LAPS Newsletter

Veterans Day is a day to honor all living and deceased military veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

We thank all veterans for your service.

Los Alamos Public Schools will be closed in observance of Veteran's Day. Classes will resume on Thursday, November 12.

Tuesday, November 10: School Board Meeting in the School Board Room

Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day (no school for staff and students)

Friday, November 13: World Kindness Day

Monday, November 16 - Friday, November 20: American Education Week

Friday, November 20: National Substitute Teacher Appreciation Day

Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Break (no school for staff and students)

Get ready for Ride the Bus Day! Tuesday, December 1 is the 80th day of school. All eligible students are encouraged to ride the bus!

The Los Alamos Hawks Tennis Team won the middle school end of season tournament at Jerry Cline Tennis Center in Albuquerque this weekend to claim the title of top middle school tennis team in New Mexico. After finishing second last season, and third the year before, the team was thrilled to claim their first title.

The Hawks had a second team competing in the intermediate green ball division, and they also won first place in their division. Go Hawks!!

Hawks Advanced Team poses with their championship medals: Left to Right, Coach Lindsay Gibson, Neal Somasekharan, Corbin Wakeford, Jakub Cincio, Colden Kerr, David Robel, James Miller, Mason Garcia, Coach Timur Khazratkulov, and Coach Travis Gibson

Hawks Intermediate Team poses with their championship medals: Left to Right, Coach Travis Gibson, Jonas Whitton, Jason Cunningham, Thomas Starrett, EJ Maupin, Nicholas Testa, Eric Xu, Aditya Nag, Coach Lindsay Gibson, Coach Timur Khazratkulov

Twenty-seven students from Los Alamos Middle School were selected to the 2026 North Central District Honor Band. They will perform with other honor band members next Saturday, November 14 at Santa Fe High School.

The students are Connor Caldwell, Samuel Cawkwell, Rebecca Champenois, Meredith Clayton, Adeline Coggeshall, Pierce Davis, Jocelyne Dolejsi, Kimberly Gates, Macklin Granville-Sentz, Freja Hasselstrom, Presley Hopwood, Nicholas Judd, Jennifer Kroupa, Gillean Lane, Glyn Lo, Grant Mason, Daisy McCulloch, Emma Mockler-Wood, Elizabeth Morris, Chevelle Parsons, Samantha Romero, James Rushton, Christopher Rutherford, Zain Shrader, Sebastien Thibodeaux, Corbin Wakefield and Andrew Williamson.

Congratulations to Piñon' Elementary School's MathCounts program on earning Silver Level distinction in the National MathClub program. Check it out on the Mathcounts website here.

Congratulations to the Hilltopper Cross Country teams who competed at the New Mexico Cross Country State Championships last Saturday. The girls repeated as Class 4A State Champions, and the boys taking 2nd place.

Sophomore Elisabeth McNiff was the Class 4A Girls Individual State Champion.

The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce held ribbon cutting ceremonies at both Chamisa and Piñon Elementary Schools to celebrate the completion of construction of the new schools. The events were attended by school officials, students, staff, current and former LAPS School Board members, County Council, Los Alamos County staff, Jaynes Corporation staff and representatives from Dekker Perich Sabatini.

Chamisa Elementary Principal Liz Meek was joined by former Chamisa principals Craig Washnok and Suzanne Lynne in cutting the ribbon. Principal Ivanna Austell had the honor at Piñon Elementary.

LAHS students are growing a Thankfulness Tree, one leaf at a time lead by our Sources of Strength peer leaders!

Each leaf answers: What are you thankful for?

Taking a moment to notice what we are thankful for can help us feel happier and more connected to the people around us.

The Barranca Mesa Elementary School Safety Patrol is on the job.

There's always something going on at Chamisa Elementary.

Students in Haley Gayner's PE class played miniature golf on a course set up in the gym.

The winners of the Culinary Arts Pumpkin Carving contest at Los Alamos High School are Connor Chamberlin and Mia Larsen (not pictured: Gavin Komathy), Culinary Arts 1A and Joselyn Bejarano and Isabella Martinez (not pictured: Anna Kerstiens and Caroline Khan), Culinary Arts 1B. Congratulations!

Each year, the Leopold Writing Program invites New Mexican students in grades 6–12 to write an essay responding to an environmental-themed writing prompt. The essays are assessed by a panel of judges, and the winning essayists receive monetary awards of up to $500 at a celebration on Earth Day.

