Thanksgiving Message to Families

I have so much to be thankful for, especially our partnership dedicated to supporting the best interests of our students. Wishing everyone a safe and joyful Thanksgiving holiday later this month. Let’s model gratitude for our students by sharing who and what we’re thankful for—and take the time to listen to what they're grateful for as well.

Congratulations to our Superintendent Dr. Denise Jaramillo for being selected as the Superintendent of the Year for being named the 2024 Los Angeles County Superintendent of the Year. She will receive the honor at the Los Angeles County Superintendents Collaborative reception in Long Beach on Thursday, Nov. 7. This prestigious award highlights her impactful leadership and efforts to support student success within the district.

Tomorrow is Election Day. As we are all aware, this election cycle has fueled deep passions from those on all sides of the political spectrum. It is a time of excitement when we embrace our right to vote and it is also a time of uncertainty.

With all this in mind, we want to remind our students, families, and community members the importance of remaining civil and respectful of others' perspectives and beliefs, even if they differ considerably from yours.

We also know the nature of politics right now causes additional stress at a time when we are already dealing with social, emotional, and economic turbulence. This has been especially difficult for our country. Please know that our counselors are available to speak with students if they need any support at all.

A key part of the Alhambra Unified School District’s mission is to build and nurture a culture that develops a deeper understanding of each unique person, while recognizing and valuing diversity and individual differences. We have a great deal of confidence in our teachers and their ability to facilitate classroom discussions that focus on everyone’s right to vote and what an extraordinary time this is for civic engagement. They will encourage our students to take part in positive and productive discussions of contemporary issues in ways that allow us all to learn from one another.

In the days and weeks to come, I ask the members of our community to come together, be kind to one another, and contribute to a positive future for our young people. As always, thank you for your support.

A big thank you to our PTA for hosting a memorable Fall Festival and to our incredible parent volunteers who helped make the evening a success. As a community school, we value opportunities to bring everyone together. Special thanks as well to the student athletes from Mark Keppel’s badminton team and Flintridge Prep’s girls basketball team for their support!

Thank you for joining us at our annual Halloween parade! It was a joy to see our students and staff dressed in their costumes. October also featured the Alhambra Educational Foundation's Pumpkin Run, adding even more seasonal fun to the month.

From November 18th to December 2nd, our school will be holding a fundraiser, with all proceeds supporting Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) activities and assemblies. All students have opportunities to earn PBIS points.