* What Does the WMS PTSA Do?
All the Ways the PTSA
Supports Whitman Middle School
Staff Appreciation: Coffee On Wheels
Our PTSA Staff Appreciation team organized a coffee and pastry delivery to all of our incredible Whitman Staff and Teachers on Thursday, March 14, 2024!
We hope a little extra treat alongside the sunshine this morning was a great start to our wonderful staff’s day.
We really can’t thank our incredible Whitman Wildcat staff enough!
WMS PTSA Equity Committee
The Whitman PTSA Equity Committee was established in 2020-2021. We partner with the Whitman administration, staff, students, and families to ensure an inclusive community where every family and student feels engaged, valued, heard, represented, and included regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, religion, ability, or power. We acknowledge the systemic racial and socioeconomic inequities in our schools, communities, and country, and are committed to dismantling institutionalized, interpersonal, and internalized racism. We work for equity within the school, community, district, and state through education, acknowledgement, advocacy, and use of our resources. We ask the questions:
- Who is being centered?
- Who is left out?
- Who is being impacted?
- How can we create inclusive spaces for our BIPOC families and families furthest from educational justice?
Watch the Meeting Recap
For more information, please refer to our see our Whitman MS and PTSA Equity page.
Join the PTSA Fun!
Annual Giving Campaign (AGC)
Each year, the PTSA listens to Whitman parents, teachers, and administration to understand how we can help meet critical needs. The Whitman PTSA budget is focused on supporting our community as we return to full time in-person learning, and helps turn great ideas into reality.
Thank You Volunteers!
We want to send a big thank you to all the volunteers who show up day in and day out at Whitman Middle School. Whether you volunteer for helping us remodel the staff lunchroom, with a bake or Spirit Wear sale, our Hallway Crew, Friends of Whitman Music, Performing Arts of Whitman or in the many other ways at our school, we hope you know how much we appreciate you!! All families are welcome to join in the fun! Our school benefits so much from our volunteers!
Whitman PTSA is Awarded a 2023 Gesa Local Heroes Grant for our Whitman Educators!
Your WMS PTSA were recently awarded a 2023 Gesa Local Heroes Grant! They acknowledged our proposal to honor our local heroes: the educators and staff at Whitman Middle School: “Gesa is a firm believer in honoring those that are on the ground working every day to make our communities better and safer for all. The work that the Whitman Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association has done to uplift our communities’ educators is recognized and we’re incredibly grateful for it….This grant program is funded by Gesa Credit Union members who have elected to use a Local Heroes Affinity Debit Card. Every time they swipe their card, Gesa makes a small donation to a fund supporting our local heroes. The Gesa Community Foundation uses that money for our grant program to support you and other organizations working with our Local Heroes populations.” Thank you to the entire Gesa Team for this incredible award!
For this grant, we proposed to remodel the current Staff Lounge. The current lounge is in needs some love and attention, and the Gesa grant will be spent making the space more functional and more relaxing for the teachers and staff to have their lunch and take their break.
WE NEED YOU!
Our Staff Appreciation Team is looking for at least two family member volunteers that can help us realize this project! If you are interested in helping us makeover this staff lounge, please reach out to Ali at: whitmanptsastaffappreciation@gmail.com. We think this room has a lot of potential, and hope you can bring your design and organizational skills to help realize that!
National PTA Reflections Program
Whitman MS Students & PTSA Reflections: Still Time to Produce Art!
Reflections is a National PTA Arts Competition that provides an opportunity for students to use their creative talents. Reflections takes original student submissions, inspired by this year’s theme, “I Am Hopeful Because…” in the area of visual arts, photography, literature, music composition, film production and dance choreography. There is a Special Artist Division for students who identify as having a disability and receive services under IDEA or ADA: Section 504. Students may enter in the Special Artist division or the grade division most closely aligned to their abilities. Any Whitman student can participate by submitting one entry in one or more art categories. For more information, visit the Washington State PTA Reflections website or contact our Whitman PTSA Reflections Program Chair Krista Diaz at kristadiaz@gmail.com
Thankful for a Helpful Community
Ms. McElroy reached out to PTSA this week with a request. She needed a few unicycle seats trimmed to accommodate smaller students in PE. One Facebook post later, and we had a lot of suggestions! One member of our Whitman Moms offered to pick up and drop off the seats with her colleagues! Thank you Eli, Adam, and Brent from Ballard Industrial Pipe Yard! Ms. McElroy wrote back this morning: Sending a thank you shout out for the coordination in getting the unicycles cut. Was finally able to start a unicycle unit this morning now that we have unicycles to fit ALL students!!! I really appreciate the help in getting unicycles cut. My students were really excited to start unicycling today. Thanks again!
