Welcome to the Los Alamos Public Schools! 

I am raring to go for the new school year in Los Alamos. For your children, there’s a lot of excitement ahead, including new friends and teachers to meet, new books to read, new clothes and school supplies to enjoy, new skills to master, new technology to explore, and maybe a new school to attend.

Summer has been a busy time for LAPS staff who have worked hard to prepare for the first day of school. Assuring a smooth start is challenging because every student arrives with unique interests, challenges, and dreams. As part of meeting the diverse needs of our students, staff have been attending instructional workshops, learning how to support student well-being, and collecting new materials.

As instructional leader for LAPS, I have had the opportunity this summer to learn and grow. My joy of learning has included mentoring from other successful leaders, reading professional journals, and analyzing LAPS data and survey materials. I remain excited about learning and recommend the following from my summer reading list: Better Than Carrots or Sticks by Dominique Smith, The Checklist Manifesto, How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande, and The Bully, the Bullied, and the Not-so-Innocent Bystander by Barbara Coloroso.

Principals and support staff have focused on all the details involved in beginning a new year. Facilities, grounds, and custodial staff have worked on upgrades and cleaning throughout the district. Central Office staff have worked on prudent budgeting, energy savings, strategic hiring, and techniques to improve customer service.

We have several new staff members joining our outstanding LAPS team and I welcome them to our School District. I appreciate and recognize that it is the hard work and dedication of every employee that makes Los Alamos Public Schools a top-performing school system in which we can all be proud.

With your help, this promises to be an outstanding year filled with opportunities for all students. We embark on this journey with a pledge to you that LAPS staff will show sincere care for every student, build upon the unique strengths of every child, engage all learners in hands-on minds-on projects, and provide a plethora of extracurricular clubs and activities, performing arts groups, and athletic teams.

During the 2017-18 school year, we will build upon our proven foundation of excellence in education and meeting students at their level of learning. Our mission…

We enable our students to become resilient and resourceful adults who are able to achieve their personal goals in an ever-changing world.

Along with the Mission Statement, there are eight focus areas in the Los Alamos Public Schools Strategic Plan — Student Well-Being, Student Learning, Teacher and Staff Well-Being and Excellence, Fiscal Responsibility, Quality Facilities, Innovative Leadership, Communications and Collaboration, and Integrated Technology.

Our staff of highly qualified and diverse professionals, Team LAPS, are committed to providing exceptional opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom. We invite and encourage students and parents to work in partnership with us to seize the teachable moments and find opportunities for success.

We look forward to a very positive and productive year together! We extend a special, yearlong invitation to our families to join us at school activities and events whenever possible. We want . . . we need . . . and we value your involvement and support in your child’s education. Your active participation is important and Los Alamos is famous for active parent involvement in supporting the learning process.

We work hard to provide clear, concise, and timely communications. It is vital and plays an integral role in each student’s success. We encourage you to contact us if/when the need arises, and to stay in the know about your child’s studies, assignments, assessments, and school activities, as well as other events and happenings.

Los Alamos is a wonderful learning community . . . a place alive with much energy . . . enthusiasm . . . and a high standard of excellence! It is, indeed, a place where opportunities abound! Here’s to an AWESOME new school year as we work together to make school a great place to share, care, and learn each day!

Let’s make this an outstanding year.

Best Personal Regards,

Kurt A. Steinhaus
Superintendent