December 1, 2020 | Issue #8 |
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Coffee With Christina - December 9 |
The next PTSA sponsored “Coffee with Christina” is Wednesday, December 9 beginning at 9:00 am. These informal gatherings are held virtually for now and are designed as an open discussion and Q&A with Principal Thomas. Come join other LWHS parents and community members for a time to connect and participate or just listen. The meetings last about an hour, but you are free to join late or leave early. Bring your own coffee and attend by clicking the Microsoft Teams Meeting link or calling in with the information below:
1 206-800-4750
Conference ID: 638 326 020#
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November PTSA Meeting Recap |
At the November 18, 2020 General Membership meeting, LWHS PTSA membership approved updates to the standing rules. PTSA members can view them on our website. LWHS Racial Equity team members CJ Green (President) and Bethany Shoda (VP) joined us to share their mission and equity plan and present an update on their work so far. More info on the LWHS Racial Equity team is available here.
Guest speaker Lindsay McMeins, EvergreenHealth Social Worker at LWHS, presented “Student Mental Health in the Remote Learning Environment” after the meeting. The slides from this presentation are now available on our website.
Our next General Membership virtual meeting will be on January 27, 2021 at 7:00 pm.
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Fall Grants Provided by LWHS PTSA |
One of the ways that the PTSA supports our school community is by funding grants that provide educational enrichment, and support club activities, social events, and social and emotional well-being. This fall, the PTSA has funded three grants:
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A set of Spanish-language novels for the new class Spanish for Native Speakers. In this class, students will develop core academic and literacy skills through the study of Spanish texts.
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Postcards and postage that teachers will use as an additional way to communicate with their students to create connections and celebrate growth and successes during remote learning.
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A collection of eBooks and audiobooks for our school library that will provide easily-accessible reading material for students, especially while they are learning remotely.
Many thanks to the committee members who gave their time to review the grant applications, and to the members of our school community whose donations to the PTSA provided funds for these grants.
LWHS PTSA Grants Committee Chair
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Reflections Art Competition Students Advancing to the Next Level |
Thirty-eight students participated in the Reflections Arts Competition sponsored by LWHS PTSA. This year’s theme is: I Matter Because… Based on the theme, the students’ artwork reflected honoring family culture, embracing individuality, having a voice, seeing the good around them, being there for someone, and much more.
After judges reviewed each entry in its respective Arts category, 17 students are advancing to the Council level. Congratulations to the following students in the following categories:
- Visual Arts: Mason Colbert, Erica Huynh, Elise Andrew, Anna Ignatovich, Sophie Root, Iida Jaervinen, Zih Fong Hsieh, Han Huynh, Ben Stott (Special Artist)
- Photography: Carlos Adrian Datol, Amelie Barga, Brock Olson, Adam Yusupov, Ratnanjali Kalla, Makena Weber, Armita Parsa (Special Artist)
- Music Composition: Andy Alkin
Thank you to LWHS staff members for their encouragement and support of the Reflections program.
Questions? Contact Pam Hay, LWHS PTSA Reflections Chair
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SAT and ACT Practice Tests - Additional Dates Now Available |
LWHS PTSA is once again partnering with Princeton Review to give students the opportunity to take SAT and ACT practice tests. This year, due to COVID restrictions, the practice tests will be conducted online.
The practice tests are created from original SAT/ACT tests from past years. They are a great way for your student to get comfortable with the format and style of the SAT or ACT. Students who take the test will also be invited to a strategy session that provides tips and tricks for better performance in the actual test.
The online practice tests will occur:
- SAT: Saturday, January 16, 2021 with Strategy Session January 26, 2021
- ACT: Saturday, January 23, 2021 with Strategy Session February 2, 2021
Note: If your student has taken the test earlier, they can take the test again. However, please note that the set of questions will be the same and they will NOT get a new set of questions.
Don’t let your student miss this opportunity. Sign up for free! Registration must be completed before January 12, 2021.
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LWPTSA Council Safety Night Webinars |
The LWPTSA Emergency Preparedness Committee is converting the COVID-cancelled district-wide Safety Night Event from last spring into an online webinar series for parents, students and staff. Join us for several webinars throughout the year on a variety of safety and emergency preparedness topics.
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Tuesday, December 1, 7:00-8:00 pm: Safety & Privacy Online by Sarah K. Miller, Emergency Management Professional & Crisis Manager. This session will cover the basics of cyber hygiene, designed to help you and your family stay safe online. We’ll talk about how to keep private information private, how to avoid unsafe situations, and what to do if you make a mistake. Come prepared with questions!
