March 23, 2021 | Issue #15 |
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PTSA General Membership Meeting Recap |
At the March 17 General Membership Meeting, our 2021 Nominating Committee was (re)elected. We would like to thank Beatrice Joe, Mindy Lincicome, and Alana Smith for stepping up to serve on this committee for the 2020-2021 school year. If you are interested in serving on our PTSA board or want to nominate someone, contact the nominating committee at nomcom@lwhsptsa.org.
Members reapproved the 2020-21 budget, which included a reallocation of $2,500 to the Grants - ASB and Enrichment” line item. The results from the mid-year financial review were presented and approved.
We’d like your feedback on this year’s programming and events – survey coming soon!
Our guest speakers were Joe Joss, Dean of Students, and Officer Rob King, SRO, who explained their roles and responsibilities and answered questions from the audience.
LWHS PTSA President
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LWHS PTSA and the LWSD Pathway Forward |
Just as COVID's impact in our communities continues to change and evolve, so do the plans for secondary students' return to the classroom. Some form of in-person learning is now being planned for late April. View the district website for the latest updates on the Pathway Forward.
Parents are reminded and encouraged to advocate for the educational needs of your children and for all children. We can all be part of the process.
LWHS PTSA will continue to work diligently to support student learning and social emotional health. Visit our website to stay informed of various programs and events for the LWHS community.
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LWHS PTSA Board Nominations - We Need YOU! |
If you would like to be a part of this team or know of someone who might want to join us, please email the Nominating Committee at nomcom@lwhsptsa.org.
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LWHS PTSA Award Nominations Now Being Accepted |
Do you want to honor a FABULOUS Educator, Volunteer, or Student?
We are now accepting nominations for our four LWHS PTSA awards:
- Golden Kang / Outstanding Educator - for an outstanding teacher or staff member
- Golden Acorn - for an outstanding volunteer
- Outstanding Advocate - for an outstanding advocate of all children
- Outstanding Student Advocate - for a student who has made significant contributions in leadership and service
Feel free to nominate more than one person. Please use one form per nominee. Deadline for nominations is Wednesday, May 5.
Pam Hay and Meredith Schwietzer
LWHS PTSA Awards Committee
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Chapter Book Club - Join Us! |
Parenting in the Screen Age: A Guide to Calm Conversations
Drop in and join us for a collaborative conversation around the new book by local physician Delaney Ruston, MD of the Screenagers Documentary Series. All are welcome. The link to join will be on our website calendar closer to the date or sign up here to receive future communications and Zoom links for the meetings directly.
Friday, March 26, 5:00-6:00 pm
Chapter 10: Cultivating Creativity, Insight & Focus
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Stock the Staff Pantry - Update |
As we announced in the last Kang Crier, there have been several LWHS staff members volunteering each Wednesday in-person to help support students at LWHS. We discovered that there was a need for some light lunch snacks due to the fact there is no lunch service/food in the school at this time.
Our Super Staff Appreciation Team stepped in and filled the need! The Staff lounge is now filled with many drinks, snacks and light meals. The staff volunteers were blown away by the bounty of generous donations.
Thank you to all who contributed!
LWHS PTSA Staff Appreciation Co-Chairs
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The School Beautification Committee Needs You! |
Looking for a way to volunteer? Consider joining the PTSA School Beautification Committee! We plan and organize campus beautification events including planting, weeding, picking up litter, and more. We need adults who can lead small, socially distant groups of student volunteers. Events will be held this spring as well as over the summer. Please consider joining us!
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Special Education Group Meeting |
The next LWPTSA Council Special Education Group meeting will be held vitually on April 20 at 7:00 pm. Yordanos Gebreamlak, Senior Education Ombuds with the Office of the Education Ombuds, will present on the intersection of disability and race.
