Advocacy Team — funding equity, outdoor lunch, and family connections

8/18/21, 7:00pm via zoom

Key actions, questions (transcripted notes below):

D7 meetings:

- Kristen is our rep. Tiffany, Kelly, and Carrie are available as alternates.

How often should dedicated advocacy meetings occur (once per month, alternating with other working meeting)? Consider along with question around focusing on BIPOC parent leader/ family connection and how working and community meetings can best support that effort.

As focus among D7 schools shifts from fundraising to advocacy, what is main issue/message to/from each school?

Key advocacy issues discussed: permanent FSW, fully funding education, outdoor lunch, centralized translation/ interpretation.

• Outdoor lunch: Carrie to email Ms. Gray for feedback (canopies, volunteers, equity, top down funding, petition, etc). Pending response, PTSA can promote it.

Family Connections:

- Charissa to meet with Katherine and Michelle tomorrow to help frame message around directory sign up benefits of families connecting.
- Consider adding a button/section to sign up form to see if families want a phone call from PTSA rep to review various PTSA engagement opportunities and interest areas. Carrie and Michelle can chat with families at the Open House about these opportunities. MT can help follow up with families if they sign up for a follow up call. Do others want to help call families back?
- Kelly to share photo of parent leaders for MT/ Carrie to print for Open House table to better reflect larger group.
- Option for Carrie/ MT to create simple, easy to translate, Family Connection poster/banner, (and ways to connect…FB, CC, WeChat) for Open House.
- Option for Carrie/ MT to bring device to Open House for directory sign ups.

• Any dedicated kindergarten events happening? If so, would anyone from PTSA be willing to attend to welcome incoming families and help with directory sign ups/connecting families?
• Staff meeting, would anyone from PTSA be willing to attend to help strengthen a connection?
• (Charissa?) to invite Zeinab to join Family Connections table. How can PTSA partner with her to best support the work she is doing?
• MT building calendar for communications, requesting input. Early suggestion, invite families to ask questions.
• Back to school packets. Charissa to send out sign up genius link. Packets to include directory sign up and KFOCs letter.
• Open house snacks/drinks: past budget $650. Assume 200 snacks and 200 drinks. Kelly/ Deb to coordinate procurement and delivery to Carrie’s house next week. Deb to pick up ice on event day.

Kristen: last meeting was what do we want to focus on. Budget, funding, facebook said same issue…how are our conversations changing from fundraising to advocacy? Great how other schools are asking same question. Met with Maple and Graham Hill, Sarah Igawa had set up meeting. What is main message to each school? Less focus on fundraising (or big group fundraiser), more advocacy. Will bring up at D7 to get a feel from other schools to see where they are at with the conversation. We can be part of bigger conversation. Will be added to next Wednesday’s agenda with Dir. Hersey who is budget chair so perfect person to start this conversation with. So if there are other advocacy issues that is open but felt less huge that other schools. They want to reach out to Vivian Van Gelder, and to talk to legislative chair to see how info gets routed/ disseminated. Second thing: Jennifer Wittenberg messaged PTSA concerned about indoor lunch. Emailed Ms. Gray. Volunteers for lunch, equity issue if other schools cannot. Maki at Dearborn park started petition to dir. Hersey to say you really need to think about requirements for outdoor lunch.

Carrie: Inslee mandated every state worker to be vaccinated (univ, schools). Interested in promoting the petition.

Tiffany: like carrie, hadn’t thought about it. But agrees outdoor lunch could really help. Check with Luis and Melissa Gray.

Kristen: petition going to Hersey.

Charissa: more equitable fundraising as a group (or bigger, whole district?). permanent FSW but maybe for all title 1 schools, or beyond? Outdoor lunches. (Communication?)

Kristen: redid SPS website, was a big thing they’d been working on trying to make it more accessible. Translation still a thing

Carrie: other D7 rep?

Kristen: Tiffany for Mercer

Tiffany: now Edwin Lynn. Would be good to tag team, take turns to attend.

Kelly: advocacy meeting once a month?

Carrie: in favor, get thorough updates on weekly D7. Could be attendee.

Discussion considered alternating advocacy and working meetings, reaching families of color, and developing parent leadership.

Michelle: reflecting on comment around same group showing up all the time. Is there another way for people to show up at different levels. Is there an “opportunity list” at different levels. Feels like people will show up at the open house.

Charissa: would require follow up , but maybe sign up to have a phone call? Here’s the lay of the land.

Michelle: directory sign up button?

Charissa: technically easy, but translation more challenging. Katherine and Michelle, meeting with Charissa…”family connection” (vs. directory), frame it in terms of benefits.

Carrie/Michelle: reel people in and chat with candy😊.

Michelle: add a column, find out ways to get involved. Then can divide and conquer on direct follow up.

Tiffany: do we have POC at the open house table. At mercer, decided to print picture of PTSA to show how we reflect the school.

Michelle: like that. Was there a slide at the last PTSA

Kelly: send that slide.

