BACK TO SCHOOL TO DO LIST

✅ Join us at our next HSC meeting on Sept 26th, 7:00pm, in the Leigh Library

✅ Join us for a Rock Painting for Suicide Prevention activity this Friday 3:00-4:30pm, in the Wellness Center (more info below)

✅ Donate to Annual Giving Drive

✅ Check to see if your employer will match your donation

✅ Donate stock to the Home & School Club

✅ Browse resources and information on the HSC website

✅ Follow us on Facebook

✅ Check out our volunteer opportunities

✅ View Back To School information on the Leigh school website

HELP US REACH OUR ANNUAL GIVING DRIVE GOAL

Thank you to everyone who has already donated to our Annual Giving Drive! To date we have raised $12,977 of our $30,000 goal! We need to raise an additional $17,023 in order to support the programs we have committed to funding this year. Donate to the Home & School Club today and make a difference at Leigh. This is our primary fundraiser for the 2022-23 school year and we are deeply grateful for your continued support.

Donate online or mail a check: make payable to Leigh Home & School Club; mail to: Leigh Home & School Club, 5210 Leigh Ave, San Jose, CA 95124.

Any questions, contact Pam Reynolds, Leigh HSC Treasurer, at treasurer@leighhsc.org.

Thank you for making a difference!

Your support matters and is greatly appreciated!

See the programs and items that were funded in the 2021/2022 school year

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 AUGUST 2022 HSC MEETING

Minutes from past meetings and dates of upcoming meetings can be found on the HSC website.  Email us any time with questions or suggestions: president@leighhsc.org.

MESSAGE FORM SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE LINDA GOYTIA

My younger son graduated from Leigh and I enjoyed attending your first HSC meeting, and I am so delighted to be your Leigh HSC Board Liaison. I see an exciting year ahead for Leigh!

Invitation to apply for provisional appointment to the CUHSD Board of Trustees

The CUHSD Board has reluctantly accepted the resignation of President Kalen Gallagher who is stepping down to follow other pursuits after ten years of extremely dedicated service. His resignation will become official on September 1, 2023. Per district policy, the Board will have 60 days from that time to make a provisional appointment for the balance of Kalen’s term which ends in December of 2024. 

Kalen represents District 5, which includes the Leigh community. If you are interested in the position and would like to know what it entails, please contact me at lgoytia@cuhsd.org or Trustee Stacey Brown at staceybrown@cuhsd.org. To apply for this role, please complete an application form. The deadline for submitting an application is September 9, 2022 at 4:30pm. Applicants will be interviewed on October 6, 2022, and the current board members, with input from the public, will determine who fills the vacancy.

You can determine if you live in District 5 (orange area) from the map below. Click on image to view an interactive map:

Parcel Tax renewal on November ballot - your support needed

There is a renewal of our District Parcel Tax on the November ballot. This measure funds critical staff and services for our students including teachers of certain programs, five college and career specialists and their coordinator. The loss of this revenue, which comes to about five million dollars a year, would force us to increase class sizes and make some very difficult choices. As this is a renewal, taxpayers would not see an increase in cost, which comes to $7.08 a month. 

If you are interested in helping the District achieve passage of this critical measure, please reach out to me or Stacey Brown at staceybrown@cuhsd.org and we can put you in touch with the appropriate committee.

On behalf of the Board, I want to add that we have found it a very gratifying honor to have presided over the improvement and expansion of our District facilities. The District has used taxpayer money thoughtfully and with efficiency. Thanks to our incredible facilities team, over 280 projects have now been completed in five years’ time and all on budget.

I wish you and your students a happy and productive school year!  

WELLNESS CENTER

The Wellness Center at Leigh opened on January 25th, 2022. Planning for the Wellness Center began two years earlier, spearheaded by Kristin Welter, Chair of the Home & School Club Mental Health & Wellness Committee. Funding for the Wellness Center was provided by the Home & School Club.

Kristin collaborated on this project with our principal at the time, Kara Butler, with our Wellness Center Consultant, Priya Bhogaonker, and with Leigh staff. Many parents and students also volunteered their time, and spent countless hours shopping, cleaning, painting, and decorating, in order to make the space a reality.

We invite you to view the presentation Kristin shared with our community at the August HSC meeting.

Rock Painting Event for Suicide Prevention,  this Friday Sept 2nd, 3:00-4:30pm

Students & Parents Welcome!

Next week is National Suicide Prevention Week. Inspired by Project 99, we want to to fill our campus with rocks painted with inspirational messages of support, love and compassion. Sharing these special rocks spreads hope and builds community so that everyone knows they are not alone in our fight to bring suicide out of the dark. 

Bring 1-5 rocks (optional). Paint will be provided. Students are also invited to stop by the Wellness Center at lunch next week (Mon-Thurs) to paint rocks.

How can parents support the Wellness Center?



Visit the Wellness Center Website

• Click around the Wellness Center website to learn more about Mental Health and Wellness, and have your student see you using the tools on our website. Have fun exploring our interactive virtual wellness center!

Talk to your student about the Wellness Center

• Ask them if they have stopped by – this may open up healthy and insightful conversations (the Wellness Center is located right off the quad in Room 29, next door to the College & Career Center).

