Volunteers Needed for our Grad Night Team

We need people to join our Grad Night team! Kristina Williams is chairing this team and has some wonderful ideas, but she needs support in order to be able to make them happen. If you would like to help in any way, big or small, we would very much appreciate it. We promise it will be fun!  If you are interested, or would like to learn more about this role, please contact Kristina at [email protected].

Hear from our Teachers

Ms. Celeste Smiley is the teacher rep for Home & School Club. At each meeting, she shares what is happening in the classrooms and other general info related to the teachers. Her reports provide a treasure trove of information and highlight so many of the amazing things happening at our school. Click here to view the report she shared at our November meeting.

T o support our ongoing learning as parents and guides for our children, the Parent Ed committee (AnaMaria Guevara, Amy O'Hehir & Janae Pierre) has put together a series of talks on topics that are highly meaningful and relevant for raising teenagers in today's society. As parents ourselves, we know that we all have full schedules, and have closely vetted all presenters to ensure that these talks are worth your time. Mark your calendar and see you soon.

1/29/18   Surviving the High School Transition: Raising a Neurodiverse (ADHD, ASD, LD, mood disorders) Student & Preparing Them for Life After High School by Jan Johnston-Tyler.

(Jan is the founder and CEO of EvoLibri, which serves youth ages 14 into adulthood and author of "The Mom's Guide to Aspergrer's Syndrom.")  

The talk is an opportunity to gather information and resources on how to offer your student the help and support they need. Specifically, learn essentials for making the post high-school transition more smooth, and learn about programs and tools available to assist with workplace and college success.

Reserve your seat now (FREE)

Come learn about the importance of parents as the number one influencer of teen driving behavior, strategies for keeping your youth safe on the roads, current research and trends in teen driving, and how YOU can help stop the #1 killer of teens in American-reckless and distracted driving.

It is estimated that at least 20% of all teens are currently suffering from anxiety in the United States. Making matters worse, anxiety and depression are often a package deal. This talk is an opportunity to learn more about what is anxiety and who gets it? Are some teens at higher risk? Who are they? And, most importantly, how can parents help?

Decades of research point to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the pack. Come learn about what exactly is emotional intelligence? Can emotional intelligence be developed and taught? If it's so important, why isn't our school teaching it? And, what can parents do to help?

Cheating is a provocative topic without a doubt. We are all aware that cheating happens and perhaps it does not surprise us. But, when students in Advanced Placement and Honors classes resort to cheating to make the ever more illusive A, we may stop to ask what is at play? Is it the increasingly competitive college entrance experience, is it parent pressure and a symptom of cultural norms, or a result of the structure of the education system itself? And, what exactly are the short-term and long-term consequences of cheating?

The climate and culture of the school are important aspects we have been focusing on this last year and a half. We have been fortunate to bring two events to Leigh in support of that work. The first was our Challenge Days where over 200 students along with staff and parent volunteers spent a day learning about each other, realizing that we all go through challenges and not to judge each other, and finding ways to accept everyone. These students were from all backgrounds and walks of life and in the end were asked to be ambassadors of acceptance and to set an example for others.

Two weeks ago we had the privilege of hosting Keith Hawkins for a whole school assembly. His message also included themes of acceptance, realizing the impact we have on each other, that actions create change not words, and that we should stop comparing ourselves to others as that contributes to stress and negative self-perception. His approach was inspiring and we heard from many students afterwards that they were positively impacted.

Our hope is that through these experiences we will slowly begin to shift the culture of the school to one where all students feel safe, accepted and cared for. We will continue this work with our Town Hall meetings that focus on topics identified by students, our Leigh talks that provide further platforms for messages of acceptance, and weeks that focus on themes like Motivation, Stress-Relief, and Recognition.

Thank you to the Home & School Club for funding the Challenge Days!

We surpassed our Membership Drive goal!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to our membership drive to date. It is very much appreciated. Our membership drive is our largest fundraiser of the year, and as of December 4th ,  we have raised $30,043. 

Thank you for helping us surpass our goal of $25,000!

$3256 of the donated amount came from corporate matching. If you haven't had a chance yet, please request corporate matching at your company so that you can double or triple your donation to Leigh. Details on how to do this are below.

Donations are always welcome. The more money we raise, the more programs and activities we can support for our students. Click  here to donate.

College & Career Center Newsletter

Operation of our college and Career Center depends on the 30+ parent volunteers that manage all of the activities taking place under the guidance of College and Career Specialist, Mrs Nathalie Goricanec. Mrs. Goricanec and a group of volunteers have published their first newsletter. Click here to view (and subscribe to future newsletters which will be published bi-weekly).

To stay informed about news and announcements from the College and Career Center:

• join our Facebook group LonghornsCCC
• follow us on Twitter @LonghornsCCC
• follow us on Instagram at cclhs
• get text reminders on your cell phone with Remind by texting @38df to 81010
• send an email to [email protected]
• join our Leigh Longhorns CCC Newsletter mailing list: http://eepurl.com/c7KRAn