Principal's Weekly Message

November 10, 2025

Principal's Message

 

Dear Sea Lion Families,

We are excited to share a glimpse into two McGaugh classrooms that are benefiting from grants from the Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF), the non-profit partner of the Los Alamitos Unified School District.

In Mrs. Garcia’s 1st grade classroom, students are benefiting from new Purposeful Play materials. Each morning, students begin their day with a “soft start,” choosing hands-on activities that promote collaboration, creativity,
problem-solving, and social-emotional growth. These purposeful play items
help students ease into the school day, build peer connections, and set a
positive tone for learning.
 

 
Thanks to a generous grant from LAEF, in Ms. Tochioka’s UTK classroom is using two tabletop light panels along with hands-on manipulatives that help students strengthen early math, literacy, and fine motor skills in a playful, exploratory way. These materials support curiosity, collaboration, and joyful learning every day. We are grateful for our partnership with LAEF and their continued support in enriching student learning experiences at McGaugh.

           

Attendance Challenge Update:

Thank you to all of our students and families who participated in our Attendance Challenge against Weaver Elementary last week! While Weaver came out on top this time, we are so proud of the attendance gains we made as a school. Our daily absences were:

This trend shows that we are moving in a positive direction toward our goal of no more than 14 absences a day. Consistent attendance makes a real difference in student learning, classroom community, student connectedness, and school spirit.

A big congratulations to all students who earned 98% attendance or better for the week—you will be receiving a Golden Brag Tag! Keep up the great work!

And yes…Ms. Wood will be wearing Weaver gear one day next week, but don’t worry, we’ll be ready for a rematch!

UPCOMING REMINDERS AND EVENTS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS:

Ms. Wendy Wood, M.Ed. ​
McGaugh Elementary School Principal
wwood@losal.org
(562) 799-4560