Buy books for our Lending Library

• Local San Jose bookstore Hicklebee’s has helped us create a wishlist for Leigh HS supporters to buy books and supplies for the Wellness Center. Purchase books on the wishlist created on the Hicklebee's website. No need to pay for shipping - the bookstore will deliver them directly to Leigh.

WHAT ELSE IS YOUR HOME & SCHOOL CLUB UP TO?

• Volunteer Coordinator Angie Lu is working to connect people who have signed up to volunteer with the committees that interest them. Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to help! Your committee lead will be in touch with you shortly. If you would like to see where you can help, check out our volunteer opportunities.

• Grad Night team (Susan Smith, Chris Weitz, Alexis Hoekstra, Kristina Williams, and others to be confirmed) has secured the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for June 1st, 2023. Senior students will take a bus from Leigh to the Boardwalk at 9:00pm, returning at 3:00am. Grad Night is a way to provide a safe, fun activity for our Seniors on the night of graduation.

• Staff Appreciation team (Amanda Bierly, Alexis Hoekstra, and our many parent volunteers) hosted a Welcome Back breakfast for the teachers and staff. A staff luncheon is planned for September 16th. The Staff Appreciation team will send out a SignupGenius link to their volunteers for people to sign up to help with the luncheon. If you would like to receive this sign up link and any future sign ups for staff appreciation needs, please select the staff appreciation option on the HSC volunteer form. 

• The Annual Longhorn Stampede, a 5K run/walk through our local neighborhood, is scheduled for May 20, 2023. Save the date! The goal of this event is to provide an opportunity for our community to come together - students, parents, staff, neighbors, friends, friends of friends, alumni, future Leigh families, and local businesses. Whether you are a walker, a casual jogger, distance runner, or just want to cheer on the participants, come join our community! This event is a collaboration between Home & School Club, PAPA, Sports Boosters, and Spirit Boosters. Learn more and see photos from our previous Stampede.

Have questions, comments, suggestions on anything HSC-related? Please contact us at president@leighhsc.org.

FOLLOW-UP Q&A FROM HSC PRESIDENT'S COFFEE

Did you miss the HSC President’s Coffee on August 23rd? Here are a few highlights from the questions that were discussed: 

Where can I learn more about Leigh?

• We encourage parents to browse the school website to learn more about Leigh and access needed information. A particularly good place to start is the Back to School Information page, filled with useful things like tutorial information, the current tardy policy, who to contact if you have questions or concerns and much more!

Student Photos: When are photo retakes?

• October 27th.

Naviance, what is it and how does it help?

• Naviance is a program that allows parents and students to access college and career information efficiently. Students can perform detailed searches of colleges and universities, research scholarships, complete questionnaires useful for college and career planning, view historical data from our school for students who have applied in past years & an acceptance history of Leigh graduates at individual colleges. More info and access.

I signed up to volunteer but haven’t heard from anyone yet?

• Volunteer signups have been provided to committee chairs. Some committees need time at the beginning of the year to put processes in place (like the College and Career Center). A message went out from the President to confirm email addresses for everyone who has signed up to volunteer with any committee or program. Please allow a few more weeks for contact from the committee chairs. Contact president@leighhsc.org if you would like further details. If you have not had a chance to sign up to volunteer, check out our volunteer opportunities.

Is the Annual Giving Drive an event, or is it an on-going fundraiser?

• The Annual Giving Drive is the Home & School Club’s primary fundraiser, and it is on-going. We hope to get most of our donations at the beginning of the year so that we know we can accomplish our funding goals, but we are happy to accept donations throughout the year. Donate online or you can donate by check (make payable to Leigh Home & School Club. Mail to: Leigh Home & School Club, 5210 Leigh Ave, San Jose, CA 95124). Learn more about programs we have funded in the past. 
• Tax receipts for the Annual Giving Drive will be emailed to donors, but please contact the HSC Treasurer at treasurer@leighhsc.org if you need an expedited donation receipt in order to access company matching funds.

Does the Home & School Club participate in Amazon Smile?

• Leigh does participate in the Amazon Smile Program, and this is an easy way to raise additional funds for our Home & School Club. ​​Use Amazon Smile and a % of your purchase automatically comes back to Leigh HSC. Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/77-0199809 or with AmazonSmile ON in the app. 

What is the difference between Leigh Home & School Club, Sports Boosters, Spirit Boosters & PAPA (Performing Arts Parents’ Association)? 

• Leigh Home & School Club - supports academic and social/emotional programs for the entire student population
• Sports Boosters - supports the students participating in athletic teams at Leigh, providing funds for items that benefit all athletes or teams that may need special equipment for their sport
• Spirit Boosters - supports the athletes participating in Leigh cheerleading, both the competition teams and the event cheerleaders
• PAPA - supports students participating in all performing arts at Leigh, like theater and band
• Learn more about our different parent organizations here: https://leigh.cuhsd.org/apps/pages/ParentGuardianGroupsAndOrganizations

Are you shopping on Amazon? Yes? Great! Use Amazon Smile and a % of your purchase automatically comes back to Leigh HSC. Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/77-0199809 or with AmazonSmile ON in the app. This is free money for Leigh HSC. For the 2021-22 school year we received $974 through this program. Thank you for your support!

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.