Safe Routes to School -- Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education Grants

WSDOT, OSPI and Washington Bikes are partnering to provide bicycle and pedestrian safety education to students in the 6th through 8th grades in approximately 10-15 school districts across the state. The program includes training, curriculum, educational materials, evaluation, and support for the Safe Routes to School Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education Program.  The deadline date to apply for this grant is Monday, January 27, 2014. For more information, please click here or contact Sarah Butzine at sarah.butzine@k12.wa.us or 360.725.6039.

Best Practices Checklist

Is your PTA using the best practices recommended by the Washington State PTA? Operating your PTA under the guidelines of WSPTA’s best practices will help to ensure your PTA is using sound management and financial practices. Read the Best Practices Checklist. (User name and password are required. If you don’t know the user name and password to WSPTA’s members’ only website, please call the WSPTA at 253-565-2153.)

Great Job Washington State PTA Local Units!

Washington State PTA raised eyebrows at the National PTA office.  A call came to WSPTA from National PTA wanting to know how we managed to be 150% above the membership enrollment total compared to this time last year! Thank you for your patience this year as we improved the membership enrollment processes and paved the way for this success! Some of the changes made this year include: •             improving online registration •             delivering membership cards/welcome letters to e-mail accounts •             retaining a membership list of every member in Washington state All these changes are helping us connect with members. We currently are at 126,000 members and rising thanks to all your hard work!

Keeping Your Family Healthy During the Winter Months

December is a good time to focus on creating healthy habits in your home.  Educating your kids about health may prevent them from the next cold or flu that circulates the school. Go to the December issue of The Child Advocate some suggestions to get you started.

Question of the Week

QUESTION:  I'm the treasurer of my PTA. My question is to whom do I send a W-9 form to and what do I do with the information sent to me? I know there is a rule about those vendors with whom we spend more than $600, but does that include the big cookie dough vendor we use?

ANSWER:  Provide a W-9 to any independent contractor you paid over $600 in services (not merchandise like cookie dough) in a calendar year. The W-9 Form provides your unit with necessary information to report to the IRS on the 1096 Form.

A good thing to consider for next year is having independent contractors fill out the W-9 when they sign contracts, this way you will not have to send them out later.

The IRS forms 1099-Misc (for you to provide to the independent contractor) and Form 1096 (for you to send to the IRS) are not available for download, you can pick them up at a local IRS office, or order them from the IRS by mail.

WSPTA Views on Student Privacy

A recent on-line article by KUOW interviewed WSPTA President Heather Gillette on the topic of student privacy in light of the Seattle Times being granted access to student records in partnership with the State.  Read more about Washington State PTA’s views, and our National PTA’s views, on student privacy.

WSPTA Applegate Grant Recipients 2013-14

• Cedar Valley Elementary PTA 9.7.5, “Young Author’s Night"
• Daybreak PTA 3.6.3, “Kids Safety Fair” 
• Eisenhower Middle School PTA 7.3.65, “Rachel’s Challenge Program” 
• Evergreen Forest PTA 4.4.03, “Fun Run Program” 
• Everett Council PTSA 7.3, “Everett Council Shoe Fund” 
• Highline Special Needs PTA 9.5.238, “Advocacy Training for Parents of Children with Special Needs”
• Jackson Elementary PTA 7.3.20, “Taproot Theatre Company Assembly” 
• Jefferson PTA of Everett 7.3.25, “IXL Math Program”
• Kenmore Elementary PTA 6.10.20, “School Safety Patrol Equipment” 
• Longview Elementary PTA 12.2.28, “Watch D.O.G.S. T-Shirts” 
• Lowell PTA 7.3.30, “Reflections Artist Workshop 2014-2015” 
• Mont Downing PTA 10.9.65, “No Bullies Allowed” Program"
• Oak Heights Elementary PTA 7.2.95, “Encouraging Male Volunteerism”
• Redmond Elementary PTA 2.8.46, “Math Enrichment Program" 
• Sunset Primary PTA 10.10.20, “Science Fair” 
• Tukwila Elementary PTA 9.14.17, “ Soccer Enrichment Program”

Home Safety Hazard to be Aware of This Holiday Season

Many families may be upgrading to large TVs over the holidays and unknowingly may be placing their children at-risk of a TV tipover accident.  For more information about TV tipover prevention go to www.safekids.org.

