Lions' ROAR
Newsletter from Lakeridge Elementary PTA
August 28, 2016
A message from the
PTA Communications Team

Welcome back, Lakeridge families! You may notice a few new updates for 2016-17: 
  • Mobile-responsive template for the Lions' ROAR newsletter.
  • We've also got a Facebook page. "Like" it - and keep up-to-date on the latest at Lakeridge. Like us on Facebook 
  • Don't forget to check out the PTA website! We have a ton of information there.

We're also open to suggestions. If you have any comments, please send us an email!

 

Lakeridge PTA Information
Message from the PTA Co-Presidents

Welcome back Lakeridge families! We hope you had an exciting summer filled with fun adventures and time with family and friends! As we kick off the school year, please remember to take a few minutes to review and complete the important information contained in the  E-Parent pack.

We invite you to join us at the  Welcome Coffee on the first day of school (please feel free to bring younger kids, including Kindergarteners with a Friday start!) and also the  Fall Family Picnic on Thursday, September 1. Both events are a great way to reconnect with Lakeridge families and meet new friends and we hope to see you there!

We are excited for another great year at Lakeridge. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, ideas or feedback.

Lakeridge PTA Co-Presidents

Upcoming events - mark your calendars

Click on the links to see more about each event
  • Tue Aug 30      3-4 pm Open House - Meet the Teacher
  • Wed Aug 31      1st Day of School (Grades 1-5) - Yay!!!
  • Wed Aug 31      9:15 am  Welcome Coffee - Volunteer and chit chat
  • Thur Sept 1       5:30 pm Fall Family Picnic! (SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER!) We need you!
  • Fri Sept 2          Kindergarten 1st Day - Bring your tissues!
  • Mon Sept 5       NO school - Labor Day (whew, we really need a day off!)
  • Tues Sept 13     9:30 am New Families Welcome Coffee - new to Lakeridge? Come!
  • Thur Sept 15     School Picture Day - Brush the hair!
  • Thur Sept 15     Noon - Find out about the funding issues facing MI
  • Thur Sept 15     5-6 pm Curriculum Night Grade K-2 (parents only)
  • Thur Sept 15    6-7 pm Curriculum Night Grade 3-5 (parents only)
  • Mon Sept 19     6-7 pm 5th Grade Camp Info Meeting @ Northwood
  • Fri Sept 23        3rd Grade Bike Rodeo 
  • Sat Oct 1            9-11:30 am IMS Open House (if you're interested!)
  • Wed Oct 5         Walk to School Day - no excuses, new boundaries 
  • Wed Oct 5         New Families DISTRICT event 
Are you interested in when some of the big events happen throughout the year? Click here

Did you know you can subscribe to the Lakeridge PTA calendar to see all events? Once you're in the calendar, click on the "subscribe" button on the bottom, right-hand side. 

Action items 

There's a bunch of stuff that will help you stay connected to what's going on at Lakeridge. Have you done the following so far this year? 

Enrichment opportunities

Did you know that the PTA helps organize outside vendors to provide before and after school enrichment opporutunties that include foreign language instruction, physical activity, technology training, etc.? These activities take place on the Lakeridge campus, which makes participation easy and convenient. 

New playground structure

Lakeridge students will be met with a brand new play structure on their first day of school! So fun to come to school and find this fabulous new structure, in Seahawks colors no less!?! (See photo above)

A huge ROAR of thanks to the Lakeridge students, parents and staff who served on Principal McAlaine's Playground Committee last year and dedicated time, energy and creativity to guide the design of our new Lakeridge playground structure!

Join us to celebrate the new structure and the new school year at our Fall Family Picnic THIS THURSDAY, September 1 @ 5:30 pm!

Any idea how much this new Play Structure cost? (scroll down to see the answer at the end of this newsletter)

Spirit Wear: orders due September 16


Show your school spirit and support the Lakeridge PTA with Lakeridge Spirit Wear.  We've rolled out an entirely new line of Spirit Wear featuring our brand new Lakeridge Lions logo. The offerings are both practical and stylish. Choose from cotton and dry-fit t-shirts, hoodie sweatshirts, shorts, and girls' style t-shirts. We also have popular cinch-style backpacks sporting the MI logo. Look for the Spirit Wear display near the main office to see samples of the new line.   Back-to-school orders must be submitted by Sept. 16.  This is the last chance to order spirit wear before the holidays -- don't miss out!  

Order form is available here.   You may also pick one up in the school main office.
Volunteer Opportunities
Lunchroom help - first week of school

As we head back to school and into the lunchroom, we will be jumping back into the lunchroom routine of recycling and composting our lunch leftovers.  

