Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: No Grades, No teachers, No School Lunches: 'AI Schools' Coming To Bay Area: Report
Also check out LIT BY THE BAY - NYE Celebration & Dance Party on the Palo Alto Patch calendar
Hey hey Palo Alto! Your one-stop source for local news is here. Continue reading for all the updates. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- AI-driven private school model eyes expansion into Palo Alto
- How Mitchell Park Place is reshaping affordable housing on Charleston Road
- How a Palo Alto-led trial may slow childhood vision loss
Also on today's calendar: LIT BY THE BAY - NYE Celebration & Dance Party and 9 more events.
Find out what's happening in Palo Altofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Palo Altofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Saturday: Occasional rain and drizzle, with a high of 63 and low of 57 degrees.
- Sunday: Cloudy with a little rain, temps: high: 65, low: 57.
- Monday: Periods of rain, with a high of 63 and low of 52 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. No Grades, No teachers, No School Lunches: 'AI Schools' Coming To Bay Area: Report (patch.com) — Palo Alto families could soon see a controversial new “AI school” model arrive, as Alpha School plans to expand its screen-heavy, teacher-free program from San Francisco into the city. The private academy, which charges $75,000 a year and replaces traditional classes with AI-guided, two-hour learning blocks and afternoon workshops, has drawn both national attention and criticism over cost, screen time, and limited human interaction. 
2. Mitchell Park Place begins to welcome tenants into affordable housing (paloaltoonline.com) — A new affordable housing complex at 525 E. Charleston Road in Palo Alto, Mitchell Park Place, is now welcoming tenants and expects to fill all 50 units by late December. Half the apartments are reserved for adults with developmental disabilities, with on-site services from AbilityPath and below-market rents aimed at households earning up to 60% of area median income. Local and county partners say the project helps integrate residents with disabilities into the broader community.
3. FLORetina 2025: Updates on tinlarebant in adolescent Stargardt disease (modernretina.com) — A Stanford eye specialist based in Palo Alto shared promising interim results from a global phase 3 trial of tinlarebant for adolescent Stargardt disease. The oral drug slowed retinal lesion growth by 36% versus placebo, suggesting it could significantly extend useful vision if ultimately approved.
4. North Bay hospital to close pediatric unit, sending kids hours away for care (fresnobee.com) — Palo Alto’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is one of the main facilities that will receive young patients once Santa Rosa Memorial closes its inpatient pediatric unit in March 2026. North Bay children needing hospital stays may soon face longer trips to Palo Alto, San Francisco, Oakland, or Sacramento, raising concerns about access, travel costs, and stress for families.
📸 Around Palo Alto
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🗓 Upcoming Events in Palo Alto
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- LIT BY THE BAY - NYE Celebration & Dance Party
Hyatt Centric Mountain View, 409 San Antonio Rd, Mountain View
7:30 pm - Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Francisco, CA!
The Westin San Francisco Airport, 1 Old Bayshore Hwy, Millbrae
7:00 pm
Wednesday December 31
Friday January 9
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- Tai Chi with Nelson Ng
Palo Alto City Library , 1213 Newell Road , Palo Alto
10:00 am - Objective Morality
Los Altos Community Center , 97 Hillview Ave , Los Altos
11:00 am - 3 mile Walk to Elizabeth Gamble Garden + Farmer's Mkt Lunch in Midtown Palo Alto
Mollie Stone's Markets , 164 California Ave , Palo Alto
11:30 am - Leisure Noon Origami
Mitchell Park Library , 3700 Middlefield Road , Palo Alto
12:00 pm - Sunday CrafterNoon
Los Altos Library , 13 South San Antonio Road , Los Altos
2:00 pm - J-Camp: Winter Break Sessions
OFJCC Campus, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303
8:30 am - Future Filmmakers Film Camp
Oshman Family JCC , 3921 Fabian Way , Palo Alto
10:00 am - Monday Morning Meditation & Mindfulness
Los Altos Library , 13 South San Antonio Road , Los Altos
10:30 am - Free Meals at the Library / Comida gratis en la biblioteca
East Palo Alto Library , 2415 University Avenue , East Palo Alto
3:15 pm - To Be Read Book Club for 6th – 8th Graders
Los Altos Library , 13 South San Antonio Road , Los Altos
4:00 pm
Sunday December 21
Monday December 22
Tuesday December 23
📣 Palo Alto Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Palo Alto PatchAM possible:
- The Harker School — (408) 345-9200
Magic Happens at Harker - Housekeeping With Maria — (650) 400-0715
Family Owned Cleaning Business - Cool Aid Air Conditioning and Refrigeration — (800) 266-5243
Voted Best HVAC & Refrigeration Company in the Bay Area - Amara — (650) 486-1703
A California cuisine restaurant with mediterranean leaning. - Flores Electric — (408) 899-8450
Electrical Safety & Savings for Silicon Valley Homeowners - Super Brothers Plumbing, Heating and Air - San Jose — (408) 351-1994
Serving San Jose & Bay Area – HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- I am trying to contact Stephanie Alegria, who posted about the colony cat, Dusty, I believe on 12/7.
I am willing to get this guy off the streets and give the old kitty a loving home. It would be so sad for this guy to lose an opportunity for a… (Nextdoor Palo Alto Hills) - Flipped car on Alma today.
I feel like there is a collision here almost every day caused by a car. I then see over and over people on their phone while driving, speeding, and… (Nextdoor Fulton Street)
- Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. posted a job opening for Groundskeeper in Palo Alto. Apply here.
- Geico - Government Employees Insurance Company posted a job opening for Senior Product Manager, Reliability Platform (Observability, SRE, AIM) in Palo Alto. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Palo Alto here.
Ok Palo Alto! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I dreamed I was swimming in a pool of orange soda, but it was just a Fanta-sea.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!
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