Monday Morning Memo - October 21, 2013

Monday Morning Memo --- October 21, 2013

Upcoming Events:

MON. (10/21) RED RIBBON WEEK BEGINS --- See Schedule Here

Dress Up Day: Sock It To Drugs! (Wear Crazy Socks!)

#LOSALROCKSATALLSPORTS INSTAGRAM CONTEST

This is a HUGE WEEK for all Los Al Sports. To celebrate, we're

holding an Instagram Hashtag contest and will be giving away 3

Free Homecoming Tickets to the most "liked" posts with the

hashtag #LOSALROCKSATALLSPORTS. Remember, include

#losal as a separate hashtag to get your post include in the #losal

app! Contest ends @ Midingight on 10/27.

BEHIND THE ORANGE CURTAIN Film Screening, 7pm in PAC

PTSA is hosting a screening of the documentary about

prescription drug use among Orange County teenagers. The film's

producer, local law enforcement, and special guests will be on

hand to participate in a panel discussion after the movie.

TUES. (10/22) RED RIBBON WEEK CONTINUES

Dress Up Day: Black Out Drugs! (Wear Black!)

TENNIS @ FV --- Be there @ 3pm

VOLLEYBALL @ FV --- Be there after tennis... 5pm

Anti-Bullying Workshop For Parents, 6:30pm in PAC

Mr. Bowen & Josef Levy put together a workshop on cyber-

bullying and keeping children safe in the 21st Century. This night

is sure to be informative and helpful for all in attendance

WED. (10/23) RED RIBBON WEEK CONTINUES

Dress Up Day: Team Up Against Drugs! (Wear Jerseys!)

Texting Kills Truck Out @ Lunch Behind The PAC

WATER POLO vs. EDISON --- 5pm

Colleges Continue To Visit Campus!

Be sure and come to a session by a school you're interested in

attending. (The UC Santa Cruz session last week was full!)

For a schedule of visits, check out our school calendar here:

losal.tandemcal.com

THUR. (10/24) RED RIBBON WEEK CONTINUES

Dress Up Day: Block Out Drugs! (Stay Shaded)

TENNIS @ MARINA --- 3pm

VOLLEYBALL vs. MARINA --- 5:30pm

FOOTBALL vs. EDISON @ HUNTINGTON BEACH HIGH --- 7pm

This is a HUGE DAY for Los Al Sports. Be sure to attend as

many games as you can this week, and post your experiences to

Instagram by using #LOSALROCKSATALLSPORTS. We're

expecting a huge crowd for the Edison Game... sign-up for a

Rooter Bus in the Activities Office this week!

FRI. (10/25) RED RIBBON WEEK CONTINUES / COLLEGE SHIRT DAY

Wear Red or Rock Some College Gear This Friday!t!)

Los Al Live, Comedy Improv Show

After School In The Black Box Theatre

SAT. (10/26) X-COUNTRY @ Mt. SAC Invitiational --- All Day

& On The Horizon...

10/27 --- Wings, Wheels, And Rotors @ The Base

10/31 --- Homecoming Assembly

11/2 --- Homecoming Dance

11/4 --- PTSA Meeting, 9am in Room 500

11/6 --- Carol Jago, All Day For English Teachers, Room 500

Unlimited Possibilities...

Taste For Los Al:

The Definition Of Community Support

Taste For Los Al was jam-packed with residents, neighbors, and friends of all our sports, clubs, and activities last Saturday Night. And they all had a blast!

Two words: Thank You.

Last Saturday, as the weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the crowd was full of familiar faces from Los Al history past and present... the one thing that stood out in everyone's mind was how special the occasion was.

When it boils down to it, our sports, clubs, and activities can only go as far as our community will support them. And as Taste For Los Al has clearly demonstrated for more than a decade, we live in a community that is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure our students, athletes, and performers have one-of-a-kind experiences in preparation for their in life in college and careers beyond high school.

The event itself is a testament to all the parents, boosters, local businesses and community volunteers who donate their time, food, and business products for free on behalf of raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Los Al student groups.

All food at "The Taste" is donated. And many of the silent auction items are given gratis to various booster groups so that they can raise money for their programs. It truly is a win-win all the way around.

So, if you haven't made it out to a Taste For Los Al before, or you just want to hang out with a few thousand people who all have one very important thing in common: making Los Al the best school, city, and neighborhood in the world.... be sure to buy a ticket for the 2014 event.

I'm not sure how it can get any better than this year, but event organizers Diana Hill and Larry Strawther seem to outdo themselves each and every time!

Think Pink:

Breast Cancer Awareness Week

In Pictures

The nationally-ranked Los Alamitos High School Band wears pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness at last week's football game against Marina.

These Seniors sing the National Anthem to a host of fans wearing all pink @ Los Al's Girls Volleyball game vs. Newport last Wednesday on our home court.

Even our Superintendent wears pink (bottom left), along with teachers and students as our "Race For The Cure" fundraiser on Friday raised more than $2,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

ASB chills out with The Griffin during the Think Pink football game on Thursday

And of course... the Best Student Section In O.C. rocks nothing but pink in support of Girls Volleyball earlier this week!

Congratulations Pauline Grimshaw!

