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PTA President Notes

December 6,  2015

Hey Presidents... 

Lots going on at the School Board meeting tomorrow night. Here's the link to the agenda:
https://app.eduportal.com/share/e9d2a140-9ada-11e5-a402-00155d645900


We are still short on local PTA donations for the Food Drive and Teen Gifts! If you have not sent your donation in, please try to send a check in as soon as possible! Please let Lisa or Cherie know if you need another "invoice."

You Rock needs to be re-thought. Stay tuned while this is re-tooled. We may move to a newsletter spotlight instead of in-person presentations...


To Note: The Appreciation Luncheon has been changed to April 7!! We're keeping the Thursday, just moving it up to make sure our Superintendent can be there...
 
Membership Info!
 

IMPORTANT DATES

 
January 25
Make sure all member forms are entered into PT Avenue. This determines the number of your PTA's voting delegates for Convention!
 
March 1  
Deadline to apply for Membership Awards:
- 100% Teacher
- Seedling 
- Sapling 
- 100% Membership
 
May 20-22
2016 WSPTA Convention 
Yakima, WA
 
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING THIS MONTH 
November/December Membership To-Dos
  • Continue asking people to join your PTA by sharing your membership form or online joining url/website in your communications to your school's staff and families, and community.
  • If you have not already set up the 'Online Join' feature on PT Avenue, talk it over with your board of directors and decide if this is a good option for your PTA. The Online join feature can be seen at https://www.pt-avenue.com/join/.
  • Plan a Holiday Campaign. "Give the Gift of Membership!"  or "Stuff your Stocking with PTA!"  Sell membership as a 'gift' to grandparents, aunts & uncles, teachers.  Coupled with some kid artwork on a card or letter, this would be a fantastic gift for the people who are cutting clutter, but love to support the kids!  Or give a gift of Membership to the staff members who have not yet joined.
  • Promote the Benefits of PTA membership/ Remind current members of their existing Benefits – Great Wolf Lodge 20% off, January Disney Live!, February Harlem Globetrotters. See more benefits here
 New Benefits!
Wild Waves Holiday with Lights
In December, Wild Waves Theme Park transforms into a shimmering nighttime wonderland of rides, lights, and holiday fun! Your admission ticket into Holiday with Lights includes over ONE MILLION dazzling lights and astounding light displays. Purchase Holiday with Lights tickets here
 
Pacific Northwest Ballet
The Washington State PTA has collaborated with the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) to offer WSPTA members a 10% discount off all performances of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™! Purchase The Nutcracker tickets here.
 
MyForce
Never Walk Alone ™
WSPTA has joined with MyForce to offer special WSPTA member pricing. MyForce is a complete personal security system used through your smartphone. MyForce provides you the ability to instantly notify a live response team member by the touch of a button. Visit the WSPTA designated webpage for details.
 
AWARDS!!

If you have not yet identified your awards people, start trying to identify them. This year's Recognition Dinner is on April 27, so you will want to work backwards from there (if you do surprise awards). A couple of tips:
  • Make sure your chair understands the reason for the award price: a portion of what you pay to the State for the award goes into the Washington State Scholarship budget. In addition, registering your winners through the State means you can get a list of past recipients if you need it.
  • Get that list of past recipients. Post it somewhere. Boast the amazing volunteers, advocates and educators in your school. That will also help you if your committee is having trouble choosing a winner (you never know who hasn't been selected!)
  • Try to get a great quote about your winners off of your nomination forms. Those make the best presentations at the dinner!
Other Awards!
 
Celebrate Your PTA's Success!Local PTA Awards of Excellence
Does your PTA follow best practices? Do you have a website or newsletter of which you are proud? Do you have a program or event that is completely awesome?
 
If the answer is YES to any of these, your PTA or council should apply for one or more of the Local PTA and Council Awards of Excellence (formally known as the WSPTA Group Awards).
 
