Over the holiday break I had the great fortune of spending time with an individual who has had an incredible impact in shaping me as a human being - my father.  My dad, a business executive by career and a poet by gift, taught me that one of the most powerful attributes we have in navigating life is our attitude.  He has successfully managed life with epilepsy and has survived three different types of cancer - all with an incredible wit and sense of humor.  Yet this is not what I admire most about this man.  It is his willingness to take risks, even at his young age of 70 something.  He recently launched a website to showcase and share his poetry – just one tribute to his fearless approach to living.

As I reflect on the qualities that I want to nurture with my own daughters and our children of Almond, courage is at the top of the list.  If you have an idea – have the audacity to pursue it and make it a reality.  If you have a question – be bold and ask it.  If you want to try something new – take a chance and explore that possibility.  Might you stumble? Yes.  Might you fail?  Quite possibly.  Might you feel embarrassed or dejected?  Maybe.  But what will dictate your actions?  The fear that one of those things might happen.  Will you let fear hold you back?  Or, will you instead prepare, do the research, think it through and then take that leap of faith and go for it? 

Let’s support our children in taking that step, the step towards progress, towards growth, towards learning.  Let’s create an environment for them where they can feel safe to be courageous, audacious and bold.  And let’s lead by example!  Let’s share with them examples of when we took chances and how we soared or flopped and what we gained and learned in the process.

We have a special Friday morning assembly planned on January 17th that will rival the unveiling of the Almond Ball Pit and Miss California’s visit!  One that will provide students, staff and parents with the opportunity to come together as a community to step outside of our comfort zone.  We will be courageous, we will be bold, and we will be audacious…because we expect great things of ourselves in 2014. 

Life Is What You Make It

by Gregory Franklin Huyette
February 24, 2013

Life is what you make it.
You can build it up or break it.
Use the things you’ve got;
Forget what you have not.

Strengths upon which to build
Will guarantee desires filled.
You all have many abilities
To improve if you please.

For yours and all our sakes
Recover from those heartbreaks.
Life’s voyage that is worthwhile
Is filled with many a strenuous mile.

Failures and mistakes can be treasures
If you use them as learning measures.
They can truly be your friends
If you know what each portends.

To understand what is in store,
View yourself and what you stand for.
Thus the world will offer many an elective
So you can put each in perspective.

Then life will offer you a prodigious way
And allow you to have the final say.
Life is what you make it without doubt.
Know yourself and don't fear the route.

At this time of year, I most appreciate the juxtaposition of the parting of the PAST (2013) and the promise of the FUTURE (2014)…all the while being certain not to lose focus on the PRESENT (today).

In reflecting back on the last 4 ½ months, I feel remarkably blessed to have arrived in this amazing community.  Every member of our Almond family (staff, parents, students) is centered on doing what is best for our children.  This is so very evident in the daily interactions between our educators and our Eagles, as well as in the tender farewells at drop off and excited greetings at pickup between parent and child.  In addition to this every day magic, the community events (Ice Cream Social, Halloween Carnival, Walkabout, New Family Orientation) and celebrations (LASD Music, CSMA, Starting Arts, and Almond Chorus) thus far, are ones that I will treasure while savoring past moments.

The new year will be upon us before we know it and with it will come reinvigorated learning focused on the principles that we most value in Los Altos:  courage, creativity, perseverance, passion…all aimed at supporting innovation in taking flight at Almond.  Students will apply these fundamentals through the Science Expo/Fair, Junior Olympics, Walden West Camp, Colonial Day and through the drama production and various other music performances.  Our children don’t get to have all the fun though…as parents and staff, we have the opportunity to come together and enjoy each other’s company at the Spring Gala!  The future months are destined for greatness.

And yet, amidst what came before and what lies ahead, is the present – the miraculous gift of today.  One of the reasons why I am so transfixed by children is their ever-present focus on the current moment.  They forgive and forget easily and don’t perseverate on what might happen down the road.  May your next two weeks be filled with blessings that center you on relishing the present moment - whether it is the unbridled laughter of a child, the warm embrace of a loved one, the song of a bird, a beautiful sunset or a delicious meal.  Thank you for filling my life with present moments that I have tucked away into my best memories and will gather as fuel in preparing for the adventures around the corner.

See you in 2014!

When was the last time something, or someone, took your breath away?  Do you recall having your attention captivated in such a way that your heart was filled with joy?

