Pass The Pouch

Pass The Pouch is the annual fundraiser for LWHS PTSA, and each year we depend on this fundraiser for our entire operating budget. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and could not exist or achieve our goals without the dedication of our volunteers and your generous donations.

LWHS PTSA invests more than $60,000 annually to fill gaps in public funding in ways that enhance the experience of our LWHS students, teachers/staff, and community through the following:

• Students: Over $27,000 in enrichment and wellness programs, recognition, scholarship assistance, events, and classroom and club activities
• Teachers/Staff: Over $17,000 in classroom grants, continuing education, and staff appreciation
• Community: Over $16,000 in family engagement and events, emergency supplies, and other support programs We kindly ask that you click here to make your tax-deductible donation to these important causes and, if available, ask your workplace to make a matching donation.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication to elevating the learning environment of LWHS students so that they may reach their full potential! LWHS PTSA is an adaptable resource and welcomes ideas or questions regarding the use of donations – please reach out to us at fundraising@lwhsptsa.org.

Dear Kang Families, 

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the Kang Coffee Hour on Tuesday. I truly enjoyed connecting with and learning from parents in our community.

October has been an exciting month filled with school spirit and celebrations. Our Homecoming Week saw record levels of enthusiasm, and the energy in our community is contagious. At the same time, our staff and faculty continue their dedicated efforts to provide meaningful opportunities and support for each of our students. I am always looking for ways to highlight and appreciate their work, and you can help by reaching out to individual staff, sending cards, or filling out this form: Staff Appreciation Form

Responses will be shared in our staff newsletter, allowing us to publicly recognize and celebrate our amazing faculty. Let’s make this a month to honor their hard work.

As fall arrives, so does college application season at Lake Washington High School. Each Wednesday, we have parent volunteers offering invaluable support to our seniors as they navigate the application process. We are so grateful for the commitment and expertise these volunteers bring to our students.

In the coming weeks, there will be several opportunities for you to engage with our school:

• October 17th, 6:00-7:30pm in the Commons: We will host a community feedback session on the proposed changes to the high school schedule for next year. This is a chance to learn about the district’s plan and share your input on what we should prioritize as we expand options outside the regular school day. 
• October 18th, 6:00pm: Join us for a home football game and a special presentation on school safety. Retired law enforcement officers from a non-profit organization will present to our staff during the day on preparedness and self-care, and they will offer an evening presentation and Q&A session for parents. Please join us at 6:00pm in the theatre for this important event, and stick around for the varsity football game afterward.
• October 23rd, 6:00-8:00pm in the Commons: We will host a FAFSA/College Night specifically for our Spanish-speaking families. 

Please check this edition of the Kang Crier for other important dates. This is a busy season, and we want to ensure our doors are open to you, our community, at every opportunity. Thank you for your continued support, and Go Kangs!

Christine Bell, Ed.D

Principal, Lake Washington High School

Our first General Membership Meeting of the year will be held in the LWHS College & Career Center this Wednesday, October 9th beginning at 7:00pm. Our guest will be Associate Principal Melissa Super-Greene, discussing and speaking to the Panorama Survey.

Everybody is welcome! Please join us to meet the new PTSA board members and learn about the focus areas for this school year. We will also review and approve both the annual budget and standing rules.

PTSA is requesting food donations and volunteer help for our next LWHS Staff Appreciation luncheon, to be held on Thursday, October 31st. It will be a "Celebrating the Fall with a Fall Cornucopia of Tasty Treats (No tricks)" for the Staff on Halloween! Please check out the SignUpGenius here.

Questions? Contact LWHS Staff Appreciation Chair, Beatrice Joe

College Essay Workshop provides trained volunteers to work one-on-one with students to edit and review their essays and personal statements. Encourage your student to join us!

• Zoom: Select dates and times available
• Check availability and reserve a spot via SignUpGenius
• Zoom link will be sent with a confirmation email.
• In-Person: Wednesdays at 1:25pm just outside the College and Career Center.
• Drop in always available, first come first served
• Don’t forget: Limited in-person appointments available. Click here to reserve a spot.

Questions? Ask us!

We’re looking for adults to provide brief senior portrait sessions for students in need.

We know we have a lot of really skilled amateur photographers in our parent population: if that describes you, please consider giving your time and talent to help give access to this tradition to some of our seniors, for whom portrait sessions might otherwise cause a financial burden.

Our goal is to give these seniors a portrait that they would be able to use for the school yearbook...and also to give them a keepsake from this very exciting milestone year!

We'll be doing all of our portrait sessions in October, to take advantage of the lingering weather, during our early-release Wednesdays.

We want to emphasize that you don't need to be a professional photographer: we're just looking for folks who are good with a camera. Ideally, students would be provided with around 10-15 edited photos.

If you’re interested, please sign up here.

If you are a student who is interested in having your senior portrait taken by our volunteer photographers, please reach out to your school guidance counselor.

Questions? Please contact, Cheryl Geels, cheryl@geels.org.

If you love art, here is an opportunity to create a piece of art and participate in the Reflections program.

Reflections is a national arts competition offered through the LWHS PTSA. Students enter a piece of art that goes through a judging process at the school level, with the potential to advance to the council, state and national levels. There are six categories including, visual arts (2D only), literature, music composition, film production, dance choreography, and photography.

The 2024-2025 Reflections theme is “Accepting Imperfection”. Other details, information and rules about Reflections can be found here: https://www.lwptsa.net/reflections/

Due date: Monday, November 4th before 5:00pm.

Students will submit the student entry form with LWHS PTSA info and a digital version of their completed works of art in one, or all, of the available arts categories by sending an email to the Reflections chair:

1. Visual Arts (JPG/JPGE/PNG format)
2. Literature (PDF format)
3. Music Composition (MP3 & WAV format)
4. Photography (JPG/JPGE/PNG format)
5. Dance Choreography (MP4 & AVI format)
6. Film Production (MP4 & AVI format)

There is also a special artist division for students with disabilities. You can find category rules and guidelines at https://www.lwptsa.net/reflections/

Questions? Contact Rachel Pai, Reflections Chair.

Learn more about the following four trips during our travel info meeting:

Date: Wednesday, October 9th

Start time: 5:30pm

Location: Lake Washington High School, Room N162

RSVP: https://webapp.acis.com/trips/recruiting-meeting/MjAyNXw1NTUxNHwxMDk=

March 5th-9th, 2025 - Boston

Travel with Ms. Layton to Boston for an immersive ASL experience. We are traveling with Deaf tour guides to see the sites and history that Boston has to offer. $1,800 plus airfare, and you must be in ASL 2 or higher to take the trip! Reach out to Ms. Layton to get more information and to sign up!

Contact: Boston 2025 Trip 

Spring 2025 - New Zealand and Australia

Explore LOTS of Biology, beautiful sceneries (including parts of the filming for location for LOTR!), fjords, and end in Sydney Australia!

Contact: PalmerScienceTravel@gmail.com

Spring 2025 - Costa Rica

Want to take your Spanish fluency to the next level? Come join us as we encounter the wildlife, culture and beautiful vistas of Costa Rica. This Spanish immersion trip is open to students enrolled in Spanish 4 or AP for 2024-2025!

Contact: spanishviajes@gmail.com

Summer 2025 - England, France, and Germany

For the history buffs, follow the path of major WWII sites! See battlegrounds, learn about the history of WWII, and learn about the impacts of the War on the local cultures.

Contact: KandGEduTravel@gmail.com

*Please note, these trips are NOT sponsored by LWHS