Council Fees Due on January 25

If your local unit is in a council with a per member fee structure you can calculate the fees due by multiplying the number of registered members times the council per member fee and subtracting prior payments of council fees. An Excel form for this is available on the WSPTA website under council remittance form. You can find the number of registered members on any of the following reports available on the membership site: the membership roster has the total enrolled on the last page  total enrolled can be found on the legal information report  the member roster export lists all active members of the unit and can be used to get a count NOT the online “statement of fees due,” which lists all members of the unit for whom state has not recorded state and national dues payment. This only reflects the status of state and national dues. The state database does not track council fees.

Second Deadline for Membership Service Fees is January 25

All local units--both PTAs in a council and non-council units, send membership service fees to the State PTA office. Your unit receives a weekly email remittance form containing the following information: List of members registered that week, showing ID# and name Total number of members registered that week Fees due for state and national dues Remittance information – where to send payment (state office) Instruction to print and mail a copy with the payment Your PTA does not need to pay these service fees weekly, however all membership service fees for members entered so far need to be submitted to the State PTA by the January 25 deadline. Before sending in your payments, go to the membership enrollment website and email support@wastatepta.org if you see any names (and ID numbers) that were inadvertently entered twice (referred to as a duplicate) on your membership roster.  For security purposes, the enrollment program does not allow for deletions except by a staff member. If your PTA is waiting to submit your dues until shortly before January 25th, you may use a report called “Statement of Fees Due” which lists enrolled members for whom payment has not yet been received and recorded in the WSPTA membership database. This form is located on the WSPTA membership enrollment website. Local units may use this report instead of the remittance forms as documentation supporting dues payment. At the end of each fiscal year, memberships entered online must balance with memberships paid by the local unit. If they don’t reconcile, the local unit will be billed for the balance. Be aware, however, that over payments cannot be refunded once fees have been forwarded to NPTA, so be very careful that the fees are paid correctly.

Tell Your Principal About This Free, Anti-Bully Reporting Service

National PTA is a proud supporter of TipTxt, a free, two-way text-based service from Blackboard Connect that allows kids and parents to confidentially report bullying, suspicious behavior, threats or other incidents from their cell phones and receive a response from a dedicated administrator that they will promptly look into the issue. There's just a nominal cost to set up a dedicated phone line and the service itself is completely free of charge. Learn more.

Combined Excise Tax Return Due to Washington State Department of Revenue January 31

Some PTAs conduct activities with regular hours such as student stores, concession stands at school sporting events, weekly or bi-weekly popcorn sales, or similar business activities.  Under Washington law, such activities when held on a regular ongoing basis (even if the activity occurs as infrequently as once a month) constitute a “regular place of business” and are required to collect sales tax on the same basis as similar sales by a for-profit company.  PTAs that engage in these activities should collect the applicable sales tax (the rate varies from one geographic area to another). The sales tax collected should be held in the PTA account and then paid to the Department of Revenue along with quarterly or annual return.  Click here for more information.

IRS 1099-Misc Due on January 31

Regardless of its tax-exempt status, a PTA may have to complete an IRS 1099-Misc Form if it made payments of $600 or more in a calendar year (January-December) to any individual or unincorporated business as payments for services. This means your PTA contracted for a particular outcome, but did not supervise the manner and means by which it was achieved. If the person was directly supervised by the PTA, then he or she was an employee, and other requirements apply. More information is available here.

Federal Budget Update

On December 12, 2013, the House passed the Bipartisan Budget Act by a vote of 332-94. This was legislation based on the budget deal announced earlier this week. The next step is for the Senate to vote on the bill. The bill provides sequester relief and continues to forward fund education. To read more, go to the Grassroots Connection blog.

