The following was an email sent to the parent community at my kids school.
Hi Parents & Friends!
Laura Rex, back again with some updates, ideas and general thoughts.
It’s a new year and for me personally it has been an absolute dumpster fire so far. If we haven’t gotten to know each other yet, that’s cool. There is always time. For those of you I have gotten to know, I appreciate you. We might not be cut from the same cloth, but everyone loves a good quilt.
Now let’s get some of the admin and reminders out of the way
It’s Tuesday, and the 2nd Tuesday of every month is FAMILY NIGHT at The Seneca. After lots of chats with different folks, I am stoked to share that Family Night is becoming a weekly, we are adding a VCR for that nostalgic 
VHS goodness, and revamping some of the deals. Hope to see you there 
The 2nd Annual *school* Auction will take place April 7-13 2025, and we need help with sourcing and collecting donations — There is a quick survey HERE for preferences and auction ideas, do me a favor please and check it out. If you have an idea, we want it! Want to promote your business, let’s do it! Know someone who might be interested, let us know!
In Other News: THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the parent fund. Back in November I used one of my awkward tokens to ask the community for a monthly contribution ($5/month was the suggestion), and I was blown away at the response. We raised $1100 collectively! ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
The $ will be covering the following: All teacher appreciation initiatives, Special events & Supplies (Holiday party, Spring Picnic, Moving Up Ceremony, etc), Ideas have been floated about Leaving a cushion for the crew next year to get started, or donating the leftovers to fundraising, Insert your COOL idea here (but really in the form I will share soon).
Let’s Be Real. Hi I’m Laura.
I believe that transparency is the best policy – so for me you get what you get at all times, in all places. I have ADHD, I’m on the spectrum somewhere, I am awkward, often loud, brutally honest, filled with love, ideas, and questions. I ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS. I use “curse” words regularly, and I do my best to not offend people, but I’m generally an unfiltered person. If you have met me, you’ve probably seen me cry (no shame here).
In 2024, the Surgeon General issued an advisory related to parenting, so if you are feeling alone in how stressful this shit is, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
We were all people before we were parents. Parenting is fucking hard, and it has recently come to my attention that many of us have been looking for a village, a friend, or literally any type of connection — So let’s connect!
Please don’t mistake this for me expecting everyone to be my “friend”, but some of y’all peaked in high school and it shows. If I am not your cup of tea, no harm, no foul. You just keep doing you. However if you’d like to have tea or coffee, vent, rant, walk, etc. I’m looking at hosting it on Friday mornings after drop-off after break.
THE FUTURE IN 2025:
In an effort to not exhaust myself yet again, or “over promise and under deliver” by attempting to do ALL of the things, I have put together a brief list of ideas, events, initiatives, etc. If something resonates, let’s find a way. Throw your expectations and assumptions out the window. I’m here for it.
Clothing Swap – As Springtime quickly approaches and everyone starts thinking about “spring cleaning”, a number of folks have communicated an interest in participating in a clothing swap.
School Retreat/Vaca takeover – Aiming for Spring break dates. More info coming soon.
Community Cookbook – I attempted this last year, made it WAY too complicated, and it got lost in the shuffle when the timing lined up with the auction, spring picnic, and the chaos of life. The goal was to create a communal resource of recipes and meals that our kids and families love, that are easy. We had a decent amount of responses, and I would love to share them with current, past and future families.
Parents Night Out Rotation – With coordination and communication, I’d love to explore giving parents a break for personal time, date night, or whatever TF you want to do with your time, while simultaneously fostering connections of the kids.
Next week, you can expect another update/reminder about all of the things. Feel free to text me at any time, or shoot me an email with your thoughts, questions, feelings, no matter how weird or silly they may seem.
Thanks for coming to my REX TALK – hope to see you out and about.
Ready, Set, Go: share your initial reaction!