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
School Board Meets Tuesday
LAPS News:
The Los Alamos School Board will hold a closed Executive Session at 5 p.m., Nov. 12 at the Los Alamos High School Athletics Conference Room to discuss pending litigation per Section 10-15-1-H(7) of the Open Meetings Act.
The board’s Regular meeting, which is open to the public, will follow in the Los Alamos High School Speech Theater. An agenda for this meeting is posted at the district office. One item to be discussed is a report from the Study Group for Teachers Concerns.
If special accommodations are required, notify the secretary to the superintendent 72 hours before the board Read More
LAHS Makes AP District Honor Roll!
LAHS AP teachers from left, first row, Anita Boshier, Margo Batha, Allen Andraski, Barb Musgrave, second row from left, Stephanie Mitchell, Lorraine Martinez, Brian Easton, Kathy Boerigter, Louise Gentile, Lee Goodwin, Jon Lathrop, Mike Montano, Sally Shockey, Joy Handsberry and Judy Nekimken. Not pictured, Lynn Ovaska, Catherine Puranananda, Todd Yilk and Christy Marcotte. Courtesy photoLos Alamos Public Schools is one of 477 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the Fourth Annual AP® District Honor Roll for increasing
LAHS Alum Heads for UN Climate Talks in Warsaw
Marielle Remillard is a LAHS graduate working on her PhD at Harvard. Courtesy photo
SustainUS News:
Marielle Remillard who graduated from Los Alamos High School in 2005, spends most of her time working on her PhD in environmental engineering at Harvard. Her studies keep her busy but not too busy for activism when it comes to a topic she knows a lot about, climate change.
Next week Remillard will travel to Warsaw, Poland as part of a delegation of nearly two-dozen exceptional young leaders from across the US to take part in this year’s round of UN negotiations on climate change, which will lay Read More
LAMS Principal Takes Pie in the Face for Education
LAMS Principal Rex Kilburn takes it in the face in the name of education. Courtesy photo
By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Vest Orthodontics and the Los Alamos Middle School PTO teamed up for tricks and treats, as the month of October came to an end.
Principal Rex Kilburn, with a little help from his Parent Teacher Organization and Vest Orthodontics teamed up for some fundraising fun, all in the name of education. The fundraiser was a no selling, no door to door, no hassle attempt to fill some coffers without the pressures of sales competition with scouts, elementary aged kids and more.
PTO members asked families Read More
Rebuilding in Full Swing at Aspen Elementary
Construction work underway this morning at Aspen Elementary School. Photo by Leland Lehman/ladailypost.com
Photo by Leland Lehman/ladailypost.com
Photo by Leland Lehman/ladailypost.com
Staff Report
A major overhaul of Aspen Elementary School’s aging buildings is in full swing this morning at 2182 33rd St.
The project is possible from the community’s approval of a $20 million bond last January, which provides funds necessary for the rebuilding at Aspen Elementary School as well as upgrades to utilities and maintenance to other schools in the district.
With passage of Read More
Letter to the Editor: The School Employee with Low Expectations
By DAVID STRAATE Let me tell you about a woman I know. She walks through the door each morning and her heart immediately fills the whole room. She smiles, hugs crying children, and runs copy after copy. When an emergency arrives, she takes over any lesson and executes it so well I fear for my job security.
She works outside of school hours, coming up with project ideas. She spends some of the little money she has to buy gifts for the students on holidays. The kids love her like an aunt, and run to her when she enters the room.
She adds so much to the life of everybody she touches Read More
Chamisa Elementary Presents ‘Raise the Roof’ Family Literacy Event
The staff of Chamisa Elementary School prepares to ‘Raise the Roof’ at their family literacy event Thursday. Courtesy photo
LAPS News:
Chamisa Elementary School presents “Raise the Roof,” a free interactive, audience-participation literacy event for families of pre-kinder through third grade children 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at Chamisa.
Evening events include a book swap and pizza dinner at 5-6 p.m., followed by an engaging family literacy show from 6-7 p.m. Staff will present skits and call up student volunteers to show parents how to do their literacy activities Read More
2014 QNM Learning Summit Dates and Venue Announced
QNM News:
ALBUQUERQUE—Quality New Mexico’s 2014 Learning Summit will be held April 16-17 at Isleta Resort. The learning program will include keynotes and featured speakers who’ll share “best management practices” on leadership; strategic planning; customer and workforce engagement; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; and effective and efficient operations.”
In addition, recipients of the 2013 NM Performance Excellence Awards” will be recognized. Learning Summit sponsorship opportunities are available at www.qualitynewmexico.org or by calling Read More
LANL Foundation Offers $1,000 Awards for NNM Residents Wanting to Return to College
LANL FOUNDATION News:
Northern New Mexicans wanting to return to college for a certificate or two-year program are eligible for $1,000 awards from the Regional College/Returning Student program of the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund.
The application deadline is Dec. 2 to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation’s Regional College/Returning Student Scholarship Fund. Applications must be submitted on line at www.lanlfoundation.org.
The awards go to students returning to a formal education after an absence, such as business, the military or personal reasons. Candidates Read More
UNM-LA Community Education Offers Adult Watercolor Class
Courtesy/UNM-LAThe University of New Mexico-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) Community Education department will offer the class, “Watercolors That WOW!” The class runs 6-8:30 p.m., Monday evenings, Nov. 11 through Dec. 16, in room 614 on the UNM-LA campus.
Watercolor artists of all levels are welcome in this class, where they will focus on capturing the motivations for their art and learn a variety of techniques to bring their paintings to life. The tools and concepts that will be taught include the use of the color wheel and creating balance with composition and light.
Local Read More
Quality New Mexico Targets Performance Excellence
QNM Chair Bill Wadt of Los Alamos. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.comBill Wadt of Los Alamos is chairman of the Board of Quality New Mexico (QNM.) He stopped by the Los Alamos Daily Post’s downtown headquarters recently to talk how about the non-profit organization helps businesses achieve performance excellence.
“QNM is 20 years old and has always had strong bipartisan support,” Wadt said. “Through Executive Order, Gov. Susana Martinez made QNM the official administrator of the New Mexico Read More
Education 101: Who Pays for K-12 Public Education?
Education 101: Who Pays for K-12 Public Education?Last week, Save Our Schools Los Alamos wrote about Los Alamos Public Schools’ (LAPS) five year forecast. It predicts significant declines in funding for Los Alamos K-12 public schools driven by declining enrollment.
Because many costs are fixed, when 5 percent of the students leave the system; much less than 5 percent of the costs go away, squeezing the rest of the system. Declining enrollment means decreasing state funding which means decreasing services and opportunities for the remaining Los Alamos children. Read More
