PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Taking Flight
Jorge Ayarza from Colombia is teaching students about catching and handling birds with mist nets. Here the students are having a hands-on experience with the soft bags that are used to safely transport birds from the nets to the data collection area. Photo by Stephen Fettig
Maria del Pilar González Barroso from Mexico and Diego Alejandro Cueva from Colombia view a Townsend’s Warbler just before releasing it back into the wild. Photo by Stephen Fettig
PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Taking FlightParticular thanks to Bandelier National Monument, Stephen Fettig, and Read More
School Board Swaps ACS for Honeywell on Aspen Construction Project
Dave Wharram of Gerald Martin at Thursday’s Special School Board Meeting. Photo by Bonnie J Gordon/ladailypost.com
STAFF Report
Dave Wharram of Gerald Martin, who serves as the owner representative for LAPS construction projects at Los Alamos Middle School and Aspen Elementary reported on those projects Thursday at a Special School Board Meeting dealing with construction issues.
In a 4-1 vote (Matt Williams voted nay), the Board approved hiring Honeywell as the Controls Contractor on the Aspen Project, rather than retaining ACS, the contractor hired by Jaynes Construction for Read More
Olions Present One-acts at the Blackbox
Mateo Cardiel and Megan Pimentel rehearse for the Olions one-act plays, which begin Friday at the LAHS Blackbox Theater. Courtesy photoLAHS News:
The Los Alamos High School Olions Thespian Club will present four one-act plays in the LAHS Black Box Theater at 7 p.m., Nov. 16, 17 and 23, with 2 p.m. matinees Nov. 17 and 23.
Olions sponsor Rachel Saxton will direct “This Property is Condemned,” written by Tennessee Williams. The three remaining plays are student written and directed. They are Haley Henson’s “Chemistry,” Katie Downing’s “Terms Read More
Highlights From Nov. 12 School Board Meeting
Staff members from Los Alamos High School pose with the plaque and certificate that will be displayed at the high school announcing the Los Alamos School District’s acheivement of the highest level of accreditation by AdvancED. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
Los Alamos High School Student Body President Soumyo Lahiri-Gupta, right, and Vice President Justin Dunn, second from right, and a contingent of LAHS students presented a proposal to change the dress code at LAHS. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
A number Read More
Reading Workshop for Families Will ‘Raise the Roof’ at Piñon
Piñon Elementary School teachers get ready to ‘Riase the Roof’ at a family engagement workshop 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 for parents of children in kindergarten through third grade. This workshop will provide parents with at-home tools to support their children’s reading achievement. Readers Raise the Roof! workshops will be led by teachers dressed as construction workers to engage the audience. Courtesy/Julie BulthuisAspen Elementary School Ground Is Broken!
LAPS School Board President Jim Hall addresses the crowd at this morning’s ground breaking ceremony at Aspen Elementary School at 2182 33rd St. Photo by Bob Beberniss
Staff Report
A ground breaking ceremony this morning offically launched a major overhaul of Aspen Elementary School’s aging buildings at 2182 33rd St.
The community’s approval of a $20 million bond last January, makes it possible to rebuild at Aspen as well as upgrade utilities and maintenance at other schools in the district.
With passage of the bond, the State of New Mexico is providing an additional $5.4 Read More
School Officials to Address Common Core Curriculum
LWV News:
The League of Women Voters invites the community to hear Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) Superintendent Gene Schmidt, and Assistant Superintendent Gerry Washburn speak on the Common Core Curriculum that Los Alamos Public Schools is implementing. The talk is 11:40 a.m. to1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the upstairs meeting rooms at Mesa Public Library.
Schmidt and Washburn will be talking about the Common Core Curriculum that New Mexico and 44 other states recently adopted as part of the waiver procedure from No Child Left Behind. They will discuss the various aspects of Read More
School Board Will Seek Teacher Support for Letter to Education Secretary
Board of Education and school officials at Tuesday’s board meeting at Los Alamos High School. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
At Tuesday night’s School Board Meeting, Superintendent Gene Schmidt presented the first draft of a letter to New Mexico Secretary of Education Designate Hanna Skandera expressing concerns and requesting changes to the state Teacher Evaluation System as well as addressing other matters.
The letter was formulated based on meetings of a committee for teacher concerns and input from school principals. In a 3-2 vote, the Board passed Read More
Meet New Mexico Teacher of the Year – Carolyn Torres of Los Alamos
New Mexico Teacher of the Year Carolyn Torres addresses the Nov. 12 meeting of the Los Alamos School Board as Board President Jim Hall looks on. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comLos Alamos teacher Carolyn Torres has been chosen New Mexico Teacher of the Year. Torres teaches math and science to third grade students at Chamisa Elementary School and serves as a third grade homeroom teacher. She was chosen Los Alamos Teacher of the Year in May and will now represent New Mexico as its nominee for National Teacher of the Year.
The announcement
Chamisa’s Carolyn Torres Named New Mexico Teacher of the Year!
