Spirit Day: Friday, September 25th is "Look a Like Day" |
October 2: Walk and Roll to School
October 8: Minimum Day, Dismissal at 12:15pm
October 9: No School
October 14: Student Picture Day
October 17: Walkathon
October 21: Unity Day
October 30: Halloween Parade @ 9am
October 30: Trunk or Treat @ 5:30pm
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Dear Loyola Families,
Last Saturday evening, my heart was so happy seeing our Loyola community come together for our Multicultural Fair! It was such a wonderful celebration of the many cultures, traditions, and experiences that make our Loyola community so special.
A huge shout-out to Zaynah Rahman, Kavita Shivanand and Susrutha Modepalli, our incredible Multicultural Fair leads, and to all of the amazing families who shared food, crafts, games, and presentations. Your time, energy, and generosity made the evening so much fun for everyone. It was a beautiful reminder that while we may come from many different backgrounds, we are all connected as one Loyola community.
A special thank-you to our Loyola Lions, past and present, who shared their talents through the Tae Kwon Do and sitar presentations. And the Chinese Dragon performance was truly impressive! What a treat for our students and families to experience.
Thank you to everyone who came out, participated, shared, and helped make the evening such a memorable celebration of who we are as a Loyola community.
Be Kind, Be Strong, Be Well,
Kelly Rafferty
Principal, Loyola Elementary
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Our SDC students have been immersed in an integrated learning experience exploring the Great Barrier Reef, bringing together science, reading, writing, art, discussion, and hands-on investigation. Students began with observations and questions, developing their understanding of the reef’s geography, biodiversity, ecosystems, adaptations, food webs, and the interconnected relationships between living and nonliving things. As their learning deepened, students investigated how coral bleaching, pollution, human activity, and environmental change can impact an entire ecosystem.
Throughout the project, students engaged in the deeper learning practices of asking questions, gathering evidence, building models, explaining their thinking, making connections, and communicating their learning. Rather than simply learning about the Great Barrier Reef, students had opportunities to make sense of complex ideas and demonstrate their understanding in multiple ways.
A particularly exciting part of the project has been the exhibition of learning. Students proudly shared their learning and presentations with other classes, inviting classmates to listen, ask questions, and learn alongside them. Last week, eight teachers responded to the invitation, with 3rd and 4th grade classes joining the experience on Friday. These opportunities allowed students to see themselves as experts and teachers while giving their audience an authentic reason to engage with their work.
The project also moved learning beyond the classroom through a connection to Coastal Cleanup Day. Students participated in a schoolyard cleanup, making a direct connection between what they had learned about human impact on the Great Barrier Reef and the choices we make in our own community. Students collected man-made litter, sorted and counted the items they found, recorded their data, and reflected on how individual actions can contribute to the health of an ecosystem.
This is Deeper Learning in action: students asking meaningful questions, connecting ideas across disciplines, applying their learning to an authentic experience, collaborating with others, and making their learning public. Most importantly, students experienced the pride that comes from knowing that their ideas, their work, and their actions can make a difference.
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Congratulations to all the students who received a Respect Card this week! We will call you up at the assembly tomorrow morning to honor you!
Kindergartner: Ruya, Misha, Kenzie, Aiden, Emilia
1st Graders: Nic, Teddie, Krithi
2nd graders: Margaret, Poppy
5th graders: Ella, Hana
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We hope that everyone had the opportunity to come and enjoy delicious food, fun activities and impressive performances at Loyola’s Multicultural Fair this past weekend! A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the families who hosted tables and of course, our creative event leads who worked so hard to make their exciting vision come to life: Kavita Shivanand, Susrutha Modepalli and Zaynah Rahman! The event was amazing–definitely our best Multicultural Fair yet!
Early bird registration ends TOMORROW for the 2026 Rock ‘N’ Roar Walkathon, which will be held on Saturday, October 17 | 10 AM-1 PM! Walkathon T-shirts are only guaranteed for early bird registrants. Click HERE to register before prices go up on Saturday. Students, families, teachers and staff will rock out to a live DJ and enjoy concessions, food trucks and carnival games! Contact Mary Erginsoy ( maryerginsoy@gmail.com) or Aubrey Rotschi ( aubreynorman21@yahoo.com) with questions. Contact Mrs. Rafferty ( krafferty@lasdschools.org) for assistance if the tickets are a financial hardship for you.
