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Upcoming Events:
MON. (4/21) NO SCHOOL --- It's Still Spring Break!!!
***BE READY FOR SPECIAL LATE START SCHEDULES THIS WEEK!***
TUES. (4/22) THINKING MAPS TRAINING, DAY 2 --- ALL DAY @ District Office
This is a continuation of the March's awesome training session
PTSA REFLECTIONS AWARDS NIGHT @ 7pm In The PAC
Come see our Awards Recipients be honored for their creativity!
Only Juniors In "Testing Group A"
Come @ 7:48am...
ALL Other Students >>> School
Starts @ 9:57am
TEACHERS --- Check Your Room,
Role, and Responsibility HERE
***Only Periods 2, 4, and 6 meet
this day for 76 minutes each***
***SEE YOU AT THE DANCING WITH THE STAFF SENIOR FUNDRAISER @ 7pm***
THUR. (4/24) SPECIAL COMMON CORE TESTING BELL SCHEDULE
Only Juniors In "Testing Group B" Come @ 7:48am...
ALL Other Students, School Starts @ 9:57am
TEACHERS --- Check Your Room, Role, and Responsibility HERE
FRI. (4/25) District College Day --- Instagram Class Competition For Pizza!!!
All You Have To Do Is Take A Picture Of Your 4th Period Class
Wearing Some Sort Of College Gear This Friday And Upload It To
Instagram Or Twitter With The Hashtag #LosAlCollegeDays.
(Bonus points for a creative picture and/or making sure your teacher
is reppin' their Alma Mater in the pic!)
The 3 classes with the highest percentage of students on their roster
wearing college gear in the pic WIN and will get a Free Ameci's Pizza
Party on Monday, 4/28!!!
LOS AL LIVE COMEDY IMPROV SHOW!
(3pm & 7pm in the Black Box)
SAT. (4/26) Dr. Arnold's SAT Class Meets, 9am-Noon In Room 153/154
 ATHLETICS: Los Alamitos athletics dominated Spring Break with victories across all of our sports. In fact, our very own MACKENNA HOWARD is this week's OC Register ATHLETE OF THE WEEK for her incredible performance at last weekend's Arcadia Invitational Track Meet in which she shot put herself into the County's ALL-TIME Record Book with a throw of 47', 8 1/2". Mackenna is currently ranked 4th in the state!
& On The Horizon...
4/29 - 4/30 --- Science CST (Given In English Classes)
4/30 --- IMPORTANT STAFF MEETING & Longevity Recognition!!!
5/3 --- SAT Exam
5/3 --- PROM!!!
.............. Unlimited Possibilities!
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We Did It Again!:
Los Alamitos High School Ranks Among The Nation's Most Challenging High Schools
Not only does Los Alamitos High School provide one of the most complete high school experiences in the nation, we do so in a rigorous and meaningful context...
so says Jay Matthews and the Washington Post in their annual high school rankings.
Ever wonder what the purpose of all that end-of-the-year Common Core / State Testing is about? Or why it's critical for all students to commit to taking the AP Exam for the AP course they're enrolled in?
The answer is simple: It's through assessment and results that we're able to show the world what we're up to inside our classrooms at Los Al... It's how we further our reputation, prestige, and brand to keep offering national-caliber programs and attract the highest quality teachers, coaches, and directors in America.
Results matter. And this year, we're proud to be ranked among the most challenging high schools in the entire country --- an achievement that would not be possible without the collective efforts of very student, teacher, parent, and support staff in our learning community.
So, congratulations Los Al! This achievement is validation that our efforts to prepare students in a deep and meaningful way for college and career opportunities after high school are of value. And furthermore, when Los Al grads compete with their peers prepared at schools across the land, they fare better than almost all of their classmates and colleagues as a result of the education and experiences provided for them during high school. Let's continue this tradition and keep this legacy going. The truth is... there's no place like Los Al!
*** For a complete list of all schools ranked in the United States for 2014, please click here and be taking to the Washington Post article and Guide for School Lists.
