Dear Families and Friends of Los Ranchos,

You may have heard from your student(s) that the 2015 Walk-A-Thon results are in and that they are amazing!! At the beginning of October our students were given a fundraising target of $52,000.  $52,000 was achieved in 2013 but came down to $46,000 in 2014 - we knew it was a big target, but we also knew that it could be done.  

We are pleased to share that, not only did this community rise to the challenge of meeting that target, you blew it out of the water by raising an astounding $62,000!!!  And it doesn't stop there. . . . . we are fortunate to have two "corporate" sponsorships this year - MindBody and Greengate Ranch & Vineyards.  Together these two businesses contributed $6,500, bringing the total amount raised to $68,500.  Simply amazing!  We feel honored to be part of such a generous and committed community that will rise to the challenge and stretch itself, financially, to support the education of it's children.  Well done!  

Together, the Los Ranchos PTA (Parents, Teachers and Administrators) will discuss and decide on how to best utilize the funds raised that go beyond the funding of the many wonderful programs the PTA funds year after year.

Finally, none of this would have happened without the army of amazing volunteer parents that this school is so fortunate to have.  It would be quite lengthy for us to specifically thank everyone who took part in making this year's event such a big success . . . but we would like to take a minute and highlight a few.  First and foremost, we'd like to thank the 2014-2015 PTA Executive Board. They had a vision to create a more community focused Walk-a-thon where students and families could all participate together in the event.  Thank you Laurie DeSchryver, Stacey White, Joanna Whitcher and Karna Stitt for making this happen - the day was fantastic! Thank you Erika Schuetze and your team of amazing parents for leading the charge on sponsorships and student pledge tracking. The results speak for themselves!!   And, Heidi Gill, once again for organizing the many amazing volunteers that come out to help on the day of the event.  It takes a village and this community is one amazing village!!!    

We wish you and your families a very restful and memorable Thanksgiving holiday.

Sincerely,

Marlie Schmidt and Jen Ross

Dear Families and Friends of Los Ranchos,

We are looking forward to Parent Conferences next week. It is a great time to sit with your child's teacher and celebrate the progress and successes of your student. It is also a great time to learn about ways to support next trimester's goals.

Another thing to think about next week is planning more time for picking up. All of our students will be released at 1:00 p.m., except TK. TK pick-up will still be at 12:20 p.m. Our kinder students will be part of the pick-up crowd. Please be on the look out. Plan for extra time and be prepared for additional delays.

We appreciate the team spirit that our parents embrace. We know that linking arms with you will help ensure the academic, social and emotional success of every student. Our partnership is critical.

We look forward to seeing you next week.
Sincerely,
Marlie Schmidt

Dear Families and Friends of Los Ranchos,

The Los Ranchos Walk-a-thon this year was a new twist on an old tradition. As you know, the whole school walked, ran, and skipped our way around a quarter mile course for a whole hour. Then, we celebrated our achievement with a family picnic rocking to the music of DJ Wetzel. What a fun-filled day! 

I want to thank the Walk-a-Thon leaders who worked tirelessly to re-organize this event. Their work paid off. All 484 students, teachers, and many parents joined in the challenge. It was quite an accomplishment. The focus was on "Team Los Ranchos" and we felt like a team. Students raced each other, encouraged, cheered and nudged each other. We could not have done it without you, our army of volunteer parents, grandparents and friends. You checked every lap, poured gallons of water, and provided encouragement at every turn.  Your support motivated and inspired us.

We are now in the last stretch of the Walk-a-Thon. We need one last push from everyone to make this as financially successful as it was fun-filled.  As you know this is our only fundraising event of the year. The money we raise funds enriching and educational experiences for all 484 students all year long.  

We thank you in advance for your generous support and contributions.

Sincerely,

Marlie Schmidt

Student Holidays

Friday, November 6th is a teacher workday - NO STUDENTS Wednesday, November 11th - Veteran's Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
November 23rd-27th - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL
Minimum Days
Monday - Friday - November 16-20th - Minimum Days. 
K-6th grades dismissed at 1pm
TK dismissed at 12:20pm

Noon Supervisors

We need your help. We are looking for some new noon supervisors. We  need you, whether you can commit to one, two, three, four or five days a week. It is not great money, and the hours are difficult (12:00 - 1:00). But, it is a great opportunity to get to know your child’s school community in a new and more meaningful way. You will also be playing a critical role in the safety and well being of our students.  Please let Cherie Bruce know if you are interested,
596-4075.

Tinker Room

Our students will have another new opportunity for a lunch time activity. Starting this week, thanks to the ingenuity and creativity of a Los Ranchos parent, Erin Lindvall will be leading a Tinker Room on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Intermediate grades will attend on Wednesdays, and 2nd & 3rd graders will attend on Thursdays. Erin has some great ideas to grow this program. She is looking for a few more parents/volunteers to join in the fun. Please contact Cherie Bruce if you are interested in participating.

Holiday Parties - safety

We have a student who has a life-threatening allergy to LATEX. This means that should this student touch products/toys with latex in them, or if someone plays with latex toys and touches the student, he/she could go into anaphylactic shock. This is a severe allergic reaction involving the respiratory tract and or several bodily systems at the same time, potentially leading to death.


Balloons, erasers, rubber bands, Band-Aids, gloves, rubber balls, Kush balls are just some examples of the many types of items that could cause this life-threatening reaction.

How you can help... Many classrooms will begin planning holiday parties on campus and in classrooms. Right now the most pressing concern is balloons. If you are sending balloons to campus or using them for school events, please make sure they are MYLAR not latex. This will help insure student safety.

The key characteristics of latex are that it may have an odor, it is stretchy and soft. When in doubt, please call the school and we will help determine if something is safe to bring to school.

Thank you for your help and cooperation in keeping school safe and fun for everyone.