Raising Cane’s Sprit Night benefitting the LASA Raptor Band
Come join us for dinner and support your LASA HS Raptor Band! We will see you there!!
Looking for an entry level committee to join to support our school? How about the Hospitality Committee? PFLASA pays for and organizes 4 meal events during the year to feed and give thanks to our hardworking teachers, staff, and administration. Our current hospitality chair is graduating, and we need 4-6 people who want to take these events on. With a committee that size, one person could be in charge or every event could be hosted by a different member—it will be up to the committee. Want to learn more? Email us at president@pflasa.org!
I hope everyone got a chance to enjoy a long weekend and that for those who celebrate your holiday was joyful. PFLASA did not meet on Friday, but we are meeting this Friday at 8:15am in the portable.
Since I don’t have anything to recap, I want to use this space to talk about a LASA tradition and whether it will continue. For many years LASA has served breakfast every morning for the two weeks of AP testing and stocked snacks for kids to grab before or in between exams. Several students end up with two AP exams on the same day! But new to AP test takers are also nervous and may not have brought sufficient provisions. LASA will be giving over 4,000 AP tests from May 5th-May 16th. We have breakfast covered this year, but we do not have anyone who has stepped up to shadow. Freshman and sophomore parents this should concern you because if there is no one to run this event next year then the tradition will die. It is usually easier to continue than to revive (which is especially true from a budgeting perspective). Most freshman and sophomores will only take one AP test but most juniors take five or more. If this tradition is important to you then please step to take this on. This is one of the few events that PFLASA directly interacts and supports students. Email me at president@pflasa.org.
Hoping for more lovely spring weather,
Ellen Stewart-Klein
PFLASA President
In January, the Raising Healthy Raptors Committee put out a call for you to share your favorite books, podcasts, websites, etc. that have helped you navigate parenthood, support your adolescents, and support kids with specific challenges. I hope you take a moment to check out all the great resources that your fellow LASA families have found helpful. If you have additional suggestions please send an email to wellness@pflasa.org so the RHR Committee can share even more gems with others in our community.
AP testing spans two weeks in May beginning on 5/5 and ending 5/16. Many students go directly from test to test, with less than 10 minutes to refuel between tests. PFLASA coordinates breakfasts and snacks to fuel these hardworking minds and bodies. We are looking for a shadow to learn the ropes for next year, as well as people interested in serving as a planning committee.
Duties could include: scheduling volunteers, set up/break down of breakfasts and snacks, setting up and maintaining spreadsheets, working within a budget to arrange the necessary food and snacks for the 2 week testing period, and communicating with volunteers, staff, and vendors.
Email president@pflasa.org to learn more.
A call for AP Breakfast and AP Snack volunteers will be coming soon.
Please join us for our final Master Class of the year. CLICK HERE for tickets.
Introduction to the Common App Personal Statement with Erin Edwards of EE College Essays Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
The personal statement is your primary college application essay, arguably the most important written component of your application. Every competitive school that embraces a holistic applicant review process will tell you this essay is crucial. My class will provide a thorough introduction to the personal statement—what it is, what you really need to know about it, when to work on it, what to avoid, what to embrace, and what a successful PS looks like. This class will particularly benefit juniors, but all students and parents are welcome. Bring your questions! I love to answer them.
Lights! Camera! Dance!
Attend the LASA Dance Spring Show at the AISD Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 3, 2025 @ 6:00pm!
You do not want to miss this annual dance event featuring Velocity and Dynasty Dance Teams with special guests including: Choreopop, Lamar Middle School Dance, and more! There will be concessions and a silent auction.
Tickets are sold online and at the door via cash or credit card: https://lasadance.ludus.com/200481356
For questions, please contact: paige.edwards@austinisd.org
Two things dominated this PFLASA meeting. First, the 25-26 PFLASA Board was elected! Terms start July 1st, but say thank you to all the people stepping us to run PFLASA. The new board:
As important as electing and celebrating next year’s officers is, most of the meeting (and afterward in our discussion with Principal Crescenzi) was about the changes to magnet transportation. Next year AISD is switching to a hub system. This means a switch away from the LASA bus stop being at your local elementary and to your local middle or high school. Yes, this is unlikely to be a walkable distance from your home. Yes, I realize this is unpopular, but you will be shocked to find out that I am not in charge of this decision. Realistically with the avalanche of budget cuts ahead, AISD has no good choices. (May I suggest you channel your anger and go the lasaptsa.org to find out how to advocate for school funding?). The reality is the hub system is going to happen and now is our opportunity to pro-actively anticipate problems. To that end, PFLASA has created a transportation survey to use the collective power of our knowledge to bring those problems to light. With this information LASA can go to the AISD transportation department and try to get things resolved. I understand this is very upsetting to many if not most of you. I understand this may decrease economic diversity at LASA. I also understand the need to vent. But I have no ability to change or revert the new system. Telling PFLASA these things in our survey isn’t helpful. What is helpful is telling us of known dangerous areas, huge traffic problems, or any other problem you can foresee. PFLASA is putting the survey out through every communication channel we have BUT we have very limited ways to contact incoming parents of rising Raptors. If you know one of those families, please send the survey to them! For information on the new system including how to determine your hub go: https://www.austinisd.org/transportation/bus-hub-faqs
On that grim note, I turn to happier news. The format change to the New Parent Coffee (during the elective fair on Choice Sheet Day) was a success and we plan to switch to that model next year. We still having a master class available AND Geeta Suggs (LASA Parent Alum) will be returning to do an “Intro to Naviance” as a free class!!
