Outreach Webpages Updated

Region outreach leaders developed outreach plans for the families in their school communities by researching, planning, determining how to reach the goal, communicate and evaluate the total effort. These updated webpages will allow you to see each of the five phases of the outreach plan and the region outreach plans. Click here to see the new webpages.

Date Changed -- Governor's Education Bill Signing will now be on Thursday, April 3

The Governor will sign six education bills into law on April 3 at 11:00 am in the Governor’s Conference Room, at the Capitol campus in Olympia. Please join us! Following are the bills to be signed: SB 6552 – graduation requirements, 1080 hours in high school, math and science CTE credit equivalencies, education funding investments HB 2626 – Education attainment goals  SB 6436 – College Bound scholarships SB 6074 – Homeless K-12 students educational outcomes  SB 6163 – Improving summer learning opportunities HB 2612 – Opportunity Scholarships  Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as the Governor and his office continues to deal with the mudslide disaster needs in Oso / Snohomish County.

Family Engagement Lunch at Convention

On Sunday, April 27, from 12:15 pm – 2:15 pm, the WSPTA will host a special lunch program at convention, which will include an inspiring keynote presentation. This lunch program is available at no charge for the next 200 convention attendees that sign up, and register for Sunday. Register early for convention so you don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Otha Thornton, president of National PTA, will be a keynote speaker at this event. Thornton is a senior operations analyst with General Dynamics in Fort Stewart, Georgia. He is a retired, United States Army, Lieutenant Colonel, his last two assignments were with the White House Communications Agency, and United States Forces-Iraq in Baghdad. Thornton earned the Bronze Star Medal for exceptional performance in combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom 2009-2010. Previously, Thornton served on National PTA's Board of Directors, Legislative Committee, Membership Committee, and Executive Search Committee. During his time with Georgia PTA, Otha served on the Board of Directors as legislative chair and as an Advisory Group member for Georgia's Partnership for Excellence in Education.

Professional Growth and Development Session at Convention

Arrive to the WSPTA Convention early Friday morning, April 25, to take advantage of the pre-convention training session. It is designed to empower you as a volunteer leader, help you balance work and home life, and give you a chance to concentrate on the skills you want to build most.  Learn to control how others perceive you by how you present yourself and communicate information; build rapport with others; and participate in interactive exercises and discussions to help you to more fully understand, practice, and apply key techniques presented. Plan to attend this session at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel from 9:00 am - 10:30 am. Laura Katen, the presenter of this pre-convention session, is the president of Katen Consulting, a NY-based training company that specializes in helping individuals to exude a professional presence. Ms. Katen brings in-depth knowledge and experience to the communication and etiquette industry. She is a certified Business and Dining Etiquette consultant having attended the Protocol School of Washington in Washington, DC.

Question of the Week

QUESTION:    We do a joint fundraiser with our school. Once the fundraiser is over we grant the money to the ASB through the district stating how the money is to be allocated, i.e. $3000 assemblies, $5200 field trips (26 teachers x $200 each) etc. We are being told that we cannot specify how the money granted to the ASB is to be spent. Is this correct? ANSWER:    ASBs and PTAs may work together, but the PTA must take care to properly document the nature of the activities and how the funds will be handled in a contract with the ASB.  Since the funds belong to the PTA and the PTA is granting the money to the ASB, the PTA can dictate how the money should be handled.  You can use the restricted donation form found in Money Matters.

Scholarship Basket Donations Requested

Once again the WSPTA will be offering a scholarship basket raffle at convention. Raffle baskets are generously donated by individuals, local units, councils and regions to raise funds for the WSPTA Scholarship Program. This program awards scholarships to graduates of Washington State public high schools beginning their first year of post-secondary education. For those interested in donating a basket for this worthwhile project, contact Monika Scotti at monikascotti66@gmail.com or 360-710-9584.

Statewide Awards Deadline: April 1

Outstanding Educator Award; application available on the WSPTA website here.  Honorary Life Membership Award; application available on the WSPTA website here. Friend of Children Award; application available on the WSPTA website here.

Governor to Sign Education Bills into Law

Thank you to everyone who made this legislative session so successful! We would love to have a strong PTA presence when the Governor signs six education bills into law on Tuesday, April 1st, 11:30 am-12:30 pm, at Renton High School (gym), 400 South 2nd Street, Renton, 98057. Please join us!

