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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

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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.

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

Register for this virtual training here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUscu-prT0uGtArk_EfBpLTKx4Lh8oEaTsp

Hosted by LWPTSA Council and the Lake Washington School District, “Hidden in Plain Sight” is a webinar to educate and empower parents and caregivers to communicate with their children about risky behaviors that lead to substance use.

Marnie Maraldo, Executive Director of Influence the Choice, will present this hourlong webinar using a virtual re-creation of a teenager’s bedroom to show parents the potential signs of substance misuse. Parents will leave armed with tools to help them talk to their children.

Register to attend this free virtual event

Ready, Set, GO! is a great PTA training for first-time board members and any officers who need ideas to help jumpstart their PTAs. LWPTSA Council will be leading this free virtual training, which will count toward the WSPTA training requirement for the 2023-24 year.

REGISTER HERE

The role of the vice president is the most flexible and versatile on the board of directors. Vice presidents don’t just shadow the president; they are an essential link between the board of directors and the PTA’s volunteers and chairpeople. Get some tips and tricks to manage the role of vice president and get set up for success!

This is a WSPTA-approved training, ideal for vice presidents but open to any PTA officer, board member and/or program chair. LWPTSA Council will be leading this free virtual training, which will count toward the WSPTA training requirement for the 2023-24 year.

REGISTER HERE

The role of secretary is about more than just taking meeting minutes. Join this training to learn the ins and outs of filling this essential office.

This is a WSPTA-approved training, ideal for secretaries but open to any PTA officer. LWPTSA Council will be leading this free virtual training, which will count toward the WSPTA training requirement for the 2023-24 year.

REGISTER HERE