SANTA RITA- SAVE THE DATE!
Aug 11 - Class placements email goes out, class lists posted in office window at 5:00pm
Aug 15 – 1:00pm TK/K lemonade social, 2:00pm 1st grade Meet and Greet
Aug 15 - Back To School Picnic for families 4:30-6:30pm on blacktop
Aug 16 - 1st day of school, 8:30am start for K-6, 8:45am for TK; Parent Back To School Coffee in 6th grade park immediately after drop off
Aug 19 - Bobcat Chase 8am-12pm - see details below
Aug 31 - Back to School Night - Parents Only
- 5:30pm TSDC
- 6:00-6:30 TK - 3rd grade
- 6:30-6:45 On blacktop for a school-wide welcome form PTA and LAEF
- 6:45-7:15 4th-6th grade
Sept 1 - Minimum Day dismissal K 12:00, TK, 1st-6th 12:15
Sept 4 - Labor Day, No School
WELCOME BACK! LETTER FROM YOUR PRINCIPAL:
‘Once a Bobcat Always a Bobcat!’
Hello! My name is Kelly Rafferty, Principal of Santa Rita. I would like to welcome all families and students to the new school year and introduce myself to those who are new.
I am truly honored to be at Santa Rita. I look forward to meeting and getting to know every student and family member and look forward to reconnecting with those I already know. I am excited to partner with families and staff to create the most engaging, supportive, rigorous and joyful year as we move forward.
Working together, I believe we can support our students, our school staff and families, as we return to school with passion. The PTA and I are committed to continue building community with our traditional school wide events such as the Bobcat Chase on August 19th, Family Fun Nights, Grandfriends’ Day, Witches Delight and so many more! But first, we will begin a new tradition of a Back to School Picnic on Aug 15th. See below in the Bobcat Strong News for more information.
Our community is why my heart has always been with Santa Rita. As many of you know, I grew up being a Bobcat, I went to Santa Rita as a child, as well as Egan and Los Altos High. I moved away for college, then to Tahoe and Colorado where I taught Kindergarten, 2nd grade and 4th grade, and returned home in 2004. I was a Santa Rita teacher, district coach and parent for 13 years where I taught 5th and 6th grade and STEM. I moved to Covington and the District Office in 2017, where I served as an IST (Instructional Support Teacher) at many LASD schools. Now I am in my third year as Principal at Santa Rita and I have truly enjoyed every minute.
My sons Cole and Drew were also Santa Rita Bobcats, Egan Vikings and now Drew is at Los Altos High as a Senior and Cole is at the Univ. of Oregon for his second year. When they were at Santa Rita, I experienced how truly wonderful and loving the Santa Rita teachers and community are. It is a different perspective when you are a parent and I appreciate how Santa Rita families live out the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. As a current LAHS parent, you will find me every Friday night this fall at their football games. If you come cheer on the Eagles this year, you may even catch me on the field as part of the chain gang or in the snack shack helping to raise money for athletics. My husband Tyson and I feel so fortunate to call this unique place our home and are always looking to give back.
Next Friday, August 11, you will receive an email with your student’s class placement and you can come by the office to see the entire class list. The lists will be posted after 5:00 pm.
When you see me at our kickoff events, please stop and say hello. This is going to be a wonderful year! Go Bobcats!
Be Kind, Be Strong, Be Well and Stay Bobcat Strong!
Kelly Rafferty, Principal
1st Annual BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC 4:30-6:30 on the Blacktop
Kick off the new school year with a little music, food and play. Bring a picnic dinner for your family and sit with others in your students grade level. Come see old friends and meet new ones!
BOBCAT STRONG PARENT COFFEE- AUGUST 16th @ 8:45 - 9:30 AM
Join us right after you drop off your student for the first day of school in the park by the Multi from 8:45 am - 9:30 am for our Bobcat Strong Parent Coffee. This is a great chance to meet new families, say hello to friends and get to know more about Santa Rita. Hear from Principal Rafferty and get to know your Bobcat Community Leadership, plus:
- find out about school programs
- register for after school activities
- sign up to volunteer
- much much more!
We hope to see you there!
BOBCAT CHASE - AUGUST 19th @ 8AM - 12 PM
Join your Santa Rita community on Saturday, August 19 for our annual Bobcat Chase Fun Run. Coffee and juice are free and will be available starting at 8 a.m. Please bring change and small bills as donuts will be for sale for $2, popsicles for $1, and refreshments for $1.
The opening ceremony is at 8:30, and the first race will begin at 8:45. More information to come!
Attention LASD families and friends,
Join our LASD team! As we return back to school this year, we have several openings for positions in which you may be interested!
Yard supervisors (1 hr per day, Monday-Friday-we are open to those interested in a few days a week also)
Literacy aides (3 hours per day, Monday-Thursday) 12 hours per week
We are a wonderful place to work and working on our campuses is a great way to get to know the staff and students. Do you have a family member, college student, etc. at home who would like to get out for a few hours each day? It truly takes a village and we would love to have you become a part of our LASD team.
Click here to access our Noon Duty Application or the application for Literacy Aide .
LOVE LOS ALTOS: [LOS ALTOS DISTRICT WIDE NEWS & LAEF UPDATES]
Thank you, Principal Rafferty, Santa Rita PTA leadership, teachers, office staff, and parents for supporting LAEF this school year and helping raise over $2.8M for LASD schools.
Together, we funded Santa Rita teachers and staff for STEM, computer science, PE, art, music, library, and mental health counseling services. Your efforts directly impacted the quality of each Santa Rita student’s education this school year. We hope you have a nice summer.
— Jensen Barna, Justin Martin, and Alex Stanojevic, LAEF Board Members representing Santa Rita
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