The contest is being offered in both English and Spanish. See the 2027 Leopold Writing Contest for more information.

They are also seeking Spanish-speaking volunteers who are invested in environmental writing to join our Spanish-language Writing Contest judging panel and promotion team. Please email Nina at nina@leopoldwritingprogram.org if you are interested in volunteering.

PreK 4 and Elementary School hours are 8:10 am - 2:40 pm Monday through Thursday, and 8:10 am - 1:40 pm on Friday. 3Y PreK morning session runs from 8:00 am - 11 am, and the afternoon session runs from 11:40 am - 2:40 pm, Monday through Thursday. There is no 3Y Preschool on Friday.

Tuesday, November 10: School Board Meeting in the School Board Room

Tuesday, November 10: Barranca Mesa Elementary Veteran's Day Breakfast

Tuesday, November 10: Chamisa Elementary Veteran's Day Pancake Breakfast and Concert

Tuesday, November 10: Aspen Elementary Rock Your Mocs Day

Tuesday, November 10: Mountain Elementary 3rd & 4th Grade Veteran's Day Concert

Tuesday, November 10 Mountain Elementary PreK Family Literacy Night @ Mesa Public Library

Tuesday, November 10: Piñon Elementary PreK Fall in Love with Reading Parent Night

Tuesday, November 10: School Board Meeting in the School Board Room

Wednesday, November 11: Veteran's Day (no school for staff and students)

Thursday, November 12: Aspen Elementary 5th Grade Music Performance

Friday, November 13: Mountain Elementary Lunch with a Scientist

Friday, November 13: Piñon Elementary PTO Meeting

Saturday, November 14: Turkey Trot Piñon Elementary Fun Run

Monday, November 16: Aspen Elementary Picture Retakes

Monday, November 16 - Friday, November 20: Aspen Elementary Book Fair

Monday, November 16 - Friday, November 20: Barranca Mesa Elementary Fall Attendance Campaign

Tuesday, November 17: Chamisa Elementary Picture Retakes

Tuesday, November 17: Aspen Elementary PreK Math Night

Wednesday, November 18: Aspen Elementary Thanksgiving Lunch

Wednesday, November 18: Barranca Mesa Elementary Picture Retakes

Wednesday, November 18: Piñon Elementary Picture Retakes

Thursday, November 19: Chamisa Elementary Thanksgiving Lunch

Thursday, November 19: Mountain Elementary Picture Retakes

Thursday, November 19: Piñon Elementary 3rd/4th Grade Concert: Campfire Trails & American Tales

Friday, November 20: Mountain Elementary Balloons on Broadway Parade

Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Break (no school for staff and students)

Aspen Elementary: Tuesday, December 1

Barranca Mesa Elementary: Thursday, December 3

Chamisa Elementary: Wednesday, December 2

Piñon Elementary: Tuesday, December 1

Aspen Elementary: Tuesday, December 8

Barranca Mesa Elementary: Tuesday, December 1

Chamisa Elementary: Monday, December 14

Piñon Elementary: Wednesday, December 9

Middle School hours are 8:40 am - 3:30 pm Monday through Thursday, and 8:40 am - 2:30 pm on Friday.

Tuesday, November 10: School Board Meeting in the School Board Room

Wednesday, November 11: Veteran's Day (no school for staff and students)

Thursday, November 12: Hawk Hangout @ Bradbury Science Museum

Saturday, November 14: The Takeover with JJAB @ Family Strengths Network

Wednesday, November 18: Band Showcase (LAMS Symphonic Band)

Monday, November 23: PTO Meeting

Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Break (no school for staff and students)

Middle schoolers are invited to the November Takeover with JJAB which will be held at the Family Strengths Network on Saturday, November 14. This will be a restorative nature immersion. Register ahead using the QR code.

High School hours are 8:30 am - 3:30 pm Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 am - 2:30 pm on Friday.

Tuesday, November 10: School Board Meeting in the School Board Room

Wednesday, November 11: Veteran's Day (no school for staff and students)

Thursday, November 12 - Saturday, November 14: NMAA One Acts

Friday, November 13: Honor Band

Saturday, November 14: NJROTC @ Area 20 Meet, Albuquerque

Tuesday, November 17: Jazz Concert

Wednesday, November 18: Band Concert

Monday, November 23: LACA Music Workshop

Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27: Thanksgiving Break (no school for staff and students)

Attention Seniors: Do you have a great sense of Humor? Come try out as an Emcee for Topper Revue! This is the school talent show, and the proceeds go to pay for Prom. Emcee Auditions are on Thursday, November 12, during PowerHour and after school in the Black Box Theater. All talents are accepted. Please bring a 1-minute monologue and come try out!

