December 2, 2022

From the Desk of Dr. Smith

National Special Education Day

Celebrated annually every December 2nd, National Special Education Day is dedicated to honoring the federal special education law instituted on December 2, 1972, and the students, staff, administration, and parents striving to make special education possible for special students. The term “special education” refers to the “practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs." Its main aim is to prevent the exclusion of disabled students from school, as well as to help them to succeed in their studies and achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency. Special education provides accommodations to students with a wide range of disabilities, including physical, developmental, and learning disabilities, as well as communication disorders and emotional and behavioral disorders. These accommodations can include, but are not limited to, a special classroom or specifically adapted teaching area, the use of special technology, different approaches to the teaching process, and more. We are so thankful that in ALSD we have highly skilled educators that work closely with ALL students, and also have the understanding and care to serve our differently-abled students, meeting their unique needs to ensure access and equity for all.



In the United States, the right of students with disabilities for special education is ensured by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), originally titled the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). It guarantees that students with disabilities have the same opportunity for education as non-disabled students. Before IDEA, schools were not required to accommodate students with disabilities, and tragically, many disabled students received little to no education. While some states did have special schools for children with disabilities, a lot of parents simply couldn’t afford to have their children attend such schools, and even if they could, special schools did not necessarily offer the same quality of education nor inclusive opportunities. So, as you can see, National Special Education Day is very important and once again, we are so thankful for our students, families and staff throughout ALSD that work to serve these amazing children every day!

Upcoming District Events

• Wednesday, December 7 - State of the District, 5:30 pm at the District Support Center
• Wednesday, December 14 - Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00 pm at the District Support Center
• Thursday, December 22 - Modified Day
• Friday, December 23 - Friday, January 6 - Winter Recess
• Monday, January 9 - Students Return
• Monday, January 16 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Non- School Day)

The Peer Assistance Leadership Program (PAL) is another piece of what makes Jasper Elementary a special place to be. PAL is designed to help build a positive school climate and supports the development of 21st century skills. The PAL students have regular meetings to discuss ways to support students and teachers on the Jasper Campus. The PAL students have “Friday Jobs'' where they support TK and Kinder classes, set up board games for morning recess, clean the campus, and facilitate appropriate play skills for primary students. Special thanks to Jorge Martinez and Ashley Sifuentes for making this possible.

Before Thanksgiving break, Stork celebrated with 393 students who achieved their First Trimester AR Goal! Students were rewarded with a cartoon drawing lesson from the principal. After their art lesson, students lined up to make their own treat bag, courtesy of our wonderful PFSA!

Thank you PFSA for supporting our students! Awesome job Superstars! We are so proud of you! #together we're better #superstarsSHINE

The ALJH staff hopes that everyone had a great Thanksgiving week off! Prior to break, our campus was alive with various activities such as: ASB hot chocolate sales, light energy projects in 8th grade science, and “Build a Turkey" relay races in our PE classes. We want to thank our families for representing us at our ASB Dine-out at Tacocino, ZPizza, and Crumbl. It is always so good to see how our Warrior Families show up for our students and our school! #warriorPRIDE

Alta Loma Elementary School

From Principal Josh Jauss:

Last week at Alta Loma Elementary we were able to welcome our new and permanent Assistant Principal Sheryl Collins. Mrs. Collins is an amazing educator that comes with a ton of heart and experience. I was also able to find the time to play a little basketball with a few of the older students and to sit down with some of our younger ones. In the library, we were able to read and have a discussion on empathy and kindness. Our younger students learned and discussed a few vocabulary words while talking about the importance of recognizing how others are feeling. 

Carnelian PTA’s Hoedown did not disappoint! What an incredible tradition for our Cardinal community! Families and staff brought their appetites and had plenty of food and dessert options. There was a petting zoo available, which included rabbits, sheep, an alpaca, and baby pigs. A professional bull rider was available for autographs, as well as a chance for students to practice their lasso skills on a bull haystack. Students had the opportunity to throw pies at the staff or pay to put someone in jail for a few minutes. There were several raffle gift baskets available, carnival games and even balloon animals. Every Carnelian Cardinal student received a wristband that allowed them 3 free activities during the event. It was such a wonderful memory that our incredible, hard-working PTA created for our community. Carnelian wants everyone to remember to “Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Proud and Have a Great Cardinal Day!”