TONIGHT: PTSA Membership Meeting and Parent Education Speaker
Please plan to join us on Wed, March 21, for our regular PTSA membership meeting. We will be electing officers to serve for the 2018-19 PTA year. The Nominating Committee has published their recommended slate on our website (www.lwhsptsa.org), and nominations can also be made from the floor at the meeting.
Following a brief business meeting, we are pleased to welcome Milani Smith as our parent education speaker. Dr. Smith is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical director of the Cadence Center in Kirkland. She will be speaking on the topic of stress and anxiety in teens. Join us in the library from 7-8:30pm for this important discussion.
We need 2-3 parents to join/chair the 2019 Senior Party Planning Committee; sign up and ask your friends to work with you for even more fun. Email VP Programs for more information.
The Senior Party is an annual tradition planned and sponsored by the LWHS PTSA. For many years, over 200 of our graduating seniors have boarded buses after the ceremony and taken off for a fun-filled all-nighter with friends, surprises, food and entertainment. As parents who send our students off, we know they are in a safe, chaperoned, drug- and alcohol-free environment to celebrate their graduation.
Join us for LWHS Spring Beautification Day on April 14
LWHS PTSA and ASB team up to lead our Spring Beautification Day onSaturday, April 14, from 8:30-12:30 (parents arriving at 8:30 will help organize for the students arriving at 9:00.) Students can volunteer between 9am-12pm, and will be able to sign up through their coach/club advisor. Parent volunteers, your help is critical! Please help direct students and/or join in the tasks of weeding, pruning, picking up trash, sweeping and mulching. And, if you have them, don't forget to bring well-labelled garden tools and gloves to share. Motivating music, scrumptious snacks and delightful drinks will be provided. Community service hours will be honored!!
IMPORTANT ... please print and sign the LWSD Volunteer Form and bring it to the event. Students under 18 need a parent signature.
While we are just into the second half of this year, the groundwork is already being laid for PTSA activities for 2018-19! We would love to have your involvement!
We also have many opportunities to help plan a variety of activities -- Senior Party, Senior Salute (while these are Senior events, we like to have non-Senior parents on the planning committees), Community building and outreach events, and more. Contact any of this year's leadership to find out more about how you can get involved!
Families received a message from their school's principal with school-specific start and end times for 2018-19 on March 9. The district is continuing to add information to the 2018-19 Start and End Times website. Additionally, you can now submit questions through Let's Talk. Let's Talk is a feature on the district's website that allows parents and community members to submit questions about specific topics.
In addition, a School Start Time Advisory committee is continuing work in 2018-19 to study the impacts of potentially changing high school start times to later in future years. The Advisory includes staff and parents from elementary, middle and high school levels. They will make a recommendation for any potential further changes to school start and end times. Further changes in the 2019-2020 school year may or may not occur, depending on their recommendation. There will continue to be ample opportunity for families to provide input throughout the process. Any changes to the high school start and end times result in adjustments to middle and elementary start and end times due to transportation. You can learn more about the work of the School Start Time Advisory on the district website.
Lake Washington School District adds one day to make up for snow day
Lake Washington School District will make up one snow day by extending the school year by one day. The last day of school, a half day, will move from Wednesday, June 20, to Thursday, June 21.
The LWSD calendar has been updated as follows:
Wednesday June 20 will be a full school day for students
State law requires students to attend school a minimum of 180 days and 1027 hours per year. When school is cancelled due to snow or inclement weather, those days and hours of instruction must be made up.
In partnership with the cities of Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Lake Washington School District is hosting Community Safety Forums. Representatives from the cities and the district will share information on school and community safety efforts, and how the district and cities work together to keep schools and students safe.
Three forums, one in each city, are scheduled for the following dates:
Kirkland: Lake Washington High School Theatre - Wednesday, March 21, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Sammamish: Eastlake High School Theatre - Tuesday, March 27, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Redmond: Redmond High School Theatre - Monday, April 9, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
From The Counseling Center
Planning a College Road Trip? Summer is the perfect time for juniors and their parents to pack their bags and head off to college campuses. For many students, these visits are the deciding factor where applications will be sent in the fall. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Colleges go to great lengths to impress you and your parents (those who pay the bills). Expect perky, engaging tour guides to show you the very prettiest parts of the campus. If you know this from the beginning, you will not be (as easily) swept off your feet.
One of the best ways to get a feel for any college campus is to break free of structured tours and hang out-in the student union building or a local coffee shop near the campus.
If possible, stay the night at one of the dorms, eat in the cafeteria, take a jog through the campus, and/or attend a sporting event. Keep in mind that if it is summer, some of the buildings will be closed and, more importantly, the campus won't be nearly as crowded as it will be in the fall.
Take an unofficial copy of your high school transcript and know your test scores. Make an appointment to meet with an admissions person and sit down with your list of questions. Do your homework; go prepared with comments and questions that reflect your interest and knowledge about the school.
Talk. Talk to students and adults on campus. Talk to the barista at the coffee bar or the salesperson at the book store. Just talk.
Take pictures of each college and log where the picture was taken. You will be surprised at how similar college dorms and buildings and rec centers start to all look alike.
And if you're not planning a road trip? No problem. Get on line and take a virtual tour of the campus. (Be sure to reread #1 above.) Read the campus newspaper and student run blogs. This is a great way to learn about the issues the planned tours don't mention (issues with the administration and budget cuts, for example). Take a look at the list of clubs available; clubs grow out of student interests.
