Washington State PTA

ACES – CADRs - FERPA – and more! Acronyms are used regularly in education and they can be confusing if you don’t know what they stand for. WSPTA has a resource for that! You can refer to the Acronyms in Education resource that can be found at the bottom of the advocacy and legislative resources page of the website: https://wastatepta.org/focus-areas/advocacy/advocacy-legislative-resources/

Are you a VP this year eager to start your new role, but a bit nervous and unclear about what your position entails? Have you registered for ALL?

Register here: https://www.wastatepta.org/events-programs/august-leadership-launch/

This year, ALL is offering The Effective Vice President, Roles and Responsibilities of the Board, and many other classes to help you define what it means to be a VP while growing your leadership skills! Join us this August and be ready for the school year.

As a result of changes to the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws, local PTAs and councils will need to make a few important updates to their Standing Rules. A special resource called Adopted Amendments to the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws lays out in detail each bylaws amendment, the rationale for the changes and whether the amendment will have a direct effect on local PTAs and councils. (https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/aVWf_2lt5CQZ6BKceQ4u_g)

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please reach out to your council or region director for help.

Congratulations to Highland PTSA for earning National PTA's Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Award of Merit in recognition of building effective family-school partnerships!

We are thrilled to announce the 2023-2025 National PTA Schools of Excellence and 2024 Phoebe Apperson Hearst Award recipients! These PTAs and schools have created an environment where families feel welcomed, included and empowered to support their children’s success and where students feel safe, supported and ready to learn. Congratulations on your achievements! To see the full list of designees and learn more about the School of Excellence program, visit PTA.org/Excellence and read our press release https://bit.ly/4c86bKs

With back-to-school events right around the corner, have you set up your givebacks store to accept an online join? Givebacks makes it easy to sell your memberships online. You can view how to set up selling memberships online by clicking here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYXeq0NLx4E&t=4s to watch a short video

Check out what's being offered this year and register today! https://www.wastatepta.org/events-programs/august-leadership-launch/a-l-l-classes/

Congratulations to the following PTAs for winning the givebacks challenge:
Area A - Mullenix Ridge PTA 1.8.8
Area B - Rocky Ridge PTA 5.3.14
Area C - Kennydale PTA 9.11.50
Area D - Horizons Elementary PTSA 4.4.6
Area E - Cascade PTA 7.4.5
Council Winner- Bethel Area PTA Council 5.3
Please check your email listed in givebacks for your prize!

Our friends over at Swank Motion Pictures are hosting a group webinar for Washington PTAs on August 15 at 12pm. Swank staff will cover the benefits of an annual movie license plus introduce their newest offering: Swank K-12 Streaming. The webinar will be recorded and made available for anyone who cannot make the live event. Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1603197245868686937

The US Constitution has its own day! Each educational institution that receives Federal funds is required to hold an educational program about the US Constitution for its students on September 17, Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The US Department of Education has grade-level resources for students, teachers and families to learn about and discuss the highest adopted law of the land.

The Department of Education also hosts information about the Nation’s Report Card, education statistics, student loans, the Every Student Succeeds Act, student privacy, and how to apply for financial aid to attend post-secondary studies.

Talk to your school district superintendent and school principals to see how you can help promote learning about the US Constitution and the rights and responsibilities of US citizens and residents in your schools. https://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/constitutionday.html

Hello PTA leaders! Today is the final day you will have login access to Memberplanet through WSPTA. If you haven't already, please ensure any financial reports you need have been exported. Let us know if you have any final questions about the transition.

Have you updated your subdomain name? One of the steps to be entered into the givebacks contest that is being drawn this week is changing your subdomain name. Watch this quick video on how to update your subdomain name here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ctJpy3Qh0&t=1s

There is one more week left to qualify for the Givebacks contest! Has your PTA completed the 3 steps in order to qualify? PTAs that have completed the steps will be automatically entered into the drawing. More information on the requirements can be found here: https://wastatepta.org/focus-areas/membership/

Which state entity establishes graduation requirements, develops tools for performance-based pathways and examines mastery-based learning? Washington’s State Board of Education (SBE)!

The new Performance-based Graduation Pathway Requirement “allows students to show what they know and can do in real-world, hands-on ways that align with their individual goals for life after high school.” With mastery-based learning, students demonstrate competence based upon learning objectives, meaningful assessments and learning outcomes that emphasize “application and creation of knowledge.” Need help understanding what SBE does? The Board has a seal named Snorkels, a symbol for interactive learning to educate the public and school kids about what the SBE does. Invite Snorkels to your school to understand more about how state policy impacts your child’s classroom instruction and preparation for high school graduation and life beyond. http://www.sbe.wa.gov/

Calling all new PTA presidents! Have you registered for A.L.L. on August 23-24?

