McCaffrey: My Students Deserve A School Building That Reflects The Value We See In Them
By KELSEY MCCAFFREY
Intervention Teacher & Coach
Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School
Thursdays are our kindergarteners’ favorite days of the week. Not because they usually serve spaghetti for lunch or that it is almost the weekend, but because it is trash day.
As we go to recess I always feel a bubbling up of energy when the children catch sight of the big green truck clanging against the bins. However, every Thursday for me is a painful reminder of the loading dock we have transformed into a playground. There are days I pretend not to smell the trash bins in hopes that it will convince the students Read More
Chart 593: COVID Diagnoses For LAPS Jan. 24-30
The bars in this chart display the number of COVID-19 diagnoses by school for the seven-day period ending Jan. 30. Source: Los Alamos Public Schools. Created by Eli Ben-Naim Read More
Opinion Split On Legislation That Would Allow 16- And 17-Year-Olds To Vote In Local Elections In New Mexico
Capital High School social studies teacher Eric Brayden talks to seniors about economic choices during an in-class assignment Thursday. Brayden is enthusiastic about getting kids registered to vote and participating in government as soon as possible. Photo by Jim Weber/The Santa Fe New Mexican
By Robert Nott and Jessica Pollard
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Standing outside a crowded classroom at Capital High School, Monica Loya, 19, and Maxamillano Quintana, 18, say issues like gender identity, climate change and immigration might rise to greater prominence if more people directly affected Read More
Los Alamos STEAM Lab & Samizdat Bookstore And Teahouse Announce Collaboration In Central Park Square
COMMUNITY News:
Los Alamos STEAM Lab and Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse announce a new collaboration.
This March they will jointly open in a new space at 174 Central Park Square.
Los Alamos STEAM Lab opened in September 2019 and offered classes, camps and activites for six months before transitioning to an online and outdoor format for the last two years.
This Spring, they will offer after school care Wednesdays (https://lasteamlab.com/shop/
NM Education Stakeholders Discuss Workforce Crisis
NMPED News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico teacher ambassadors hosted a virtual summit this week to give education stakeholders from around the state an opportunity to discuss the educator workforce crisis and propose new solutions.
Ninety-one people participated in Wednesday afternoon’s Education Workforce Summit, sponsored by the Public Education Department’s State Ambassadors, a group of 24 teacher-leaders from across New Mexico who are leading ground-level efforts to build a robust and highly qualified educator workforce.
“We come together today to celebrate this profession and Read More
Los Alamos Mourns Death Of Coach Paul Gonzales
A recent photo of Paul Gonzales at his job in the Gas, Water and Sewer Division at the Los Alamos County Public Works Department. Courtesy/LAC
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos High School (LAHS) Assistant Wrestling Coach Paul Gonzales died Wednesday morning in a tragic car accident on N.M. 502 near the Otowi Bridge in San Ildefonso Pueblo.
“It is with deep regret that we inform you about a recent loss to our school community. This morning our Assistant Wrestling Coach, Paul Gonzales, died tragically in an accident,” LAHS Principal Carter Payne wrote Read More
LAPS Quorum Notice: School Board May Attend NMSBAI
LAPS News:
Members of the Los Alamos School Board may attend the New Mexico School Boards Association Institute (NMSBAI).
The meeting is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 3-5 at Eldorado Hotel 309 W. San Francisco St. in Santa Fe.
A quorum may be present; however, no action will be taken. Read More
Nothing Keeps LAHS Key Clubbers From Weekly Meeting
Neither snow nor cold nor COVID keeps the Los Alamos High School (LAHS) Key Club members from their weekly meeting. Key Club is an international service organization of more than 200,000 high school students. As a student-led organization, Key Club’s goal is to encourage leadership through serving others. The LAHS club has 41 members. Photo by Morrie Pongratz Read More
LAHS Coaches Selected For Prestigious Awards
LAHS Boys Cross Country Coach Steven Montoya with his wife and Assistant Coach Lindsey Montoya and their daughters Grace, a 7th grader at Los Alamos Middle School and Emma, a LAHS junior and member of the girls’ varsity cross country team. Courtesy/LAHS
LAHS Girls Cross Country Coach Kathy Hipwood. Courtesy/LAHS
LAHS News:
Los Alamos High School (LAHS) Cross Country coaches Kathy Hipwood and Steven Montoya have been selected as the 2021 Girls and Boys (respectively) High School Cross Country Coaches of the Year for the state of New Mexico by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Read More
LAPS Announces 2022 County Science Fair Results
LAPS News:
Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) is sending 34 students to this year’s Northeastern New Mexico Regional Science & Engineering Fair.
Students qualified for the regional science fair after placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention in the Junior and Senior divisions of their respective categories at the Los Alamos County Science Fair held virtually last weekend.
The Regional Science & Engineering Fair will be held March 12 at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM.
Los Alamos High School senior Robert Strauss was named Grand Champion in the Life Science Senior Read More
PEEC Hosts Talk On How To Be More Environmentally Friendly … It Is In Fact Easy To Be Green!