And finally, I am asking for help for next year. We need help feeding teachers! PFLASA holds four meal events during the year to support teachers, staff, and administration. Our current hospitality chair is graduating, and we need 4-6 people who want to take these events on. With a committee that size, one person could be in charge or every event could be hosted by a different member—it will be up to the committee. Most importantly, the last meal of the year is coming up soon (the End of School Year Luncheon), which is an amazing opportunity to shadow and learn the ropes before next year. And if you are interested in feeding students, we also need a shadow for AP Breakfast this year to chair it for next year. Want to volunteer, have questions, want to tell me how much the new transportation system sucks? Email me at president@pflasa.org
Next meeting is April 25th at 8:15 in the PFLASA Portable (NOT on Good Friday which is an AISD holiday).
Trying to help but of very limited power,
Ellen Stewart-Klein
PFLASA President
Happy April! This week’s meeting had a couple reminders but centered on two things. Quick reminder that we have two more Master Classes in April geared towards Junior Parents. And we have a new Freshman parent Happy Hour. You can purchase tickets in the PFLASA store.
First, there was much discussion of the New Parent Coffee. For those of you who are new here, the Coffee has changed quite a bit over the last few years. It used to be an event where parents of accepted students came and asked Raptor parents questions trying to decide if LASA was a good fit for their child. But between ice storms and advent of ranked choice in applications that is no longer true. To help parents decide if LASA is a good fit and to explain LASA’s requirements, PFLASA now has the Find Your Fit Parent Panels during the testing sessions. This year with additional compression of the schedule, the Coffee was hosted with Choice Sheet Day. Parents came to the library to ask questions which are now much more logistics or schedule related. Accepted students went to the elective fair. I’m currently gathering information from staff, volunteers, and attendees (if any of you were there) on whether this is the model for next year. Regardless of whether that is the case, we need shadows for the New Parent Coffee and the Find Your Fit Panels next year.
These are two different positions, but they are both low time commitments that make a huge difference in welcoming our incoming Raptor parents and building community. Both events will have Senior parent Chairs so we need to keep that institutional knowledge. Yes, I’m recruiting for an events in January and for (probably) next March but life is busy here. The Coffee requires part of one Saturday and the Find Your Fit event requires two Saturdays. Reach out for more details.
Second, we discussed that the Tutoring Committee also needs help. We have a chair and a shadow, but this massive undertaking could use several more parents to help. A few more parents would alleviate a lot of work on a few people and make the program sustainable. There are positions where you never need to come to the school. The Committee is composed of two different roles and they both need help. First, there’s a lot high-level planning in creating schedules and availability surveys, recruiting tutors, and updating communication. This would largely be by email or phone and does not require being at the school or a strict schedule. But we also need people who can send emails quickly. When a tutor cancels, we need to get the word out as quickly as possible to avoid frustrated students but again no need to go to the school. If you are a parent who’s around after school Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. A few minutes a week could really help! I hear over and over that the Study Groups are one of the best things PFLASA does but this program can’t work without volunteers.
I know I spend a lot of time asking for help (just wait until AP sign ups are out) but I truly believe that any parent who wants to volunteer can find a role. There are small tasks that are enormous help to PFLASA and by extension to LASA. My goal this year was to be more transparent and to bring opportunities to any parents/guardians/grandparents wants to help.
After the meeting we got some updates from Principal Crescenzi including admissions and EOC tests. If you don’t know what an EOC is it stands for ‘End of Course” exams AND you should search your email for very important information regarding upcoming testing. If you have a 9th, 10th or 11th grader this email applies to your kid. I know tests are never fun, but these tests really affect LASA and its grade in ridiculous but also big and important ways. Please encourage your student to take this testing seriously and follow your normal pre-test protocols (sleep, snacks, bribes, whatever your tradition is).
Finally, we have another PFLASA meeting this Friday, April 4th at 8:15 in the portable. We only have four more meetings this year and big things are coming including officer elections and budget presentations. And if you know some newly accepted Raptors who are dying to get more LASA information, there is a delay in joining the Google and FB groups, but they can sign up for the Raptor Report now! As always if you have questions or want to help us email me at president@pflasa.org
Hoping for rain and the energy to get to the next three-day weekend,
Ellen Stewart-Klein
PFLASA President
Nothing to recap as PFLASA went on spring break too! But now we have lots of work ahead so we are sticking with the crazy schedule that is due to spring break. We will meet this Friday 3/28! And next Friday 4/4! PFLASA meets at 8:15 am in the Portable (next to the Tennis Courts).
We still need volunteers for our New Parent Coffee this Saturday 3/29. Sign up at
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B45A4A722AB9-55593226-newparent#/form/Standard.
And please let us know if you use the directory. We can put that money to better use if it’s not helpful:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAeQiUQdX-pq_7x8JRnAf9Oek6zA-bpIKkGi0hoY63a77QrQ/viewform.
Gird your loins,
Ellen Stewart-Klein
PFLASA President