Walk & Roll to School Day is on Friday, October 2! Students can participate by walking, biking, using a scooter, or carpooling to school. Families living farther away can park at a nearby park or shopping plaza and walk to school. Arrive early to grab small goodies, get cheers from GreenTown Los Altos and the Loyola mascot, and make a smoothie with a blender bike (8:10 - 8:30 AM and morning recess)! Contact Liisi Esse ( liisi.esse@stanford.edu), Xiaodan Sun ( sunxd1211@gmail.com) or Zaynah Rahman ( zaynah.rahman@gmail.com) with questions.
Halloween is just around the corner–do you have your costumes yet? The PTA will host an eco-friendly Halloween Costume Swap from Monday, October 5 to Thursday, October 8. Start looking through your closets this week for gently used Halloween costumes that your children have outgrown or that you no longer need. Bring them by the Costume Swap Shop and take one (or two) costumes that work better for you this year! All costume sizes are welcome and donations are not required to shop! As always, we will need volunteers; please sign up HERE to staff a shift before or after school! Contact Liz Hwang ( lizhwang12@gmail.com) with questions.
Have a great weekend!
Liz Hwang
PTA President
Mom of Benji Leung (4th)
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Walkathon 2026 t-shirt design winner is Iris Li in Ms. Rubinstein's 5th grade class. Congratulations! |
The LAEF-funded Art Docents program is underway for the 2026–27 school year, and students across the district are already deeply engaged in exploring art. In classrooms from TK through 6th grade, children are engaging with unique art forms, experimenting with materials, and creating original pieces.
These hands-on experiences are possible because families like you support LAEF. Donations to LAEF fund the Art Docents program, along with other specialized teachers, staff, and instructional materials that public funding alone does not cover. Huge thanks to the families who have already donated. If you have not yet made your 2026–27 gift, please consider doing so now during our Fall Fundraising Campaign. Gifts of any amount are greatly valued.
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Step 1: Donate to LAEF
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Step 2: Join and donate to the PTA for each school your children attend
Your donations make programs like Art Docents possible for every elementary student. Thank you for your partnership.
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Nurturing creativity in young artists |
In Blach’s continuing work to build a more inclusive and caring community, all Blach 8th graders will have the opportunity to participate in Challenge Day. Thanks to LAEF, Blach is able to provide this impactful experience for every 8th grader who wants to participate. Since Challenge Day is limited to 100 students, we will run two Challenge Days: Monday, October 5th and Tuesday, October 6th.
The Challenge Day program is approximately 6 hours long and takes place during a school day.
Challenge Day Leaders begin the morning by helping teens step out of their comfort zones through music and games. When the teenagers begin to feel safe in the group, they are then willing to be vulnerable with one another and connect as human beings and no longer from stereotypes and labels that have been placed upon them such as “nerds”, “jocks”, “popular”, etc. Leaders also spend a portion of the morning talking about the healthy expression of emotions, and the negative effects of keeping feelings inside. During the afternoon, participants dive into the issue of social oppression and examine the impact oppression has on their lives and the lives of people around them. By the end of the afternoon, participants have an opportunity to take a stand against oppression, make amends for hurts they have caused each other, and state their commitment to creating change on their campus and in their community. The day is both inspiring and awakening for students and adults.
Challenge Day is also a wonderful springboard for our 8th graders just prior to their weeklong trip to Yosemite. The bonds formed up in Yosemite are made even easier, and tighter, because of their Challenge Day experience.
Students are encouraged to share as little or as much as they want during Challenge Day. The level of participation is completely up to the student. Just being in the room is a powerful experience.
A critical component to Challenge day is a 4 students to 1 adult ratio. If you’re a parent who has been looking to get involved at Blach and have a strong interest in helping our community grow in unity and caring, this is your chance! We would welcome community members who may not even have a child at Blach helping out as well. We need many adults to make this happen so we are asking for your help. We invite parents, other family members, or even members of the greater community to assist us on that day. If you, are someone you know, could help us out on either October 5th or 6th, please fill out a short form by clicking on this link.
If you have any questions, please contact Blach principal, Wade Spenader at wspenader@lasdschools.org
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