Volume 3 Issue 5 | November 2019
Home & School Club
Next Home & School Club meeting: December 16th at 7pm in the Leigh Library.
All are welcome.
Meeting dates for 2019-20 as well as minutes from past meetings are available  here
Message from Principal Kara Butler

On Monday night, November 18th, the Home and School Club approved the funding for many projects ranging from additional technology to calculators to art supplies.

Every year I am awed by the dedication of our Home and School Club Executive Cabinet and members. They work tirelessly to raise awareness of school needs and the funds needed to support us. And every year without fail, the Leigh parents show up and provide that support. 

I just wanted to take a moment and express my deep gratitude for everyone who has ever donated money, time, goods and/or services. I am constantly humbled by the care and passion our community has for our school and FamLeigh. Thank you.
Chromebook Drive

GIVING TUESDAY IS COMING UP ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26!   
Leigh has an immediate need for a classroom set of Chromebooks in at least 5 of our classrooms. During this Thanksgiving season, a Leigh family has very generously offered a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10,000 specifically for this purpose .

  • Donate $300 to purchase one chromebook
  • Donate $10,000 to purchase a full classroom set of chromebooks
  • Donate any amount of your choosing
You can also donate by check! Make payable to Leigh Home & School Club. Mail to: Leigh Home & School Club, Leigh High School, 5210 Leigh Ave, San Jose, CA 95124 or drop it off at the front office.

All donations are very much appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact the HSC President at president@leighhsc.org. Thank you for making a difference at Leigh!
Don't forget to check if your employer will double your donation - it's quick and easy!
Leigh High School Home and School Club is an all volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Tax ID # is 77-0199809. All donations are tax-deductible.
Highlights from the November 2019 HSC Meeting
Principal Kara Butler shared the following updates:
Mr. Gallagher's Principles of Engineering class participated in a bridge building project, applying their knowledge of math and engineering to build trusses and bridges and put those structures under pressure to test their strength. The most robust of the structures was able to support 35 pounds!
On Wednesday, November 1 3, Leigh hosted the 2nd Band Benefit to support Red Cross Disaster Relief. The bands were amazing and the event raised over $6,000.00. In attendance were Fremont High, Branham High, Westmont High, Leigh High, and Del Mar High. The best part was watching the students all support each other as they performed.

8th grade Shadow Day is November 21. This is when 8th graders come from local middle schools to visit Leigh.
Vaping paraphernalia is very easily accessible online as well as in the community, and vaping among Leigh students is increasing. The Leigh administration is working to educate the students. In addition to proactive measures, any student found vaping will be required to take an online program on vaping offered through Stanford. 
Leigh is in the process of compiling its self-study report in preparation for its next visitation by a WASC committee in February 2020. The report is due in December. The first chapters are already on the Leigh website . The remaining chapters will be posted as they are completed. The WASC report includes a lot of interesting data about the school. Feel free to send feedback to Leigh's WASC Coordinator, Ms. Mosley, at MMoseley@cuhsd.org
Teachers representative Celeste Smiley reported the following:
On November 6th and 7th some of our Leigh admin and teachers attended the Mental Health First Aid Training at the district office. Everyone in attendance felt it was very beneficial and will be using these skills with our students.
Halloween Contest: The winner is...Math with their Mario Cart Theme! We had such a great time at our annual contest. 
Thank you to the Home & School Clubs for grant money to purchase hot plates for our Bio labs, partial funding for the purchase of an iPad Pro for 2D Art, a lovely slab roller for 3D Art, Book Club books for AP Lit/English 4, and whiteboards and a grant for an iPad and Apple pencil for Math. We appreciate your support in making our classrooms a better place for our students.
THANK YOU to all our generous donors!

This fall the Leigh High School Home & School Club has been generously supported by so many in our community. Thank you for helping us do what we do. A few stand-out donations need to be acknowledged: 

  • $5,000 ... donation + corporate match from the Gabriel Family
  • $10,750 ... donation from anonymous donor
  • $24,000 ... donation + corporate match from anonymous donor

Our Leigh community would like to say a very sincere thank you to the Leigh families who have made these incredibly generous donations. The Home & School Club, Ms. Butler, and the donors who have wished to do so, have worked closely together to ensure the funds will be used in the most impactful way. Thank you to these families for making such a difference for our students and our teachers at Leigh.

