LASD Board Highlights

Para traducir, haga clic en el enlace "Ver en el navegador", luego haga clic en el enlace Traducir al final del boletín.

要进行翻译，请单击“在浏览器中查看”链接，然后单击新闻稿末尾的翻译链接

Чтобы перевести, нажмите ссылку «Просмотреть в браузере», затем нажмите ссылку «Перевести» в конце бюллетеня.

翻訳するには、「ブラウザで表示」リンクをクリックしてから、ニュースレターの最後にある翻訳リンクをクリックしてください

If you missed the meetings, you can watch the video of the October 2 or October 16 meeting online.

Throughout the school year our teachers and educational staff engage in ongoing professional development. Leadership training, coaching and mentoring, as well as Professional Development Days are held in October and January for intense training in specific areas of focus.

On October 13, all teachers attended a half day PD session to learn more about how to foster academic, cognitive, social and emotional growth by developing strong relationships with students, families and peers.

Following this session, teachers had the opportunity to attend breakout sessions of their choosing to drill down into components of the LASD Experience. The LASD Experience comprises five key methods and strategies our teachers use to ensure our students excel.

For more information, please check out item H.1 on our online agenda.

The Superintendent provided an update to the Board regarding support for students and families who are experiencing crisis or trauma, particularly in light of recent world events. The horrific terror attacks by Hamas and ongoing war in Israel, Gaza and the region have sparked many emotions including fear, trauma and distress. Families attended the October 16 Board meeting to express their concerns.

Board members condemned the Hamas terror attacks and acknowledged that many families are concerned about antisemitism and Islamophobia in our schools and community. Board Policy 5145.9 regarding Hate-Motivated Behavior articulates the Los Altos School Board's commitment to providing a respectful, inclusive, and safe learning environment that protects students from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, bullying, or any other type of behavior that is motivated by hate. LASD will not tolerate any form of hateful behavior and will respond immediately to any incidents, reported or witnessed, on our campuses. Hate has no place in our schools.

Mrs. McGonagle also explained that the work of our LASD principals, teachers, school psychologists and mental health therapists is to check on students, as well as to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment. Their role is to provide a safe space, as well as trained staff to support any student who needs emotional support. Our school staff are on high alert at this challenging time.

LASD shared a variety of resources with our families, as well as additional resources with our school principals and psychologists to support students. Our teachers are trained in supporting students experiencing trauma and we have the staff available at all of our sites to support students in crisis.

Mrs. McGonagle reminded families to closely watch the social media their children may be consuming for false or misleading information and horrific graphic images of violence. Our hearts go out to our families in distress. Our schools are here to provide support during this challenging time.

The Santa Rita Elementary school community shared a presentation about how the school is creating a sense of rightful presence, belonging and inclusion among its students. The school also values its families and how they create a sense of belonging, with inclusive and regular events for parents and caregivers.

The school's co-teaching model pairs two teachers who work together to teach, reducing the student to teacher ratio. Co-teachers get to know their students better and are able to provide more personalized instruction by sharing responsibility for a group of students to ensure all students get the support they need to be full participants in their education and school.

Students at Santa Rita area also empowered with creating a sense of belonging for themselves and their peers. All of the school's 6th graders are part of the leadership team, creating clubs and teams for students participation so all kids can feel included. Student lunch clubs also provide additional activities to foster new relationships and belonging. For more information and to view the presentation, please check out the video from the October 16th Board meeting.

Each year LASD assesses student literacy skills with the DIBELS testing system. DIBELS ® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of literacy skills.

Through this important assessment, our teachers can better provide personalized support to those students who need extra help to achieve grade level, and challenges to those students who are excelling beyond their current grade level. The assessment is also very helpful in tracking student progress year-over-year. Results show our students are progressing, with a small number requiring additional support. Our teachers and literacy specialists provide intensive support to students who require assistance to progress and excel in literacy.

Additionally, our students recently completed the TSE (The Student Experience) survey. The TSE will be delivered to our 4th-8th graders 3 times per year to understand their hope, engagement, belonging and future-readiness. The survey is designed to measure the student experience in our school beyond academics. We know the more students feel hopeful about their future, engaged in their success and ready for what lies ahead, they will be prepared for success and ready to learn.

For more information, please check out item H.1. on the our online agenda.

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is on Monday, November 6 at 7:00pm. Los Altos School District Board of Trustees meetings are open to the public at 201 Covington Road, Los Altos in our Board Room. To attend meetings remotely, please visit our Board web page and use the provided zoom link. Please note: public comment can only be provided in person at the Board meeting or via email at trustees@lasdschools.org, but cannot be made online.

If you would like to stay updated regarding upcoming Board meetings, please email mbirnie@lasdschools.org, providing your name, email address and a request to be added to the email list for Brown Act updates, including upcoming meetings and agendas.

Website: www.lasdschools.org
Location: 201 Covington Road
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LASDK8/