Presidents’ To-Do List – February

Feb 132012
 

Action Items:

  1. Grants for further education from Washington State PTA are available for 2 and 4 year courses.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Don’t Forget to send a Valentine to you legislator
  5. Awards from Council – Know someone ideal for a council award please nominate them before 27th Febuary
  6. Focus Day 20th February please contact Alison if you are going.
  7. 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.
  8. ISF Time to sign-up for a table at the Nourish Every Mind lunch
  9. Reflections/Art- All our artists are featured on line at the ISD website please congratulate again all our winners.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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

Presidents’ To-Do List – January

Jan 122012
 

Action Items:

  1. Region 2 Midyear Conference-Register your unit online for the mid-year conference.  This is a great opportunity to continue training your officers with some really good classes!  Register at Region 2 Conference.  Please contact your Council Presidents Janine and Caroline or Region Director Heather if you are having difficulty meeting the training by-law.
  2. High School Common Schedule Committee-Stay tuned for more information to come on the ISD website.  You can check out all of the committee work as well.
  3. PTA Men’s Essay Contest- You can find more information on the Washington State PTA Program here:  PTA Men.
  4. 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.
  5. Advocacy- There will be a Charter Schools Forum held on Tuesday January 17th from 6:30 – 8:30pm at the Washington Middle School Cafeteria, 2101 S. Jackson St, Seattle 98144.
  6. Membership-Please remind your treasurers that the second membership payment is due to Council on January 25th.  Remember that January is a great time to do a membership campaign and increase your numbers!
  7. Insurance- If you haven’t done so already, please make sure you get a copy of your AIM insurance to Anne Moore.
  8. Parent Education- Please remind your members that all Parent Ed events are posted on the council website:  Parent Ed » Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6.
    • Finding Kind-In addition to the January 31st and February 1st showings of Finding Kind, which are only for ISD secondary students and parents, there will be a showing on January 30th at 5:30pm at Beaver Lake Middle for ISD fifth graders and their parents.  There will be discussion following, but the Finding Kind facilitators will not be there.  If you know of an elementary counselor who would be willing to help facilitate, please contact Page Meyer, BLMS Assistant Principal.
  9. Reflections/Art- You can find the list of finalists who are moving on to State and view the slideshow here:  (coming soon to ISD and Council websites)
  10. 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.
  11. VIS- Save the date for the VIS Kickoff which will be February 2nd at 7:00pm at the King County Library Services building.  VIS Reps and Presidents should both plan to attend.  VIS would like to create a list of potential donors and would like your help.  Please email Betsy Cohen  with ten or more people you think are likely to donate.    If you have not recruited a VIS Rep, it’s not too late!  Please pass their contact information on to Betsy as soon as you can.  If you have not done your VIS donation yet, they would love to have your check as soon as possible.  If you can increase the amount of your donation that would be welcome.

New Information

  1. Awards Reception- The Council awards reception on March 27th will be held at Pacific Cascade Middle, not Issaquah High as reported in Thursday’s meeting.

Best Practice Moment

  • Be sure you are communicating in a variety of ways with your membership.  Don’t count on just your newsletter to get the word out; use flyers, reader board, posters, email messages, etc.
  • Get your awards committee going so they can be on the look out for possible candidates for Golden Acorn, Outstanding Advocate and Outstanding Educator.  Refer to the Council provided Awards Guideline on the Council website for detailed information.
  • All Local Unit award applications are due to the state on March 1. Including: Communications, Newsletter, Standards of Excellence, Honor Unit, Outstanding Local Unit of the Year, and PTAs Taking Significant Action, 100% Membership and 100% Teacher Membership.
  • Be sure you are continuously recognizing volunteers.
  • Where are you on your 100% membership?  How about 100% teacher membership?  How about staff membership?
  • Is your treasurer providing monthly budget reports at your meetings, on your website, and posted at the school?
  • Are you passing on information from the State and National PTA to your membership? 
  • January Collection List (add to your folder)
    • minutes from meeting where Nominating Committee was elected

Presidents’ To-Do List – December

Dec 092011
 

Action Items:

