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- Next Meeting - Legislative Roundup October 21st at NCHS
- Why Parent Council Matters
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CONNECT
WITH US
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2015-2016
MEETING
SCHEDULE*
October 21, 2015
November 18, 2015
January 20, 2016
February 17, 2016
March 16, 2016
April 20, 2016
May 18, 2016
*Always check our website and Facebook for any changes and to learn
about upcoming topics.
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Get connected.
Stay informed.
Take action.
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HISTORY
Washington Township was founded by parents over 50 years ago!
Parents have consistently played a role in advocating for students and influencing the direction of Washington Township Schools.
This legacy of parental involvement and vigilant stewardship of our schools must continue now more than ever.
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President:
Kristina Frey
(Fox Hill Parent)
President Elect:
OPEN
Immediate Past President: Grant Remington
(North Central Parent)
Treasurer:
Nancy Gwin
(North Central Parent)
Secretary:
OPEN
VP, Nominating:
Taryn Greaser
(Fox Hill Parent)
VP, Communications:
Shelley Clark
(Allisonville &
Eastwood Parent)
PTO Presidents' Council:
Christie Call
(North Central Parent)
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Collaborate
Influence
Advocate
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Next Meeting:
Legislative Roundup!
October 21, 2015
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Come meet your legislators! This month, Parent Council of MSDWT will host its annual Legislative Roundup. This is always a very popular and enlightening meeting. Elected officials (and candidates where relevant) that represent any part of the boundaries of MSDWT are invited to take part in a panel discussion on education topics, including a Q&A session with parents.
Since it's not an election year for State offices, we expect the focus to be more on the upcoming legislative session and the bills that are likely to come up that could impact public education and specifically MSDWT. Given our district's current focus on funding & strategic planning, those will surely be key topics of interest to parents and caregivers.
Please note: this meeting will be hosted at North Central High School, not the CEC (see above info)!
Our goal is to educate parents on current public policy issues, specifically as they relate to our school district, teachers and our children. Educated parents are empowered parents.
This meeting is open to all! We hope to have all schools and grade levels represented. Bring a friend!
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September Meeting Recap
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Panel Discussion on IB
Last month, a panel comprised of parents, teachers and students, shared their perspectives on IB in Washington Township and answered parent questions.
Front row (L to R): Lainey Decker (student), Leslie Decker (teacher & parent), Anika Dean (student). Back row (L to R): Kari Fritz (teacher), Desiree Brooks (teacher), Chad Hyatt (IB Curriculum Coach for MSDWT), Sonya Waterhouse (parent).
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Join Our Active Committees
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Our updated meeting format includes committee work for parents to take action in a variety of areas:
- Public Policy Committee: Chair, Mark Renholzberger
- Communications Committee: Chair, Shelley Clark
- Teacher Committee: Chair, Grant Remington
- Community Outreach/Promotions Committee: Chair, Kristina Frey
Next month, we will provide detailed committee updates so you can hear what we're working on! If you have questions or want to join a specific committee, please email us at [email protected].
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Looking Ahead
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November 18: The Advancement Center
As funding continues to be hot topic in the district, we hope to have representatives from The Advancement Center (formerly Washington Township Schools Foundation) present to the Parent Council. We will hopefully learn about all the exciting plans they have for fundraising and grant opportunities for Washington Township Schools. We will also make time to break out into committees this month.
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Why Parent Council Matters
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Parent Council is different from PTO. If you are unfamiliar with Parent Council, it is an important group for several reasons:
- We can serve as an independent advisory body to the Administration and Superintendent on many issues that parents care about.
- We educate parents on issues that affect our schools, teachers and our kids.
- We give parents a leadership role to be active on many issues that are important to them.
- We serve as a strategic liaison for parents to connect to the School Board.
- We are non-partisan.
- We support public education.
Having an active parent council demonstrates to the administration, the school board and our entire community that parents are engaged and care about where our district is headed. It also ensures a strong contingent of MSDWT advocates who are ready to take action when we need them (think future referenda, budget issues, etc).
Our meeting format has changed this year. All committee work and parent discussion will take place during our two-hour per month meetings. The commitment is once a month in the evening for two hours.
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Delegation Chairs and Delegates
STILL Needed For All Schools!
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Please consider stepping up for this two-hour monthly commitment!
Did you know that we have a committee structure in place for parents to collaborate and work on district issues that matter to them?
Did you know that Parent Council can serve as a conduit and a collective voice to the School Board?
To continue the growth, organizational development and long-term strategy of Parent Council, we need enthusiastic parents who are willing to attend our monthly meetings regularly.
Being a Parent Council delegate for your school involves attending our evening meetings, usually held on the third Wednesday of every month during the school year (except December). Always check our website and Facebook for the latest info.
Member activities can include:
- Attendance at monthly meetings
- Participation in Parent Council subcommittees
- Identification of key initiatives
- Continuing education on district issues
- Adoption of position statements
- Dissemination of information
- Representation at School Board meetings
- School Board candidate screening/endorsement
YOU can positively influence the direction of the district by working alongside other fellow Washington Township parents on issues that are important to YOU, your children and your school.
A Parent Council Delegation Chair is someone who attends meetings, but also acts as a "ringleader" for Parent Council at each school. We need school chairs so we can ensure that every school is represented at Parent Council meetings. It's an easy job and can GREATLY facilitate our communications efforts. Read more about being a delegation chair
here
.
At a minimum, please consider being a delegate for your school! While our MSDWT school district is truly amazing in all it does on a daily basis, we need dedicated people who are willing to strategize, identify challenges and engage our leadership on topics that will continue to move our district forward.
Please visit our
website
for detailed information about Parent Council and fill out the "contact us" form to get involved and represent your school.
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HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
Anyone can be a delegate for their school. All schools need more representatives!
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LEARN MORE
Parent Council is different from PTO. It allows parents to be involved in district level issues in a "big picture" way.
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