Our heart-felt thoughts and prayers go out to all the families impacted by the mudslide in Oso, Darrington, and Arlington, Washington. If you want to find out how you can support them, contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-RED CROSS.

14 in 14 PTA Membership Challenges

The National PTA Membership Committee is excited to announce the launch of 14 in ’14 National PTA Membership Challenge! Every PTA in the nation, is challenged to recruit and report 14 new members. For each 14 new members a PTA signs up between February 1 and May 31, the PTA receives an entry for a chance to win $1,000 from the National PTA. When a PTA in Washington state has 14 new members signed up, they send a list of the new members, a National PTA 14 in ’14 Entry Form, and a check with the membership dues attached to the Washington State PTA office. At that time, the state office will send off their membership form to NPTA for inclusion in the NPTA $1,000 lottery for the 14 in ’14 contest nationwide. The National PTA drawing for the $1,000 cash prize will occur at the 2014 National PTA Convention and Exhibition.  To be considered for the additional Washington State PTA drawing, these forms are due by April 14, 2014. In addition to the National PTA contest, Washington State PTA will also enter 14 in ’14 recipients into a Washington State PTA contest to receive a $500 grant towards attending the Washington State PTA Convention at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel on April 25-17, 2014. The final date to be entered in the Washington State PTA 14 in ’14 drawing is April 14, 2014. There will then be twelve (12), $500 grants, drawn at random in the WSPTA 14 in 14 lottery.

Child Safety: Electronic Cigarettes

The Department of Health recently launched a new website that provides information on Electronic Cigarettes or E-cigarettes, as they are commonly known.   E-cigarettes are also called e-pens, e-hookah and other similar names. They are battery powered devices that look similar to traditional cigarettes and are used to simulate tobacco smoking. Most E-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a fast acting, highly addictive, and harmful drug. For more information, visit the Department of Health website.

Honor Your Local Unit Leadership by Ordering Awards Through PTA Store

Local Units may order Golden Acorn awards, Honorary Life Membership awards, Outstanding Advocate, and Outstanding Educator awards may be ordered online at http://store.wastatepta.org/. These awards may be purchased by either check or credit card with a portion of the funds contributed to the WSPTA Scholarship Program. From these contributions, WSPTA is able to provide grants to freshman students entering post-secondary education. Local units and councils choose the individuals they wish to honor with these awards.  Some considerations for selecting individuals may include PTA service, service to the school community, community-wide service.

Convention Announcement: Golden Acorn and Other Awards

Please be aware that Golden Award and other award orders will not be available to pick up on-site at convention this year. However, please feel free to go to the PTA Store to order your Golden Acorns and other awards any time (including during convention) and they will be processed and sent to you in a timely manner.

Question of the Week

QUESTION:   It is difficult with for our family population and their lack of income to pay $10 to join. Are PTAs allowed to pay membership fees for people who cannot afford to join? ANSWER:   Unfortunately PTAs may not use their general funds to pay membership fees for some of its members because it would be diverting tax exempt funds for a purpose that wouldn’t qualify for tax exempt status by directly benefiting specific people. However, a local unit may setup a restricted line item in their budget specific for membership scholarships, to be funded solely by donations.  These funds may be used to pay for partial or full assistance of PTA memberships.  Unused funds in the membership scholarship budget may carry over year to year, but may only be used to cover the cost of PTA memberships. •         Remember to vote on this at your general membership meeting. •         Have your treasurer track donations on its own line item. •         Add a line to your membership form asking specifically for people to donate to the membership scholarship fund to pay for another member or a staff member. If a PTA wishes to solicit donations with varying levels of contribution, it may do so as a separate project from the membership campaign.   For example, a gold donor/patron could be $100; a silver donor/patron could be $50, etc. This is a way you can also solicit the support of local businesses. The details of this project must be outlined in the standing rules and approved annually by the membership. Remember to keep contributions and membership dues separate in your accounting and regular financial reports. Example: Scholarship requests/donations ____Scholarship assistance requested (completely confidential) 100% assistance or partial assistance $_____ (fill in amount) ____I would like to donate to the scholarship fund $______ (fill in amount)  Another possibility is lowering the price of your membership fees to the minimum amount to cover the state and national fees.  If your unit is a member of a council, your dues would need to cover council fees as well.

