Lake Washington PTSA Council’s calendar is below. Here are additional links to find district, state and national events of interest:
- Lake Washington School District Calendar
- Washington State PTA Calendar
- National PTA Events and Calendar
- National PTA’s 2024-2025 Multicultural Calendar | Calendario Multicultural
Training Opportunities
Are you looking specifically for training opportunities to fulfill your yearly requirement? Find available classes here:
For the latest information on our upcoming events, please see the list below. We are in the process of upgrading our calendar system to provide you with a better experience.
- March 2 (7-8:30 pm): WSPTA Programs/Reflections Workshop (Virtual – Register)
- March 3 (10–11:30 am): LWPTSA Council Sustainability Committee Meeting (Virtual – Register)
- March 4 (11 am–12:30 pm): LWPTSA Council DEIB Committee Meeting (Virtual – Register)
- March 4 (7–8:30 pm): LWPTSA Led Effective Budgets and Financial Strategy Training (Virtual – Register)
- March 5 (9:45–11:15 am): LWPTSA Council Membership Meeting (Board Room)
- March 7 (10–12 pm): WSPTA Nominating Committee Training (Virtual – Register)
- March 11 (7–8 pm): LWPTSA Scholarship Roundtable (Virtual – Register)
- March 11 (6–9 pm): WSPTA PTA & The Law Training (Virtual – Register)
- March 12 (1–3 pm): WSPTA Managing Your Nonprofit Training (Virtual – Register)
- March 12: WSPTA Scholarship, Essay, AOE, Membership Awards Submissions Due
- March 17 (6:30–8:30 pm): LWPTSA Council Special Education Group (SEG) Meeting (LWSD Resource Center Board Room)
- March 21 (9–12 pm): WSPTA PTA & The Law Training Training (Virtual – Register)
- March 23 (1–3 pm): WSPTA Nominating Committee Training (Virtual – Register)
- March 26 (12–1 pm): Lunch & Learn: Enrichment 101 (Virtual – Register)
- March 26 (5-7:30 pm): Be the Bridge Spring Benefit (Seattle Marriott Redmond – Register)
On Tuesday, March 18, LWPTSA Council’s Special Education Group (SEG) welcomes health educator Brett Niessen, MPH, to talk to our community about sexual health and relationships for students with disabilities.
Join us at the LWSD Resource Center Board Room at 6:30 pm for informal family networking and social time, and we will begin the presentation with Brett Niessen at 7 pm.
Brett is the lead health educator at Seattle Children’s Hospital and an adjunct faculty member in the University of Washington School of Public Health. He has extensive experience as a health educator, curriculum developer and special education teacher. He recently authored a blog for Seattle Children’s on supporting students with autism navigating puberty and sexual health education. Brett also recently provided training for our district special educators and nurses.
Questions about the SEG or our meetings? Email our SEG co-chairs Lilach Geppert-Shapira & Sushmita Srikant at SpecialEducation@LWPTSA.net.
We’re excited to have Pablo Ortega, LWSD’s Director of Equity & Family Engagement, join us as our guest for our March Lunch & Learn. We’ll be talking about how our district incorporates and fosters cultural competence in our schools. Why is cultural competence important? How are our children learning the skills, awareness and knowledge needed to respectfully interact with lessons and individuals from cultures different from theirs? Bring your questions and concerns, and we’ll see you at lunch!
LWPTSA Council’s Lunch & Learn series consists of short presentations and Q&A on topics of interest to our school community, from noon – 1 pm on select Thursdays online via Zoom. Grab your lunch, log on, and learn with us! Event links will be shared on our website calendar, social media and newsletters close to the event dates. Topics and featured speakers are subject to change and will be updated as they are finalized.
Want to Make a Difference in LWSD? Start Here!
Ever wondered how LWSD is structured or who makes key decisions in our schools? LWSD 101 is your opportunity to gain insight into the district’s organization and learn how to effectively advocate with both staff and board members.
🎤 Speakers:
• Lindsey Yocum, LWSD Board of Directors Legislative Representative
• Amy Falcone, Kirkland City Council Member
💡 What You’ll Learn:
✔️ How to advocate and engage within the school district and with the district board
✔️ How to stay informed about discussions at the district board level and contribute meaningfully
🔹 Hands-On Advocacy Workshop!
This will be an interactive session where you’ll:
🔸 Join small groups to discuss real challenges faced at the school and district levels
🔸 Learn from shared experiences of advocacy successes and best practices
🔸 Engage in scenario-based exercises to master the most effective advocacy pathways—think of this as your roadmap to creating impact!
🚀 This event is open to ALL parents, caregivers and community members! We invite everyone to join, learn and collaborate in shaping the future of our schools. Please help us spread the word!
Are you passionate about creating change in education? LWPTSA Council invites you to attend an upcoming meeting of Advocacy Skills in the Education System (formerly the Advocacy Committee)!