This Year's Outstanding High School Educator

As Recognized By The University Of Chicago.

Her Nominator? Griffin Class Of 2013 Standout: Daniel Weis

Week 7 2013-2014... IN THIS ISSUE:

Upcoming Events

Taste For Los Al... The Definition Of Community Support

Think Pink: Breast Cancer Awareness Week In Pictures

Show Choir's "On Broadway" --- The Making Of A Performance

The Art Of The Letter Of Rec...

DROP! COVER! AND HOLD ON!

Everyone's Safe In Mr. Farvour's Class During

The Great California Shakeout This Week

Show Choir's "On Broadway":

The Making Of A Performance... From Practice To Perfect!

Take a look at how many students were involved in last week's 3-night run of ON BROADWAY --- Los Alamitos Show Choir's Fall production. With more than 300 students in the show, it truly takes a village to coordinate the performance.

And make no mistake... we are beyond fortunate to have a "village" of parents, community supporters, and volunteers donating their time, resources, and energy into making each performance better than the next, and each show night a seamless and well-coordinated affair for each and every patron of the show.

Here's what you don't see...

Ever been to campus the weekend before a Choir Show? It's an all-day practice session complete with wardrobe, make-up, and last-minute additions and changes to the show. Doing full-scale dry-runs are critical for the students to have the "muscle memory" of how the show will look and feel when they're in it... but they're exhaustive and frenetic, and take hundreds of parents to assist and organize.

Did you know that middle schoolers come to dress rehearsal just days before the actual show? But it's not exactly what you think. Not only do 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from McAuliffe and Oak get to be bedazzled by all the "big kids" singing and dancing, they get to catch a glimpse of what it's like to be taught and coached by Mr. Moellenkamp. During dress rehearsals, it's serious business. Mr. Moellenkamp gives quick and direct feedback to his performers, and they respond in kind as there isn't time to debate the nuances of an instruction. This is what it feels like to be on a deadline. And young observers of the show, aspiring to be in Show Choir in the coming years, lap up every minute of how quickly the students modify their performance and make the show better with every tweak and adjustment.

How many parents come to show night more than 3 hours early to set-up ticket booths, intermission snacks, souvenir stands, and more? Try 100+! From the moment the bell rings for students to be dismissed for the day at 2:30pm, parents are in the breezeway getting everything organized for the 7pm show. It's almost the definition of "being collaborative."

And in the end, what you see are the smiles and accomplishments of hundreds of young people as they put weeks of hard work and focus on display in front of parents, friends, teachers, and admirers. There's no doubt that by the time you hear the final number, and see the cross- section of students participating from every nook and cranny of the Los Alamitos campus and culture... you quickly agree that it not only takes a village to raise and support the whole entire child, it takes a village like Los Al to do it in top form year after year!

Career Education @ Los Al Is Real!

Mr. Hansen And The Sports Medicine Interns

Got To Work For The Los Angeles Kings This Weekend...

Thanks To ROP For Organizing This One-Of-A-Kind Opportunity!

The Art Of The Letter Of Rec...

If It's Fall, It's Letter Writing Season!

Ms. Merrell slips one of her many letters of recommendation this year into the Outgoing Mail bin in the front office. Over one thousand letters will be sent by Los Alamitos teachers and counselors this college application season!

Ah... the art of the Letter Of Rec. It really is a skill to say so much about a student in such a short period of time. We all have our tips and tricks, so read below for a sample that you can use to evolve your repertoire in whatever way you wish:

To Whom It Must Concern:

It doesn't matter that Mara McKevitt was the best writer in my Honors English last year. She and I could both care less.

For her, I think it's more important that she made real progress from Fall to Spring. For me, I'm most impressed by how she made other students more successful.

It's pretty much a rarity to meet kids with the confidence and willingness to take risks that Mara has. She turns in 4-page papers, with depth and analysis... no problem. She isn't looking for an "A," by the way. She's looking to make an impression. In a time when students are constantly trying to "read" their teachers and mass-produce what they think educators want to see, Mara writes papers that she feels good about. And, if she writes them convincingly enough, she knows he can get you to agree.

But that's not what makes Mara special.

Last week, I bumped into a student from that Honors English class I taught last year in the hallway. He was almost in tears, and thanked me for helping him get an "A" on his last essay. He said, "I don't think I could have passed that essay when we started in September, so I know the class really helped me a lot. Thank You."

He almost had it right. What he should have said was, "I don't think I could have passed that essay when we started in September, so I know the class really helped me a lot. Where's Mara so I can thank her?"

Mara is directly responsible for this young man's success. She sat by him, and all year had taught this student more about what he needed to learn about English than I ever could. She helped him interpret comments on his papers. Encouraged him in ways that I couldn't. And challenged him to continue to grow as a writer regardless of the grade I put in the corner of his paper.

High school teachers are in need of students like Mara. They make our job easier.

She'll do the same for you. She's not applying to Columbia to just sit in class, listen to Professors, and take notes. Mara wants to be at a place where she can interact. She wants to be taught by students and teachers. And, she is more than willing to teach back.

It doesn't matter that Mara McKevitt was the best writer in my Honors English Class last year... and it won't mater that she'll be the best in her classes at Columbia either.

Sincerely,

Ms. Teacher