Message from the PTO President

January, 2023

Happy "Snow" Days, Parents!

(I'm was born up North, so that's what we called it when school was cancelled!) I hope you & your kiddos are staying warm and enjoying the time off.

Please take a moment and send your student's teachers, counselors, nurse, etc. 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? Friendly February is here, so add those random acts of kindness into your routines so they're not so random anymore!

Our school and PTO are excited that Day of Service is back! This day is a celebration of community where everyone gets to volunteer to make a difference. Our 8th grade students have been signing up over the last week and our 7th & 6th graders will be doing the same starting next. We have ordered our awesome & student designed DOS shirts for all the wear & show their school spirit on Thursday, April 6th. If you have any questions or would like to be a parent volunteer/chaperone, please sign up below!

If you have a 6th grade student, we hope they enjoyed the KAZAAM party last Friday. Our grade level reps & volunteers worked on several wonderful activities to make this party a blast, so THANK YOU!!!!

Our 7th grade students will enjoy an upcoming event, 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. Plans are in the works for an off-campus field trip and the traditional last day breakfast. 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.

Thank you for all the generous donations to our PTO this school year! We were able to reach our goal & continue to collect donations as needed for upcoming events. If you'd like to volunteer & be a part of the planning of student and campus events, please join our PTO!

We will host a table at the upcoming Rising 6th Graders parent info night for all our incoming new parents. Please stop by and find out ways you can join a team and get involved!

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 create and continue Knight Traditions for teachers and students. These are exciting times! If you are interested or would like to learn more, please visit our website under Our PTO--we look forward to meeting you! Our next General PTO Board meeting is Thursday, February 23rd, starting at 9:00am with the Principal's Coffee.

If you have any questions, please contact info@ltmspto.org.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, February 23

9:00a General PTO Board Meeting & Principal's Coffee

In This Newsletter

December GiftCrowd Update

Thanks to our generous Knight community, our December GiftCrowd fundraiser was a tremendous success. We were able to raise nearly $5,000 which allowed us to distribute approximately $50 to each faculty member at LTMS to redeem with the online retailer of their choice.

KAZAAM 6th Grade Party

Last Friday, our 6th graders partied and danced the evening away together. What is KAZAAM? It was an after-school event for ALL 6th graders that included games, a DJ, pizza, and lots of FUN!

Thank you to our PTO 6th Grade Reps & parent volunteers that put together such a enjoyable event! And a Shout Out to LUV Braces, one of our PTO Gold Sponsors, for helping support this event.

For more information on how you can help out or volunteer for future 6th grade activities, please contact our PTO Reps at: 6thgrade@ltmspto.org

Parenting Teens

LTISD Counseling Services

The mission of health and social emotional learning services is to provide a comprehensive program that enhances the physical, social, and emotional development of all students by empowering them with the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain and promote lifelong health and wellness.

To this end, we provide both proactive and responsive services through the targeted areas of:

Social Emotional Learning
School Counseling
Student Health Services
Physical Education
Drug Testing
Homeless and Foster Care Services
Pregnancy Related Services
Learning happens best with a healthy mind and body!

LTISD mental health professionals discuss youth anxiety and depression in the first video: "Watch Anxiety and Depression 101"

Parent & Student Resources

As part of our district’s commitment to student safety and mental health, Lake Travis ISD is pleased to launch the revised "Cavs Who Care" anonymous reporting tip line, effective Monday, October 31st.

Concerns can continue to be reported in one of two ways:

LTISD Mobile app: download our free mobile app in the App Store or Google Play Store
Website: visit www.ltisdschools.org/cavswhocare on your computer, laptop or tablet

Students can report bullying, suicide concerns, depression, threats, cutting, abuse, fights, drugs, alcohol, weapons, or any other type of dangerous situation that threatens their safety or the safety of others. Reports will be addressed by a trained team of crisis personnel, school officials, and law enforcement officers, when necessary.

Call to Action Items

#1:

Our PTO is looking for parent volunteers that would like to join the Parents In Service Team. We need a team leader or leaders to help coordinate parents volunteering on campus. In particular, we need parents to assist in the Cafe during the three lunch periods from 11:15am until 1:45pm. We would also like to assemble a car line assistance team for both mornings and afternoons. We are also helping to establish the Knights Lounge. Our new counselor, Kimberly Mills, has set up a Volunteer SignUp Genius to make it easier for all. You can also contact her at: millsk@ltisdschools.org

#2:

Do you have a rolling wardrobe rack that you're not using? We'll take it! Our counselors are establishing our own LTMS Knights Lounge to help students in need. Similar to Cavs Lounge and others in our district schools, you can support this initiative by donating your time and contributing necessary items. Please email millsk@ltisdschools.org

#3:

Our PTO is looking for some parent volunteers that would like to help install the art display with Mr. Moncada's direction for all the Day of Service submissions (25 total)! We want to have this up & ready by Friday 2/10. If you are interested, please email: president@ltmspto.org. (All supplies are provided.)

#4:

Our theater department is looking for some specific donations to help refresh their program. If you are interested in finding out how you can contribute, please email Mrs. Bass at: bassj@ltisdschools.org or reach out to our PTO directly at info@ltmspto.org.

LTMS Birthday Basket & Coffee Bar

The LTMS Staff Birthday Basket and Coffee Bar are a huge hit with our wonderful staff. With your support, members of the LTMS staff have been able to celebrate their special day with a table full of their favorite snacks and a fully-stocked fridge with some of their favorite refreshments. For those who prefer a caffeinated boost to their day, a fully-stocked coffee bar has been made available for all of our LTMS staff to enjoy.