Afterschool Safety Classes at Whitman
These classes are being offered in the cafeteria after school for Whitman students. They are provided by Strategic Living, an outside vendor which has offered safety skills classes at many Seattle area schools. Payment for these classes is made to them. Financial assistance is available. There are plenty of spots left in the October 25 and November 1 classes, so please sign up soon.
Personal Self-Defense for Whitman boys/male-identified/nonbinary students Self-defense for boys and male-identified/nonbinary students at Whitman, specifically designed for their needs and concerns. This class is for boys who are beginning to explore the world, often without direct adult supervision. They may be concerned about peer pressure, a cultural environment that promotes unhealthy relationship behavior, interactions with unknown persons, or they could use some skills to help make up for the experience they don’t yet have. The class will be held on Wednesday, November 1 from 2:45 – 5:15 p.m. in the Whitman cafeteria. This is a youth only class. Cost is $65 per child. Financial assistance is available. Visit the Everbrite site for more information and registration.
Empowerment Self-Defense for Whitman girls/female-identified/nonbinary students
Self-defense and safety skills for girls and female-identified/nonbinary students at Whitman. Girls will learn to recognize “red flags” that could mean someone may harm them, plan safe exits from iffy situations, practice physical moves (just in case), and learn to find support and self-care. We offer two sessions, one on Wednesday, October 25 and the second on November 8. Both run from 2:45 – 5:15 p.m. at the Whitman cafeteria. This is a youth only class. Cost is $65 per child. Financial assistance is available. Visi the Evenbrite site for more information and registration for the Oct 25, 2023 and a different Eventbrite page to register for the Nov 8, 2023 class.
WMS PTSA Social Emotional Learning Group
Whitman PTSA is excited to announce that we have developed a Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) Group. It is currently led by Nicole Shiraev (6th gr. parent) and Amy Conant Wilson (8th gr. parent).
The SEL PTSA group is here to support the emotional well-being of our Whitman Middle School Community by offering information on mental health supports and social-emotional education materials. To do this we are partnering with Whitman Middle School’s guidance counselors, prevention and intervention specialist, and school social worker. We hope to bring you tools that help you discuss mental health issues and concerns with your middle schooler and bring you more information about the SEL programs at Whitman MS.
Finally, we hope to partner with student clubs, staff groups, the PTSA Equity group as well as the PTSA Board to engage with all Whitman families. Please feel free to reach out to the Social Emotional Learning leads at whitmanptsasel@gmail.com.
Curriculum Enrichment Fund (CEF)
Beyond supporting teachers with individual classroom funds, the PTSA sets aside significant financial resources from fundraising activities for the CEF.
This money is issued to successful CEF applicants for the purchase of programs and materials that enhance the curriculum beyond what is currently funded by district resources, with the primary objective of advancing the Seattle Public Schools Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP).
Learn more on the Whitman Middle School Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) and School Profile.
Whitman MS PTSA Awards Overview
Golden Acorn Award
- A Golden Acorn Award (school or community volunteer) is presented by a local PTA or council to a school or community volunteer in recognition of her or his dedication and service to children and youth. Since the beginning of this program in the 1930s, more than 54,000 Golden Acorn Awards have been presented to volunteers throughout Washington state.
Honorary Life Membership Award
- The Honorary Life Membership Award (volunteer or school staff) recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to the development, growth, and sustainability of a local PTA or council. It is awarded to someone who has shown extraordinary commitment to the PTA’s vision and mission.
Outstanding Advocate Award
- The Outstanding Advocate Award (volunteer or school staff) was established in 2004 to recognize an individual for his or her advocacy and commitment in helping to create strong policies relating to the health, welfare, safety and education of children and youth.
Outstanding Educator Award
- The Outstanding Educator Award (educator not limited to a teacher may be defined as a teacher, assistant, specialist, support staff, administrator or community member) is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions in their community to enhance the educational outcomes of all children or youth.