You are receiving this email because we believe you are intending to apply to LASA. This email is designed to help you make sure you have all of the necessary pieces to submit your LASA application by the deadline at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, February 4, 2024. If you have changed your mind or don’t wish to receive these emails, please fill out this form.
Hello everyone,
Hopefully, this is not the first email you receive from me, but if it is, you should really check out Info Email 1-8 on our Application Updates & Announcements blog for context.
My name is Jo Koerth and I am the principal’s secretary at LASA. In addition to my day job, I also collect all the application materials and make sure we’ve received everything we need.
Since the deadline is looming closer I want to send a quick (cross your fingers, everyone) email with reminders to help you finish up submitting everything by the deadline:
11:59 PM on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
First and foremost, all students must have a submitted Enroll Austin application by the deadline. If they do not, LASA cannot consider their application. There are no exceptions.
This is a district decision and we are not able to help if you miss the deadline.
You don’t need me, or anyone else, to tell you whether you’ve submitted Enroll Austin correctly; Parents can go back in to Enroll Austin and check for themselves.
There are two parts:
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You should see a green checkmark and the word “Submitted” under 2025-2026 School Year Priority Registration for your student.
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When you click the “View Summary” link just below, you should see LASA as one of the link
Here’s a visual if you’re having trouble picturing it!
IF YOU HAVE NOT STARTED/SUBMITTED ENROLL AUSTIN YET, I need you to do it tonight. This can keep your student from being considered for LASA, and we don’t want that.
As a reminder, when we say that Enroll Austin must be submitted, I mean that you must have clicked the button for 2025-2026 School Year Priority Registration, gone through all of the steps, listed and ranked LASA, and clicked submit at the end.
You do not have to worry about NEXT STEPS (document upload, and teacher recommendations) or fill out the ANNUAL FORMS (registration forms for next school year) for it to be submitted.
We will need the NEXT steps, but for right now, just make sure Enroll Austin is submitted.
Because, IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH ENROLL AUSTIN, I need you to sign up for a virtual help session this Saturday (Feb 1). Here is the sign-up link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/
A representative from Enroll Austin will be available and able to help in real time. It’s faster and more reliable than calling the help line (512-414-SEAT) since they are slammed and likely to get more slammed the closer we get to the deadline.
Take advantage of this opportunity if you need it! It’s the last one before the deadline.
The zoom link will be emailed out to registered attendants several times with the last one being Saturday morning.
THINGS IN ENROLL AUSTIN YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY ABOUT:
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Filling out the annual forms - those are for registration. We’ll need them down the line, but they are not necessary for the application.
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Uploading test scores - we don’t use them for the LASA application
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If the NEXT STEPS: Upload Documents status shows as “Incomplete” - It actually should for all of you since no one has to upload test scores.
STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN IN AN AISD SCHOOL THIS YEAR AND LAST DO NOT HAVE TO SUBMIT REPORT CARDS.
I get a report with the grades we need (English, math, science, and social studies) once a week. I will get the next report tomorrow, and the last report on Wednesday (2/5) next week.
The report only has the grades of students with a submitted Enroll Austin application listing LASA. So there is a delay in me getting access to your grades.
But you know where you went to school, you know you have grades, so don’t worry if they show as pending on my end for a little bit. Any issues with AISD grades, I will resolve on my end if needed.
It does seem that the report doesn’t pull grades from 8th grade, if the student is currently in 9th grade. Don’t ask me why! I am aware of it and working on it behind the scenes. You do not have to be worried or do anything about it. Just, if you get the application status email and your 9th grader’s report card from last year shows as pending, know that you don’t have to do anything. I am figuring it out.
COMMON PITFALLS
I know everyone would prefer to get everything submitted right the first time. I would love that too. But it’s hard! So, I’ve listed some of the most common mistakes I see that make me have to ask you to resubmit.
Teacher Recommendation Common Mistake - student asked an elective teacher instead of a core class teacher for a recommendation (like robotics instead of a core math or science teacher).
If this happened, the easiest way to send a recommendation link to a new teacher is to use the Fine Arts teacher recommendation slot. Since once a recommendation has been completed, you cannot edit the email field to send it to another teacher.
Of course, this is not possible for students who are applying to a school that requires a Fine Arts recommendation. Those students can send an email to LASAadmissions@austinisd.org
Proof of Residence Common Mistakes - Man, this is where I see the most errors. It’s also the most time consuming one for me to check.
Most common is that people submit a picture or file that doesn’t show the entirety of the first page. Maybe it’s folded. Maybe it’s a picture of only one corner. Maybe the bill is still in the envelope. Or, they’ve already torn off the bottom portion to pay the bill.
Please send me the whole first page.
Second most common is that people who receive their bill electronically send me a screenshot of the email saying their bill is due. I need to see the actual bill.