LWHS PTSA Special Education Chair
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Sustainability: Student Contest |
Create a Slogan + Graphic for Earth Day (April 22)
Students have the opportunity to create a slogan to highlight the “green” goal for the year: Reducing Waste. This contest is open to all students. To enter, students are asked to create a slogan + graphic based on the theme: Waste Reduction. The slogan should represent how they, their school or community can help reduce the amount of waste we produce and how that action can lead to change. As well, the student will submit a graphic depicting their slogan.
Deadline extended: Entries due Tuesday, April 6 to the Sustainability Chair. The winner will be announced the week of April 19 to celebrate Earth Day and the winning entry will be made into a banner to be displayed in the school.
For more details, rules and how to enter, click here.
Questions? Contact Pam Hay, LWHS PTSA Sustainability Chair
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LWHS Reflections: Washington State Winners |
Congratulations to Amelie Barga and Carlos Adrian Datol! Amelie won the Outstanding Interpretation award (first place) for her photo “Looking Within” and Carlos won the Award of Merit (third place) for his photo “Who I Am.” Amelie’s entry will advance to the National level of the Reflections competition. This year’s theme was “I Matter Because…”
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"I matter because I am unique and not one person will be the same as me. I applied glitter to only half my face to show how within ourselves we are all unique while on the outside, we often try to fit in or copy someone else.” Amelie Barga
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“I matter because I am myself. The photo is focused on the portrait of me in the background because my past is what is set in stone. The present version of me is a blur as the foundation of who I am is there, but I am still growing and finding out who I am.” Carlos Adrian Datol
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From the Counseling Center |
Second Semester Progress
Third quarter is over April 2, and finals will be here before students know it. If students are not doing well, they need to meet with their teacher to see how they can improve. They should take advantage of asynchronous time and teacher office hours. National Honor Society students are available to tutor students (for free) and counselors have a list of adult tutors (for an hourly fee) if students need consistent support in understanding content or need some help organizing and prioritizing. Students can email their counselor for more information. For freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, this may be a good opportunity to assess progress and perhaps take a summer school course to make up deficiencies; summer school information should be available online sometime after spring break. Seniors need to make one solid push to the end; if required classes are not passed, seniors will not graduate in June.
LWHS Counselor
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The Class of 2023 Officers have designed non-class specific gear for ALL LWHS staff and students to enjoy! All orders will be shipped straight to your door. Click here to see available items and prices.
Don't delay! Orders must be placed by March 29. Order your gear today and support the Class of 2023!
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Senior Grad Night Party - Reserve a Spot Now! |
LWHS PTSA is excited to announce that we are moving forward with planning this event. Reserve your spot NOW for our 2021 Senior Graduation Party. We are hoping to offer the seniors a revised party which will likely take place from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am on the evening of the formal graduation ceremony and will be at one local surprise location. The venue is large, has an indoor/outdoor space and will follow all COVID protocols in place at the time of the party. Space is limited and reservations are encouraged ASAP to ensure that we will be able to meet the minimum requirements for this event AND to secure a spot for your student. No payment is required at this time but we expect the party to cost approximately $110-$130 per person, depending on transportation requirements. Reservations will close on April 7. Please act now so we can determine if we have enough interest to move forward.
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Senior Drive-Thru and Yard Sign Distribution - Thank You to Our Volunteers! |
Thank you to the many volunteers who helped show our seniors some love last Friday with a special treat from LWHS PTSA along with donuts and cocoa from LWHS ASB. Seniors were also able to pick up Class of 2021 signs ordered earlier this month for display in yards or windows. We look forward to seeing the signs all around town! A special shout out to Tracy Gonzalez, Julie Tribolet, Jill Miller and Jennifer Wilson for pulling it all together and to our photographer Gary Schauer for capturing pictures of smiling seniors for our Senior Salute event later this year. We appreciate the partnership with ASB on this event AND everyone who helped give out treats and distribute signs – thank you all!
Do you have candid pictures of your senior at this event or others you would like to share? Please upload them here. We would love to feature as many seniors as possible at Senior Salute.
If you would still like to purchase a sign for a student, watch the Kang Crier for a second order window in April. For questions about signs, please email tracyce@outlook.com.
