Welcome Smith PTSA members to 2016. I hope the two week break was enjoyable for you all. Your PTSA is back at work to support our Students, Teachers and Parents throughout the winter months and into Spring.

I would love to highlight some of the wonderful things we have accomplished together so far:

• Dolphin Dash - raised over $35,000 with over $19,000 in matching donations
• Membership - We have reached over 100% of student to membership ratio. To receive a Gold Award (10% more than last year) we need 47 more. If you know of anyone without a membership, please have them sign up at smithptsa.org
• WatchDOGS - over 35 Dads have volunteered in our school with more openings available
• School donation - the beginning of the year donation back to the school was over $31,000 for:
  • Accelerated Reader / Accelerated Math Programs
  • Read Naturally
  • Student Council
  • Assemblies
  • IXL
  • Offsite Educational experiences
  • Library Resources
  • Student Scholarships
  • Magazine Subscriptions
  • Jellyfish chairs
  • Laptops
• Winter Wonderland - a beautiful event despite the winter storm warning
• After-school Programs - Fall Session enhanced and enriched the lives of our students and Winter Session has begun.
• Teacher conferences - assisted in funding educational workshops for staff
• Classroom items - provided materials for classroom use

Some PTSA Sponsored programs and events to look forward to are: Pantry Packs, International Night, Science Fair, and Spring ASPs. If you would like to assist your PTSA in any event or program, please reach out to us. 

There is a large initiative that is happening in our learning community that you should be aware of. The Lake Washington School District has now grown to be the fourth largest district in Washington State. Currently there are 168 Portables which equates to 14% of our classrooms. The District is currently creating a Bond for the April 2016 vote, which will allow for much needed funds to build and renew our learning community. To learn more about this initiative, go to the LWSD.org website or click here. I have included a chart below for a brief overview.

Thank you for supporting your PTSA. We could not do the things we do without your volunteer time and funding. Your PTSA is here is assist your students, teachers and learning community to be the best they can be.

Thank you again for your continued support, 

Cara Leitch 

President

Samantha Smith PTSA