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Thursday, December 10, 7:00-8:00 pm: Emergency Preparedness for the Family by Pattijean Hooper, PhD, City of Redmond Emergency Manager. Learn ways to keep the whole family prepared for disasters that you might experience while at home such as earthquakes, wildfires, and winter storms.
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LWPTSA Council Scholarship Auction Ends Tomorrow! |
Join the Lake Washington PTSA Council for their first-ever online scholarship auction, now open! Browse and bid on over 50 auction experiences, including cooking classes, local restaurant gift cards, wine tasting, photography packages, artwork, game nights, and more.
All proceeds go to scholarships for LWSD graduating seniors and continuing education scholarships for staff. Support our students and get some holiday shopping done at the same time!
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LWPTSA Council LGBTQ+ Panel - Tomorrow Night! |
Lake Washington PTSA Council is hosting an evening of sharing and learning – find out about supports in our schools and how you can be a valuable ally! Parents, caregivers, guardians, grandparents, aunts, friends, uncles and students are all welcome to attend.
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When: Wednesday, December 2, 7:00-8:30 pm
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Please RSVP here and the webinar link will be sent to you prior to the event.
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Download a flyer to share.
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Sustainability: Preparing for the Holidays |
The December holiday is fast approaching which means shopping, decorating, hanging holiday lights, baking cookies, and so much more. Here are some tips to reduce our carbon footprint as we prepare for the season.
Here is something to think about as we wrap gifts: we could save enough paper in the US to cover 45,000 football fields if every family wrapped just three gifts in reused materials. I have accumulated a lot of brown bags over the last 6 months and they make great wrapping paper by adding just a few flourishes. Some other options are newspapers (especially the comics section), cloth bags, and reusable gift bags. To ensure that your wrapping paper of choice can be recycled, avoid using glitter and foil. Note: if using tissue paper, do not place in the recycle bin (too thin).
I and my extended family (that lives on the other coast) realized, after being stuck in our homes for months, that we don’t need any more stuff. So we decided to share our favorite recipes with each other, handwritten or typed. And while cooking each other's dishes, the presence of family would be felt.
When ready to put the holiday season away, compost your Christmas tree, for free! Waste Management will pick up unflocked Christmas trees up to 6’ tall (cut in half if it’s too tall). Set the tree next to your cart on regular collection day during the first 2 weeks of January.
Enjoy the Holidays and Happy New Year!
For Questions & Sharing, Contact Pam Hay, LWHS PTSA Sustainability Chair
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From the 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.
LWHS Counseling Center
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LWHS Booster Club and Athletics Information Night - Tomorrow! |
The LWHS PTSA and Booster Club/Athletic Department are teaming up for an informative session on Wednesday, December 2 at 7:00 pm to present the latest on the status of sports and the role of booster clubs at LWHS. It’s been a crazy year and we know you’re curious. This virtual meeting will give you an opportunity to hear from the LWHS Athletic Director, Booster Club President, Athletic Trainer and a few of our coaches too! New and seasoned parents welcome. You can submit questions ahead of time to president@lwhsboosters.org.
Microsoft Teams
Join on your computer or mobile app
LWHS Booster Club President
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LWHS Theatre Presents It's a Wonderful Life, the Radio Play
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LWHS Theatre is excited to present their first performance of this unusual year. See the details below to support the show and see their experiment in remote theatre! LWHS Theatre will be performing It’s a Wonderful Life, the Radio Play.
- Free performance, but donations appreciated
- Performance hosted live on Microsoft Teams
- Shows are December 5, 6, 12, & 13
- Saturdays at 7:00 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm
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Donate Your Clutter to the LWHS Library |
There has been an ask from our students to have more board games available for check out from LWHS library. They would like to borrow the board games for game night at home with their families. This would be a great opportunity for families to have a fun time without breaking the bank on a new game. Many college libraries in our state offer this perk to their students. When polled what games they would like, we had a tremendous response. The top 10 games the students were most interested in were Monopoly, Uno, Unstable Unicorns, Exploding Kittens, Ticket to Ride, Castle, You’ve Got Crabs, Clue, and Killer Bunnies. The two games with the most comments have been Potion Explosion and Coup. If your family has any games that you no longer play and are in good condition, we would be more than happy to help declutter your closet! The game list is over 70 games long, we would gladly take any game offered. Please contact Elizabeth Courage to make a donation.
