Meeker Elementary School’s Parent- Teacher Association (PTA) has been named the state’s Outstanding Local Unit of the Year.
The
PTA was honored last spring at the Washington State PTA Annual
Convention in Bellevue and at the Puyallup PTA Council Annual Awards
Night.
This
is the second time a Puyallup School District PTA unit has been
selected for the statewide honor. Zeiger Elementary PTA received the
recognition in 2006.
In
selecting award winners, the state’s Outstanding Local Unit award
committee considers factors such as a PTA’s working relationship with
school staff, how it engages its families, and its ability to identify
strengths and where it can improve based on its research of the school
community.
“This
PTA obviously understands the concept of school and community,” the
award committee stated. “We found they are an outstanding local unit
that serves a Title I community and thinks outside the box doing new and
inventive things to serve them!”
The
award is given each year to one PTA unit at the primary level and
another at the middle/secondary level. Meeker Elementary was selected
for the top award from among more than 900 elementary school PTA units
statewide.
An
article in the state PTA “Leadership News” blog states that one of the
keys to the success of the Meeker Elementary PTA is in developing clear
and measureable goals, with input from the principal and a teacher
representative, so its goals are aligned to the school’s goals.
The
article further states that the school has achieved the 100 percent
membership award — one member for every student at the school — for two
consecutive years.
Meeker
Elementary School PTA schedules activities and events year-round that
align with its own PTA goals, which are created to complement schoolwide
goals, said PTA President Megan Klein.
The
school hosted a “Freaky Friday” event last February, for example, in
which parents and students traded places for the night, giving adults a
chance to experience a typical school day. With their children at their
side, parents chose a hot lunch, took an Accelerated Reader test on the
computer, went to music and P.E. class, completed a math assignment
online, participated in a school lockdown drill, and ended the evening
with a school spirit assembly in the gym.
More
recently, the PTA hosted its annual “Doughnuts for Dads” event in the
morning before school and filled the gym with students and their guests.
“Meeker
Elementary is very fortunate to have PTA parents who contribute to the
welcoming learning culture that helps our students thrive academically
and socially,” said Principal Andrea Drake.
Drake
added, “Their partnership and support strengthens the effectiveness and
positive impact our educational programs have on the lives of all of
the students we serve.”