Dear Falcon Families,

We hope you were able to join us for last evening’s Back to School Night.   Certainly, there was a lot of information presented and the brain can go on overload mode!   We encourage you to email your student’s individual teachers if you have any questions on a particular subject or topic you would like more information on.  

Let’s continue to foster our Falcon community by attending the annual Pancake Breakfast this Saturday from 9am to 11am.  This event is great for the entire family (my family will also be there) and is an informal social gathering of like-minded Falcons!  The food is pretty good too!

You can still purchase tickets by clicking here.  

We are in need of volunteers for the 8th grade Yosemite trip in November.  The Yosemite trip is a highlight of a Blach student’s experience.   The trip runs from November 9th through the 13th.  

Chaperone duties include being assigned to a hiking group of about 14 students and spending the day with those students out on the trail (the Nature Bridge guides do all the teaching).  There are also some light evening duties that chaperones perform as well.   And, if your 8th grader has told you “NO”, please know that we don’t assign parents to their child’s hiking group.   We really are in need of volunteers and this is a meaningful and fun way of giving our 8th graders the best experience possible.  If interested, please contact Meghan Greenbaum at mgreenbaum@lasdschools.org

In our continuing work to build a more inclusive and caring community, all Blach 8th graders will have the opportunity to participate in Challenge Day.  Thanks to LAEF, we are able to provide this impactful experience for every 8th grader who wants to participate.  Since Challenge Day is limited to 100 students, we will run two Challenge Days: Monday, October 5th and Tuesday, October 6th.  

The Challenge Day program is approximately 6 hours long and takes place during a school day. Challenge Day is most effective when it is implemented on the school campus on a school day during normal school hours. Our teachers understand the value of the program so they are open to allowing students to take part in the day. 

To be clear, 8th graders who participate in Challenge Day will not miss out on any instruction on their assigned Challenge Day.  

Challenge Day Leaders begin the morning by helping teens step out of their comfort zones through music and games. When the teenagers begin to feel safe in the group, they are then willing to be vulnerable with one another and connect as human beings and no longer from stereotypes and labels that have been placed upon them such as “nerds”, “jocks”, “popular”, etc. Leaders also spend a portion of the morning talking about the healthy expression of emotions, and the negative effects of keeping feelings inside. During the afternoon, participants dive into the issue of social oppression and examine the impact oppression has on their lives and the lives of people around them. By the end of the afternoon, participants have an opportunity to take a stand against oppression, make amends for hurts they have caused each other, and state their commitment to creating change on their campus and in their community. The day is both inspiring and awakening for students and adults.  

Challenge Day is also a wonderful springboard for our 8th graders just prior to their weeklong trip to Yosemite. The bonds formed up in Yosemite are made even easier, and tighter, because of their Challenge Day experience.   

Students are encouraged to share as little or as much as they want during Challenge Day. The level of participation is completely up to the student. Just being in the room is a powerful experience. Students can also choose not to participate in Challenge Day as well.  

A critical component to Challenge day is a 4 students to 1 adult ratio. If you’re a parent who has been looking to get involved at Blach and have a strong interest in helping our community grow in unity and caring, this is your chance! We are also open to community members who may not have a child at Blach helping out as well. We need many adults to make this happen so we are asking for your help. We invite parents, other family members, or even members of the greater community to assist us on that day. If you, are someone you know, could help us out on either October 5th or 6th, please fill out a short form by clicking on this link.  

Thank you, again, for your support and partnership.

Have a great weekend!

Wade Spenader- Principal 

It was great to see so many of you at Back to School night on Wednesday night! If you have any questions about Wade’s presentation about the adjustments to school funding, please reach out to blachfalconpta@gmail.com. 

✅ Please go through the Back-to-School workflow at https://www.lasdeducationpartners.org/, where you can (1) donate to Los Altos Education Foundation, where your donations directly benefit Blach students, then (2) join the Blach PTA and donate to support the Blach PTA.

✅ Buy your tickets to Blach’s Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, August 29 from 9-11am, our first community event of the year! This year, we have invited the 6th grade families from Loyola, Springer, Oak, and Covington elementary schools! Tickets can be purchased here. 

✅ Save the date for the first Blach PTA General Meeting with the on-campus location to be announced on Friday, September 18 from 8:45-10am. We will vote on the 2026-27 budget, vote on a new Financial Secretary, Minda Levin, host current LASD Board of Trustee member, Brandon Stroy, and so much more!

✅ Please read about and sign up for Blach volunteer opportunities throughout this school year at https://fs20.formsite.com/blachschool/2br2xgfsbr/index.

✅  If you plan on volunteering in certain roles this year, LASD has implemented new screening requirements you can read about at https://www.lasdschools.org/volunteer. 

✅ Show your school spirit and purchase Blach spirit wear here. 

You can e-mail the Blach PTA at blachfalconpta@gmail.com.

You can follow the Blach PTA on Instagram here.

Go Falcons!

Hey Falcon Families,

It's not too late to buy tickets for Saturday's Pancake Breakfast at Blach. Hope to see everyone there!

Buy Tickets https://tinyurl.com/BlachPBbuy

What a FUN-tastic Rally Day!! Thank you to everyone who joined us with such enthusiasm and school spirit. Seeing our LASD community come together like that is exactly what makes our schools special.

Huge thanks to every family who has already given to LAEF this school year. Your donation helps LAEF fund Specialized Teachers & Staff and Instructional Programs & Materials at your school that turn an ordinary education into a LASD Education. 

If you haven't donated yet, here’s how you can partner with us:

Complete the LASD Back to School process at LASDEducationPartners.org

Step 1: Donate to LAEF

Step 2: Join and donate to the PTA for each school your children attend

We are wrapping up an awesome first full week of school! On Monday, the counseling department teamed up with student leadership on the front lawn to welcome 17 of our newest Falcons. Highlights included an energetic game of Musical Chairs and students taking on the Giant Tetris challenge.

The excitement continued Tuesday with the season premiere of the Thrive and Vibe Center for the 2026–2027 school year. It was wonderful seeing 7th and 8th graders coming together, hanging out, and building new friendships. We can't wait for everything this year has in store!

There are THREE ways to report attendance/appointments:

If you child is going to be late, please drop them off at the front office as they need to sign in and get a pass before they return to class.