LASA Reflections Artists make it to State!

We would like to recognize and congratulate the amazing LASA artists who have been promoted from the Austin Council PTA level to the Texas PTA Reflections level in this year’s Reflections Art Program. The theme this year was “Accepting imperfection”. We had some very respectable responses this year, and hope to grow this program larger next fall! Thank you for being a part of this wonderful competition. While all of our submissions were excellent, our artists who made it to State are:

Janani Easwar for High School Literature
Gargi Pandey for High School Visual Arts
Grant Ratcliffgardy for High School Photography
Vinson Ratcliffgardy for High School Film Production

Thanks to all participants for their hard work and we’ll see you at an upcoming ACPTA recognition event in February,
-Reflections Committee for LASA

LASA Testing Accommodations Parent Panel

Join us Wednesday, 1/22 at 6 pm via Zoom for the LASA Testing Accommodations Parent Panel! What is this, you ask?

Students with existing testing accommodations must apply through College Board to receive similar accommodations on tests like the PSAT or SAT. LASA Principal Stacia Crescenzi, LASA Counselor Laurie Park, and several LASA parents will be on the panel to answer your questions about this subject.

If you have any questions about the panel, or you would like to submit a question for the panelists, please email president@pflasa.org.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83450460813?pwd=6wTGKapoipg0WLbJRlfzfN9VrxUgGt.1

Raptor Library Book Fair helpers needed

The Raptor Library BookPeople book fair is right around the corner and Ms. Switek would love to have some help setting it up and running it. The fair will run from 2/1-2/9. Please check out the SignUpGenius if you have some time and energy to spare!

This is a fun event that the kids look forward to! It’s also the only fundraiser the library holds and very important to add books to our library. When we moved to this campus AISD chose to fund a librarian but not to provide the library with a single book. Ms. Switek brought a few thousand very old books with us from the old campus and has been trying to build a collection ever since.

Thank you!

PFLASA 1/10 Meeting Recap

Welcome back to what will be an even busier semester! Trust Principal Crescenzi when she says this time will fly by. Hold on to your hats because there is so much PFLASA and LASA have going on.

Recruiting season is winding down but it isn’t quite over. Tomorrow night 1/16 at 6 pm, LASA will open its doors for Showcase to highlight the amazing school we have. And PFLASA will be feeding the teachers who give up their time to demonstrate their classes, answer questions, and generally just be amazing. This Saturday 1/18, PFLASA sponsors a Mentoring Zoom to give any applicant help with the application. And PFLASA is holding the “Find Your Fit” Parent Panels during the testing sessions to help parents decide if LASA is the right place for their child. I’m particularly proud of these panels because we just started them last year with the advent of ranked choice applications and the move into our PFLASA portable. In addition to providing a space for parents during the tests (and a bathroom-don’t laugh it’s a valuable resource that helps ensure the integrity of the testing), our incredible volunteer panelists field insightful questions about high schools including LASA. I learned so much from my fellow parents.

But PFLASA isn’t just about recruiting, we want to support our parent population as well. In that vein, LASA and PFLASA will be hosting an online parent panel about applying for testing accommodations at 6pm Wednesday, January 22nd. If your child has an IEP or a 504 and needs accommodations for the PSAT, SAT, and AP Tests, come find out about the process from a LASA counselor and parents who have done it.

We also discussed the fantastic Master Class offerings. There are a variety of topics and something for every grade. One ticket buys attendance for anyone in your house, and I’ve never heard that anyone regretted attending one. Then we had a presentation from our “Raising Healthy Raptors” chair. If you haven’t seen the dedicated work our chair has done to support parents dealing with a variety of teenager challenges and to provide resources you really should check it out: https://pflasa.org/wellness/

Our next in person meeting is January 24th at 8:15 in the PFLASA portable (next to the Tennis courts). If you can’t make these meetings but want to participate in helping LASA please email me at president@pflasa.org. We need volunteers for things that are strictly online, that take one day, or just a few hours.

Wishing you all a winter where we keep our power,

Ellen Stewart-Klein
PFLASA President

Spring 2025 Study Groups Start Date and General Schedule

Hello everyone and welcome back! PFLASA Study Groups will be starting on Tuesday, January 21st. We have qualified tutors to provide additional support in Chemistry, Physics, and Biology after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 4:15 – 6:15 pm.

Here is the general schedule for spring:
Chemistry – T, W, Th
Physics – T, W, Th
Biology – T, Th

Please see the image of the general schedule below.

In Service,
PFLASA Study Groups Committee

Call Out to Please Share your Wisdom!

Do you have a favorite book, podcast, webinar, youtube video, website, local organization or provider that has helped you navigate parenthood, support your adolescents, or support kids with specific challenges? If so, please send an email to wellness@pflasa.org so the Raising Healthy Raptors Committee can share your gems with others in our community. If it helped you, it will help someone else, and even one more makes a difference!

Class of 2028 Leads in Membership….but for How Long?

The Class of 2028 is still holding the lead for most PTSA Student memberships, but The Class of 2027 is closing in. It’s a tight race! We are still accepting memberships for all students, parents, friends, and faculty!

Membership counts as of January 5th:

Class of 2028 – 56 Members
Class of 2027 – 49 Members
Class of 2026 – 38 Members
Class of 2025 – 32 Members

We still have about 40 faculty members who need memberships. If you would like to donate one, add an Adult Faculty membership into your cart and put Donation in the name and email fields.

Join the PTSA or donate a faculty membership today!

Master Classes On Sale Now

Secure your seats by purchasing now. You can find a complete list here: https://pflasa.org/product-category/masterclasses/

Here are our January Master Classes:

  • SAT/ACT Webinar | Thursday, January 9 at 6:30pm
    This is a useful resource to get your junior or prepped and ready for SAT day in the spring or for sophomore students to prepare for the Junior year PSAT.
  • Finding Your Personal Fit College Options | Tuesday, January 14 at 7pm
    Don’t just get in, fit in! How to find colleges that align with your values, goals, and budget.
  • Application Strategies for The University of Texas and Texas A&M | Thursday, January 16 at 7pm
    Do you dream in burnt orange or maroon? Maybe both: Learn applications strategies for UT and TAMU!
  • How to Get the Most Out of Naviance | Tuesday, January 28 at 6pm
    Use Naviance to level up your college research game.

Open to parents and students. Please note, you only need to purchase 1 seat per household.