Latest News from RLC PTSA:
Congrats to the 2026-27 RLC PTSA Executive Board Members* voted in by membership at the GMM on May 14th! We appreciate your willingness to step up &/or continue to serve our school & community.
*Note: Toni Gagner has generously agreed to continue serving as Treasurer through the summer while we search for someone to step into the role. This gives us the stability we need to keep planning and hosting events. If you are a part of the RLC Community, would you consider whether this is a position you might be willing to take on?
If you’re interested in joining the board or helping in another capacity, please stay tuned for upcoming opportunities or reach out to share your interests or ideas. We’ll be looking for support with fundraising, event execution, auction baskets, grad activities, and more.
Our goal is for our PTSA team to reflect the spirit of our school community—working in partnership to create the overall support and events that matter most for students and families at every grade level. Come be a part of making that happen!
Per the Washington State PTA website: A Golden Acorn Award is presented by a local PTA or council to a school or community volunteer in recognition of her or his dedication and service to children and youth. Since the beginning of this program in the 1930s, more than 54,000 Golden Acorn Awards have been presented to volunteers throughout Washington state. Recipients receive a certificate and pin, and a contribution is made in their name to the Washington State PTA Scholarship Program that benefits students.
A message from RLC PTSA President, Sharon Romines:
On Thursday evening (5/14), I had the privilege of surprising two of our most active volunteers at the RLC with The Golden Acorn Award. Alyssa Cypher and Tamar Hardy were honored for their unwavering commitment to supporting the students, staff, and greater RLC community. Both of these fabulous ladies have continued to pour into the RLC despite not having students at the RLC this school year. The statements about each are below. Congratulations Alyssa and Tamar!
Statement for Tamar’s Golden Acorn Award:
“It is a privilege to present the Golden Acorn Award to Tamar Hardy in recognition of her outstanding volunteer service to the Riverview Learning Center community. Over the past three years on the PTSA Board, Tamar has become an indispensable force behind the scenes. Her dedication goes far beyond simply showing up; she has consistently strived to refine our internal processes, ensuring that the PTSA runs more efficiently and effectively. For our events, she ensures that every flyer and sign matches with flawless consistency, while her exacting attention to detail means no small touch is ever overlooked. She doesn’t just plan events; she creates a complete, curated experience for our community. Tamar is the rare individual who balances exceptional detail and organization with deep compassion. She brings these qualities to the forefront of every project, whether she is advocating for our students, supporting our staff, or strengthening the RLC community at large. We also want to extend a special thank you for her incredible graphic design talents. Tamar’s eye for detail and creative flair have completely transformed our communications. Simply put, our flyers, graphics, social media posts and website are far more dazzling because of her vision and skill. Tamar, thank you for your unwavering commitment, your heart for service, and for making Riverview Learning Center a brighter place for us all.”
“Alyssa and her family have been part of the RLC community for many years, and during that time she has served the RLC PTSA Board in a variety of roles. Even though she no longer has students attending RLC, she remains a visible and dedicated presence in the community. Each week, Alyssa volunteers in the art classroom and with Walk Fit, chaperones field trips when needed, and devotes countless hours to the PARADE yearbook. Although she no longer holds a formal position on the RLC PTSA Board, she continues to generously support the PTSA through both her membership and her time. Over the past year, Alyssa has played a vital role in the success of numerous events and programs — from helping set up and run events, to glazing pottery, completing inventory, and helping make SAW a success. Alyssa consistently exemplifies what it means to be a devoted volunteer, generously sharing her time, talents, and commitment with the RLC community. For her dedication to our school and students, her years of PTSA involvement, and the lasting impact she continues to have on our community, we are thrilled to present Alyssa with a Golden Acorn Award.”
RLC PTSA has recently been recognized by Washington State PTA as a Gold Membership Growth Award recipient. PTAs are presented with this award for enrolling at least 10% more members this year than last year. That means our PTA is growing!
Thank you to everyone who has become a member so far this year: YOU are the reason our PTSA achieved this award. If you haven’t yet signed up for an RLC PTSA membership or renewed from last year, please consider joining today! By doing so, you are demonstrating your support for our PTSA and all it does for RLC.
If you have joined us this year already, please consider renewing again for the 2026-27 school year when memberships become available after July 1st. Thank you!
We loved celebrating RLC Staff all week long. Check out some of the fun we had during our Road Trip themed Staff Appreciation Week!
Monday: Fuel Up for the Journey! RLC Staff started the week off with a breakfast of waffles, quiche, muffins, fresh fruit, donuts, yogurts & granola, hard boiled eggs, coffee, juices, & sparkling water. Thank you to everyone who contributed breakfast items, including Carnation Cafe for the donuts and Carnation Starbucks for the Coffee.
Thank you to Red Pepper Pizza for providing Monday’s pizza lunch.
Tuesday: Pick Your Travel Buddy. RLC Staff were feeling the positive vibes as they each chose their own positive crochet buddy to take on the journey with them.
Wednesday: Pit Stop Pick-Me-Up! Halfway through the week—just when a boost helps most. RLC staff enjoyed a trail mix bar and personalized drinks from Kelsey’s Koffee. Thank you to everyone who made these treats possible by donating $8 towards drinks.
Thursday: Scenic Route Lunch. RLC staff enjoyed a delicious lunch of Blake’s pizza, salad, and cookies! A big thank-you to Blake’s Pizzeria for generously donating half of the pizzas.
Friday: Destination Souvenir. We wrapped up the week by giving each RLC staff member a mystery book (unknown to them!) along with a small bag of “book date essentials” — chocolate, tea, and honey sticks. We hope they were able to take some time to relax, cozy up with a good book, and enjoy a warm cup of tea.
