A Word From Council
 Brandi Comstock and Yumna Green,
LWPTSA Council Co-Presidents
This is my (Brandi's) last column has outgoing Council President and Co-President. Serving through two years of pandemic as a PTSA President was not at all what I imagined when agreeing to take on this role! I know that several of our PTSA Presidents can relate. #PandemicPresident
It has been both a challenge and an honor to serve as the Council President and Co-President these past two years! There have been amazing opportunities to reimagine how our PTAs do their work of supporting children and their families. It has also been a great time to examine which programs are truly valued by each of our communities and which programs we can flex into something new that fits better for our school community. You've heard Yumna and I say this multiple times over the last two years: Be flexible, be creative, and let go of things that don't work for your PTA anymore.
I'm sharing some of my old favorite thoughts and phrases that I want each of you to remember:
- We PTA for the health, welfare and safety of our children. It is important to remember that PTSA is for ALL children. It is easy to get caught up in pet projects, but we really do serve for the betterment of the lives of every child.
- Continue to learn and engage and remain teachable. Every PTA board member has new things to learn, and an amazing PTSA is not built in a year or two.
- Keep taking training. The training that is offered for running a nonprofit is amazing, and taking more than mandatory training will make your PTA leadership even stronger.
- Membership is year-round! Membership isn't focused only August to October. Remember that your PTA is relevant and valuable—what would be missing at your school if your PTA disappeared tomorrow?
- Be thankful. Serving on a PTA board or as a PTSA volunteer is a lot of work. Please make sure to be thankful and share your thankfulness for your volunteers. We cannot PTA alone.
- Have fun! PTSA is a lot of work, and there is too much work to do if you aren't having fun. It is easy to get caught in the work and the minutiae of running a budget and making all the things happen. Remember to take time to get to know who you are working with, build trust, learn how to communicate with one another (Hint: Take conflict off email and into personal conversations), and learn to have fun while doing your work.
- Remember your patience pants. PTSA runs like a herd of turtles. You will need your patience and deep breathing, frequently.
- It's OK to not do everything, and doing something because your PTSA has always done it is not a good reason to continue a program or activity.
- Embrace being "PTA-flexible." Something almost always goes wrong, and things work out.
- There is no such thing as a PTA emergency.
— Brandi
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Congratulations to LWPTSA Council's 2022 Scholarship Recipients!
 LWPTSA Council is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2022 academic scholarships! With the support of our local PTAs, our annual scholarship auction, partners such as the Lake Washington Education Association, and private donors, we are able to award two $500 staff scholarships and 15 $1,250 student scholarships. This year, an additional Perseverance Scholarship and an additional At-Large Scholarship are funded in honor of former LWSD teacher Gabriel Martin Morelli. We are thankful to his family for their generous support of our scholarship program.
We had a tremendous pool of very talented and accomplished applicants this year and are honored to be a small part of this tremendous milestone in the lives of these exceptional students and educators. Congratulations to all of our recipients!
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SEG '21–'22 Highlights & End-of-Year Survey
 As the 2021-2022 school year officially wraps up, LWPTSA Council's Special Education Group would love your feedback! We are eager to learn how we can best support and connect families throughout LWSD and will use your feedback to plan for next year. Please take 5 minutes to complete this survey by June 30 and have a chance to win one of two Amazon gift cards valued at $50 each!
It has been a privilege to serve as SEG co-chairs since February. We appreciated meeting wonderful families and continued the important work of the SEG, including:
- Holding monthly meetings to provide opportunities for members to network and hear presentations from professionals
- Hosting a virtual community resource fair with organizations that serve students with IEPs, 504s and HPs in a variety of ways
- Launching a new Facebook page
- Updating the SEG website, available resources and newsletter
We look forward to your responses on the survey and appreciate your involvement and participation in SEG meetings and events! Please send questions to the SEG co-chairs, Huma Zarif and Kaity Mason, at specialeducation@lwptsa.net. You can also find more information on the SEG website, or join us on Facebook.