Usually, the email has a link to the payment portal or to a .pdf view of the bill. Please click there and download the bill. Then upload the bill.
Third most common is that people submit anything that isn’t an electricity, gas, or water bill. If you pay utilities separate from your rent, we want to first and foremost see that bill.
I cannot use credit card statements or cable bills. If I need to see your mortgage statement or lease, I will request it from you.
There’s also the every present “the picture is too blurry and I can’t make out what it says.” Before you upload anything, make sure you can read everything on it easily. If you can’t tell what it says, neither can I!
(Yes, I am having to do more work verifying the residency of our applicants than ever before. Yes, I also hate it. But LASA has a residency requirement. Students must already live in district to be eligible to apply. Sadly, too many incidents of families trying to circumvent the residency requirement have prompted a more thorough check up front. It’s partly a question of funding, and partly a question of potentially taking a seat from an AISD student who otherwise would have qualified.
For fairness, the same address verification process is used for all applicants. So if I end up asking for more documentation that’s just me following the process. Please follow instructions so I can check my address-verification boxes and move on.)
Report Card Mistakes - These don’t apply to grades from AISD students which I get in spreadsheet form.
The most common is that people grab the first report card they find and forget to check if it shows the final averages (for the whole year, or the fall semester respectively). I need the last report card from last school year, and the most recent one from this year.
Second most common is that the report card is missing information that I need. I need to see the student name(!), school name, and the school year/grade level at the bare minimum.
And then, of course, the eternal curse: blurry/low-res documents. Please upload things I can read!
Creative Work Mistake - submitting a link to the creative work that is private. Most common with google drive links. Google defaults to “restricted access” these days. Students will have to go in and select “anyone with link”. That ensures that our scorers will be able to access the work.
Also, for some reason AISD WiFi blocks all links to YouTube Shorts. Not to regular YouTube. Just YouTube Shorts. (Which I didn’t even realize was a thing!) Since everyone who will be looking at the creative works will be on AISD WiFi, students who initially submitted a YouTube Shorts video will have to resubmit.
MISSED THE COGAT
If an applicant missed both testing dates for the CogAT, we are not able to arrange another opportunity to test at this point. But, they should still reach out to us for next steps. Just email LASAadmissions@austinisd.org.
KNOWN ISSUE
There is an issue in Enroll Austin where I cannot access uploaded documents from some families. Not all. Just some. There is no rhyme or reason to it, but the vendor is aware and working on a fix.
Thankfully, I ask y’all to submit most documents both to Enroll Austin and our google form, so it hasn’t been much of an issue for us. The only time it becomes an issue is for the Parent ID.
What has seemed to help is if there are several upload slots for Parent ID, to upload your driver’s license to all of them. I do need a parent ID to check one of my address verification boxes, so if you happen to be one of the lucky few families affected by this issue, I will let you know the work around in the application status email.
COMMUNICATIONS
I will continue to send application status emails to the students who have completed the supplemental materials form. These are sent from admissions@lasahighschool.org
They list everything required for the application to be considered complete and show whether each item has been RECEIVED or if it’s PENDING. As a reminder, PENDING can mean:
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You haven’t submitted it yet.
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You have submitted it, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet.
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You have submitted it, I’ve looked at it, but something requires fixing.
In the 3rd case, you will see a note in red with more information on what is needed.
In general, I ask that everything be resubmitted via our Upload form (you will find the link in the application status email). It’s just too easy for me to lose things in the admissions inbox, and then also too hard for me to attach them to the correct record.
If all items would show RECEIVED, students get the “complete” email instead of a status update. This means I have checked everything submitted and we have everything we need to assess the application. This email is sent from donotreply@lasahighschool.org
Once you receive that email, you can relax and kick back until March 14th when the decisions come out. You don’t have to do anything further until then!
People who have already received an application status email might not receive another one before the deadline. Especially if you had to resubmit materials. I am trying to work through the upload form, but it’s slow work, especially in regards to address verification.
Again, I am trying to make sure as many applicants as possible get at least one application status email before the deadline if they’ve submitted the supplemental materials form.
Thank you so much for understanding!
I am going to leave you with this final plea:
Parents/guardians if you haven’t submitted Enroll Austin yet, DO IT RIGHT NOW. If there are issues, you want to find out about them while you can still sign up for Saturday’s help session to get them fixed.
We literally cannot consider an application if the student is not in Enroll Austin.
Good luck everyone!
All LASA Info Emails will be available on the Application Updates & Announcements blog within 24 hours of being sent.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
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Feb 1, 2025 - Virtual Help Sessions by our parent organization, PFLASA (sign-up required)
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Feb 4, 2025 - DEADLINE! Also, last day to shadow at LASA, and last day to make any changes in Enroll Austin
IMPORTANT LINKS
Jo Koerth (she/her/hers)
LASA ADMISSIONS