Question of the Week

QUESTION:  

We held a raffle in May and needed to give a 1099 to the person who won.  The value of the prize was declared to be $710.00.  I received a copy of the 1099 Misc form from the IRS, also included was a Form W-2G. I'm not sure what to do with this.

ANSWER:   

Raffles are gaining in popularity for nonprofit fundraising. Many organizations give the winner a 1099 and hope for the best. Unfortunately that’s not the right way to run a raffle. The IRS has increased scrutiny of gaming activities, and has partnered with many states to compare state gaming registrations to proper IRS reporting. If the prize is more than $600, and more than 300 times the ticket price, the organization must report the winnings to the IRS using a W-2 G. For more information, you can read IRS publication number 3079, Tax Exempt Organizations and Gaming, available on irs.gov.

WSPTA Office Closed During Christmas Holiday

The PTA office will be closed from December 24 – January 1 for the Christmas holiday. The WSPTA staff wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!

Holiday Decorating Safety

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates there were 15,000 injuries involving holiday decorating seen in emergency departments nationwide during November and December 2012.  This is the fourth consecutive year these estimates have increased. Falling from a ladder and stepping on broken ornaments may be funny in holiday movies but in real life, these and similar mishaps result in visits to the emergency room, or calls to fire departments, for thousands of consumers each year. For holiday decorating safety tips from the CPSC, click here.

Visit the PTA Store for PTA Themed Supplies

The Washington State PTA Store, operated through a cooperative venture with Green Benefits, a local Washington company, is your source for PTA themed supplies, from name tags to membership supplies to spirit wear. With access to a wide range of suppliers, the PTA Store offers a range of options and was designed to provide what you need when you need it and at a reasonable price. Goods purchased through the store are created using techniques that respect the earth and the people who live on it.  Click here to visit the PTA store.

Take Your Family to School Week

National PTA's Take Your Family to School Week is set for February 17-21, 2014, coinciding with Founders’ Day. A digital toolkit containing promotional and template resources to help plan your week will be available in early December.  Register today for one of National PTA’s toolkit demonstrations:     Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 at 2 p.m. EST     Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014 at 7 p.m. EST For more information, visit pta.org/tyftsw or contact National PTA Programs, (800) 307-4782.

Gold Level Membership Award Deadline January 25

Your PTA can be recognized as a recipient of the gold level membership award by reaching a 10% increase from the previous year’s membership enrolled by January 25. Washington State PTA membership awards recognize achievements to encourage membership enrollment early and throughout the year. You do not have to apply for this award.

Reflections Reminder

January 21 is the State PTA Reflections deadline. (If your PTA is a member of a council, check with your council for your council Reflections deadline.) A helpful tool is available on the WSPTA Leadership News blog, which contains frequently asked questions, information and resources.

Participate in the Education Summit For Parent Leaders Via Live Stream

You are invited to register to watch the morning session of the National Assessment Governing Board’s Education Summit for Parent Leaders via the internet on January 13, 2014 from 9 am to noon (Eastern time). National experts will address the imperative to improve achievement and close achievement gaps from a wide range of perspectives, including economic, demographic, societal, national security, and civil rights. For additional information about this event visit http://www.nagb.org/parent-education-summit. To sign-up to participate in this event via livestream, go to https://www.nagb.org/parent-education-summit/livestream-registration.html.

WSPTA Outreach Skills Training Workshop Presenters

THANK YOU PRESENTERS

• Bernardo Ruiz, Director, School-Family Partnerships and Equity & Race Relations, Office of the Superintendent Seattle Public Schools

• Kimberly Mitchell, Founder, Inquiry Partners

• Deborah Northern, M.Ed, Equity in Education Services Manager, Puget Sound Educational Service District

• Jan McLaughlin, CSP, Owner, Your Communication Connection

• Karen Madsen, WSPTA Finance Officer

WSPTA Outreach Skills Training Evaluations

Here’s what some of the attendees had to say about WSPTA’s Certificated Outreach Skills Training Session held this past weekend at Highline Community College:  

