Ice Skating Family Fun Night

Join us for a fun night of pizza dinner and ice skating with all of your Gardner Bullis friends...the whole family is invited!  January 19th from 5:30-7:30 at Winter Lodge.  This is not a drop off event, and everyone needs a ticket to get in.  Admission and dinner is $8.  Skate rental is $25.  Please email tarynmerkley@gmail.com with questions. 

Tickets are available to buy now at https://fs10.formsite.com/GardnerBullis/rfymqcpjq0/index.html

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Gardner Wear Spirit Day

New Year, New Spirit! Send your children to school in their Gardner Wear best to show Grizzly Pride. Have them come to the Gardner Wear table for a small prize! If you would like to purchase new merchandise please visit our web store.

Happy New Year! Let’s start the year off strong by raising the final $700,000 to reach our 2018-19 goal of $3.5 million. Generous donations from families like you enable your student's school to offer music, PE, STEM, art, computer science and more.

Please make a tax-deductible donation online, or text "LAEF" to 50155 to donate.  The suggested donation is $1200 per student, but your donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, and help us reach our goal of 100% participation.
 
Also, find out if your company will match your donation to LAEF and be sure to apply. Last year, LAEF received over $660,000 from corporate matches!

2nd Annual Valentine’s Stroll Through Downtown Los Altos

Visit Downtown Los Altos Village 5-9pm on February 1st for our 2nd Valentine's Stroll through Downtown Los Altos. Discover unique gifts, enjoy sparkling lights, shopping delights and fun at shops throughout Downtown Los Altos. Main and State Streets. Click here for more information.

Notice from the District Nurse:

School is a place where colds and diseases can spread rapidly. Children who are ill should stay home from school, rest and recuperate. Sometimes it is difficult, especially early in the morning, to know whether or not to send your child to school. The following guidelines are indications that you should keep your child home:

Fever of 99.6 F or higher
Vomiting or diarrhea
Chills
Nausea
Coughing, sneezing and/or runny nose
Headache
Wheezing or trouble breathing
Sore throat or trouble swallowing
Rash or unusual sores or spots
Generalized muscle aches and pains
Unusually red, crusted or burning eyes
Head Lice
It is required to keep your child home until he/she has been symptom free without medication for 24 hours. Please call the Gardner Bullis Attendance Line (650-559-3232) 24 hours/7 days a week.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in keeping us all healthy!

Holiday Boutique

Please visit our annual holiday boutique on Monday from 2-5 pm. Over 20 vendors offering: Beauty Products, Paper Art, Jewelry, Clothing and accessories, Baked goods and sweet treats, Holiday gifts and decorations.

Bring cash! Some vendors will also accept check and online payments.

Cornerstone Corner
 
This month’s ABC books: “Say Something” by Peggy Moss (grades 4-5), “The Tale of Sir Dragon” by Jean E. Pendziwol and Martine Gourbault (grades K-3) are powerful stories in which the narrator sees and hears teasing, put-downs, pushing, and other forms of bully behaviors. Because there is confusion about what to do, they don’t do anything at first. However, the responses change as they gain understanding and empathy.
Goals of lesson:
• To understand the role of UPstanders.
• UPstanders stand up to bully behaviors and advocate for targets.
• UPstanders know and practice tools that support peers in faceto-face situations as well as online in the digital world.
• To move all students from the passive role of bystander to the integrity-rich role of UPstander.
 
We hope you will talk with your child tonight about being an UPstander. To reinforce the message at home:
• Talk about ways that each family member is an UPstander at home!
• Role-play different scenarios to practice UPstander behaviors, words you can say, and actions to take if someone needs your help.
• Say or do something when someone needs help. Remember: Your Silence is Your Agreement!
 
When you “catch” kids modeling positive behaviors...Notice, Name it, and Celebrate it!

Dear Los Altos School District Families,

Perseverance is a quality our school community models for its students because it is the foundation for continuous learning, growth and achievement.  I’m reminded of this core belief today as I share very exciting news.

