June 12, 2019 | Issue #21
School
From the Counseling Center
Fall Schedule Reminder
Students will pick up their schedules the first day of school.

Farewell Seniors
Our seniors leave behind four years of academics, involvement in extra-curricular activities and athletics, and special friendships. This is a lot to leave behind! Most seniors feel this "loss" at the moving up assembly or at graduation. The up side of this, though, is that most of our seniors have plans for the fall. They are continuing their academic and social growth.
 
     You have brains in your head.
     You have feet in your shoes
     You can steer yourself
     Any direction you choose.
 
     You're on your own. And you know what you know.
     And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
 
         Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!  
 
It's been a pleasure working with the seniors this year. We're happy for their successes at Lake Washington High School, and we look forward to hearing about their continued successes in the years to come. Parents should feel equally proud for all their efforts of encouragement and support. I know we could not have been as effective without help from our families and our community. Congratulations to all!

LWHS Counseling Center
LWHS Key Club Fundraiser for Venezuela
When: June 14, 5:30-8:30 pm

Where: LWHS Commons

Why: This year, LWHS Key Club has partnered with AP Spanish students to raise money for Cuatro por Venezuela and Threads of Hope. All proceeds will go to victims of the Venezuelan crisis. Many families struggle to provide basic necessities and have very little access to food, water and housing. Come join us for a viewing of McFarland, USA (PG). Movie night is a fun way for YOU to get involved!

Cost: FREE admissions! However, a $5 donation is recommended and pizza and concessions will be sold. Bring the whole family, as well as blankets and pillows to get comfy!

Seniors
Senior Salute: Tomorrow Evening
Seniors: Wear Your Cap and Gown
This special celebration for Seniors and their families begins in the LWHS Gym from 7:00-8:00pm. Following the program, there will be refreshments in the Commons from 8:00-8:30pm. Seniors check-in from 6:30-6:40pm in the Auxiliary Gym. Doors open at 6:30pm for guests.

Be sure to bring your camera for photo taking at LWHS. Special seating has been set aside for those who have requested it in their RSVP. Parking can be difficult so allow adequate time for arrival.

An RSVP is NOT required to attend, but if you would still like to: please let us know how many people will be in your party by emailing LWHS.SeniorSalute@gmail.com . Please include the graduate's name, parent's name, special seating needs, and number of guests (not counting the graduate).

LWHS PTSA Senior Salute Chairs
Senior Party: All You Need to Know!
We're looking forward to a fun and safe, all-night celebration June 17 after Graduation! Check-in begins 9:30pm at LWHS Commons.

It is imperative that both parents and graduates read and understand our  guidelines and rules  before the party. (Seniors attending must have already purchased a ticket. Ticket sales are closed.) 

Questions? Contact Pam Hay and Mindy Lincicome , LWHS Senior Party Co-Chairs
Graduation Cap and Gown Recycling
New this year! Want to see your student's cap and/or gown go to good use after the big day? Many have expressed a desire to "reduce and reuse" these relatively expensive garments and the PTSA wants to help! We'll be collecting donated caps and gowns in bins prior to Senior Party bus departure OR they can be dropped off anytime in the main school office during regular hours through June 20. Just look for the labeled plastic bin. The PTSA will store and offer these items to students next year. So, reduce the clutter and spark the joy by passing on your student's cap and gown!

PTSA
A Note of Gratitude
It's hard to believe another school year is coming to an end already! Reflecting back on the last 10 months, I am so grateful for all of the dedicated and hard-working staff, parents and students with whom I've had the opportunity to collaborate. Everywhere I look on the LWHS campus, I see acts of caring and commitment which support our students in their educational and extracurricular endeavors, and social-emotional well-being. It makes my heart happy! 

Sincere thanks to the many parents who volunteer to support our students and staff. Whether it is for a PTSA-sponsored program, an LW Booster Club, in a classroom, in the library, or chaperoning a field trip, the time you contribute makes a real difference. For those of you that make financial contributions, we couldn't run many of our programs without you. And, finally, thank you to all who became PTSA members, allowing important advocacy action for children to continue at the local, state and national level.

I want to give a special shout out to the PTSA Board of Directors and Committee Chairs. I honestly can't imagine a more wonderful group of people with which to do this work! If you have any interest in joining this dynamic team, we have several positions still open for next year, including committee chair or co-chair positions for: Advocacy, Reflections, Fear-Free SAT/ACT Practice Tests, School Beautification and Emergency Prep. Send me an email to start a discussion about how YOU can volunteer with LWHS PTSA to make a difference for our students.

Best wishes for a safe and happy summer!

