February 7, 2023 | Issue 12

PTSA

Where Do My PTSA Contributions Go?

This article is the first in a series to explain what the LWHS PTSA does and where contributions to the PTSA go. The PTSA funds student programs, events, and grants to teachers for professional training and classroom supplies–all to benefit the educational experience. These programs are funded by parent contributions. Due to a decline in contributions this year, programs like these are at risk for future funding.

 

One example of how PTSA ensures our Juniors and Seniors are prepared for the college application process involves two programs: ACT/SAT Practice Tests and College Application Workshops. 


Free ACT and SAT Practice Tests are open to all students four times during the school year. “We average 76 students each testing period who take advantage of the free practice tests. In addition, there has been a trend of sophomores signing up to begin their practice well in advance,” said Janet Smith, ACT/SAT Program Lead.

 

Free help on the college application process is another key investment from the PTSA. “We just concluded our 8th year of helping students with their college essays,” said Judy Shedd, College Application Workshop Program Lead. “We trained coaches to assist our students in writing their essays and were able to hold 66 sessions with students this year alone.”


These two programs reflect PTSA's impact on the educational experience. Tune into future issues of the Kang Crier to learn about how PTSA funded over 30 teacher classroom grants this year, additional investments in classroom materials, band equipment, and much more!

 

PTSA fundraising declined this school year. If you are able to make a contribution, please follow the "Pass the Pouch" directions on our website. Thank you for your support!

LWHS PTSA Volunteers Needed

Build community, connect, do good. The PTSA needs you!

Volunteering is an essential part of any successful organization and the LWHS Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is no exception. We have some urgent volunteer needs for the remainder of this school year.


Nominating Committee

We are currently looking for three volunteers to join our Nominating Committee, which is responsible for filling open board and committee positions for the upcoming school year. By joining the nominating committee, you can help ensure that the PTSA is able to continue its mission by ensuring we have a full leadership slate for the 2023-24 school year. Nominating Committee members will be elected at our March 6th Virtual General Membership Meeting and will work in March, April and May to fill positions. 


Additional Opportunities for This Year

We also have several open roles for this year listed on our website

  • Advocacy
  • Communications
  • Special Ed Inclusion & Awareness Chair 


Click here for more information


If you are interested in volunteering with the PTSA, please contact Amy Chavez, LWHS PTSA Executive Vice President, at EVP@lwhsptsa.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sustainability at LWHS

LWHS Students and Staff to unite in bold vision for a fully-integrated sustainable 21st century school culture


In response to student advocacy efforts, PTSA President Tanya Knudsen and Sustainability Chair Stephanie Lecovin will host a series of visioning sessions to create a bold sustainability culture at LWHS. Come contribute your vision!


  • Student Sessions: February 10 at A and B Roo times; students sign up for Roo time under Quillin
  • Parent Virtual Session: ​February 13 at 7:00-7:45 pm via Zoom
  • Parent/Teacher Session: February 22 at 1:30-2:15 pm in LWHS Library 


Questions? Contact Tanya Knudsen, LWHS PTSA President

Parents of Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors

The Senior Party event needs you to pay it forward!

 

The LWHS PTSA Senior Party is looking for at least 15 volunteers to help out at the June 15 Senior Party event. You can volunteer for the entire night or a portion of it. It is a great opportunity to pay it forward and to find out what Senior Party is all about! 

 

For more information or to sign up, email seniorparty@lwhsptsa.org.

 

Thank you!

Jennifer Grimes and Joanie Thomas, LWHS PTSA Senior Party Co-Chairs

Staff Appreciation

Roses are red, violets are blue, our school is so lucky to have parents like you!


To spread some Valentine love to our staff, we are building gift bags full of sweet treats and fun school supplies to make their Valentine Day a fun one! Click here to find out how you can participate. Donations are needed by February 10.


Questions? Contact Beatrice Joe, LWHS PTSA Staff Appreciation

LWPTSA Council Special Education Group Meeting

Tuesday, February 21 at 7:00 pm


Join LWPTSA Council’s Special Education Group (SEG) for their February meeting, in person! The meeting will kick off at 6:30 pm with family networking. At 7:00 pm, the formal program will begin with Ramona Hattendorf, Director of Advocacy at the Arc of King County to learn about legislative advocacy and the Arc’s priorities for this legislative session. At the Arc, Ramona works with advocacy coalitions and government leaders to improve supports for people with disabilities, and produces news and education materials to help people understand and engage in public policy.


Child care is available! Contact specialservices@lwsd.org with your student's name and age.



Please send questions to SEG co-chairs, Huma Zarif and Kaity Mason, at specialeducation@lwptsa.net.

LWPTSA Council Lunch and Learn

Thursday, February 23 at Noon


LWPTSA Council's Lunch & Learn series consists of short presentations and discussions on topics relevant to your child's education. All community members are welcome—you bring your lunch, and we'll provide the speakers. We hope you will join us this month for an informative discussion on school funding. How does it get distributed to our individual schools? Who decides how much goes to which programs? Where can we find more information about how funds are allocated?



