PTA Pulse: 9/21/25
Please join us!
Sept 23: Spirit Night at Ruckus Apex (tell your friends!)
Sept 26: BOLTS Cart (volunteer opportunity)
Sept 26: Cafeteria Crew (volunteer opportunity)
Oct 22: Family Fall Fest, 4-6 pm (volunteer opportunity)
Oct. 6-31: No-Fuss Fundraiser
Your dinner this Tuesday night can make a BIG impact on our students! Ruckus Pizza, Pasta & Spirits is hosting our next Spirit Night (9/23, 3-11 pm). Dine in or order out, and Ruckus will donate a portion of the cost of your order to Lufkin PTA. Just be sure to mention Lufkin PTA when you order!
How does this benefit your child? At our August Spirit Night, we raised $504 in just one night! That amazing sum pays for things like:
* 1-2 teacher grants (like funding online subscriptions, art supplies, classroom tech supplies)
* Partial funding for a cultural arts assembly or other enrichment program
* Staff appreciation lunch, to recognize our hardworking teachers and staff!
Can we top that total this time? One way to help is to share this announcement with friends and family — the more, the merrier! Remind them to mention Lufkin!
Cafeteria Crew 9/26: Give Teachers the Gift of Time
It only takes an hour this Friday, Sept. 26, to make a teacher’s day. We need just a few more Cafeteria Crew volunteers this Friday to step in so teachers can enjoy a true lunch break, returning to class fresh and energized. This is a gift for our teachers and our students, too! Sign up here: bit.ly/cafcrew
BOLTS Cart: One More Volunteer Needed Friday, 9/26
This Friday, you can help recognize our students for making good choices at school — help staff the BOLTS cart! We've got a strong group this week, but we need just one more volunteer. It's easy and fun. If this Friday doesn't work for you, we've got more dates coming up. Sign up here.
Thank You, Design Works Studio!
We are excited to announce the Lufkin PTA's very first Silver Sponsor, Design Works Studio! Design Works Studio is a full service interior design firm in Cary, NC, that has been crafting stunning living and work spaces in the Triangle for over 40 years. They specialize in residential and commercial new construction, remodeling, furnishings, and accessorizing. www.dwsinc.biz/
Consider sponsoring our PTA! Find out more.
Golden Cone Update
Our Golden Cone fundraiser is up and running! We've offered four spaces this year, and two have already been claimed! We still have two open spots! This fundraiser ends on October 5 at 11:59 pm. Winners will be announced via email the following day at noon. Don't miss out!
Coming Soon: No-Fuss Fundraiser!
Our No-Fuss Fundraiser is a direct giving campaign that is meant to make a BIG impact without all the fuss of traditional, sales- or event-based fundraisers. No-Fuss will run from Oct. 1-31. We have some fun ideas to get students excited, but we need more help. Please reach out to Brooke Kelley, PTA President, if you'd like to pitch in.
Teacher Grants: Your Support in Action
At the PTA meeting on Sept. 16, attendees voted to improve three teacher grant applications.
- Taylor Stone, 7-2 ELA: $400 for a sheltered instruction classroom library, which allows teachers to purchase books in student's native languages
- Heidi Oxendine, AIG/SSA/CDM*: $105.93 to subscribe to Breakout EDU, an interactive, game-based learning platform that promotes student engagement and critical thinking.
- Jennifer Hatchell, Reading Intervention Teacher 6-8: $618.42 for Scholastic products supporting literacy and students who need reading assistance.
We're proud to support these curriculum enhancements that benefit so many Lufkin students!
If you know someone who'd enjoy this message, share it! The PTA Pulse newsletter is sent to current members of the Lufkin community — parents and other guardians, teachers, staff, and administrators. If you aren't a current Lufkin family or staff member, or if you don't wish to receive the PTA newsletter, please let us know of the error, or use the Unsubscribe link at the very bottom of this page.
Lufkin, Decoded
The world of education is filled with acronyms and titles that many of us aren't familiar with. Here's a quick explanation of some of the terms used in this newsletter that may not be obvious to the average parent.
AIG: Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG). The purpose of this program is to provide an appropriately challenging educational program for students who perform, or show potential for performing, at high levels of accomplishment.
CDM: Credit by Demonstrated Mastery. Students may earn high school credit for specified courses without spending a set number of hours taking the course in a classroom. Under this state-offered option, uniquely qualified students may “test out” or bypass a course if they have already mastered the content.
SSA: Single Subject Acceleration. K-8th grade students who meet specific criteria in Mathematics or English Language Arts (ELA) have the opportunity to accelerate in one subject area.
To help parents get more familiar with Lufkin's many programs and opportunities, we'll build on this list and add a Lufkin "Did You Know?" section to our website — stay tuned.