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
PTAs and Coronavirus: How We Deal
Grace Jurado, President, Northshore Council PTSA Guest Post Provided By Grace Jurado, President, Northshore Council PTSA Since March 5, all schools in the Northshore School District have been closed in an effort to slow down the spread of COVID-19 within our district boundaries. With Evergreen hospital and the Life Care Center both just a couple of…
March 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, PTA members are such a passionate group of people! I see it every day in the thousands of hours that volunteers spend in support of the children and youth in our state. During the Washington state legislative session, it really comes through in testimony in Olympia where volunteers will drive 4 hours to…
Category:
Leadership
Ten Tips for Speaking with Media
The president is the designated spokesperson for the PTA. The board should refer all media contact to the president or if that is not possible, to another designated board member. Return calls and requests for comment from the media whenever possible. Even when the topic is difficult, these can be important relationships to build for…
Category:
Leadership
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – February 2020
How can you tell if your PTA is “healthy”? One fairly easy and fun way is to apply for one or more of WSPTA’s Awards of Excellence. These are a celebration of how much impact a PTA has in their community, and recognizes PTAs for the great service and programs they provide to their members.…
Category:
Leadership
February 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, Did you hear it? That loud bang? The one that came from Olympia when PTA descended upon the capitol? If you did not hear it, I am sorry you missed it. We had over 100 advocates attend our Focus Day and share their perspectives with our state legislature. Since we were snowed out…
Category:
Leadership
WSPTA President’s Power of Connection – January 2020
The newness of the year and decade feel like a blank page, just waiting for us to write the next chapter in the history of WSPTA. I testified on behalf of our members recently. As I stood in front of the capitol, I reflected on all those who have advocated for children and families, all…
Category:
Leadership
January 2020 – WSPTA Executive Director Message
Dear Members, Happy New Year! Wow, it’s 2020. I can hardly believe it. I have been a lifelong fan of science fiction and grew up on Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. In the annals of science fiction, these are the years when space operas play out, the years when robots have either enslaved us all…
Category:
Leadership
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