Hello! I wanted to take a moment and introduce myself. I’m Hannah Lack, the new Elementary Assistant here at Bryant. You can email me for any issues concerning attendance or requests for bus passes. For bus passes please include the bus number, your child’s name, what room number they are in , and who they are riding home with. Thank you so much and I look forward to meeting more of you!

Seattle Public Schools is offering admissions guidance in January and February at local schools. Get help completing your forms, speak to admissions staff through interpreters and submit your paperwork in person. Choose a date/location that works for you. See the flyer for details on the paperwork, or visit the District’s enrollment page to download the forms and see an overview of the entire process. Read more →

Tuesday, December 8, 2015
7:08 pm

Attendees: Leeann Huntington, Julie Ohrazda, Lauren Abraham, Jennifer Mahlum, Rachel Schaw, Kim Love, Kim Larsen, Joan Crooks, Amy Shanafelt, Carleen Confer, Amy Alphin, Dan Sanger, Julie Pearson, Patricia Parker, Sam Fogg, Mary-Britt Love, Anna Marburg, Michelle Ireton

November Board Meeting Minutes-Approved

Officer Standing Reports

1. Treasurer’s Report (Lauren Abraham & Jennifer Mahlum)
   Large matching gift payment came in
   Paid for 5th Grade camp & Paper

Special Committee Reports

1. Hunger Service Project
   Kicked off the program this month
   Program reps gave grade specific presentations

New Business

1. Schools First presentation on Supporting Seattle’s schools, levies.
   • Two important levies are on the ballot in Feb 2016
     • Operations Levy (provides 25% of Seattle Public Schools operating budget)
     • Capital Levy (maintenance, support classroom technology, academics and athletics and expand school capacity)
   • For more information see www.schoolsfirstseattle.org
   • Call to action
     • Endorsement from the PTA matters.
     • Volunteer to help get the word out (phone banking, newsletter communications)
     • Contributions: Financial support towards the campaign would be appreciated. In 2013 Bryant PTSA contributed $500.
2. Proposal to fund teacher professional development around PLCs (Dan Sanger)
   • Request to fund 25+ teachers to attend training around PLCs in August of 2016
   • $649 per teacher, Total ask $17,523
   • Board will meet as a smaller group with Dan to explore potential solutions
   • PLC training presentation
3. Funding for limited ceramics for 4th grade (Julianna Batho)
   • 4th Grade is interested
   • Ask is $950 to fund program in the Spring for all 3 programs
   • Board will respond to this request by end of the year
4. Tech Lab update on how the program has contributed to Bryant’s goals in year 1
   • Tech Lab Update powerpoint presentation
5. Request to fund a counselor position (Natalya Yudkovsky)
   • General discussion – No formal ask/request for funding was made
   • Dan & Julie described how they have tried to fill the gap of the counselor position
     • Teachers added more social studies, social interaction curriculum to their studies
     • Julie has taken on the role of supporting students when specific challenges arise.
   • Julie & Amy Alphin encourage any parents who feel like there is a gap around counselor support to please let their teacher, Julie and/or a PTSA member know so we can look for ways to address.

Meeting adjourned 8:42

With the holiday season upon us, there are a couple of convenient ways  to provide additional support for our school while you are going about your daily life. Shop online and and in stores to earn money for the PTSA which supports Bryant’s academic and enrichment programs. Read more →

Coming in for your parent-teacher conference? Please remember to check the Lost and Found racks located in the main hallway, for any of your student’s lost items. There are many sweaters, coats, lunchboxes, water bottles and miscellaneous items that would love to be reunited with their owners! All unclaimed items will be donated to charity. Thank you!

The attached Paramount Duty Resolution was adopted and signed by the general membership at the PTSA Board meeting on November 10th.  It sends a message to our legislators that as parents, citizens and voters, we request they uphold the Washington State Constitution that mandates the State amply fund education for all children.

We are sending the signed Paramount Duty Resolution to our 46th District Legislators, Gov Jay Inslee and the Senate and House Education Committee Members. Read more →

We have immediate openings for lunch recess volunteers weekly (or alternating weeks) from 12 – 1:30 pm.

Our playground volunteers help make Bryant a safe and fun place to be by helping kids in small ways like tying shoes & giving out band-aids, to bigger ways like giving gentle reminders of school policy, reporting incidents to playground staff and building social skills. This is a great way to get to know our school and Bryant students of all ages! Read more →

Seattle Public Schools hosts meetings at area schools on different topics and initiatives. Check the schedule for your areas of interest. Read more →

Your membership in the Bryant PTSA lets you affect advocacy for our students at the school, regional and national levels. Your annual membership dues are only $12 per person or $20 for a household of two, the majority of your dues fund our dues in the larger PTSA/PTA organizations.

• $1.50/member to the Seattle Council PTSA
• $5.75/member to the Washington State PTA
• $2.25/member to the National PTA

The PTSA and PTA, as powerful regional and national voting blocs, advocate for students and provide legislative voice for children in Olympia and Washington, D.C. This year, the state PTA and city PTSA are working to pressure the legislature to honor the McCleary decision to properly fund and prioritize education in the state. The Seattle Council PTSA has outlined steps to advocate for funding McCleary in its Paramount Duty campaign, which we’ll be discussing at our November PTSA meeting. Read more →