Bus Driver Appreciation. We also showed our appreciation to the Tolt-to-RLC bus driver with a bag of SAW goodies to recognize the important role she plays in safely transporting RLC students to and from Tolt each day. Her gift included trail mix, a positive flamingo, a Kelsey’s Koffee gift card, a mystery book, and a bag of book date essentials.
Raffle Baskets. During the week, RLC Staff had the opportunity to win several prizes donated by Starbucks and RLC families, including: Starbucks tumblers with $5 gift cards, a Carnation Soap Co. basket of goodies, a Trader Joe’s basket of goodies, and a Popcorn & Game basket.
Congrats to our winners:
Starbucks Tumblers + $5 Gift Card: Ms. Gagner, Ms. Bosshart, Mr. Allen, & Mr. Seymour
Trader Joe’s Basket: Ms. Wessendorf
Carnation Soap Co. Basket: Ms. Sampolinski
Popcorn + Game Basket: Mr. Rhodes
THANK YOU again to everyone who helped make this week so special — whether you donated items, books, money, or your time. Your generosity and support helped make sure the RLC staff felt loved and appreciated all week long!
SAVE THE DATE! The RLC PTSA Trivia Night & General Membership Meeting will take place on Thursday, May 14th at 6:00 PM in the MPR. Best of all—game play is free!
Trivia Night: Six teams will compete head-to-head, answering trivia questions and tackling “minute to win it” challenges for ultimate bragging rights—and maybe even a trophy or two. Who could forget last year’s legendary Big Banana Awards?
Pizza Pre-Orders: We are again offering Pizza Pre-Orders! This year you can also pre-order a dinner salad. If you’d like to pre-order pizza or a dinner salad from Blake’s in Carnation, orders are due THURSDAY, MAY 7th!
- Cost: $2.50/pizza slice (cheese, pepperoni, gluten free cheese). $5.50 Small Dinner Salad. $9.00 Large Dinner Salad. Financial Assistance is available. No questions asked. Just select “yes” on the order form.
- Order Link: Pizza & Salad Pre-Orders
General Membership Meeting: RLC PTSA members won’t want to miss this important meeting. We’ll be voting on the proposed 2026–27 budget and electing incoming Executive Board members—decisions that help shape the upcoming school year. We hope you’ll be part of it!
Questions? Please email rlcptsa@gmail.com
We are now accepting nominations until May 1st.
Please complete the form here: Golden Acorn Nomination Form. use as much detail as possible to tell us why your nominee deserves recognition. An RLC PTSA Awards Committee will review all submissions and make the final selections
Email rlcptsa@gmail.com with the information below.
- Name of Nominee: Please include both first and last name.
- Nominee’s Role: Are they a community members? Are they a PTA member or leader, and, if so, which PTA? Do they work for an organization or for the school district?
- Nominee’s qualifications: Please describe nominee’s PTA Service, Community Service or other reasons you feel they should receive this award.
- Your Name & Email: This information is used to contact you if we have any questions. If you have a title (ie President of a PTA), let us know that too.
- Plus anything else you would like the Awards Committee to know.
While RLC PTSA, along with generous contributions from local businesses like Blake’s Pizzeria and Starbucks, will cover most items, we invite you to help us make the staff celebration even more special by contributing to one of the themed days below.
Option One: Donate a breakfast item. We’ll start the week off with a “Fuel Up for the Journey” Breakfast. In addition to the requested items, waffles & Starbucks coffee will be provided. If you would like to donate an item, but can’t drop off on Monday, May 4th, alternate arrangements can be made. Please see information on the sign up genius: https://tinyurl.com/2djr6j4d
Option Two: $8 drink donation (16 – $8 donations needed total). Our mid-week featured day is a “Pit Stop Pick-Me-Up,” complete with a trail mix snack station and personalized drinks to keep everyone fueled and feeling appreciated. With an $8 donation, you can help treat a staff member to a personalized drink made just the way they love it. Donate here: https://tinyurl.com/379xe83y
In addition, check out our Staff Appreciation page for this year’s updated Teacher Appreciation coloring pages, thank you cards, and more: https://rlcptsa.org/teacher-staff-appreciation
Thank you for helping us celebrate the RLC Staff!
RLC PTSA & Families: Join us for a FREE showing of Zootopia 2 on Thursday, March 19th in the MPR.
Movie starts at 6:00 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM
Cost: FREE!
Bring the whole herd and get ready for laughs, adventure, and your favorite duo back on the big screen!
Popcorn generously donated by Regal Bella Bottega 
Movie sponsored by Eastside Property Solutions
Come early, grab some popcorn, and settle in for a paws-itively fun night! 
More details to come!
2026-27 RLC PTSA Executive Board Nominations are now being accepted!
If you’re interested in the office of President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary, you can self-nominate using this online form: Online Nomination. In addition, a hard copy version can be downloaded here: Nomination Form.
Need to know job descriptions? Find them here: Job Descriptions.
Not interested in serving on the executive board, but know someone who would be a good fit? You can nominate them using the same forms above! Or, let us know to reach out to them by emailing rlcptsa@gmail.com.
Thank you to Mr. Rhodes, Mrs. Gagner, & Haley D. for serving as our 2026-27 Nominating Committee. Nominations will be accepted & reviewed through April 20, 2026 with a vote of membership at our May 14th Trivia Night & GMM.
Helpful Links
RLC PTSA:
- RLC PTSA Facebook Page
- RLC PTSA Givebacks Store
- RLC PTSA Membership Form
- 2026-27 Board Nomination Form (Submit Online)
- Student Representative Application
- Board Job Descriptions
- Reimbursement Request Form
Other PTA Organizations:
PTA Programs:
District Websites
State & National PTA
Health Resources