Bring your questions and your lunch, and learn with us! Please email Council's executive vice president, Brandi Comstock, with any questions.

Washington State PTA Updates

Game Development Competition

Students attending a middle or high school with a PTA/PTSA in good standing may participate in this competition either individually or in teams of up to five, using their creative talents to develop a computer game or a board game. This year's theme is "Curiosity". Entries are due February 15, 2023. The submission process is new this year. Visit WSPTA's Game Development Competition page for details.

Essay Contest

Every day, kids are exposed to a variety of people, and each one has an opportunity to influence the path a child takes. This contest is a platform for students to share their appreciation for the important influencers in their lives and education. Entries are due February 15, 2023. The student must personally know the influencer they write about. The submission process is new this year. Visit WSPTA's Essay Contest page for details.

Scholarship Program

Washington State PTA offers four $2,500 scholarships to graduating seniors from Washington public high schools with an active PTA/PTSA, who will be starting either a two-year or four-year college the following fall. Applications are due February 15, 2023, and scholarships are awarded by April 30. The submission process is new this year. Visit WSPTA's Scholarship Program page for details and eligibility requirements.

School
From the Desk of LWHS Principal Christine Bell

Greetings Kang Families,


Happy February and welcome to the spring semester. 


I want to start by thanking our PTSA for encouraging us to consider ways in which our student leaders and staff can focus on improving our sustainability efforts. We are encouraged by this effort and look forward to hearing new ideas on how we can move forward in mitigating the impact we have on the environment. 


I also would like to recognize our staff, students and parents who came together to celebrate the Lunar New Year last week. We had a fun time celebrating and encouraging each other. Every opportunity we have to celebrate the many cultures and traditions in our community is another chance to bring us closer together. Thank you, parents!


We are now well into the second semester. As our teachers enter grades for the first semester, I have asked them to implement proficiency-based grading practices. I want you to understand how this works so that you can communicate with your students and support their efforts to recover credit.


Here is how it works: If a student receives a grade of "N" for the first semester it means that they have earned No Credit in that class. This could be due to missing assignments, inconsistent attendance or a genuine lack of understanding of the concepts taught in the first semester. In a year-long class this has often meant, in the past, that a student was removed from the class and asked to attempt it the following year. In the Lake Washington School District we have moved away from F grades and believe that students should have the opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in a yearlong class, even after the end of the first semester. 


For practical purposes, this means that a student stays in the class, makes a plan with the teacher to demonstrate understanding (proficiency) and they have the opportunity to earn a "P" or a pass for that first semester. This is not the same as a letter grade (A-D) in that it does not impact the GPA. Understand that this is not an automatic grade adjustment. The student may still have an N on their transcript if they do not demonstrate proficiency. 


If a teacher, student and parent agree that it is not best for a student to remain in a yearlong class, the student can go to their counselor to request a form to use to request to drop that class. The counselor is the ultimate authority on graduation requirements, and they will either give that student the form or encourage them to continue to work toward proficiency. The default is for the student to remain in class for the rest of the year. 


Should you have any questions about this process please reach out to me, to your student's teacher or their counselor. Again, the goal is to provide students with every opportunity to demonstrate learning. 


On another note, the Lake Washington High School Racial Equity Team is looking for parents to sign up to participate in a book study. This book study group will involve students, staff and parents. The book title is yet to be determined; however, it will be focused on how to have conversations about race. Please consider joining us and reach out to me if you are interested in signing up or learning more. 


Thank you for your attention to the happenings at LWHS. I am excited about the progress in our community and enjoy partnering with our families. Go Kangs!


Christine Bell  

LWHS Principal

LWHS College and Career Center News

College Fair

Save the date! On Thursday, April 20 from 5:00-7:00 pm, LWHS will host a spring college fair. This is a great way to kick off the college search for our current junior class who will be our 2024 grads! All grades and parents are welcome to attend. Come and speak directly with college admissions advisors about admissions, housing, campus life and more. We have many great schools attending such as Gonzaga, WSU, Arizona State, University of Arizona, UNLV, San Diego State, Oregon State, UMass and more!

 

College Visits

For juniors just beginning to look at schools or seniors interested in applying for next school year, we have several upcoming college admissions reps coming to LWHS:

 

  • Feb 7 at B Lunch, 12:44-1:14 pm: Temple University Japan campus
  • Mar 7 at A Lunch, 11:07-11:37 am: University of Idaho
  • Mar 14 at A -Lunch, 11:07-11:37 am: Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)
  • Mar 16 at 12:44-1:14 pm: Texas A&M College Station

 

WANIC

For rising Juniors and Seniors, WANIC has begun accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year. Students can participate in many different options such as Aviation Technology, Institute of Systems Biology Systems Medicine, medical, dental, baking, CISCO, FITE (Fire & EMS program), and DigiPen combined with their classes at LWHS.


