Category: PFLASA

Just in case you are of the belief that PFLASA doesn’t do much all year (tutoring, appreciations, stress busters, recruiting, and teacher meals, etc), May is coming! If you have been paying any attention all year, I have been pleading for you to block of time to help us in May (& June). The time to volunteer is now. First, LASA will give over 4,000 AP exams in two weeks! To pull that off we need over 200 volunteers to both monitor exams and feed students!! And yes, a few people have stepped up to continue the AP breakfast tradition!!! We also need snack donations!!!! For more details see the separate post and sign up here: https://lasa.austinschools.org/school/signups

Second, on the Friday evening after the last AP exams (5/16), PFLASA will host Coffeehouse! In a new venue in the centrally located Mueller area, LASA students will perform a variety of acts. I’ve heard this described as LASA’s mini-ACL. Ticket go on sale 5/1 (https://pflasa.org/coffeehouse-on-season/) and volunteer signups will be posted soon. The t-shirt is already on sale.

Soon after AP’s and right before Finals, PFLASA will host the End-of-Year Teacher Appreciation Luncheon on Thursday, May 22nd. Volunteer and donation sign ups will be out soon. We are still looking for help with our hospitality committee for next year.

But PFLASA is not done as we turn to celebrations for our Seniors! Right before graduation on Sunday, June 1st, we will host Senior Salute where our graduates receive their magnet endorsement. This is an event only for seniors and their families but is very meaningful and our volunteers and fundraising supports this important LASA tradition. Graduation is on Tuesday, June 3rd (you can watch it live-streamed) and that night we need lots of volunteers to have a successful and safe, drug and alcohol-free, all-night lock-in called Project Graduation! Non-senior parents pay it forward and volunteer so that you can enjoy the craziness of graduation when it’s your kids turn. Signups are also at: https://lasa.austinschools.org/school/signups

Finally, although my term ends July 1, PFLASA begins the next cycle with events in July and August. One of these is the New Teacher Bus Tour and we would really like to find hosts now. Every year Principal Crenscenzi takes all new to LASA teachers on a tour of AISD’s boundaries. This helps them understand how far students travel and the great diversity in our city. As part of this we need homes in North and South Austin to host the teachers for brief events. There’s a parent panel and breakfast as the first stop and a lunch with the student ambassadors in the afternoon. PFLASA pays for the food! Please don’t feel like you need a showy home, just a willingness to open your doors. This year’s event is August 5th. We are also looking for a shadow (a helper who learns the ropes and can cover the following year). Please contact Nicole Oria if interested: pnoria@gmail.com

Yes, I’ve been asking for volunteers, but all these topics were covered at Friday’s meeting. Our final discussion item was the proposed budget for next year. Our hardworking treasurer has done an amazing job, tracking our fundraising and spending, making projections and putting together the budget for next year. The proposed budget supports all the programming that I’ve been talking about above and all year for next year. But the big news is that because of PFLASA’s thriftiness, the work of our treasurers and volunteers, and the generosity of this community we can once again give LASA a generous stipend to help pay for staffing! The money we raised this year will be used for staffing next year (2025-26). Specifically, this is why LASA is able to have two full-time Wellness Counselors. PFLASA has been able to pay this stipend for the past four years and we finally feel ready to include this as a line-item in the budget. Why is that important? First, I think it makes something important we do transparent which has been one of my main goals this year. Second, we know that if we meet our fundraising goal, a guaranteed amount can be turned over to LASA and they can plan accordingly and with the budget cuts anticipated this will be more important than ever. I want to thank everyone who donated, who got matching funds, and who volunteered. Without this support, our work would not be possible.

PFLASA is meeting again this Friday, May 2nd at 8:15am in the portable (I’ve heard the calendar may have it as pm?). This is one of our last two meetings and afterwards, more of our fabulous volunteers will be distributing treats to our teachers for appreciation! I’m very excited to say that we have seen an increase in attendance at these past few meetings. I hope everyone who can feels welcome to come join us.

Very excited and a little scared of all to come,
Ellen Stewart-Klein
PFLASA President

I need some help making sure the loan items from PFLASA are available to you for your end of year celebrations. PFLASA hasn’t had an inventory chair for (???) awhile. And the checkout form is broken. Last year we ran into a few problems with items not being returned by the time another group needed them. I’m not throwing shade or blame because this isn’t as unlikely as you think if one group has their banquet on Friday, there is no way to return items to the portable for a Saturday event. So to try and coordinate all of this, I’m asking you to email me at president@pflasa.org:

1. The date of your banquet.
2. The items you want to check out.
3. Contact information for one or two volunteers responsible for these items (this is especially important because it will go out to other groups allowing coordination for the items).
4. Expected check in date for items not handed off to another group.

I will be sending this information out to all the volunteers who submit it so that the groups can coordinate and work together. I have high hopes this will work better than last year! I would appreciate being in on those communications. And if you end up not taking something or grabbing a few other things please send an updated email.

Finally, there are three different sets up LASA letters! The lighted ones were donated to LASA this fall and you will need to coordinate with the office to check those out. We also have a newly painted set of wooden letters (along the hallway wall in the portable). The popular foam LASA letters are MISSING (and we think have been gone for awhile)!!! If you have them, please return them (and a heads up to me would be greatly appreciated) or if you know someone has them please encourage them to return them so that other groups can enjoy them. Feel free to email me with questions.

Thanks for your cooperation!
Ellen Stewart-Klein
PFLASA President