Class Correction

In the Convention & Voter’s Guide 2014, class #306 is mistitled.  It should be Advanced Choice – Membership Basics. For your convenience, you may click on the links below to view the corrected class matrix and the class descriptions. Click here for 2104 Class Matrix Click here for 2014 Class Descriptions

Candidates for WSPTA Statewide Officers

The Washington State PTA is pleased to announce the following candidates for statewide offices. Elections will take place at the Washington State PTA convention April 25-27, 2014 at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel. Secretary: Leanne Hawkins Finance Officer: Karen Albers Outreach Director: Ray Kusumi Leadership Director: Dori Tate Program Director: Michelle Nims At-Large Position for State Nominating Committee, three positions available (listed in alphabetical order): Karen Carpenter Kim Golding Dee Dee Loberg Karen Madsen Maureen Maguire

Statewide Awards Deadline: April 1

Outstanding Educator Award; application available on the WSPTA website here. Honorary Life Membership Award; application available on the WSPTA website here. Friend of Children Award; application available on the WSPTA website here.

Washington State Principals of the Year Announced

Congratulations to West View PTA 8.2.53 and South Shore PTA 6.15.329 and their schools for the honor of having their principals named 2014 Washington State Principals of the Year for elementary and middle schools! Chris Pearson, principal of West View Elementary School in the Burlington-Edison School District was named Elementary Principal of the Year. Keisha Scarlett, principal of South Shore PK-8 School in the Seattle Public School District was named Middle School Principal of the Year. The High School Washington State Principal of the Year honoree will be announced at the end of March. The Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) make the annual award selections. Winners advance to their respective grade-level national competitions/celebrations.

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 253-214-7410.)

14 in 14 PTA Membership Challenges

The National PTA Membership Committee is excited to announce the launch of 14 in ’14 National PTA Membership Challenge! Every PTA in the nation, is challenged to recruit and report 14 new members. For each 14 new members a PTA signs up between February 1 and May 31, the PTA receives an entry for a chance to win $1,000 from the National PTA. When a PTA in Washington state has 14 new members signed up, they send a list of the new members, a National PTA 14 in ’14 Entry Form, and a check with the membership dues attached to the Washington State PTA office. At that time, the state office will send off their membership form to NPTA for inclusion in the NPTA $1,000 lottery for the 14 in ’14 contest nationwide. The National PTA drawing for the $1,000 cash prize will occur at the 2014 National PTA Convention and Exhibition. These forms are due by April 14, 2014. In addition to the National PTA contest, Washington State PTA will also enter 14 in ’14 recipients into a Washington State PTA contest to receive a $500 grant towards attending the Washington State PTA Convention at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel on April 25-17, 2014. The final date to be entered in the Washington State PTA 14 in ’14 drawing is April 14, 2014. There will then be twelve (12), $500 grants, drawn at random in the WSPTA 14 in 14 lottery.

CDC Study: Youth Perceptions About Energy Drinks

A recent CDC study shows that more health promotion efforts may be needed to educate young people about the potential health dangers of consuming energy drinks. Energy drinks contain caffeine that ranges from 50 mg to 500 mg per can or bottle (compared with the average can of cola that has 35 mg), as well as other ingredients aimed at boosting energy. When used in excess, they can cause health problems such as elevated blood pressure and dehydration because of their high caffeine content. The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2011 recommended against energy drink intake by adolescents given their possible adverse health effects. The study, “Perceptions About Energy Drinks Are Associated with Energy Drink Intake Among US Youth,” is available online in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Exclusive Offers to PTA Members

Whether you're buying school supplies for the kids, purchasing a smart phone, or renting a car for your next family vacation, PTA members can save money on everyday purchases thanks to National PTA's Member Benefits Provider Program. Because of the size of our organization, PTA is able to partner with businesses and negotiate special discounts, fundraising opportunities, and other valuable benefits exclusively for PTA members. When you make purchases from these companies, not only will you receive a discount, often National PTA will receive a percentage of royalties from the sale as well. Click here for more information.

