HALLOWEEN HAPPINESS!
So much fun was had on both campuses on Monday during our Halloween festivities! Click the link below to see photos from the day.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PUMPKIN DECORATING AND CARVING CONTEST WINNERS!
Middle School Winners

First Place: Lila Kia-Keating '28
Second Place: Greta Alldredge '29
Third Place: Cason Hammond '27
Upper School Winners

First Place: Jesus Arriaga '24
Second Place: Brandon Fuladi '26
Third Place: Nikki Mielcarek '24
TELL A FRIEND ABOUT OUR UPCOMING ADMISSIONS EVENTS!
Laguna's Virtual Open House events are coming up for our Lower and Middle School Divisions!

Prospective families are invited to meet Laguna teachers and students and learn more about what makes Laguna's programs so special. Each event will take place from 5:30-6:30PM. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants prior to each event.

Thursday, November 10
Grades EK-4

Tuesday, November 15
Grades 5-8
JOIN US NEXT WEEK AT THE FA LUNCH & LEARN!
Speaker: Debra Kessler, Clinical Psychologist 

Road to the Future: How to Grow Your Child's Resilience

This Lunch & Learn will focus on teaching our children how to self-regulate so they are able to handle anything that life throws their way.
FAMILY ASSOCIATION HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
Stay tuned for more details about this favorite Family Association holiday event!
SAVE THE DATES FOR THESE UPCOMING FAMILY ASSOCIATION EVENTS
Family Association Lunch & Learn
Tuesday, November 8
11:45AM-1PM

FA Community Service Day
Saturday, December 3
9-11AM
Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

This event is geared towards students ages 5-18 and their family members and friends.


Family Association Holiday Luncheon
Wednesday, December 7
11:30AM
Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center at East Beach
 
23rd Annual Holiday Trolley of Lights Tour
Sunday, December 11
4:15PM
Only 16 spots left!


Wine Tasting at J.Wilkes Tasting Room
Tuesday, December 13
6-8:30PM

This event is $10/person. The price includes a tasting of 5 select wines. 15% of all the wine and food purchased at the event will be donated to the Family Association. Tickets will be available soon!
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE LOS PADRES FALL TRIP
Laguna's Los Padres Club's first trip of the year will take place from Friday, December 2 through Sunday, December 4.

The Los Padres club works with the Los Padres Forest Association (LPFA) to clean/restore rundown trails. Every year, the club plans two trips during which Upper School students and at least two Laguna faculty members spend time backpacking into the Los Padres forest. The group spends a few hours a day on the trails, cutting and trimming any brush, trees, or weeds that may be in the way of a hiker. The rest of the time, students are free to roam around and explore the area, go swimming in nearby watering holes, go on beautiful hikes, and spend time with friends.

The Los Padres Club will host its first information session on Wednesday, November 9 at lunch in Ruston Amphitheatre for anyone who is interested in learning more.

Upper School students interested in joining the trip must sign up by Google Doc and pay a $100 deposit by November 18.

More details and a packing list to follow!
MIDDLE SCHOOL ERB TESTING IS COMING UP
Throughout the week of November 14, our Middle School students will take the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) assessment. Students will test for approximately 75 minutes each day, Monday through Thursday. ERB assessments are the most commonly used form of achievement testing in independent schools and will be administered electronically using the students’ own computers. The test areas include math, quantitative reasoning, reading, writing, and vocabulary.

Please refer to the email from Heather Poet-Johnson sent earlier today, 11/3 for more details.
CELEBRATE NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Laguna Blanca acknowledges its presence on the Chumash Nation's traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory. We pay our respects to the Indigenous land caretakers past, present, and emerging. For more information, please visit the Chumash Tribe website.

A great way to celebrate and acknowledge Native American heritage month is by reading literature with Native American representation and learning about some notable people with Native American heritage. 

We have chosen four books to recommend for each division. We hope you can either check them out from our school library or purchase them and add them to your own library. Diversifying our libraries and literature is important when we are learning about the world we live in, where we come from, and the different people and cultures we will interact with. 

Happy reading! 

Ursula Chan and Anna Alldredge 

Below are links to Chaucer’s Books and Amazon.
LOWER SCHOOL

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, Cynthia Leitich Smith

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, Traci Sorell Chaucer's | Amazon

Powwow Day, Traci Sorell

Birdsong, Julie Flett Chaucer's | Amazon
MIDDLE SCHOOL

I Can Make this Promise, Christine Day

The Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga, Book One, David A. Robertson Chaucer's | Amazon

The Great Bear: The Misewa Saga, Book Two, David A. Robertson Chaucer’s | Amazon

The Stone Child: The Misewa Saga, Book Three, David A. Robertson
UPPER SCHOOL

Hearts Unbroken, Cynthia Leitich Smith Chaucer’s | Amazon

Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir, Deborah A. Miranda

This Place: 150 Years Retold, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm et al.

Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School, Adam Fortunate Eagle Chaucer's | Amazon
INTRODUCING THE BIG BUDDIES/LITTLE BUDDIES PROGRAM
Big Buddies/Little Buddies is a new tradition at our Lower School, which connects all of our students across grade levels with a special buddy. EK and Grade 2, K and Grade 3, and Grades 1 and 4 are the three groupings this year. Monthly on Friday afternoons, all of our buddy groups partner up to bond, play, and learn together. During our first session last Friday, buddy groups read stories, crafted Halloween treats, and played board games. There was so much excitement, laughter, and sweetness filling our campus! Big Buddies/Little Buddies is yet another fun way for our Lower School students to make great friends across grade levels and practice their leadership skills.
HALLOWEEN THANK YOU!
We had an amazing time at the Lower School Halloween festival! Mega thanks to Melia Yust and her crew of creative class reps who provided a variety of awesome activities for the students to enjoy. Students (and parents!) wowed us with their costumes! Thank you, Family Association, for giving us a great afternoon of celebration and fun!
SAVE THE DATE!
More details for this festive event to come!
FLU AND COLD SEASON IS HERE
As we head into the winter months, please remind your child(ren) about the importance of hand washing to prevent illness. We kindly ask that if your child is sick, please keep them home until they have no symptoms.

Aptitude Testing at Earl Warren Showgrounds is still offering Laguna families free COVID testing on Monday through Friday from 9AM-5PM and Saturdays/Sundays from 9AM-2PM.

Stay well!
LOOKING AHEAD AT THE LOWER SCHOOL
Grade 3 Field Trip to Disneyland Story Workshop
Friday, November 4

Grade 2 Field Trip to Canzelle Alpacas
Friday, November 4

Daylight Saving Time Ends
Sunday, November 6

Fourth Grade Field Trip to Middle School Showcases
Wednesday, November 9

Faculty/Staff In-Service Day
No School for Students
Friday, November 11

Dress Down Day: Fall Colors Theme
Friday, November 18

Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 21 - Friday, November 25

Morning Winter Concert Rehearsal at Hope Ranch
November 30

Lower School Winter Concert in Spaulding Theatre (6PM)
December 1
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE COLLEGE COUNSELING FINANCIAL AID NIGHT
On Tuesday, November 15 from 6-7PM, Laguna's College Counseling Team will host a Financial Aid nuts and bolts online webinar. Parents and students are welcome to join the presentation, which will cover college financial aid forms and more. Corinne Schell, Marist College Director of West Coast Admission, will be our guest speaker. Ms. Schell will be available to answer any questions you may have about the financial aid process.We hope you will join us!
UPCOMING COLLEGE REP SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9
University of San Francisco — 10:15AM
via Zoom

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17
University of the Pacific — 12:15PM
College Counseling Office

Students can sign up for these visits via SCOIR.
ATHLETICS UPDATES
UPPER SCHOOL

Owls Football Travel to Catalina for CIF-SS Playoff Opener
 
The Laguna Blanca Football team closed out a successful 5-3 season by earning a CIF-Southern Section playoff berth for the second consecutive year. The opening round draw is against Avalon High School on Catalina Island on Friday, November 4. Friday will be an exciting day of buses, boats, and playoff football for the Laguna. Go Owls!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The second quarter of Middle School athletics begins on Monday, November 7. Practice next week will take place Monday–Thursday from 3-4PM on the outdoor basketball courts and soccer field. If you are interested and have yet to sign up for one of the following Q2 sports offerings, please email Matt Steinhaus.
 
  • Boys Basketball
  • Girls Soccer
CONGRATULATIONS TO JENNA JOHNSON '23 ON EARNING THE HEISMAN SCHOLARSHIP SCHOOL AWARD!
The Heisman High School Scholarship School Award is a national award for scholar-athletes who are proven leaders and contribute to their school and community through service. She will now compete at the state level and then nationally among other athletes who were selected. Way to go, Jenna!
LOOKING AHEAD
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL DIVISIONS
LOWER SCHOOL

November 4
Grade 3 Field Trip to Disneyland Story Workshop

Grade 2 Field Trip to Canzelle Alpacas

November 6
Daylight Saving Time Ends

November 8
FA Lunch & Learn

November 10
LS Virtual Open House

November 11
In-Service Day for Faculty/Staff
No School for Students
MIDDLE SCHOOL

November 6
Daylight Saving Time Ends

November 8
FA Lunch & Learn

November 9
MS Quarter 1 Ends

November 11
In-Service Day for Faculty/Staff
No School for Students

November 14 - 18
MS ERB Testing
UPPER SCHOOL

November 6
Daylight Saving Time Ends

November 8
FA Lunch & Learn

November 9
US Quarter 1 Ends

November 11
In-Service Day for Faculty/Staff
No School for Students