February 2008 Archives

Beginning Tuesday Feb. 26th Cut and Chat will be moved from Wed. morning to Tuesdays, same time, same place, every week there is school.   We meet in the Parent Center from 8:45-11 a.m. and work on projects for both the teachers and office staff, sometimes cutting out projects for the Kindergarteners, putting together small books for primary grades, making copies for teachers so they don’t have to do this on their own time, or stapling and distributing newsletters for the office.

The teachers really need and rely on this service from the PTA and it’s a great opportunity to volunteer!  You can drop in for half an hour or stay for an hour or two, whatever time you can spare, whenever you can spare it either occasionally or weekly Tuesdays. There are toys in the room if you have younger kids with you; they can play while you visit. We have fun and it’s nice to feel useful!

Any questions, please call Jan Avotins, 206  363-7370.

The PTA honored the teachers and staff of Parkwood on Valentine’s Day with gifts of roses and CDs to show their appreciation for all that they do for our children.

If you’d like to be a part of the dynamic Teacher and Staff Appreciation committee, please email the Teacher/Staff Appreciation Committee to get on the mailing list for future activities.

Parkwood PTA
Board of Directors Meeting
Feb 11, 2008

7:00 Board Meeting Starts

Agenda

1. Approve Minutes from 1/14 - Heather Petersen
2. Treasurer Update - Gordon McPherson
3. Update on PTA website- Michelle Manis
4. Teacher Appreciation update - Michelle Manis
5. The Works - Natalie W.
6. Volunteering in April - Natalie W.
7. Clothing drive - Natalie W.
8. Update on the following initiatives discussed in the last meeting:
   
   • PTA funding for tuning 3 pianos
   • Nomination committee
   • Talent Show
   • Family Heritage Night

The Ways and Means Committee ensures that the PTA raises sufficient funds to meet its annual objectives and that the efforts of fundraising are well integrated with those of other programs and committees. We hold two major fundraisers annually, but additionally seek other fundraising options including individual donations, in-kind donations, and other creative options to reach our financial objectives.

Contact Co-Vice Presidents of Ways and Means - Vicki Jensen and Renee Iverson.

The Executive Committee is a group of 6 volunteers that guide the work of the Board of Directors. Executive positions are sometimes shared, such as the Co-Presidents this year. Executive Committee positions are the President(s), Secretary and Treasurer, as well as the Vice Presidents( VPs) of Student affairs, Community Affairs, and Ways & Means.

• President - OPEN
• Secretary- Heather Peterson
• Treasurer - Gordon McPherson
• VP Communications - Lori Iwasaki
• VP Community and School Services - Natalie Williams
• VP Health and Safety - Ken Juell
• VP Student Enrichment - Natalie Lecher
• VP Ways and Means - Vicki Jensen & Renee Iverson
• Membership - Lisa Hayes
• Legislation - Jill Smith
• Family Activities - Sarah Howard
• Co-VP Health and Safety - KaLyn Burmeister

Have you ever wondered what a PTA Board Member is? At Parkwood we have a Board Membership of about 20 volunteers. These Board members Chair standing committees, approve policies and expenditures. So, if you are in charge of something for the PTA, whether it’s the Phone Book, Lost and Found, Student Banking or Staff Appreciation you are a Board Member. Thank you!

Most of the PTA’s planning and business decisions occur at Board of Director Meetings. All General Member are encouraged to attend and participate in discussion. The Board meets on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 at Parkwood Elementary.

