We are very excited for the launch of our 2024-25 Great Gatherings! The first two are coming up fast: the 2nd Annual Gift Card Gala at Drafthouse Pub on 10/06 (open to all) and a Pinochle party on 10/19 for the classes of 2025 and 2027. You can hop on over to the PFLASA store to secure your tickets and/or sign up for the Gala.
Do we have any spooky lovers out there? Wanna throw a Halloween-themed party? There’s still plenty of time! What better conversation starter than meeting your fellow parents in scary costumes! Grab your friends, choose a theme, and submit your event idea.
Great Gatherings are a very successful way to build community while raising funds towards the 2025 senior events.
When this year started, I was deeply worried for the future of PFLASA and LASA. And while I am still dismayed at the current state of public education funding, I am far more optimistic. As I write this we are almost two-thirds away from our goal with strong pledges of further support. A freshman parent, Anna Land, has stepped up to be VP this year and will continue leading this organization. PFLASA is currently funding multiple grant requests from teachers and staff. We successfully pulled off two teacher meals a week apart. Finally, PFLASA’s multiple meetings have been well attended and volunteers are stepping up to support our many efforts. I want to thank all our volunteers and contributors publicly.
But if you haven’t donated, now is the time. The funding PFLASA receives not only supports LASA’s teachers, staff, students, and programing, but our larger community. As a LASA parent wrote to us: “Financial contribution to PFLASA is super important to sustaining community; building events such as parent coffees, grade level parent gatherings, the petting zoo, and Coffee House to name just a few.” In my first appeal, I wrote about how LASA is a special school for unique kids. But part of what makes LASA special is its parent community. PFLASA works hard to connect that parent community for the good of the students but also for you. Because when you have questions, PFLASA has answers and support.
So why have you not donated yet? For some people they don’t know how much to give. Basic math tells us that if everyone gave $100 per student, we would more than meet our goal. But approximately 15% of LASA is economically disadvantaged and there is a cohort that is just above that line. The fact is that PFLASA relies upon donations big and small. So please donate today so that your child’s school and community can remain strong.
Instead of buying a ticket, we ask you to bring an unused gift card (suggested value of $25 or more) as your “ticket fee.” We will add all these gift cards to the Class of 2025 Silent Auction in November. Have unused Gift Cards lying around your house? You can donate those, too! If you are going out to buy a new gift card for this event, please consider a restaurant, a store or somewhere popular that you know will sell in the auction. Please view the details and sign up here.
A reminder that our calendar is open for your Great Gathering! Want to host a themed happy hour, a game night, a breakfast/brunch? Gather some friends and fill out this interest form and we will get your party on the calendar!
Did you know that approximately 15% of LASA is economically disadvantaged which means they qualify for free and reduced lunch? Thanks to support for the No Hassle Fundraiser, last year, PFLASA was able to subsidize all AP tests for these kids. PFLASA also made funds available for any other families who needed some help.
And I have no idea who they are because LASA administers this process so there is complete confidentiality. Bottom line, PFLASA is here to support students and families.
We hope your students are taking advantage of the PFLASA Study Groups which provides free tutoring to any LASA student who shows up. Those tutors are college kids often majoring in these subjects and vetted by the teachers. Maybe your student enjoys the Petting Zoo. As a Fall Stressbuster before finals, PFLASA brings in a host of adorable and interesting animals to bring joy to a group of stressed out students. Or perhaps your child has visited the Wellness Counselors for which PFLASA has provided staffing funds. And if none of the above apply to your student, PFLASA’s reach still touches them, like assisting Ms. Switek as she adds more books to the library, or providing classroom materials.
PFLASA is more than your typical or even active PTA. We work hard to support our teachers as 35% of our budget goes just to that. But we also support LASA with recruiting tools which is important for a magnet school particularly one that wants to be racially and economically diverse. We support your students. And we support the entire LASA community with social events like our mini-ACL fest called Coffeehouse. But we can’t do all this and more without funding. Please donate today to our No Hassle Fundraiser: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=7HQP35LCPJ792
In case you think all PFLASA meetings are long, this one ran about 20 minutes. After which we heard from AP San Czaplinski. Since this meeting had a lighter agenda, I was able to have our Board members introduce themselves and welcome our new Vice President Anna Land. We are still looking for shadowing and help with various committees including Tutoring. Tutoring could use a shadow but also a parent who has time once or twice a month to check out how its going. Please email me for details. We had our Wellness Committee Chair update us on their new name “Raising Healthy Raptors” so that we can avoid confusion with the actual LASA Wellness Counselors. That update was posted to Facebook and went out through the Google Groups but we plan to start posting those in the Raptor Report. We had a quick mention that the FLASH Auction is still looking for tickets especially ACL and a quick status update on where the NHF was. The next meeting is 9/20 at 8:15 am in the portable and we will be collecting checks for NHF!
Want every dime of your donation to go to PFLASA? Want to avoid paying the Paypal fees? PFLASA will collect checks at the meeting on 9/20 at 8:15 PFLASA Portable. To speed things up and ensure you get a receipt, please complete this form.
PFLASA Study Groups will offer Biology Tutoring twice a week starting Tuesday, September 10th.
Study Groups meets in the library from 4:15 – 6:15 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
I have a LASA kid. I also have another very not LASA kid so believe when I say I know the difference. I have a kid I was terrified of putting back in public school because her undiagnosed dyslexia made her hate first grade. Who hates first grade? But the magnet experience both at Kealing and LASA made me believe in public education again.
It was extremely painful to admit my child was not a fit for our local elementary. I come from a background of public education and service in education. My mother was a PTA president, and my full-time IBM executive father served on our county school board. But that belief in public education was tested severely with a child who was bright and anxious with a learning difference. A child that needs to be challenged but seen and understood. At LASA, I found a place for my child. Teachers who believe in her and will work with her because my child is not unique in these qualities. At LASA, my child has peers who are like her—kids who want to be in school and who want to learn. Kids who will purposely get lunch detention so they will be forced to study. Kids who are quirky or “different.” I’m betting you have one of these kids too which is why you are at LASA.
But LASA can’t be all that it can be without PFLASA. And PFLASA can’t help LASA without funding. Whether you know it or not PFLASA has directly touched your experience here at LASA. Did you go to an Info Night or Showcase where you were greeted by a smiling volunteer? Maybe you came to one of our new “Find Your Fit” parent panels to aid you in your ranked choice application. Did your student attend the New Student Orientation when they came to LASA? Or perhaps your kid cuddled a hedgehog during our Fall Stressbuster. And even if somehow none of that applies, every teacher at LASA gets funds from PFLASA, dinner on Back to School Night, and all the support we can offer. Finally, in these days of declining education funds, PFLASA has contributed funds for staffing for the past four years and we pay for after school tutoring in multiple science classes.
This Friday, 9/6 at 8:15 am PFLASA will meet in the Portable (the only trailer on campus, next to the tennis courts). Please join us for committee updates, an exciting announcement, and LASA stickers!
PFLASA will also host the once-a-semester Zoom meeting on Monday 9/9 at 6pm. The link to register for the zoom meeting will be pushed out through a Raptor Special Edition and posted on Facebook the day of the meeting. Registration is required.
Can’t make either of those meetings? Don’t worry PFLASA is also scheduled to meet Friday 9/20 at 8:15 in the portable. This is after BYPTS (Bring Your Parent to School) days on 9/18-9/19.
