Schools

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees last week acknowledged that it has taken steps to fulfill a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury’s request that it make it easier for seniors to apply for parcel-tax exemptions.

The grand jury report, released in May, investigated the Los Altos School District and 21 other districts in the county that offer parcel-tax exceptions. While not naming any district in particular, the report revealed that some made exemptions difficult to secure. Reasons included unclear deadlines, the availability of exceptions and an arduous application process, among other factors.

The Carnegie Corp. recently honored Foothill College President Thuy Thi Nguyen as part of its annual Great Immigrants tribute.

The philanthropic organization, founded in 1911 by industrialist and Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie, annually celebrates naturalized U.S. citizens for the role they play in helping to advance the society, culture and economy of the United States.

Megan V. WInslow/Town Crier

Sammy Bonar, 5, in yellow sweater, hugs her neighbor, Ashley Hannan, 5, Aug. 16, the first day of classes at Springer School. As is tradition, families queued before morning assembly to snap photos beside a decorative mosaic star outside the school office.

Local schools could see a boost in their bandwidth next school year after the Santa Clara County Office of Education reported plans to connect districts via high-speed fiber-optic cable.

The project aims to connect most school districts in Silicon Valley to the Office of Education data center using dark fiber – the unused fiber-optic cable installed by companies to avoid costs of having to do it again when there is an additional need for fiber-optic cable.

The idea of a wall is not a new concept. From the earliest known civilizations all the way to the 21st century, walls are a seemingly easy idea to keep away enemies.

Students in Kendal Sager’s Backyard Farmers class wait with lettuce snacks in hand for a visit from Sager’s hungry chickens. In addition to the meet-and-greet with hen Francesca Featherbottom and rooster Drumstick, kids learned about raising chicks, beekeeping and planting their own vegetables.