Board members for 2008-2009 are:

Board of directors

Co-President - Sharleen Lambard
Secretary - Heather Peterson
Treasurer - Jim Mercer
Co-VP Ways & Means (fundraising) - Sarah Howard-Morgan
Co-VP Ways & Means - Terri Holmes
Co-VP Communication - Jane Powers
Newsletter Editor - Paula Horne
Co-VP School & Comm. Services - Natalie Williams
Co-VP School & Comm. Services - Renee Iverson
Co-VP Enrichment - Natalie Lecher
Co-VP Health & Safety - KaLyn Burmeister
Co-VP Health & Safety - Ken Juell
Teacher Representative - Jan Pembrooke

Non-elected members

Membership - Lisa Hayes
Legislation - Jill Smith
Family Activities Co-chair - Sarah Howard-Morgan
Family Activities Co-chair - Open

Committee chairs

Back-to-School BBQ - Eddie Pate
Cut-n-Chat - Jan Avotins
Family Heritage Night/Ice Cream Social - Sarah Howard-Morgan
Food Drive - Open
Golden Acorn - Michelle Manis, Heather Peterson Harvest Festival - Sarah Howard
Hospitality ID Bracelets
Lost & Found
Parkfest
Reader board
Reflections Co-chair
Reflections Co-chair
Spanish Class
Spring Clean-up Staff Recognition Co-chair - Michelle Manis Staff Recognition Co-chair
Student Banking - Jan Avotins
Student Directory
Summer Play Dates - Sarah Howard
Talent Show - Karen and Mark Lund Webmaster - Doug Manis

PTA members are encouraged to participate in all aspects of the PTA. General members may decide to lend a hand on a committee, or Chair (lead) a committee. Parents and teachers who pay dues are eligible to select officers for the Board of Directors and Executive Committees as well as approval of the Parkwood PTA budget. Meeting attendance is not required, but members are always welcome at General Membership meetings, and Board of Director Meetings.

We value everyone’s input.

Parent Teacher Association is group dedicated to the advocacy and advancement of educational opportunities for children of all ages. It’s roots go back over 100 years. As members of PTA, we are supported by National PTA, Washington State PTA, and with the Shoreline PTA Council.

The Objectives of National PTA

To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school community, and place of worship.

To raise the standards of home life.

To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.

To bring into closer relation the home and the school that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.

To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education.

Can I really make a difference?

Yes, when you are involved your child achieves more.

How do I help my child succeed?

You can help your child succeed by providing a home that encourages learning and supports your child’s physical, mental, and emotional development. And, you can help your child succeed by working with the school and other community groups that have an impact on your child.

What happens if I get involved?

Decades of research show that when parents are involved students have :

• Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates
• Better school attendance
• Increased motivation, better self-esteem
• Lower rates of suspension
• Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
• Fewer instances of violent behavior
• Greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education

Now your Parkwood PTA membership has even more value. National PTA and Barnesandnoble.com have developed a discounted online bookstore for PTA members that features more than 1 million titles of books, music, movies, and more. Members will save 5 percent on all purchases on any products ordered from this site in addition to any normal site discounts: up to 40 percent off! New titles and special discounts will be featured periodically.

Visit the PTA member storefront.

Your Barnes and Noble username and password will be given to you along with your membership card, or contact the webmaster for more information.

The Parkwood PTA Standing Rules are the basic guidelines for Parkwood PTA. They are approved and voted on by the membership every Fall.

Parkwood PTA Standing Rules 2006-2007

1. The name of this PTA local unit is Parkwood PTA, Inc. 6.12.55.

2. This PTA serves the children in the community that includes the residences and businesses in the Parkwood Elementary School enrollment area.

3. This PTA is registered with the Secretary of State under the Charitable Solicitations Act. The registration number is SHO-P88-320. The Treasurer is responsible for filing the annual registration.

4. This PTA was incorporated as a non-profit corporation on March 1, 1980. It was assigned corporation number 2-297558-5. The Treasurer is responsible for filing the annual corporation report. The registered agent for this corporation is the Washington State PTA.

5. This PTA’s Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 91-6208011.

6. This PTA was granted tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) on December 20,1999.

7. The Treasurer is responsible for filing IRS Form 990 if that filing is required.

8. The membership service fees for Parkwood PTA shall be ten dollars ($10.00) per person or eighteen dollars ($18.00) per family.

9. Non-voting memberships will be offered to local businesses.

10. The students of Parkwood Elementary shall be considered honorary members of this unit without voice, vote or privilege of holding office.

