Lakeside Parents and Guardians Association Upper School News | |
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| Feb. 10, 2017
Fantabulous February . . . fresh opportunities for you to weigh-in and plug-in! A well-known hallmark of a Lakeside education is class participation. However enjoyable or painful this exercise can be, most students eventually recognize the power of voicing their thoughts, the privilege of hearing novel opinions, and the pleasure of enriching discussions. In their words, students value classroom discussion because it compels them "to think about things they haven't heard before, helps them to learn more about themselves, and build relationships with each other."
This month, we, parents and guardians, have the unique opportunity to weigh-in alongside our students and their greater school community in an important discussion on multiculturalism and inclusion. We need your input to build a stronger community for each student as well as their families, faculty, and staff. Please complete the Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) survey; we're aspiring for 100% participation. Are you looking for other significant ways to support your students and their school? Plug-in to ways your volunteerism can accomplish this by filling out the PGA nominations survey as soon as possible.
My wish is that you'll embrace these two incredible chances to make a strong difference in your student's life. Always happy to hear from you!
Warmly, Julia Cho PGA Upper School Vice President, 2016-17 | |
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| High fives with lion paws for our volunteers at the winter tailgate on Jan. 27.
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| PGA news for Upper School grades
9th-grade news - Sign up for winter potlucks! Spend time with other 9th-grade parents and guardians in a relaxed and informal setting. These adults-only potlucks are extremely well attended, so don't miss out on the fun. Please indicate your preferred dates on this doodle poll. Contact Jharna Jain or Abby Hartman with questions.
- Our next coffee social is on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 8:15-10 a.m. in the Fireplace Room, WCC. Contact Lauren Lazar with questions.
- Join Ari Worthman for Q&A about the college process at upcoming college counseling coffee talks on Wednesday, March 1, 7-8:15 p.m. and Tuesday, March 21, 8-9:15 a.m. in the Fireplace Room, WCC. Contact Julie Weed with questions.
- Rummage sorting continues on Thursday, March 9, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Rummage Depot. Contact Ying Lu or Susan Mayfield with questions.
- Join us at our last peer group meeting (freshman parents and guardians only) on Tuesday, March 14, 7-8:30 p.m., in the Fireplace Room, WCC. Volunteer facilitators, Rosanna Palomino and Katrina Crawford, will guide conversations in topics of your choice such as homework, social media, dances, and sports.
10th-grade news - Come sort, shop, and chat at the Rummage Depot on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Contact Lisa Crisera or Kate Jack with questions.
- Our next coffee is on Wednesday, March 1, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Vios Cafe at Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave NE, Seattle. Contact Hejin Yim with questions.
- Join Ari Worthman for Q&A about the college process at upcoming college counseling coffee talks on Wednesday, March 1, 7-8:15 p.m. and Tuesday, March 21, 8-9:15 a.m. in the Fireplace Room, WCC. Contact Julie Weed with questions.
- Join fellow parents and guardians for a fun evening of art, drinks, and tasty bites at our 10th-grade class buy-in party on Thursday, March 9, 7-9:30 p.m. at the Cascadia Art Museum. The cost is $40 per person; please make checks payable to the Lakeside PGA. Contact Natalie Stephens with questions.
11th-grade news - Come chat about the latest junior year happenings while sorting hardware and garden items at the Rummage Depot on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 9-11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 6-8 p.m., and Wednesday, March 15, 9-11 a.m. Drop-in as your schedule allows. Students can volunteer and earn up to twenty service hours. Contact Yazmin Mehdi or Erica Jorgensen with questions.
- Join volunteer facilitators, Erika Grayson and Tracy Dobmeier, at our last peer group meeting (junior parents and guardians only) on Monday, March 6, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Fireplace Room, WCC. We'll talk about topics of your choice like social lives, balancing schoolwork with other activities, and standardized testing.
12th-grade news - A few spots available for senior parents and guardians at our upcoming potlucks on Saturday, March 4 in Bellevue and Saturday, March 18 in North Seattle. Contact Carole Kitchell or Jen Lewis to sign-up now. Super fun events!
- Book Depot need your help to prepare for the Rummage sale! Join reps Jann Vhugen and Katie Simmons at our next sort on Thursday, March 9, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Contact Linda Myhrvold to volunteer at Spring Fling! We have two dance volunteers thus far; thank you Mary Scurlock and Rusty Reagan! We need four more senior parents and guardians to help on Saturday, March 11, 8-11 p.m., location TBD. It's your last chance to "attend" a dance.
- Join volunteer facilitators, Anna Davis and Kate Boswell, at our final peer group meeting (senior parents and guardians only) on Monday, March 20, 7-8:30 p.m. in the PGA office. Let's share tips about our students' transitions from high school into college and how best to support them.