Apply By: March 1, 2016
Awards Presented: During the WSPTA Convention in Yakima, May 20-22
Action: Review the award forms so you better understand the criteria for each award.
 
Local PTAs, Community PTAs, and Councils are eligible for all awards
and are encouraged to apply!
 
Questions? Contact Michelle Nims, Program Director:  PTAProgDir@wastatepta.org
 

See also Mentor-A-PTA, Outstanding Website, Outstanding Communication Strategy, Outstanding Newsletter & E-Blast... Find those here.
 

Council Nominating (keep reading!)
 
Guess what? We need a nominating committee AND potential nominees!!

One - I need 3 people to say yes to the nominating committee this year. Hopefully we'll be able to collectively send potential candidates to the committee for persuading.

Two - I need people to consider taking on a Council role. This board will fully retire, as we are all on our 2nd year in our current positions. Some of us may be willing to change to a different position, but to be a healthy organization, we need new energy/eyes! Below is a rough rundown of Council jobs and approximate time requirements. As with everything, time will be dependent on the makeup of the board and the personality of the person holding the office.

 
Board of Directors
President: Open: Runs Council meetings monthly; coordinates Superintendent coffee with the Superintendent and staff; coordinates calendar with District Public Information officer and Shoreline Center; may choose to sit on the Region 6 service delivery team (4ish meetings a year plus being available for trainings); pushes information out to local Presidents and is available to troubleshoot if necessary. Maybe 5 hours a week - depends on the week and whether people are having issues.

Vice President: Open Supports the President. This can look however the pair want it to. Proofreading messages, running meetings, being a bank signer, etc.1 hour a week, unless there are specific tasks that the VP wants to take on for the President.

VP Advocacy: Open Takes information from the Region and State and pushes it to local Legislative chairs. Supports local efforts for Legislative Assembly, Focus Day and Convention; promotes action alerts, legislative priorities, or other advocacy efforts that affect kids. 2 hours a week, depending on how crazy the legislative stuff gets.

Secretary:  Open Takes minutes for the Board and general meetings. 4 hours a month.

Treasurer: Open Looks just like the local PTAs, but more similar to secondary in workload. Generates monthly financials, sits on the budget committee, write a few checks and makes a few more deposits. I'd guess usually about 8 hours a month.

Awards Director Open (with a potential nominee identified) Expert in State awards (Golden apple, outstanding service, standards of excellence, outstanding local unit etc). Helps be a resource for local PTAs applying or giving these awards. Oversees the student scholarships in June (a drawing for each high school). Overall, 20 hours for the year.


Committee Chairs
Golden Acorn/Awards: OPEN  Requests nominations for Council awards - Outstanding Volunteer, Outstanding Advocate, Outstanding Business/organization. Coordinates with the Recognition event chairs to give the awards at that event. 10 hours?

Student Scholarships:  OPEN  Publishes the scholarship form and receives the entries from the 2 high schools. Organizes a drawing (senior breakfast at Shorecrest, Shorewood can be the breakfast or an assembly). Coordinates with the treasurer to get the checks sent to the appropriate school. 5 hours

Recognition Event: Carrie Campbell & Suzanne Gugger  - May be open. Coordinates all aspects of the event - catering, drinks, desserts, linens, decor. Space is reserved the prior year; President coordinates with local PTAs to get blurbs to read about the award winners from each school - last year's coordinators did a slide show of the winners at work. Could also do a program or whatever else moves you. Single event, but lots of effort. 30 hours?

Membership: OPEN Be a resource for local PTAs and provide support and motivation for membership drives. 1 hour a week (Council hasn't filled this in 2 years)

Nominating:  OPEN

Reflections:  Open Help local PTAs with any Reflections questions or needs that arise; coordinate the turning in of artwork from local PTAs to Council. Coordinate the judging of Council winners and send the winning entries on to State. Coordinate the Reflections reception in January. Total time: 30 hours?

