SANTA RITA AT-A-GLANCE
- 3/21-3/25- International Week
- 3/25- International Charity Gala 5:30-7:30
- 4/7- STEM Expo
- 4/11- 4/15- No School- Spring Break
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS! THE PTA NEEDS YOU!
To continue to provide awesome opportunities to our students and staff the Santa Rita PTA needs your help!
- Have lots of time to give? We're looking for a Treasurer, Secretary, and Executive Vice President to join the executive board.
- Have a little less time to give? We're looking for Leads for events such as Hot Lunch, Family Fun Night, a Musical Producer, and more.
- Have a great NEW idea? Tell us about what YOU would like to do for the PTA and the school!
Please contact Alison Biggs at abiggs@gmail.com for more information about all these positions! Thank you!
LETTER FROM YOUR PRINCIPAL:
Dear Bobcat Families,
We have several updates and exciting events coming up! Please read below for this week's important information.
STEM EXPO - Tomorrow is the last day to sign up, see below for registration link.
March Reading Madness
It is that time of year again when our school community is engaged in reading together! All of our Eagles are participating in March Book Madness, which is an “online bracket-style tournament that matches books in one-on-one ‘games.’” Each classroom reads a set of books per week and students vote on their favorite. After each round of voting, the bracket is updated and the next round of voting begins. After four rounds of voting, a school-wide winner is chosen and revealed at our Friday assembly! You can see below for a picture of books in this year’s bracket. Thank you to Mrs. English for leading the effort this year!
Masking Updates
As you may know, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has changed its guidelines from requiring masks indoors to strongly recommending indoor masking in K-12 schools. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department (SCCPHD) is following this guidance as well. The rationale behind this change is the steep decline in case numbers, high rate of vaccination, and decreased hospitalizations across the state and Santa Clara County.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Los Altos School District has rigorously followed the advice of our state and local public health officials and implemented all required guidelines to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. Following the guidelines has served us well, keeping our schools open and safe throughout the pandemic.
Beginning Monday, March 14, LASD will follow CDPH guidelines and move to strongly recommending indoor masking in all schools. We know all individuals and families have a varying degree of comfort with mask wearing indoors. We ask all of our families, students and staff to respect the choices of all individuals with regard to indoor masking. Our teachers will help our classroom communities navigate this change to ensure all are respected, included and safe.
In addition to moving from requiring masks indoors to strongly recommending masks indoors, LASD will continue its layered approach to preventing the spread of COVID-19. LASD will provide weekly pooled COVID testing for all students and staff, a very helpful early detection system that has prevented the spread of COVID in our schools. The daily symptom tracker, which serves as another layer of illness detection and spread prevention for all, continues to be required. And, as always, our teachers will also continue to reinforce healthy hand hygiene practices.
We anticipate CDPH and SCCPHD to alter public health guidelines for K-12 schools as COVID-19 continues to evolve. We are prepared to quickly shift our procedures and policies to align with state and local public health guidelines as they change over time.
Stay Bobcat Strong!
Mrs. Kelly Rafferty
International Week & Charity Gala
As we get ready to celebrate International Week (March 21 - 25) we invite you to our first International Charity Gala held on the blacktop at Santa Rita!
This will be your chance to see your students hard work shine on stage with the dances they have been practicing & amazing opportunities to show your love for our diverse school. Join us on Friday, March 25th from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm for student performances, international food trucks and an opportunity to win that coveted parking spot or principal for the day during our school perks auction.
WHEN: Friday, March 25th (5:30 pm - 7:30 pm)
WHAT:
- Student International Dance Performances
- International Themed Food Trucks
- School Perks Auction to include items such as our Golden Bobcat, Front Row Parking Spot, 6th Grade Graduation Front Row Seats, Principal & Secretary for the Day and more!
- Fund-a-Need Raffle
- Grade Level Perks
- AND MUCH MORE!
TICKETS: Tickets are FREE! Please let us know if you'll be coming by registering here: https://forms.gle/BHRh68ZVACGX...
Also, please encourage friends, grandparents, family and community members to come!
2022 STEM EXPO - LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS MARCH 11TH
Santa Rita 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 April 7 from 5:00pm - 7:00pm.
Intent to Register:
The STEM Expo “Intent to Participate” is just around the corner. 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 on the STEM Expo site - be sure to click on Santa Rita to fill out the form by March 11th
Participation is not mandatory but it sure is a fun event!
BOBCAT STRONG
International Week Country Flags
We will be displaying the country flags of our Santa Rita families on Friday, March 25 during the International Day Dance. The PowerSchool system based on the language surveys shows that 33 countries are represented by our Santa Rita families. They are Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and USA. We want to ensure that all our families are represented in the country flag display. If your country is not on the list, please contact Alice Lee at joy268@hotmail.com by Friday, March 18th.
LASD Superintendent Search
As you know, our current Los Altos School District Superintendent, Jeffrey Baier, will be retiring at the end of this 2021-22 school year.
Your voice is essential in our hiring of a new superintendent to continue our strong tradition of academic excellence. As such, the LASD Board of Trustees have contracted with Leadership Associates to conduct the superintendent search, which will include their facilitation of meetings to gather essential feedback from parents, staff, and community members, along with an online survey to gather feedback virtually. Your participation is encouraged and appreciated in the meetings and/or the survey.
Each meeting will include a description of the superintendent search process and timeline, as well as time to answer your questions. Leadership Associates will ask for your input regarding the desired qualities, characteristics, background, and experience of the new Superintendent, as well as your opinions regarding the key characteristics of the district’s culture, strengths and challenges.
Online Survey
If you are unable to attend the virtual or in-person community meeting, or would like to provide additional feedback, an online survey is available in both English and Spanish through March 14 at 4:00p.
Spanish and Mandarin Parent Input Session
When: March 19, 2022, 3pm
Where: Del Medio Park
What: Your input regarding the next superintendent
MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series
Join us for an evening with Scott Schimmel – President and Chief Guide of The YouSchool
Critical Foundations: The questions every kid must answer to build a meaningful life.
When: Tuesday, March 22, 2022 - 7:00 - 9:00pm
Where: MVHS Spartan Theater ⧫ 3535 Truman Avenue
Audience: Parents of K - 12 Grades
Register: Register for this free event
More Information: English ⧫ Spanish
Previous recordings:
- 01/13/2022 - Jessica Lahey - The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence
- 11/16/2021 - Colin Seale - The Question is the Answer Practical Strategies to Unleash Critical Thinking at Home
- 10/21/2021 - Dr. Michael Bradley - Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy! Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind
March CAC Announcements
SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email selpa1cacinfo@gmail.com or check out www.selpa1cac.org
3/16 Wednesday 7:00-8:30 p.m- Parent Education Event
“FINDING SUCCESS WHEN NAVIGATING CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS" - this is an
alternative dispute resolution training with help from the county SELPA
Register in advance for this meeting: https://sccoe.to/SELPA1CAC_ChallengingConversations
3/30 Wednesday 17-8:30 pm Evening Let’s Talk
IEP/504 support group. Have questions about the process to get help for your child? Have an IEP but are not sure how to make changes? Need to vent? This is your confidential group. Register HERE
LOVE LOS ALTOS: [LOS ALTOS DISTRICT WIDE NEWS & LAEF UPDATES]
Over the last 27 years, local real estate agents and affiliates have contributed over $1.5 million to the Los Altos Educational Foundation and the MVLA High School Foundation. This year $170,000 in sponsorships were split between the two foundations to benefit our 11 public schools and help give over 8,000 students an excellent education!
Please take a look at the participating real estate professionals and affiliates committed to a strong school community.
Santa Rita School
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
