With gratitude,

Executive Director
Lake Washington Schools Foundation

Inclusive Libraries Update

Over 4,000 students in 7 schools have already benefited from Lake Washington School Foundation’s 5-year grant commitment to increase the diversity of library collections across the district.

In the grant’s first year (2021-22), a total of 1,120 books were purchased for Alcott Elementary, AG Bell Elementary, Ben Franklin Elementary, John Muir Elementary, Inglewood Middle School, International Community School, and Kirkland Middle School. Each book was carefully selected and purchased based on needs identified in the diversity audit of each school’s library collection.  

This year, students at 10 additional schools will benefit from the program! Watch this short clip where Cathy Webb, Librarian at Mark Twain Elementary, explains the importance of students being able to see themselves and their peers reflected in school library collections. 

Free Documentary Screening of The Upstanders

Join us for The Upstanders, a film that breaks down all aspects of cyber-bullying and builds empathy and resilience to stand up to it. 

Reserve your free seat to watch The Upstanders virtually between October 3-10. 

This free event is brought to you by Overlake Medical Center & Clinics and Lake Washington Schools Foundation. 

LWSF Program Updates

Our Pantry Packs Program is hosting its annual Fall Food Drive! You can help feed hungry students in our community through one of two ways:

• Donate food directly through our Amazon Wish List.
• Drop off your food donations on November 16 or 19, from 10am to 2pm, at our Pantry Packs warehouse located at 14816 NE 95th St - Bldg 6, Redmond, WA. 

Calling all Parents! Meet virtually to hear from mental health experts on topics such as anxiety, depression, social media, and more at Balance in Mind Parent Chats. Register for the entire fall season of parent chats here at www.lwsf.org/parentchat.

• October 5: School Support When Your Child is Experiencing Mental Health Struggles
• October 19: Teaching Emotional Regulation
• November 2: Growing Empathy
• November 16: Stress and Student-Athletes
• December 7: Viewers Choice!

Find Your Fit is a resource to help students and parents understand the next best steps in the college planning process. Visit our Find Your Fit webpage to register for upcoming workshops in October, including our first in-person college essay workshop in over two years! 

• October 4: How to Write a College Essay (in-person workshop)
• October 23 & November 12: The Counselor Is In - Essay Feedback (virtual)
• October 26: The Counselor Is In - Office Hours (virtual)

Kids Coming Together community service events are great opportunities for children grades 3-8 to meet new friends and connect with their community. Register for upcoming events.

• October 7: No Sew Blankets for Eastside Baby Corner
• October 13: Birthday Dreams
• October 17: Litter Pickup at Lake Sammamish
• October 26: Pumpkin Painting

LINKS Lunch Buddies connects students with caring adult mentors. Many mentors say that the rewards they gain from their mentoring relationship are as substantial as those for their mentees. Consider becoming a mentor and making the world of a difference to a local student. 

LWSF Welcomes New Board of Trustee Members

Lake Washington Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of five new Trustees. The LWSF Board of Trustees provides strategic leadership and direction to the mission-driven work of the organization.

Our new trustees are Catherine Boeger, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft; Jana Koeberle, Sr. Vice President at Kemper Development, Girish Joshi, Global Technical Director at Microsoft; Dan Ross, Partner at Hill Wallack LLP; and Sudha Sharma, LWSD educator.

“LWSF’s mission centers on enhancing academic access and nurturing the emotional well-being of all students in the Lake Washington School District,” said Foundation Executive Director, Katy Philips. “On behalf of the entire organization, we could not be more delighted to welcome our new Trustees, who bring a wealth of passion, experience, and perspective to our work."

It's almost time to go ALL IN FOR KIDS!

Every fall, we ask the community to come together and invest in local students. Last year, with help from donors like you, we:

• Distributed 25,000 PANTRY PACKS weekend meals to students
• Added 1,100 diverse books to school shelves through INCLUSIVE LIBRARIES
• Trained 160 students in TEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID
• Demystified the college application process for 1,600 teens and parents through FIND YOUR FIT
• and more!

That's what we call going ALL IN FOR KIDS. With your help, we'll do even more this year!

Free Mental Health First Aid Training for Staff

Calling all teachers and staff in the Lake Washington School District: Do you want to feel more confident in supporting the mental health of your students? Register for an upcoming Youth Mental Health First Aid virtual training course, where you will learn the critical skills needed to recognize when a student is experiencing a mental health challenge and know what actions to take to get the student connected to the resources they need.   

Register now in Cornerstone for one of these upcoming 2-part virtual courses: 

• October 4 & 6 from 4:30-7pm 
• October 24 & 27 from 4:30-7pm 

Support While You Shop

You can support the Lake Washington Schools Foundation’s mission while doing your regular shopping!

Amazon Smile

Before you shop online at Amazon, take a moment to set Lake Washington Schools Foundation as your Amazon Smile beneficiary, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to LWSF.

Give with Bing

Give with Bing enables you donate to LWSF just by searching the web (using Bing) or purchasing from the Xbox or Microsoft Store. When you select LWSF to be the recipient of your Microsoft Rewards, your activity earns LWSF Rewards points automatically donated as cash.

How to start:

• Click here and then click on “join now.”
• If you are not already a Microsoft Rewards member, it will prompt you to register for Microsoft Rewards.
• Once you’ve registered, on the Give with Bing page designate Lake Washington Schools Foundation as the recipient of your rewards and turn on “Give Mode.”