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| PGA news for all grades Click here for the complete Lakeside School calendar. Click here for the PGA home page and PGA events.
AIM survey extended through Sunday, Feb.13
Parents and guardians now have two more days to complete the Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) survey. Click here to take the survey. The survey, designed and administered by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), will help Lakeside assess where we are on our efforts to be a successfully diverse and inclusive community. "This is a unique and important opportunity for Lakeside to gather information from all members of the community and to have everyone's voice be heard," says Head of School Bernie Noe. "We want to give as many parents and guardians the chance to respond as possible." The survey is administered by NAIS to ensure security, anonymity, and confidentiality of the information that each respondent shares. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Learn more about the survey and how we will share results in this news article.
Building next year's PGA team
The PGA nominations committee identifies and recruits volunteers to make up next year's PGA board. Please help this process by filling out a short survey here. Given the variety of PGA positions, there is literally something for every talent, style, and time commitment. Please contact nominations chair Mike Cero if you have questions or suggestions. For the list of this year's nominations committee members, click here. For an overview of all PGA board positions, click here; and to learn more about PGA programs and events, click here. Please email Lakeside PGA to request a copy of any PGA job description.
PGA programs overview A common question asked of the PGA is "where does our money go?" After deducting expenses associated with our fundraisers, the bulk of your donations go directly back to Lakeside. This year, the PGA donated $475,250 of its net proceeds to the school with a remaining $105,600 earmarked to support PGA programs and events. The PGA operates a wide variety of programs aimed at supporting our three-part mission of building community, facilitating communications, and fundraising. While the primary focus of the PGA is on parent and guardian programs, the PGA also provides volunteer and financial support to several faculty and staff appreciation events, and support for student activities such as athletics, Arts Fest, and Prom. Our programs include: - Building community: parent and guardian education, summer grade-level gatherings, Back-to-School Picnic, tailgates, T.J. Vassar diversity and community committee events and lectures, parent and guardian lectures, grade-level potlucks, peer group meetings, affinity group gatherings, and support for arts events.
- Facilitating communication: Pawprint newsletter, PGA website, ROAR and Rummage communication, and grade-level communication.
- Raising funds: ROAR auction, Rummage, and logowear sales.
- Supporting students, faculty, and staff: APPLE appreciation events, MS gap care and dance support, US fizzes and dance support, end of year student events, Prom, Grand Day, and May Day.
PGA general membership meeting recap The PGA held its second general membership meeting on Jan. 31. For those of you who were unable to attend, the draft minutes are posted here. We had an opportunity to hear from school administrators Bernie Noe, Alixe Callen, Elaine Christensen, Jamie Asaka, and Christel McGuigan. There was a recap of our successful ROAR auction and we heard about plans for the March Rummage Sale. We were thrilled to announce that the net revenue from the ROAR auction has already reached $522,360. With these strong ROAR results, we are projecting that we are on track to contribute a record high donation to the school for the 2017-2018 school year. For those of you who have employers that provide matching funds for ROAR donations, please remember to submit your matching fund paperwork to Vonnie Breidenstein.
Rummage Sale dates, many volunteers needed
Friday, March 24, 3:15-6 p.m., Friends & family sale day!
Saturday, March 25, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Our biggest sale day!
Sunday, March 26, 9-11 a.m., Bag day is back!
Paul G. Allen Athletics Center
Look for an email soon about our upcoming Rummage Sale. Volunteer registration begins on Feb. 27. We'll need your help on Thursday, March 23 through Sunday, March 26. Grab a friend and come volunteer and shop together! Please contact Rummage Sale chairs: Lisa Broesamle, Greta Hardin, or Hui Hong Kao with any questions. Or, for more information, see our Rummage Sale page.
Justice Mary Yu summary Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu presented to the Lakeside community on Monday, Jan, 23 with a talk titled, "Summoned to serve justice, personal reflections from a Supreme Court Justice in challenging times." Speaking three days after the inauguration, Justice Yu shared perspectives she gained while campaigning across Washington state over the last two years emphasizing the need for more conversation, engagement, and dialogue. Bringing the conversation to present day, Justice Yu also shared insights on current events from her perspective on the bench, and talked about her observations of the Women's March. She encouraged the audience to take a long view of history, citing two examples of movements that didn't occur overnight: Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter. It was a thought-provoking discussion, and we are grateful to Justice Yu for providing her unique perspective.
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| The Parents and Guardians Association places a high priority on ensuring that every family can participate in the events it hosts. Confidential financial assistance is available for Parents and Guardians Association events regardless of financial aid status. If your family needs an interpreter, transportation support, or other important accommodations, for confidential assistance, please contact Jamie Asaka, director of family and student support services, at (206) 440-2901 or Latasia Lanier, family support liaison at (206) 440-2887. | |
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