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 Sustainability Committee:
A Look Back at 2021–22
LWPTSA Council's Sustainability Committee ended the year with chairs and community members from 28 PTAs across the district. A few highlights from this year:
- Continuing to focus on food waste reduction efforts in our schools (supporting food donation pilots, the return of salad bars and bulk condiments, sorting lunch-room waste and composting efforts, and more)
- Advocating for water bottle refill stations to be installed in all schools
- Supporting the district’s Green Team Advisory Committee in creating an Ecological Restoration Pilot for next year, allowing more opportunities for students to connect to the land/nature while increasing canopy cover, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration and more
- Focusing on advocacy efforts regarding environmental legislation
- Supporting the district in their partnership with King County Green Schools
Want to get involved next year? Reach out to your local PTA president.
Sustainability SurveyAs Council prepares for the upcoming school year, we have another opportunity for you to share your input with us. Please take this brief five-question survey, and let us know about sustainability efforts in your PTSA and school community. It's also your chance to share what you would like to know about how to best support your community's sustainability efforts.
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June Council Membership Meeting Recap
Thank you to all who attended our in-person June 2, 2022 membership meeting!
Meeting Documents:
Questions? Please contact our LWPTSA Council Co-Presidents.
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 Contribute to Council!
We have several Council board positions, committee chair openings and key roles that we're seeking to fill for the 2022-2023 year. Most positions can be shared and are a great way to learn about Council, contribute to our PTA community, and stay in the know!
- Secretary
- VP of FACE (Family and Community Engagement)
- Area VPs for Evergreen, Kamiakin, Finn Hill, Kirkland and Timberline
- Board Chairs for Communications and Membership
- Chairs for Reflections, Scholarships, Scholarship Auction, Parent Education, Sustainability, Founders' Day and more
If you are interested in any of these positions, or have questions, we invite you to contact president@lwptsa.net. We look forward to having you on the team and joining in the fun!
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Reflections 2022–2023
 Local PTA leaders, be sure to register your PTA for the 2022–2023 Reflections program to let National PTA know that your students will be participating. The theme is Show Your Voice!
Students may participate in any of the six categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography and Visual Arts. Student entry packets will be available in September.
Visit LWPTSA Council's 2021–2022 Reflections Art Gallery to view our finalists' artwork from this past year's competition! Also, be sure to join WSPTA's new Reflections Facebook group.
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Save the Dates for WSPTA's Autumn Leadership Launch
August 26 & 27—Online
 After a successful launch in September 2021, WSPTA is bringing back its Autumn Leadership Launch for 2022-23 PTA leaders. It will be a virtual event on August 26 and 27 through the Whova app.
We're sure you'll agree that back-to-school has never been easier as a leader, after you attend the WSPTA Autumn Leadership Launch. Save the dates on your calendar so you don't miss it. Keep watching the A.L.L. page for registration and event information. We hope to see you then!
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WSPTA and NPTA Ask You to Take Action
 Urge Congress to Prevent Youth Violence & Improve Community Safety
Washington State PTA joins National PTA in encouraging each of you to ask your members of Congress to require a waiting period and comprehensive background check prior to purchasing a firearm, encourage gun safety and safe storage education, and invest in evidence-based community violence intervention strategies. According to Seattle Children's, "Youth (15 to 24) are at the highest risk of firearm death."
Increase Access to Youth Mental Health Services
Also ask your members of Congress to increase youth access to mental health services—school counseling, family support services for addiction, and community-based resources to address childhood trauma. According to the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families, "Between 2013 and 2018, rates of youth suicide and attempted suicide more than tripled." According to National PTA, "40% of children will experience a mental health concern by seventh grade."
Find your members of Congress and use these posts as starter templates to email them.
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 WSPTA News
Serve on WSPTA's Nominating Commitee
Self-nominations have reopened for the Washington State PTA Nominating Committee, who will select candidates to serve on WSPTA's leadership team for the 2023-2025 term. Apply for one of two open Nominating Committee positions by submitting this online form by June 30.
Share Your Talents
WSPTA needs volunteers to serve on region service delivery teams and committees for 2022-2023. Click here to learn more about the various committees. Then, complete the online Volunteer Interest Form and let WSPTA know how you can help.
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 National PTA News
Celebrate Pride Month!
In celebration of our LGBTQ+ community, take a moment to read National PTA's Position Statement on Inclusive Curricula in K-12 education. National PTA believes culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning and inclusive curricula are imperative in building socially competent and aware youth. Also join us as we revisit our Notes From the Backpack podcast episode 37, "How to Help LGBTQ Youth Thrive." Happy Pride Month!
