Lake Washington High School PTSA Newsletter

Jan. 4, 2017 | Issue 9
    
 
In This Issue
Kang Crier Links

sidebarEditor: Janice Wilson Vache
 
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12033 N.E. 80th St.
Kirkland, Washington 98033
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~ Upcoming Events ~
College Application Workshops
Wednesdays after school and Thursdays during ROO period

LWHS Winter Choir Concert
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 7-8 pm in the Theater

No School, Martin Luther King Jr Day
Monday, Jan. 16

PTSA General Membership Meeting and Parent Ed
Wednesday, Jan. 18, 7 pm in the Library

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Welcome to 2017 at LWHS
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Welcome to 2017 and back to school, with all of its activities and opportunities!  We hope you all enjoyed a change of pace over winter break and encourage you to ease back into the school routines with this issue of the Kang Crier and a favorite warm beverage. There are many things coming up this month!
 
Please join us for our PTSA membership meeting on Wednesday, January 18 at 7 pm in the library.  Our short business meeting will be followed by a school update from Principal Christina Thomas and a great Parent Education presentation. Check out the article below for more information.  A great feature of any PTSA meeting is the opportunity to meet and connect with other LWHS parents -- hope to see you there!
 
Happy January!
Mindy Lincicome
LWHS PTSA President
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PTSA News
Parent Ed and PTSA membership meeting
Topic: Career Cruising and the High School & Beyond Plan

Parents, do you have questions about the Career Cruising tool and the High School & Beyond plan? We'll have LWHS's own Cameron Miller,  LWHS College & Career Readiness Specialist,  and Melanie Kristjanson,  LWHS Career Specialist,  on hand to demo and inform us how these approaches are used by your student to meet this graduation requirement.

This event immediately follows the short PTSA general membership meeting in the LWHS Library at 7 pm on January 18. 
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Fear Free practice ACT & SAT tests return

Our next sessions of Fear Free ACT/SAT practice tests are set for January 28 (ACT) and February 25 (SAT).  Please sign up online or submit the registration form to the PTSA box in the school office. The ACT deadline is January 24 and the SAT deadline is February 21.

If you missed the chance to take these practice tests in the fall, sign up now and use this opportunity to hone your test-taking skills in a stress-free environment! Please note: per the Princeton Review, these are the same tests that were administered in the fall.
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LWHS News & Activities
Final yearbook sales through Jan. 20
yearbook The yearbook committee must place its order with the vendor at the end of January, and only a few extra copies are ordered to save money. Fair warning: these extra copies always sell out. Plan ahead, put this on your calendar, and make sure you get a copy for $65.  

Can't remember if you've already purchased a yearbook?  
  1.     Log into your Parent Access account 
  2.     Look at your online Payment Customer History 
  3.     You can also email our bookkeeper Mandy McChesney. 
See online for other yearbook questions
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Teen CEO competition awards teen entrepreneurs
The only event of its kind in Western Washington, Teen CEO is a multifaceted high school business competition in the Lake Washington School District that highlights young entrepreneurs who are currently operating a business. This competition helps jump-start these businesses with cash prizes exceeding $5000! Applications are due January 6. For more information, visit www.teenceowa.com
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Senior Class News
College Application Workshops ready for 2017!
Remind your senior to check in with the College Application Workshop for essay and personal statement support. Help us help them be prepared for upcoming application deadlines! We're available in the College and Career Center on Wednesdays after school (we have pizza!) and during Thursday's ROO period. Have them bring their work in progress and we hope to see them.
 
Please note: We've added Mock Admission Interview practice to our workshop. Please encourage your student to drop by for a practice session providing tips and strategies. 

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Career & Counseling Center
NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse
Juniors and seniors considering participating in intercollegiate athletics need to register online with the NCAA Clearinghouse. This registration certifies the eligibility of student athletes to participate in sports during their freshman year in college. 
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Parents of Seniors:  Get ready to apply for financial aid
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Don't forget to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early in January . The FAFSA is the paperwork step necessary to access federal student aid including the Pell Grant and federal student loans.  Regardless of your family's current economic situation, you are always eligible for federal student or parent loans, so don't put it off. Also, many scholarships are now requiring that a FAFSA be filed. It's usually advantageous to get the FAFSA filed as early as possible because it allows you more time to consider your options. The student and parents need a PIN (personal identification number) to complete the FAFSA online. If you don't already have one, now is the time to apply at: www.pin.ed.gov . When you are ready to fill out the FAFSA be sure to use the site: www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Remember, it is a free form -- don't go to sites where you have to pay to fill out the form.
 
Need help completing the FAFSA?
If you experience difficulty when you fill out the FAFSA, we encourage you to call the financial aid offices at any of our local community colleges or universities. They will be more than happy to help answer your questions. Again, it is important to submit the FAFSA as soon as possible; many schools have upcoming deadlines.  They strictly enforce deadlines and need your financial information as early as possible in order to give your student the best package. 
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Second semester schedule preview
Change requests due Jan. 10-12

Students will be able to view their 2nd semester schedule on January 9. If they would like to change a semester elective, they need to download the "Schedule Change Request Form" (available on LWHS's website at 3 pm on January 9), complete it and turn it in to the Counseling Center any time January 10-12.  If the counselor can make the change, your student will be given a revised schedule. As always, schedule change requests based on teacher choice, teacher style or lunch assignments will not be considered. Please remember there will be NO schedule changes once 2nd semester begins.
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Winter reminders from the Career Center

Winter is an exciting (and often stressful) time for seniors, but the College & Career Center is here to help!  The College & Career Center presents many options for students to explore as they near graduation. We provide information that will assist students though graduation, college admissions, financial planning, scholarships, job searches and other aspects of post-secondary planning.
 
Things to note this winter:
  • As the college application season ends, scholarship season begins! Students are welcome to drop in or book appointments with Ms. Kristjanson, LWHS Career Specialist, to discuss scholarship opportunities and receive application assistance.
  • Moving forward, the College & Career Center will be utilizing our PowerSchool page to share all information on post-secondary planning, scholarships, college visits and more.
  • As mentioned in our Coffee with Christina event on December 7, college visits occur primarily in the Fall and occasionally in the Spring. All college and career visits can be found on our PowerSchool page. Visits are also posted on the Kang Bulletin and announced on Kang News. 
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 Lake Washington High School * Kirkland, WA * PTSA Local Unit 2.8.95