Posted June 3, 2021 by Nicole Trimble

2021 Washington State PTA Convention
Canyon Creek PTA Attendee Recap

The Washington State PTA hosted their convention VIRTUALLY from Tuesday, May 18th through Sunday, May 23rd. Our PTA was well represented at the 2021 Washington State PTA Convention. The following current and future Canyon Creek PTA executive board members attended trainings and meetings: Melanie McKenzie, Nicole Trimble, Karen Smith, Jennifer Snyder, Nancy Tangen & Priya Patel. All executive board members must complete at least one approved training class - and classes taken during this convention will satisfy that requirement for the 2021-22 school year. 

Not only did the attendees take classes to develop their PTA knowledge and leadership skills, but several were also delegates for our PTA membership - voting on updates to the Washington State PTA bylaws and electing the 2021-2023 WSPTA Board of Directors and attending the Business & General Meetings.

Business of the WSPTA

Here's a quick recap of the business that happened at the convention this year.
 
Bylaws - A total of three bylaws amendments were approved through the online ballot process and one bylaw in its entirety was sent back to WSPTA Board of Directors. A recap of the approved bylaws can be found here.  These amendments will take effect as of July 1, 2021. The amendments are posted on the WSPTA website's Governance page and a fully updated WSPTA Uniform Bylaws document will be available on July 1.
 
Election of 2021-23 WSPTA Board of Directors - The delegate body voted on the Nominating Committee report. The results can be found here. The term for these positions will begin on June 1, 2021.
 
Check out the "2021 Convention Wrap Up" press release from WSPTA.
 

Inspiring Speakers

We were lucky to have the privilege of listening to three inspiring keynote speakers:
  • Leslie Boggs (National PTA President)
  • Caylin Moore (Author and Inspirational Speaker)
  • Brooke Brown (2021 Washington State Teacher of the Year)

Find more information about these keynote speakers - and other guest speakers at convention.

 

Canyon Creek PTA Awards

Canyon Creek PTA is so excited to have been awarded the following awards for the 2020-21 school year! Special thanks to Melanie McKenzie (our VP-Programs) who worked to collect and present all of the required documentation to apply for these awards.

  • Standards of Excellence -- GOLD
  • PTAs Taking Significant Action -- SILVER
    • For the creation of our DEI Committee and our Windows & Mirrors Book Drive
  • Outstanding Communication Strategy -- GOLD
  • Outstanding Website --  GOLD
  • Outstanding Newsletter -- SILVER
  • 100% Staff Membership 

Thank you to the Canyon Creek PTA Executive Board for meeting the standards of excellence when it comes to running our PTA!

Thank you to the entire DEI Committee for their passion and ideas to ensure we encourage diversity, equity and inclusion in our PTA and school community!

Thank you to Jennifer Snyder (VP-Communications) & Nicole Trimble (Website & Newsletter) for all the effort to keep up with our communication via our website and newsletter, and meeting the WSPTA standards.

Thank you to Jennifer Snyder (our Membership Chair) for really working hard to build our membership, giving us more of a voice when advocating for ALL of our children!

See award images and prior year awards!

 

Classes Taken by Our Representatives

Our group of convention attendees spent many hours taking classes online at home, trying to focus on learning, while things (student learning, dinner, bedtime, etc) still happened around us! We did our best to learn and gather ideas that we will share with others in our leadership team. We have things to research and new strategies to try. Check out all the classes we took!!

  • Unconscious Bias and How it Impacts Our Lives
  • PTA and the Law
  • Make Your PTA More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive
  • Gathering Input: Give Members a Voice with Forms and Surveys
  • Foundations of FACE
  • Negotiating Conflict: Strategies for Productive PTA Relationships
  • Civil Discourse
  • The Effective Vice President
  • I'm in Charge, No What? Essentials for Emerging Leaders!
  • PTA is Work. Here’s How to Talk About it While Interviewing
  • 21st Century Media and Your Children: A Conversation with Dr. Don Shiffrin
  • Engaging Middle and High School Parents with Parent Ed Nights (much applied to elementary too!)
  • How to Find Your Replacement
  • Forefront Suicide Prevention Parent LEARN Training
  • Using Digital Tools to Communication with Members

 

Thank You!

Even though this year has not turned out as anyone expected, we are proud of how everyone has handled the changes and what we were still able to accomplish this year - with all of our AMAZING chairs, volunteers and community!! We look forward to another great year of figuring things out, creating memories and working with what we have to continue to build community and have some fun during the 2021-22 school year.