Question of the Week

QUESTION:  Our PTA has a box tops project in which our PTA volunteers collect, count and send the box tops into Box Tops company. The check from the box tops goes into the PTA account and then the PTA writes checks with these funds to grant money to the school for different things. Recently the school had a change in staff and when the box tops check came in, it was deposited directly into the school account instead of going to the PTA. How would we document the money the school already received from the box tops check they cashe ANSWER:    The best practice would be for the check to come to the PTA and for the PTA to grant the money to the school.  In this kind of transaction, the budget most likely would have a revenue line item that matches the expense line item. In this case, those line items would show as zero and a footnote should state the dollar amount received, that the school inadvertently cashed the check. If the school used the money towards the same thing the PTA is granting funds for then they should deduct that amount from the total they had budgeted to grant to the school. If there were additional monies budgeted to be granted to the school, in addition to the box tops money, the PTA should go ahead and grant the additional money to the school so that they maintain compliance with their budget.  If the school used that money towards something else then they will need to make the decision about whether or not they will still grant the full amount. Depending on the amount and how far out of the approved budget it may need to be taken to the general membership. I highly suggest that all PTAs, but especially those that participate in programs that send checks back to the PTA (Box Tops, Matching Funds, etc.), rent a postal box. Having a dedicated address that is separate from the school would alleviate this type of problem. This also helps for where to send bank statements, where people can send membership payments, etc.

Convention Registration Now Available

Convention is coming and the Washington State PTA is pleased to announce the registration website is now open!  Register today! The registration website offers a glimpse of convention highlights, including speakers, classes, events, and more! You can also view all the classes and their descriptions here.

PTAs May Order Awards Through PTA Store

Local Units may order Golden Acorn awards, Honorary Life Membership awards, Outstanding Advocate, and Outstanding Educator awards may be ordered online at http://store.wastatepta.org/. These awards may be purchased by either check or credit card with a portion of the funds contributed to the WSPTA Scholarship Program. From these contributions, WSPTA is able to provide grants to freshman students entering post-secondary education. A Golden Acorn Award is presented, by a local PTA unit or council, to a volunteer in recognition of his/her dedication and service to children and youth. The purpose of the Honorary Life Membership is to recognize an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level. The Outstanding Advocate Award recognizes and honors individuals for their advocacy work on behalf of children and youth. This award can be given by a PTA unit, council, or region. There is also a separate Outstanding Student Advocate award available. The Outstanding Educator Award recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding educational opportunities for children and youth that are beyond the normal scope of their jobs.

WSPTA College Scholarship Applications Now Available

The Washington State PTA awards college scholarships to entering college freshmen graduating from high schools in Washington State. Two thousand dollars ($2,000) are given to recipients entering four-year post-secondary institutions. One thousand ($1,000) dollar scholarships will be awarded for community colleges, voc-tech schools or other accredited institutions. Applications are due May 1, 2014 and are available through an online application.

100% Teacher Membership Award

The 100% Teacher Membership Award is an award presented to PTA units to recognize the value of teachers as stakeholders advocating for all children through PTA membership. Congratulations to the schools who have 100% teacher involvement in PTA! Click here for the list.

WSPTA Partner: GET

No matter how old your child is, it’s never too early to start saving for college. GET is Washington's 529 prepaid college tuition plan, committed to helping Washington families by offering a safe and secure way to save for their children's college education.  We encourage you to help spread the word to fellow members who could benefit from saving for college. Learn more and enroll online at www.get.wa.gov.

FedEx/Kinkos Partnership With WSPTA

The Washington State PTA is pleased to announce a new partnership with FedEx/Kinkos, which will benefit local PTAs in many ways such as providing discounted prices for their high quality photocopying and other professional services. As part of the special rates PTAs will receive, black and white copies will be available at just 3.8¢ (single-sided) a piece; color copies will be available at 37¢ (single-sided) a piece and PTAs will receive 20% off on all other production services. To receive these discounted services, simply provide WSPTA’s account number at the checkout or online whenever you are ready to place your order. For more information on this exciting opportunity, click here.

Poison Prevention

Unintentional poisoning is a major concern for kids. With so many emerging trends like single-load liquid laundry pods, e-cigs, and marijuana edibles, it is more important than ever to get important safety messages out to parents and kids. Get more information to use in your community: https://www.wapc.org/ or http://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/what-can-you-do/national-poison-prevention-week/index.html

Give WSPTA Volunteer Awards and Support the Scholarship Program at the Same Time

The Washington State PTA Scholarship Program is funded largely through donations made to honor volunteers by local units and councils when they purchase an award to recognize their volunteers, an outstanding educator or an outstanding advocate.  These awards are described more fully here, and can be ordered from the WSPTA Store at any time during the year, but with the end of the school year approaching it’s time to plan.

