Bobcat Strong Tracker

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At Santa Rita Elementary School, we foster curious, motivated learners who reach their highest potential in a supportive community that appreciates diversity.

Now- March 1- Santa Rita's Annual Read-a-Thon

Feb 19-23- No School- Winter Break

March 1 - LAST DAY to register for STEM Expo

March 6- STEM EXPO

March 7- Minimum Day

March 11- Aladdin Auditions- Register Here

March 11-15- International Week

March 15 - International Celebration Evening Event - see details below

• LASD 2023-2024 Calendar
• Reporting Attendance: To report a student's absence, please fill out this form or call
• Please fill out your Bobcat Strong Registration!
• Food Menus

Hello Wonderful Bobcat Community!

Santa Rita students had so much fun celebrating Global School Play Day on Wednesday. To learn more about it check out this website.

Please remember to help out LAEF and take the survey before Monday.

The Los Altos Educational Foundation's (LAEF) Annual Survey is now open. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts in this 7-question survey about LAEF-funded programs. Your input is very important and will help inform future funding priorities. The anonymous survey results will be shared with school principals and Los Altos School District (LASD) leadership to improve program effectiveness for all students. Please complete the survey by Monday, February 12.

Thank you for your participation!

Please see below for all of Santa Rita’s exciting upcoming events.

Be Kind, Be Strong, Be Well

Kelly Rafferty

Principal

Registration for our second LASD Spring basketball season is now open!

Don't miss your chance to be a part of the action and join our growing community of talented players.

If you're passionate about basketball and eager to showcase your skills on the court, this is the perfect opportunity for your child.

Whether you're a seasoned player or new to the game, our league offers a fun and competitive environment for everyone. Sharpen your skills, make new friends, and experience the thrill of playing basketball in a supportive and engaging atmosphere. Our co-ed league is for grades 3-6, with practices and games held on Mondays and Wednesdays after school. The season ends with a championship tournament on the weekend of May 18 and 19. It will most likely fall on Sunday, May 19th. It is essential all players make the tournament, so please mark your calendars and save the date now.

Spaces are limited, and we expect them to fill up quickly. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to be a part of something special.

Registration guarantees your spot, so sign up now at https://afterschoolathletics.us/

We also need parent volunteers as coaches and team parents for each team. Please don't miss out on an unforgettable opportunity and an incredible season of spring basketball!

Thank you and Happy Friday!
Joe, Jerry, and Chris

We know our Bobcats LOVE to read and we would LOVE 100% participation in our Read-a-thon this year. If you haven't already, please take a moment to activate your child’s personal reader page by clicking on the following link:

https://www.read-a-thon.com/re...

Please share your student's page with friends and family so they can help cheer on your reader! Our read-a-thon ends March 1st.

Our prizes this year are:

Reading Prizes:

• 1000 Minutes: Sweet Shop gift card for $5 and entry into the Grand Prize for an $100 Amazon gift card!

Fundraising Prizes:

• $100-$250: Linden Tree gift card for $10
• $251-$399: Target gift card for $20
• $400+: Amazon gift card for $40 PLUS entry for grand prize!

Participation prizes: Santa Rita Branded Item

School-wide fundraising prizes:
$10k: Extra pajama day for the school

$15k: Principal Rafferty will dress in whacky blow up costume for school day

$25k: Class who raises the most gets to super soak Principal Rafferty

$30k: Bucket of ice water given to Principal Rafferty by the class teacher that raised the most

Bobcats LOVE to Read!

Santa Rita's International Week (week of March 11th) is coming! Thank you for those wonderful parents who have signed up to do a presentation and/or teach a small group dance. Besides country presentations, dances, and evening family potluck festivals, we have added some new exciting programs this year to make it a week-long celebration.

NEW THIS YEAR:

Here is a preview of all international week events：

• Art projects during lunch recess: Students will create coloring pages with “Hello” and “Welcome” in different languages. Those artwork will be displayed at the school front on Friday..
  
• Music Around the world: Our 6th grade DJ club will play music around the world during recess throughout the week. If you have a favourite song/music from your country and would like to share, please upload a MP3/4 file to this folder: Music around the world
  
• Learn a different language: Teachers will ask students who speak a 2nd language during class to teach their classmates to say a few words.
  
• Country booth during evening festival: Sign up for a country booth! If you would like to have a booth during the evening festival to display artifacts from your country, please contact us (info below). You can also include games and food to make it more interactive!

