organization, whose staff and volunteers are responsible for all programs and operations.

The Museum and J. Gilbert Smith House are open Thursday through Sunday, from noon-4pm. Admission is free. The gardens, outdoor agricultural exhibits and picnic area are accessible beyond Museum hours. For more information, visit: www.losaltoshistory.org, email hello@losaltoshistory.org, or phone 650.948.9427 x14.

Media Contact: Marketing@losaltoshistory.org

Los Altos History Museum: Elisabeth I. Ward, 650.948.9427 x10, eward@losaltoshistory.org

Ticket sales end March 1st! Buy your tickets now before they run out--Purchase Here!

Students and staff returning from mainland China arriving in the United States since February 3, 2020 must stay home from school for 14 days, beginning the day after they left China. This is a change from previous guidance.

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

Students & staff who came back to the U.S. prior to February 3 and do not have respiratory illness may wish to consider staying home for 14 days after they left mainland China, but it is not mandatory.

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 you 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.

Everyone should 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 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.

Please remember that attendance is compulsory. Absences due to illness, medical appointments, religious holiday observance, or bereavement are considered excused. All other absences are considered unexcused.

To report an absence please call 650-917-5454 or email almondsecretary@lasdschools.org and include the following information:

• Student’s first and last name

• Grade

• Teacher

• date(s) of absence

• Reason for absence

• If sick, please specify if your child has a fever, common cold symptoms such as a runny nose or cough, vomiting and/or diarrhea, and or any other communicable or contagious illness.

Scott Hartley

The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 - 7:00 - 9:00 pm

MVHS Eagle Theatre

3535 Truman Avenue., Mountain View, CA

Join us as Scott Hartley, venture capitalist and author of The Fuzzy and the Techie, explores the vital role of liberal arts in humanizing our technology, shattering assumptions about business and education today.

While Silicon Valley is generally considered a “techie" stronghold, the founders of companies like Airbnb, Pinterest, Slack, LinkedIn, PayPal, Stitch Fix, Reddit, and others are all "fuzzies"— people with backgrounds in the Arts and Humanities.

Learning to code is not enough; the soft skills—curiosity, communication, and collaboration, along with an understanding of psychology and society’s gravest problems—are central to why technology has value. Well-rounded people are the instrumental stewards of robots, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning; offering a human touch that is of critical importance in our technology-led world. A new generation of entrepreneurs, those who are both fuzzy-and-techie, is fast emerging and will be the center of our future economy.

For anyone doubting whether a well-rounded liberal arts education is practical in today’s world, Hartley’s discussion offers inspiring insights.

Audience: Parents and educators of students grades K - 12.

To register for this free event, go to https://mvla2019-20-scotthartley.eventbrite.com

Books available for purchase, thanks to Books, Inc., (cash or check).

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

School & Community News found via Peachjar:

https://app.peachjar.com/flyers/all/schools/53999/