  1. TPEP - The state is now entering a pilot phase to test three specific frameworks for the evaluation system, and Issaquah has agreed to be among several districts that will be part of the process. We must select one of the state frameworks to pilot in our local classrooms beginning next school year. As part of our decision-making process about which framework to select, we are soliciting community feedback. The school district has a Zoomerang survey for our input Here
  2. Region 2 Conference- Want to have some input to future conference please follow this link to give feedback.  Save the date!  The Mid-year conference will be held on Saturday February 11th at The Overlake School in Bellevue.
  3. State Membership feedback- Request for feedback here
  4. Region 2 newsletter - an electronic copy can be read here
  5. Emerging Minority Conference - change of date but the place remains the same March 10th in Renton at the Puget Sound Educational Service District.
  6. World Language curriculum survey- World Language teachers will meet this year to develop the scope and sequence of Spanish, French, Japanese, French, and American Sign Language curriculum; they will use this the following year to review and select instructional materials. As with each curriculum adoption, we are soliciting feedback to guide the process. Middle and High school parents are encouraged to take the survey online before December 16th
  7. High School Common Schedule Committee-You can give input to the committee on this topic on the district website ISD.  There is also a load of information for you to peruse as well.
  8. Advocacy- You can find all the current advocacy information on the Council website Advocacy » Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6.  Also, it’s not too soon to start thinking about issues for next year’s legislative platform.  Issue submittals are usually due in early June. Stay tuned for more information.  If you would like more information on our state budget woes before the special session starts, you can find it here:  Governor’s Budget Short List. Please contact Alison Meryweather or Ken Peatross Jr or your LU Leg chair with questions.
  9. ISF Grants- Please let your communities know that ISF Classroom Enrichment Grants (up to $1,000) and Kateri Brow Big Idea/Biggest Need Grants (up to $10,000) applications are due January 12th, 2012 at 8pm.  There is more information at Issaquah Schools Foundation – Grants.
  10.  Parent Education- Please remind your members that all Parent Ed events are posted on the council website:  Parent Ed » Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6.  Also, make sure your Parent Ed rep lets Shelly Russell know about events so we can keep this up to date.
  11. Zoomerang Surveys- Deborah Parsons would love to help your PTA create and administer a Zoomerang survey.  Please remember to give her plenty of notice, so your survey can be done in a timely manner.  You can contact her by emailing Webmaster.
  12. VIS- Please email Betsy Cohen  your local meeting schedule so that the VIS Roadshow can come to you.  Also, if you have not recruited a VIS Rep, please do so, and then pass their contact information on to Betsy.
  13. Special Needs- You can find information about the Special Needs group on their website Issaquah Special Needs.

 

New Information

  • Reflections reception January 12th at PCMS 6-7.30
  • Suzie Kuflik contact info concerning outreach questions and food drive.
  • Discovery ES food drive 16th December also funky decked out fire engine for kids to jump around on !

Best Practice Moment

  • Start to pull together and vote in your Nominating committee
  • Golden Acorns Awardees should be starting to be found so we can nourish them into mighty oaks.
  • Plan for a financial review in January as well as June/July

Presidents’ To-Do List – November

Nov 102011
 

Action Items:

  1. TPEP-You can find information regarding the Teacher Principal Evaluation Pilot on their website at www.tpep-wa.org.   You can also follow the link on that page to more information from OSPI.  You can read our statement to the school board on the council website Issaquah Council News.
  2. High School Common Schedule Committee-You can give input to the committee on this topic on the district website ISD.  There is also a load of information for you to peruse as well.
  3. 2012 Bond- The final language for the bond can be viewed on the district website ISD Bond.
  4. Gates Millennium Scholarships – Please pass this information on to your membership.  Bill Gates’ 2012
    Millennium Scholars Program, which is for low-income and students of color. This is a unique scholarship that provides financial support not just for an undergraduate degree, but will financial support a student all the way through a Doctorate degree at any college/university of their choice.  For more information/instructions to apply, please visit GMSP.org  http://GMSP.org  Applications are due January 11th, 2012.
  5. Advocacy- You can find all the current advocacy information on the Council website Advocacy » Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6.  Also, it’s not too soon to start thinking about issues for next year’s legislative platform.  Issue submittals are usually due in early June. Stay tuned for more information.  If you would like more information on our state budget woes before the special session starts, you can find it here:  Governor’s Budget Short List. Please contact Alison Meryweather or Ken Peatross Jr or your LU Leg chair with questions.
  6. ISF-Now is the time to donate to the “All in for Kids” campaign.  If your PTA plans to donate this year, ISF would love to have that donation as soon as possible.  Calling nights are November 16th, 17th and 19th.  You can make your personal donation online at Issaquah Schools Foundation.
  7. ISF Grants- Please let your communities know that ISF Classroom Enrichment Grants (up to $1,000) and Kateri Brow Big Idea/Biggest Need Grants (up to $10,000) applications are due January 12th, 2012 at 8pm.  There is more information at Issaquah Schools Foundation – Grants.
  8.  Parent Education- Please remind your members that all Parent Ed events are posted on the council website:  Parent Ed » Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6.  Also, make sure your Parent Ed rep lets Shelly Russell know about events so we can keep this up to date.
  9. Reflections/Art- The turn-in date for District Reflections is Wednesday November 16th at Vicki Hoffman’s home.  Please note this is a correction from the calendar items listed on the agenda.  Contact Vicki Hoffman with questions.
  10. Zoomerang Surveys- Deborah Parsons would love to help your PTA create and administer a Zoomerang survey.  Please remember to give her plenty of notice, so your survey can be done in a timely manner.  You can contact her by emailing Webmaster.
  11. VIS- Please email Betsy Cohen  your local meeting schedule so that the VIS Roadshow can come to you.  Also, if you have not recruited a VIS Rep, please do so, and then pass their contact information on to Betsy.