• “It exceeded all expectations!” 
• “Just wanted to thank you for such an informative and fun weekend!!! I did learn A LOT!”
• “Thank you for putting this together. It was well planned and made the time fly by! I truly was inspired to do some ‘shakin’ in my region!!” 
• “You really put on a fantastic event, really, it was awesome. I took away so many tidbits and it makes me want to do more, do it better, and not just for PTA, but for work. Great reminders how people should be treated. Hats off to you!” 
• “Thank you for sending us to this Outreach training. It was rewarding and engaging. We hope and intend to deliver some quality results based on this training. We recommend this to anyone involved in WSPTA.”
• “You hit that training out of the park, and it was so appreciated. It was absolutely worth it, and I can’t thank you enough for that!” 
• “The Skills Training was a very exciting and innovative approach to equipping and mobilizing the Regional Teams!  It was a pleasure to work with your groups.  I am highly inspired by their thoughtful action plans and look forward to hearing great things as they move their work forward.”

Newly Certified Outreach Skills Graduates

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES! Region 1:                     Monika Scotti Raul Ramirez   Region 2: Shelley Flores Julie Haase Shailaja Shetty   Region 3: Kia Calderon Teri Davis Brandi Dyment Victoria Keith   Region 5: Ed Kyllonen Peggy Kyllonen   Region 6: Andrea Bown Sarah DuCette Sue Freeman Iris Okimoto Nielsen   Region 7: Michelle Nims Michele Rufer   Region 9: Deb Blakeslee Ray Kusumi Sharon Pfeifer Grace Ssebugwawo   Region 10: Holly Bocchi   Region 11: Miriam Hernandez Barbara Justis Maria Lopez Micaela Razo   Region 12: Diane Call   Region 15: Mirna Reyes   WSPTA Board/Staff: Timothy Farrell Heather Gillette Kathryn Hobbs JMarie Johnson-Kola Sherry Krainick THANK YOU PRESENTERS Bernardo Ruiz, Director, School-Family Partnerships and Equity & Race Relations, Office of the Superintendent Seattle Public Schools Kimberly Mitchell, Founder, Inquiry Partners Deborah Northern, M.Ed, Equity in Education Services Manager, Puget Sound Educational Service District Jan McLaughlin, CSP, Owner, Your Communication Connection Karen Madsen, WSPTA Finance Officer

Nominate an Outstanding PTA Advocate for National Recognition

Know of an outstanding youth or other PTA advocate—or a local/state PTA—that has done great advocacy work? Nominate them to receive a 2014 Advocacy Award from National PTA. Winners will be announced in January and will be honored at the 2014 Legislative Conference in Washington DC. This year, advocates may nominate themselves in the youth and individual groups, and the winners in these categories will serve as advocacy ambassadors for PTA. Nominations are due on Dec. 19. For more information, visit PTA.org/AdvocacyAwards.

WSPTA Outreach Skills Training Workshop Presenters

THANK YOU PRESENTERS

• Bernardo Ruiz, Director, School-Family Partnerships and Equity & Race Relations, Office of the Superintendent Seattle Public Schools

• Kimberly Mitchell, Founder, Inquiry Partners

• Deborah Northern, M.Ed, Equity in Education Services Manager, Puget Sound Educational Service District

• Jan McLaughlin, CSP, Owner, Your Communication Connection

• Karen Madsen, WSPTA Finance Officer

IRS 1099-Misc Due on January 31

Regardless of its tax-exempt status, a PTA may have to complete an IRS 1099-MIsc Form if it made payments of $600 or more in a calendar year (January-December) to any individual or unincorporated business as payments for services. The PTA should have all independent contractors (individuals) or businesses complete an IRS W-9 Form. The W-9 will indicate if a PTA needs to file a 1099-Misc and will also provide the information to complete the form. The completed 1099-Misc Form must be sent to the individual or business by January 31 for the preceding year. By February 28, a PTA will need to complete an IRS 1096 Transmittal Form and submit copies of all 1099s to the IRS. More information is available on the IRS website www.irs.org.

Generally speaking, a 1099-Misc must be filled out if the person or business you paid is an independent contractor. This means your PTA contracted for a particular outcome, but did not supervise the manner and means by which it was achieved. If the person was directly supervised by the PTA, then he or she was an employee, and other requirements apply. You can obtain more information from the IRS website www.irs.gov.

