WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – December 2019
This time of year reminds me of the family and friends connections that I hold most dear. My family has gotten fairly large, and getting 29 of us together for holidays is tough. We’ve started a new tradition of renting a large cabin early in the holiday season and celebrating then. It’s not easy to…
Category:
Leadership
2019 WSPTA Legislative Assembly Recap
Attendees to the 2019 WSPTA Legislative Assembly kept up to a relentless pace of attending classes, issue topic education, caucusing and consideration of resolutions and issues. The theme at this year’s sold-out event at Bellevue College in Bellevue, WA was “Superheroes of Advocacy”. The event kicked off with a general session bipartisan legislator panel featuring…
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Advocacy
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Legislative
December 2019 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, This time of year, thoughts turn to those who have less and what we can do to help. Individually, we make donations and volunteer our time. Working with and through the PTA, we systemically help those in need. Our advocacy mission serves all of the children in our state, ensuring that those in…
Category:
Leadership
Disability Access and PTA
In the state of Washington, 12% of students aged 3 – 18 have been identified with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA.) More than 23% of adults in Washington have a disability. To serve every child and be inclusive of all families, PTAs must pay close attention to whether meetings and…
Category:
Leadership
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – November 2019
Dear Members, For parents, caregivers and PTA volunteers, Autumn is a very busy time! There are so many new people to meet, new routines, and projects to kick off that life can feel a little chaotic. Some of us thrive on these connections, and for some, it can feel overwhelming. Hopefully, you’ve completed some of…
Category:
Leadership
November 2019 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, As the song goes, the days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting longer. We are midway through autumn – that crazy season of wet, warm, blustery days alternating with beautifully sunny but cold days. This has always been my favorite time of year. I loved school growing up and by now…
Category:
Leadership
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – October 2019
Dear Members, Students are at the center of everything we do in PTA, but sometimes we get so immersed in running things that we forget to stop and ask the children how we can best serve them. I participated in two statewide education panels recently and heard so many touching stories about student challenges and…
Category:
Leadership
October 2019 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, Wow – what a month! The 2019-2020 Strategic Plan Listening Tour got off to a great start in September. I was absolutely delighted to participate in four region conference and hold Listening Tour sessions. So far I have met so many members and heard so many stories. Some stories were heartbreaking and others…
Category:
Leadership
Welcome to WSPTA’s 41st Annual Legislative Assembly
Dear PTA leaders and members, On behalf of your Washington State PTA board of directors and staff, I would like to invite you to attend the 41st annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly taking place October 26-27, 2019 at the Bellevue College in Bellevue. At legislative assembly, you will discover the power PTA has to advocate for…
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – September 2019
Dear Members, “Intentional Inclusion” is a term I’ve been hearing lately. I heard it recently from a special education teacher who advocates for her students to be included not just during the school day, but in community events. She said inclusion is a learning process for all of us, and I think she’s right. Family…
Category:
Leadership