School Grants for Healthy Kids

Action for Healthy Kids welcomes schools to apply for 2014-15 School Grants for Healthy Kids. The grants are funding by our partners CSX Transportation, Kellogg Company, Kellogg’s Corporate Citizenship Fund (and more!) and will range from $500 to $5,000. The funding is designed to help schools create or expand school breakfast programs, pilot universal breakfast programs to enhance their physical activity programs. Applications must be filled by May 2, 2014. More information and the application form is available here.

Fire Up Your Feet

Fire Up Your Feet helps your PTA get moving and raise money to create a healthy school! You can raise funds through walkathons, fun runs and other physical activity efforts to support your school. Start an online team using the fundraising toolkit, which includes ideas, tips and a step-by-step guide.

Smart From the Start Grant

Funded by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, 10 grants of $10,000 will be awarded to PTA regions, districts and councils to educate families of children ages 3-5 and partner with a local neighborhood community to improve awareness of energy balance concepts. The application deadline is March 28.  For more information and the application, click here.

Question of the Week

QUESTION:  Our board is wondering what happens if we do not have folks step forward to fill our executive committee positions next year?  Although it is still relatively early, the nominating committee has not found anyone interested in filling these positions. ANSWER:  It is best to fill the position with a volunteer that is qualified and willing to do the work rather than a warm body just to fill in a form by a prescribed time. The nominating committee can submit the slate of officers with blanks if no candidate was identified. At the election of officers that has been advertised to the general members, it would be possible for someone to be nominated or to self-declare from the floor. In this case, the nominating committee could agree to continue to work at trying to find someone in between when the slate must be posted and the meeting. Or other board members might help in trying to identify candidates to come to the meeting to self-declare or be nominated. If there is still no one, then at the next general membership meeting you would open elections again to accept nominations from the floor. Along the way you would want to communicate with your membership, “we still need a secretary” – and give a few specifics about the job, why it is key for your PTA, and someone they could contact to learn more. If July 1st comes and there is still no elected officer, the executive committee may appoint someone until the next general membership meeting when the election is held to officially vote them into office. For example, if you couldn’t elect a treasurer by July 1, the elected president, vice president and secretary could appoint someone on August 5 who could start doing most of the duties until your general membership meeting that might not be until September or October. The bylaws, Article 5, Section 6(c) also states that an officer is elected “for a term of one (1) year or until their successors are elected.” For example, this could be interpreted that the current vice president would continue in that roll until another candidate is identified that the executive committee could appoint and then have elected at the first general membership meeting.

Matching Grants for Books That Celebrate the Latino Culture

National PTA's partner First Book is offering local PTAs funding for high quality, low cost books from the new Latino Culture section of their online marketplace. When your PTA spends $200 on Latino Culture books, First Book will match every $200 you spend with $200 FREE books—written by Latino authors and illustrators—full of characters and storylines that reflect the U.S. Latino experience and cultural heritage. Your PTA can use these books for your school's library or give them to families in need to encourage reading.  PTA members must be registered with First Book for eligibility. This limited-time opportunity is available to Local PTAs through March 31, so don't wait! For more info, contact the First Book Help Team, (866) READ-NOW.

Washington State to Honor Medal of Honor Recipients

A public ceremony to honor Washington state Medal of Honor recipients SFC Leroy A. Petry, SSG Ty M. Carter, and CPT William D. Swenson will take place on April 2, 2014 at 11:00 am in the Rotunda of the State Capitol located at 416 Sid Snyder Ave, SW Olympia.

Save the Date: WSPTA Legislative Assembly

The Washington State PTA is pleased to announce that the WSPTA Annual Legislative Assembly will take place in Vancouver, Washington on October 24-25, 2014 at the Vancouver Hilton. More details will be available in the upcoming months.

Capital Funding Action Alert

We NEED your help!  Click here to send a message in support of school funding!

Democratic Representative Hans Dunshee and Republican Representative Drew MacEwen have introduced House Bill 2797 which would pay for $700 million in school construction costs by bonding against state lottery revenues. This funds the critical need for extra classroom space for K-3 class size reduction spelled out in McCleary.

The bill has received strong bipartisan support in the House and we need your help to pass this bill onto the Senate.

Click HERE to contact your Representative today and urge them to VOTE YES on HB 2797.

WSPTA Reflections Award Winners

The WSPTA Reflections Committee recently announced the state Reflections award winners. Thank you to ALL the countless volunteers and leaders across our state who provided this invaluable program to students this year! Access to arts is just one of the ways that PTA advocates for children so please take time to celebrate all of your success! To view a gallery of award-winning entries, click here.