Schools

Foothill College is hosting its one-stop student orientation, assessment and registration (SOAR) event for first-time college students Aug. 30, at the campus in Los Altos Hills. Two SOAR sessions are scheduled from 3-5:30 p.m. and 4:30-7 p.m. Students need only attend one session. Admission is free; advance sign-up is required.

“Foothill College presents convenient SOAR enrollment workshops so that new students can complete required assessment, orientation and education plan development well before fall classes get under way,” said Denise Swett, Foothill College Vice President of Student Services. “The thoughtful planning that you do now will ensure that your Foothill experience is streamlined and successful.”

Courtesy of Julie McAfee
The Los Altos High School Festival Ensemble rehearses for its Australian tour.

Los Altos High School’s Festival Ensemble is scheduled to embark on a 13-day performance tour of Australia later this month.

The instrumentalists will perform in a variety of venues and concert halls in Melbourne and Sydney. The feature event is a performance at the Sydney Opera House as part of the 27th annual Australian International Music Festival, which includes groups from Australia, China, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and the U.S. There are approximately 1,000 participants at the festival each year.

Courtesy of Anne Johnston
Los Altos mother Anne Johnston hired Los Altos School District teacher Ashley Schmitz, center, to work with her son Axel, right, over the summer using the Movement Method.

For Los Altos resident Anne Johnston, discovering the Movement Method proved life-changing for her family.

Johnston is the mother of Axel, 11, who has moderate to severe autism. Three years ago, she was losing sleep over Axel’s lack of progress in the classroom.

Courtesy of Bullis Charter School
Bullis Charter School students Shelby Jennet and Katherine Nasif celebrate their silver and gold medals, respectively, with fellow athlete Destiny Torres of Voices College-Bound Language Academy.

Bullis Charter School hosted the fifth biennial Invitational Junior Olympics at Foothill College May 22, with nearly 1,000 student athletes from 12 local charter schools cheered on by former Olympians and spectators from across the Bay Area.

The daylong event included traditional track and field events as well as an egg and spoon race, a bean bag toss, a soccer kick-off and a basketball shootout. Five local Olympians handed out medals to the event winners, including Keshia Baker Kirtz, who won a gold medal in the 4x400m relay in the 2012 Summer Games.