School Board to Discuss Evaluation of Superintendent in Closed Session
LAPS News:
The School Board will hold Special School Board Meetings at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Wednesday, Jan. 29 at the Los Alamos Public Schools Administration Building, Conference Room A (in basement area.)
The agenda items for the Special School Board Meetings will be Pledge of Allegiance, call to order and roll call. Following the roll call, there will be a motion to go into a closed Executive Session in the Los Alamos Public Schools Administration Building to discuss limited personnel matters, specifically the evaluation of the Superintendent per Section 10-15-1-(H)(2) as allowed Read More
Matt Walker Wins County Spelling Bee
Winners of the Los Alamos County Spelling Bee from left, third place winner Lidia Appell, first place winner Matt Walker and second place winner Eleanor Henderson. Courtesy photoLAPS News:
A good crowd was on hand to enjoy the Los Alamos County Spelling Bee Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Chamisa Elementary School.
The winner was Matt Walker from Pinon Elementary School. He is a sixth grader who enjoys math and P.E. He also loves to run and play soccer and wants to be a lawyer. Walker will represent Los Alamos at the New Mexico Spelling Bee.
In second place was Eleanor Henderson from Mountain Read More
‘Dr. Dave’ Shares Weird World of General Relativity With Pinon Students
Dr. Dave (Schiferl) and students use crack-the-whip (in slow motion) to demonstrate how moons too close to Saturn can disintegrate to form the rings. Courtesy photoPAC 8 News:
“Dr. Dave” Schiferl explored the “Wonderful, Weird World of General Relativity” with teachers and students at Pinon Elementary School Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The retired Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist and president of the PAC 8 Board of Directors put together the presentation, geared toward elementary school students.
“There are all sorts of weird, beautiful and dangerous things in the world of general Read More
Los Alamos High School Principal Announces Retirement
Sandra Warnock
LAHS News:
Los Alamos High School Principal Sandra Warnock announced her intent to retire at the end of the 2013-14 school year. Warnock made the announcement during a meeting with her staff Wednesday afternoon.
Shortly after the meeting, School Board President Jim Hall stated, “I am grateful for Ms. Warnock’s long service to the district. I will personally miss working with her.”
Warnock is completing an exemplary 30-year career with Los Alamos Public Schools that began in 1984 as a Special Education teacher at the high school. She served in this capacity for 22 years before Read More
Fourth Annual UNM-LA Music Marathon Raises Money for Scholarships
UNM-LA News:
The results are in and the Fourth Annual UNM-LA Music Marathon, held Sunday Jan. 19, raised nearly $900 to benefit the student scholarship fund at the community college. Fifty-four performers from both in and out of town entertained an audience of over one hundred who attended the 7-hour event in the Student Center on the UNM-LA campus.
Juanita Madland and Rheta Moazzami organized the music marathon with the help of The Los Alamos Music Teachers Association who paid for piano tuning by James Beinke. Robin Gurule provided 8 gallons of green chile stew, and Drs. Tom Csanadi and Marvel Read More
LAPS Receives $100,000 ‘Early College in High School’ Grant
LAPS News:
Gov. Susana Martinez announced that the Los Alamos Public Schools will receive a $100,000 Early College in the High School grant that enables Los Alamos High School students to work on college degrees even as students earn their high school diploma.
In a unique partnership with the UNM-Los Alamos, Los Alamos High School (LAHS)will forge alliances with northern New Mexico’s most important businesses, industries, and universities to provide a 21st Century approach to learning, called Los Alamos High School 2.0.
“Early college high school programs are a critical part of our education Read More
LAPS Meeting With PED Opens Door for Dialogue
Los Alamos AFT President Ellen Mills addresses the Jan. 14 School Board as President Jim Hall listens. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comAt the Jan.14 School Board Meeting, Board President Jim Hall and Vice President Judy Bjarke-McKenzie reported on a Dec. 20 meeting between Los Alamos School District officials and New Mexico Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera and her staff, and the responses the district has received from the Public Education Department (PED) following that meeting.
Superintendent Gene Schmidt, School Board Read More
Los Alamos Native Receives NEA’s 2013-14 Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence
Charles Gerheart
Staff Report
Born and raised in Los Alamos, Charles (Chuck) Gerheart is New Mexico’s recipient of the NEA 2013-14 Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. He is the son of Don and Jane Gerheart of White Rock who were both band directors for Los Alamos Public Schools.
Gerheart directs the Cobre High School Band and has been recognized for his work with Cobre music students. He began his teaching career in the Clayton Municipal Schools as the director of bands before becoming director of music at Cobre High School. Beginning in 1999, while in his third year of teaching, Gerheart Read More
NM Kids Count Data Book Release Tuesday
STATE News:
- Youth to Call on Lawmakers to Address State’s 50th Ranking in Child Well-Being
ALBUQUERQUE—This year’s New Mexico KIDS COUNT Data Book, which is set for release on the first day of the legislative session, will address the state’s fall to 50th in the nation in child well-being. A new section in the annual report tracks the status, over time, of the 16 indicators used in the national KIDS COUNT Data Book, in which New Mexico was ranked dead last in 2013. This new section also ranks New Mexico counties on the indicators.
