Bobcat Strong Tracker

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• 1/21- Bobcat Strong: PTA General Meeting, 9AM Virtual- Zoom Link

• 2/3 - Vaccination Clinic at Blach, 3-7pm
• 2/10 - Santa Rita to Egan articulation for parents of 6th graders, 9 am, Virtual - link coming soon
• 2/14 - 3/2 - Santa Rita's Read-a-thon (stay tuned for more info!)

BOBCAT STRONG REGISTRATION: Please make sure to fill out your Bobcat Strong Registration Information (https://bit.ly/bobcatreg) so we have your most up-to-date information!

Dear Bobcat Families,

Thank you our Los Altos Police Department for donating over 30 coats to Santa Rita!

I am so excited that we will be able to participate in two of my favorite Santa Rita event soon, International Week and the STEM EXPO!

International Week:

International Week is a wonderful week in March where Santa Rita students get to celebrate and learn about different cultures and countries our friends at Santa Rita come from. We have not been able to hold International Week for the last two years so we are working hard to get it off the ground this year and can use your help! Please see below if you are interested in helping us celebrate this wonderful week.

STEM EXPO:

Over the next few weeks we will be kicking off our STEM EXPO. Santa Rita’s STEM Expo invites students in grades TK-6 to participate! While engaging in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) projects, students will have an opportunity to design hands-on projects while exploring just how fun STEM can be! This event lends itself to a myriad of learning experiences: within the class or at home, working individually or collaboratively with peers or with adults, and amongst a wide range of STEM categories including: Rube Goldberg, Invention, Engineering (Reverse), Engineering (Robotics), Scientific Inquiry, and Wearable Designs. Ultimately, students will get a chance to showcase their STEM work in a fun and unique venue, with learning opportunities for the entire family. Santa Rita will be hosting the STEM Expo evening showcase on Thursday, April 7th from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.

Pooled Testing

It is not too late to sign your child up for our weekly pooled testing. We have found pooled testing to be accurate and effective. We would love for more families to opt their children into the testing which streamlines the identification of COVID cases and the notification process.

This form must be completed for your child to be tested here at school.

Please note: You may opt your child into the district’s pooled testing program. If you give consent for your child to participate in the LASD Concentric Ginkgo Bioworks pooled testing program AND If your child remains asymptomatic, they can be tested at school on Mondays by the Concentric team.

You may opt-in by going to this link:

https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent.

Access code: LASD-Santarita

Thank you to all the families for all your support in helping our community stay safe.

Stay Bobcat Strong!

Mrs. Kelly Rafferty

• 1/25- Inclusive Fun Fair, virtual, 7-8:30 pm Register Here
• 2/1 - MVLA Parent Education Series with Rosetta Lee, virtual, 7-9 pm Register Here
• 2/3 - Mindfulness Parent Workshop, virtual, 5:30-6:30 pm Register Here
  
• 2/3 - Vaccination Clinic at Blach, 3-7 pm
• 2/10 - MVLA Math Night, virtual, 7-8 pm Register Here
• 2/10 - Virtual Santa Rita to Egan articulation for parents of 6th graders, 9am - link coming soon
• 2/14 - 3/2 - Santa Rita's Read-a-thon (stay tuned for more info!)
• 2/18- STEM Design Challenge

Blach Mobile Vaccination Clinic

LASD has partnered with Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Safeway/Albertsons to provide convenient and free vaccination clinics.

When: February 3, 3-7pm

Where: Blach Multipurpose Room

Who: Anyone age 5 and older

Appointments are encouraged by clicking here, but walk-ins are also welcome.

District Testing

And MVLA district still offer walk up testing hours, no appointment needed, you just need to pre-register using the link.

Order Covid Testing Kits

The link to order your household’s free rapid antigen tests from the federal government is now live.

Please visit www.usps.com/covidtest to place your order.

Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of 4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know about your order:

· Limit of one order per residential address

· One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests

· Orders will ship free starting in late January

INTERNATIONAL DANCES AND PRESENTATIONS 2022- WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Calling all parents and students to share your cultural heritage with us! We have planned a week of in-person international dances, presentations and community events on March 24 and 25, 2022. Country presentations, grade-level dances and auctions will be back this year. We are looking for parents who can help us lead grade-level dances 3 times a week for 30 minutes after lunch from March 21 - 24 and 5th and 6th grade student/parent presenters for country presentations. All parent volunteers must be fully vaccinated. If you or your child are interested, please contact Alice Lee at email joy268@hotmail.com or Yang Liu at daisy_ly99@hotmail.com

GET INVOLVED OPPORTUNITIES

We are looking for lunch duty and crossing guards to help make lunch and walking home go smoothly. They are short shifts and a great opportunity to be on campus and be a part of the Santa Rita community!! For more information or to sign up email: volunteer@santaritapta.org

Lunch Duty:

M-F 12-12:45 pm

Crossing Guard Duty:

MTWF: 2:35-3:10 pm

TH: 1:20-1:50 pm

HEARING SCREENINGS

Hearing screenings are scheduled for grades K, 2nd, 5th and SDC on 2/8/2022. We are moving forward in a safe and efficient way to keep students safe while having their hearing screening completed. The Hearing screening van will be up to date with protocols and procedures set in place to keep our students safe, it is stated per Hearing Conservation Associates as follows:

• Test 5 students at a time.
• Clean headphones after every class.
• Spray Lysol upon use.
• Provide hand sanitizer for students on the way in and out of the van.
• Vans have individual booths for kids to sit while conducting the test.
• Will be airing out the van after every class.
• Tests lasts anywhere from 3 to 4 mins per group.

MINDFULNESS WORKSHOP

Join Mission Be, Mindful Education, for a Mindful workshop for Santa Rita Elementary parents

on mindfulness and simple strategies to improve your own and your child’s well-being. Come see us and take a self-care break where we will practice and learn how to reduce stress and increase our positivity through the power of mindfulness.

When: February 3, 5:30-6:30pm

Where: Zoom Click Here to Register

Who: Santa Rita Parents

LASD STEM CHALLENGE!

Task: Design a paper airplane that can carry the most amount (in $ value) of cargo and glides more than 10 feet. More details HERE

When: February 18

Time: Lunchtime

MVLA PARENT EDUCATION SERIES

Input for 2022-23 Speaker Line-Up

We hope you've enjoyed the information shared by the speakers we've had so far this year, including Ron Lieber, Michael Bradley, Colin Seale, and Jessica Lahey. Want to provide input for next year's line-up? Please let us know via this online survey!

Join us for an evening with Rosetta Lee - Teacher and Outreach Specialist

Implicit and Unconscious Bias: Bridging the Distance Between Professed Values and Daily Behaviors

Join us as we welcome Rosetta Lee, teacher and outreach specialist, who talks about the science of cognitive biases we all have and what we can do to mitigate them within ourselves and our organizations.

Tuesday, February 1, 2022 - 7:00 - 9:00 pm | Live Online

More information: English Spanish

Audience: Parents of middle school and high school students

Register: Register for this free event

INCLUSIVE FUN FAIR

Summer Camp and Recreation opportunities for students with learning challenges.

Sponsored by SELPA 1 CAC (www.selpa1cac.org)

Tuesday, January 25 7-8:30 pm on Zoom

Learn more about local summer camp and recreational opportunities from our panel, including:
Via West and Camp Altitude, The Friendship Circle, Camp EDMO, Camp Tuolumne Trails, Learning Play with Chaia May, Special Olympics Nor. Cal., Animal Assisted Happiness. Camp Harmon, Quest Therapeutic Camps and more! Register Here

Students have been enjoying a variety of art lessons this school year. For example, some 6th graders sculpted clay heads using an accumulation of clay techniques learned each year in elementary school.

Your donations to LAEF made this possible by funding the Los Altos Art Docent Program, as well as funding teachers for STEM, computer science, PE, music, library, and mental health counselors. Thank you!

We still need $160K to reach our goal of $2.8M and fully fund teachers this school year. Donate or Pledge to LAEF today. Let’s finish the job!

Email: krafferty@lasdschools.org
Website: https://www.santaritaschool.org
Location: 700 Los Altos Avenue, Los Altos, CA, USA
Phone: (650)559-1600
Facebook: santaritaPTA
Twitter: @BobcatsSR