REGISTER NOW: https://www.wastatepta.org/events-programs/august-leadership-launch/

Thank you for stepping up into this very important role. It’s not always easy being president and we want to help you and your board prepare to put your best foot forward before the school year starts. August Leadership Launch will include basic role-specific classes like President 101, Secretary – More Than Just Minutes, The Effective Vice President, Treasurer Basics, and so much more! Don’t wait,

Have you set up your Stripe account? Your PTA Stripe account through givebacks is how your PTA is going to be able to pay your WSPTA and National dues. Setting up your PTA Stripe account is one of the requirements in order to be entered to win the givebacks contest. If you have questions on how to set up your Stripe account, please watch the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C5Go4-BS6U

Tune in for the Outstanding Interpretation Reflections Winner Celebration on July 31 at 7 p.m. EDT on National PTA’s YouTube channel. This special event features the top seven Reflections winners who achieved the highest scores for their creative interpretation of the theme I Am Hopeful Because… and highlights national winners from the 2023-2024 program. https://bit.ly/3W8n01R

We have a brand new donation form for contributing to the WSPTA Scholarship: https://wspta.givebacks.com/store/items/1047963

You can learn more about the scholarship program here: https://wastatepta.org/events-programs/scholarship-program/

WSPTA members have long supported ample funding for schools, promoted safe and healthy environments for living and learning, and advocated for mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change, which pose a direct threat to the health and well-being of our children and youth. Based on positions previously adopted by members, the WSPTA Board of Directors has voted to oppose Initiatives 2109 and 2117. If these initiatives pass, our children and youth will be impacted, as school districts will lose billions of dollars in funding and access to federal matching funds.

WSPTA urges our over 84,000 members to vote no on I-2109 and I-2117.

Further information can be found on the WSPTA blog:
Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative 2109: https://www.wastatepta.org/washington-state-pta-opposes-initiative-2109/
Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative 2117: https://www.wastatepta.org/washington-state-pta-opposes-initiative-2117/
FAQs on Opposing Initiatives 2109 and 2117: https://www.wastatepta.org/faqs-on-opposing-initiatives-2109-and-2117/

Since its founding in 1905 by Abby Williams Hill of Tacoma, an artist who saw the need for an organization to support Washington’s children and youth, grassroots advocacy has been at the core of Washington State PTA. In addition to coining the term “preschool” and mentoring parents of toddlers long before early childhood education was accepted and expected, WSPTA was instrumental in promoting the use of seatbelts, making Breakfast After the Bell a reality, securing the passage of the “simple majority” amendment to the state constitution in 2007, and so much more.

Learn more about the history of National PTA and Washington State PTA: https://www.wastatepta.org/about/history/

Registration is NOW open for WSPTA’s virtual August Leadership Launch on August 23-24! Register now: https://whova.com/portal/registration/autum_202408/

PTA leaders, get ready to start the new PTA school year with fresh ideas and inspiration. We recommend this training event for all our PTA leaders and board members: local, council, regional and state-level committee volunteers. There will be position-specific training, the practical how-to’s of running your PTA, roundtables, networking and so much more geared specifically for our new leaders or leaders new to a position! Veteran leaders are always welcome to join us for a refresher on some of our basic classes. We can’t wait to have you join us!

Are all your officers listed? If you entered your 2024-2025 officers into memberplanet before we switched databases, your officers should be updated already in givebacks. You will want to double check that all the information in the "compliance", "update officers" tab is indeed accurate though. For more information on how to update your officers you can watch a video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKPh7-HUQgc&t=2s

Insurance is an important part of any business. It protects your PTA in many ways. Per WSPTA policy 3.11: A local PTA or council must carry Fidelity Bond insurance in order to disburse PTA funds using electronic payments, secured credit, or debit cards.

Check out this important blog post about fidelity bond insurance and how it can protect your PTA's finances: https://wastatepta.org/cards-insurance/

Registration is now open! Join us to launch a great year at your PTA.



https://www.wastatepta.org/events-programs/august-leadership-launch/

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is the state education agency in Washington state. They are charged with overseeing public K-12 education, including 295 public school districts and 6 state-tribal education compact schools around the state. OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance with the goal of providing every student in Washington a high-quality public education.
Learn more about OSPI here: https://www.k12.wa.us/

At the 2024 Convention and Annual Meeting in May, delegates voted to approve twelve amendments to our WSPTA Uniform Bylaws. These changes took effect on July 1, 2024. You can access the newly updated bylaws here: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/bbxW0aEQ0iVwC0udce-OvQ

As a result of these changes, local PTAs and councils will need to make a few important updates to their Standing Rules. A special resource called Adopted Amendments to the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws lays out in detail each bylaws amendment, the rationale for the changes and whether the amendment will have a direct effect on local PTAs and councils. (https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/aVWf_2lt5CQZ6BKceQ4u_g)

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please reach out to your council or region director for help.

PTA leaders! Have you logged into givebacks yet? If you have not yet claimed your givebacks account, make sure you go to npo.givebacks.com and click "create and account." If you happen to get a message that says you are missing access, please email [email protected] so that we can get you set up.

We are kicking off the new PTA year and our transition to the new membership database with a contest! Be one of the PTAs or Councils entered to win this month! The contest runs from July 1st - July 31st. For the full contest description and qualifications please head to our website https://www.wastatepta.org/focus-areas/membership/

The Washington State Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO) exists to help families and students navigate complex issues in schools. Anyone with a concern or question related to a student enrolled (or eligible to enroll) in Washington state's K-12 public schools can contact them. You can contact OEO when you have a question or an unresolved problem with a public school that is affecting a student's education and you are not sure what to do next. Any help they provide is free and confidential.

Learn more about OEO: https://www.oeo.wa.gov/en

It’s easy to add art into the things you may already be doing this summer. Take photos of nature while on a walk, turn your driveway into a mural with washable chalk or make a cool dance routine to your fav summer jam! Find more arts activities you can create at home at PTA.org/ArtsEd.