It certainly felt like summer with this week’s heat wave! Our students did a wonderful job being flexible, responsible, and mindful about staying cool and hydrated. Based on weather conditions, our school team adjusts activities as needed. This week, that included moving PE into the Multi at times and offering several lunchtime options for students to take a break from the heat. Students continued to enjoy quiet activities in the library, along with board and card games and a movie in the Multi. On Thursday and Friday, they also had the option to spend time in our STEAM Lab. We are especially excited that, thanks to our wonderful parent volunteers, the STEAM Lab will continue to be open during lunchtime on Thursdays and Fridays!

We have also enjoyed some special learning experiences together over the past two weeks. Last week, students participated in a Zun Zun musical assembly focused on water conservation and caring for our environment, and this week we were excited to welcome author James Ponti to Gardner Bullis! He spoke with students in grades 4–6 about his work as an author and his writing. Experiences like these are such a wonderful way to bring learning to life, spark curiosity, and connect students with ideas and experiences beyond the classroom.

Enjoy the photos below, and have a great weekend!

Our Gardner Bullis teachers continue to teach the Character Strong PurposeFull People program to help students build social, emotional, and life skills that support success in school and beyond. This program focuses on three areas: Be Kind, Be Strong, and Be Well.

For the month of September, our schoolwide focus is Respect—“seeing value in all people and things and treating them with care.” Respect can look and feel different for each person, and we hope this month inspires conversations at home about what Respect means to your family and how you can practice it together.

Each month, we will share our Character Strong PurposeFull People focus, along with some of the skills and strengths students are developing, conversation starters, and simple ways to reinforce this learning at home. For more information about our theme of Respect see this Family Newsletter.

Beginning this school year, LASD is introducing a new Volunteer Authorization Process that provides one consistent system for all school volunteers. The new process builds on procedures already in place for certain volunteer roles and aligns with updated California law and district policy.

To make the process as simple as possible, volunteers are grouped into three levels based on the type of volunteer work they perform. Most classroom volunteers who are always under the supervision of an LASD staff member will complete a straightforward application and tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment or testing.

Volunteers who may work independently with students or transport students (including after school sports) will complete additional requirements appropriate to those roles.

A new Volunteer webpage is now available and includes:

To provide families with plenty of time to complete the new requirements, volunteers will have until December 30, 2026, to complete the authorization process.

The Art Docent training program gives new volunteers everything they need to feel confident bringing art into the classroom. Trainees explore all the art mediums we teach while learning classroom management skills, how to lead engaging discussions, and how to give effective demonstrations.

New Docent Training takes place on Thursday mornings from 8:45–11:30 a.m. starting September 3rd and includes technique, art content, and general program topics. Once training begins, new docents gradually gain classroom experience—assisting in September, co-leading in November and December, and moving into assisting, co-leading, and leading lessons from January through May.

Join us! It’s a wonderful way to learn something new, share your creativity, and make a lasting impact on our students!

9:30am-12:30pm Mondays 8/31-10/19*

Los Altos School District iLearn Studio