Message from the PTO President

February, 2023

Hello Parents!
February was a short month and it's hard to believe that March starts tomorrow with Spring Break and the end of the 3rd grading period right around the corner! During February we celebrated Valentine's Day, a quick winter break for teacher conferences, President's Day holiday, and of course February wouldn't be the same without the freeze days that are becoming a bad habit--BOO!

In March, our PTO Board is looking to fill openings for positions in next year's roster! This team is amazing and this is great way to give back with your time in support to staff, parents and students at LTMS. We need volunteers everywhere, so please submit your interest by visiting our website under Our PTO > Officers & Chairs. Please see more details below!

Next Spirit Night is at P. Terry's coming up March 28th! Please see more information below along with other passive fundraising updates. Join the PTO team, make donations, and shop the Spirit Store to keep helping us say yes to campus requests to spoil our teachers & students. We have SO much to do for the end of year parties, so watch for emails on ways to donate & volunteer!

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

Upcoming Events

Thursday, March 23

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

Tuesday, March 28

5:00p Spirit Night @ P. Terry's

Thursday, April 20

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

6:00p Spirit Night @ Angel's Icehouse

In This Newsletter

Breathe Initiative Walkathon

World Teen Mental Health Week

Join the LTHS Breathe Initiative club for family fun activities, refreshments, and a good time! Bring $10 cash or check for entrance free.

Saturday, March 4th
Hudson Bend Middle School
9:00am - 1:30pm.

Follow on Instagram: @ltbreatheinitiative

SAVE THE DATE!

Parents and guardians of students
in K-12 grade NEW TO Lake Travis ISD
for the 2023-2024 school year
may enroll their child online at
ltisdschools.org/enrollment
begin Wednesday, March 1st!

Superintendent's Weekly Update

Since early September 2022, LTISD Superintendent Paul Norton has been sharing a weekly update with news, notes, and shout outs from across the District. The update, better known as "Norton's Notes," is posted on our District website by 4:30 pm each Friday during the school year. Stay informed - visit: www.ltisdschools.org/nortonsnotes

Sprouts School Supplies

New & Returning Parents to LTMS, be on the look out for the details to order School Supplies for next school year 2023-2024! Our PTO sells the supplies as a fundraiser, so order and support the events our organization plans for teachers & students. AND do yourself a favor, and get those supplies ordered BEFORE summer break!

LTMS School Supplies Store Opens April 1st!

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 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 can 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 is available for all of our LTMS staff to enjoy. Thank you to all that donated.

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

NOTE: Our PTO can no longer accept donations via Apps like Venmo or Zelle. If you would like to make a financial donation directly to the PTO, visit our LTMS PTO fundraising page to select or enter the donation amount of your choice & select "Quarterly Birthday Treats" in dropdown menu to identify your donation.

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

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.

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.

Reminder: AmazonSmile & Randall's Good Neighbor Programs End

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!

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 - February 2023