Synergy. Powered by PTA.
Imagine your PTA as a triangle with Membership, Advocacy, and FACE (Family And Community Engagement) at each of its corners. Imagine all the results of having a PTA at your school or in your community are within the triangle. Now, if one of the points of the triangle didn’t exist, you could argue that everything within the triangle would go away.
Let’s take a closer look… PTA is a membership organization. The members control with their voice and vote what happens. The members are responsible for approving the PTA budget, goals, and mission each year. They decide what is important for the PTA. Members are also needed to lead the activities and programs hosted by a local PTA; the FACE activities.
Advocacy happens when members come together and speak on behalf of the students. Right now, local PTA leaders are advocating for mental and emotional health supports for students, working to get students back in the classroom, and working to keep students and staff as healthy as possible. Some of your members join PTA simply to have a larger voice. The members help determine what messages to send to school and community leaders. The number of members determines how well they are heard. For information on how to help advocate at the local and state levels in 2021, check out the blog post “What should WSPTA members expect this upcoming legislative session?” written by WSPTA Legislative Consultant Marie Sullivan.
FACE includes all the fun ways PTA connects families with the school, families with each other, and families with the teachers. Right now we are seeing so many great examples from our local PTAs! Many are hosting some form of a holiday toy drive for families in need. Most are organizing teacher appreciation activities. Some are hosting online events for families that range from games to storytimes to virtual cookie decorating classes. Others are bringing the greater community together with larger events, like the district-wide fun run hosted by Everett Special Ed PTSA. All WSPTA and National PTA programs fall under FACE too. Many PTAs are celebrating Reflections local winners this month. All these activities are both a benefit of joining PTA and a reason to join. The events could not happen without members and the members are the people that make the events happen.
Local PTA holiday activities look very different this year. Some PTAs are finding there is more engagement with the new activities and plan to keep some of the new activities when schools return to in-person learning next year. If you have a new, winning event, please share the details with our FACE Director.
Guest post by Kim Kuhne, WSPTA Membership Director