LAPS Newsletter
January 11, 2023
Weekly updates and information from around the district
Message from the Superintendent's Office
I hope you are having a good week!
Last night, Dr. Delfin resigned as the LAPS superintendent and the School Board accepted his resignation. I wish Dr. Delfin the best with his next endeavor. I will be continuing in the role of superintendent and am dedicated to serving the district. I am excited about the opportunity to work with staff, students, and our community. It is going to be a great semester! Please reach out if you need anything.
Monday, January 16 is a holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. There will be no school for students. It is a staff holiday as well.
On Tuesday, January 17, we will be launching the new LAPS website. I am looking forward to having a new website that is more user friendly and accessible. We are working to get all of the resources our students, staff and families need in one location. This will continue to be a work in progress. We will have a link on the website to report concerns or make requests. If there is anything that you can't find or is missing, I encourage you to use the form to share your requests. This will help us make sure that the website has what everyone needs. We will send out the new website links before next Tuesday.
Have a good week!
Jennifer Guy
Acting Superintendent
505-663-2227
School Board News
The next School Board meeting will be held on Thursday, January 26, at 5:30 pm at Aspen Elementary School.
Important Dates
Thursday, January 12
LAMS Student of the Semester, 8th grade, 7 am
Parent Council, School Boardroom, 2 pm
Employee Council, School Boardroom, 3:45 pm
Friday, January 13
LAOLA Science Fair
Monday, January 16
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - no school for staff and students; holiday for 260 employees
Wednesday, January 18
District Spelling Bee
Thursday, January 19
Native American Parent Advisory Council Meeting, School Boardroom, 6 pm
Friday, January 20 - Saturday, January 21
District Science Fair
Tuesday, January 24 - Thursday, January 26
LAMS Administration Visits with 6th Graders
Wednesday, January 25 - Thursday, January 26
TFA Administration Visits with 8th Graders
Wednesday, January 25
Future Topper Night, LAHS, 5:30 pm
Thursday, January 26
100th Day of School
School Board Meeting, Aspen Elementary School, 5:30 pm
Around the District
Payback Challenge Scholarship Winner
Los Alamos High School student Alex Livescu was awarded Honorable Mention and a $1,000 Scholarship in the Next Gen Personal Finance Payback Challenge Scholarship Competition. He was one of 40 students across the country to be selected for the prize.
Many high school students do not go into college understanding how important their finances are, which is one of the main reasons for the tremendous amount of student loan debt we see today. I personally was also not aware of the possible consequences of student loan debt, but after playing PAYBACK, I learned just how important it is to balance your spending and savings during college.
One of the most important aspects of the game was compromise. Going out to eat once a week may sound like a reasonable amount of time to have fun, but the costs can have a significant impact on your debt later down the road. Some opportunities may need to be passed up completely–such as going on an expensive trip to Europe–and other times it is better to save money through work instead of relaxing and taking time off during the summer.
Starting off well is additionally a key to success; if you set yourself up with little debt, it is easier to finish college with an amount that is easy to pay off. During my time playing the game, I chose a fairly low net price that allowed me to stay balanced while also working during the summer to keep my debt low. Starting off well and compromising were the two main reasons I was successful in the game, and applying these to my future experiences can help me be successful and financially stable when I enter college in the real world.
LAHS Cheerleaders Head to London
New Faces at LAPS
Isaiah Hamilton has joined the custodial staff at Los Alamos High School.
Melissa Vega is a new Instructional Assistant at Piñon Elementary School.
Well-Being
Great Kindness Challenge
January's prevention theme is kindness.
The world can use some extra kindness right now. The Great Kindness Challenge is happening during the week of January 23 - 27, 2023. This challenge demonstrates that simple acts of kindness matter. LAPS staff, students, and families are invited to help create more positive and inclusive school climates by choosing to engage in intentional acts of kindness. Checklists with suggestions can be downloaded from the Great Kindness Challenge website at https://thegreatkindnesschallenge.com.
The Los Alamos Public Schools district coordinates a spectrum of prevention activities that are provided by school staff and community partners with funding support from Los Alamos County. The aim of the program is to build protective factors, life skills, and resilience and reduce risk behaviors and harm to children and youth.
For more information or to offer suggestions to the LAPS Prevention Program, Prevention Support Specialist Kristine Coblentz can be reached at k.coblentz@laschools.net or 505-663-2575.
Toolkit Updates
The COVID-19 Response Toolkit has been updated from the Oct. 20 version. The minor revisions are:
- Removal of DOH portal and NMENV reporting requirements, as noted in the Dec.1 e-blast.
- Updates to the COVID-19 decision tree on page 8.
