School Resources

After-School Care

The day care at Almond School is provided by the YMCA of Silicon Valley. Almond Kids’ Place offers both part-day and full-day kinder care for Almond kindergarten students. Kids’ Place offers PM/after-school care for Almond students in grades 1-6.

For childcare questions, please contact Saadia Aurakzai, Childcare Program Director, at (650) 429-1344. For registration and billing questions, please contact Susie Mayen at (408) 351-6456. For financial aid questions, please contact Kaitlin Nieman at (650) 419-1318.

Child Study Team

This team serves as a resource to classroom teachers and parents to explore possible curriculum modifications and interventions to meet individual needs. The team includes the Principal, Resource Teacher, School Psychologist and three regular education teachers as well as the referring teacher.

CHAC Counseling

Supportive Counseling on the school site is offered by CHAC (Children’s Health Awareness Council, an agency founded jointly by the school district and local cities).

For 2008-2009, Our CHAC counselors are Veronica Foster and Cynthia Wong.

Parent Volunteer Opportunities: Almond parents participate by supervising the Conflict Managers during their lunchtime shifts. Usually a parent supervises once or twice a month. A second opportunity is to participate in training the 5th grade students in two all-morning sessions. All parents will be offered their own training in this special program. The committee needs administrative help as well, including running the incentive program, setting up recognition assemblies and keeping the files up to date.

Early Literacy Program – Avenidas

Avenidas, a private, non-profit agency serving mid-Peninsula seniors, provides volunteers who give one-on-one assistance in reading, writing and comprehension for first to third graders who are falling behind in school.

The mission of Avenidas is to design and deliver innovative services to enrich and improve the lives of older adults and their families, and advocate for their independence and well-being. For more information on Avenidas and their volunteer opportunities, please call (650) 326-5362, or visit their website at www.avenidas.org.

ESL

English as a Second Language Program provides special instruction for part of the day for students to speak English.

Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)

This state funded program provides supplementary instruction and materials to students who qualify for the program. Cross grade grouping is available for students who are highly advanced in math. In most cases, the needs of gifted and high achieving students are met through the challenging and enriched class curriculum offered at our school. Further details on GATE available on the school district web site.

Peace Patrol (Conflict Management Program)

Peace Patrol will not be offered in 2009/10.

The ability to manage and resolve conflicts is not innate. This skill must be explained, modeled, and practiced. We believe that instilling conflict resolution skills in our children will make their lives easier and make our environment more harmonious. Our goal is to provide our children with simple tools and techniques to resolve everyday problems which when ignored can escalate into more serious issues. We hope that once the children are empowered with these tools, they will be able to resolve conflicts among themselves and help their peers, too.

Almond’s Conflict Management program is entering its sixth school year of operation. It is a peer-level program where students have been trained to be Conflict Managers during the 5th grade and carry out what they have learned during the remainder of their 5th grade year as well as in 6th grade. Once “certified”, Conflict Managers are offered duty assignments during morning or lunch recess. These children wear special blue vests and are available to facilitate playground conflict resolution amongst students in grades 1-6. Conflict Managers and the students they help learn how to be active listeners, how to remain neutral and calm, how to brainstorm, and how to be respectful of others’ issues and concerns. Conflict Managers help fellow students solve their own problems in a constructive way.