New Information

  1. Excellent Schools Now- information regarding the “non-alignment” with certain issues will be passed on as soon as we have it.
  2. Common Core State Standards-OSPI invites you to a public forum on the Common Core State Standards
    November 15 from 5-8pm at Tyee High School in SeaTac.  If you can’t attend you can fill out the online survey here OSPI CCSS Survey which is available through November 23rd.  For more information go to Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Best Practice Moment

November 

  • Consider doing either a written survey or a Zoomerang survey of your membership. You might want to do this in early spring to get feedback on the year to date and to plan for the next year.
  • Begin work on putting together your Nominating Committee that will be elected by the end of January. A Council led Nominating Committee training will be held in late January (date to be determined).
  • Please bring a copy of your insurance to the December Council Meeting and give it to our treasurer.
  • If you do not already have a system to pass on materials and information, start one now. Notebooks, evaluation forms, copies of flyers, disks of materials, etc. need to be included.
  • Collection List for November (add to folder you started in September)
    • copy of volunteer appreciation flyer or article in newsletter
    • list of Board meeting dates
    • copy of budget with line item for State Convention highlighted

Presidents’ To-Do List – October

Oct 132011
 

Action Items:

  1. Membership- Make sure to remind your Membership Chair and Treasurer about the October 25th deadline for the first membership payment to Council not state.
  2. New Bond date – April 17th watch for information and talking points to educate your local units VIS.
  3. High School Common Schedule-You can give input to the district on this topic on the district website ISD.
  4. *****PTA and the Law******** – last region 2 session 18th October at  Issaquah School District 8.30 registration class 9-12 am  CHANGE OF  VENUE
  5. Tax Prep workshop 19th October - Hands on session to work on your 990 at Lake Washington District Building 6-9 pm info
  6. Payments – please send your line item checks to organizations such as VIS, Tiger Mountain use your budgets if necessary as a bill to generate checks. Send Tiger Mountain to Issaquah High School PTSA and VIS to Treasurer.
  7. Its Nomination time- we are looking for nominations for Region 2 Director please contact Alicia and state positions are up for grabs please contact Suzanne . Info on state website
  8. ISF mailer – please make sure your payment has been sent to ISF for $75.20
  9. VIS – do 3 things
    • Ensure you have voter registration at events and encourage people to register.
    • Send your donation to VIS from your local unit
    • Identify your VIS rep if not it is you……

New Information

  • Kimberly has a tracking sheet of who has attended training in each unit.
  • Membership update
    October 2010 Members: 13,142 FTE: 16,133 for 81% membership
    October 2011 Members: 12,482 FTE: 16,560 for 75% membership
  • Parent Education-Training October 24th 1 pm Issaquah public library.
  • ISF – Click for kids 14th  & 28th October . Nov 3rd publish supporters in a thank you in the press. Calling nights 16th 17th 19th November.
  • Reflections- November 16th Issaquah turn in date and Art Walk date January 10th 2012.
  • Contact info for Phyllis Runyon prunyon@washingtonea.org. IEA rep
  • What’s on the Bond

VIS by the numbers

70% – percentage of households in Issaquah with no students in the K-12 system

50% – of the 30% of the above households with students in the school system only 50% are registered to vote.

40% – only 40% 0f the 50% in the above case will vote.

60% plus 1 the passing vote needed to pass the bond.

So 13,434 is our magic number!

