Dear Falcon Families,

We’ve hit that time of year where you need a jacket in the morning but are sweating in the afternoon.  It’s fall- my favorite season.   Leaves are turning colors, football season is in full swing and our thoughts lean towards the end of the calendar year (and all that entails).  

National Unity Day is next Wednesday, Oct. 21st.  This day brings awareness to our goal of kindness and inclusive, safe environments for all.   We are encouraging everyone- staff, students and families- to wear orange on that day.  Why orange?  Orange symbolizes fall.  It’s a color of warmth and inclusion.  And, it’s a color of safety (think of an orange traffic cone).  On Wednesday, Blach will celebrate unity day to further strengthen our belief that we all have value and belong.  

If your 8th grader is applying or considering applying to a private high school for 9th grade, please be sure they attend an informational meeting on Thursday, Oct. 29th in the library at lunch.  At this meeting, I will go over what students must do in order to request letters of recommendation, transcripts and other information.   

Our Leadership class is very busy planning our first dance of the year.  Some key points for you to know:

Enjoy the crisp weather!

Wade Spenader - Principal 

Leadership is hosting the first dance of the school year on Friday, October 23 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM in the Blach Multi. Here is what you need to know: 

            🔸This ticket includes entrance to the dance, carnival games, and a photobooth. 

            🔸This ticket includes entrance, carnival games, photobooth, chips, drinks, candy, and Senor Lopez’s famous grilled burger (veggie options available). 

Please Note: Tickets with meal included must be purchased by Wednesday, October 21. Regular tickets must be purchased by NOON on Friday, October 23. 

Tickets are nonrefundable, even if the student does not attend the dance. 

Our school has switched to an online payment system which is located in your Student's PowerSchool Account.  You will click the 'Balance' button on the far left menu and see that your student has been assessed two types of tickets:

To pay, you will click the button located at the top right of your student's PowerSchool screen "LASD eFunds Payment Link".  This will bring you to the online payment site where you will need to open an account with eFunds for the parent payment portal;  Instructions are attached.  Please Note: transaction fees apply per transaction:  $2.95 credit card fee or a $1.50 ACH fee.

Once you are in eFunds payment parent portal, select the ticket type you'd like to purchase, then ADD TO CART.  Students who decide NOT to attend, any unpaid dance assessment fees will be removed from your student's account the following day after the dance.

Thanks to all of the Blach families that participated in this past Monday’s Dine Support Connect event with State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria! Stay tuned for announcements for more Blach community events later this year.

Please mark your calendars for the next Blach PTA general meeting on Friday, October 23 in Blach classroom D3 from 8:45 to 10am.

✅ 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.

✅ If you’ve donated to LAEF, but didn’t continue to Step 2 to join/donate directly to the Blach PTA, or if you’re choosing not to donate to LAEF but still want to join/donate directly to the Blach PTA, you can click here.

✅ 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!

Are you interested in participating in the Holiday Faire, where you can create and sell your own products?   

Ready to Sign Up?  Registration is online and available here. 

Thanks to the many generous families in our school community, LAEF has raised over $2.2 million this school year. Your gift funds specialized teachers, instructional programs, and materials that make Los Altos schools exceptional. If you haven’t given this year’s gift yet, please consider donating today! Don’t forget to check if your company will match your gift! 

What is Unity Day? Started by PACER’s Bullying Prevention Center, Unity Day is our signature event during National Bullying Prevention Month. It is a day for our school community to come together and send a visible message of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

Advisory Points: Students who wear orange on Wednesday will earn spirit points for their Advisory class.

Help your student get ready by helping them find their favorite orange shirt or accessory for Wednesday! Thank you for supporting a safe, kind, and inclusive campus community.

From the desk of M❤️

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 and closes on November 11th.  Questions?  kdickerson@lasdschools.org

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Please let the office know by 9am each day your student will be out by one of the following methods:

NOTE:  Notifications will be sent out via ParentSquare at 10:30am instead of School Messenger.  You will receive a notification if your student was marked absent and we have not heard from parents regarding the reason.

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.