We are looking for parent volunteers to help guide students through the process of sorting their lunch waste during the 1st week of school. Did you know that Lakeridge strives toward zero waste by having students dump liquids, sort compost and recycle as much as possible? This process can be overwhelming for students as they transition back into the school year, and parent volunteers help explain the lunchroom procedures.

Please sign up here to volunteer in the lunchroom - it will make a world of  difference to our students and our environment.
 
Lakeridge is a King County Level 4 Green School! What does that mean? Click here to find out.
Fall Family Picnic needs you

Come help out for a shift or two. You'll be there anyway! It's the second day of school on Thursday, Sept 1! We need your help!
Room Parent sign up

It's that time again - time to volunteer to support your child's class as a room parent!!  Thinking to yourself, "WHAT!?! I don't have time for that!" or maybe even, "I work full time, I can't possibly do this!"  Guess what... You CAN!

Being a room parent comes in many shapes and forms. Many classes even have a small team of room parents sharing the load. It can be a ton of fun, and being a room parent is so very important - the teachers love and deserve the added support. If you're not sure and you want to learn more, check out the website for more info. 
 
This is the Signup Genius link for the "I'm interested in being a Room Parent!" crew.   

Questions? Contact Cameron Randall, Your PTA Room Parent Coordinator

Copy Corp - NEW this year

Copy Corp is a new volunteer opportunity at Lakeridge this year. As part of the Copy Corp team, you will help in the workroom making copies needed by teachers and staff  for use in the classroom. You choose the day of week you prefer to work and the time is flexible based on your schedule. The time commitment is 1.5-2 hours per week. Training provided - no experience necessary. 

You can  sign up now or at the welcome coffee. Questions? Come to the Welcome Coffee to get your questions answered or contact Janelle Honeycutt.

So many other opportunities to volunteer!

Interested in sharing your amazing energy and talent? Just moved here and want to meet people? Want to help enrich your child's school experience? Or is it just plain guilt that you should be helping? Someone asked you to chair an event and you don't want to have to run into them at QFC and explain over and over again why you'd love to but just can't? 

It doesn't matter, we'll take you regardless of your motivations. 

Check out the endless volunteer possibilites!
School District
Start and dismissal times: change this year

Due to the implementation of the world-language program, we will start our day at  9:15 am and end at  3:45 pm, except for early release Wednesdays which will begin at  9:15 am and end at  2:05 pm.

The first day of school on August 31 is not an early release day, however. Early release Wednesdays will begin on  September 7.  For further info, read here.  

First day of school: Twitter fun

MI School District is ramping up its social media presence and is encouraging families to share their first day of school photos using the hashtag #MIFirstDay  on Twitter or Facebook. 

MISD welcomes photos and information from your schools any time!
Twitter - @mercerislandsd

Dr. Gary Plano, Mercer Island Superintendent 

Did you see our superintendent's welcome letter he sent?  It includes info for an event for new families to the district, the implementation of our new world language program, changes in times to school day, and some social media messaging. Click here to check it out.

Advocacy
School funding - brown bag lunch 
The McCleary Ruling and what it means for MI

Thursday, September 15 - Noon
Mercer Island  School District Building Boardroom (4160 86th Avenue SE)

Join us for a Brown Bag lunch with Dean Mack, CFO for the Mercer Island School District, to discuss upcoming changes to school funding. With the expiration of our local levy and depending on how the legislature fulfills the McCleary ruling, the Mercer Island School District could lose significant funding.  Get educated on how the decisions our elected officials in Olympia make will directly affect Mercer Island Students. More info.

And the answer is...
Did you answer more than $80K?

Holy smokes - play structures are expensive! 

The Lakeridge PTA partnered with the school district to fund this project and contributed $40,000 out of Lakeridge PTA reserve funds, which was approved by Lakeridge parents at our  June 9  PTA membership meeting. With the district matching our contribution, we were able to collectively fund a new structure costing more than $80,000. We are thrilled about and proud of this amazing enhancement to our Lakeridge playground! Come check it out with your little Lions at the Fall Family Picnic on  September 1 !

So, remember, if you ever ask yourself what are my contributions going toward? It's opportunities like this. What an awesome way to help our kids!

PTA Board

Have a question about the PTA or want to get more involved?  Here's who to contact.

Submissions to Lions' ROAR

The Lions' ROAR is a communication from the Lakeridge PTA about school events and PTA programs, and is distributed nearly every other Sunday.  For inclusion in the next issue, please email activity and event information to the Lions' ROAR Co-Editors at editor@lakeridgepta.org by noon on the Tuesday prior to the upcoming newsletter dates: September 11 and 25. Submission guidelines available here.