Leander HS Insider

Today marks the end of the second grading cycle - hard to believe we're two-thirds of the way done with the semester and one-third of the way done with the whole school year. Students, take time to celebrate your accomplishments from this past grading cycle.

Thank you to everyone that joined us at our annual Trunk-or-Treat event this week!

STATE BOUND!

• We wish Gage Horejsi and Malik Dekli all the best as they are competing in the state XC championships on Saturday, November 2nd @ Old Settlers Park in Round Rock at 11:25am.
• Additional best wishes to the Leander Marching Band as they will be competing at state on Monday, November 4th at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio! You can catch their Prelim performance at 11:30 AM. Go Leander Band!

REMINDER: No school for students Monday, November 4 or Tuesday, November 5. We will see y'all back on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.

At the very bottom of the newsletter in the LISD section is the information to give your feedback for the 2025-26 LISD Academic Calendar. Please take a moment to give your thoughts for next year.

Go Lions!

Chris Simpson

Welcome Autumn weather! We are seeing a lot of stuffy noses and sore throats. Consider a 24 hour non drowsy antihistamine to reduce symptoms. If you received email and/or US Mail notifications that your student needs immunization or exemption form updates, please complete it as soon as possible. If your student’s immunization status does not meet State of Texas requirements before November 11, 2024, they will not be able to attend school or school related activities. Please call the nurse at 512-570-1007 if you have questions.

2024-25 LHS Yearbooks are now on sale!

Prices:

$65 through Sept. 5

$75 Sept. 6 - Jan. 5

$85 Jan. 6 - May 1

$95 after May 1

• Planning to get your driver’s permit/license or State ID during Thanksgiving Break. Please note the following deadlines to request a VOE:

• Thanksgiving Break order VOE no later than Tuesday, Nov. 19; pick up by Thursday, Nov. 21 before 12:00 p.m.

• The Leander High School (LHS) VOE Permit Request is located on the LHS

• Students can get a head start on this process now by going into the Leander Launchpad > selecting Naviance > Courses > Manage Course Plans > Select Current Plan > Begin updating to each grade-level

Scholarship Opportunity for Freshman, Sophomores, & Juniors: The Carson Scholars Program aims to recognize and reward outstanding students in the United States who exemplify academic excellence and humanitarian qualities. The goal of the program goes beyond instilling an interest in college early on and assisting with the costs of college. Please see details posted in your Google Classroom. If you would like to be considered for this nomination, please submit your academic resume to Mrs. Whitelaw in the back office by Friday, November 22nd. Only one student can be nominated for this opportunity.

To promote mental health awareness and reduce the stigma of seeking help for mental health concerns, the Leander ISD Counseling Services team is excited to continue the Mental Health Minute video series.

Topic: Anxiety

YouTube: English

Getting ready for the ACT? There is no better way to start preparing than with a Mock ACT! This practice exam simulates the actual test day experience, allowing you to get familiar with the format, timing, and types of questions you’ll encounter. LHS will be hosting a Mock ACT on Saturday, November 16, 2024 from 9:00 am to 12:30 am in Room 1212. Please park in the back by the Black Box entrance. The registration fee is $15. Please use this link to register.

• • AP Exam Registration is Still Open, but a $40 late fee will now apply! The late registration window for first-semester and year-long courses is open until February 21, 2024. Second-semester-only courses will not incur a late fee. Please see this flyer for more information.

  • CollegeBoard must approve testing accommodations before the exam date. All requests must be submitted by January 24, 2025. Contact Ms. Tiller (mallory.tiller@leanderisd.org) for assistance with testing accommodations. Click here for additional accommodation information.

Based on our PSAT testing date, students should receive their PSAT scores on November 7, 2024. Please email Jo Tanzer (joann.tanzer@leanderisd.org) if you have any questions.

If you are needing to take or retake the TSI Test for college or ACC Dual Credit purposes, please fill out the TSI Testing RSVP Form. There is also a QR Code posted on the College & Career Center Door.

Seniors, post secondary application season has arrived. Don’t forget, you can order a digital transcript through www.parchment.com to send to your college or university. Order early so you can submit early. The priority deadline for most Texas schools is November 1st! All orders take 48-business hours to process. Be aware of your institution's deadlines, school holidays (transcripts are not processed if school is not open), and processing time. Some institutions have up to two-weeks of time to process transcripts.

• Colleges are still coming to LHS! Be sure to check out the College & Military Visit Calendar

• Student will need to “register” through their Naviance account: Colleges Tab > College Visits

• • 11/7 - Rutgers University

  • 11/14 - Texas State University & Texas Tech University

  • 11/15 Naval Academy

  • 11/20 - Texas A&M

  • 12/2 - University of North Texas

United States Naval Academy - Information Session Leander High School AFJROTC building behind school Friday, November 15th / 3rd Period

• The ASVAB Career Exploration Program is a FREE test administered to all interested 10th-12th grade students (first 50 students that RSVP). The ASVAB program facilitates career planning and exploration, combining a multiple-aptitude test with an interest self-assessment and a wide range of career exploration tools.

