Dear Falcon Families,

On Monday morning, our 8th graders will make their way up to Yosemite for their weeklong adventure.  This annual 8th grade trip provides opportunities for our students to learn about the historical, geological, and ecological aspects of Yosemite National Park.  Perhaps more importantly, it is a time for our students to bond further together, to face small adversity together (it can get cold up there!), and have a group experience unlike any other that can be offered on a school campus.  

Each year I go with the 8th graders up to Yosemite, I pick up on some different aspects of the positive lessons of life itself.  I love the exuberance of a student who comes back from trail and brags about the hike they just experienced.  There is a joy in watching students work through their solutions of communal living in a tent not much larger than a bedroom at home.  And, every year, I am mesmerized by the moment a student is struck by awe at the beauty of nature they are witnessing for the first time.  

Awe is an interesting word.  It’s hard to define in words but it’s clear as a cold, cloudless Yosemite night when it is felt.  My belief is that you cannot replicate awe.  Sure, we might be in awe of some athletes' physical talents, but the awe I speak of is one that only nature can manufacture.  For me, awe is that moment of feelings we experience when we are observing something that the natural world created that seems almost surreal.  Yosemite does that to me.  Crater Lake up in Oregon does that to me.  While I’ve not been (yet), I’m told the Grand Canyon also gives off a sense of awe.  

I’m excited that our students will be able to have the opportunity to be awe-inspired next week.

I get it.  The school year starts and everything comes at us all at once.  Now that we are in full swing, I want you to pause and ask yourself: have I joined Blach’s PTA?  Sadly, less than 20% of our families have joined PTA so far.  But it’s not too late.  You can still join PTA by going here.  

Step 2 allows you to join Blach’s PTA, once you go through Step 1.   

Just to make it interesting, the grade level that has the most family members join Blach’s PTA by the end of November will get an edible incentive (To be determined)

As a reminder, there is no school on Wednesday in honor of Veterans Day- which always falls on November 11th.  It is on this day that we honor all military veterans, living or deceased, for their sacrifice to ensure all of our freedoms.  People celebrate this day in different forms; attending a parade, visiting with veterans, or taking a moment to reflect on the contributions of all the veterans of the United States.  I make sure to send my brother, a U.S. Army veteran, an expression of my gratitude for his service.  

I will be up in Yosemite through Wednesday but will be back on campus Thursday and Friday.

Best wishes in finding some awe, 

Wade Spenader - Principal

Mark your calendars for the 2026 Blach Holiday Faire taking place in the Blach Multi on Friday, December 11 from 1pm to 4pm. Information available here.

The next Blach PTA general meeting will also take place on Friday, December 11 from 8:45am to 10am in Blach classroom D3. 

✅ 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. 

Your generosity helped LAEF grant over $3M in the 2025-26 school year, enriching learning for all LASD students. Check out our 2025-26 Annual Report to see how your donations were spent, the teachers and programs you helped fund, and view our full list of donors and volunteers.

What happens when students lead their own learning and dive deeply into a question that matters to them, and share their voices in powerful ways? Illuminate LASD invites students to become experts, innovators, and change-makers. Whether it’s researching a topic they’re passionate about, solving a problem that inspires them, or creating something to make an impact, students will share the artifacts that highlight the learning process. From TK to 8th grade, Illuminate LASD invites students to share what they now know and can do by sharing the process and products of their learning on Friday, February 26th from 4:00PM - 7:00PM. 

Register today to participate and submit an Intent Form by November 18th by visiting https://tinyurl.com/illuminateLASD. We invite you to share in this experience that connects student curiosity, creativity, and agency!

As we embark on a month of gratitude, I wanted to pause for a moment to appreciate all that October brought. Watching our students come together to include, accept, speak up, connect, and lift each other up has been a priceless experience—not just because of Unity Day, but because that is simply the culture of Blach. You are the best part of Blach.

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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1. We recommend you research the schools and create a list of the ones you are certain you will apply. You should know all the due dates for each school to which you are applying. It is the student's responsibility to follow all guidelines provided by the private schools. 

2. Some schools require recommendations from your 8th grade English and mathematics teachers; other schools allow you to select any 7th or 8th grade teacher. You must contact your teacher to ask if they are willing to write you a recommendation. Do not assume they are willing to do so. 

3. As soon as you have a list of schools and the names of the teachers who have confirmed that they will write you a letter of recommendation, complete the Getting To Know You Questionnaire. This will help your teachers complete the recommendation for you.  

All teacher recommendation requests should be directed to the individual teachers. Their email addresses are listed on the school website.    

    

    ✅ Complete the Getting to Know You Questionnaire (you must use your lasdk8.org account)

    ✅ Email the teachers you wish to receive recommendations from, asking for permission.

    ✅ Complete all necessary applications for private schools, pay attention to their specific dates (most use the Ravenna system for applications).

    ✅ Submit a transcript release to Mrs. Kam: skam@lasdschools.org. We MUST have this in order to send transcripts.

1. Blach does not send transcripts to the private schools until the first semester marks are issued in late-January. Please do not contact the school secretary until a week after the first semester grades have been issued. Mrs. Kam will submit transcripts to the schools. 

2. Due to the large number of recommendation requests teachers receive, they may not complete them until after the December break. 

Blach cannot guarantee that the private high schools will receive all necessary materials by their deadline unless the above requirements are completed by December 11.

If you have questions about anything listed here, please contact: 

Mr. Spenader wspenader@lasdschools.org or Mrs. Kam skam@lasdschools.org 

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.