LET'S GET FESTIVE
SPIRIT WEEK STARTS MONDAY!
MONDAY, 12/14
MS/US Pajama Day

TUESDAY, 12/15
MS/US Hit the Slopes (skiwear)

WEDNESDAY, 12/16
MS/US Holiday Colors (Green, Red, Blue, White, etc.)

THURSDAY, 12/17
MS/US Holiday Socks and Hats

FRIDAY, 12/18
Gr. EK-12 Ugly Sweaters

For students in Grades 5-12. LS students will dress up on Friday only.
Faculty and staff are welcome to join in on the fun, too!
SAVE THE DATE FOR NEXT WEEK'S EK-12 VIRTUAL WINTER CONCERT!
This special holiday performance will take place next Thursday, December 17 at 6PM.

Though we can't be in person this year, this festive event will be live-streamed so each Laguna family can watch it "live" together and enjoy all the hard work of our talented students and dedicated music teachers.

Laguna families, be on the lookout for the event link next week!
FOURTH GRADE MAKES WAVES WITH COLLABORATIVE SOUND UNIT
The fourth grade started the year in art, music, and science with a wonderfully collaborative unit about sound waves.

Mrs. Markstrum kicked off the exciting unit in her music class. Part of the regular Fourth Grade music curriculum includes students learning to play the ukulele. Usually, Fourth Grade puts chords and melodies together outside of ORFF instruments. Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, Mrs. Markstrum got creative with her music curriculum and designed a unit especially for the fourth grade class where they built their own ukuleles using kits.
WINTER FUN AT LOWER SCHOOL FAMILY ART NIGHT
Last week's Family Art Night was a hit!

Lower School Art Teacher Ms. Guay kicked off this fun community event with a reading of "The Lonely Snowflake" by Patrick S. Stemp, which served as an introduction of the surprise art project: snowflakes!

The snowflakes were made out of glue, salt, and food coloring on construction paper. The sparkly art pieces are sure to bring some holiday cheer to each little artist's home!

Thank you, Ms. Guay, for leading such a memorable event!
MIDDLE SCHOOL PRE-ALGEBRA CLASS GETS CREATIVE WITH GRAHAM CRACKER HOUSE PROJECT
Mr. MacNaughton's Pre-Algebra class is embracing the upcoming holidays with a project where students will design, build, and calculate the surface area and volume of their own Graham Cracker Houses. This style of project-based learning is fun, relatable, and provides a real-world application of math that also gives the students creative freedom and replaces the need for a formal unit test. Pictured are students in the design process where they are building prototypes from construction paper to assess the feasibility of their designs given certain parameters.
UPPER SCHOOL ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLASS CONSULTS WITH LOCAL BUSINESS, ROHO GOODS
Students in Mr. MacNaughton's Entrepreneurship & Innovation class presented the results of their business analysis to their second local business on Thursday, 12/10. Roho Goods is a local, woman owned, ethically sourced business that offers one-of-a-kind Kenyan beaded leather sandals, cowhide bags, African beaded jewelry, Binga Baskets, and cowhide home goods that create a meaningful impact. Students were tasked with proposing a national expansion plan for the business as they seek to grow beyond their current local borders.
STUDENT HOLDS BAKE SALE TO BENEFIT UNITY SHOPPE, HONOR BARBARA TELLEFSON
By Blake DeVine & Jessica Brest
KEYT News

A bake sale was held by a local volunteer and student to raise money for the Unity Shoppe and honor its late founder, Barbara Tellefson, this holiday season. The sale was stationed outside the Santa Barbara Design Center on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and run by volunteer and Laguna Blanca junior Nicole Khodabandehlou.

Nicole has been a volunteer for the Unity Shoppe since she was in elementary school and has held fundraisers for the organization over the past five years, raising thousands of dollars.

This year, her annual bake sale looked a little different. Nicole wanted to honor the Unity Shoppe's late founder, Barbara Tellefson.
WARM THINGS DRIVE RUNS THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15!
The student-run Sock Club helps to provide support to those experiencing homelessness by raising money and collecting clothing donations throughout the year, while also building strong and meaningful relationships with those in our community who are struggling.

The winter season is an especially hard time for those experiencing homelessness, and the Sock Club's annual Warm Things Drive brings in donations of gently used clothes, blankets, or sleeping bags so that they can help as much as possible. This year, with Covid-19 in mind, they ask that donations all be in sealed plastic bags or trash bags. 

If you would like to donate, please find the bins on your campus, which should be by the pick-up and drop-off area. Look for the signs!

Thank you!

DONATION TIMES
LOWER SCHOOL
Please drop off at Lower School only during morning drop-off (7:45-8:15AM)  and during afternoon car line.

MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL
Please drop off items at the gym (specifically in the area towards the end of the drop off and pick up car line). Donation times: 8:00AM to 2:45PM.
THANK YOU TO OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR A WONDERFUL MEAL!
It was an absolute treat for our faculty and staff members to enjoy a beautiful and delicious meal courtesy of the Board of Trustees! THANK YOU!

Apropos Catering did an incredible job of providing each staff member and their families with this lovely mid-week pick-me-up. We are so thankful!
PARENTS AND FAMILIES, YOU ARE INVITED TO A SPECIAL HOLIDAY EVENT!
Let's celebrate the holidays together...virtually! We can't wait for this exciting, PA-hosted performance and to see new and familiar faces. We hope you can join us!
GET A JUMP START ON READING FOR NEXT MONTH'S CHALLENGE SUCCESS BOOK CLUB!
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
6:30PM on Zoom

The book selection for this year’s Challenge Success Book Club is Deviced! Balancing Life and Technology in a Digital World by Doreen Dodgen-Magee.

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Dodgen-Magee, award winning author, speaker, and psychologist, will join us for our discussion. Families of students in all divisions are invited to read and attend this informative and engaging evening.

You're encouraged to read the book selection before the book club meeting. Don't want to read? Click here for the Amazon Audible version.

You can register for this event by emailing Andra Wilson or Kim Valentine.
COMPLETE YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH LAGUNA SPIRIT WEAR!
Get in the holiday and Laguna spirit with some Laguna Spirit Wear! Order online and pick-up at the Gym entrance on Tuesday, 12/15 at 3PM. This is your last opportunity to pick up Spirit Wear before the new year!
THANK YOU, LAGUNA FAMILIES!
Thank you to all our families who have supported the 2020-21 Laguna Fund this fall! We are at 45% family participation, and TOGETHER can reach our goal of 100%! The Laguna Fund is the philanthropic backbone of our school and allows us to say YES to all the unique and invaluable programming that makes a Laguna education special.
 
In this season of giving, please join us in making a gift to the Laguna Fund. Every donation, big or small, is fully tax-deductible, meaningful, and celebrated!
 
Give online today or pledge your support by emailing Associate Director of Development Danielle Sekurski or calling 805.687.1372.
THIS WEEK'S GRATITUDE GRAM
This week's gratitude gram is dedicated to our Support Staff Coordinator and Middle & Upper School Library Assistant Matt Escobar! Matt and his team have provided endless support to both our in-person and remote learners as well as ensured that all are happy and safe while on campus. We are so grateful!

A few words from his colleagues:

"Matt Escobar goes above and beyond for our remote learners, and is truly caring. So thankful!"

"Matt Escobar stepped up, taking on so many roles for us, from the Library to the COVID Support Team. Much love and respect for all you do, brother."

"All of Matt Escobar’s crew for helping us and our kids each and every day."
COUNSELOR CORNER
FROM THE HEART WITH KIM VALENTINE
IMPACT PARENTS: HELPING PARENTS HELP KIDS
There are two free workshops coming up this month for all parents and families. 

Why Don’t Parents of Complex Kids Get the Help They Need
Friday, December 11, 9–10AM

What do parents want? Why don't they usually get it? And why hasn't anything changed in the last ten years?

Is it lack of information? Stigma? Funding? This summer, Impact Parents conducted research with nearly 200 parents to find out what parents want, and why they usually don't get it! The results were exactly what we discovered ten years ago – so why hasn't anything changed?
 
The Truth about Lying (In Kids and Adults)
Tuesday, December 15, 11AM–12PM

Why do people lie? What are the different types of lies? How does ADHD make lying more tempting? Discover strategies to increase honesty, manage emotions & expectations (for both the liar and lie inviter), get clear on when objective truth matters (and doesn’t), fix a lie, make amends, and more. Learn to break the cycle of lying and build trust in your most important relationships.
RAISING RESILIENT GIRLS AT HOME WORKSHOP
You're invited to Girls Leadership's free online workshop for parents and families.
 
Raising Resilient Girls at Home
Monday, December 14, 3:00-4:15PM

Raising Resilient Girls at Home means raising girls experiencing increased anxiety and stress, more time online navigating online relationships, and modeling for our kids 24/7 without an end date in sight. Girls Leadership's New York Board Chair & Educator Crystyn Wright and Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer Simone Marean offer a reflection on how to lay the social-emotional foundation for wellness, voice, and influence.
WHOOO ARE YOU?
NAME: Lisa Vance
POSITION AT LAGUNA: Second Grade Teacher

What is the first thing you do in the morning? 
Feed my chocolate lab, Rocket.

What is your go-to song of the moment?
"I Don't Know" by the Beastie Boys. It's been one of my favorite songs for decades.

What is something that most people don’t know about you?
I was in the Thanksgiving episode of Friends (starting at time stamp :42).