Legislative session is upon us and starting Monday, January 18th, it's
WSPTA's Focus on Advocacy Week!!
Here's a brief run-down on what you can expect out of this week long event and how you can get involved!
When is Focus on Advocacy Week? This week long event runs Monday, January 18th through Friday, January 22nd. Who should participate? Anyone who wants to advocate for students, teachers, or their school community! Advocacy is for everyone and now is the perfect time to get involved. Where does this take place? This year, Focus on Advocacy Week is virtual! That means anyone wanting to participate can do so from their phone or computer. What is the Legislative Session? The Legislative session is the time when our senators and representatives work on bills. They will be debating, reading emails, and holding meetings about current bills for the session. What is Focus on Advocacy Week? Focus on Advocacy Week is the week where we as PTA members focus on calling, writing, and having meetings with our legislators. We do this to get our Legislative Priorities into the hearts and minds of our elected officials and to educate them on what our members need and want. Why does Focus on Advocacy Week matter? This is the best time to get our priorities heard by our representatives. Washington State PTA members voted and approved our top 5 issues that we believe lawmakers should work on. Now is the time that we bring these issues to the forefront of their work. See below for a list of our Top 5 Issues as well as how PTA plans to put equity at the center of everything we do with our 2020-2022 Legislative Priorities. How can someone participate? 1. Sign up for the WSPTA's Action Network Group to get timely alerts. 2. Find your Washington State Legislature Representatives. 3. Set aside time during Focus on Advocacy Week to call and email. WSPTA has designated each day next week to a different focus topic: ◘ Monday, January 18 – Call to Action: Focus on anti-racism ◘ Tuesday, January 19 – Call to Action: Focus on equity ◘ Wednesday, January 20 – Call to Action: Focus on mental health and wellness ◘ Thursday, January 21 – Call to Action: Focus on preserving and flexing funding ◘ Friday, January 22 – Call to Action: Focus on safety and emergency preparedness 4. Read the January 11 Focus on Advocacy Weekly Report by Marie Sullivan, WSPTA Legislative Chair, which includes the status of current bills. 5. Spread the word! Invite others from your PTA community to join you in connecting with state legislative leaders. Don't forget to share about Focus on Advocacy Week through your PTA channels such as your website, emails, or social media. 
Learn more about the WSPTA legislative priorities:
Check out the image below from WSPTA to see how PTA is putting Equity at the Center of Everything We Do with our 2020-2022 Legislative Priorities. Click here for a printable version.
 Northshore Council PTSA is proud to co-sponsor two upcoming Parent Education Events taking place on Thursday, January 28th; one on digital safety and the other on instilling positive self-identity in our children. These events were made possible by the Educational Speaker and Community Event Grants Program. Check out the details for each of these events below!
 Join us for ‘Northshore PTAs Connect’ – an online roundtable discussion for PTA/PTSA leaders to ask questions, share ideas, and connect with one another.
Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtables are designed to support our local PTA/PTSA leaders as we navigate membership, programs, and managing our organizations in an uncertain and ever-changing landscape. This midday (12 noon) roundtable will be an open discussion in order to give our Local Leaders the opportunity to ask questions and tackle emerging or ongoing areas of interest or concern as we head into the 2nd half of the 20-21 school year. Date: Thursday, January 28th Time: 12:00PM (noon) Location: Online via Zoom Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97945642459 Meeting ID: 979 4564 2459 Passcode: *Available upon request  Council is so proud of the work our Northshore PTAs/PTSAs are doing to support and engage our community, especially during these challenging times and we can't wait to see what you have to offer in 2021! As a reminder, we are keeping an ongoing list of events our local PTAs are hosting. This is a great resource to help connect with each other on events or inspire one for your PTA to host. If you have an event to include, particularly if it's available to members of other PTA/PTSAs, please share with our larger membership community by completing this Google form. To view a list of upcoming events, click here. To help connect further with other local leaders, check out our new FACE/DEI Facebook Group which is open to anyone interested in engaging and learning more about Family & Community Engagement and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. We would love to have you join us! Finally, as you plan activities for 2021, please consider planning inclusive events. National PTA has put together a comprehensive Multicultural Calendar to highlight and celebrate the diversity of our PTAs and school communities. You can view this calendar below or click here to print the PDF.  This year's Advocacy Week will be held January 18 – 22, 2021 In addition to our ongoing efforts, WSPTA will be asking members to take action from home or your phone throughout an entire week. To participate, subscribe to the WSPTA Action Network to stay informed. Once subscribed, you'll receive an email notification when a new issue arises and there will be a pre-written email ready to go, which you can customize and edit so you can tell YOUR story and make your voice heard. Tentative schedule (likely to change):
Learn more about the WSPTA legislative priorities: Don't forget to make appointments with your Legislators! It's important to make appointments as far in advanced as possible. For this year's Advocacy Week, all appointments will be virtual. Input your address here to get the names of the Representatives and Senator(s) for you, your school district, and their contact information. Members should consult with their local PTA, council, or region advocacy chair for assistance in making legislator appointments. Appointments may begin as early as 8:00 am. What do you say during an appointment with a legislator? Check out our previous Advocacy blog on writing Your PTA Story for helpful tips and resources. Additionally, WSPTA encourages you to visit their advocacy page, where you will find our 2021 WSPTA Legislative Platform, as well as a detailed one-page handout for each legislative priority in the drop-down lists under “Legislative Platform.” These one-page handouts are great sources of talking points and can be given to legislators as well. In addition, due to the visual opportunities provided by a remote session, WSPTA be uploading position videos, which you can use as a start to your meeting or in advance to explain your support for a legislative priority. Advocacy Tip: Tell legislators why WSPTA priorities are important to you and ask for their support! Check out the image below from WSPTA to see how PTA is putting Equity at the Center of Everything We Do with our 2020-2022 Legislative Priorities. Click here for a printable version. Still have questions about Advocacy or how you can get involved? Contact Council's VP of Advocacy, Diana Christiansen. |
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