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Los Al Student's Photo To Hang In The U.S. Capitol For Entire Year:
Gabriela Hutchings Wins The 2014 Congressional Arts Competition Sponsored By Congressman Alan Lowenthal
Gabriela Hutchings stops for a picture with her grandfather (left) and Congressman Lowenthal (right) at this year's Congressional Arts Competition for our 47th District.
About The Competition:
Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated.
Participation in the contest is at the discretion of each Member office.
Students submit entries to their representative's office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.
Congratulations, again, Gabriela!!!
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From A Student's Perspective:
The Amount Of Energy And Enthusiasm We Put Into Our Lessons Is Contagious
Mouth open, thumb up, in the middle of explaining something that's critical for students to understand in order to be successful, Ms. Lyman is always engaging her learners by being energetic and enthusiastic about the material she teaches.
It is absolutely true that there is not "one best way" to teach. While some teachers lean towards being didactic and lecture-based in their delivery, others are Socratic and hands-off in their approach. Both of these work, as does everything in between. The trick is being one's authentic self, and knowing who you are.
But if there was one tried-and-true practice (in line with being authentic) that always rubbed off on students and drew them closer to a lesson and the content or skill being taught, it would be ENTHUSIASM. I mean, who doesn't get excited when somebody else gets excited? Especially about something that people don't typically get excited about... like Calculus, or Chemistry, or Shakespeare, or The Crusades.
It's one of the secrets to being a phenomenal instructor. Simply love the subject you teach. Because as challenging as it is to engage every student, every day, for every single second of a class period, it's an infinitely more difficult task if the subject matter is tedious, boring, or something a teacher is just less than enthralled about.
Luckily for Los Al, and all the students we serve, our teachers come chock-full of passion and interest in the content they deliver and the skills they foster. In fact, it's part of everything we do --- from our hiring process to our Professional Development.
So, the next time you're looking for a "hook" or way to draw your students in even closer as we get ready for AP Exams and Finals this May and June, try setting up a scenario in which your passion for your subject area gets to shine through. Odds are your students will feed off your enthusiasm and be fully engaged in no time!
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Los Al Jazz:
More Than A Band, It's A Way Of Life...
When they're not up in Reno competing in the country's most famous Jazz Festival, you can find Los Al Jazz 1 members over at Steamers in Fullerton in the middle of a groovy tune on a Saturday night. These Griffins are already booking paid gigs!
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GOT TALENT?
The Young Americans 3-day Workshop is coming up April 25-27
Young Americans is a touring company of 50 college-age staff,
singers and dancers from around the world who put on a totally
amazing 3-day workshop that builds your skills in voice, choral
singing, dance, acting, and musical theatre techniques.
The event is open to all 3rd to 12th grade students in our
community and students are placed into grade groups for
teaching and learning on appropriate levels.
The cost of the workshop is $115 until April 23rd (in-person
registration is $140 on April 25th) and you get a cool Young
Americans t-shirt to wear during the performance. You can
also purchase a meal plan and a DVD of the performance as well!
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You Know Your Counselor, Right?:
The Conduit For Everything, Our Guidance Team Is The Glue That Binds Academics, Athletics, Activities, And The Arts!
Counseling at Los Al is a total team effort!!!
Maybe you're a Freshman... you're roaming the campus of Los Al not sure about how the whole thing works, but you know you want to be on the Debate Team. How do you do that? How do you figure out where to go? Who to know? What the time commitments and expectations are?
FIND YOUR COUNSELOR... They'll point you in the right direction (and maybe even put in a good word for you with Mr. Celestin, our Speech & Debate Coach.)
Or, maybe you're a Sophomore... You've got a solid GPA in the 3.5 range, and you've heard that AP World History is a worthy (albeit challenging) course option for students like you. Should you take the class? Can you handle the rigor and still maintain the requisite Los Al social life?
