PTA Meeting Minutes: 5/15/25

Whittier PTA Board Meeting
May 15, 2025
7:00pm Whittier Library & Zoom
Meeting ID: 817 3911 8250
Passcode: wildcats

BOARD MEMBERS / CHAIRS IN ATTENDANCE
Kate Lindsay Scher – Co-President
Allie DeLong Thomas – Co-President
Renee Hartnett – Vice President / Spirit Gear
Melissa Ivancevich – Co-Secretary
Emily Robertson – Co-Secretary
Michelle Nemeth – Treasurer
Meg Herscher – Communications Chair
Ashley Schiavone – Fundraising Co-Chair
Kathleen (Erin) Donahoe – Hospitality Co-Chair
Jess Twardzik – Hospitality Co-Chair
Meg Pietz – Events Chair
Emily Schweiger – Family and Community Engagement – Outreach Chair
Laura Zingg – Programs Co-Chair; Student Directory
Jen Foreman – Programs Co-Chair
Jon Overman – Legislative Representative
Anjean Vanden Bosch – Membership Chair
Kristin Laughlin – Volunteer Coordinator
Kiana Swearingen – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Co-Chair
Jill Muscatel – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Co-Chair
Elan Simonson – Spring Fling Chair
Sara Lukas – Room Parent Coordinator
Nicole Kaczmarek – Member at Large

Courtney Sievers – Member at Large
COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
● Principal Watters
● Mary Ann Rozance (PTA member)
● Brianna Mercker (PTA member)
● Yifat Gortler (PTA member)
● Haydee Wali (PTA member)
● Kyle Hiatt (PTA member)
● Dafna Amster Kahn (PTA member)
● Natalie Gromoff-Hiatt (PTA member)
● Aisling McCarron (PTA member)
● Therese Miranda-Blackney (PTA member)
● Brian Wold (PTA member)
Meeting Called to Order at 7:04 PM
Welcome & Call To Order
● Call to Order
● Table & Zoom Chat Informal Introductions
● Agenda
● Presentation

President Update
● Goals and Meetings Review
● Dashboard Review
● Board of Directors Vote and Work Session Updates
● Secret Celebration Update
● STEAM Lab Update
● School Board Director election update
● Upcoming Meetings & Summer Opportunities
○ 5/14 school board meeting
○ 6/3 good day for transitions
○ 6/7 work party moving classrooms
○ 6/10 end of year celebration

○ 8/26 – first PTA board meeting of the 2025-2026 school year

Principal Watters’ Report

● Question: asked parents to pay at the beginning of the year one price for field trips – was that a
good method?
○ General consensus in the room is yes
● 5th Grade Promotion
● Testing season
● Playground closed this summer and next – roof replacement project
● STEAM Lab
● Islandwood
○ Outdoor education grant no longer exists
○ Cost to families will be $600 (4 days, 3 nights – includes all costs, including teacher
stipends)
○ Looking for input from 4th grade families
● Math Agency
○ Not continuing partnership
○ Proposing to hire a FTE intervention & enrichment coordinator (Library Assistant) $70k
salary – would support intervention and extension for the 2025-2026 school year

● Classroom numbers:
○ 3 kinder, 3 first grade, 2 2nd grade, 2 3rd grade, 3 4th grade, and 2 5th grade classrooms

Chair & Lead Updates

● VP
○ 2024-2025 Current Executive Board
■ Co-President: Kate Scher
■ Co-President: Allie DeLong Thomas
■ VP: Renee Hartnett
■ Treasurer Michelle Nemeth
■ Co-Secretary: Emily Robertson

■ Co-Secretary: Melissa Ivancevich
■ Communications: Meg Herscher
○ 2025-2026 Proposed Executive Board Slate
■ President: Kate Scher
■ Vice President: Anika Anand
■ Treasurer: OPEN
■ Secretaries: Brian Wold & Mary Ann Rozance
■ Communications: OPEN
○ Golden Acorn Award: Kate Scher
● Treasurer
○ April report
■ Income: $33,130.49
● Big ticket items: $17,989 annual give; $14,682 Move-a-Thon
■ Expenses: $21,756.66
● Big ticket items: $1,397 Outreach; $3,659 staff discretionary fund