  • LWHS WANIC Info Session: February 24 during Roo B in the College & Career Center.
  • WANIC Open House: March 16 from 5:00-7:00 pm at LW Institute of Technology at 11605 132nd Avenue NE in Kirkland.
  • DigiPen Session: For students interested in attending DigiPen through WANIC, Click here to register for a DigiPen session.

LWSD Announces Calendar Changes

May 30 is now a regular school day. Last day of school remains Friday, June 23.

 

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) has finalized plans to make up for the day missed due to the November 30 snow day. The 2022-23 calendar has been modified to reflect this change: 

 

  • Tuesday, May 30: Change from a non-school day to a full day for students.

 

May 30 was built-in as a snow make-up day, meaning that if we had snow days this school year, we would make them up by changing this day from a non-student day to a regular school day. 

 

View printable school calendar.

LWHS Theatre Presents Legally Blonde, The Musical

One weekend left! February 9-11, 2023


A fabulously fun award-winning musical based on the adored movie, Legally Blonde, The Musical follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Action-packed and exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dances--this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal! Don't miss it!


Ticket prices:

$10 Students w/ASB, Seniors (60+), Military

$15 General Admission


And this just in: For the Thursday, February 9 performance, students wearing pink can purchase a ticket at the door for only $5! Cash or check only; no credit cards.


Click here to buy tickets


  • Online tickets for Feb 9 performance close Wed, Feb 8 at 7:00 pm
  • Online ticket sales for Feb 10-11 performances close Thurs, Feb 9 at 7:00 pm
  • Remaining tickets available at the door, cash or check only


Additional information on the LWHS Theatre Website. Follow us on Facebook for event listings, updates and photos.

Support LWHS Music Department by Dining at MOD Pizza

Show your support for LWHS Music Department by having lunch or dinner at MOD Pizza in Kirkland's Totem Lake on Thursday, February 23! The processed will go to the Lake Washington High School Music Boosters to cover expenses for the Music Department's trip to the Heritage Festival in Anaheim, CA this May! Click the link below to print the flyer to show at the restaurant or order online and enter this fundraiser code: MODGIVES20.


Print the flyer


Questions? Contact Gretchen Moosbrugger, Music Booster President

Reminder: Advanced Placement Exam Registration

LWSD is offering a LATE AP Exam Registration window now through March 3, 2023. Students who register during the late AP Registration window will incur a $50 per exam late fee in addition to the $99 per exam fee. 

 

Click here for more information about AP Exam registration deadlines and fees

Seniors

Senior Party Tickets Now Available

Prices go up February 21!

 

Your senior is invited to a safe and fun-filled post-graduation all-night party presented by the LWHS PTSA. We provide transportation to two venues, entertainment, food and a memorable end-of-the year experience. 

  

When: Thursday, June 15, 2023

Start Time: 8:30-9:30pm

End Time: 5:00 am on Friday, June 16, at LWHS  

 

Ticket prices:

  • $190 until February 21
  • $200 between February 22 and April 30
  • $210 between April 30 and June 4
  • Ticket sales end June 4, 2023  
  • All ticket purchases are non-refundable. 

 

Scholarships or installment plans are available. Contact Jodee Hull at jhull@lwsd.org for more information.

 

How do you sign up your Senior? Click here to purchase Senior Party Tickets. You can also click here for additional information. You do not need to be a PTSA member to purchase tickets.

 

Questions? Do you want to help chaperone or plan the event? Contact the Senior Party Co-Chairs at seniorparty@lwhsptsa.org 


Community

Lake Washington Schools Foundation News

LWSF Supports Families in Need Through Partnership With LWSD and ALE

At Lake Washington Schools Foundation, we are committed to finding ways to help families in need and are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and sponsors, we were able to contribute $50,000 in the fall to LWSD Families Helping Families, a district program that provides food vouchers to food-insecure students over school holiday breaks.


As part of our efforts to remove barriers and promote student stability, we also donated $14,500 to Assistance League of the Eastside's Operation School Bell. These funds were used to directly support LWSD students facing hardship by providing them with new clothes and shoes, books, school supplies, medications and groceries. Learn more about this partnership.


College 101: A Hybrid Presentation for Middle and High School Families

Calling middle and high school students and parents! Today, February 7 at 6:30 pm, join independent college counselor Mary Pat O’Neil for a hybrid (in-person/virtual) session on the college process. She will cover:

  • What do colleges want to know about students in the application?
  • Different types of colleges
  • How to create a college list
  • Highly selective colleges
  • Cost of college


For more details and to register, visit lwsf.org/our-work/find-your-fit.


Check out additional Lake Washington Schools Foundation events and resources at lwsf.org.

Events

February 16-17: No School (Mid-Winter Break)

February 20: No School (Presidents Day Holiday)

March 6: LWHS PTSA Virtual General Membership Meeting

March 10: No School (LEAP Day)

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.