SPS to Host 5 Community Meetings on the Strategic Plan

-From SPS

Seattle Public Schools will host five community meetings to share information and ask for public comments about updating the District's current Strategic Plan, Excellence for All.   

The updated plan will guide academic and operational priorities for the next three to five years and include ongoing benchmarking to measure the District's performance.

Dates, times and locations for the five meetings: 

Monday - April 1, 6:30-8:30pm, at Eckstein Middle School auditorium, 3003 N.E. 75th St. (Interpreters available in Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Amharic and Tigrigna)   

Tuesday - April 2, 6:30-8:30pm, at Chief Sealth International HS auditorium, 2600 S.W. Thistle (Interpreters available in Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog, Amharic)   

Saturday - April 6, 10am-noon, at Garfield HS commons, 400-23rd Ave. (Interpreters available in Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog, Amharic and Tigrigna)   

Monday - April 8, 6:30-8:30pm, at Ballard HS commons, 1418 N.W. 65th St. (Interpreters available in Spanish and Somali)   

Tuesday - April 9, 6:30-8:30pm, at Aki Kurose Middle School lunchroom, 3928 S. Graham St. (Interpreters available in Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog, Amharic and Tigrigna)  

Each meeting will include a joint presentation by district staff and Pivot Learning Partners, the consultants hired to assist the district with the strategic planning process; a summary of the work of the Strategic Plan Task Force and an opportunity for community attendees to offer their perspectives verbally and/or in writing. The updated Strategic Plan is expected to be presented to the School Board for introduction at the June 19 Board meeting and for action at the July 3 Board meeting.

To learn more about the District's Strategic Plan please click here.

Road Map Region Parent Forum - "Strengthening Family and School Connections for Student Success"

Saturday, April 20

10am-3pm at Foster High School, 4242 S. 144th Street, Tukwila, WA 98168

Parents are their child's first teacher. We want to support you by offering a range of resources that will help you understand and navigate the school system, build stronger relationships with your child's school, as well as get information on academic requirements.

About the Parent Forum:

• This event is free and food will be provided
• There will be door prizes, raffles and giveaways
• On-site child care and interpretation will be provided for those who request/need it
• Buses to Foster High School will be available at some key locations

More details are available at www.roadmapproject.org or contact Anthony Shoecraft at

ashoecraft@ccedresults.org, or Carlina Brown-Banks at cbbanks@ccedresults.org.  

SCPTSA Seeking Nominations for the 2013-14 Board

Bring your passion for schools to a higher level! Seattle Council PTSA is the connector between local PTA's, the Seattle School District and Washington State PTA. Through Seattle Council PTSA you can address issues that impact all of Seattle Public Schools.

Do you have an interest in issues that go beyond your local school and affect children throughout the district? If so, we need you! Transportation, capacity, family engagement and district policies are just a few areas that SCPTSA is currently working on. SCPTSA board members have a number of opportunities to serve on committees in the district, as well as meet with district officials and school board members. SCPTSA works with all local PTA's throughout Seattle, including outreach, education, training and troubleshooting.

We are currently looking for looking for people to serve on our Executive Committee for 2013-14. 

The board meets monthly at the John Stanford Center. Are you interested in helping, but are not sure what role is right for you? Contact us so we can learn about your interests! Please email Ann Weber at executiveVP@seattlecouncilptsa.org. 

Attention Treasurers: Seattle City Business License 'How-To' Now on our Website

The City of Seattle has provided us with a document including all the details on how a PTA should properly file their Seattle Business License tax return.  We are all considered businesses and must obtain a city license and file this annual return.  I know lots of PTA's were not aware of this previously, and those that did know found the return confusing. This document should answer all your questions, and provides contact information if something is still unanswered.   Most PTA's will owe little if any tax since both donations and memberships are deductible, but each PTA will have to pay an annual fee of either $45 or $90 depending on whether your total income is above or below $20,000 annually.