Message from the PTO President

January, 2022

Hello Parents!

Happy New Year?!! Even with the recent setback with illnesses, we hope this year is going well for you. We hope to see COVID numbers continue to decrease over the next few weeks so that we can enjoy the postponed student activities that we're planning.

With all the challenges we've faced so far this new year, please take a moment and send your student's teachers, the admins, nurse, and LTMS staff a quick thank you. It can be an email, a card, a scribble note in the drop-off line, or some much needed coffee delivery to keep folks going. Your kind words can make someone's day and isn't that worth the it?

If you have a 6th grade student, please note that the KAZAAM party was postponed to February 11th. Our grade level reps are working on so many wonderful things to make this party a blast, so make sure you RSVP your student, donate, and volunteer (if you haven't already!)!!! There are volunteer hours available to students tracking Knights in Service hours, so make sure to ask your StuCo, NJHS, FCA, etc. sponsors for the link!

Our 7th grade students will enjoy an upcoming movie night, so watch for details about that coming soon!

And our 8th grade "seniors" will enjoy some much deserved celebration for their time in middle school. These kiddos have persevered during one of the most challenging academic periods in our living history thus far, and we are so proud of them and what they have achieved. We look forward to celebrating these kiddos as they conclude their Middle School education and look forward to High School and all the opportunities it offers.

In order to make these grade level and teacher appreciation events happen, we need your donations! We are about 39% of our $15,000 No Hassle fundraising goal--BUT the year is already half over AND we have SO much left to do, so if you haven't donated already OR would like to jump start your 2022 donations, please do so NOW! Please drop off any checks or cash in envelopes to school ATTN: PTO, or register account on our website and join PTO!

Our PTO Board will open Nominations Committee in February and we'll be looking to fulfill open positions. Now is the time to join our awesome team and help reinvent, create, and continue Knight Traditions for teachers and students. Even though COVID prevented us from gathering in person, it gave us the opportunity to re-examine and re-invent activities in the way we connect & show our appreciation. These are exciting times now that we are (hopefully) "on the other side" of this pandemic. If you are interested or would like to learn more, please visit our website under Our PTO--we look forward to meeting you! Our General PTO Board meetings are open to all regardless of membership.

Go KNIGHTS!

Freda Collier

LTMS PTO President

Upcoming Events

Thursday, February 10

5:00p Spirit Night @ Chick-fil-A

Friday, February 11

4:10p 6th Grade KAZAAM!

Thursday, February 24

9:00a PTO Executive Board Meeting

In this Newsletter

6th Graders: KAZAAM!

The 6th grade party of the year, KAZAAM!, is scheduled for Friday, February 11th, 4:10-6:00pm. The fun begins right after school. Please complete this form if your student will be attending the event, https://forms.gle/63nYPjw82VAYbouG9

Kazaam is a FREE after school party for 6th graders only. There will be a DJ, Game Truck, Gaga pits, ping pong, food and MORE!

We would love for you to be part of it! Please view this link to sign up as a volunteer or to donate items. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b49a4a623aa8-kazam

Questions? Contact your PTO 6th grade reps, Amy Chauvin & Danielle Elliott at 6thgrade@ltmspto.org

We can hardly wait to bring KAZAAM! back to LTMS!

Parenting in a Digital Age

It comes as no secret that parenting can be challenging in an age where all types of information is accessible to and sharable with anyone that has a tablet, computer, or SmartPhone. With the launch of each new and trendy application comes the risk of exposing kids to various threats.

Each month, our Parenting in a Digital Age section will focus on sharing the various resources available in helping us navigate the ever changing world of social media, trends, apps, and Internet security.

This month's spotlight is on Officer Gomez, School SRO in Boise, ID. Officer Gomez's Facebook page has over 43k followers, where he posts daily about trends he sees, situations he encounters, and informs parents about topics ranging from Internet safety, school security, and social media challenges/trends that may be harmful.

If you have a resource recommendation that you would like to share for future Newsletters, please send the information to communications@ltmspto.org.