Los Alamos County COVID-19 Newsletter
Athletics
Sports News
LAHS Basketball Shuts Out Aztec In Second Half To Win Big
Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
Upcoming LAHS Athletics
Thursday, January 12
Girls Basketball @ Penasco, JV 4:30 pm, Varsity 6 pm
Friday, January 13
Boys Basketball vs. Aztec, Griffith Gym, 9th grade 3 pm, JV 4:30 pm, Varsity 6 pm
Boys Wrestling @Winslow, Doc Wright Invitational
Saturday, January 14
Boys Basketball vs. Miyamura, Griffith Gym, 9th grade 1 pm, JV 2:30 pm, Varsity 4 pm
Girls Basketball @ Bosque, Varsity 2 pm
Boys Wrestling @Winslow, Doc Wright Invitational
Girls Wrestling @ Winslow
Tuesday, January 17
Boys Basketball @ Moriarty, 9th grade 4 pm, JV 5:30 pm, Varsity 7 pm
Girls Basketball vs. Rio Rancho, Griffith Gym, 9th grade 4 pm, JV 5:30 pm, Varsity 7 pm
Wednesday, January 18
Boys Wrestling @ Espanola
Thursday, January 19
Girls Basketball vs. Moriarty, Griffith Gym, 9th grade 4 pmJV 5:30 pm, Varsity 7 pm
Friday, January 20
Swimming & Diving @ Hobbs
Girls Wrestling @ Atrisco Heritage Academy
Saturday, January 21
Boys Basketball @ Bernalillo, 9th grade 4 pm, JV 5:30 pm, Varsity 7 pm
Swimming & Diving @ Hobbs
Girls Wrestling @ Atrisco Heritage Academy
Tuesday, January 24
Boys Basketball @ Taos, 4 pm
Thursday, January 26
Boys Basketball @ Pojoaque, 4 pm
Friday, January 27
Boys Basketball vs. Espanola, LAMS Gym, 3:30 pm
Student Notes
TFA/LAHS Saturday School
Saturday School will be held from 8:30a-12pm in E-Wing on the following dates:
For more information and to register, visit the Saturday School website.
Info for LAPS Families
LAPS Bus Route Adjustments
White Rock high school and middle school students have morning pick up time changes. Los Alamos middle school students have pick up time and bus changes. Aspen Elementary school will have one less bus serving that site in the morning. Those students are split onto two separate buses (more time changes). Barranca elementary only has one bus change in the morning.
Please note these adjustments:
- Aspen Elementary School: Bus 158 is no longer on route at this site in the morning. Bus 153 and Bus 154 will cover students who previously rode Bus 158.
- Barranca Mesa Elementary School: Bus 148 will be replaced by bus 158 in the morning. No time changes.
- Los Alamos Middle School: Bus 148 is no longer on route in the morning. Bus 152, 153, and 154 will absorb those students. These buses pick up high school students in White Rock. Pick up time changes for students at both school sites in the morning.
Please go to https://laschools.net/transportation/ to review bus routes and times.
Smith's Community Rewards
You can easily connect your card to a school at: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/account/communityrewards/
Thank you for considering this way to give.
PowerSchool Mobile App
If you need help with your login, contact your school secretary or r.schmitz@laschools.net.
Community Events
Topper Review 2023
Become a Los Alamos History Museum Volunteer
With the spring tourist season fast approaching, Los Alamos Historical Society (LAHS) and its History Museum are seeking new volunteers for a variety of positions.
Training sessions focusing on the community’s history and historic district will be offered 4-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays in February and March (Feb. 1, 8, 15 and 22, and March 1 and 8). Participants will meet at 4 p.m. each Wednesday in the Nambe Room in Fuller Lodge.
Training comprises presentations on Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau, covering the Ancestral Puebloans, the homestead era, the Los Alamos Ranch School, the Manhattan Project, and post-war Los Alamos. The sessions also emphasize visitor engagement and customer service. The series is open to the public, registration is not required, and anyone high-school age and up is encouraged to attend.
This training is part of the Historical Society’s volunteer certification program, through which volunteers learn how to serve as docents in the Museum Shop and the historic Hans Bethe House, as tour guides, or as guides to the homestead-era Romero Cabin.
Docents in the Los Alamos History Museum work one to four shifts a month; shifts are two or four hours. Tasks include greeting and orienting visitors, answering questions about Los Alamos history and the community, and overseeing sales in the Museum Shop. Those working in the Hans Bethe House explain the community’s post-war history through the Harold Agnew Cold War Gallery, while Romero Cabin docents share the community’s homestead history.
Tour guides lead guests on 1.5-hour tours featuring a stop inside the homestead-era Romero Cabin, a visit to an ancestral pueblo site, and stories about the Manhattan Project as well as post-war Los Alamos.
Volunteers also work in LAHS’ Archive and Collections (A&C) department, and, although their A&C orientation is very specific, it is also beneficial for them to attend these sessions to enhance their knowledge of community and regional history.
For more information, email Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Armstrong, at volunteers@losalamoshistory.org.
LAPS Newsletter
Please send any comments or questions to:
Editor: Connie Goettee
Los Alamos Public Schools
Email: c.goettee@laschools.net
Website: http://laschools.net/
Location: 2075 Trinity Drive, Los Alamos, NM, USA
Phone: 505-663-2222