LAPS Newsletter

Tuesday, October 22

Friday, October 25

Friday, October 25

Elementary Mile Registration

Students who want to participate need to register in advance; there will not be race day registration available.

Thursday, October 31

Thursday, October 24 (Work Session)

Tuesday, November 12

Click here for more information about the School Board meetings.

Sunday, November 3

Tuesday, November 5 (No school for staff and students)

Monday, November 11 (No school for staff and students)

2024-2025 School Calendar

Multicultural Calendar of Events

2025-2026 DRAFT School Calendar

2026-2027 DRAFT School Calendar

For other events and activities, check out the school site calendars on the LAPS website.

Los Alamos High School recently hosted the North Central New Mexico Music Educators Association (NCNMMEA) Honor Orchestra at Duane Smith Auditorium.

The Aspen Elementary 6th grade music performance was held last week. Students showcased the Sea Shanties that they've learned during the 1st quarter, and also threw in some great sea-themed dad jokes throughout the performance.

Students and staff across the district celebrated Unity Day.

The Los Alamos Middle School boys and girls cross country teams both won the first ever NMAA Middle School Cross Country Championships. Congratulations!

Members of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) Nature Youth Group have been awarded a prestigious prize for their innovative and socially impactful Artificial Intelligence (AI) project in the high school track of NeurIPS, the world-renowned AI conference.

Their project was one of only four winners selected from 335 global entries, putting them in the top 1% of submissions. Along with a monetary prize, one member of the team will have the opportunity to present at the conference, which will be held in Vancouver in December 2024.

Click here to read the full article.

Members of the PEEC Nature Youth Group including Adis Bock, Zoe Bent, Tate Plohr, Suchir Jha, Celia Pesiri, Sebastian Koglin, Phoebe Reid and Aditya Viswanathan. Photo by Ryan Ramaker

Did you know?

A food allergy is an adverse immune system reaction that occurs soon after exposure to a certain food. In a typical classroom of 25 students, at least two students are likely to be affected by food allergies, and for reasons that are not completely understood, the number of children with food allergies is increasing. About 20% of students with food allergies (1 of 5) will have a reaction while at school.

What can you do?

• -Avoid using allergens in classroom activities, including arts and crafts, counting, science projects, parties, holiday and celebration treats, or cooking.
• Use nonfood items for celebrations, rewards or incentives, such as special privileges, extra recess, and small non-food prizes. Learn about some great nonfood reward ideas. (https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/npao/ celebrations_rewards.htm)
• Enforce hand washing before and after eating. Clean surfaces to prevent cross-contact of allergens when meals or snacks are served in the classroom. Do not allow students to trade or share food.

As a parent, you can help keep your child safe from food allergies at school by:

Providing allergen-friendly snacks
Pack snacks that are free of common allergens, such as whole fruits, veggies, rice cakes, popcorn, and dried fruit. You can also try nut-free snacks like cheddar crackers, pudding cups, cheese sticks, and applesauce.

Checking labels
Always check the labels of packaged foods to ensure they are safe for your child.

Providing safe supplies
Consider providing your child with their own bowls, spoons, and other supplies to prevent cross-contamination.

Communicating with the school
Stay in touch with the teacher, principal, and nurse to discuss your child's allergies and how to keep them safe. You can also volunteer or chaperone for classroom events.

Developing an action plan
Work with the school to create an action plan for what to do if your child has an allergic reaction.

Opting for non-food celebrations
When possible, choose non-food activities for celebrations like birthdays and Halloween.

Fall is in the air! This means that we may start seeing some winter weather soon. During inclement weather, I will work closely with our school district team, LANL, and Los Alamos County to monitor the weather and the need for any school delays or closures. We will keep you updated and communicate any closures as quickly as possible typically by 5:30 in the morning.

There are several places that we will update with any announcements about delays or closures including:

• District website: www.laschools.net
• Emails to all parents, staff, and students
• Local media and social media
• School telephone information lines:
  • Aspen Elementary 663-2277, Barranca Mesa Elementary 663-2732, Chamisa Elementary 663-2472, Mountain Elementary 663-2327, Pinon Elementary 663-2682, LAOLA 663-2403
  • Middle School 663-2375
  • Topper Freshman Academy 663-2512
  • High School 663-2512
  • District Office 663-2223

In the case of Inclement Weather:

• Announcements, usually by 5:30 am, will be sent via the media, district web page, LAPS School Messenger, and information lines.
• In general, if the Lab is on a delay, school opening will be delayed; if the Lab is closed due to weather, our schools will be closed.
• When school is dismissed early or cancelled for the day, all after school programs including athletics (both home and away contests) and activities are cancelled.

If we have a Two-Hour Delayed Start:

Buses will arrive at bus stops two hours later than the usual pickup time.

School start times:

• Elementary schools - 10:10 am (including PreK 4Y)
• Mid School - 10:40 am
• High School - 10:30 am

If there is a 2 hour delay:

• Morning 3Y Pre-School will be cancelled, afternoon 3Y will be on a regular schedule.

We will always send you more information regarding inclement weather as soon as possible.

As parents and caregivers, you are your child’s first and most important teachers, and play a vital role in their social, emotional, and academic development. Your child’s classroom teachers are here to support you in this, and the Second Step family of programs is one of the tools they’re using.

Second Step programs combine discussions with fun activities and family resources. The programs help children learn social-emotional skills such as responsible decision-making, working together to solve problems, managing strong emotions, and getting along with others. These skills can help children succeed academically and socially.

The resources on this page provide information about social-emotional learning and the different Second Step programs. We’re proud to partner with your child’s school to offer our research-based, classroom-tested curricula that help make schools safe, supportive learning environments.