Reflections Co-Chair:  OPEN

Family Services
The WORKS: Lori Woodfield,  may be open. Coordinates the whole WORKS organization, from special events to Wednesday night volunteers and clothing shop. 10 hours a week, best guess.
Holiday Baskets
HB Food Drive Chair (Marketing & Communications): Kristen Leffler, Neha Raichur, Heather Corbin, Robyn Mah
HB Registration Liaison/Coordination
HB Volunteer Coordinator
HB Community Involvement (external communications)
HB Grant Writing: Marian Fisler
HB Teen Gifts: Open Be a resource for Local PTAs who are collecting for the Teen gifts part of the holiday baskets. During the season, 5 hours a week.
 
Convention 
 
Hotel Reservation
The WSPTA office invites you to consider making hotel reservations early. This is due to a large annual soccer tournament which is during the same dates as convention and hotel rooms are filling up quickly. When you make your reservation, your credit card will not be charged until you check into your room. Click here for hotel information.

Do you have people who might be interested in going to Convention but don't want to make the drive? Let's talk about that - this is a great time to work out some carpools... or rent one big vehicle!!

 
 

How can Council help you? Give us your ideas, your feedback, your needs, concerns, and triumphs.

UPCOMING EVENTS


No Council Meeting in December!



Important to know:
FedEx discount code: 0520882103!



You Rock (new schedule)
October: Brookside
November: Shoreline Children's Center, Einstein, Parkwood
January: Echo Lake, Lake Forest Park, Kellogg
February: Syre, Briarcrest, Special Needs
March: Highland Terrace, Shorewood, Meridian Park
April: Cascade K8, Shorecrest, Ridgecrest

* We can elect to strike the April meeting, as it is the Recognition Dinner month, and do our April winners in May at the Spring Dessert.
 

Mark Your Calendars

December 1-12: Holiday Food Drive
Monday 12/7: No School
Monday 12/7, 7 pm: School Board Meeting
Friday 12/11: Registration opens for Focus Day
Saturday 12/13: Food Distribution at Kellogg
December 21-Jan 1: Winter Break
 
 
Training Opportunities
 
Other training opportunities (you can attend in any Region, if there is a location and date that is more convenient for you):
MID-WINTER CONFERENCE
Region 2 Director: Jane Dulski
2/23 | Bellevue | TBD | TBD
PTA & THE LAW
 
 
Region 5 Director: Kristi Shafer
1/9 | TBD | TBD | TBD
 
 
Region 7 Director: Mary Levesque
1/30 | Arlington area | TBD | TBD
 
Region 10 Director: Marisa Peloquin 
12/1 | Tacoma | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Register 
 
Region 12 Director: Connie Andrews
11/30 | 5:30pm - 9:00pm | Walla Walla | Register 

 

Other Events
 
 
 
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
Hello Friend of the Family Support Department at Center for Human Services,
 
As a leader in your neighborhood, I wanted to share with you an opportunity for adults who live or work in the City of Shoreline.

The City of Shoreline is sponsoring 2 free trainings in Youth Mental Health First Aid. 
 
Youth Mental Health First Aid is a public education program which introduces participants to the unique risk factors and warning signs of mental health challenges in adolescents, builds understanding of the importance of early intervention, and most importantly – teaches individuals how to help a youth in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge. 
 
The next one is Monday December 7th.
 
Please help me spread the word about this free training opportunity.  It is a great training for anyone who cares for or works with youth:  parents, teachers, youth group leaders, coaches, aunts, uncles & grandparents! 
 
To register, contact Tanya at 206-631-8836 or tanya@chs-nw.org
 
Tanya Laskelle
Family Support Program Director
Center for Human Services
(206) 631-8836 office
(206) 402-2470 cell
Tanya@chs-nw.org |  www.chs-nw.org
 
CHS - "Building a stronger community...one family at a time"  - NOW CARF Accredited!






 

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