The NM KIDS COUNT Data Book will be released as part of Celebrating Children Read More
Letter to the Editor: Privatization at the Expense of New Mexico Education
By Sen. JOHN SAPIENIn March 2013, the Legislature adopted an amendment to allow a fair bidding process for high school equivalency tests to be administered throughout the state. Although it passed both chambers unanimously, Gov. Martinez later pocket vetoed it. Coincidently, on that very same day, in fact, the Public Education Department (PED) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which requires that PED will exclusively contract with Pearson PLC to administer GED tests.
In a July Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) meeting, PED staff testified Read More
Education 101: The 2015 Budget Proposals for K-12 Education in New Mexico
Education 101: In previous articles, we’ve reviewed the very tight control the New Mexico government exerts over K-12 education, in contrast to the approach taken in many other states where local communities have substantially greater control over school funding. New Mexico’s state government controls 70 percent of the K-12 funding for Los Alamos, with Federal money (22 percent) and Local money (8 percent) making up the difference.
State control is exercised both by the Governor and her Read More
PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Part 1 The Pajarito Plateau – Setting the Stage
PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Part 1 The Pajarito Plateau – Setting the StageThe Pajarito Plateau can be described with four words: canyons, mesas, mountains and skies. It is the geology represented by these four words that makes the Pajarito Plateau so appealing and interesting. What are the geologic events that created these features?
To understand how the Pajarito Plateau was created we have to make a short journey back to the time of the dinosaurs. Between approximately 100 to 60 million years ago, a large inland sea split the continent Read More
School Board Work Session 5:50 p.m. Thursday
LAPS News:
The Los Alamos School Board will hold a School Board Work Session at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23 at the Barranca Elementary School Library.
Agenda items include:
- Transportation Policy,
- Update on school libraries,
- Teacher added value model,
- Legislative briefing, and review of possible School Board legislative platform,
- New Mexico School Board Conference update,
- Whether to keep having special construction meetings, and
- Briefing on Barranca Elementary School.
Last Call for 4-12 Grader Entries for Los Alamos County Science & Engineering Fair!
Participants in the 2013 Los Alamos County Science and Engineering Fair. Photo by Tommy Martinez
LAPS News:
This is the last call for 4-12th grader entries for the annual Los Alamos County Science and Engineering Fair. The Fair is Saturday, Jan. 25 in the Los Alamos High School Commons Area.
LAPS students, Home School students and teachers in grades K-12 will display projects in 4-5th grade individual elementary, K-6th grade elementary class, 6-8th grade junior division and 9-12th grade senior division. The public is invited to view the projects 1-3 p.m.Jan. 25.
The elementary projects are Read More
Los Alamos Receives 2014 Capacity Building Award
School Board Members Judy Bjarke-McKenzie, Matt Williams and Kevin Honnell honored National Board Certified Teachers at a reception at Fuller Lodge. From left, Tammy Moore, Stephanie Mitchell, Janet Newton, Joline Keeler, Margaret Ritchie, Carolyn Torres, Maria Thibodeau, Lana Martin, Becky Sims, Jenny Diesburg-Lathrop, Brian Easton, Mary Grace, Alisa Rolfe, Laura Gallimore and Debbie Smith. Courtesy photoLAPS News:
The New Mexico Network of National Board Certified Teachers announced that Los Alamos Public Schools will be recognized as the recipient of their 2014 Capacity Building Read More
David Sutton Sworn in to UNM-LA Advisory Board
KRSN AM1490 co-owner David Sutton is sworn in to position 5 on the UNM-Los Alamos Advisory Board today during a ceremony at the Justice Center by Magistrate Judge Pat Casados. The Advisory Board appointed Sutton Monday to fill the position vacated by John Hofmann who moved out of town. Sutton will serve until the end of the term in 2017. Photo by Nancy Coombs
UNM-LA Executive Director Cedric Page with newly sworn Advisory Board member David Sutton and Magistrate Judge Pat Casados. Photo by Nancy Coombs
David Sutton with his parents and his wife Gillian. Photo by Nancy Coombs
Los Alamos Schools Receive Title III Incentive Award from 2014 Legislature
Lanie Mueller, Barranca Elementary ELL teacher, focuses on individual student needs. During the course of her day, she works with students who speak Spanish, Russian, Japanese or Korean. Courtesy photo
Congratulations to Aspen, Barranca and Mountain elementary schools on being honored as exemplary schools by the New Mexico Public Education Department. The three schools will receive their awards Jan. 30 at the Bilingual Day at the State Legislature. Read More
Special School Board Meeting Thursday
LAPS News:
The Los Alamos School Board will hold a Special School Board Meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16 in room 149 at Los Alamos Middle School. The public is welcome to attend.
Agenda items include updates and reports on the Aspen Elementary School construction project and the Substantial Completion Report for the Los Alamos Middle School construction project as well as other construction-related issues. Read More
Los Alamos Student to Perform at Carnegie Hall
Alice Shao
LAHS News:
Los Alamos High School student Alice Shao has been selected for the 2014 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. She will perform at Carnegie Hall in February with the band as a B flat clarinet. Participation in one of the three Honors Ensembles is limited to the highest rated high school performers from across North America and select schools internationally.
Shao auditioned this fall for the Honors Performance Series and was accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board. Acceptance to the elite group is a direct result of the talent, dedication, Read More
UNM-LA Advisory Board Vacancy Filled
David Sutton. File photo
UNM-LA News:
At its regular meeting Monday night, the UNM-LA Advisory Board appointed David Sutton of KRSN to fill the vacancy left by John Hofmann, who moved to Missouri in December.
Sutton will fill the remaining three years of Hofmann’s four-year term. Read More