11. The elected officers of this PTA shall be the President(s), Vice President(s) of Student Enrichment, Vice President(s) of Community/School Services, Vice president(s) of Health and Safety, Vice President(s) of Communication, Vice President(s) Ways and Means, Secretary, and Treasurer. These elected officers shall constitute the Executive Committee.

12. Any elected position other than Treasurer may be held jointly by two (2) people. Each co-position holder shall be entitled to voice and vote at a Board of Directors meeting.

13. This PTA’s annual meeting will be held in March or April, but before April 30 for the purpose of electing the officers for the following year. (See Article XII, Section 1(a) of the Bylaws.)

14. The Board of Directors of Parkwood PTA shall consist of the elected officers, Principal(s), Teacher Representative(s), and the Chairperson(s) of Membership, Legislation and Family Activities committees. All members of the Board of Directors must be members oft he PTA organization

15. The General Membership meetings of this unit shall be held in September (to adopt the annual budget and approve the Standing Rules), January (to elect a nominating committee), April (to elect officers) and June (to install officers).

16. Parkwood PTA Board of Directors will meet every month or every other month throughout the fiscal year (from July through June).

17. This PTA shall keep at least two (2) copies of its legal documents in separate locations: one with the Treasurer and one with the Secretary. The Treasurer will be responsible for maintaining the original copies and providing updated copies to the Secretary.

18. The annual budget shall be prepared by the Treasurer and Executive Committee and presented to the membership at the first general meeting of the year. The financial records shall be audited at the close of each PTA year by a committee appointed by the President. An interim budget shall be approved at the close of each PTA year and will be in effect until the new year’s budget can be approved in September.

19. Allocations within approved budget lines for $100 or less may be authorized by two (2) Board members outside of a Board meeting. Such approvals shall be documented in the minutes of the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.

20. The signatures of the Treasurer and either the President(s) or VP(s), as approved by the membership, shall be on the authorized signature card for this PTA?Äôs bank account.

21. One or more Golden Acorn Award(s) shall be presented annually to an outstanding volunteer(s). A committee appointed by the President(s) shall select the recipient(s). The Board of Directors shall determine the number of recipients.

22. Voting delegates to the Shoreline PTA/PTSA Council shall be the President and three (3) authorized delegates of this unit, two (2) of whom may be represented by alternates. (See Article V, Section 6(d) of the Bylaws.)

23. The vote of this PTA for the position of Washington State Region Director shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

24. The voting delegate to the annual State PTA convention shall be chosen by the Executive Committee upon election of the new officers. (See Article XIII, Section 2(b) of the Bylaws.)

25. The Legislative Chairperson shall be the voting delegate to the Legislative Assembly unless otherwise designated by the Board.

26. The Standing Rules shall be adopted annually by a majority vote at the first general membership meeting of the year.

27. The Standing Rules may be amended by a quorum at any regular general membership meeting. The quorum for general membership meetings shall be ten (10). (See Article XII, Section 1(c) of the Bylaws.)

28. Parliamentary authority shall be “Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.”

Do you need to be reimbursed for some PTA related expenditures?

Download the reimbursement form (pdf) or pick one up from the forms box in the PTA cabinet in the main office at Parkwood. When you have it filled out, and your receipts attached, you may place it in the Treasurer’s box in the PTA cabinet in the main office, bring it to a PTA meeting, or arrange a meeting with our hard-working treasurer.

Your donations and fund-raising support directly funds these Parkwood activities:

• Homework Club,
• guest artist visits,
• field trips,
• talent show,
• photography art walk,
• Parkfest,
• Family Heritage Night,
• Holiday Food Drive,
• classroom grants,
• enrichment grants,
• classroom emergency kits,
• student phonebook directory,
• Reflections art program,
• Back-to-School BBQ,
• game nights,
• Fall Harvest Festival,
• Staff Appreciation,

and many more.