FIND YOUR COUNSELOR... They'll give you an honest assessment of what they think might be best for you based on the relationship you've established over the years and what you've indicated your life goals are.
If you're a Junior, it's likely that you've already been in the College & Career center a few times by now, and you might even be checking the Job Boards daily or weekly. (How do you think all those Los Al kids got employed at Chick-Fil-A when it opened earlier this year?)
And Seniors... by now, you're counselor is your best friend. If you're not bugging them constantly about Letters Of Recommendation for college, or going through Grad Checks as full-blown Senioritis takes its course second semester... you're definitely seeing your counselor on a nearly regular basis as you prepare to leave the safe and secure confines of high school and venture out into the world as an adult.
Wanna be as prepared as possible for this eventuality?
GET TO KNOW YOUR COUNSELOR. They're the glue that holds the Los Al student experience firmly in place :)
***And in case you don't know who your or your child's counselor is, see below or just click on this link to our Counseling Page:
Tammy Lundblad --- Counselor
All Grades, A - Ch
| Jodi Hutchinson --- Counselor
All Grades, Ci - Gol
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Gail Davenport --- Counselor
All Grades, Gom - K
| Tina Heeren --- Counselor
All Grades, L - Och
| Matt Riehm --- Counselor
All Grades, Oci - Sin
| Christy Ricks --- Counselor
All Grades, Sio - Z
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Shelley Riekenberg --- Counselor
College & Career
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Stacy Eatmon --- Counselor
College & Career
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Make A Global Impact!!!
Join Los Al's M.U.N. (Model United Nations)
Dressed to impress, Los Al's M.U.N.ers competed against the very best at last week's McKenna M.U.N. which took place on the campus of Claremont-McKenna.
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How To Make Your Kids Smarter:
10 Steps Backed By Science
(From Time Magazine)
I thought this article (particularly the science and quotes from researchers and practitioners) was interesting. It's excerpted in parts below, but feel free to CLICK HERE to read the article in its entirety.
"What makes children - from babies up through the teen years - smarter?
1) Music Lessons
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4) Sleep Deprivation Makes Kids Stupid
Missing an hour of sleep turns a sixth grader's brain into that of a fourth grader. There is a correlation between grades and average amount of sleep.
Via NurtureShock:
Teens who received A's averaged about fifteen more minutes sleep than the B students, who in turn averaged fifteen more minutes than the C's, and so on. Wahlstrom's data was an almost perfect replication of results from an earlier study of over 3,000 Rhode Island high schoolers by Brown's Carskadon. Certainly, these are averages, but the consistency of the two studies stands out. Every fifteen minutes counts.
5) IQ Isn't Worth Much Without Self-Discipline
Self-discipline beats IQ at predicting who will be successful in life.
From Charles Duhigg's excellent book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business:
Dozens of studies show that willpower is the single most important keystone habit for individual success... Students who exerted high levels of willpower were more likely to earn higher grades in their classes and gain admission into more selective schools. They had fewer absences and spent less time watching television and more hours on homework. "Highly self-disciplined adolescents outperformed their more impulsive peers on every academic-performance variable," the researchers wrote. "Self-discipline predicted academic performance more robustly than did IQ. Self-discipline also predicted which students would improve their grades over the course of the school year, whereas IQ did not.... Self-discipline has a bigger effect on academic performance than does intellectual talent."
Sum Up
- Music Lessons
- The Dumb Jock Is A Myth
- Don't Read To Your Kids, Read With Them
- Sleep Deprivation Makes Kids Stupid
- IQ Isn't Worth Much Without Self-Discipline
- Learning Is An Active Process
- Treats Can Be a Good Thing - At The Right Time
- Happy Kids = Successful Kids
- Peer Group Matters
- Believe In Them
One final note: Intelligence isn't everything. Without ethics and empathy really smart people can be scary."
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From now on, if you need a picture from any of these
Monday Morning Memos, Just find us on
The pics there are high quality, easy to access,
and always downloadable.
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Los Alamitos High School
3591 Cerritos Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
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