Saturday School is open to all Los Alamos Middle School and Los Alamos High School students as an opportunity to catch up on late work, complete missed assignments, take make-up tests and receive help with homework.

All Saturday School sessions for the 2024-2025 school year will be in person in E-wing at LAHS.

Sessions run from 8:30 am - 11:30 am for 7th and 8th graders, and 8:30 am - 12:00 pm for high school students.

To register, email lahssaturdayschool@laschools.net with the student's name and date requested.

Click here for more information.

Upcoming Saturday School Dates

November 2 and 16

December 7 and 14

LAHS juniors and seniors are encouraged to sign up to meet with college representatives during W.I.N. time.

Upcoming Visits

Tuesday, Oct. 22: Case Western Reserve University

Wednesday, Oct. 23: University of Colorado, Boulder

Monday, Oct. 28: Grinnell College

The US Marines will be at Los Alamos High School on Monday, October 21 to talk to students interested in pursuing a military career following graduation.

LANL Foundation representatives will be at Los Alamos High School on Thursday, October 24 to talk to interested seniors about the LANL Foundation scholarship program.

All 10th grade students and any 11th grade students who want to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program will take the PSAT/NMSQT on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

On Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, the Los Alamos Police Department (LAPD) will be conducting its biannual DEA Drug Take Back Day. This event will begin at 10 a.m. and will run until 2 p.m. This will be held in the north parking lot off Central Avenue of the LAPD station 2500 Trinity Drive.

Items that have not been accepted in the past has included: Needles/ sharps, any liquids or creams, and aerosol/compressed medications. For this event, we will have supplies available for people to be able to dispose of their liquids, creams, and aerosols on site. We will also have a sharps container available for anyone to drop of their injectable medications.

This drug diversion program is a part of a national initiative by the DEA. The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of medications.

This program has been very successful for the Los Alamos Police Department, and we are excited to participate again this Fall. For questions, please contact Evidence Technician Cpl. Samantha Terrazas, at 505-663-1888.

Video: Chamisa Elementary To Unveil Glow Tunnel Oct. 31

Topper Football Trounces Rio Grande Ravens 50-0

Los Alamos Middle School Cross Country Athletes Win 2024 New Mexico State Championship

Topper Boys & Girls Soccer Win Over Pojoaque Teams

Barranca Mesa Elementary School Bobcat Bolt Oct. 22

Topper Girls Varsity Volleyball ‘Dig Pink’ Game Against Taos Tigers Promotes Breast Cancer Awareness

Could The Barranca Water Tank Win Big Award?

NMAA To Host Middle School Cross Country Invite Oct. 18

Topper Volleyball Girls Play ‘Dig Pink’ Games This Evening

Los Alamos Choirs & NJROTC Pumpkin Patch Is Open

Hilltoppers Girls Soccer To ‘Kick For The Cure’ Oct. 19

Hilltopper XC Teams Step Up At Los Lunas Invitational

Check out the LAPS Community Events page for information about events and activities in the community for students and families. Or view the Los Alamos County 100 Days of Summer.

Early voting for the 2024 election is now open through October 18 from 8 am - 5 pm at the Los Alamos County Municipal Building. Early voting hours will be expanded from October 19 - November 2 with voting at the Los Alamos County Municipal Building and the White Rock Town Hall.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.

Elementary Mile Run

Friday, October 25

Los Alamos Middle School

Cross Country

Friday, Oct. 25, Los Alamos Invite, 8th grade

Los Alamos High School

Cross Country

Friday, Oct. 25 Los Alamos Invite

JV Football

Monday, Oct. 21 vs. St. Michael's High School @ Sullivan Field, 4 pm

Varsity Football

Friday, Oct. 25 vs. Valley High School @ Sullivan Field, 7 pm

Friday, Nov. 1 vs. Miyamura High School @ Sullivan Field, 7 pm

Boys JV Soccer

Tuesday, Oct. 22 vs. Taos High School @ Sullivan Field, 4 pm

Boys Varsity Soccer

Tuesday, Oct. 22 vs. Taos High School @ Sullivan Field, 6 pm

Thursday, Oct. 24 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Sullivan Field, 4 pm

Girls Varsity Soccer

Tuesday, Oct. 22 vs. Taos High School @ Taos High School, 4 pm

Thursday, Oct. 24 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Sullivan Field, 6 pm

Saturday, Oct. 26 vs. Bosque Prep @ Bosque Prep, 9 am

Volleyball

Tuesday, Oct. 22 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Griffith Gym, 9th grade 4 pm, JV 5 pm,

Varsity 6 pm

Thursday, Oct. 24 vs. Espanola Valley High School @ Griffith Gym, 9th grade 4 pm, JV 5 pm,

Varsity 6 pm

Thursday, Oct. 31 vs. Taos High School @ Taos High School, 9th grade 4 pm, JV 5 pm, Varsity 6 pm

Monday, Nov. 4 vs. Moriarty High School @ Griffith Gym, 9th grade 4 pm, JV 5 pm, Varsity 6 pm

Thursday, Nov. 7 vs. Pojoaque Valley High School @ Pojoaque Valley High School, 9th grade 4 pm,

JV 5 pm, Varsity 6 pm

Check out RankOne for schedules.

Wednesday, Oct. 23

LAHS Topper Marching Band Showcase

Friday, Oct. 25

Speech & Debate @ Navajo Prep Invitational (both Hawktalkers and Hilltalkers)

Saturday, Oct. 26

LAHS Topper Marching Band @ State Competition

Find out more information about your school.

Aspen Elementary

Barranca Mesa Elementary

Chamisa Elementary

Mountain Elementary

Piñon Elementary

LAOLA

Los Alamos Middle School

Los Alamos High School