To keep this monthly celebration going, we are now collecting donations of beverages and snacks for January/February/March. If you would like to contribute items, click HERE to access the SignUp Genius.

NOTE: We are NO LONGER accepting donations via Venmo due to pending IRS tax reporting legislation changes & to also protect our parents. PLEASE make any financial donations directly to our PTO through our online portal using the Customize Donation option HERE.

If you would like to join to help setup, maintain, etc. with the LTMS Birthday Basket and Coffee Cart Teams, email info@ltmspto.org.

In Search Of Volunteers

Volunteer with PTO

Are you interested in joining the LTMS PTO? There is something for everyone to enjoy, so let us know what your time and talents are, and we'll get you placed in a role that supports the activities at LTMS.

Board positions we are looking to fill for next school year (2023-24) include:

Vice President	Communications
Website Coordinator	6th Grade Reps
Staff Appreciation Committee	Welcoming Committee
School Supply Coordinator	Round-Up Coordinator
Spirit Store Sales Coordinator	Fundraising/Sponsorship Coordinator
Day of Service Coordinator	Membership/Volunteer Coordinator
	Parents In Service (Knights Lounge)

There are other opportunities available,
so CLICK HERE to send us your information, and we will follow up with you.

Day of Service Volunteers

LTMS Day of Service is scheduled for
Thursday, April 6th, 2023.

If you have not signed to be a parent volunteer/chaperone, please do so HERE. Our 8th graders spent the last week completing their forms inputting basic info, service site choices, etc. Our 7th & 6th graders will do the same starting next week. Our parents will be placed last, so watch for those emails coming in March.

Our student-designed DOS shirts have been ordered for everyone to wear & show off our school spirit. If you would like to view the top 25 creative art submissions, please visit the school starting later this month and stop by the display on the Rotunda library windows. Congrats to Jane Law (7th) again for her winning design; we can't wait to see it on our shirts!

If you would like to help our PTO with Day of Service, email: dayofservice@ltmspto.org

Treasurer's Snapshot

It’s been a busy start of the school year with fundraising events including the No Hassle Fundraiser, School Supplies, and Spirit Store sales. This year, our No Hassle Fundraiser goal is $8,000. We raised 100% and met our goal! THANK YOU! You can still continue to give & the money will be put to good use in the Spring during all the fun student events being planned!

You can donate, by registering on Membership Toolkit (MTK), logging in and selecting My Account to update your Family Information. After that, you can shop the Spirit Store and a make a donation.

If you are already registered with MTK, simply click here to donate. Funds raised benefit our teachers and students by helping fund staff appreciation events, grade level activities, and school wish list items.

Fundraising

Thank you!

We are very grateful to CraigO’s, Kona Ice Hill Country, Chick-fil-A, P. Terry's, TOSS Pizzeria and Lefty’s Pizza Kitchen for hosting Spirit Night events for our school, and for all the LTMS families that participated. With your participation, we've earned over $1,700 from sales. We are thankful for your support and partnership! Hope to see you at the next event in March at P. Terry’s Burger Stand!

Upcoming Spirit Night

P. Terry’s Burger Stand is hosting our next Spirit Night! Please join us on Tuesday, March 28th, from 5pm to close. 10% of the evening’s proceeds will benefit our Knight community! 3311 Ranch Road 620 S., Austin TX, 78738. See you there!

NOTE: The previously scheduled Spirit Night for February at Chick-Fil-A has been cancelled due to labor shortages. We hope to reschedule soon.

Matching Gifts

Apple matched a donation from a generous LTMS parent as part of their corporate matching gift program. We are thankful for this amazing support! To find out how you can take advantage of this program, click here.

ATTENTION: Termination of AmazonSmile and Randallâ€™s Good Neighbor Programs

The economic outlook and slow growth in retail have forced numerous businesses to enact cost-cutting measures that directly impact our organization’s fundraising efforts.

Last fall, Randall’s removed the LTMS PTO from its Good Neighbor program, and
most recently, Amazon announced they will shutter AmazonSmile
effective February 20, 2023.

While we are disappointed by the termination of these charitable programs, please know that we will continue to make every effort to find meaningful ways to continue supporting our wonderful staff and students.

Thank you to all the families that contributed to
both programs during this school year!

Spirit Store

LTMS Spirit Store

No matter the season, Spirit Store is OPEN and stocked with shirts, stickers, and other LTMS swag. You will receive email notification when your order is fulfilled and ready for pick up at the school. Show off your Knight pride!

Purchases of LTMS PTO Knight gear support PTO fundraising efforts. Thank you for your generosity!

ARMOR Pencil Sets

Our Spirit Store has new pencil sets available for purchase at $10 per set. These sets are designed with the A-R-M-O-R character traits lasered onto each pencil and reminds the scribe of our school's treasured values. These sets make a great gift for your student to go along with the ARMOR Awards each grading period. These sets were created by one of our own LTMS parents, and our PTO loves supporting our local community businesses. If you have any questions, contact us at: info@ltmspto.org.

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? As a valued business sponsor you will be recognized through various benefits depending on the sponsorship level you choose. We hope your business will join us in supporting education in our community.
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 Fundraisers

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 minute 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.

From Our Gold Sponsors

Community Partners

Thank you to our wonderful PTO sponsors. Please take time to patronize our Community Partners who have been generous in their support to our school!

If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor or know a business that would, please let us know: fundraising@ltmspto.org or visit our Community Partners page for more information.

SUBJECT: LTMS PTO Newsletter - January 2023