Carolyn Torres is surrounded by her Chamisa Elementary School third grade students at a surprise assembly this morning at which Superintendent Gene Schmidt made the exciting announcement that Torres has been named New Mexico Teacher of the Year. Torres was named Los Alamos Teacher of the Year in May and now becomes the New Mexico nominee for National Teacher of the Year. Torres teaches science and math to all third graders at Chamisa in addition to serving as a third grade homeroom teacher. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
Carolyn Torres of Chamisa Elementary School has been named Read More
Registration Open for 8th Grade Washington, D.C Spring Break Trip
COMMUNITY News:
There’s still time to sign up for the annual spring break trip to Washington, DC. This trip is available to Los Alamos Middle School and home school 8th grade students. The trip is a private trip and not a school sponsored trip. Sign up online at www.worldstrides.org using ID Number 94821 or call 1-800-468-5899 using the same ID Number.
The trip includes sightseeing in and around Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Md. Highlights include the White House, the International Spy Museum, the Walter Reed Medical Museum, a Capitol tour, the Newseum, the Pentagon Memorial, Read More
Readers Raise the Roof at Piñon Thursday
LAPS News:
Piñon Elementary School under the New Mexico Reads to Lead! initiative, will host a family engagement workshop called Readers Raise the Roof! 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 for parents of children in kindergarten through third grade.
This workshop will provide parents with at-home tools to support their children’s reading achievement. Readers Raise the Roof! workshops will be led by teachers dressed as construction workers to engage the audience.
The teachers will provide blueprints for reading practice, helping parents and students design a custom home reading Read More
Special School Board Meeting on Construction Issues Thursday
LAPS News:
The Los Alamos School Board will hold a Special School Board Meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 in Room 149 at Los Alamos Middle School on Hawks Drive.
Agenda items include an update on Aspen Elementary School construction, selection of the Aspen Elementary controls contractor, and the request of action on the Aspen Elementary Modification Change Request.
Other items include an update on LAMS construction, LAMS contract construction extension and a request for action on the LAMS Modification Change Request. Read More
Education Funding 101: What the Vote in Colorado Means for Los Alamos
Education Funding 101: This past Tuesday, two-thirds of voters in Colorado cast ballots against Amendment 66, the most comprehensive education reform package the state has considered in almost two decades. The measure would have added almost $1 billion to Colorado’s K-12 education system.
The legislation failed to pass for several reasons. The anti-tax people voted against it, believing that the economy remains fragile and that now is a bad time to raise taxes. (A household with an income of $58,000 Read More
Pinon Pride Singers Honor Veterans
The Pinon Elementary Pride singers (grades 4-6) gave a concert at the Betty Ehart Senior Center Friday to honor Veterans for Veterans Day, which is Monday. Courtesy photo Read More
NJROTC Hosts Micah Jay Andersen Shoulder to Shoulder and Brain Brawl Competition
NJROTC News:
Saturday Nov. 1, the Los Alamos High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) unit hosted the Micah Jay Andersen Shoulder to Shoulder and Brain Brawl Competition. This event was the first of its kind in Area 9, which includes seven states and 60 schools.
The Los Alamos unit named the competition after a former cadet and LAHS graduate who was injured in Afghanistan by an IED and is now recovering in San Antonio.
The competition was held in the ROTC building at the high school and had six competing schools, including West Mesa High, Santa Fe High, Belen High, Montrose Read More
Student Enrollment Plays Critical Role in LAPS Funding
Student Enrollment Plays Critical Role in LAPS FundingOne of the most critical factors in funding Los Alamos Public Schools is student enrollment. To generate funding for schools, the State averages the enrollment of the 80th and 120th day of school. The district’s enrollment was multiplied by a dollar value $3818 per student to create a formula that helps to explain the State Equalization Guarantee (SEG). For the School Year SY2013-14, the State provided roughly $25 million in SEG for our district’s educational budget of approximately Read More
Chamisa Honors Veterans at Special Event
Chamisa honored veterans Friday. Courtesy photo
Chamisa honored veterans Friday. Courtesy photo
Chamisa honored veterans Friday. Courtesy photo
CHAMISA News:
Chamisa Elementary School in White Rock honored veterans Friday at a special lunch ceremony. The special event included 29 veterans, a flag ceremony by Pack 20 Scouts, patriotic songs by primary students, and presentation of letters and cards from students wearing red, white and blue.
Veterans joined their hosts for lunch and each veteran was individually announced and recognized for his or her service. The gym was ablaze with Read More
PEEC Program Explores What Turkeys Eat for Thanksgiving
Wild turkey. Courtesy photo
PEEC News:
Most people think of a turkey as a golden brown plucked bird that comes out of an oven. But since we have native wild turkeys in New Mexico, why not spend a few minutes thinking about them having dinner instead of being dinner?
Leslie Dendy, a University of New Mexico – Los Alamos professor for the last 40 years, will discuss the surprisingly broad diet of wild turkeys, why they have big appetites, and the unique way in which they grind up their food. The program will take place at the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) from 10:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, Read More
UNM-LA Winds Up Film Series With Dr. Strangelove
UNM-LA News:
The University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) will feature Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb, Nov. 14, as the final installment in the Composition Cinema I: A Film and Lecture Series.
The host for Dr. Strangelove will be UNM-LA Associate Professor, Mickey Marsee, and the discussion will center around her course theme of the mad-scientist in fiction and film.
Dr. Strangelove is Stanley Kubrick’s black satire about the nuclear apocalypse scare of the 1950s and 60s. Starring Peter Sellers, the film is loosely based on Red Alert, Peter George’s Read More