In the Spring of 2021, LTISD's School Health Advisory Committee created a quarterly newsletter to share information that will help families and the community support student health in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, social and emotional wellness, and health education. The district will focus on these areas to support and encourage families to implement simple habits that are important for healthy development. Now more than ever, the whole health and wellness of our students, staff, and their families should align between schools, communities, public health, and health care sectors. If you do not already subscribe to this S'more, please click here and sign up to follow LT Curriculum & Instruction.

Treasurer's Snapshot

Thanks to everyone who support the LTMS PTO!

We held several fundraising events and programs this first half of the school year, which continue to be invested directly in our students and school. To date, we have accomplished the following:

No Hassle Fundraiser - $5,240.00

School Store - $7,798.64

Community Partner Program - $3,100.00

Spirit Nights - $657.86

Passive Fundraisers - $229.75

Looking ahead, there are many great activities and student/staff events awaiting in 2022.

A big welcome to our newest community partners Frost Homes ATX and CodeWizards HQ! We are grateful for your support.

Fundraising

Chick-fil-A is hosting our February Spirit Night! Join us on Thursday, 10 February, from 5-8pm. You will need the Chick-fil-A One app to participate in Spirit Night. 10% of proceeds from mobile or drive thru orders will be donated back to our school!

A big thank you to CodeWizardsHQ for hosting our last Spirit Night and for all the LTMS families that participated. We are so grateful for your support and partnership!

In December, Apple Inc. matched a donation from another generous LTMS parent as part of their corporate matching gift program. We are thankful for this incredible support! Check with your employer if they participate in corporate matching and register with them today! This is a great way to help out our school.

We received a $93 donation last quarter from this program. Please keep Amazon Smile in mind as you do your Valentine’s Day shopping.

Fundraising Opportunities

Not sure how else to help the LTMS PTO raise funds?

Here are just a few more examples of how you can help:

Community Partners

Do you own a local business and wish to partner with us to impact the programs and activities provided to our students and teachers? Then join our Community Partner Program. As a valued business sponsor you will be recognized through various benefits depending on the sponsorship level you choose. Sponsorships will be active for a period of one school year and may be renewed on an annual basis. Contact us for information on how to become a sponsor today.

Double Your Donation

Increase the impact of your PTO donation with a matching gift. Employee matching gift programs are corporate giving programs in which the company matches donations made by employees to eligible non-profit organizations like LTMS. A simple and effective way to double a contribution at no additional cost to you. Details here.

Volunteer Grants Make a Difference

Volunteer grants are corporate giving programs in which companies provide monetary donations to non-profit organizations where employees volunteer regularly. If you volunteer at LTMS, it’s an easy way to provide the school with additional financial support at no cost to you. Details here.

Passive Fundraising

Earn money for LTMS every time you shop. This is an easy way to earn money for our school while doing something you already do. Please take a moment to sign up for these programs, which donate a percentage of your purchases back to our school or PTO. The more families that participate, the more we earn. Details here.

Spirit Store

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do!

No matter the season, our LTMS Spirit Store is open and stocked with shirts, stickers, and other LTMS swag.

Purchases of LTMS gear support PTO efforts to help reach our fundraising goal. Thank you for your generosity!

Join PTO

Whether you are new to the community or if you have been here for some time, your membership in the LTMS PTO provides you with the opportunity to meet other parents, teachers, and to help address the needs of our students at LTMS. Our PTO goal for the 2021-22 school year is to raise $15,000 so that we are able to support the additional student and teacher activities on our budget.

Jump start this year's donations to non-profits that make great tax deductions--what better organization to support than your school's PTO?

To help us achieve our PTO goal, access our online registration platform, Membership Toolkit (MTK). After you have registered, go to the My Account section to update your family information so that you receive our revitalized PTO newsletter, notifications of volunteer sign-up announcements, etc. To complete your membership registration, visit the PTO Fundraising page to pay the 2021-22 PTO Membership dues.

If you have any questions or technical issues, contact us at: info@ltmspto.org.

From Our Gold Sponsors

Community Partners

Do you own a business or know someone who does and would be interested in becoming an LTMS PTO Sponsor? Please contact fundraising@ltmspto.org to receive a Program Packet that contains everything you need to become a Community Partner!

SUBJECT: LTMS PTO Newsletter - January Edition