What You’ll Gain: Discover critical education issues, from classroom-level support to state legislation. Reflect on what matters most to you in education advocacy and gain tools to track, align, and influence state legislation that shapes education in Washington.
Why Attend: Get hands-on tools to guide your advocacy efforts, explore real-life examples of how legislation impacts education in Washington State, and start planning your advocacy strategy to create meaningful change.
Who Can Participate: All are welcome! We invite PTA leaders, parents, staff and students from across the Lake Washington School District to come experience a meeting.
Questions? Contact Zahra Eslami & Kameh Saman, LWPTSA Council Advocacy Co-VPs, at Advocacy@lLWPTSA.net. We look forward to seeing you there—let’s work together to make a difference in education!
All student and staff scholarship applications are due by 11:59 pm, March 28, 2025 (extended from original deadline).
The LWPTSA Sustainability Committee is made up of local sustainability 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.
Sustainability Committee meetings for 2024-2025 will be a mix of in-person meetings at the LWSD Resource Center Sammamish Room (16250 NE 74th St., Redmond WA 98052) as well as online sessions via Zoom.
Join WSPTA to discuss why a volunteer recognition program is so important to retaining and growing the volunteers you have, and how to create a culture of appreciation, welcome and belonging.
Building Bridges Toward Belonging – Join the Conversation!
Are you ready to take meaningful action in fostering true belonging within our schools and communities? Join LWPTSA Council’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion meeting for an engaging and interactive discussion that will empower us to create welcoming environments where every student and family feels valued.
Guided by the powerful frameworks in Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity by Cobb & Krownapple, we’ll explore key dispositions, indicators and assessments that drive real change.
🎙 Featuring Special Guest: Courtney Wooten
Courtney Wooten is a dynamic organizational consultant, educator, and activist specializing in equity and cross-cultural inclusion. Raised in the Berkeley/Oakland Bay Area, she grew up immersed in social justice movements, embracing community organizing and intersectional coalition-building as part of her lifelong mission for change.
A Stanford alumna and PhD Candidate in Sustainability Education, Courtney pairs education and activism to create real impact. She has led community-driven initiatives through organizations such as Edmonds School District, Sno-Isle Libraries, and UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute, fostering dialogue and equity-focused action.
She is the founder of Suburbia Rising and Stories of Self & Solidarity and co-founder of the Justice & Faith Collective, where she brings creative, educational, and community-led programs to life. Beyond her advocacy, she is a Peacemaking Circle Keeper, speaker, and homeschooling mother of two.
Her latest project, Folktale Forest, is an inclusive wellness retreat focused on nature-based education, intergenerational dialogue, and sustainable permaculture, centering queer, Black, and brown wellness.
🌟 Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, engage, and take actionable steps toward fostering dignity, equity, and belonging in our schools and beyond!
REGISTER FOR THE ZOOM LINK (Limited to 30 participants)
Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee meets one Wednesday each month of the school year (with the exception of September and June) at 11:30 am. During the 2024-2025 year, meetings will be held online via Zoom.
DEI chairs and other interested leaders from PTAs and PTSAs in the Lake Washington School District are invited to these monthly meetings to discuss DEI issues and advocacy initiatives that impact our students and families.
All local PTA leaders are invited to attend our monthly membership meetings, typically held the first Thursday of the month during the school year. Meetings will mostly be during daytime hours, with occasional evening meeting times, and will be a mix of in-person and virtual Zoom meetings. At least one elected leader from each of our area PTA/PTSA units is expected to attend each meeting. Additional leaders are always welcomed.
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 online meetings will be available in the Weekly Waves newsletter that all local PTA leaders receive.
This is the most important and useful class of them all, as it will prepare you and your fellow officers to run your PTA with an eye toward the important legal and fiscal requirements in running a nonprofit. PTA and the Law deals with state and federal rules and regulations relevant to running a charitable, tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation in the state of Washington, and will explain how these rules impact your PTA. PTA and the Law is a required class for at least one elected officer per PTA each year.
Don’t miss your PTA’s last chance to fulfill their requirement to have an officer attend for the 2024-25 term.
LWPTSA Council’s E-Prep Committee meetings for 2024-2025 will be held online via Zoom, except for the October meeting, which will be held in person at the LWSD Resource Center (16250 NE 74th St., Redmond WA 98052). E-Prep Committee meetings are from 10 am to noon. An email with a meeting reminder and Zoom link will be sent to e-prep chairs prior to each meeting.
Our Vision: Achieve a whole-community approach of emergency management, set forth by the Federal Emergency Management Association, as it relates to our school communities throughout the Lake Washington School District. The whole-community approach is a concept that emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility, and calls for the involvement of everyone in order to attain a secure, resilient community.
Our Mission: To provide training, networking and support to emergency preparedness chairs from each school in order to encourage the PTA management of supplies, preparedness education, community engagement and facilitation of drills through building a relationship with the school principal.