Mountain View City Council Unanimous Vote Paves Way for New School

Tuesday night, the Mountain View City Council unanimously voted to enter into a Joint Use Agreement with the Los Altos School District--a final step towards the purchase of a new school site in the North of El Camino neighborhood.  Through collaboration, innovative thinking and perseverance on the part of the City and our school district, we will build a new school, recreational facilities and 2-acre park for local residents for decades to come. Read more about the vote here.

Since 2012, we worked with our community to achieve the best solution to resolve our school site sharing issues and future student enrollment growth.  Community-led committees, task forces and surveys recommended that we acquire a new site to protect our small schools and academic excellence for all students.  Read more about this community-driven process here.

I would like to personally thank the City of Mountain View, our Los Altos Board of Trustees and our community for their hard work in achieving this huge victory for local children. 

Three of Our Teachers Earn National Board Certification

Qualified and dedicated teachers are a primary reason that Los Altos School District is among the top performing districts in the state.  To consistently improve teaching and learning in our classrooms, we invest heavily in professional development for our educational staff.

This month, three of our educators attained one of the most prestigious recognitions in the field:  National Board Certification.  Congratulations to Santa Rita 6th grade teacher Natalie Cannon, Almond 1st grade teacher Samantha Nguyen and Shelby Regner, Oak Literacy Instructional Support Teacher, who worked tirelessly for this notable achievement. Read the full story.

Your Donations to LAEF Make a Difference

Thank to our community for your donations to the Los Altos Educational Foundation.  Your contributions support the educational programs that inspire a passion for learning and perseverance in our students.  LAEF needs to raise an additional $800,000 to fully fund the educational programs it supports for this school year, including PE, library, junior high electives, mental health counselors, music, STEM, art and computer science.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to make your donation yet, please donate today!

Congratulations to Los Altos School District Board Members

On Monday, December 10, our newly elected Board member, Vaishali Sirkay, was sworn in and Jessica Speiser became our Board President.  We feel fortunate for their dedication to our students and schools, and look forward to their leadership in the years ahead.

Regards,

Jeffrey Baier

New Year’s Day Rogue Run

Taking place on New Year's Day, this City of Los Altos tradition is fun, non-competitive and FREE! The distance is 5K or 3.1 miles. Participants may walk, run or roll (stroller or wheelchairs). You can also participate by cheering on your family and friends. What a great way to welcome in the new year!

Held Rain or Shine
This free 5K walk, run or roll is held every New Year's Day rain or shine! The race begins at 9:00 a.m. at the corner of Main and State Street. This family event is open to all ages, and pre-registration is not required. All participants must sign in the day-of the event.

Note: Dogs must be on a leash, and please, no bikes!

Contact the Recreation & Community Services Department for more details at (650) 947-2790.  For more information clickhere.

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Bald Eagle Winter Sports Camps

Enroll your son or daughter in Bald Eagle winter sports camps. For more information please Follow this link.

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Coach Ken Winter Camps

Our city of Los Altos winter programing is now up on this link: http://www.coachkensoccer.com/coach-ken-saturday-soccer-los-altos/

We also have camps December 24, 26, 27 and 28 and December 31, January 2, 3, 4 as well as Winter/Ski-week and Spring break camps at Almond School, Los Altos and you can sign up here: http://www.coachkensoccer.com/camps/

All of us at Coach Ken Soccer wish you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Notice from the District Nurse:

School is a place where colds and diseases can spread rapidly. Children who are ill should stay home from school, rest and recuperate. Sometimes it is difficult, especially early in the morning, to know whether or not to send your child to school. The following guidelines are indications that you should keep your child home:

Fever of 99.6 F or higher
Vomiting or diarrhea
Chills
Nausea
Coughing, sneezing and/or runny nose
Headache
Wheezing or trouble breathing
Sore throat or trouble swallowing
Rash or unusual sores or spots
Generalized muscle aches and pains
Unusually red, crusted or burning eyes
Head Lice
It is required to keep your child home until he/she has been symptom-free without medication for 24 hours. Please call the Gardner Bullis Attendance Line (650-559-3232) 24 hours/7 days a week.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in keeping us all healthy!