• Wednesday, March 13 Country presentation K/TK *Student only event
  
• Thursday, March 14 Country presentation 1st -6th *Student only event
  
• Friday, March 15 1:00 - 2:15 pm International Day showcase: 6th grade flag parade, small group dance, grade level dance. * Parents are welcome to watch
  
• Friday, March 15 4:30 - 7:00 pm International evening festival: Potluck, Pizza cart, country booths, Costume parade, Grade level dances, and more! * ALL FAMILIES ARE WELCOME!
  

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED AT Santa Rita:

During international week, we will hang flags around the world on campus and have a flag parade during our day program on Friday. Please check the current list of countries represented in Santa Rita and contact us if we missed your country’s flag:

Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Taiwan, Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine, UK (Great Britain), Vietnam, USA

Our 6th grade team will sign up for flags in the flag parade. Not all flags listed above will be used in the parade. The rest of the flags will be hung around the campus.

SMALL GROUP DANCE SIGN UP

Students will have the opportunity to sign up to learn a small group dance next week. Please ask them over the weekend and encourage them to sign up!!

Contact us if you want to help or have any questions: Yang Liu at daisy_ly99@hotmail.com or Alice Lee at joy268@hotmail.com.

Santa Rtia School 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 Wednesday, March 6th, from 5:30pm - 7:00pm.

Intent to Register:

The STEM Expo “Intent to Participate” is just around the corner. This must be done by Friday, March 1st. If your child is interested in submitting a project for the Expo, make sure they sit down with you and fill out the form found HERE. Participation is not mandatory but it sure is a fun event!

Younger Students:

Are you the parent of a student in primary (TK - 2nd Grade)? Are you unsure how your eager scientist/engineer can participate? Younger students are encouraged to do a project with a parent or older child. This is a great way to spend time together and learn. Categories that are more approachable for younger students are scientific inquiry and reverse engineering.

Tri-fold Posters:

All projects will need to have a trifold poster board that illustrates the written components of the project. See the handout links on the Santa Rita STEM Expo Site for more information. Tri-fold boards can be picked up in the office.

Fun For the Whole Community:

The STEM Expo is not just a day event! It is open to all. Bring friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles and come celebrate Santa Rita’s scientists and engineers!

How Can You Help?

The STEM Expo is such a fantastic event but it takes many hands to make it happen. Please visit the Santa Rita STEM Expo Site and see the many ways you can help.

LAEF's 7-question survey has been extended until Friday, February 16. Please take a few minutes to tell us about your student's experience with LAEF-funded programs this school year, including computer science, STEM, art docent (TK-6th grade), music (4th-6th grade), library, physical education (TK-6th grade), junior high electives, and mental health services.

Your input is very important and will help inform LAEF's funding priorities. The anonymous survey results will be shared with school principals and Los Altos School District (LASD) leadership to improve these programs.

If you have yet to give this school year, Donate to LAEF today!

9-Noon Mondays

3/4, 3/11 & 3/18

Los Altos School District iLearn Studio

201 Covington Road, Los Altos CA 94024

Do you like to connect kids with nature? Living Classroom is seeking volunteers to teach our fun nature-based lessons and help care for our school gardens. No experience necessary as we teach you everything you need to know. Please join us from 9-Noon on Mondays 3/4, 3/11 and 3/18 at the LASD iLearn Studio for our Spring Docent Training. If Mondays don't work for you, please ask us about our apprentice-style training option. Questions? Please contact Living Classroom Program Coordinator Caroline Chan at livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103. Check us out at LivingClassroomLASD.org!

• Facilitated workshop on Primary Caregiver Emotions: Overwhelm, Isolation, and Abandonment.

• Wednesday, February 21st from 7 - 9:30pm

• Register for online session here

Resources

• Do you have concerns about your child's ability to learn at school? This handout can help get you on the right track. I'm Concerned About My Child Handout - English or Estoy Preocupado Por Mi Hijo - Espanol

Please contact your SELPA-1 CAC liaison, Alison Biggs, at abiggs@gmail.com with any questions.

Sign up for the excitement of Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Little League T-ball!

Registration closes on February 15th. For ages 5-7.

*One weekday after-school practice and one Saturday morning game per week

*The season runs from March 16 to June 1

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

Join us to support our students this school year!

DONATE or PLEDGE to LAEF today.