• ASVAB Testing - Dec 5, 2024- Dec 5 Registration

• November 12th, @5:30pm, LHS Library

• • ACC’s Financial Aid Office will be providing updates to the FAFSA; presentation will also be available in Spanish

  • Mr Mike Nicholls will present on “Tackling the Cost of College”

Project Graduation is selling commemorative Senior 2025 ornaments to raise funds for an epic after graduation celebration! Each 3-inch glass ornament is personalized with your student's name, enclosed in a gift box with ribbon. The ornament design will appear as the sample provided in the photo.

Preorder yours NOW! Expected to arrive by the end of November. https://lhs-project-graduation.square.site/product/senior-ornaments-2025/40

Senior Cap/Gown meeting: Thursday, January 16th (let me know a good time for you all)

Senior Cap/Gown orders: Tuesday, January 28th during lunch

Senior Cap/Gown orders: Wednesday, January 29th 3:30pm-6:00pm

Dec. 20 is the DEADLINE for your senior portrait to be included in the Lair yearbook, the final record of LHS history.

Use this link to book your session at CADY studio.

https://store.cady.com/

Scroll to the bottom and click on Select Your School.

Remember, there is NO COST if you only want to have your casual portrait taken for the yearbook. However, CADY specializes in the full senior portrait experience with a full studio housing a variety of different scenes.

DON’T get left out of your yearbook!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW

Or CLICK HERE to get more information.

Interested in purchasing a Senior Sign or a Senior T-Shirt? Visit the Project Graduation site for more information. https://lhs-project-graduation.square.site/

Parents, get a crash course on college planning. If you feel "behind the curve" or stressed about the chaos of getting into college, you'll want to tune in to our next PTSA general meeting. This meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 6 at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be via zoom. Here’s the link to register: https://bit.ly/leanderhsPTO. Once you register, you will receive the zoom link for the meeting.

Get the inside scoop on:

• What colleges are looking for in your student's college application

• College scholarships, discounting, and financial aid demystified

• Resumes, Essays, transcripts and all of the required items to work on NOW while the pressure is off

• Test optional schools and the current college admissions landscape

• Timelines to minimize stress for your family.

And much more!

Bring your student …you’ll be glad you did.

Attention Leander Lion Artists! We want to hear from you! This year's PTA Reflections theme is "Accepting Imperfections". Can you recall a time when an imperfection helped you grow? Can you share examples of how you have accepted imperfections in yourself or others? Do you enjoy drawing, painting, taking pictures, making videos, dancing, writing stories, poems, or creating music? Then you have what it takes to submit an entry! Share your creativity with us!

You must be a current PTSA member in order to submit an entry. All entries are due Monday, November 11, 2024. Entries can be dropped off in the front office. Attn: Reflections Chair.

Contact reflections@leanderhsptsa.org with any questions.

A great huge thank you to those who have donated items to our LHS Food Pantry! Your generous donations go a long way towards helping students with food insecurity at our school.

We are still in need of a few items to fully stock up. Please click on the link, and you will see what else is needed. Items can be brought to Leander HS front office "Attn Jana K: Fill the Pantry". Email fundraising@leanderhsptsa.org with any questions.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EABAE23A5FDC25-51203128-fill

It is time for another exciting Back to School, Back to PTSA year!! We invite you to join our PTSA because increasing our membership, even by one, makes it possible to:

• Show Staff Appreciation
• Fund Senior Scholarships
• Advocate for all Children
• and More......

There is no wrong or right way to be involved. We invite you to join our PTSA by becoming a member because we can do more together than apart. It will take you less than 5 minutes. You can join by going to https://ch2v-131.givebacks.com/store Please sign up your whole family, including your student.

We are also on the search for Student Representatives to join our PTSA Board as 9th, 10th 11th and 12th grade representatives. If your student is interested in this position, please have them email President@Leanderhsptsa.com Representatives will represent their class, and help the board make decisions, bring ideas and more.

Thank you and we look forward to an amazing school year! Let's Go Lions!!

Leander ISD needs your feedback on the academic calendar for the 2025-26 school year! There are two different formats for providing feedback:

• Online survey (Closes on Dec.3): https://bit.ly/48f3Pcc

Community Listening Sessions:

• Via Zoom on Monday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. | Click here to RSVP: https://bit.ly/3BSLllV
• In Person on Monday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. | No RSVP required. Reed Elementary School: 1515 Little Elm Trail, Cedar Park, TX

Whichever way you choose to provide your feedback, please know that we are eagerly anticipating your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to shape our academic calendar.

Leander High School Directory