Dear LASD Parents and Community,

Welcome to the Los Altos School District (LASD)! I'm very excited about the great promise this year holds for our district. Standardized test scores show the district ranked #2 out of the almost 1,000 districts in the state of California. LASD has ranked #1 or #2 statewide every year since there have been rankings. We are committed to educational excellence in each of our schools.

We can take pride in the fact that our district has performed extremely well on all standardized measures of achievement. However, we should take even greater pride in knowing that it is accomplished while maintaining our dedication to the whole education of each individual child. Students receive a balanced education including music, art, physical education, sports, field trips, as well as development of character and social skills. Through this, we create curious, confident, well-rounded and intelligent children.

One of the hallmarks of LASD is the fact that we don't rest on our laurels! Over the course of 2009, the following are some of the key areas the school board and district will focus on:

- Implementing a new mathematics curriculum with the very latest, well-articulated teaching practices and materials, providing classes for all ranges of learners from very highly gifted to those needing extra support

- Continuing to attract and retain outstanding teachers and principals

- Further training to incorporate digital resources into classroom teaching, while identifying nationwide best practices

At the same time, state budget difficulties and the current harsh downturn create immense challenges for school districts. One of the reasons for our district's longstanding success even in difficult times has been the value our community has placed on education.

Our ability to effectively educate our 4200+ students results from a strong partnership between parents, teachers, students, administrators and consistently strong support from the community-at-large. Our community attracts the type of people who value education.

The thousands of hours parents contribute each year at all our schools, the community parcel tax, contributions made to the Los Altos Educational Foundation (www.laefonline.org) and vibrant school PTA's demonstrate a collaborative partnership tapestry that is unparalleled within most public school districts.

In the spirit of community, I welcome and encourage an ongoing dialog between all members of the LASD community-at-large and the school board and encourage you to contact your school board members with any comments, questions or suggestions. My fellow board members and I are honored to be serving as trustees of our outstanding schools.

Sincerely,

 
David Pefley
President, Board of Trustees

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