Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) programs are created to organize and support family involvement in children's education. As the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the United States, PTA provides parents and families with a voice to speak on behalf of every child while supporting programs that help children to be successful students.

You support your middle school student by staying involved in their activities and yet providing their with the freedom to make a lot of their own decisions.   How do you do that?  There’s a good article from a middle school principal here.

Additionally you can support your student by supporting the school and the PTSA.  Visit the volunteering page to see where help is needed.  The PTSA fills volunteer positions within the PTSA and also, volunteer shifts for Associated Student Body (ASB) activities such as the annual fund drive, and after-school socials.

For fundraising your PTSA holds one fundraiser at the beginning of the year.   The “Annual Contribution” fundraiser is a call for donations that are used to support grants to classroom teachers, the emergency preparedness program, student scholarships, and other programs based on need.  We use these funds along with the funds collected through memberships and company matching to do everything for the year.  Funds are used the year they are collected.  You can donate to the PTSA here.

There are also a few easy ways to support the PTSA without adding an additional expense to your budget:

1. Amazon Smile - use Amazon Smile when you shop on Amazon at http://smile.amazon.com/ link your account with Redmond Middle School PTSA and you’re good to go!
2. eScrip –two options!
   1. link your Safeway, Bartels and/or Pharmaca club cards to RMS PTSA at http://www.escrip.com/ and RMS PTSA will receive a donation from the company every time you shop and use your card.
   2. Shop online through the online mall portal https://secure.escrip.com/olm/signin.jsp
3. FredMeyer Community Rewards - create an online account and link your FredMeyer rewards card to Redmond Middle School PTSA at https://www.fredmeyer.com/topic/community-rewards-4

If advocacy is more to your interest, the top five issues for Washington State PTA for 2016-2018 are:

Social Emotional Learning
Amply Fund Basic Education
Closing the Opportunity Gap
Standards for Paraeducators
Breakfast after the Bell

Plan to join us at the 2019 Legislative Focus Day on tbd, 2019, in Olympia (children welcome) and/or learn more on the state website www.wastatepta.org/advocacy  We also can send from one to six delegates to the 2018 WA State PTA Legislative Assembly on October 20 & 21st in Auburn. Contact president@rmsptsa.org if you're interested in delegating for us.