There are many ways that you can support Parkwood PTA’s fundraising efforts. Parkwood PTA is a non-profit organization that accepts donations at any time of the year.

We’ve raised $130 this year from General Mills box tops. Way to go!

Clip box tops from hundreds of your favorite General Mills products and send them in to school. Each box top is worth 10¢, and it all adds up!

Eligible box top products.

Thank YOU!

WaMoola for Schools is a smart, simple way to make a difference every day.

For families with Washington Mutual Visa Check/Debit Cards, enroll in the WaMoola For Schools program at your branch or online. Choose Parkwood as your school to support. Every time you make a purchase, points are earned and at the end of the year, points are converted to money and donated directly to Parkwood by WaMu.

It’s easy to help! Visit http://www.wamoolaforschools.com or call toll free- 1-866-WAMOOLA for more information.

For more than 30 years, Labels for Education has been giving schools free educational equipment in exchange for labels from the Campbell family of brands. It’s a fun, easy program where students, families, and members of the community work together for a common goal.

Bring your soup labels to the collection box outside the Parent Center at Parkwood.

Review the list of eligible Campbell products for you to refer to as Parkwood collects labels and proofs of purchase to redeem for free merchandise.

Target’s Take Charge of Education Program.

We’ve discovered a terrific way to raise funds for our school. Parkwood will receive up to 1% of each purchase when you use your Target Visa or Target Card.

Just visit target.com or call 1-800-316-6142 to designate Parkwood your school of choice. You can even ask a cashier at Target to enroll Parkwood as your school of choice.

Parkwood’s number is: 10652.

So if you’re going to Target anyway, please consider using your Target Visa or Target Card. Big thanks to those who are already doing their part to make a great school even better.

Office Depot is proud to support our schools and communities through the 5% Back to Schools program. This program give you an opportunity to help local schools receive credits for FREE supplies when you shop at Office Depot for student school supplies. It’s easy!

• Buy qualifying student school supplies at Office Depot
• Designate Parkwood PTA to receive 5% of your qualifying purchase
• Office Depot will tally the qualifying purchases made during the program period
• Office Depot will award Parkwood 5% of the qualifying purchases in credits the school can use for FREE SUPPLIES!

To designate Parkwood to receive 5% of your next school supply purchase, visit your local Office Depot store or click here to designate the school of your choice. You will need to know your Office Depot order number. Parkwood’s number is: 70107423.

Find the store nearest you.

For a list of qualifying student school supply items, please visit the Office Depot Store nearest you or contact Customer Service at 1-800-GO-DEPOT. Office Depot has teamed up with National PTA

Office Depot has teamed up with National PTA to promote the importance of parent and community participation in schools nationwide. As a Proud Community Partner of National PTA, Office Depot is committed to joining PTA leaders across the country in strengthening parent and public involvement. One of the many ways Office Depot is providing support is by offering PTAs the opportunity to host special events, such as Back-to-school, membership drives, Teacher Appreciation Week, and other PTA activities at our 1,000+ retail stores. To learn more about the National PTA, visit their website at www.pta.org. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the National PTA’s customer service department at (800)307-4PTA (4782), or email Office Depot at PTAsupport@officedepot.com.

Link your Albertsons Preferred card on-line or at the cashier with Parkwood’s Community Partner Number: 49001004932. Every time you use your Preferred card, Parkwood PTA will recieve up to 2% of your grocery dollars. Schools can earn up to 10K a year. Tell you friends and family so they can support Parkwood as well. To link online go to Albertsons.com, enter your zip code and then click on “In the Community” at the bottom of the page.

Parkwood PTA has several open committee positions available. Whether you lend a hand on a committee, or lead one, we would love your input!

Contact the PTA Presidents for current information: president@parkwoodpta.org.

Looking for a great way to make some friends with other parents? Join the Membership Committee! Enrollment is year-round so we’ll be brainstorming ideas for increasing membership, spreading the word on PTA, implementing fun incentive programs, identifying creative incentives, and maybe even some party planning.

