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Upcoming Events:
MON. (5/19) CLASSIFIED APPRECIATION WEEK!!!!
The work of educating students takes a village of caring adults.
Thank you for supporting our Griffins will all of your efforts :)
HOME SOFTBALL GAME @ 3pm!
SYMPHONIC BAND SHOW, 7pm In The PAC
TUES. (5/20) Multigenre Showcase In Media Center All Day
Students who stop by can cast a ballot to vote for their favorite!
LOS AL JAZZ BAND SHOW, 7pm In The PAC
GRADUATION TICKET DISTRIBUTION --- 1:30pm In Activities
Los Al's Annual Powderpuff Football Game @ 3pm
Los Al Junior Girls vs. Los Al Senior Girls
Can the Seniors go undefeated these last two years???
THUR. (5/22) Senior Awards Night @ 7pm In The PAC
FRI. (5/23) ONE NIGHT ONLY! (In The Black Box Theatre)
That's the name of the show by the way... "ONE NIGHT ONLY!"
5/29-5/31 ----- Los Alamitos High School's Choir Show: POPS
6/5 -------------- Baccalaureate, 7pm
6/9-6/12 ------- Finals
6/12 ------------ GRADUATION!!!!!!!
.............. Unlimited Possibilities!
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#LOSALROCKSATALLSPORTS:
How The Value Of Competition Has Shaped Our Community, And Why It's So Important To Our School Culture
Los Alamitos-bred CALIFORNIA CHROME is one race away from the Triple Crown... A feat that hasn't been accomplished since 1978. All that's left is The Belmont.
From our students, to our athletes, to our horses?
That's right! The value of the competitive spirit is everywhere in Los Al. Just look at the incredible run racing thoroughbred CALIFORNIA CHROME is having this year in his bid for a Triple Crown. Trained by the father-son team of Art Sherman and Alan Sherman, Chrome is the first horse they've ever entered in the Derby. And just look at the results!
Regardless of California Chrome winning it all at the Belmont Stakes, there really is something to be said for the spirit of competition that imbues our community. Whether it's on the racetrack or the playground, at the Training Base or in one of our classrooms, everybody in Los Al is always trying to get better. We compete against our neighbors, each other, and ourselves. And we're perfectly fine with whatever the results are, because in the end it helps us improve. Academically, athletically, economically, and socially, competition is everywhere. We're just fortunate that we live and work in a community that accepts and elevates this.
Take Girls LAX, for example. They've won the Southern Section Lacrosse Title 6-times in a row. That's unheard of. But if you ask them about getting prepared for every game, or the ups and downs of any season, all you'll hear them talk about is learning, growing, and trying to get better. Humbling, no doubt. It's hard to get better than 6-time Champions in any sport. But it's their spirit of competition that keeps them playing so hard.
 And what about staying individually focused on competition. Looking to not only defeat an opponent, but personally improve each and every day? OC Varsity Athlete of the week RILEY SMITH works extra-hard to improve his tennis game 7-days a week. For that, he took away Singles Champion honors in Sunset League and is ranked near the top for CIF. And what about SARA LIMP? She ran the fastest 100-meter time in the county this year, and has the Top 6 time EVER! The value she places on competition allows her to compete against herself and work each and every day to gain a fraction of a second edge whenever she races.
#LOSALROCKSATALLSPORTS
Whatever the endeavor, Los Al graduates and residents have a competitive edge if only for the fact that we value getting better and are always looking to improve.
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EdTech In 2 Years:
In The Spring Of 2012 There Was Nary An iPad On Campus... Now, We Use Close To 1,000 Chromebooks Every Day
Mr. Bennett's Google Teacher Academy Video Submission chronicles the growth at Los Al in regards to technology in the classroom over the last few years. Amazing!
When it all started 30+ years ago, Apple had an idea for how to make themselves relevant agains their competitors. At the time, PC users made up 97% of the market, and Apple was just trying to stay afloat with their Apple IIC model. Steve Jobs banked on a future in which technology and education would literally go hand in hand, so he developed a strategy to give schools computers for FREE, hoping they'd not only be put to novel use, but that he'd gain a few lifetime customers along the way.
He was right.
40-year-olds across the globe flock to Apple as their computer of choice. And likewise, schools turn to technology to help learning get deeper and more sophisticated for students who will solve the complex problems of tomorrow.
At Los Al, we've seen the nexus of education and technology for years now. And with this newest iteration of personal devices for everyone, we've embraced the reality that going forward students will use technology the way they use a pencil... it's a necessary tool to communicate, explore, publish, and assess.
Check out the video above to see what we're doing across campus!
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Wanna Make Your Own, Customizable, Internet-Enriched Textbook? Say No More.
As traditional textbooks become more and more obsolete, here comes a SUPER-EASY tool to enhance any text a teacher assigns to a student. Check it out today!
by Dan Bennett
I was reading an article this afternoon and it recommended curriculet as a free tool for assigning text on devices. Students can signup using their google account and it uses a url to enroll the students. Teachers can embed questions, annotations, and quizzes. You can grab books from their library or you can upload your own text.
