Now's a great time to check in regarding your membership goal for the year! Many PTAs focus their Membership Campaign efforts at the start of the school year. However, Council recommends keeping your campaign going all year long - it's never to late to Join PTA! Washington State PTA is even running a final membership contest of the year as incentive. WSPTA's “Keep those Members Coming” contest just requires your PTA to add seven new members between February 1st and March 14th to qualify. We are also just 3 weeks away from the deadline for 100% Staff and 100% Membership awards. If your PTA has qualified for either of these awards, please make sure to fill out the application form and return it by the deadline of March 15th. See below for more information about these and WSPTA's Membership Growth Awards. Washington State PTA gives out two types of PTA Membership Awards:
Membership Growth Awards Levels Bronze: Recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling at least one more member than their previous year’s total membership. Silver: Recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling PTA members equaling at least 105% of their previous year’s total membership. Gold: Recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling PTA members equaling at least 110% of their previous year’s total membership. Platinum: Recognizes local PTAs, in good standing, for enrolling PTA members equaling at least 120% of their previous year’s total membership. Membership Achievement Awards 100% Staff Membership Award: Recognizes local PTAs that have at least as many school staff members enrolled in their PTA as there are full-time, certificated staff members employed at the school associated with that PTA. Check out our previous blog for to learn about achieving 100% Staff Membership – it’s easier than you think! Many of our local PTAs earned this award last year - view the recipient list here! 100% PTA Membership Award: Presented to local PTAs that enroll at least as many members as there are full-time enrolled students at the school associated with that PTA. Our very own Sunrise Elementary PTA earned this award in 2019-2020! Membership Achievement Awards require a local PTA to complete a simple form (available from WSPTA here), get it signed by the principal of the school associated with that PTA, and submit it to WSPTA by March 15th. Submissions can be done by mail or scanned and sent via email. Once forms are received and approved, your PTA will receive a digital awards kit to help celebrate your achievement and be recognized at the WSPTA Convention in May. Questions about these different awards or need help with your membership campaign? Contact Council's Co-Chairs of Membership, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline!
Happy 2022! With the new year brings new opportunities to ask someone to join your PTA!
Take advantage of the new year enthusiasm as we head into the second semester of the school year. Tell your school community about the new opportunities to get involved in & be a part of your PTA!
BONUS: Washington State PTA is offering a "Keep those members coming!" contest. Add 7 new members to your PTA between February 1 and March 14 to qualify. One fun way to increase membership is by promoting joining your PTA with a gift basket giveaway. Have questions on how to run a membership giveaway or help with your membership campaign? Contact Council's Membership Co-Chairs, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline.
Legislative session is upon us and starting Monday, January 17th, 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 17th through Friday, January 21st 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. Fill out this Focus Day Interest Google Form to schedule meetings with legislators 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 17 – Call to Action: Focus on dismantling racism ◘ Tuesday, January 18 – Call to Action: Focus on equity ◘ Wednesday, January 19 – Call to Action: Focus on mental health and wellness ◘ Thursday, January 20 – Call to Action: Focus on preserving and flexing funding ◘ Friday, January 21 – Call to Action: Focus on safety and emergency preparedness 4. Join Marie Sullivan, Washington State PTA’s legislative consultant, on January 11th from 7-8pm over Zoom as she presents Preparing for the 2022 Legislative Session - Your Questions Answered. 5. Check out the awesome videos and one page issue documents available on Washington State PTA’s Advocacy page about each of the priorities. 6. Spread the word! Invite others from your PTA community to join you in connecting with state legislative leaders. Use the hashtag #WSPTAOneVoice to share about Focus on Advocacy Week through your PTA's, and even your own, social media accounts. Remember to share updates via your PTA's other channels such as website or emails.
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.
WA State PTA's 100% Staff Membership Award is presented to local PTAs that enroll at least as many school staff members as there are full-time certificated employees at the school. This award recognizes the value of teachers and school staff as stakeholders advocating for all children through PTA membership. PTAs must be in good standing and submit a completed application form by March 15, 2022 to be eligible for this award. Recipients of the 100% Staff Membership Award will be recognized at the WSPTA convention in the spring. Check out the below flyer put together by Washington State PTA to help determine if you are eligible for this award! Click here to download or print the flyer.
