Districts introduce programs and technology, change menus and personnel
By Traci Newell, Town Crier Staff Writer
 joe hu/town crier Volunteer Nishita Sunkara, 6, cleans a window at Springer School in preparation for the 2006 fall school year. Most local schools will start this week. |
The school year begins today for many local elementary and high school students, and with it comes new technology and programs, revamped menus and changes in administrative personnel. There are also major decisions looming for board members that could impact future years.
Here’s what happening in the districts serving a majority of Los Altos-area public school students:
Los Altos School District
Technology-integrated curriculum
Technology as a tool will enhance sixth- and seventh-grade curricula this year.
Two teachers at each school will share a mobile laptop cart - outfitted with 30 laptops - to use at appropriate times to develop their lessons and broaden the curriculum.
“Students will use the laptops when teachers feel that the laptops will be the best way to get their point across or to expand the lesson,” Superintendent Tim Justus said. “Technology is going to be more hands-on and more involved in the day-to-day instruction.”
Sixteen teachers from the district spent the summer training with the Apple Institute and the Krause Center at Foothill College to prepare to work laptops into their daily lesson plans. The laptops will support the science and social studies curricula.
“The teachers were trained to know when to bring in the technology to enhance the curriculum,” Justus said. “So technology is more involved, but not the only resource used.”
Justus said the district hopes to expand the technology program to fifth- and sixth-graders next year and to study when it is appropriate to introduce this technology to the younger students.
Food and wellness
Students may begin to notice changes at school during lunchtime today. One project the district has worked on this summer is tweaking the hot lunch program for its students so it complies with new state and federal legislation.
Two state laws limiting unhealthful items from school campuses went into effect in July. Senate Bill 12 requires rigorous nutrition limits on fat, sugar and portion sizes for all foods served on campus for grades K-12, except those offered through the National School Lunch Program.
The hot lunch program, student-purchased lunches provided from the PTA, had to undergo some changes in order to meet the new regulations.
“We’re aiming to comply with state regulations,” said Susan Klepper, vendor coordinator for the hot lunch program at district schools. “We are doing really well. It’s going to be a little dramatic (change) from last year, but it’s truly not anything the kids should put a fuss up against.”
The new Senate bills required the district, through a committee, to draw up a food and wellness policy, adopted at the conclusion of last school year. The bills require the hot lunch program to follow strict guidelines, such as no more than 175 calories for each item served, no more than 10 percent of a snack’s total calories from saturated fat and no more than 400 calories and 4 grams of fat per 100 calories for entrée items.
“We are trying to create some better eating habits,” said Justus.
Personnel changes
Two new principals begin their term in Los Altos this year, Nancy Milo at Covington Elementary School and Alyssa Gallagher at Santa Rita Elementary School. Milo replaces Leslie Crane, who has moved to Blach Intermediate School to replace the late Arthur Harris. Gallagher succeeds Stephen Peck, who retired at the conclusion of the previous school year.
“They are very excited to be here,” Justus said. “They are feeling a lot of extra support from the teachers and the staff.”
Crane is particularly excited to be at Blach, according to Justus. She began her teaching career at the junior high level and has reached one of her goals by becoming principal.
Crane and the other principals met with Justus Aug. 16 to prepare for the school year, and the superintendent’s message to them was clear.
“We have to continue to remind ourselves we are here for the education of the students,” Justus said. “We have to remember what good instruction looks like, we need make sure the students are constantly engaged in learning.”
Decisions, decisions
The Los Altos School District faces a number of decisions that could affect its future.
The district voted in May to reopen the Bullis-Purissima campus in Los Altos Hills as a public school for K-6 students. This year the board of trustees will vote on a number of important issues regarding the construction and implementation needed to restore the school.
Justus said he hopes the board will hear input from the community, the architect and the project manager on how the district should most effectively utilize the site, how it should be modernized and what new buildings are required.
Justus said the Bullis-Purissima campus should be open for instruction in fall 2008.
The district must decide where to house Bullis Charter School permanently. The board of trustees is evaluating options for housing permanent facilities for the school at Egan Junior High, at Covington or sharing the new Bullis-Purissima campus.
“It’s a very big decision, and I am glad we are getting close to it,” Justus said. “I am hoping we make that decision by the end of September.”
The district will also campaign to pass the parcel tax on the November ballot. For more information on the parcel tax, see the story on page 16.
Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
A new beginning
This school year marks Barry Groves’ first in the MVLA district. He replaces the retired Rich Fischer, superintendent for the past 10 years.
Groves said he is excited to get to know the district this year. He plans on being on campus the first week of school. Groves said he is accustomed, from his previous district, to visiting each class about twice a month.
Groves said he is impressed with the staff so far. During the summer he was surprised to see 63 teachers attend an unpaid, optional day to help map out the school year.
“The quality of the staff, for me, is incredible,” he said.
The newcomer is impressed with the community support. He said the Mountain View-Los Altos High School Foundation, set to raise $650,000 for the district this year, does a real service for the schools.
“I am continually impressed by how well the community supports the schools,” he said.
Freestyle High School
The MVLA district will open the doors to its new technology academy today.
Freestyle is a half-day program, 1-4 p.m., open to juniors and seniors who want to focus on video production, Web design, graphic arts and audio technology. The technology will be built into a project-based curriculum.
Students will attend their respective high schools (Los Altos, Mountain View or Alta Vista) during the morning and transition to Freestyle for afternoon instruction.
The campus of portables, located on the old Alta Vista site, had extensive renovations this summer, including a new paint job and refurbished interiors.
The 64 students registered this year will take English, fine arts and one of the four elective technological courses. Four teachers established the curriculum for the program during the summer.
“Freestyle is one of the most exciting things I have been a part of in public education,” Groves said.
Funding for Freestyle has come from local players in the community. Companies such as Microsoft, Google, Apple and Adobe contributed to Freestyle. The city of Mountain View assisted monetarily, and the district received a $100,000 grant from the state for the program.
An alternative to tradition
The district will participate in an additional program that offers an alternative from the traditional high school.
Terra Bella Academy, located in Mountain View, will open in September. The MVLA district will join the Fremont Union High School District and Palo Alto Unified School District in the innovative project.
“The school came about because there are a number of students, not just in our schools but also in the Palo Alto and Fremont high school districts, who are falling through the cracks, and we aren’t able to meet their needs,” Groves said.
The school is smaller than other alternatives, such as Alta Vista. Only 60 students are anticipated to attend this year. Three instructors will teach a more focused curriculum for the struggling students.
Food and wellness
The new state regulations are forcing high schools to phase out soft drinks and drinks with high sugar content from their menus and vending machines. Groves said the district will phase out sodas on campus. By July 1, there will be no more soft drinks sold on campus.
Groves said the campuses in the high school district prepare food on campus to serve to students. The food they prepare already met the strict federal and state standards, so there won’t be any drastic changes in the menus at the high school level.
“We are trying to do a few things to offer more healthful options to the students,” Groves said.
Bullis Charter School did not return calls by deadline and was therefore not featured.