Combined Excise Tax Return Due to Washington State Department of Revenue January 31

Washington State imposes retail sales tax on the sale of items of tangible personal property and retail services to consumers, but some exemptions exist.  These depend on the purpose for which the items are purchased by the PTA, and the kind of event at which they are sold by the PTA.

Items purchased by PTAs for their own use

When PTAs purchase items for their own use (such as tablecloths for a banquet, supplies for cleaning, etc.) they pay sales tax in the same manner as any other individual or company.

Items sold by PTAs

PTAs are exempt from paying sales tax on items purchased for resale as long as they have a reseller permit, PTAs are required to collect sales tax and submit to the Department of Revenue, on taxable items sold that are sold at a student store or regular place of business (see below for the significance of these terms).  To take advantage of this exemption, PTAs may either obtain a reseller’s permit from the Washington State Department of Revenue, or pay the tax and then apply to the Department of Revenue for a refund.  More information about applying for a reseller’s permit or applying for a refund of taxes is available in a “Frequently asked Questions” (FAQ) document on the WSPTA website, www.wastatepta.org, under the “PTA and the Law resources” tab in the leadership resources section, and the Department of Revenue’s website, www.dor.wa.gov.

Sales at periodic fundraising activities by most PTAs are exempt from the sales tax

A PTA that qualifies as tax-exempt under federal law (as either a Section 501(c)(3) or 501 (c)(4) organization) is also exempt from paying Washington’s business and occupation and retail sales taxes on income generated through periodic nonrecurring fundraising activities. Fundraising activities include directly soliciting money or other property, or selling goods or services to further the PTA’s goals.

Regular ongoing sales activities by PTAs are not exempt from sales tax

Some PTAs conduct activities with regular hours such as student stores, concession stands at school sporting events, weekly or bi-weekly popcorn sales, or similar business activities.  Under Washington law, such activities when held on a regular ongoing basis (even if the activity occurs as infrequently as once a month) constitute a “regular place of business” and are required to collect sales tax on the same basis as similar sales by a for-profit company. PTAs that engage in these activities should collect the applicable sales tax (the rate varies form on geographic area to another). The sales tax collected should be held in the PTA account and then paid to the Department of Revenue along with quarterly or annual return.

If you have questions, please contact Tatia Vasbinder at the WSPTA office at tvasbinder@wastatepta.org.

Smart From the Start Grant Program

Smart from the Start, a program developed by National PTA and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), focuses on the healthy lifestyle practice of energy balance – balancing calories consumed with calories burned. Through the program, National PTA will award 10 Smart from the Start: Community Outreach grants of $10,000 each to district, council and regional PTAs to focus on a specific neighborhood community in which to improve access to healthy foods and safe physical activity options for young families. Applications for the grants will be available beginning in January 2014 at PTA.org. The deadline to submit applications is March 28, 2014. In addition to the community outreach grants, 25 Smart from the Start: Pre-K grants of $2,000 also will be awarded to PTAs in 2014 to implement the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation’s Energy Balance Pre-K curriculum. This grant application will be available in Spring 2014.

Corporation Renewal Reminder

Was your PTA Incorporated in December? If so, then your annual Corporation Renewal is due on 12/30/13, the annual corporation is due regardless of the income you bring in and is separate from the Charitable Organization Registration/ Renewal (due on May, 31, 2014.) If you have questions about IRS forms or corporation renewals, please contact Tatia Vasbinder at the WSPTA office at tvasbinder@wastatepta.org.

Every Child Spotlights the Child With Special Needs

In December, National PTA's Every Child in Focus campaign is centering on the Child with Special Needs. National PTA President Otha Thornton will meet with Education Committee members on Capitol Hill to discuss ways to increase support for children with special needs. Visit the NPTA webpage Child with Special Needs for information on the unique challenges facing children with special needs and find out how PTAs can better support and improve outcomes for students and families.

Question of the Week

QUESTION:What constitutes a PTA event?  We know we have some big ones, like grade level outings and the fall family dance. What about events like 5th grade mom’s coffee chat at the local coffee shop?  We do not financially support the event -- all we do is advertise it in the newsletter.  It is organized by the PTA 5th grade coordinator, but does everything organized by these groups need to be covered by the PTA’s insurance?  Do all of these events need to be approved by the board in order to be covered by insurance?

ANSWER:    A PTA-sponsored activity is one that is directed and supervised by the PTA. In order to be directed and supervised by the PTA, the PTA must have:
(1) executed the contract;
(2) created, planned and implemented the activity;
(3) provided the majority of staffing; and
(4) formally voted to authorize the event.

For a PTA event, general liability insurance covers PTA members and volunteers against claims by third persons for damage to property or for personal injuries incurred at PTA-sponsored activities, including bazaars, carnivals, movies, dinners, open houses, meetings, after-prom parties, senior parties, skating parties, after-school classes and more. In this instance the board of directors should approve the parameters of the activity. Any financial component would be approved by the general membership through the budget. We suggest that a PTA contact their insurance company to confirm whether an event is covered.

If any of the above components is missing it is likely that it is not a PTA event. If it is not a PTA event than the PTA insurance does not cover the activity. It is important that the board know whose insurance is covering the event and discuss the level of support and the ramifications of supporting the event. The best practice is to make sure that all communications out to your members and the community are very clear about who is “in charge” of any event – i.e. the PTA, the school, the ASB, etc.

Sequester Update

The National PTA Government Affairs team has prepared an action alert asking Congress to replace the harmful sequester cuts with a balanced, fair approach. Take action today to make your voice heard! NDD United has released a report on the effects of the sequester. Visit PTA.org/Advocacy for more information on the sequester!

Last Chance to Attend WSPTA Certificated Outreach Training Workshop

Exciting News! Limited space is now available for any WSPTA member to attend the WSPTA’s new Certificated Outreach Skills Training on December 14-15, 2013 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Highline Community College! Because of its importance to our mission, and what we do for children, this professional, high-quality, certificated outreach training, (taught by industry experts), is available to members, first-come, first-served, (the cost is being supported by a foundation grant, and the training,  provided at no-cost to WSPTA members). Email mdrygas@wastatepta.org today to sign-up and reserve your space! Click here for more information on this exciting opportunity!

Exciting News for WSPTA Legislative Program

The Washington State PTA board of directors, in an effort to provide our members with relevant tools to advocate for the children of Washington State, has completed a review of the use of PTA listserv forums.  The legislative talk listserv is not currently serving the intended listserv purpose of providing council and local unit chairs with a forum to discuss how to perform the duties of legislative chair.  Therefore, the legislative talk listserv will be discontinued and a new listserv called “advocacy listserv” will be created.  Council and local unit legislative chairs and advocacy chairs will be automatically enrolled in this listserv.  Where no legislative chair or advocacy chair exists, the local unit president will be enrolled in the advocacy listserv. The new advocacy listserv will serve as a place for the exchange of information to assist legislative and advocacy chairs in providing assistance to their members regarding advocacy and legislative issues relevant to their council and local unit. Discussion regarding the Washington State PTA legislative platform will occur on the Grassroots Connection blog. When you subscribe to the blog, you will automatically receive email alerts when new posts are added.  By moving discussion regarding our platform issues to the blog, we will be able to organize advocacy efforts and discussions regarding each platform issue.   Other exciting news regarding the WSPTA Legislative Program, the WSPTA recently hired a legislative advocacy consultant, Tim Farrell, who will monitor legislative activities which relate to the State PTA legislative program issues, and recommend/support, and help coordinate the lobbying effort from now until April 1, 2014. We are confident that these changes will help focus the efforts of our advocacy and legislative programs and provide knowledge and support to PTA’s dedicated volunteer leaders. As always, please email any questions or concerns about these changes so we can work together to enhance WSPTA’s grassroots advocacy efforts.

Welcome New PTAs!