My answer to both include my own children, and the children of Almond.  Our children are remarkable!  They have boundless energy, giving hearts, hilarious personalities, intelligent brains, and caring souls.

Tell them today how amazing you think they are; I certainly will!

Congratulations to all of our children who performed in today’s Musical Performance and the teachers who brought them this far.  You demonstrated courage, perseverance, talent, and yes…joy!  It was visible in your eyes, the way you tapped your toes, and the little extra wiggle that went along with the rhythm.  I am so proud to be your principal.

An exciting week lies ahead! 

Tomorrow we will kick off Science Fair preparations and the S (science) in STEM via two assemblies; one for lower grade and another for upper.  Frank Cascarano, from Foothill College, will wow Almond with vivid demonstrations of the laws of nature to prove that physics is all around us.  Students will observe experiments showcasing intertia, angular momentum and sound waves.  Be sure to chat with your children in the evening to ask them what they learned.  We will Tweet throughout the assembly so that you can peek into its wonder… and so that if you get the hum drum account of the day you can ask some detailed questions to elicit a thoughtful dialogue around science.

Next week every student at Almond will experience the T (technology) and M (math) through a visit to the STEM lab to celebrate Hour of Code week sponsored by Code.org.  This non-profit organization is dedicated to advancing the instruction of computer science in education.  Here is a powerful video titled, “What Most Schools Don’t Teach,” that depicts many prominent public figures speaking on behalf of the benefits of learning programming.  We are such a fortunate school and district to not fall into this category.  Instead, we are one where such innovative practices define and guide us. Kindergarten through 2nd grade students will apply coding principles through Bee Bots,  Grades 3 through 5 will either utilize Scratch or Tynker, while 6th grade students will participate through their weekly CSTEM class. 

On Friday, December 13th, we have the great privilege of having Miss California, Crystal Lee, visiting our school.  Crystal competed in the 2014 Miss America competition, is a native of the San Francisco area, graduated from Stanford University and championed a platform of “Women in STEM.”  She embodies the entrepreneurial spirit touted as critical for 21st Century Skills in that she has a career goal to start her own technology company.  Miss California will be present at our Friday Assembly, the Principal Coffee (during which we will engage parents in activities to demystify STEM), classroom visits in grades K-3 and for an assembly open to 4th-6th grade classrooms.  We hope to see you in the morning next Friday!  (Thank you Mr. Chan for making this a reality.)

I’d like to celebrate the accomplishments of some of our very own students in honor of STEM.  The Lego Legits team has advanced to the Northern California District Championship Tournament.  The girls did very well as a team in the 11/23 tournament. Teams were judged by robot performance (points earned by completing a list of missions the robot completes successfully), as well as the presentations in three areas: robot design, core values and project. In addition to earning the advancement, the Lego Legits team also won the best Robot Design award. The award recognizes a team that demonstrates solid engineering practices, outstanding programming principles and a well-developed strategy to design and build an innovative, high performing robot.  Mrs. Nguyen and her family came out to cheer for the team and stayed till the very end!

Finally, Sabrina Yen-Co, an Almond 2nd grader, was featured in this video for GoldieBlox.  This company’s goal is to build “games for girls to inspire future engineers.”  Debbie Sterling, the CEO, graduated from Stanford University in 2005 with a B.S. in Engineering (the E in STEM).  Sterling launched GolieBlox on Kickstarter with a 30 day timeline to raise the necessary funds.  She accomplished her goal in 5 days.  In addition to promoting interest amongst girls and women in STEM, the bigger picture for Sterling is to instill “the confidence they’ll need to lean in when their time comes.”

Here’s to a remarkable district and school who provide children in Los Altos/Almond with ample opportunities to develop life long skills to develop intellectual and emotional strength!

GRATITUDE – the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.*

A week from today, many of us will gather with family and friends in celebration of Thanksgiving.  This is a time when we count our blessings and focus on the amazing goodness that life has bestowed upon us.  By dedicating energy to focusing on what’s positive in our lives, we garner strength to weather the inevitable storms that will pass through.  There is great power in transforming these sentiments of thanks into verbal expressions of gratitude.

In that spirit, I’d like to share with all of you, the Almond Community, how grateful I am for YOU. 

Students - Each and every one of you on this campus brings me incredible joy in numerous ways.  Whether it is through your smiles when we greet each other, our conversations that illuminate great thinking inside those remarkable brains, your spirited play on the playground, your thoughtful focus on learning, or your individual personalities…you amaze me and remind me of all the goodness in this world.  THANK YOU!

