Dear La Entrada Community,

Class Placement for 2015-16:

This article outlines our class placement process for La Entrada students in grades 4-8.  The faculty spends considerable thought, and attention formulating classes that will work best for students.  The teachers and administrators consider three major perspectives as we work together to develop class groupings:  the needs of the individual child, the need to create balance within each classroom, and the need to create balance among classrooms at a grade level.  The teachers work carefully to create classrooms that are evenly balanced in terms of:

• Gender, social maturity, interest, student background
• Academics-high, medium, and low performing students
• Special needs-students who work with our many specialists such as  English Learner Support, Speech and Language, the Resource Program,  Reading and/or Math Intervention
• Health and other special needs
• Social relationships

For Students Entering Grades 4-5:

The process for composing classes involves all teachers at a grade level working together to develop classes for the next grade.  As they work together during several meetings, the administration and support staff also provide perspectives based on their knowledge of the children.  As appropriate, input from prior teachers is tapped.  We believe that your child's current teacher possesses the necessary information and understanding concerning your child to make an appropriate grouping for the coming school year.  Teachers' names are not assigned until after the class configurations are complete.

In order to maintain balance in class size, we may have multi-graded classes.  For the 2015-16 school year, we anticipate a 4/5 multi-grade class.  Multi-grade classes are of the same high caliber as all other classes.  These classes are formed using the same process described above.

We do expect that parents will trust and respect the judgment of the staff in making classroom placement decisions.  We do not accept requests for specific teachers because such requests would compromise our ability to develop balanced classes - which would impact all children.  Since requests for specific teachers are not helpful to this process, we ask that you do not formally or informally make requests for specific teachers.

While we do not accept teacher requests, it is helpful for us to know if you have had an older child in a specific classroom that did not work well for him or her.  If you wish to provide additional perspectives on your child that you believe we are not aware of and that could be useful to us as we engage in the grouping process, we offer that opportunity through email to me (spotts@llesd.org).  Remember, this is optional.  There is no expectation that an email be sent.  It is simply our way of offering an additional opportunity for those of you who want to provide more input.  Please note that while we do our best to accommodate student needs in the core classroom, the process for math placement may not allow for such requests.

For Students Entering Grades 6-8:

The process for these grade levels is much more "technology" dependent because we offer students a wide variety of courses in a manner that is more typical of a high school.  We use a computer system to do the scheduling of students in grades 6-8.  The process looks like this:

1. The students fill out their registration forms, listing their elective choices for the following year. (This has already happened.)
2. We develop a master schedule that has the highest probability of meeting the highest percent of student requests.  This is a list of classes, what periods of the day the classes will take place, the teachers for each class, maximum number of students for the class, and the room the classes take place in.
3. Students' elective choices are entered into the system, as well as a list of the required courses they must take.
4. The computer places the students into a schedule which allows for the closest match of the student getting his/her top elective choices, as well as the required courses.
5. The computer generates a list of students who were unable to be scheduled completely.  We then look at the students' other elective choices to see how to make the schedule work, and we also experiment with other variations of the master schedule.
6. We print out a list of all classes and make necessary adjustments to try to balance the class groupings.

In August, the administration and counselors review and finalize class lists to accommodate students who have enrolled or moved away over the summer.  We put tremendous effort into creating balanced classes to meet the needs of all of our students.  We are continually refining the process and are proud of our results.

If you have important information about your child's placement for next year, please let the classroom teacher know, or submit that information to me in writing before April 15, 2015.

Any placement information received after this date may not be considered due to our placement schedule unless there are extenuating circumstances. If you've sent information in prior years that is still relevant, please include that information as well. Thank you for your cooperation in adhering to this deadline.

Shannon Potts

Principal

• Call to Order & Welcome - Ashley Banks and Sandie Timm
• Speaker - LLESD Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Deborah Roden
• President's Report - Ashley Banks and Sandie Tim
• Vote to Approve Minutes from February 2015 General Meeting
• Vote To Approve 2015-2016 PTA Board Members Slate
• Volunteer Coordinator / PTA Programs - Julie Herlihy
• Treasurer's Report - Lisa Puccetti
• Teacher's Report - Kim Kuczon
• Adjourn 

 Announcing the 2015 Spring Auction Theme...  

 Las Lomitas is returning to Portola Farms!  It's time to place those Winning Picks and get In the Money. We take all comers that are ready to Win, Place or Show.  Don your jockey silks and leathers or your fancy bowler or wide-brim hat.  Or come casual, ready to mix it up with the rowdy Infield crowd.  Join us to celebrate the Sport of Kings at the best party of the year!

Tickets go on sale APRIL 1.

We need your Horsepower - Can you help us make the Auction Catalog awesome?  Here's a partial wish list of items:  Sports tickets, special experiences, getaway vacation homes, fine wine, party hosts, cooking classes, memorabilia - get creative!

Join the Foundation next year!

Want to get more INVOLVED?  Are you ready to do something VITALLY IMPORTANT? 

Do you want to meet other dedicated and talented people, and work together on projects that are HIGHLY REWARDING and FUN?

The Las Lomitas Education Foundation is looking for people like YOU!    

Please join us for an information session, and find out how YOU can make a HUGE difference in your children's education.  

The Foundation's annual gift is the second largest source of revenue for our School District, and is absolutely essential to the high quality education delivered in our schools. 

The Foundation needs many people like you to fulfill its mission every year.  It is OUR TURN to carry on the 30-YEAR LEGACY of our Foundation.  PLEASE JOIN US.

 WHAT:  Information Session on the role of an LLEF Board Member and Friends of the        Foundation

 WHEN:  Tuesday, March 24 at 9:15 a.m., or;

       Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Please RSVP to presidents@llef.org.  Location and additional details will be provided to those interested in attending.  Refreshments will be served.