The Los Alamos Nature Center following Tuesday night’s snowfall. Photo by Jenn Bartram/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos is working hard to be green. During a virtual talk hosted by the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) Thursday night, Los Alamos County Resiliency Energy and Sustainability (LARES) Task Force Vice Chair Robert Gibson shared highlights of the task force’s recommendations to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in Los Alamos County.
The task force will present its recommendations Feb. 22 to Read More
New English Class Especially For Sports Lovers At LAHS
Graphic created by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
LAHS English Teacher Lori Thompson
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post
bjgordon@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos High School English Teacher Lori Thompson is passionate about two things, literature and sports. While talking with shop teacher Scott Pomeroy and several of the LAHS coaches about how to interest students who hate English classes, the idea for her new class, Literature and Composition in Sports, was born.
“There’s so much in sports culture to read and write about,” Thompson said. “The goal is to get students to read and write Read More
Critical Measures Raising Teacher Pay, Retirement Fund Contributions Pass State Senate Education Committee
STATE News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Senate Education Committee unanimously passed Wednesday Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 36, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque).
If passed, SB1 will raise the minimum salary for licensed teachers by an average of 20 percent as well as boost minimum salaries for principals, assistant principals, and school counselors. SB36 increases employer contributions by 2 percent in FY23 and 1 percent in FY24 for a total increase of 3 percent.
“New Mexico is in a crisis when it comes to attracting teachers to our classrooms, then convincing Read More
New Mexico Secretary Of State, UNM Release 2020 Election Report On Voter Attitudes, Reforms
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver
From the Office of the Secretary of State:
SANTA FE — Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and The University of New Mexico’s Department of Political Science presented findings from the “2020 New Mexico Election Administration, Voter Security, and Election Reform Report” during a virtual press conference Wednesday.
The report “represents a systematic examination of voter attitudes and experience with the [2020] election, concerns about election security, and preferences for election reforms” (p. 15).
“The data we get from these reports Read More
NNMC Chair Of Teacher Education To Serve On Task Force
Dr. Sandra Rodriguez. Courtesy/NNMC
NNMC News:
ESPAÑOLA — Dr. Sandra Rodriguez, chair of Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) Department of Teacher Education, has been invited to serve on the new Teacher Workforce Task Force by New Mexico Higher Education Department Cabinet Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez.
The task force was established by House Memorial 18 (HM18) in response to the consolidated Martínez/Yazzie v. State of New Mexico lawsuit. In 2018, Judge Sarah Singleton ruled that the state must provide sufficient resources – including properly trained teachers and culturally and Read More
UNM-Los Alamos Campus Opening At 10 A.M. Today
UNM-LA News
The UNM-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) campus will open at 10 a.m. today due to inclement weather. Read More
Los Alamos High And Middle Schools On 2-Hour Delay
LAPS News:
Today, Wednesday Jan. 26, the Los Alamos Public Schools will be on a 2-hour delay at Los Alamos Middle School and Los Alamos High School.
Classes will start 2 hours late and buses will arrive at stops 2 hours late.
Because it is Wednesday, all elementary schools will be closed. There will be no preschool classes.
YMCA childcare will open at noon at all sites.
LAOLA classes will operate on a normal schedule.
Please watch for ice and snow on roads and walkways. Be safe. Read More
The Great Kindness Challenge Underway At LAPS
Barranca Elementary Student Council members Mia Larsen, 6th grade, and Chloe Coffey, 6th grade at Barranca Elementary greeted students with kindness as they came to school. Photo by Pamela Miller
Aspen Elementary sixth graders made a ‘Kindness Bulletin Board’ as part of the Great Kindness Challenge. Photo by Kimberly Pulliam
Fourth grader Jacoby Davila encourages classmates to ‘throw kindness around like confetti’. Photo by Pamela Miller
Ainsley Steck, 5th grade, reminds everyone that ‘kindness is loving people more than they deserve’. Photo by Pamela Miller
LAPS News:
The Great Kindness Read More
LAPS School Board Meets Thursday Jan. 27
LAPS News:
The Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) Board is meeting 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 virtually on Zoom.
This meeting is open to the public.
Find the agenda to this meeting here: Jan. 27, 2022 LAPS Board Meeting Agenda.
Find the link to this meeting here.
Meeting ID: 505 663 2222
Passcode: lapsboard Read More
New Mexico House Committee Passes Crucial Education Bills With Unanimous Bipartisan Support
STATE News:
SANTA FE – The House Education Committee passed important education bills today that will improve training and compensation for teachers and school employees across New Mexico.
HB 13, the Teacher Residency Act, will ensure New Mexico schools can retain a diverse and well-trained workforce. HB 13 appropriates funds from the general fund to the teacher residency fund, so that new teachers will receive guided training from a veteran teacher while receiving a stipend to avoid financial hardship.
The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Representatives Debra Sariñana (D-Albuquerque), Read More
