Calendar

Topic: Navigating Big Transitions

Speaker: Brandi Comstock, LWSD and LWPTSA Council

Join us at our April Lunch & Learn as we discuss some of the big changes parents can expect as our children move between elementary, middle and high school. The emphasis will be on 5th and 8th grade students, but suitable for any parent who wants to learn more about the various levels of school and what to expect. This session may also be of interest to parents who didn’t attend school in the United States, or those who transferred here from another school system or state. Bring your lunch and learn with us!

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The LWPTSA Sustainability Committee meets monthly and focuses on raising awareness around sustainable initiatives district-wide, sharing resources, and connecting with one another. Community members are always welcome.

The Sustainability Committee is made up of local chairs at schools across the district. The committee has worked on a range of issues, including food recovery, waste reduction, composting, green cleaning, no-idle zones, herbicide-free schools, and engaging and supporting students in their efforts to combat climate change and create a livable planet.

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at LWPTSA Council:

LWPTSA Council is committed to advocating for institutional and systemic changes that ensure equity, justice, respect and inclusion of all children. LWPTSA Council strives to be anti-discriminatory, inclusive, and to welcome all voices. We are seeking to learn from our community, and grow as individuals and as an organization.

During the 2022-2023 school year, DEI Committee meetings will be online via Zoom  The Zoom links will be published in Council’s newsletter the week of the meeting, sent directly to committee participants, and added to the calendar listing the week of the meeting.

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All local PTA leaders are invited to attend our monthly membership meetings held the first Thursday of the month during the school year. Each year three meetings are held in the evening. This year they are November, January and April.

In-person membership meetings will be held at the Lake Washington School District Resource Center in Redmond Town Center. The LWSD Resource Center address is: 16250 NE 74th St., Redmond WA 98052. Zoom meeting links for our December 2022, January 2023, April 2023 and May 2023 online meetings will be available in the Weekly Waves newsletter that all local PTA leaders receive, and updated in our calendar postings during the weeks of the meeting dates.

Lake Washington PTSA Council is excited to co-sponsor a special event, along with Lake Washington School District: Come hear from Erin Jones, local and national award-winning educator and author of the book Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing.

At this free, interactive speaking session, families and educators can expect to learn about strategies to help you move your community toward racial justice. Child care is available on-site. Can’t attend in person? Request the Teams link when you register. You won’t want to miss this incredible opportunity.

Register for the event here

Download a PDF flyer to share

Erin Jones is a biracial, transracial adoptee who was born in Saint Paul, Minn., where she was adopted by parents who had been raised in Northern Minnesota. Her father took a teaching job at the American School of The Hague in the Netherlands, where Erin was raised and where her parents taught for over 30 years. By the time Erin was 17, she could speak four languages and had played soccer, basketball and softball in 10 countries. Upon graduation from high school, Erin returned to the United States for college. She attended Bryn Mawr College in suburban Philadelphia, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Literatures of the African Diaspora in English, French and Spanish. She later earned her teaching certificate from Pacific Lutheran University and another certificate in Language Immersion instruction from Concordia College.

Erin has worked as an athletic coach, a substitute teacher, a classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a state assistant superintendent and a school district executive. Erin has earned awards as Most Innovative World Language Teacher, the Washington State Milken Educator of the Year, a White House Champion of Change, and the Inaugural Hanford Education Leader. Erin ran to lead the Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2016 and lost that race by 1%. Her loss propelled her into full-time consulting on issues related to equity and public speaking at conferences, in schools and at churches. Since 2017, Erin has spoken to 500,000+ students and provided training and keynotes to a similar number of adults. She has three TEDx Talks and recently published a book, “Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing.”

Erin has been married for almost 30 years to her husband, James, a high school teacher and head football coach. They have three adult children: one who is a para-educator and football coach, one who serves as the communications and project manager for an education foundation, and one who works for an independent video game design company.

LWPTSA Council is partnering with Lake Washington School District to host a free education event for parents and caregivers in the LWSD community. Come experience a potentially life-saving training from the University of Washington’s Forefront Suicide Prevention program. The information presented in this session will help you recognize when someone might be at risk for suicide and how to connect them with immediate help.

RSVP here to reserve your spot

Speaker Peter Loft is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. He is a volunteer with the University of Washington’s Forefront Suicide Prevention. Forefront’s mission is to help people take action to prevent suicide in their communities. For more information about the LEARN toolkit, visit Forefront’s website.

For the 2022-2023 school year, SEG meetings are back in person at the LWSD Resource Center at 16250 NE 74th Street, Redmond WA 98052 (click for a map). An unstructured networking time will be held from 6:30 to 7 pm, offering an opportunity for members to connect with one another. The formal portion of the meeting will begin at 7 pm.

INTERPRETER OR STUDENT CARE:

If you require interpretation or student care during our meetings, please contact us at specialeducation@lwptsa.net at least 3 business days prior to the meeting you plan to attend so that we can make arrangements for you.

Register for this training here:  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsc-yhrzosG9B6txJr_NizY9RTaVBVTIyi