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Hey Presidents...
Happy Sunday!
Here's the link for the School Board meeting tomorrow. Apologies to anyone who tried to go to the meeting last week, only to have it with a 5 pm starting time rather than 7... This one might get crowded, as this is the budget approval meeting, and the teachers are still bargaining (you've started to see teacher support signs?)
https://app.eduportal.com/share/fddc7b4a39225d4a
Don't forget about the President/Principal potluck this Tuesday (August 25th) from 6-8:30pm!! Bring something yummy and join us in the Spartan Room at the Shoreline Center!
A note about these emails: They are called President Notes because they go to you as Presidents (not because they typically come from Lisa). THEY ARE NOT GOING OUT TO YOUR BOARDS. There will be some targeted information going out to Reflections Chairs, Leg Chairs, etc, but they will not get these. Please forward any information that's applicable to your PTA to the people who need it.
Websites!
Have you checked your links yet? The School calendars just hit mailboxes, so people will probably be looking at your sites soon...
Question from You: Are we supposed to have a Legal Docs Binder?
Yes.
"It is very important that every PTA maintain a legal documents notebook. This is a notebook into which the PTA places all documents relating to the legal status of the unit. Many of these documents are subject to public inspection. To truly safeguard your PTA’s organizational records, you should keep them in a safe deposit box at a bank. If that is not possible, the records should be maintained in a fireproof safe. Most organizations maintain their corporate records in a three-ring binder (or several binders) with tabs for different categories of documents. The PTA’s standing rules should state who has the notebook and who is responsible for updating it. For example, the secretary may be responsible for maintaining the original notebook and making copies for the president and treasurer. More information is available on the WSPTA leadership resources webpage: http://www.wastatepta.org/leadership/index.aspx. "
This collection of documents should include IRS documents, Articles of Incorporation, your incorporation renewals and Charitable Solicitations registrations, your IRS determination letter (501(c)(3) status), tax forms, etc.
The last page of the PTA & the Law book has a document retention schedule, so you know how long you're supposed to hang onto stuff. Yes, minutes are permanent records :(
Question from you: for the accommodations piece, who should be the contact person on the enrichment forms?
Part of this will depend on how your PTA is set up, and how your positions are currently being filled. If you have a Director or VP of Enrichment Programs (or something similar), this is probably the best person to put in as the contact. Having the chairs of each individual program as the contact person seems a little complicated, as you may have the same families signing up for multiple classes. If your Director develops a relationship with those families, the flow of information will be better and things will be less likely to be missed.
We recognize that we are walking into uncharted territory, and we will be learning and refining as we go.
Board Resources
Please make sure all of your Board members know how to access the leadership packets for their positions. On the Washington State PTA website, the leadership resource "button" is to the left. The user name is "growing" and the password is "together." Handbooks are linked for Leadership (your Board), Standing Rules (also for your Board), President, Secretary, Membership, Advocacy & Legislation, Money Matters/Treasurer (for the Treasurer but also good for your Board), and Nominating Committee.
These handbooks contain job descriptions, timelines, tips, and more. They are also a jumping off point - your PTA can choose to do more or less with each position (except for those tasks required to keep you legal).
You can consider doing a Kinko's run for your Board so that everyone has those in hand at your meetings. Remember to use the handy-dandy FedEx discount code: 0520882103!
Membership
You may have noticed that you are still not able to get into the membership database. We expect PT Avenue log in information to be coming out very soon. If your membership chairs are freaking out a little bit, please let me know if they would like a training from our Region 6 PT Avenue goddess. Please make sure your Officers have been submitted to the State office, and go over this information prep with your membership chair.
Don't forget to actively promote some of the crazy membership perks that the Executive Director is lining up! There are these, but also the newly announced discount to the Fair:
"WSPTA members can begin purchasing discounted tickets to the Washington State Fair through a custom portal. Save up to 49% on tickets to the Washington State Fair, September 11-27 and #PARTYBIGWA with tons of free entertainment, concerts, fabulous fair food, animals, and much more! Click here for more information and promotion code."
