Almond Eagles

Posted Date: 08/04/26 (07:00 AM)

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August 03, 2026

Upcoming Dates

August 7: Class placements emailed home
August 12: First Day of School!
August 13: Almond Popsicle Social and Activities Fair
August 15: LASD Welcome Back Social and Volunteer Fingerprinting (hosted at Almond)
August 20: Back to School Night
August 31: First Day of Full-day Kindergarten
September 4: Minimum Day; Students dismissed at 12:15pm
September 7: Labor Day- No School
September 8: First Day of Full-day TK
September 14 & 15: Picture Day
September 15-18: 6th Grade at Science Camp

Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year!

Principal's Message

Dear Almond Families,

I hope you've had a wonderful summer filled with time to relax, reconnect, and enjoy these last days before school begins. As the start of a new year approaches, I am feeling refreshed, inspired, and excited to welcome our Almond Ohana back on Wednesday, August 12th!

The teachers, staff, and I are excited to welcome students to campus next week and we look forward to a great year ahead. We hope you’ll find ways to get involved in the Almond community.

While summer has been a time for rest and adventure for many, our dedicated staff has been hard at work preparing for an incredible year ahead. Our teachers and support staff have been thoughtfully planning engaging learning experiences, connecting with new families, organizing classrooms, and getting everything ready for our students' return. Our outstanding custodial team has worked tirelessly all summer to ensure our campus is clean, safe, and welcoming, and our incredible PTA has been busy planning opportunities that will bring our community together through fun events and meaningful family engagement.

At Almond, we are united by a shared commitment to helping every child grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Together, we strive to create learning experiences that are rigorous, personalized, and rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and purpose. As we continue our journey with Deeper Learning, I look forward to partnering with our families and staff to create a joyful, inclusive, and inspiring school year where every Eagle feels valued, challenged, and empowered to thrive.

Next week, we will kick things off with some PTA-sponsored connection opportunities:

Wednesday August 12: coffee mingle outside the Multi 8:30-9:30
Thursday August 13: Coffee mingle outside the Multi 8:30-9:30
Thursday August 13: Popsicle Social and Activities Fair on the Blacktop 6:00-7:30
Friday August 14: Coffee mingle outside the Multi 8:30-9:30
Saturday August 15: LASD district Welcome Back Social 5:30-7:00

After taking first-day photos under our balloon arch and wishing your child a wonderful first day, we invite you to stay for coffee and mingle with other families outside the Multi on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30–9:30 a.m.

Then, join us on Thursday evening, August 13, from 6:00–7:30 p.m. for our Popsicle Social and Activities Fair on the blacktop. Keep the fun going as Almond hosts families from across the district for our Welcome Back Social on the blacktop on Saturday, August 15, from 5:30–7:00 p.m.

Thanks to our PTA for making this event possible—we hope to see you there! Be sure to subscribe to the Almond school calendar link to stay up to date on important dates and events. If you haven’t already, please complete your Annual Student Form in PowerSchool as soon as possible.

At Almond, we are committed to providing every student with an exceptional learning experience, a commitment that requires support beyond public funding. LAEF and our PTAs have long shared the work of raising those funds. This year, fundraising responsibility for instructional programs and materials is shifting from PTAs to LAEF.

As you consider your school donations this year, we encourage families to prioritize giving to LAEF to support instructional programs and materials, such as arts curriculum and technology devices. Then please join the Almond PTA and volunteer! Creating an exceptional school experience takes all of us.

LASD Back to School Steps:

Step 1: Donate to LAEF

Step 2: Join and support the PTA for each school your children attend

START HERE: lasdeducationpartners.org

Welcome to an amazing year! I look forward to seeing you on the blacktop!

Warmly,

Raquel

Almond Principal

650-917-5400

Our 2026-27 Almond PTA and LAEF representatives:

PTA President: Lydia Buurma, president@almondpta.org

LAEF Board Representatives: Dharini Shukla, dharini.s.shukla@gmail.com and Jessica Shambora, jshambora@gmail.com

Visit the Almond school website at https://www.almondschool.org or the Almond school PTA website at https://www.almondpta.org to learn about Almond’s events, staff, schedule, and more.

Meet Almond’s Newest Staff Members

Melissa Ibarra - 4th grade

My name is Melissa Cortes Ibarra, and I am excited to begin my first year as a 4th grade teacher at Almond Elementary School! I am originally from Palo Alto, California, and earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Sonoma State University. Before becoming a classroom teacher, I worked as a Resource Aide in Special Education at Egan Junior High School for three years, where I developed a strong passion for supporting students with diverse learning needs.

I recently completed my teacher residency through Teachers College of San Joaquin, where I was placed in a 4th grade classroom at Santa Rita Elementary School. During my residency, I gained valuable hands-on teaching experience and had the opportunity to plan lessons, build meaningful relationships with students, and grow as an educator.

I am passionate about creating a positive, engaging, and supportive learning environment where every student feels valued and empowered to grow both academically and personally. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy going to the movie theater, exploring new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending quality time with my family, partner, and friends.

I am thrilled to be joining the Almond Elementary community and look forward to partnering with students, families, and colleagues to make this a wonderful school year!

Melody Fettig - 5th grade

After a year of volunteering with Living Classroom within the LASD community, I am excited to be teaching fifth grade at Almond (it was my favorite garden!). I grew up in Bend, Oregon but have lived in the Bay Area for a total of 14 years. I originally conducted research in molecular biology for a decade before becoming a mom and switching careers to support the naturally curious minds of children. After getting my start as an instructional aide at my daughter’s school, I went to Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon to get a master’s degree in education. As a classroom teacher, I taught three years at a 4th-8th grade school, focusing my general education skills on upper elementary while also teaching middle school science. My love for teaching has grown stronger every year since I started this journey eight years ago. When I'm not in the classroom I spend my time reading, listening to music, and enjoying all sorts of fun activities with my daughter, husband and dogs. I am thrilled for the 2026-27 school year!

Special upcoming events - We hope to see you there!

Quick Links

Next week, our office team will send out more Back to School information and details. Each Thursday, we will send our Almond Thursday word newsletter. In the meantime, feel free to familiarize yourself with these resources:

Other Important Info:

Our community should have received the 26-27 Annual Student Information Update from the District Office. It is linked here as well. Please take a few moments to update this important information. Please be aware that only one parent can submit this form. After a parent begins the process, the other will no longer be able to access it.
Attendance: If your child is going to be absent, please either call the attendance line at 650-947-5454, fill out this form on the website, or email Almond at abigailmartinez@lasdschools.org