Welcome Back and Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a wonderful winter break and that you were able to spend time with family and friends, eat lots of good food, and decompress. Some of that may have been difficult given the crazy weather here and throughout the US. I know many of you had quite the adventure trying to travel during this time!   

As most are aware, in recognition of the adverse health and academic impacts of the early start times for high school students, the District has been exploring alternative start times for all schools to accommodate a later start time for the high schools. An Advisory Committee has been working diligently in this effort and has been soliciting input from families. This is a big issue impacting all families throughout the District and there are numerous factors that are being considered and different opinions on what is the best course of action. If you have not done so already, there is still time to submit your input at School Start Time Advisory - Lake Washington School District. At this site, you can see the proposals under consideration, review the minutes of committee meetings, watch recordings of the various information sessions held by the committee, view the history of this committee, as well as submit written input. The committee has one more meeting on January 12th before it makes its recommendation to the Superintendent, so be sure to submit your input before that date. The Superintendent will be working with the School Board during its February 6th Board Study Session to finalize a proposal (it’s open to the public and starts at 5 pm, so feel free to attend!). In order to implement any changes for the 2023-2024 school year, the School Board would need to approve the proposal by mid-February; if no decision is made by then, any changes would not be implemented until the following school year. So, let your voice be heard on this very important issue while there is still time! 

The Board would also like to express its sincere condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and current and former students of Mr. Andy Robertson, who sadly passed away on December 27th.  Mr. Robertson was an institution at RHS, having worked as the band director for 31 years. He will be deeply missed. 

Finally, please plan on attending our General Membership meeting via Teams this Wednesday at 6 pm! The link for the meeting can be found at 2022-23 RHS PTSA Meetings. We need to elect a three-person Nominating Committee to fill elected Board positions for next year, so if you are interested in being on the Committee, please reach out to any Board member and/or attend the meeting on Wednesday. 

Let’s have a great start to the new year!

Branda Andrade, RHS PTSA President 

president@redmondhsptsa.org

Join RHS PTSA by January 31st for Chance to Win a Gym Membership

RHS PTSA is holding monthly membership prize drawings! Each and every member will be entered into a random drawing for a monthly prize! This is THE LAST MONTH FOR DRAWINGS. Help us fulfill our mission by signing up for PTSA membership, you may be a winner!

January Drawing: Begin the year right and start on those New Year resolutions soon by hitting the gym! Join RHS PTSA by January 31st, 11:59 PM and you can win a free 1-month gym membership to Hustle Fit on Avondale Rd!

JOIN NOW

Scholarships for membership are available! Simply choose the "Sponsored" membership option at checkout!

PTSA Membership Meeting January 11th, 2023

Our first General Membership meeting of 2023 will be held Wednesday, January 11th at 6pm via Teams. The link will be posted on our website closer to the date of the meeting.

We hope you will consider joining us to hear the latest from the school and PTSA and add your voice to decision-making process.

All are welcome to attend, PTSA members may participate in voting.

Congrats to the Winner of the $20 Amazon GC in December

Congratulations to Lincoln Johnson, the RHS PTSA's winner for the random December Membership Drawing. Lincoln, who is a student at RHS, won a $20 gift card to Amazon in December, helping Lincoln purchase his holiday gifts for others or himself!

Thank you to all the 492 RHS PTSA members so far for supporting the students, staff, and families at RHS! Your membership provides enrichment activities for students, grant funds for teachers, and much more! You also receive voting rights at membership meetings. Not to mention, great discounts from Washington State PTA, including Wild Waves, Great Wolf Lodge, Silverwood Theme Park, the Washington State Fair, and more! And you'll have access to the Redmond High School PTSA student directory! Read up on the January Drawing to see what you can win next!

Why Kids Self-Harm and What You Can Do to Help

If you have a child that is struggling with self-harm, what you do and how you respond matters. On January 18th at 7pm, join our virtual Parent Chat, where award-winning speaker and educator, Michelle Mitchell will discuss how to prevent, understand and respond to self-harm.

Register here

Send a Valentine

This Valentine's Day, LWSF is helping you send Valentines to teachers and staff. Your donations in their honor help fund our mission to enhance academic access and nurture the well-being of students in our community. 

Donations must be submitted by midnight on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, to allow time for processing.

Send a Teacher a Valentine!

Valentines may be sent to any teacher or staff person employed by the Lake Washington School District.

Please note that we are unable to send Valentines to individuals employed by other school districts.

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