Can you sing? Dance? Play an instrument? or have another amazing talent? Please come try out for Topper Revue 2027! Topper Revue is the school talent show, and the proceeds go to pay for Prom. All talents are accepted; please come try out.

Act Auditions are on Thursday, December 3, during PowerHour and after school in the Black Box Theater. The auditions continue on Friday, December 4, from 2:30-4:00 PM in the band room.

Hope to see you there!

The ASVAB will be given during the entire PowerHour on Monday, November 30. Any 10th, 11th, or 12th grade student may sign up and take this optional test. Even if they are not joining the Military, this test has career assessment aspects that can be helpful for all students.

Go to https://forms.gle/gdYs4zWGk7LLnTzRA to sign up, or email J.nolen@laschools.net

The next Teen Movie Night will be Saturday, November 14th. The movie will be the new release of Godzilla Minus Zero.The movie trailer and additional details are available at www.losalamosjjab.com.

The SALA lobby is open 7:30 - 11:00 pm for high school teens to hangout. The free movie starts at 8:30 pm. First 25 teens get a free small popcorn and drink.

USDE has opened nominations for the 2027 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Superintendents, charter school leaders, and principals may nominate one student from each high school in their district in each of three categories:

• U.S. Presidential Scholar

• U.S. Presidential Scholar with Excellence in the Arts

• U.S. Presidential Scholar with Excellence in Career and Technical Education (CTE)

• 
  

Nominees must be current high school seniors who demonstrate outstanding scholarship but may not otherwise be nominated through existing recognition processes. They must graduate in June or August 2027 and be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

Submit typed, not handwritten, nominations to Bev.friedman@ped.nm.gov by 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, 2026. The Public Education Secretary will select New Mexico’s nominees; ten girls and ten boys will be nominated in the U.S. Presidential Scholar category, five seniors in the Arts category, and five seniors in the CTE category. Students selected will be invited to apply in February; semifinalists will be announced in April and scholars in May 2027.

Questions? Contact Beverly Friedman at Bev.friedman@ped.nm.gov, 505-795-0180 or Presidential.Scholars@ed.gov, 202-401-1767.

More information can be found on the NMMEA website. All applications must be submitted by December 15th

Families and guardians can access their students’ reports online.

• View MSSA, iMSSA, and ASR test results (BOY iMSSA results will be posted to the Family Portal on October 9th)
• View results across multiple years to track changes in performance over time
• Identify bright spots and areas for improvement to guide conversations with teachers
• Mobile-device friendly

Family Portal Link to Get Started: https://nmparentportal.emetric.net/login

Family Portal Training Slides: Click Here

Middle school and high school sports schedules are published on RankOne.

The Atomic City Transit is also available. Click here to view bus schedules.

Hilltopper Girls Cross Country Win 2026 State Championship With Perfect Score; Boys Are State Runner-Up

2026 LAHS Graduate Alyssa Sun Named U.S. Presidential Scholar … She Nominates Dr. Sharon Hurley As Her Distinguished Teacher

Olions To Present Comedic One-Act Play ‘Check Please’ Nov. 8-9 With Encore Performances Nov. 17 & 19

Read more about afterschool programs, events and activities in the Community Programs newsletter.

There are many opportunities for students and families outside of school. Check out the Community Events page on the LAPS website to see what is happening around town.

Please note that the Los Alamos Public Schools neither endorses nor sponsors the organization or activity promoted in this document. The distribution of this material is provided on an equal basis as a community service. Some fliers/brochures may contain links to external websites.

Upcoming Events

Check out the Los Alamos County Winter Activity Guide for more events and activities happening around town.

Board Members

Current members of the LAPS School Board include President Sondra Wyman (District 5); Vice President Lauren Coupland (District 3); Secretary Melanie Colgan (District 4); Elisa Baker (District 1) and Antonio Jaurigue (District 2)

Join the LAPS team as an Educational Assistant. Positions available at all school sites. Go to https://laschools.schoolspring.com/ for more information and to apply.