Welcome to Kent Special Education PTA 9.7.125 and Bellevue Mandarin Dual Language PTSA 2.3.170! We are pleased to have you join us in our vision to make every child’s potential a reality.

Back to Sports Nights

The National Football League (NFL) has partnered with National PTA for the Back to Sports initiative, which helps PTAs across the country educate their communities on wellness—from concussion education to NFL PLAY 60 tips on nutrition and staying active. More information is available at http://pta.org/programs/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3794.

PTAs Taking Significant Action Awards

The purpose of the program is to recognize the accomplishments of units and councils across the state that present programs, projects, and activities that show significant originality, involvement, potential, usefulness, and results. Click here for the application. Deadline date: March 1.

Win Free Kindles--Share Your Story

National PTA and Amazon want to hear your stories. After you host your PTA Family Reading Experience, Powered by Kindle event, share your story with us and you may be selected to win a set of 10 Kindle e-readers for your PTA!  In addition, we will feature your PTA in nationwide promotions. Local PTA units in good standing that conduct a Family Reading Experience and tell us their story by December 13, 2013 will be considered eligible. Kindle e-reader recipients will be announced on January 10, 2014. More information is at http://www.pta.org/programs/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3563

Our School Pages Builds PTA Websites

Washington State PTA has recently partnered with Our School Pages, a provider of reasonably priced website solutions for PTAs. You can save time (and paper) by using your custom Our School Pages website for volunteer sign-ups, fundraising, event registration, orders, and payments.  In addition, a special feature for PTAs in our state allows parents to purchase their membership from your website, then you simply upload your membership data to the WSPTA membership database. That’s right, no more hand-typing all those names and addresses.  Find out more on our website.  Over 50 PTAs in our state use this website solution, which was developed by a PTA member who wanted to help his own PTA improve its website. For more information about Our School Pages and its pricing and services, go to http://ourschoolpages.com.

Partnership With Projekt Karma

The Washington State PTA is pleased to announce a new affinity program partnership. Projekt Karma provides PTAs with a simple and efficient fundraising program that allows PTAs to share their projects with the community through social media so potential donors will find out about projects and make donations to the PTA’s designated account in support of its efforts for children. For a flyer to give to your members, click here. More information is available at https://www.projektkarma.com/.

Partnership With Verizon/eTrak

Verizon/eTrak, a new affinity partner with the WSPTA, which offers parents a device to help keep their kids safe, has announced a new pricing schedule for their service. PTA parents get the GPS location tracking system with a personal alert button a child can push if he/she gets lost, has an accident or perceives danger or only $199; the offer includes the device plus one year of service with no monthly fee! Plus the WSPTA, National PTA and local PTAs all receive donations for each subscription purchased! For a flyer to give to your members, click here. More information is available at http://etrak.com/pta/.

Certificated Outreach Training Workshop Available

Outreach is extremely important to WSPTA, and a part of our overall strategy to enhance leadership, advocacy, membership and programs.  WSPTA’s new Certificated Outreach Skills Training is not only critical for you to successfully engage families, but it is also relevant for your life! During this 2-day training you will receive high-quality training, professional development, and coaching/mentoring taught by industry experts. More information on this workshop is available here. This workshop is provided as a benefit of WSPTA leadership (no charge) and made possible by a grant. There are a limited number of spaces available and if you are interested in attending this exceptional training opportunity, please email mdrygas@wastatepta.org as soon as possible.

Grants Available for Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meetings