President, LWHS PTSA
And the Award Goes To...
Every year our PTSA recognizes individuals for their dedicated service and commitment to our Kang community. This year we are pleased to announce the following award winners:

Golden Acorn Award  to  Shai Hinitz & Robin Maffeo , for their volunteer work with our award-winning robotics team, Code Purple, where they patiently & tirelessly mentor students in design, build and coding.

Golden Kang, The Outstanding Educator Award  to Amy Sullivan , aka "Sully," for her devotion to students "above & beyond the call of duty," including support of the Feminist Club, Creative Writing Club, and the Kind Club.

Outstanding Advocate Award  to Melanie Conroy , for her "unwavering dedication and commitment to ensuring successful post-high school pathways for all students."

Outstanding Student Advocate Award to Anna Captain , for her dedicated service to her school, classmates and community.

A contribution to the Washington State PTA Scholarship Program will be made in honor of each of these award recipients. We offer the award winners, along with all of the amazing volunteers and staff in our LWHS community , our heartfelt gratitude for their outstanding commitment, dedication and service. We truly appreciate you!

LWHS PTSA Board of Directors
Lake Washington PTSA Council Scholarship Award Winners Announced
The LWPTSA Council recently announced their 2019 Scholarship recipients. Congratulations to the following LW Students who were selected to receive a scholarship award!

Merit Scholarships :
  • Taryn Akemi Chisholm
  • Hesed Jung

Dr. L.E. Scarr Scholarship:
  • Taylor Rickels

At-Large Council Scholarships:
  • Hayes Raubacher
We Don't Want You to Leave, But...
This is the final issue of the Kang Crier for this school year. If your last LWHS student is graduating and you no longer want to receive this newsletter, you can easily unsubscribe by scrolling to the bottom of this email and clicking the "SafeUnsubscribe" link.
Community
Anxiety and Depression in Teens
Based on statewide rates, a typical 10th grade classroom of 29 students would include about:
  • 10 students who said they felt nervous, anxious or on edge or couldn’t stop or control worrying in the last two weeks
  • 12 students who have felt sad or hopeless for two weeks or longer in the past year
  • Three students who attempted suicide in the past year

Data: 2018 Healthy Youth Survey taken by 230,000 youth in Washington State

How can we as parents best support our students? Coach Sheri Gazitt of Teenwise Seattle recently spoke at the PTSA-sponsored Taming Teen Stress Workshop . Here are a few of her pointers parents can use to help support teens:
  1. STAY OUT OF THE EMOTIONAL TRENCHES. If your teen is going through a difficult emotional time, keep your own emotions in check. When you emotionally jump right in with them, it exacerbates what they are going through. Process your own emotions on your own time. Your job is to be there for your teen and ensure them that they are strong enough to get through the difficult times.
  2. STOP FOCUSING ON GRADES. Many teens believe that their parents’ top priority is grades. This is because parents ask about homework, tests, grades, and projects on a continual basis. Many parents are checking grades daily. The majority of conversations between parents and teens are about school, grades, and college. There needs to be a shift in our focus as parents. Focus on their interests, their dreams, their friendships.
  3. BUCK THE SYSTEM. Be brave enough to buck the system. Say no to chronic stress, sleep deprivation, and busyness. Forget about making choices based on how it will look on the college application. Be willing to embrace the here and now and have faith that your teen will find success because they are filled with excitement, curiosity, and joy. Forget about the GPA. Spark the joy.

Want to learn more about how you can identify or help youth struggling with a mental health crisis? Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) is offering a Youth Mental Health Certification Course on June 22. Click here to learn more and register.

LWSF Youth Mental Health Task Force
College Application Workshops Offered This Summer
Lake Washington School Foundation is offering several programs this summer to support LWSD students:


For more information or to register, please visit the LWSF website .
Summer Volunteer Opportunities in Kirkland
The Kirkland Downtown Association has many summer events coming up and needs help to put them on! Have your student sign up and earn community service hours and meet some new folks while helping make Kirkland a fun, vibrant place to live, work, and play!

Volunteer opportunities include:

Email volunteer@kirklanddowntown.org if interested and for more information.
Does Your Student Need Transportation Over the Summer?
It’s now easier than ever to purchase youth, senior and Regional Reduced Fair Permit (RRFP) ORCA cards. ORCA To-Go will be at Redmond City Hall and Kirkland City Hall on regular days and times each month. Click here for the schedule. At these times, customers will have access to full-service ORCA card sales and assistance for purchasing or loading bus fare on to a card. 

See ORCA options for more information.
Events
 Senior Salute - June 13, 7:00pm
LWHS Key Club Movie Night Fundraiser - June 14, 8:00pm
LWHS Graduation - June 17, 5:00pm
Full Day of School - Wednesday, June 19
Final Day of School (Half Day) - June 20, released at 11:10am
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.