Governor Jay Inslee has declared October to be Dyslexia Awareness Month.
WSPTA members adopted Resolution 18.32, “Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and Dyspraxia” in 2016 to support early screening for signs and symptoms of language processing disorders including but not limited to dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, with parental notification; and to support legislation for funding to support training of parents, teachers and other school personnel in early identification…
Category:
Advocacy
3D Visual Arts Offered in This Year’s Reflections Program
We are excited to be offering 3D visual arts this year in the Reflections Arts Program. Check with your local PTA or council to see if they will be accepting these entries. If your council is accepting 3D entries, find out if they are accepting three photos of the piece or if they would like…
Category:
Reflections
Parents for Healthy Kids
National PTA and Action for Healthy Kids, with support from ALDI, have teamed up to create ParentsforHealthyKids.org, a new website that teaches parents how to get involved in school health and wellness to create healthier schools where kids can thrive. The site is unlike any other dedicated to school health—it’s by parents for parents, no…
Category:
Health & Well-being
Five Ways to Encourage Online Enrollment
On Monday, October 9, as part of the weekly series of “Membership Monday” Facebook posts, we shared a simple way a local PTA is helping remind potential members to get online and join their PTA when they get home. If your local PTA also offers Washington State PTA’s Online Join feature, you may be experiencing…
Category:
Membership
MEMBERSHIP: Keep Recruiting Members Long After Back-to-School Night
In this week’s “Membership Monday” Facebook post, we encouraged local PTAs to keep recruiting members long after Back-to-School Night. You already set up the membership table once for your back-to-school event; why not make use of those supplies by setting up at other PTA events this fall? Here are a few more ways to maximize…
Category:
Membership
New: 2017 End of Session Legislative Report for WSPTA Members
Read about the 2017 session’s legislation that passed and didn’t pass, find an overview of the state’s education funding plan, HB 2242, and high-level operating budget investments in education.
Category:
Legislative
Guest Post: Youth Advocacy Resources
Washington State PTA is a member of the Washington Healthy Youth (WHY) Coalition. The following was shared by fellow coalition member Julie Peterson, Senior Director of Policy at Foundation for Healthy Generations. The Youth Advocacy Guide and Hannah’s Tips, featuring youth advocate extraordinaire Hannah Stewart, are resources aimed at encouraging the youth of Washington to make their voices heard. Created…
Category:
Advocacy
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal Submits Washington’s Federal Education Plan (ESSA)
Washington State’s plan grants schools more flexibility over meeting the needs of every student and places an intentional focus on historically underserved populations of students. According to OSPI, student success will be gauged using many variables, not just test results. Schools will create improvement plans that identify and close gaps in student success. And districts…
Category:
Uncategorized
October Checklist for Running Your PTA
October Ongoing Tasks Attend any board and membership meetings Read meeting minutes and offer corrections Prepare reports for board and membership meetings Attend training Be familiar with your responsibilities and fulfill them Review and ask questions about monthly financial report Prepare articles for newsletter/social media Update website Participate, help, and communicate Monthly Tasks Review tasks…
Category:
Leadership
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Training
Introducing New Member Discount with Sylvan Learning Centers
(September 2017) — WSPTA is excited to announce a collaboration with Sylvan Learning Centers for WSPTA members and their families. At this time, we are the only state nationwide in PTA to have this type of arrangement. As you may know, National PTA and Sylvan have a partnership for 50 percent off Sylvan’s assessment. We…