March 2026, Heather Alumbuagh, Ph.D, VP for Academic Life

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and Friends of De La Salle,

President David Holquin and I welcomed the month of March, notoriously known as the craziest month in the lives of schools, by joining our national network of Lasallian Catholic educators at the 2026 LASSCA conference in Houston. The two keynote speakers were phenomenal. First, we heard from Brother Armin Luistro (FSC), the Superior General, who evoked Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Letter “Drawing New Maps of Hope” to communicate the crucial role of Catholic education to equip our young people to think globally and act locally in powerfully creative and ethical ways. Writer and former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford Julie Lythcott-Haims gave a moving and engaging presentation on the ways we, as educators, can equip our young people to become adults who can navigate our global vicissitudes with grace, intrinsic motivation, and kindness. Starting with the Latin root of educator, educare, Lythcott-Haims offered practical and moving advice for how we can help to “bring the student forth” by committing to treat every child with dignity and kindness; by adopting practices that allow our young people to be “heard” without us fixing, judging, or soothing them; and by empowering them to confront and solve their own challenges. Both educators and parents alike play a crucial role in helping our young people grow into the people they were born to be.

Next week will prove to be a juggernaut of activity for Winton Drive, and I want to draw your attention to the assemblies that both schools will host on our campuses that will offer age-appropriate and relevant drug and alcohol programming. At De La Salle, freshmen and sophomores will hear “Real Talk about Fake Pills” presented by Christina Julian, Director of Outreach for Song for Charlie, a national family-run nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. At Carondelet, juniors and seniors will hear “Skillsets vs. Shortcuts” presented by Tomas Barraza, a speaker with Vive 18, a program that focuses on substance abuse prevention and positive life choices. De La Salle and Carondelet will also host a parent education evening at Carondelet’s Jean Hofmann Center for Innovation from 6:30 to 7:30 pm on March 10, with Tomas Barraza from Vive 18. 

On Thursday, March 12, we will welcome our LCAP (Lasallian Catholic Assessment Process) team onto campus. We participate in two crucial accreditation cycles that testify to our school’s vitality as a Lasallian Catholic school: one for WCEA (the Western Catholic Education Association – more on those surveys below) and one for our participation in a global Lasallian network run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Both cycles help the school identify areas of strength and growth. On Friday, March 13th, we will simultaneously be holding our Professional Development day, hosting our LCAP visiting team, running an on-campus SAT for juniors, and welcoming hundreds of swimmers onto campus for our Swim Invitational.

Here are some additional and important reminders:

• As you read this, our AP Biology students will be competing in the annual Contra Costa Science & Engineering Fair next week. Good luck, Spartans!
   
• Quarter 3 ends on Friday, March 6. How did that happen so fast?
   
• Course Registration: Every student has already met with his counselor to fill out course requests for next year and secured appropriate teacher signatures for AP and Honors-level work. As always, we encourage students and families to consider interest, reach, and balance during course selection. Our Academic Life team builds courses per student requests, and we actively work to appropriately place students at all levels. Schedules will be sent out by mid-June.
   
• Accreditation Surveys: We give our WCEA accreditation surveys every year, and we want to hear from every member of our community. As such, our faculty/staff/administrators will be given the survey on our 3/13 PD day, and we will give students the survey on 3/20 during their House Time. On the same day, a communication will be sent to all families with the survey information, and you will have a month to fill it out. It is doable, and the data is a crucial part of how we make decisions. Thank you in advance!
   
• The National Honor Society is teaming up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to host a poker fundraiser on Thursday, March 12; all proceeds are donated to Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. All De La Salle students are eligible to participate this year. 

Finally, if you missed the announcement, please join me in congratulating senior Heath Salter, who has been named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.

Thank you, as always, for your partnership, and we wish you a blessed Lenten season.

Sincerely,

Dr. Heather Alumbaugh
Vice President for Academic Life