May 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, I am so excited! In a few short days, we will be holding our first-ever virtual convention. Almost all state PTAs opted to cancel their spring conferences. We decided to jump into this virtual world with both feet. It has been an incredible challenge and far more work than the in-person convention would…
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Leadership
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – April 2020
I am inspired by Swiss Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross who said, “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” Our world has been shaken, and we are all trying to find…
Category:
Leadership
Virtual Staff Appreciation Ideas
National Staff Appreciation Week is May 4-8, and National Teacher Day is May 5. School buildings are closed, but staff members are still working hard – delivering learning online, connecting with families, preparing meals and delivering them, providing childcare, and cleaning facilities. Many PTAs have staff appreciation activities each year – but what can be…
Category:
Leadership
2020 Supplemental Operating and Capital Budgets Signed by Governor
Prepared by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Consultant, legconsultant@wastatepta.org Friday afternoon, March 27, Governor Jay Inslee signed the 2020 supplemental operating and capital budgets. The Governor acknowledged that in normal times he would have signed the budget with very few changes. “These are not normal times, however, and we need to look ahead to our falling revenues…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
April 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, As we cope with the pandemic, I thought I would share with you some of the lessons I learned living through the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s. Like most gay men of my generation, I was greatly impacted by that awful disease, losing friends and a partner/husband. It was a terrible…
Category:
Leadership
Family and Community Engagement During This Time of COVID-19
Guest Post Provided by Judy East, WSPTA Family and Community Engagement Committee member COVID-19 has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. Daily routines interrupted. Shopping is a daily adventure now. Trips canceled. And our children are with us all the time as “social distancing” doesn’t include our own kids, sadly. (Only kidding…mostly!) Our PTA lives…
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Family Engagement
Taking Care of Business Through Virtual Meetings
*Update 3/27/20:* WSPTA and National PTA are working hard to bring you the best possible information as quickly as we have it. New information has come to us from National PTA President Leslie Boggs. “After visiting with our legal counsel and parliamentarian, here is what we learned: In common law, the cy pres doctrine [a…
Category:
Leadership
Washington State PTAs and COVID-19
Updated on March 26, 2020, to include summary of topics. Updated on March 11, 2020, adding information on Childcare and Venue Rental Agreements. This post covers the following topics: Advocating for All, Childcare, Supporting Schools, Events and Activities, Venue Rental Agreements, Virtual Meetings, Donating to Families, and Media Inquiries. Our local PTAs and PTA councils…
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – March 2020
Despite restrictions on our ability to gather in person, I see a huge surge in our need to connect with others and lift each other up. We are all in a different place than we were when we began our PTA leadership roles. You may be reading this in a house full of children that…
Category:
Leadership
National PTA’s Frequently Asked Questions Regarding COVID-19
National PTA provided this guidance through a newsletter sent March 18, 2020 The outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is a rapidly evolving public health situation. State and local PTAs must follow the direction and guidance of their respective health and education departments. In order to assist and support the most vulnerable children and families, PTAs should…
Category:
Health & Well-being