Mardi Gras Great Gathering Open to ALL CLASSES

Do wait and miss your chance to dig out that costume and have fun at the upcoming Mardi Gras Great Gathering, open to all classes, on Friday, Feb 13th!! No bad luck there, just some good partying and mingling!

Grab your tickets today!

If you would like to submit a Great Gathering, there’s still plenty of time! You can submit it here: tinyurl.com/ggatherings
Great Gatherings is an amazing community builder – you will find the peeps you want by your side, especially during senior year!! Question? Email greatgatherings@pflasa.org.

2026 Project Graduation Call for Volunteers

We hope you will consider volunteering at the 2026 Project Graduation all night lock-in at the East YMCA on June 1-2. We are asking for adult volunteers across all grade levels to help by volunteering for a shift (or all night) during the event. It is a fun event and the volunteers have a great time!

Location: East Communities YMCA
Starts: Monday, June 1, 2025 at 10pm
Ends: Tuesday, June 2, 2025 at 5:30am
Sign up now!

Feel free to reach out with any questions/comments at projectgraduation@pflasa.org.
We will set up a couple of Zoom calls closer to, to explain the flow of the night and our needs.

Thank you for your kind consideration!
Manue Reynolds and Maya Gamble
2026 Project Graduation Co-Chairs

College Planning for 9th/10th Graders

Thursday, January 22nd
6:30-7:30pm

Research shows that understanding the college admissions process early helps students build the confidence and skills they will need by the time they apply to colleges during their Senior year. Families often have questions about when to start and how to support their student without adding pressure if they start earlier in high school.

Yvonne Espinoza, CEP, is a national college counseling leader with more than twenty years of experience and has over a decade of experience supporting LASA students and families. In this session, she will walk families through the steps they can take in 9th and 10th grade to help students learn more about themselves and align coursework and activities with their personal interests and college goals.

The event will end with a Q&A for the audience to ask questions directly.

Tickets available at pflasa.org/store

Lunch & Learn This Friday: Be an Informed Voter

Friday, January 23 from 12:05-12:55pm in the library. Pizza will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis to enjoy during an informative lunch talk open to the entire LASA community, including parents! This PTSA Advocacy program is an excellent primer for future voters and a helpful refresher for registered voters, offering insight into how civic participation shapes our communities. Please join us – register today!

Finding Your Personal College Fit Options

Wednesday, January 28th
7:00-8:00pm

Join this webinar to learn a practical approach to discovering college options that fit your student’s academic, social, and financial needs. Go beyond the academic rankings and football results so that you can research colleges that align with your student’s values and goals.

About Karen: As an Independent Educational Consultant and a parent of two LASA alumni, Karen wants to simplify an otherwise overwhelming process by teaching families how to approach the college search strategically. Her experience as a former college professor and longtime coach forged a skill set perfect for mentoring and motivating students.

LASA’s Alley Cat Players present the comedy, The Addams Family: School Edition

THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and a dilemma that’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family—a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before—keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.

Dates:
January 29, 30, 31 at 7p
February 1 at 2:30p

Location:
LASA Theatre

Tickets at: lasatheatre.ludus.com

SAT/ACT Webinar with Michael Cancella of Bee Tutored

Join Bee Tutored’s SAT/ACT expert, Michael Cancella to learn all you need to know about SAT vs ACT, when to begin prep and how to navigate the new digital exam. Junior SAT is coming up in the spring, so this is a good opportunity to learn now how to best prepare. Learn more here.

When: January 13, 2026 @ 7pm

Purchase your SAT/ACT Webinar Masterclass
$10 students/$25 adults (only one purchase per family necessary)

Announcing the Reflections 2025-2026 Advancing Artists

Congratulations to the artists who participated in the 2025-2026 National PTA Reflections. We had a wonderful Artist Recognition Celebration for everyone who entered last week and it was a great time! We would like to announce the Artists that are moving from the LASA level to the ACPTA (Austin Council PTA) Level.

With a theme of “I Belong!” For The Categories of:

  • Literature: Ananth Pakanati and Ariana Rodrigue
  • Photography: Piper Meley, Liam Harris and Ananth Pakanati
  • Visual Arts: Camille Mei, Tiernan O’Keefe and Zaara Zaidi
  • Music Composition: Chloe Billhardt and Grant Ratcliffgardy
  • Dance Choreography: Amelia Ratcliffgardy and Sadie Sarrat

We were pleased to have increased the number of artists and entries this year and hope that even more will participate in the LASA PTSA Reflections program next year. The Reflections theme for 2026-2027 is “What My Culture Means to Me”.

Congrats Again, LASA Reflections

2025 Reflections Recognition (Update) & Reception Date

Congratulations to the artists that participated in the LASA PTSA Reflections 2025-2026 art competition (“I Belong!”).

We will have a reception for all of our participants Thursday, Dec 11 at the beginning of lunch.

Please recognize our amazing artists who contributed to Reflections this year.

  • Advika Raghav (somehow left out last week)
  • Akwaeno Udosen
  • Alex Catterson
  • Amelia Ratcliffgardy
  • Ananth Pakanati
  • Ariana Rodriguez
  • Chloe Billhardt
  • Elise Foster
  • Gargi Pandey
  • Gordon Streber
  • Grant Ratcliffgardy
  • Knox Meley
  • Liam Harris
  • Maeve Mohundro
  • Paxton Tidrick
  • Piper Meley
  • Ryan Wu
  • Sadie Sarrat
  • Sahana Vijay
  • Stella Thomaz
  • Tiernan O’Keefe
  • Zaara Zaidi
  • Zixuan (Camille) Mei

Judging has been completed and we will be announcing the artists that move forward to the Austin Council PTA (ACPTA) level at the Reflections Recognition Celebration this Thursday, December 11th during lunch.

Great Job!

LASA Reflections

Teacher Talent and Dance Winter Show

LASA Dance invites you to our annual Teacher Talent Show along with LASA Dance on Friday, December 5th. Doors open at 4:15p with showtime at 5:00p in the LASA Theatre.

In lieu of a ticket, choose either or both charities to donate to. QR codes/links available at our show with CREDIT CARD offered only.

  • Charity 1: Central Texas Food Bank (CTFB) – provides hunger relief to our community. ALL of our JustGiving funds will go directly to CTFB.
    *Food/ Supplies Drive: We will also accept non-perishable food & hygiene items. Please check their site for their most needed items!
  • Charity 2: Luv Michael – Employs & advocates for adults on the autism spectrum. 50% of the Luv Michael drive will support LASA Dance.

CONCESSIONS & EXTRA SHOW FUN
Enjoy authentic Mexican snacks for sale by Munch Mex! 15% of their sales will support LASA Dance. Snag some swag, info, & put-put with Popstroke!

Don’t miss this opportunity to see our LASA staff shine!