Parents – Your selfless giving of time in the hot lunch lines, helping hands, ABC reader program, FunVisors, community events (Halloween Carnival, Walkabout), classroom centers, Tinker Club, field trip chaperones (the list could go on and on)…inspires me.  And that’s only the part that I see.  I know there are countless hours that you dedicate to helping your children through schoolwork and in shaping your sons and daughters into the responsible students that shine at Almond School.  THANK YOU!

Staff – On a daily basis I witness your thoughtful lesson preparation and tireless efforts to ensure each and every child not only learns, but thrives.  Our library is filled with warmth and welcome, our lunch tables are monitored with positive reminders to children, our grounds are kept in impeccable condition and our office handles a myriad of tasks at any given moment.  However, what I most appreciate is the deep dedication that is visible in your interactions with students throughout the day, particularly at dismissal.  I see the tender hugs, high fives and send offs.  They are endearing and demonstrate that your choice to be here transcends that of the duty of work and is instead a passion.  THANK YOU!

See you on Monday and Tuesday at Parent Conferences and then enjoy your Thanksgiving Holidays.  May there be no dearth of blessings to celebrate!

*Google Search Result

A return to Moonshot Thinking…

In reflecting back on the past months, my mind continues to circle back to allowing curiosity and wonder make “seemingly impossible ideas” real.  The Bookwave Kickoff tomorrow gives us the chance to settle into this concept a bit further.

For those new to Bookwave, it presents students with an opportunity to become published authors.  Students take ideas and transform them into words or images that will forever be treasured in printed form. This year’s theme is, “What will you create?”

Engage your children in a conversation around this topic.  Explore with them the imaginary worlds they create in their minds.  Dialogue with them about the questions they wrestle with for which they seek answers.  Encourage deeper learning about a topic that fascinates them.  Inspire them to share their brilliance through Bookwave!

Switching gears for a moment – I’d like to reach out to you on a practical matter.  Flu season is right around the corner and we need your cooperation to ensure that it has as minimal impact on our community as possible.  Attached to this week’s Thursday Word is a letter from Sarah Bolter, our district nurse.  If your child experiences any of the symptoms listed in the letter, please consider making a choice that is in the best interest of your child and our community – keep your child home.  In addition, if you are informed by your doctor that your child has Whooping cough (pertussis), please notify us. 

I extend my gratitude to you for the many ways that you support our school community!

Last week my focus was on supporting our Almond students in making the best choices possible and how we address times when students are challenged with this.

This week, we will focus on solving problems that often result from a choice that could have been better.

While walking about during recess and lunch, students may approach me to share a challenge with which they are struggling.  For example, “My friend won’t let me play with them.”  Or, “We never get a chance to play on the wall ball and are frustrated.” Or, “This student said a bad word.”  My first response always is, “How have you tried to solve the problem?”  Nine out of ten times, the student replies that he/she hasn’t.  I then ask them how they might address the concern.  We talk through options and I let them know that if additional support is needed to let me know.

By guiding students in taking the first step in solving their own problems, we empower them as individuals and cultivate strength in them to effectively mitigate challenges.  This is of course unless the issue is severe and involves safety.

One of the most powerful tools we have as human beings is our ability to communicate.  This Friday, I’ll be speaking with our students about “I Statements.”  For example, a student might say, “I felt irritated when you grabbed the ball out of my hands because I wasn’t done with it.  Please ask me first next time.”  A feeling is expressed, the action called out and a request made for the future.  While it may seem contrived at first, with practice it becomes routine and solidifies positive communication patterns for years to come.

Typically the end result is in the child who made the mistake saying, “I’m sorry for taking for your ball without asking.”  When I support these conversations, if an apology is warranted, I expect the apology to be specific and with detail so that the original concern is clear.  And finally, what response does the person who raised the issue provide?  Typically it is, “that’s okay.”  However, clearly, it wasn’t okay otherwise the conflict would not have occurred in the first place.  Therefore, a more appropriate response that I share with students is, “Thank you for your apology.”

Conflict is a reality that we all must master in addressing and here at Almond School we are committed to supporting our students in effectively managing challenges!

At Friday’s assembly this week, I will dawn a “bucket filling costume” in honor of Project Cornerstone.  This initiative is lead at Almond by an amazing group of parent volunteers.  Each month, children engage with a book that conveys a positive message about making great life choices.  This month it’s about choosing to be BIG; whether that be helping a friend when they get hurt, or not repeating misinformation, or as simple as walking a ball back to the container rather than kicking it into a group peers that could get bonked in the head.  Come join us tomorrow morning as we talk through making the best choices we can to fill people’s buckets.