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LWPTSA Council Scholarships Available |
The Lake Washington PTSA Council is pleased to roll out its 2021 Scholarship Program! Council offers several $1250 student scholarships and two $500 staff scholarships every spring.
Applications for both staff and student scholarships are due by NOON on March 25, 2021.
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Community Forum Follow Up and Recording: Vaping, Marijuana, Street Drugs and Teens |
Some information shared included data on the potency of marijuana sold in Washington state including forms that are particularly appealing to youth, risks of street drugs and impact on brain development in teens. Parents were encouraged to communicate specific expectations about not using marijuana and other drugs with clear consequences. A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Underage Marijuana Use has many useful suggestions.
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Workshop: Effective Communication for High Schoolers |
All high school students in Lake Washington School District are invited to an Effective Communications Workshop on Wednesday, March 24 at 6:00 pm. Students will learn the 3 C's of communication, how to have difficult or challenging conversations and tips for communicating over social media. This workshop is free but registration is required.
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Parent Education Events from LWPTSA Council |
Best Ways To Boost A Child's Brain with Staci Danford
Save the dates for this 2-part workshop. Staci Danford will talk about how brains work and share with parents some simple strategies to help create positive transformation. Staci will show how to help your child think smarter, build healthy relationships and let go of limiting beliefs. All parents of elementary and middle school aged children are welcome.
Suicide Awareness with UW's Forefront
Come learn in a friendly and nurturing environment, how to help your child or friend through a suicidal episode. Learn about what signs to look for, how to have the important conversations with your child around this topic and you will be provided with lots of resources. The mission of University of Washington's Forefront is to focus on reducing suicide by empowering individuals and community to take action. All are welcome, but especially recommended for middle school parents, high school parents and also high school students.
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Lake Washington Schools Foundation News |
Seeking Virtual Table Captains at every school for “Be the Bridge: An Evening Benefit” on April 29
We are looking forward to bringing our community together for an inspirational and entertaining virtual event. Table Captains are essential to the success of this event. Please consider stepping up to bring the crew from your school together to support kids. Email maya@lwsf.org to learn more! Registration and further details coming soon.
Balance in Mind Events for Parent & Teens
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Parent Chats - Register today for the winter session. Chats are held on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.
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Balance in Mind’s Instagram @balance.in.mind is a destination for teens to gain inspiration, learn self-care tips, and more!
Find Your Fit: Understanding What College Costs & How to Pay Less
Join independent college counselor Mary Pat O’Neil and college financial planning consultant Peg Keough on March 30 from 7:00-8:00 pm as they discuss the cost of college, common myths about paying for college, understanding the timeline for applying to college, and more. Registration is required.
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Parents & Caregivers! Join our no-cost Alcohol Drug Education Class held virtually on one Saturday of each month. Excellent resource for parents and students (12-19 years old) to attend together for a shared learning experience.
- Gain tools and skills to make more informed decisions for student futures
- Learn about the dangers of current substance abuse trends
- Understand the effects of substances on the developing body and brain (including the dangers of mixing substances)
- Learn how to get help & support for substance abuse and mental health issues
- Learn where to access websites offering how to help talk to your teens and gather fact-based drug and alcohol information
Go to youtheastsideservices.org/adec to register for this FREE educational opportunity for parents and students to attend together. Next class dates are March 27, April 24, May 22, and June 19. All classes are no-cost to families, on Saturdays, and run virtually from 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Thank you for spreading the word about this important resource!
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April 5-9: Spring Break (No School)
April 2: Last Day of Third Quarter
April 20: LWPTSA Council Special Education Group Meeting, 7:00 pm
April 21: Coffee with Christina, 9:00 am
May 19: LWHS PTSA General Meeting, 7:00 pm
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Information distributed in the Kang Crier does not imply endorsement by Lake Washington High School PTSA. We assume no responsibility for any content that does not originate from lwhsptsa.org, nor do we independently verify or exert editorial control over information not specifically endorsed by LWHS PTSA. Lake Washington High School PTSA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused by the use of this content. |
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