LASA Raptor's News
FREE PHYSICALS for 2023-24 School Year
Physicals are needed to play any UIL sport at LASA. Free physicals will be May 8th at 5:30 pm at the Community Care Clinic on Montopolis at 2901 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741. Any kids participating in the free physical need to complete the medical history portion of the physical form along with the Project Access permission form prior to May 8th and turn those into Coach Torres at sue.torres@austinisd.org by May 3rd. Forms are on the LASA website here:
Health Requirement
As mentioned previously, LASA does not have summer homework. However, we do want to share some information about what many LASA students end up doing during one of the summers in their high school career, as it may alleviate future stress for your family. Health is a semester-long credit-course that is required by the AISD to graduate. Some students completed this credit during middle school. If a student has not, then at LASA, students take it through Garza On-line. (Garza on-line is a self-paced program run out of Garza High School.) Most LASA students take Garza on-line health during the summer between 9th and 10th grade. Unfortunately, some students wait until senior year to complete this graduation requirement. If students wait until Senior year, they might have to use their "off-period" to do so until they complete the course (thus making the off-period not really an off-period). Seniors that do not complete this are in jeopardy of not graduating even if they are alread
Join the New to LASA Summer Book Club
Excited, or maybe a little nervous, about starting at LASA in the fall? Don't be!
Vision and Voice
Josie Bednar's poem Car Crash in Cold Country was chosen as a winner in the 2023 Vision+Voice Poetry Contest. Josie will be filmed reading her winning poem at Austin PBS, as part of a film to be shown at celebration event on April 28th. Congratulations, Josie!
Japanese Speech and Language Contests
Congratulations to the following students' achievements in the regional Japanese speech contest at UT Austin.
Student Grant Writer
We are super impressed with the grant work of junior Ethan Ojede. Ethan recently completed a grant proposal with the idea of giving opportunities in computer literacy programs to low income inner-city neighborhood kids during summer starting with Austin as his pilot project.
Talented Pianist is also a writer!
Congratulations to ninth grader Sidera "Coco" Bekanich. She submitted an article about "What Music Means to Me" to the Texas Music Teachers Magazine.
LASA Raptor Band Wins Sweepstakes for All Three Ensembles
Congratulations to the members of Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble on their Superior performances at the Region 18 UIL Concert & Sightreading Evaluation earlier this month at the AISD Performing Arts Center On Stage, each group performed their own program of three pieces for a panel of three judges, plus our parents and families.
Trumpeter Extraordinaire: Junior, Jax Latham
Jax Latham banded together with five other elite trumpeters across AISD to compete at the National Trumpet Competition in Boulder, CO last week. The ensemble selected their own music, practiced for nearly nine months, and scraped together means for a professional stage recording that earned them an invitation to perform live at the National competition.
LASA FLBA Going to Nationals!
LASA's Future Business Leaders of America had a very successful showing at the state competition this year! We had 42 students qualify for state and are sending 15 on to nationals! We had top 5 placements in the following events with the top 4 going to Nationals:
LASA Japanese Students Welcome Students from Oita, Japan
Last Thursday, LASA Japanese students welcomed student guests from Oita, Japan, the sister city of Austin. They learned about Oita City, enjoyed the speaking both Japanese and English, and gave them a campus tour. It was TANOSHII (fun)!
LASA Robotics is going to State!
The LASA robotics team, named Purple Haze (team number 418) participated with 34 other teams at a district level event this past weekend. The team had to compete in a minimum of two to qualify for state level competition. This was their second competition they participated in. It was held at Clear Falls High School in League City, TX, just South of Johnson Space Center. Qualifying rounds took place on Friday March 31st and the morning of April 1st.