These donations will be used in the following programs:

  • Staff grants
  • Professional development program for staff
  • Six new laptops for the library
  • Outdoor furniture for the quad
  • Calculators for math/SPED classes
  • Supplies for the Science + Art Departments
  • Upgrades for the staff restrooms
  • A new Adulting 101 program for Seniors as they approach graduation (more on this new program below)
Recent programs/activities funded using Annual Giving donations

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Annual Giving Drive! During the past month, your donations have funded:

  • Campus Beautification - $2,163 for Campus Clean Up day plants and materials
  • College & Career Center - $437 for four AP Calc and AP Physics prep books and two magazine racks for college brochures
Adulting 101

This spring as our Seniors look towards graduation, there may be just a few life skills that didn't quite get covered in the four years of a robust LHS curriculum. Adulting 101 is a set of short, intensive workshops that will cover the following:

  • Personal Finance (Budgeting etc)
  • Home Based Skills (Nutrition and cooking, sewing etc)
  • Professional Skills (Resume writing, interview techniques etc)

Your Home & School Club will be developing and building these workshops over the next few months and we could use your help! Whether you want to spearhead the entire program, one of the workshops, or simply join a group of enthusiastic adults who want our kids to be prepared for the real world, drop us a note at president@leighhsc.org and get on the Adulting 101 committee.
CUHSD Parcel Tax Campaign - call for volunteers

The Campbell Union High School District (Leigh, Branham, Del Mar, Westmont, Prospect, Boynton High Schools) is planning to include a parcel tax on the March 2020 ballot. The decision to proceed will be finalized on Dec 2. Money collected through the parcel tax will be used to support items such as recruiting and retaining high quality teachers, funding outstanding academic programs to prepare our students for college and careers, expanded mental health services, etc.

A committee has been formed to manage the campaign. The Campaign Committee has asked that each high school recruit a Volunteer Coordinator for their school as well as volunteers for precinct walks and postcard writing sessions. We appreciate any support you can give. If you can help in any way (with planning, volunteer coordination, participating in precinct walks or postcard writing etc), please sign up here . Thank you for making a difference!
We Love our Teachers and Staff!

Thursday, November 14th, we held our “Thankful for our Staff” Nacho Luncheon, featuring tasty nachos smothered in gooey cheese, beans and toppings. Big thanks to all who donated food and their time. P lans for December include cookies for Staff Meeting, and Holiday gift in each staff member’s mail box. 
More happenings at Leigh



  • Sports Boosters: follow on Instagram @Leigh_sports_boosters. Sign up to join mailing list here.


  • Read Principal Kara Butler's Weekly Bulletins here »

  • Read the Daily Bulletins created by our Activities Director, Anthoney Roe, here »
Grad Night 2020 - A Perfect Holiday Gift for Your Senior

Grad Night tickets will go on sale on Dece mber 1, 2019. This is a safe, sober event exclusively for the entire class of 2020. If you're looking for the perfect holiday gift for your graduating Senior, this is it! Get more details at http://leighhsc.org/gradnight/.
Home & School Club By-Laws Revised

One of the primary goals of our HSC Board this year was to review and revise our By-Laws (most recent revision was in 2014). We voted on the amended by-laws at our November 18th HSC meeting and the new by-laws were passed. An executive summary of the changes made, a document with all of the edits highlighted, and a final version of the updated by-laws are available on our HSC website .

If you have any questions please contact our Co-Parliamentarians, Gretchen Gabriel and Ben Dodge, at parliamentarian@leighhsc.org . Thank you to all of the Board members who spent many hours working through the details to create this updated document.
Earn FREE money for Leigh when you shop


Shopping on Amazon? 
Use our dedicated Leigh Amazon link when shopping with Amazon, and Leigh Home & School Club receives a % of the amount you purchased. Bookmark this link for future shopping 'trips'! The link is always available on our website. Does your company shop at Amazon? Then refer this link to the person in charge of purchases. Anyone can use this link and Leigh will benefit.

Shopping at Office Depot?
When you check out, let the cashier know that you want to support Leigh High School. Leigh will receive 5% of your purchase amount.

Shopping at Sports Basement?
On your next visit to Sports Basement, register as a Basementeer and select Leigh High School as your beneficiary. Basementeer's receive 10% and give 10%:

  • 10% off every item every day
  • 10% of your purchase is donated back to Leigh