August 20, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, August 20, 2004

Los Altos School District

By Candice Shih

In more ways than one, this year will be a year of transition for Los Altos schools.

At long last, the district is expecting to receive "basic aid" funding, a revenue stream based on local property taxes that could significantly increase its budget. Superintendent Marge Gratiot said, however, that the amount of the new funding is still unclear.

"Being basic aid has its advantages and disadvantages," she said. "The advantage is, you get more money. The disadvantage is, it's much less predictable from year to year."

The district will also have a change in leadership after Gratiot retires at the end of the school year after 18 years of service. The board of trustees is currently in the process of selecting a search firm to find its next superintendent.

Elementary school curriculum will undergo some alterations as the district conforms more closely to state standards. In science, the plate tectonics unit will be moved from fourth grade to sixth and the circulatory system unit from sixth to fifth. Instruction on the environment in sixth grade will be modified, too.

"The state wants us to use text materials," said Assistant Superintendent Patty Boettcher. Whereas the district depended more on hands-on learning in the past, "there will be a combination and more reading in the upper grades," she added.

Meanwhile, the end of construction is now in sight with only Oak Elementary School left to be renovated. Oak students will be located at Blach Camp School while their classrooms are renovated, a new kindergarten room is built and portable buildings are replaced with nicer portables.

The portable units at Egan Camp School will also be used this year by the new Bullis Charter School, which formed after Bullis Elementary School closed due to the district's budget constraints. The Bullis charter gained sponsorship from the County Office of Education and has enrolled about 170 students, 75 of whom attended Los Altos schools last year.

Enrollment: 450, 20 more students than last year

All aboard. The theme this year is "The Learning Express." "We're trying to present a picture of learning to show kids that it is more of an adventure or a discovery. It's kind of like riding on a train, exploring the world," said Principal Bob Celeste. Themes are being used more to give students a sense of purpose, he added.

Still new facilities. This will be the second year at Springer since the renovation has been completed. "We worked out all the bugs and the place is operating perfectly," said Celeste. The air conditioning is functioning properly, and the student gardens are showing significant growth.

New staff. There's very little turnover at Springer, with just one teacher having left and one new teacher being added. Kindergarten teacher Piper Joseph is the sole new instructor at Springer.

Extracurriculars. In addition to chorus and chess club, students can also take part in Camp Invention, a new science program, after school.

Events. Back to School night is on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. for kindergarten, 7 p.m. for grades 1-3 and 7:45 p.m. for grades 4-6. The annual Walkathon is on Oct. 16.

Enrollment: 430, about the same as last year

Going camping. That's the theme this year for Oak, which will be located at Blach Camp School while its campus undergoes renovation. "Students are campers, teachers are counselors and I am the camp director," said Oak Principal Dave McNulty. There will be assemblies on the theme of outdoor education, he added.

Extra room. The camp school site has less playground space but more building space. That means there will be separate rooms for art, science and music. All the rooms have air-conditioning.

Sharing with Blach. To stagger the school day with Blach, Oak will start five minutes earlier in the day than last year and end 25 minutes earlier. Recesses will be shortened to keep the length of the school day the same. During second semester, Blach students will help tutor Oak students and assist teachers.

New staff. First-grade teacher Kimberly Doyle, second-grade teachers Mary Beth Miller and Cathy Ashton, and sixth-grade teacher Adrienne van Gorden are all new to the staff this year.

Back to School night. Parents are invited to visit the campus on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. for kindergarten, and on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. for grades 1-6.

Enrollment: 540, about the same as last year

Coming home. After spending last year at a camp school while the campus was being renovated, Santa Rita students are back home. The theme of school this year, said Principal Steve Peck, is "There's no place like home," from "The Wizard of Oz." There will be an official ribbon-cutting on Aug. 23 at 8:30 a.m.

New facilities. Three wings of classrooms were renovated, and there is a new kindergarten/office complex. The two wings of portables were also updated with new carpeting and new paint. The parking lot was expanded, landscaping redone and the playgrounds resurfaced and restriped.

New staff. Kindergarten teachers Raquel Hill and Andrea Miller, second-grade teacher Lisa Swarbrick, fourth-grade teacher Kate Dover, fifth-grade teachers Kelly Rafferty and Maggie MarkdaSilva and speech teacher Heather Malli are all new to the staff this year. Rafferty is also an alumna of Santa Rita.

Extracurriculars. The PTA-sponsored extracurricular activities are expanding to include foreign language instruction in Spanish.

Events. Back to School night is on Aug. 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. for K-3 and from 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. for 4-6. The PTA Picnic in the Park is on Sept. 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. And have some Halloween fun at the annual Witches' Delight on Oct. 30.

Enrollment: A total of 428, with 203 seventh graders and 225 eighth graders

New staff. Karen Van De Vanter replaces Myra Metz as the resource specialist. Everyone else is returning.

Curriculum. Like the elementary schools, Blach's science units will be redistributed between seventh and eighth grades to better reflect the sequence called for by state standards.

Electives. There are no changes in electives from last year.

Modernization. Blach is starting its third year since the campus was updated. Principal Arthur Harris said a few issues are still being resolved, including replacing the wooden doors with metal ones.

End of camp. Blach is sharing its campus with Oak Elementary School, as its campus undergoes renovation. Harris said he expects no difficulties but "we do look forward to the removal of the camp school next year, and the return of all our athletic fields."

Events. Back to School night is on Sept. 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Family Dinner is on Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m.

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