10/2/26 Bear Tracks

Posted Date: 10/02/26 (05:17 PM)

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October 2, 2026

Upcoming Dates

10/8 - LASD Minimum Day 12:15 PM Dismissal

10/8 - 12:15 - 1:45 PM PTA Stay & Play

10/9 - No School For Students (Staff Development Day)

10/16 - Walk or Wheel

10/17 - Walkathon 9:00 - 1:00 PM

10/21 - School Picture Day

10/23 - 9:00 - 10:00 PTA Meeting

10/30 - 5:00 - 6:30 Fingerprinting at GB for Volunteer Clearance

10/30 - 5:30 - 8:00 PM Trunk or Treat

A Message from the Principal

Dear Families,

It was such a pleasure to spend time with parents at our Coffee with the Principal today. I appreciated the opportunity to share some key takeaways from my first months as principal, including what I have been hearing and learning through conversations, classroom visits, meetings, and survey feedback from students, staff, and families - as well as some of the work we have launched together as a school community. For those who were unable to join us, here is a link to the presentation deck so you can take a look at what we discussed.

I also want to extend a huge thank you to our parents for the amazing staff appreciation taco bar this Monday! It was such a thoughtful and generous way to celebrate our staff, and it truly made the week feel special. Thank you!

Finally, a friendly reminder about next week’s schedule: Thursday is a minimum day, with dismissal at 12:15 p.m. for all grades, and there is no school on Friday. Our teachers will be participating in professional learning on Friday, with nearly all of our Gardner Bullis classroom teachers engaged in collaborative work focused on strengthening our teaching and learning of mathematics.

Thank you, as always, for your partnership, encouragement, and continued support of our Gardner Bullis community.

Warmly,

Ellen

LAEF’s Fall Fundraising Night is on October 27.

Join the Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF) board members, principals, and parents from every school, and LASD leadership for a night of texting and calling to raise funds for specialized teachers, essential programs, and materials to benefit every TK-8th grade student this school year.

Find out more, sign up, and ask your friends to join you for this good cause! Please make your own donation beforehand.

New Volunteer Information for 2026 -2027

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:

An overview of the three volunteer levels
Information about whether you are considered a visitor or a volunteer
Step-by-step instructions for each volunteer level
Links to all required forms and resources

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

LASD Student Art Showcase

We are excited to announce our annual LASD Student Art Showcase. This is an opportunity for any student from TK-8th grade to express themselves artistically with our community. Students are encouraged to submit a piece of artwork in the medium and theme of their choice following the guidelines in the advertisement above. Submissions will be accepted between 10/8 and 11/11, and the LASD Student Art Showcase will be on display at Covington Elementary on November 18th from 5:00-7:00 pm.

This event will be a celebration of student art and local artists, as well as an opportunity to enjoy an evening together as an LASD community.

Registration opens October 8th. Please use this google form to register. Registration closes on November 11th. Let's go, Grizzlies! I can’t wait to see what you create. Questions? kdickerson@lasdschools.org

A Note From Living Classroom

Living Classroom Docent Training

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

Los Altos School District iLearn Studio

201 Covington Road, Los Altos CA 94024

Do you like to connect kids with nature? Living Classroom is seeking volunteers to teach our fun nature-based lessons and help care for our school gardens. No experience necessary as we teach you everything you need to know. Please join us from 9:30am-12:30pm on Mondays 8/31-10/19* at the LASD iLearn Studio to train to become a volunteer docent (*no training on 9/7 - Labor Day). If Mondays don't work for you, please ask about our apprentice-style training option. If you are interested in helping to care for your school garden, please contact Living Classroom Garden Manager, Sandi Elefant. For questions or to RSVP for docent training, please email us at livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103. Check us out at LivingClassroomLASD.org!