We have quite a few events happening here at Los Alisos Middle School. Next week, March 6th – 10th , This week is Parent Teacher conferences. School will be on a Minimum Day Schedule Students will be released at 1:15 all week. Teachers will be reaching out to schedule meetings for students earning a D or an F in their class. Most teachers have sent sign-up sheets home with your student please sign and return them ASAP. We ask that you meet with your student to look over their grades on PowerSchool. As always, if you did not receive a conference request and would like to meet with the teacher, please reach out to the teacher via email to schedule a meeting.

We continue to meet with 8th Grade students to discuss upcoming promotion. Students were sent home with the Promotion Requirements Letter. Students were asked to review this document with their parent and bring it back signed. We want to remind our students that participation in the 8th grade Promotional Ceremony is an earned privilege. Please read the rules for participation in the 8th grade Promotion Ceremony and understand that these criteria are in place. Specifically, in order to participate in the ceremony, students must have:

• Grades 2.0 Cumulative GPA/ “C” average (for the 8th Grade year only)
  
• Course Failures No more than 1 “F” in the same subject area class during both semesters
  
• Suspensions No more than 1 out-of-school suspension during the second semester
  
• Attendance No more than “5” tardies per period during the second semester;
  
• No more than “3” unexcused absences (truancy or parent violation), which includes partial day unexcused absences during the second semester

March Events for Parents/Guardians

3/6- 3/10 - Parent Teacher Conferences 1:30 - 3:00 pm

3/7 - ELAC Meeting 8:45 in the MPR

3/16 - Spring Photos for all Students - Dress to impress!

3/18 - Yearbook & Band Fundraiser ay Applebees 8:00 am - 10:00am

3/23 - PTSA Meeting & Elections 8:45 in the MPR

Heart Health Awareness

The American Heart Challenge program is kicking off on March 8th! To get ready, help your child join our school team by downloading the FREE American Heart Challenge App apple or android or by visiting http://www2.heart.org/goto/LosAlisos

Your child will choose their daily heart healthy challenge:

• Think Positive Every day
• Choose Kindness

Once registered, get started on Finn’s Mission by personalizing your page, sending emails or texts, and posting on social media! You will also learn Hands-Only CPR and take a quiz on the dangers of vaping.

Help us reach our goal of 100% of students taking the online challenge this year and learn Hands-Only CPR through FINN’S MISSION! Students who register before the assembly will get a special shoutout during the live presentation and a American Heart Challenge Decal!! Thank you for your support!

The Counseling Department has been busy this month of February!

The School Counselors, Wellness Specialist and interns have been pushing into the classrooms to conduct Social emotional Lessons. For 6th grade, we reviewed healthy coping skills. In 7th grade, we discussed the aspects of healthy friendships. In 8th grade, we reviewed stress management and some resources they can use at home and on campus.

The Coffee with the Counselors this past month was focused on Substance Use Prevention with guest speakers from LA CADA. We held an in person workshop, and a virtual workshop in the evening. For more information about LA CADA, you may visit www.lacada.com for additional resources for substance use prevention.

Our biggest upcoming event is Career Day 2023 on March 23, 2023 for our middle school students! We are hosting various career panels for all grade levels with guest presenters to discuss their career and path with our students. If you are interested in presenting to our students, please see the attached flyer and fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/yRcduUM2nS5tCGMp6 . Please reach out to Monica Rosales at morosales@nlmusd.org with any questions.

Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between different activities. Get it right, and you'll end up working smarter, not harder, to get more done in less time – even when time is tight and pressures are high.

-Students will explore their time management choices and how it impacts their grades and different areas of their life.

For the month of March, our Associated Student Body is focusing on the character trait of creativity. We are encouraging our students to welcome challenges to their imagination so they can be inspired to find new solutions as they carry forward closer and closer to Spring Break! Our next assembly is coming on Wednesday March 15th! We will be looking to highlight our creative Lobos, and several of our academic programs during the session!

March is also International Women’s History Month and we will be intentional at bringing up the contributions to society to all our amazing women in morning announcements and other activities!

On Friday March 17th, students will be encouraged to wear Green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Recently, ASB also concluded February with our Kingdom of Hearts Dance that was filled with music, food, games, and fun for our students as they demonstrated their “love,” for our campus!

In order to prepare our 8th grade AVID students for college, we have to make a 5 year plan. This plan is a way to map out the classes that need to be taken in high school, not only to graduate, but also to be accepted into a university. High school use a list of requirements called A-G High School requirements. It gives you a list of all the subjects that need to be taken in high school and how many years for each subject. These classes are solely for graduating high school.

If students are going to apply to a university, there are other requirements, in addition to the A-G requirements, to be accepted into that college. In AVID, we map out each year from 8th grade through 12th grade. The students will choose the classes they plan to take for each year of high school. It is a tentative schedule of classes that guide the students on the right path to college.

Based on a grant sponsored by Dr. Maja Mataric (USC professor) and the hard work of Dr. Jimenez (our former Principal) and Tania Magana (our Principal) Los Alisos Middle School offers 6th grade students an Introduction to Robotics using the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 platform. Students will engage in critical thinking and hands-on experiences using the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 platform. Students will learn algorithmic thinking through program design, basic engineering design,and hardware and software troubleshooting skills, in this semester. The image to the left is a virtual robot using Lego Digital Designer. Students will also have an opportunity to develop and design a virtual robotics world using this program

Video Production is an elective class offered for 7th/8th-grade students. This course introduces students to various techniques applied across digital media. Students learn about these artistic skills and concepts but also apply their understanding through the weekly production of Lobo News. The student-centered production emphasizes school culture, themes, and interviews that are of interest to our student body.