You can join us for the year or just participate on individual projects to accommodate your time. No skills needed, just interest.

8:30-11:00am every Wednesday in the Parent’s Center at Parkwood Elementary.

Provides parents and community volunteers the opportunity to help teachers prepare classroom materials, while getting to know each other. There are toys available for younger siblings, who are always welcome to come with you.

Parkwood PTA was recognized from the Shoreline PTA Council for our Cut-n-Chat program. I think this would be a great time to give you all a little bit of background about the Parkwood PTA Cut-n-Chat program.

It first started about 11 years ago. There were some Mom’s that had children in the school and younger ones at home. They wanted to help out in many ways. Though their time was limited with the younger ones. With the encouragement from the Family advocate and Principal, the Family Advocate decided to share her office space with these moms so that they too could help out in the school. They brought in toys to keep the little ones busy and the moms, dads, grandparents, and all that started coming started the weekly Cut-n-Chat. The teachers loved it as it freed up lots time for them.

The District has always shown there support also. We are still going strong with it now. We love it when we get a room full of helpers or just a few.There is always something to do.

I want to say THANK YOU to all of you for helping out. It is a great program. I am thankful for it, as it helped me feel more a part of my children’s school, so that I could help out and still bring my littlest ones in too, and not interrupt the learning’s in the classroom.

If you have any questions about Cut-n-Chat please feel free to come by on any Wednesday Morning 8:45-11:00, or contact Joan Desrosier. Any helping hands are always appreciated!

        <p>Did you know you can help financially support Parkwood PTA every time you shop online?</p>

Did you ever want to give us a donation but you could not afford to do it? Now there is as easy way for you to financially support us without having to donate one cent.

We have joined a fundraising program where every time you shop on the Internet a percentage of your sale will automatically be given to us. The way the new fundraising program works is very simple. All you have to do is come here to our website and click on our shopping button. After you click on our shopping button, you will be taken to a web page that lists thousands of different companies including:

• Starbucks,
• Hallmark,
• Office Depot,
• Dell,
• Circuit City,
• Land’s End,
• Wal-mart,
• Barnes & Noble, and
• Florist .com

just to name a few.

Every time you make a purchase from one of these fine companies, a percentage of the sale will automatically be given to the Parkwood PTA - and that really helps!

Volunteer now!

To volunteer your time, simply e-mail us your name, child’s name, and their teacher’s name.

Browse the volunteer opportunities to see if there something that interests you, but don’t be shy about contacting us. We can always use some help!

Why volunteer?

Because it’s fun!

But also because excellent schools don’t just happen, they are created. Schools with strong parent involvement programs experience profound benefits for students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Research shows that when parents are involved in students’ education, those students generally have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and more consistently completed homework.

Every day offers a fresh opportunity to get involved with your child.

Support our kids! Join the Parkwood PTA!

If you would like to join the PTA, just complete and return the Volunteer Form (pdf) with your fee to the school office or send it back via your child’s teacher. Membership envelopes are available in the main office or from the PTA bulletin board.

You are all warmly invited to join Parkwood PTA. Why join? Study after study has shown that parent involvement is key to student success in education.

By joining Parkwood PTA, you are helping support many great programs including: field trips, fall harvest festival, library grants, classroom grants, back-to-school BBQ, talent show, student phone directory, and emergency kits. Your support and involvement is needed to make it all happen.

Being a member does not require going to meetings or volunteering for events, being a member means you support what PTA does. And PTA annual membership dues are tax deductible.

For information on membership benefits and discounts please visit the national PTA website.

Talk to us!

Parkwood PTA
C/O Parkwood Elementary School
1815 North 155th Street
Shoreline, WA
98133

(206) 368-4150

president@parkwoodpta.org
fundraising@parkwoodpta.org
membership@parkwoodpta.org
secretary@parkwoodpta.org
treasurer@parkwoodpta.org
waysandmeans@parkwoodpta.org
webmaster@parkwoodpta.org