$75,000 cost to run the bond in 2006

$100,000 the cost to the district to run a bond

Best Practice Moment

Standards of Excellence – Review your last submission to see what you were missing and look to fill in the gaps.

Collect for your binder:

  • Current membership form
  • Insurance certificate ( make a copy for council also we will collect them next meeting)
  • Registrations for Trainings.

Presidents’ To-Do List – September

Sep 082011
 

Action Items:

  1. Drug Free Community Coalition-The Issaquah Community Network is looking for a parent to participate in this coalition.  The commitment is for 6 monthly meetings.  The meetings are the fourth Monday of each month, beginning September 26th from 6:30-8:00pm.  Please let Janine or Caroline know if you are interested.
  2. High School Common Schedule-You can give input to the district on this topic on the district website ISD.  (While there is not a link for feedback yet, it should be there as soon as the committee starts work on September 21st.)
  3. Voting Delegates- Please send you council voting delegate forms to Kimberly Montague if you have not done so already.  You should have received the blank form via email.
  4. Art Update – The September art update is online at Issaquah PTSA Council – Art Docent Program.  Please contact Vicki Hoffman if you have any questions.
  5. PTA & the Law- Register your unit for any of the 4 upcoming Region 2 PTA & the Law classes.  You can find the registration form in your Leadership packet or online:  http://www.wastatepta.org/regions/region_2/region_calendar.html
  6. Membership Training:  This roundtable style training will be held on Thursday September 22nd from 9:00-11:00 in ISD Board Rooms B-C.
  7. Membership- Make sure to remind your Membership Chair and Treasurer about the October 25th deadline for the first membership payment.   Also, the first deadline for membership awards is September 30th.  To receive your bronze award, you must have 50% of last year’s membership (#) into the state system.
  8. Membership Benefits- 20% discount on Hertz car rental by using code #1929580 and free enrollment in the Hertz #1 gold club program ($60 fee waived to members).  Office Max 10% certain items off by showing your membership card.  All details on benefits are available on the state and national website login~ Together password ~ WeCan (case sensitive)
  9. Local Unit chairs-If you have not done so already please email the names of the following chairs to the appropriate Council chair:
  1. ISF-Please send a check to ISF for the “3 Things” postcard in the amount of $75.20.
  2.  Legislative Assembly- We would like to see at least two people from every unit attend Leg Assembly on October 14th and 15th.  Please let:  Ken or Alison know who is attending from your unit so they can coordinate.
  3. Legislative Survey- The survey is now live.  Follow the link to take the survey- Legislative Issues Survey.  Although Washington State PTA has attempted to get the survey out to all members, they would have only sent it to members who have an email address in their system.  If you like, you can forward the survey to your members in any way you see fit in order to assure that they all receive it.
  4. PTA History- You can find out more about PTA’s history on the National PTA History page.  You can also view a slide show about Washington State PTA history on the WA State PTA website.  If you would like to show the PowerPoint that was shown at the GM meeting, you can borrow the disc from Janine or look for more information to follow regarding where you can access it online.

New Information

  1. Pay Pal Resource document will follow in a separate email as soon as I have it.
  2. Reserve Calculation information also to follow.
  3. I am working on creating a Roberts Rules “Cheat Sheet” and will send that out soon as well.

Best Practice Moment

SEPTEMBER

            What are Best Practices?

A checklist of items that a local unit should follow to be the best PTA unit they can be.

            Why Best Practices?

To guide our PTAs to be child focused, fiscally responsible, practice fiduciary responsibility, knowledgeable, involved, and well trained.  Following Best Practices makes earning the Standards of Excellence award easier to apply for and receive.

           Where is the Best Practices Checklist?

It is found on the back cover of the Leadership Handbook

Standards of Excellence awards form: read instructions very carefully and follow them exactly.  Only include what is asked for and in the way it is asked for.

Collection List for September (keep in a folder you won’t lose)

  • minutes of general meeting where goals were approved
  • minutes from general meeting where budget was approved
  • minutes from general meeting where standing rules were approve
  • minutes from general meeting where financial review results were presented
  • copy of registration for Region 2 conferences – Mid-Year from Feb. of previous school year AND Back to School of this school year
  • newsletter article showing award recognition for any or all of these 3 awards: Golden Acorn, Outstanding Advocate, Outstanding Educator from previous school year
  • minutes from general meeting where officers were elected from previous school year
  • copy of registration for State Convention from previous school year
© 2011 Issaquah PTSA Council 2.6 Washington State PTA | Every Child. One Voice. Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha