Calendar

Washington State PTA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee presents a FREE virtual Zoom called “Actionable Takeaways.”

DEI award winners and our Washington State PTA DEI Committee will share ideas you can use both long term and today. There will also be question and answer time.

Register with the QR code or the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpce6orTsoH9VNuJi4Ec41r38eFOT0Zxfj

Questions to: PTAFACEDir@WAStatePTA.org

This month we’ll be talking about school gardens, schoolyards and water. We will be joined by guest speakers from Redmond Elementary and King County Green Schools.

REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK

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.

This month, join us for a transformative DE&I workshop: 

FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

Are you ready to deepen your understanding of equity and racial awareness? This workshop is an incredible opportunity to gain the tools you need to address equity and race effectively. Together, we’ll explore the journey from color blindness to racial cognizance, empowering you to foster meaningful and lasting change.

✨ What You’ll Gain

• Practical strategies for advancing social justice in schools
• A shared language to navigate important equity conversations
• Inspiration and actionable steps to challenge systemic inequities

We encourage PTA leaders to join us for this vital conversation. Your involvement can help shape actionable change in our school communities. We can’t wait to see you there.

WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
WHERE: Zoom — Register

🎙 About the Speaker

Ilsa Govan, Co-Founder of Cultures Connecting, is a nationally recognized facilitator, consultant and social justice activist. A former Equity and Race Specialist for Seattle Public Schools, Ilsa has extensive experience addressing institutional racism. Her work includes an award-winning book exploring issues of privilege and racial justice.

📚 Pre-Reading/Viewing

• Dr. Caprice Hollins’ TEDx Talk: What White People Can Do to Move Race Conversations Forward (YouTube)
• Social Justice Checklist for Schools (PDF)

This is your chance to learn, connect, and grow as part of a community committed to building more inclusive and equitable schools.

For any questions or further details, feel free to contact Council DEI Co-Chairs Zahra Eslami and Mansi M. Majeed at Diversity@LWPTSA.net.

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.

Register for this free, virtual training here

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.

Register for this free, IN PERSON training here

This training opportunity is hosted by Region 2 and Bellevue PTSA Council.

REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK

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.

Learn what your local PTA can and should do to educate, empower, and elevate parent and student voices. Topics include taking positions on ballot measures (levies and bonds), engaging your school board, inviting legislators to PTA meetings and events, conducting candidate forums, voter registration drives, and more.

This WSPTA-approved training will be led by LWPTSA Council.

REGISTER FOR THE ZOOM LINK

Are you ready to submit your applications for the Student Programs (Essay Contest, Scholarships), Awards of Excellence (AOE) or Leadership Service Award? Do you have questions or need assistance?

Join WSPTA’s Programs Roundtable to have your questions answered.

Members of the WSPTA Programs Committee will available to provide a brief overview of the application process for all WSPTA Programs, provide tips for a successful submission, and answer any questions you may have.

Join WSPTA Legislative Consultant Marie Sullivan for an overview of what to expect in the 2025 legislative session, including post-election changes in the legislature, known session protocols, and how to best engage with the 2025 legislature during this long session.

REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK