Newsletter for the week of Dec. 12, 2022 In this issue:
President's holiday greetings
Collecting gift cards
Shop on AmazonSmile
Next PTSA meetings
Staff Appreciation signups
Staff Spotlight
Thank you, sponsors
Season's greetings!
On behalf of the Leota Middle School PTSA, I’d like to take a moment to wish all the parents, teachers, staff, and students a wonderful holiday season. We hope everyone is able to relax and enjoy time with family and friends.
On behalf of myself, I’d like to take a moment to thank all the volunteers, board members, and chairs for their efforts during the first half of the year. This amazing group of volunteers brought Math and Science Olympiads to the students, ran the Reflections program, staffed the Student Store, organized Staff Appreciation events, advocated for us at the state level, partnered with the school to update the sound system in the event of an emergency, created and managed all of the communications to keep our parent community informed, and much more.
Behind the scenes, an additional group of amazing people ensured our membership, state and PTSA administrative and financial needs were met, and that we continue to run an organization supporting the entire parent, student, teacher, and staff community of LMS.
Wishing the entire Leota community the most wonderful of holiday seasons! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next membership meeting, Jan. 18.
It's getting close to the holidays, and there are several families in our area that could use some extra help.
Leota PTSA is partnering with the school to collect donations of gift cards this week, from Dec. 10 to Dec. 17. Target and Fred Meyer gift cards are preferred, please. The gift cards will go directly to local families in need.
If you would like to contribute a gift card, please drop it off at the Leota main office this week or email president@leotaptsa.com to arrange pickup.
Shop on Amazon and support our PTSA
Did you know you can help the Leota PTSA while shopping on Amazon? The AmazonSmile program donates a portion of eligible purchases to our nonprofit organization, at no additional cost to you. Read on to learn how to make some simple tweaks to your settings so that your Amazon purchases benefit Leota PTSA.
Sign in with the same account you use for Amazon.com.
Select the charity “Leota Middle School PTSA.”
Start shopping! As long as you checkout at smile.amazon.com, a donation will be made to Leota PTSA.
On the Amazon app on your mobile phone:
Open the Amazon Shopping app.
Click the main menu (the symbol with the 3 horizontal lines).
Tap on Settings and then select “AmazonSmile.”
Select “Leota Middle School PTSA” and then follow the on-screen instructions to turn ON AmazonSmile in the mobile app.
Once AmazonSmile has been activated in your app, future eligible app purchases will generate donations for Leota PTSA.
Upcoming PTSA General Meetings
PTSA General Meetings are a great opportunity to learn what is happening at our school, ask questions of school leaders, and meet or reconnect with other Leota parents/guardians. Please save the dates for the next PTSA General Meetings:
Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7 pm
Wednesday, March 15, at 7 pm
Wednesday, May 17, at 7 pm
Stay tuned for meeting agendas and more details!
Volunteers needed
Learn how you can help make Leota more awesome
Staff Appreciation events
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our fall lunches. The staff are always so grateful, and they often comment how fortunate they feel to be part of our Leota community.
In January we're pioneering a new lunch theme: food from around the world! Please take a look at the signup and consider bringing your favorite international dish. This can be something from your own heritage or just something you love! Be sure to include a label with the name and origin of your dish.
We have almost 90 staff at Leota this year, and we want to show each and every one of them how much we value their contributions to our school. Thank you for signing up!
Reminder: Volunteer background checks
To volunteer on campus at Leota or any other facility in the Northshore School District, you'll need to submit an online application for a Level 1 background check. Volunteers must update the application every year, and it must be completed before the first day of volunteering. To begin the process, visit the district's Become a Volunteer webpage.
Note: As of Nov. 1, 2022, proof of Covid vaccination is no longer required for NSD volunteers. The district change is in response to the governor's repeal of Covid emergency proclamations and state of emergency.
Staff Spotlight
Get to know the teachers and staff who make Leota a great place
Darren Meucci
Band and Orchestra
What do you like to do on weekends? Play golf!
What sports do you follow? I follow PGA golf, NFL football, Major League Soccer, and Formula 1 racing. My favorite teams are the Sounders, Seahawks, Mariners, and the UW Huskies. My favorite golfer is Rickie Fowler.
Do you have pets? I have two cats, Puma and Maestra. They are sisters and love to play and listen to music!
What instruments do you play? My main instrument is percussion. I can play most instruments at a basic level, but I am most proficient at guitar and trumpet as my secondary instruments. I am currently a performing member of Soundwave (Seattle Sounders FC marching band) and Stark Raving Plaid (Celtic folk rock band).
What is your go-to karaoke song? "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind. Erin Duffy
6th and 7th grade Hi-Cap English Language Arts
Favorite meal? Mexican food!
Why did you decide to work in education? I love both reading and life-long learning. Through education I hope to instill a love of both of those in young people. I want to share with students the value of being open-minded learners, critical thinkers, and successful members of our community.
What do you like to do on weekends? Work in the yard, spend time with my family at our cabin in Cle Elum, watch sports (Mariners, UW football and volleyball, Seattle Storm basketball), relax, and read!
What kind of books do you like to read? I love to read most kinds of fiction, books about current events, and biographies from history.
Do you have pets? We have a Lab puppy named Blue, and she is pretty sweet and mostly chill.
Favorite TV shows? Home renovation shows.
Favorite travel destinations? Wherever I have family members, i.e., Hawaii, NYC, Australia (never been there but hope to go in 2023), South Carolina, Alaska, and Camden, N.J. (where my younger daughter is going to school).
What is your go-to karaoke song? Anything by Bruce Springsteen.
Favorite words to live by? Do the right thing even when others aren't watching. Be sure to check out the next PTSA Newsletter for another Staff Spotlight!
Thank you, sponsors
We couldn't do this without you
The Leota PTSA would like to thank all of the Paving the Way donors, and especially this year's sponsors (listed below). Our programs and events are possible because of you all!
Your generosity is already at work! To date, projects and programs include:
Improving the sound system during emergencies
Fixing the refrigerator door in the nurse's office
WEB T-shirts
Choir
ASB
Let's get social
For the latest news and opportunities, follow "Leota Middle School PTSA" on Facebook and join the "Leota PTSA Volunteers and Info" private group on Facebook. Just click the links below:
Leota PTSA is a parent, teacher, staff, and student membership organization that advocates for all students. We make a variety of educational and community programs possible at Leota. For more information, visit www.leotaptsa.com.
We hope this biweekly newsletter is a valuable resource to learn about the events, programs, and opportunities available to all Leota families. Thanks for reading!
We welcome your feedback and suggestions for the PTSA Newsletter. Please email them to communications@leotaptsa.com.
What do you like to do on weekends? Play golf!
Favorite meal? Mexican food!
