Financial Reviews During COVID-19
WSPTA bylaws require an annual financial review to be conducted and submitted to the PTA board of directors and membership. However, there is no requirement for the financial review committee to conduct the review in person. If the county where the PTA is located is in Phase 2 or higher and the committee members feel…
Category:
Governance
,
Leadership
July 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear members, It’s been over three months since the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order began. Nerves are frayed, tempers are flaring, and patience is running thin. These are extremely difficult times and, for many of us, will be the hardest times of our lives. The desire for a return to “normal” runs deep and strong…
Category:
Leadership
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – June 2020
The pain of the last several weeks is real and may affect each of us differently. For me, the outcry of the nation gives me hope that my black son and everyone else’s black children might face a better future. When my husband and I adopted him, we were told that our lives would be…
Category:
Leadership
June 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, The 2020 Virtual Convention is finished. Wow! What an amazing event. Thousands of volunteer hours and hundreds of staff hours over the course of 10 weeks resulted in an awesome event. We had over 900 registrants with 40+ online events including educational webinars, panel discussions, keynote speakers, awards presentations, one-on-one coaching, and interactive…
Category:
Leadership
Call to Action – Prevent Student Hunger This Summer
Dear Washington State PTA member, Washington was the first state in the country to face widespread school closures because of COVID-19, and OSPI acted fast by submitting many critical waiver requests to USDA to help ensure no child would go hungry. With so many families facing new financial challenges, school meals have kept many from…
Category:
Advocacy
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – May 2020
As we wrap up our first virtual convention, I think about all the unknowns we are all facing in this uncertain time. In pivoting from our planned in-person convention, we had to solve problems we’d never had before. We had to think outside the box. This was new for all of us, and we asked…
Category:
Leadership
Transitions
Though the last couple of months have been a little bit of a blur, there are some things that haven’t changed. One of them is that dishes still need to get done every day—heavy sigh. Another is that the end of the PTA year is approaching and it’s time to think about leadership transition plans…
Category:
Leadership
Have You Checked Your WSPTA Standards of Affiliation (SOA) Checklist?
As we near the end of the year, it is a great time for local leaders to review their PTA’s 2019-2020 Standards of Affiliation (SOA) Checklist Agreement. Your board of directors should review what your PTA has accomplished and what still needs to be done, report it to your membership and record it in your…
Category:
Leadership
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…
Category:
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