Dear Los Altos School District Families,

Please find a few important November updates below.

Parent Teacher Conferences in November

Parent-Teacher conferences are an excellent way to gain a better understanding of your child’s educational progress and achievements, learn more about the innovative curriculum our teachers deliver in the classroom and support your child’s educational success.  November Parent-Teacher conferences are optional, but we encourage you to schedule one with your child’s teacher.  For more information about the timing of conference and how to schedule, please visit your school’s website or contact your Principal’s office.  For more information about how to get the most out of your conference, here is a helpful list of resources to review before meeting with your child’s teacher.

Bullis Charter School Facilities Request to Close Egan

In a facilities request dated November 1, 2018, Bullis Charter School (BCS) stated its preference that LASD close its top-ranked Egan Junior High School and turn over the entire campus to BCS for the charter school’s exclusive use beginning in the upcoming 2019-20 school year.  The Egan campus is currently shared between the Egan and Bullis Charter schools. BCS does not state where LASD should place the nearly 600 junior high school students who would be evicted imminently from the Egan campus or denied the ability to enroll in junior high there. The facilities request also states that BCS has enrolled 1058 in-District K-8 pupils for the 2019-20 school year, which is an enrollment increase of over 200 pupils who live in LASD. The charter school has stated publicly that it plans to increase its enrollment to 1200 students over the next three years.

In LASD’s view, the BCS request is a step back from the collaborative and community-embracing approach we have had over the last five years under a negotiated facilities agreement with the charter school.  LASD has been engaged in ongoing conversations with Bullis Charter School, hoping to reach a new, negotiated long term facilities agreement that would, like the five-year agreement, consider and respect the needs of the entire community.

Please read the full press release for more information and the next steps in the facilities negotiation.

Danish Computer Science Educators Visit Los Altos School District

As a model for schools around the world, Los Altos School District has hosted many international visitors interested in learning more about the district’s successful academic programs.  Last week, Danish educators from University College Copenhagen and VIA University College visited our schools to learn about our Computer Science program.

“Because we are pioneers in Computer Science education, our experience in overcoming many of the same challenges they face in Denmark will help them implement a successful national program,” said Sandra McGonagle, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.

While many American school districts have added Computer Science programs during the last 3 years, LASD began its computer science program in 2009.  “We were early adopters of Computer Science curriculum because coding teaches students problem solving,” explained LASD’s Computer Science Integration Specialist, Sheena Vaidyanathan.  “It’s a way of thinking that helps students learn everything else. As students learn computer science, they understand the relevance of the STEM fields in today’s world.  They also build critical thinking skills and use their creativity,” said Vaidyanathan.

Read the full story here.

Warm regards,
Jeffrey Baier