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing $500 stipends to community-based organizations to conduct Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meetings THMs in the Spring of 2014.  SAMHSA has asked DBHR (the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery) and RUaD (the Washington State Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking) to submit names of organizations that would be interested in hosting a THM. If you would like your coalition to receive an invitation from SAMHSA to host a THM, please e-mail Ray Horodowicz (Ray.Horodowicz@dshs.wa.gov) as soon as possible.  Include the following information: Name of your group Your name Your e-mail Your phone number Need more information about THMs?  General information can be found here: www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/TownHallMeetings/.  The site contains many free tools, downloadable materials, and other resources to help you hold a successful THM.  At that site, you can sign-up to receive  THM E-alerts.  The most recent E-alert has information specific to the 2014 THMs.  It can be found here:  www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/TownHallMeetings/resources/full-alert.aspx?ID=63.  The goals of Town Hall Meetings are: Educating community members about underage drinking consequences; Empowering communities to use evidence-based approaches to stop underage drinking; and Mobilizing communities to support underage drinking prevention initiatives at the local, state, and national levels. SAMHSA has some very specific rules about these stipends.  Here are a few things to keep in mind: Stipends cannot  be used for food and beverages, entertainment, door prizes, discounts, incentive giveaways, promotional products (e.g.: t-shirts, baseball caps, coffee mugs) or for anything not specifically related to planning and conducting your THM; Stipends are not intended to promote community meetings primary focused on issues other than the prevention of alcohol use by minors; and, Stipends will only be issued to organizations with a Tax ID number.

Pedestrian Safety

Every year, an average of 67,124 child pedestrians are injured. 704 of those child pedestrians die. As it grows darker earlier, child pedestrians become harder to see. 36% of the deaths of children under 16 occurred between 3:00 and 7:00 PM. This infographic from Children's Safety Network covers deaths, risk factors, and more about child pedestrians.

Unsung Heroes Nominations Requested

Strengthening Families Washington is accepting nominations for parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, grandparents and primary caregivers who are Unsung Heroes in their families and communities.  Please read the criteria and download the nomination form. Deadline: January 4.

Mt Pilchuck PTA Receives NPTA Take Your Family to School Week Grant

Congratulations to Mt. Pilchuck PTA 7.6.26 who has been selected for a National PTA Take Your Family to School Week Grant for $1,000. National PTA provided grants to 100 PTAs across the country to increase family engagement and safety awareness through PTA Take Your Family to School Week, February 18–22. This grant opportunity was announced in Leadership News in September. The WSPTA is pleased to have a grant recipient in our state and know that the students of Mt Pilchuck school will benefit from the events that week.

Save the Date -- Focus Day

Be sure to mark February 4, 2014 on your calendar for the WSPTA Focus Day in Olympia. Please check on the WSPTA website for updates on this fun and engaging event!

Holidays Mark the Time for More Home Safety Emphasis

From toy safety to safe driving – November through February is a time to remind people about a variety of safety messages. In particular, around the home, don’t forget to bring attention to the following areas: Button batteries – these are in many “adult-specific” items and may not be secure for little hands/mouths. Toys – age appropriate, small parts, lead Carbon monoxide poisoning TV tip overs – new flat panels arriving in homes can be very dangerous if not secured.

Pre-K Smart From the Start Grant Program

National PTA® and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) have expanded their partnership to bring Smart from the Start, an early childhood health education grant program, to PTAs across the country.  Through the Smart from the Start program, National PTA will award 10 Smart from the Start: Community Outreach grants of $10,000 each to district, council and regional PTAs to focus on a specific neighborhood community in which to improve access to healthy foods and safe physical activity options for young families. Applications for the grants will be available beginning in January 2014 at PTA.org. The deadline to submit applications is March 28, 2014.  In addition to the community outreach grants, 25 Smart from the Start: Pre-K grants of $2,000 also will be awarded to PTAs in 2014 to implement the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation’s Energy Balance Pre-K curriculum. This grant application will be available in Spring 2014.

WSPTA Website Updates

If you haven’t visited the WSPTA website lately, you might want to take a quick peek to see the updates recently made in an effort to make it more user-friendly. On the home page you will note four new sections: News Briefs, Upcoming Events, Deadline Dates and Quick Links.  The News Brief section will be updated with news and information from the WSPTA (these items will later be moved to a News Room located in the About Us section so you can read past news of the WSPTA). The Upcoming Events and Deadline Dates sections will be updated regularly and are located directly below the News Briefs. On the right side of the web page, you will see Quick Links, which will be updated periodically throughout the year to provide you with easy access to items commonly searched for at specific times of the year.  In addition, we changed a few tab names and moved a few items around to make things easier to find. Thank you to all those who made suggestions regarding the website. We are always looking for ways to better serve you.