McCleary
For those of you who are looking for resources about McCleary, your best website is the NEWS website (Network for Excellence in Washington Schools). This is the lawsuit that the School District has signed on to, along with 430 other community groups.
For a great overview, although without Mr Ahearne's extra notes or awesome commentary, here's the slideshow from 1/2014. Click through the slides to get a really good idea of why Education Funding in the State is such a big deal. Questions? Send 'em in!
Back to School Event Needs Help!!
Saturday, August 29, 1:30-4 pm (and more...)
Here's the volunteer page. Kids can help stuff backpacks and that kind of thing, but cannot volunteer on the day of the event. Please promote this volunteer opportunity to your boards and your membership. It is a really great community thing, and although you will be tired at the end, it's a feel-good day.
I saw our Urgent Registration message on a lot of PTA Facebook pages!! Thank you so much!!!!
Council Needs
Reflections Co-Chair/Volunteer Coordinator. Adrian did a fantastic job with the poster and program, and his heart is definitely with Reflections. But he needs help with organization, deadlines and volunteer recruitment (for the reception, for instance). This is relatively short-term, but the impact will be huge.
Membership Chair. We didn't have one last year, but it would be a nice thing to fill.
How can Council help you? Give us your ideas, your feedback, your needs, concerns, and triumphs.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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August
8/25, 6-8:30 Principals & Presidents Potluck
8/29, Back to School Event |
Partner with Pemco
Did you know? Region 6 is a Pemco partner. They will do things like this:
Local Unit Sponsorship: We’ll provide matching dollars of up to $100 towards an existing program, event, or speaker presentation your local unit is conducting.
This includes: Safety and Parent Education Programs, Community Service or School Support Events, and Guest Speakers at meetings.
They keep it low-key, but will help each local unit one time this year. See the flyer for details, other options, and contact information. |
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Mark Your Calendars
August
Thursday, 8/20 Region 6 Conference, 4:45-9 pm, Cavalry Christian, Seattle
Monday 8/24 School Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 8/25, 6-8:30 pm: Principals & Presidents Potluck, Spartan Room
Saturday 8/29 Back to School Event
September
Monday 9/7: Labor Day
Wednesday 9/9: First Day of School
Monday 9/14 School Board Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 9/17, 9:30-11 Superintendent Coffee
Monday 9/28 School Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Monday 9/28, 7 pm: PTA Council Meeting, Arden Room
Training Opportunities
Other training opportunities (you can attend in any Region, if there is a location and date that is more convenient for you):
Region 9: 9/12 | Auburn | 8:00am - 5:00pm | TBD | Tania Skinner, Region Director
Region 15: 9/19 | TBD | TBD | Karen Albers, Acting Region Director
Region 11: 9/24 | Wenatchee | 5:00pm - 9:00pm | TBD | Amanda Shipman, Region Director
Region 11: 10/3 | Yakima | 9:00am - 2:00pm | TBD | Amanda Shipman, Region Director
Other Events
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WAFCET and Everett Public Schools are proud to announce the:
United for Student Success
Family and Community Engagement Conference.
Saturday, October 10th, 2015 9 am to 3 pm
Evergreen Middle School 7621 Beverly Lane, Everett, WA 98203
We welcome keynote speaker: Anne T. Henderson
Anne T. Henderson is a senior consultant with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform and a founder of the National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement (NAFSCE). She has tracked and written about family engagement research for over 25 years. She is the co-author of the best-sellers: Beyond the Bake Sale and A New Wave of Evidence, and has written extensively about the connection between family engagement and diverse student achievement.
Conference registration begins: May 2015. Questions: info@wafamilyengagement.org
CALL FOR PRESENTERS is now open please click on the link to submit your proposal:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Unitedforstudentsuccess
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