- The interesting thing about the annotations is that you can add links to video, images or other content. So if you want students to stop and compare something, etc you can put it there at the right time.
- Questions can be open-ended or multiple choice and can be aligned to Common Core standards. The data is available to the teacher.
- The quiz is interesting because it can tied to selected text, but right now it is only multiple choice.
As far as the interfac e its a very simple text/book-like interface with little distraction. The student side of things allows them to annotate & get definitions. Also, it will run in any browser including phones & iPads. Overall, It's a nice tool and in some ways it's very similar to the SBAC testing tools. Hope your enjoy the share:)
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Bada-BING!:
Microsoft Is Trying To Establish Themselves In Education... Care To Take The Plunge?
If you haven't tried it already, BING'S "Image Search" is widely regarded as being superior to Google's. Give it a try next time you're looking for an important picture.
From John Spiratos
Just recently, we launched the Bing in the Classroom program for the Los Alamitos Unified School District. If you use Bing (http://www.bing.com/) as your search engine, you will have several new features for education. Check it out.
- Ad-Free Searches - there will be no ads on the Bing search site.
- Content Filtering - removes content related to inappropriate material (like tobacco, alcohol, etc) for children's safe use.
- Educational content on the opening Bing page - you can use this and other information on Bing Tools for daily lessons.
- Earn Reward Points for a free Microsoft Surface - parents/community can register your school to receive points when they use Bing at home/office.
More information is located at this link below:
Happy BING-ing!
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America's Favorite Dancer:
The Last Dance Show Of 2014 Was On Fire!
The Los Alamitos Dance Program Owned The Stage This Weekend In The PAC!
Day after day, month after month, year after year... The young men and women in Ms. Jones' Dance classes prepare their hardest for nights like Saturday. For the Seniors, especially, the last Dance Show of their high school careers can be as hard on their hearts and minds as it already is on their bodies.
Set to a perfect script that allows all of our dancers to showcase their talents in various styles, the second half of AMERICA'S FAVORITE DANCER is particularly touching as it unites all of the Seniors in a kind of "farewell dance" as they move together on the stage for the last time in high school.
For patrons, the show was a smash hit. Sold out for all 4 shows, Los Al Dance is widely popular amongst students, alumni, and community members. The audience was filled with proud parents, recent graduates, and neighbors in the community looking for quality entertainment on a Friday or Saturday night.
What a fantastic way to round out the school year! Thank you Los Al Dance... we hope you all enjoy your break this Summer and come back relaxed and refreshed for some more great shows in 2014-2015 :)
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LOSAL4LIFE:
This Week, Ms. Rafferty. Next Month, Sisanie!
Famed Los Alamitos High School Counselor Nona Rafferty Chats Up The Crowd!
The way LOSAL4LIFE works is pretty simple. It's rooted in the idea that once somebody is "Los Al," they're pretty much "Los Al" for the rest of their lives. Whether they represent our core values, live in our community, or exude the skills, confidence, and swagger our school is proud to regard as learning goals, the unique experience of going to Los Alamitos High School, or working here, stays with a person long after they leave and/or move on.
For Ms. Rafferty, she'll always be a Griffin. And it was a blast to have her back on campus Friday afternoon spinning our Prize Wheel and addressing her former students and colleagues, as well as cathcing up with old friends.
 Next month, on June 6th (the last Friday of the school year!), we'll have the biggest LOSAL4LIFE party of them all, as former Griffin SISANIE, of 102.7 KIISFM, will come to campus for a lunch time dance party where she'll be giving away tons of free tickets and prizes, as well as being honored for being LOSAL4LIFE. If you don't know, Sisanie has been a great supporter of all things "Los Al," and has done a ton to further our school culture by publicizing all of our connectivity initiatives like The Harlem Shake, Mean Tweets Video, and more. When she attended Los Alamitos High School, Sisanie was a member of the #GriffinNews team, as well as on ASB. Her experiences led her to a degree from San Diego State, and jobs all over the country broadcasting her signature style of pop-culture sweetness with a little bit of Los Al flare. We'll be extending lunch to 45 minutes for the festivities, and we look forward to ending the school year with Sisanie & co.!!!
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Collaboration Is Key:
In The 21st Century, There's No Other Way To Work Than Together
Bart Smith and Karen Maffett chat after the bell rings about the class they co-teach together.
It's almost a given that in some way every 21st century job will have a component to it that assumes people will collaborate. With the advent of the internet, and the pace at which technology is moving, it's hard not to imagine companies and organizations tapping into groupwork as a way to facilitate productivity and innovation.
The same is true for education, both, for teachers and for students...
Once an isolating profession, teachers work more closely today than ever before. (Just think about Instructional Networking...) And inside classrooms, we ask students to share ideas, notes, tests, and essays for the purpose of creating outputs of greater depth and rigor.
Here's what we're thinking: When people work together, they go farther.
And there's no better people to work with than the teachers and students of Los Al.
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I Am A Scientist.
It's this belief that allows our students to achieve so highly in their Science Classes, State Science Tests, and AP Science Exams.
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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