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LWHS Key Club is organizing another blood drive this year! Since they can’t do it at the school like usual, they have made it a virtual event.
The blood drive will run through December 5. Students age 16 and older can participate. It's not limited to students - all families and friends can participate as well!
Questions? Reach out to Mia Pekez, Key Club Vice-President
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Instructional Videos from LWSD Special Services |
Since many parents are working in the role of teacher this year, the LWSD Special Services Group has provided families with some instructional resources. They partnered with Dr. Mike Guittierez in creating some instructional videos. These videos cover some fundamentals on instruction and supporting student behavior. We hope you find them helpful!
LWHS PTSA Special Needs Chair
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Yearbook Deadlines for Seniors - Today! |
Senior Portrait Submissions
If students want to use their senior portrait for the yearbook, please submit to Jostens by December 1, 2020. Details can be found on the LWHS website under Yearbook.
Senior Recognition Ads
Looking for an additional way to celebrate your senior? Through Jostens, parents have the opportunity to create a senior recognition ad for their student that will go in the Yearbook. It’s a way to celebrate all of their hard work and accomplishments and commemorate a unique year. The deadline for ads is also December 1, 2020. Click here for more information.
LWHS Yearbook Advisor
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Attention Parents of Seniors!
Are you disappointed your Senior hasn’t had a typical year with memorable events like football games, theatre performances, Homecoming and band concerts? Are you worried about having a memorable End of Year/Graduation? The Senior Salute committee needs your help! We are already planning some great events and have a plan for Yard Signs for Seniors but more volunteers are needed. We also want to make sure you are always informed since plans can change depending on restrictions in place. Please fill out this form so we can make sure our Seniors have a memorable Year.
We are also collecting pictures for a video production. We need parents to help! Encourage your student to upload videos/pictures or ask them for pictures that you can upload. Pictures of anything your senior has done this year or favorites from past years would be appreciated.
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College Application Essay Support - Only a Few Sessions Left! |
College application deadlines are looming! Don't let your Senior procrastinate and spend the holidays cramming!
LWHS PTSA continues to provide students with FREE virtual application essay support on Wednesdays after school and select evenings via ZOOM. Students can connect with trained volunteers who will assist with editing college application essays and personal statements. Volunteers can also answer questions about the college application process and steer students in the right direction for any additional support they might need.
Each one-on-one session will be 30 minutes. Students must sign up in advance for a specific time/date.
Sign up HERE to reserve your spot NOW!
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Free Homework Help and Tutors from KCLS |
King County Library System has launched Study Zone Plus - a virtual version of their in-person homework help program.
Students in grades K-12 can work with a tutor or find recharge activities, language and reading support. Connect to Zoom online using your computer, tablet or smartphone. Or, dial in using a home phone or smartphone.
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The Lake Washington Schools Foundation Updates |
Pantry Packs Needs Support!
Due to the pandemic and supply chain issues, Pantry Packs is having difficulty obtaining canned protein meals and shelf stable milk. Pantry Packs is hosting a food drive now through December 19. Sign up for the food drive. For more details visit: www.lwsf.org/pantrypacks
Balance in Mind Parent Chats
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December 2 at 7:30 pm – Fostering Calm Communications When Everyone is Home
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December 16 at 7:30 pm – Creating Space for Joy
Got Questions about the College Application Process? The Counselor Is In!
Are you wondering how COVID-19 has impacted college applications? Parents and high school students are welcome to bring their questions and independent college counselor Mary Pat O’Neil will provide the answers!
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December 1: Yearbook Deadline for Seniors
December 2: LWHS Booster and Athletics Virtual Information Night, 7:00 pm
December 2: LWPTSA Council LGBTQ+ Virtual Panel, 7:00 pm
December 4: LWSF The Counselor Is In
December 5-6, 12-13: LWHS Theatre It's a Wonderful Life, The Radio Play
December 9: Coffee with Christina, 9:00 am
Dec 21-Jan 1: Winter Break (No School)
January 27: LWHS General Membership Meeting, 7:00 pm
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Information distributed in the Kang Crier does not imply endorsement by Lake Washington High School PTSA. We assume no responsibility for any content that does not originate from lwhsptsa.org, nor do we independently verify or exert editorial control over information not specifically endorsed by LWHS PTSA. Lake Washington High School PTSA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused by the use of this content. |
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