Action Items:
- Grants for further education from Washington State PTA are available for 2 and 4 year courses.
- Council Discipline Committee– If you are interested in helping this committee to research discipline policies and you are not from Issaquah High, please email Janine and Caroline.
- Advocacy- The forum on charter schools– has now been rescheduled for February 29th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Washington Middle School, 2101 S. Jackson St, Seattle.
- Don’t Forget to send a Valentine to you legislator
- Awards from Council – Know someone ideal for a council award please nominate them before 27th Febuary
- Focus Day 20th February please contact Alison if you are going.
- Parent Education- Please remind your members that all Parent Ed events are posted on the council website: Parent Ed » Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6. It is also a suggestion that counselors might be a useful source to advertise our offerings.
- ISF Time to sign-up for a table at the Nourish Every Mind lunch
- Reflections/Art- All our artists are featured on line at the ISD website please congratulate again all our winners.
- Approved Vendor- If you have a form or process for creating a list of “Approved Vendors”, please email Janine and Caroline and we will share the information with all.
- VIS- Please contact Betsy with 10 names of likely donors to VIS. “like” the VIS page if you have a Facebook page we are looking to blow thru’ the 1000 likes this time J Next month will be handing out postcards and firming up details for lit drops and honk and waves but you can start recruiting parents and students to join in the fun. Don’t forget the IVE “Bond Girls “are available for bookings.
- Special Needs – Get ready for summer by visiting the fair on March 30th at Grand Ridge being put on by our group and Lake Washington details here.
New Information
- Town Hall Meetings
41st LD Saturday, Feb 18th
Morning: 10a – 11:30am Hazelwood Elementary – 7100 116th Ave SE
Afternoon: 1:30p – 3pm Mercer Island High School – 9100 SE 42nd Street
Send Questions Ahead of Time: townhall41@leg.wa.gov
48th LD Saturday, Feb 18th 10am– 12pm Redmond City Hall Council Chamber – 15670 NE 85th Street

School Board Comments – February, 2012
One of our Council goals this year is to “Actively support and reinforce advocacy at all levels.” What is PTA advocacy? I think sometimes there is a narrow view of what advocacy means. Especially at this time of year when the legislature is in session and our PTA Focus Day is coming up (February 20th). We talk about meeting with legislators, marching in Olympia, maybe a call to action that has us sending emails or writing blogs. We want to broaden that view and recognize the depth and impact of our advocacy. We have also been reminded of our history and all of the amazing things this association has accomplished: school lunches, car seat laws, education reform, and pre-school; the list goes on and on.
So at the national level“…PTA reminds our country of its obligations to children and provides parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be successful students….National PTA was created to meet a profound challenge: to better the lives of children. And today, it continues to flourish because PTA has never lost sight of its goal: to change the lives of children across our great nation for the better.” (National PTA Website)
“PTA helps those closest to children speak up strongly on their behalf, and PTA gives members the tools they need to deliver services.” (Washington State PTA) For me, this quote was a really great reminder of why there is a “P” and a “T” in PTA. We are those who are closest to children and both have a (sometimes different) perspective and ability to support and speak on their behalf. With everything that we do in PTA, whether we are parents or teachers, we have to always remember to make decisions from the perspective of what is best for children.
So now let’s bring it down to the council and local level. Is what we do at the local level PTA really advocacy? Absolutely! There are so many things that our PTAs do, so obviously we can’t talk about all of them. But just a few examples. When we do something like fundraising to purchase science curriculum we are being advocates. We are saying that this is something that our kids need and we are willing to find a way to get it for them. When we give out golden acorn or outstanding educator awards we saying how important our teachers and volunteers are to our students. When we meet with our principals to give input on whether we should have recess before or after lunch we are advocating for our kids. When we plan a culture night or art appreciation night-we are advocating for the celebration of differences and including all.
And yes, we continue at all levels to advocate for big changes. Some issues like education funding and reform have been with us for a long time, some have already been checked off the list, and some we haven’t even thought of yet. All of them start with the idea of someone wanting to help or to make a change. All of them are in their hearts, for kids.