Week of December 8, 2024

December 10 - LWSD Toy Drive Ends

December 16 - Last Day to Order RHS Spirit Blankets

December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break - No School

January 15 - General Membership Meeting

The holidays are coming! Do you have a teen or grandparents that are hard to buy for? Get them a RHS Spirit Blanket. The blankets are also great for sports fans to keep warm and show your spirit while watching RHS sports. These soft, cozy, double-sided blankets are 60" x 80" and perfect for both inside and outside.

This is the last chance to get your blanket this school year. Sales close on Monday, December 16 so we can make sure you get your blanket before Winter Break. Delivery/pick up can be organized to keep the blanket a surprise, just let us know at gradnight@redmondhsptsa.org. Sales of Redmond High School spirit blankets help support our Grad Night Celebration to make ticket prices lower for all seniors.

ORDER YOUR BLANKET

Did you contribute yet?

RHS PTSA raises fund through Pass the Hat where we reach out to all RHS families. Suggested contribution is $100 per student but no amount is too big or too small. If you have not contributed for the year, please consider donating today! We appreciate your contribution!

PASS THE HAT DONATION

Does your employer match donations?

As the year comes to an end, we want to remind you about corporate matching. Many companies will match their employees' charitable contributions, effectively doubling the impact of each donation. Microsoft, Google, Boeing, Starbucks are a few that do match.

Thank you if you already donated to RHS PTSA this school year. Your donations help enhance the educational experience of our students.

On November 25, the RHS PTSA hosted our Soup-er Thankful Lunch. RHS staff members were greatly appreciative of our lunch selection of soups, fresh bread, crackers, desserts and beverages.

We are very thankful for the RHS community members who generously donated to this event. Special thanks to Lisa, Meredith, Yin, Cathy, Katrin, Nasim, Catherine, Sophia, Brigitte, Jeanie , Pam, Matt, Renukka, Shanon, Gayatri, Anna, Elaine, Dipanwita, Mary, Sharmistha, Priya, Carrie, Cheryl, Sheetal, Xia, Aarti, Sheryl, Crystal, Haifeng, Niharika, Girija, Dolan , Harmony, Maricruz, Jill, Raman, Neeta N., Teresa, Rajashri, Kelly, Lucinda, Pepa, Devi, Phani, Ana, Kyle, Mona, Tia, Jay, and Jennifer. We could not have successfully held this lunch without you!

The Hospitality and Staff Appreciation Team

Thank you to all our artists for participating in this year's Reflections contest. Your works are truly inspiring! This year's theme was "Accepting Imperfection". 

Congratulation to the following Mustang artists whose Reflections submissions are advancing to the district level!

Beneath the Surface by Leo Ciuca (Music Composition)

I believe by Isha Goyal (Dance Choreography)

Free Your Inner Beauty by Kirill Kadach (Photography)

Time’s Cracked Canvas by Sahasra Gorty (Visual Arts)

Shadow Over Myself by Halim Lee (Visual Arts)

Broken Yet Whole by Samar Saini (Visual Arts)

Weaving Light in Darkness by Yunhan Zhu (Visual Arts)

I'mperfect by Hiya Pandey (Literature)

Masterful Mistakes by Aishani Kar (Literature)

two dimensional by Siri Mutalik Desai (Literature)

Perfectly Imperfect by Varun Dimri (Literature)

The RHS PTSA is proud to announce the “Gowns Going Green” initiative to help keep RHS graduation gowns out of the landfills and help them get recovered, reused, and repurposed!

Did you know that over the past 30 years, the scholastic industry transitioned from cotton to polyester, the popular petroleum-based fabric of the 1970s. Polyester is constructed out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the same chemical compound used to make plastic water bottles. This product has been positioned as a ‘one-time’ use or ‘keepsake’ item, when the product has only been worn for 90 minutes. In that 30-year time period, over 100 million gowns have been added to the waste stream, which causes detrimental problems to the environment. 

Do you remember what you did with your graduation gown? Is it still sitting in a dusty box in the attic or did it end up in the trash? How can we ‘graduate’ from trashing gowns to reusing them? Help turn this initiative into a yearly movement! 

Parents of past RHS seniors: Do you have graduation gowns from 2021 onwards that can be used for current and possibly future RHS seniors? Keep us in mind in the next couple of weeks when we publish where and when you can drop off and donate your prior-years’ senior gowns.

Parents of current or future seniors: Do you wish to be environmentally-friendly and reuse a gown that would otherwise be tossed away? Perhaps your grad would benefit from receiving a discounted or free gown. Whatever your situation, keep us in mind in the next couple of weeks BEFORE ordering your student’s gown. (Remember, you will still have to order your caps and tassels.)

With your gown donation/reuse, you’ll be good stewards of our planet! Detailed instructions coming soon...

Help Shape Next Year's PTSA by Being in Nom Comm!

RHS PTSA is forming this year's Nominating Committee and we need 3 people to serve on this very important committee. The role of the nominating committee member is to help find the most qualified people to serve on next year's PTSA Board. The committee is made up of 3 current PTSA members who will be selected to the committee by the general membership at our General Membership meeting on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. The Committee will present a slate of Board candidates for election at our General Membership meeting on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 so this is a great short-term volunteer position for anyone that would like to get involved with the PTSA. Time commitment is based on how the committee structures itself and most of it will be comprised of email or phone communication with potential board candidates.

Effective candidates for Nom Com should be familiar with the needs and goals of the PTSA, possess tact, discretion, and understand confidentiality, and demonstrate sound judgment in evaluating potential nominees for a Board position. Training and templates will be provided.

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

If you're interested but not currently a RHS PTSA member, don't worry, it's easy to become one!

Support the LWSD Toy Drive

This holiday season let's come together to spread joy and make a difference by supporting the Lake Washington School District Winter Toy Drive. Your donation of a new, unwrapped toy will make this season a little more special for children across our district.

The Winter Toy Drive runs from now until Tuesday, December 10, and toys and gifts are needed for children and teens ages 5–18. Let's ensure that every child in our community experiences the magic of the holidays.

TOY DRIVE INFORMATION