Dr. Jill Biden Gives Keynote at NPTA Convention
PTA leaders and members gathered last week in Washington, D.C., for our 125th Anniversary Convention, where First Lady Dr. Jill Biden shared her insights on the current state of our schools and inspired people to get involved as we work together to make schools safer.
New Grant Opportunity
PTA's Center for Family Engagement has released a new grant opportunity: CFE will support up to 10 PTAs (state, district/council/region or special interest) to deepen their learning and leadership in the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, through a $2,500 grant. Please consider applying before the deadline on July 17 at 11:59 pm.
Local PTA Leaders: National PTA Wants to Hear From You!
Take the 2022 Annual Membership Survey to share your PTA's opportunities and challenges, so NPTA can create the tools you need to grow membership. It takes just 5 minutes to complete and closes July 31.
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Superintendent's Message
Dr. Jon Holmen, LWSD Superintendent
 It’s hard to believe the end of the 2021-22 school year is here. I wanted to share my letter to the Class of 2022. Congratulations, graduates!
To the Graduating Class of 2022,
Modern day society has attempted to mitigate the hard things in life. Uber Eats has almost fixed the challenge of deciding whether to go out or eat in. Modern technology on cars no longer requires an acute sense of your blind spot because your car is either flashing, beeping or driving for you. And, of course, surfing the internet has never been simpler. With cookies being accumulated with every click of the mouse (or touch of the screen), your experience is exactly what you wanted: more Batman cat videos. [read full message]
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Volunteering in LWSD in 2022–2023
If you plan to volunteer in Lake Washington School District schools in the fall, please make sure your volunteer status is current. Contact Chris Robison (crobison@lwsd.org) if you have any questions about your approval status.
If you've let your volunteer approval status lapse or you need to apply for the first time, please submit the application now! Here is the link to the Raptor online volunteer application.
At this time, Governor Inslee's vaccination mandate for K-12 staff and volunteers is still in effect. We will monitor the situation over the summer.
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2022 Summer ORCA Youth Passes
 LWSD and all King County students who were in grades 8–12 during the '21–'22 school year and who qualified for free or reduced-priced lunch can receive a FREE Summer Youth ORCA Pass from King County Metro. The pass is good for unlimited rides on all local transit—including any bus, the Sounder train, Link light rail, streetcar, water taxi and more.
For more information on the program, please visit the Summer Youth ORCA Pass website. Happy riding!
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Lake Washington Schools Foundation News
LWSF Steps Up to Support Food Insecurity Over the Summer
 The past two years have been tough on many families, causing increased food insecurity for students throughout our district. With the amount of need on the rise and the available resources declining, we know that this summer is going to be especially challenging for many families.
To bridge this gap, Lake Washington Schools Foundation is partnering with LWSD and Nourishing Networks to provide food vouchers to more than 1,000 LWSD families this summer. This is part of LWSF's yearlong, $300,000 effort to address student food insecurity in the LWSD community, which includes the Pantry Packs weekend food program.
This life-changing work could not happen without our donors' generous contributions. Thank you for trusting us to act on your behalf to ensure that no child in our community goes hungry.
Class of 2023 College Bootcamp
Calling all Class of 2023 high school students and parents! Join independent college counselor Mary Pat O'Neil of LWSF's Find Your Fit program for a series of three webinars in July. Attend one, two or all three! Register here.
- Session 1: Monday, July 11 (noon to 1 pm) — Creating a Balanced College List
- Session 2: Wednesday, July 13 (noon to 1 pm) — Completing Your College Applications
- Session 3: Friday, July 15 from noon to 2pm - How to Write a College Essay
LWSF Seeks New Members for Board of Trustees
Are you passionate about the work of Lake Washington Schools Foundation? Are you interested in serving and impacting families across the Lake Washington School District? LWSF is looking to add new trustees to our governing board. Find more information here.
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- July 12, 10 am: Council AVP and VP Training
- July 14, 10 am to 3 pm: Council Board Retreat
- August 25, 10 am to 1 pm: Council Board Meeting (Board & Chairs)
- August 26 & 27: Autumn Leadership Launch (All PTA Leaders)
LWPTSA Council Meeting Dates | Full LWPTSA Calendar | LWSD Calendar
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The Lake Washington PTSA Council 2.8 (LWPTSA) serves
local PTAs in the Lake Washington School District.
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