💡 Membership Tip: To show appreciation for teachers & staff when they join, consider printing a certificate to give them to highlight their special recognition in your PTA. You can even ask them to display this certificate in their classroom/office - a perfect way to help promote joining your PTA to others! Click here to download, save, and customize the certificate shown below.
Last weekend, delegates from Northshore PTAs joined over 350 members to come together at the 43rd Annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly to learn, listen, debate and vote on additions to our grassroots legislative platform.
Three new resolutions and two amended resolutions were approved during the 2021 Legislative Assembly. New resolutions:
Amended resolutions:
The WSPTA Resolutions webpage has been updated with the titles of the new resolutions and are identifiable as either *new*, *amended*, or *retired*. WSPTA looks forward to seeing everyone next year for the 44th annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly where delegates will vote on a new Top 5 platform. Look for information this spring on how to submit a proposal on a topic that is important to you, your community, or your PTA! Today we celebrate Northshore PTAs & PTSAs!! We know Local Leaders have been working hard on their membership campaigns this year. And that hard work is paying off! So many of our Northshore PTAs/PTSAs have surpassed their membership numbers from last year and many more are not far behind. Watch the video below to share in the celebration of the membership growth all across the district! Additionally, several of our local PTAs & PTSAs have already earned a
Washington State PTA Membership Growth Award for this year. Council is hosting two (2) Roundtables focusing on Reflections! Join us for one or both of these roundtables which are designed to support our local PTA/PTSA leaders with any questions they may have about the 2021-2022 Reflections Program.
Can't make it to the roundtable but still have questions? Check out these additional resources for help!
Registration is now open for the 43rd Annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly!
PTA delegates from across the state will come together to update the WSPTA legislative platform. At legislative assembly, discover the power PTA has to advocate for the success of every child – the whole child. In PTA every member has an equal voice, and your input matters a great deal to the success of PTA's grassroots member-driven platform. PTA is needed more than ever right now, and you can help! Key Things to Note:
During the 43rd annual Washington State PTA Legislative Assembly, delegates will decide the public policy positions that guide state and local advocacy work for WSPTA and its associated local PTAs and councils. To learn more about being a voting delegate, visit WSPTA's Legislative Assembly Voting Information page which includes the 2021 Voters’ Guide that has been created to help delegates prepare for the caucusing and general sessions. The Washington State PTA legislative platform is a two-year platform to mirror the Washington state legislative cycle. On the even-numbered years, the new platform is voted on by members at the legislative assembly in the fall. The top five issues become our short-term platform and consist of our priority issues when advocating throughout the year. Other issues are placed on an “also supported” list. Learn about WSPTA's current legislative priorities and other supported issues by clicking here. Be a part of the process and help direct the course for WSPTA advocacy by serving as a delegate for your PTA! If you are interested in attending Legislative Assembly as a delegate for your local PTA, contact your local PTA president. Check out the Legislative Assembly web page to learn more about this year's event. This year's Reflections Theme is "I Will Change the World By..." The Reflections Program is a National PTA and WSPTA cultural arts competition. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to use their creative talents by expressing themselves through their own original works for the theme of "I Will Change the World By...".
Reflections is so much more than "just an art contest." It helps kids take risks, be inspired, think creatively, receive positive recognition and be celebrated for their works of art. It also allows our community to celebrate our students' creativity! Encourage art by offering Reflections at your PTA! Council is here to help make it easy! Check out our Reflections page for regular updates and links to the student entry form and rules (available in English and Spanish), join the Northshore Council PTSA Reflections and Art Docent Chairs Facebook group and be sure to sign up for our "almost weekly" Reflections communications. Dates to Note:
Questions? Contact Council's Reflections Chair, Jasmine Lee Fry. Calling all Advocates! It's time to get started on PTA Advocacy for the 2021-2022 school year. Here are 6 Advocacy Action Items to add to your PTA's back to school list of things to do:
Bonus Advocacy Action Item: Let’s Vote Challenge! National Voter Registration Day is September 28th! Did you know that Local PTAs/PTSAs can run voter registration drives? You can also include the graphic below in your e-news and on social media to encourage your members to register to vote! For WA state, voter information and registration can be found at http://vote.wa.gov/ and is provided in multiple languages! |
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