Charissa: optional invitation for Carrie and Michelle to bring a device that people could sign up. Any meetings with Kindergarten parents…helpful if PTSA rep could welcome them. And maybe PTSA could go to staff meeting (hard for them to come to our parent meetings). Can ask Zeinab if she’d like to join our table, Family Connections table. Linking back to directory…asked Connie and Qi, I only have so many people’s contact info, only 60 parents via IA. So directory so helpful…more opportunity to invite and connect.

Carrie: is adding home language an option?

Charissa: no but can pick which language you want to fill it out in. we added to Chinese, do you want to be part of WeChat. Only 3 parents filled it out.

Carrie: overwhelmed about how to get people connected.

Michelle: starting to think maybe we should put together a print out ways to connect. Make it big (facebook, cougar connection, directory, WeChat, talking points). She can work on this but would want feedback.

Carrie: large visual important, see from afar what’s happening at the table.

Charissa: simpler the better. Get connected…translated great. Don’t want to many calls to action at once. How are you feeling about the school year? (vs. what’s happening at PTSA). Meeting Katherine and Michelle at 7:30 tomorrow if you want to join…or just meet at the school.

Carrie: makes sense to get connected.

Michelle: happy to do set up, sit at table, make poster (get connected or similar). Be there a little early.

Charissa: hope there will be time for you to attend other event areas.

Michelle: if asked key questions, what should we do? Will want to check with Ms. Gray and Luis.

Charissa: yes that sounds good.

Michelle: can promote 8/30 Q and A. so many posters😊.

Carrie: question for Ms. Gray. Parking and unload

Kristen: school lunch thing. Convo with Ms. Gray first. Then how do we promote?

Charissa: facebook and CC. both? Just one?

Carrie: happy to reach out to Ms. Gray. BLT retreat Tuesday morning so will see her then. Happy to talk about it then. Maybe funding can trickle down from above for canopies, etc. Happy to share as a heads up that many families are hoping for outdoor lunch…just get it out there.

Kristen: maybe asking? Can apply to get canopies? Is that even a possibility? What do we need to do to get them? Ms. Gray already asking for volunteers for lunch…is that realistic? Ms. Gray’s 8/13 Health and Safety updates.

Michelle: don’t see anything in that email about volunteers.

Carrie: will email admin, can copy Kristen.

Charissa: low hanging fruit. Teachers to have jurisdiction to sit outside if weather is good

Carrie: issue that it’s teacher’s time off.

Kristen: first D7 meeting this Wednesday. Outdoor lunch likely a n issue. I’ll attend.

Charissa: D7 conflict? Poll for options?

Kristen: alternated last year.

Carrie: polled in Slack

Charissa: some ok, some don’t know. Virtual for time being.

Carrie: will check with admin and then stratefize on how to send out petition

Kristen: dir Hersey, campaign kick off 8/24 at Seward park. Every 2 years. Now running for reelection. No opponent.

Michelle: promote campaign?

Charissa: maybe just hold onto link as needed.

Michelle: building calendar for fb posts. Pulling from sps, or melissa’s emails.

Charissa: inviting folks to ask questions.

Charissa: fb and emails in English. Mercer puts link to google translate at the top but heard it’s not great so haven’t done that. Assumption that folks with English language skills. Advocacy: centralized translatin/interpretation but cool if every school could have certain number of hours per year allocated. Ms. Tanya has invited us to assemble packets so PTSA, 5-6 people over couple days…but benefit is you get to go into the building. Did sign up genius, could be opportunity to see each other in person. Several slots. Not crucial they all get filled out. Will think about whether to send out via CC or specifically to kindergarten families. Will share link for sign up.

Kristen: is that also where we need to do PTSA form?

Charissa: yes, typically includes paper directory form. No pressure to Carrie and Michelle on event day sign ups.

Charissa: budget no issue for snacks. 420 packets/students.

Carrie: can store

Deb: cans over bottles. Couple coolers. Can bring sharing cups.

Carrie: sparkling? Still?

Deb: need bottle is still

Carrie: littles might want still.

Deb: do combo.

Carrie: little bottles of still water. Sparkling cans.

Michelle: not ok these days with big jugs of water now with compostable little cups?

Deb: queuing issue? Maybe combo including jugs, bottles, cans?

Carrie: have single person filling water? Maybe just grab and take.

Charissa: $650, 200 drinks plus 200 snacks. Ok to not do frozen.

Michelle: Welch’s fruit snacks 90 count. Goldfish 45 count. Animal crackers. Skinny popcorn.

Charissa: popcorn nice…no allergies…gave it to Cougar of the month. No gelatin.

Carrie: Stretch Island Fruit leather.

Michelle: ice chests to store. Ask melissa for another table put snacks on that one.

Kelly: I will reach out re: tables. Popcorn and fruit snacks. No napkins. Pump sanitizer.

Carrie: has coolers

MT: has cooler too.

Carrie/Michelle: 3:30.

Kelly: ask about parking load/unload

Deb: will be at open house but not through until the end. Could fill big cooler with ice then divvy it up. Can shop at Costco with Kelly..coordinate via text