There are times of course when human nature grabs hold of us and we inevitably make a choice that wasn’t the best.  Here at Almond School, our first approach in addressing this is to redirect the student’s behavior and remind them of the appropriate choice.  After various reminders, the next step is to formalize the unfavorable behavior with a Behavior Communication Notice (also known as a white slip).  Parents have raised concerns with me that a particular offense is not worthy of a notice.  On the form it specifies the following challenging behaviors:  in unsupervised area, leaving trash, misuse of equipment, disrespectful behavior, playing in restroom, not following directions, inappropriate language, aggressive play, teasing/name calling, excluding others from game, throwing item and other.  When a child exhibits any of the aforementioned behaviors, whether in the classroom or on the playground, after a previous redirection, he/she will receive a Behavior Communication Notice.  Our goal is to keep you, the parent, informed and to align our efforts to support your child in making the best decision she/he can when faced with a future similar situation.

I’d also like to pause for a moment and ask for your support on two matters that involve student safety.  Please ensure that you sign in at the office and affix a visitor’s sticker that is visibly present.  I will begin approaching any adults on campus that do not have a sticker and will redirect you to the office.  We appreciate, welcome and value your presence on campus! Please make certain that when you are on campus you are fulfilling a particular purpose that has either been prearranged with a staff member or is supporting the efforts of our PTA.  Secondly, when bringing your children to school in the morning, please know that any staff member in a bright orange vest is on duty supervising student safety.  Please do not engage them in a conversation about your child, as this will take their attention away from their responsibility to supervise student safety.  Instead, please arrange a time with the teacher to have an in depth conversation.

We have an amazing community at Almond School because we do have SO very many children, staff and parents that make fantastic decisions on a daily basis.  Thank you!

Each October, for those that celebrate Halloween, reality is suspended for one magical eve.  Children, and adults alike, are transformed from ordinary human to beings to ones with super powers, creatures from other worlds, rock stars, movie stars, heroes, and more.  At 3:30pm tomorrow, a parade capturing these fantasies, will ensue at the Halloween Carnival.  I look forward to partaking in this procession with our community.

In order to make certain that the carnival is a positive experience for both the very young and those who are more mature in age, please keep all costume weapons at home.  This includes shields and bows.  When in doubt, err on the side of caution.  Please also think carefully about wearing costumes that may be excessively gruesome. 

The committee and 6th grade students have worked diligently to prepare for the festivities!  Come celebrate an afternoon where our imaginations are permitted to get the best of us.  We look forward to seeing your whole family in attendance, as this is not a drop off event. 

On Thursday, October 31st, it’s business as usual in school as we focus our minds on learning.  Save your costumes that day for your evening haunts with your families.

This past Saturday, YOU, our community, gave Almond students an amazing gift - pride in accomplishing a goal!  Students are glowing with satisfaction not only for walking the number of laps they had established as a target, but because they exceeded their own expectations.  None of this could have happened without the selfless contributions of hundreds of parent volunteers!

Whether it was the parent who stood at the finish line nearly the entire day cheering students on, or those who’s hands must have gotten cramped from spritzing mist to keep the runners cool, or the card punchers, setter-uppers, taker-downers, boo boo fixers, thirst quenchers, rock and rollers, checker-inners, checker-outers, computer gurus, Thrift Shop dancers, prize dispensers, water bottle keepers, authentic cuisine cookers, YMCA ball pit bouncers, book fair queen and checkers, t-shirt designers, art work masters, or the coordinator who brought it all together…every single one of you made this event as magical as it was. 

I offer my heartfelt gratitude to all for your service to our children!

Upon the heels of such generosity, it seems almost too bold for me to draw your attention to another need.  However, if we want to maintain some of the innovative offerings in which Los Altos children partake, then I must.  The Los Altos Education Foundation (LAEF) supports small group reading, physical education, library, art, STEM labs, music and small class sizes. On Tuesday Oct. 22nd and 23rd, our Almond LAEF board members and ambassadors will be calling all families who have not yet made donations.  Last week, email reminders went out via LAEF executive staff to those who had not yet donated.  Please help us save our hard-working volunteers a call and get your donation in:  www.LAEFonline.org. You may email or contact Frank Brucato, Lisa Cuppett, Jennifer Walker, or email leaf@att.net.