Remember, it is all about fit. While one student will see the gym as paradise, another will look to the library. And that's what makes this search an adventure-and extremely personal. Keep in mind, though, that if you aren't admitted to your 'perfect fit' school, there will be your second choice, and even third. And if statistics are correct, you will still love the school where you end up attending.
Focus on Fit-Post High School Options Presentation Mark your calendar to attend this April 11 evening presentation in LWHS's theater. Start time is 6:30 pm. You are welcome to bring your student with you!
Just a friendly reminder that when your student will be out 1-4 days a pre-arranged absence form (page 1 only) needs to be turned into the attendance office at least 1 week in advance in order to have the absence excused. If your student will be out 5 or more days a pre-arranged absence form (page 1 & 2) will need to be signed by all teachers, parent and student and then turned into the attendance office at least 1 week in advance in order to have the absences excused.
Pre-arranged absence forms are available in the attendance office or on the LWHS website following the pathway of: Students/Families>Attendance>Under the Attendance section click on the pre-arranged absence form.
Do you any clothing or appliances lying around? Have you just finished spring cleaning?
Lake Washington High School's Loyalty club is hosting the Spring Cleaning Clothing Drive. The drive will be happening from April 16th to April 27th. Donations can be dropped off in the commons. For more information on what you can donate CLICK HERE.
The proceeds from the clothes drive will go to Educate Lanka. Educate Lanka is a non-profit focused on giving scholarships to students in need of it in Sri Lanka.
Savers, the company behind the clothes drive, focuses on selling the donated items purchased from our nonprofit partners in their stores, partnering with recyclers who re-purpose textiles as insulation and rags, selling metals found in clothing and electronics for their raw value, and working with waste management companies to responsibly dispose of non-recyclable items.
For more information about Loyalty's Spring Cleaning Clothing Drive, email s-sjebanathan@lwsd.org.
2018 Expanding your Horizons Conference for High School Girls interested in STEM
Ms. Kristjanson will be taking 35 female students to this year's Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference on March 30th, 2018. The Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference consists of a half-day conference for high school girls held at Bellevue College. They feature hands-on workshops presented by women in careers based on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Registration for the event requires a student fee of $20 (via check) mailed directly to the EYH office by March 16th which covers lunches and workshop materials. To get more information about this amazing opportunity, visit the Lake Washington AAUW Website (lakewashington-wa.aauw.net) and please contact Ms. Kristjanson at mkristjanson@lwsd.org to receive a brochure and permission slip. Space is limited, so act fast!
Are you or your high school student knowledgeable in trivia? From teenage slang to U.S. History to TV shows? Put it to the test at LW's Trivia Night hosted by Loyalty Club! The event will be held at the Lake Washington High School Commons from 6:30-8:30 P.M. on March 21st. All students, parents and teachers are invited! You can sign up by e-mailing s-kmalone@lwsd.org with your team members' names and your expected best category, or fill out the Google Doc attached. Teams will be limited to 3-6 members. Walk-in teams will be allowed as well. There is no entrance fee, but canned food donations are encouraged and welcomed. Come play, watch, and support your local community!
Juniors and Sophomores are invited to join us in the COLLEGE & CAREER CENTER at 12:40pm, right after school.
Technology is the future and the field is booming! Whether your student is interested in web or game design, networking, engineering, communications or the many expanding uses of technology, Computer Science just might be their field. But, what majors are available? How competitive is it to become a Computer Science major? What internships, projects, dual majors, study abroad and career resources are there in this field? Students will learn and get answers from an experienced professional in college Computer Science advising!
We hope to see your student there!
Upcoming Presentations:
March 28: Cool Colleges - From Coast to Coast and Beyond!
April 11: A+ Schools for B Students
All presentations are held on Wednesdays after school at 12:40pm and last about 30 minutes. Presentations are open to all students at no cost. Registration is not required. Tell them to come hungry, because we provide pizza and snacks! We encourage parents to ask their kids what they learned at these are student-only presentations.
All 2018 LWHS seniors are invited to the annual all-night Senior Party. Scheduled for the night of graduation, Senior Party is a way for graduates to celebrate with their classmates in a fun, safe way: alcohol-free, tobacco-free, drug-free and well-chaperoned. This is an LWHS tradition, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime evening for our seniors.
Tickets are on sale during lunch on April 12 and 13th -- print out the registration form and send cash or checks made payable to LWHS PTSA. Tickets can also be purchased anytime online. Tickets include transportation, food, activities and entertainment all night long. Ticket prices are $180 thru April 30th and then increase to $200 on Tuesday, May 1st. Bus signups will begin April 26th and run through June; a release form is needed before your students can get a bus assignment. If students have any life threatening allergies they must fill out the allergy release form. The online registration form has information about scholarship assistance.
*All applicants applying for a PTSA Council scholarship and going to a 4-year college or university are automatically considered for the LWSF scholarships, no additional application materials required.
March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
See Me for Me
That's the theme for this year's National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which continues to challenge all of us to look beyond labels and see people for who they are, not what they are not. Friends, classmates, neighbors, customers, colleagues. Bright, creative, funny, thoughtful, persistent. Change makers, doers, go-getters. People who support others, lend a hand, give back, offer encouragement.
Everyone Wins When Everyone's Included! In celebration of DD Awareness Month, we asked people with and without disabilities what inclusion means to them. Find out what they had to say in our new video, Everyone Wins When Everyone's Included!
Join Us Join the movement this month by sharing your stories and photos featuring people with developmental disabilities working, participating and contributing to their communities and our world. On Facebook and Twitter, you can post or tweet photos, videos or stories, share or retweet from other people and pages and by using the hashtag #DDAwareness18. The purpose of a hashtag is to connect conversations regardless of the original poster.