○ Financial Review committee volunteers
○ 2025-2026 Proposed Budget
■ Sent to all PTA members
■ Committee looked at budgets from 3 previous years
■ Adjusted line items, mostly small changes
■ Biggest changes related to staffing grant $118k to $130k
■ Added snack pantry of $4000
■ Moving from the Math Agency ($60,000) to STEAM Lab ($75,000)
■ Net projected budget is -$52,241 (typically -$18k to -20k projected during
budgeting)
● Totals are typically planned to be negative and end up on average $82k
higher due to fundraising success

● Spring Fling:
○ Venue change: Sunset Hill Community Hall
○ Time change: 6-9pm
○ Food change: Charcuterie, Crudite, and Pizza

○ Music: DJ Pool Party is spinning an all-vinyl yacht rock set
○ Tickets: About 40 tickets left!
○ Activities: Music, dancing, Golden Ticket, photo booth, 2 bars
○ Auction
■ You can still access the online auction to bid on buckets, buy hosted party
tickets, and more even if you don’t attend!
■ We’re still collecting silent auction donations! Submit yours before Silent Auction
catalog preview
■ Sign up for hosted parties! Talk to anyone you know that is considering!
Grade-level happy hours are in specific need!
■ Class Art Preview on 5/23 on the blacktop
■ Volunteers: Sign-up for a volunteer shift! There are 68 shifts to fill!! Many are
just 1-1.5 hours!!

● Hospitality
○ April Kindercat-1st Grade report
○ May Staff Appreciation Week report
○ 5th Grade promotion plan
● Outreach
○ KinderCat Welcome (6/11)
○ Popsicle Playdates,
■ Parks around the neighborhood
■ Two weekdays, one weekend
○ Kinder Mentor Program (Whittier family connections) – incoming kinder families can
connect with current families
● EDI Belonging Practice Journey
● Secretary: April Meeting Minutes
● Events:
○ Mariner’s report
● Volunteers (all open positions)
○ Spring Fling Day-of Help (68 volunteers): We need volunteers to make Spring Fling
happen on 5/31! Most shifts are 1-1.5 hours long and still allow lots of time to enjoy the
event. Learn more and sign-up >>

○ Pule’s Secret 25th Day-of Help (29 volunteers): We are seeking volunteers to help us
make this awesome event happen! Most shifts are 1-hour long. Alumni student and
family volunteers are welcome! Learn more and sign-up >>
○ Embroidery Volunteer (1): We are seeking one volunteer to help us embroider three
graphics onto a button down shirt as a gift for Mr. Pule! Reach out if you’re interested
and want to learn more >>
○ Popsicle Czar (1): We need one volunteer to help us coordinate popsicles for two events
(Pule’s Secret 25th on 6/6 and Field Day on 6/13). This volunteer will buy popsicles
(reimbursed by Whittier PTA), work with Whittier to store them, coordinate/borrow
coolers, and, day-of, buy ice and fill coolers with popsicles for other volunteers to pass
out. To learn more, contact: president@whittierptaseattle.org.
○ Whittier Work Party Volunteers (15): Join a crew of volunteers to help our Whittier staff!
On 6/7 from 9am-12pm, help us prepare classroom spaces for teachers to move into
next year. Please bring gloves, cleaning products, and rags to help make the work as fast
as possible. Learn more and sign-up >>
○ Whittier STEAM Lab Program Team (5+): Are you excited about shaping a brand-new
educational space? Whittier Elementary and the Whittier PTA are looking for community
members to join a STEAM Lab task force this summer! This group of leaders will
collaborate on designing the new STEAM Lab space, plan how teachers and volunteers
will use it, and help prepare the space and program for launch. Volunteers will attend a
kickoff meeting in May, meet periodically over the summer, and participate in hands-on
work sessions in late August and early September. No science background is
required—just a passion for creating a valuable resource for the Wildcat community! To
learn more, contact: president@whittierptaseattle.org.
○ Whittier STEAM Lab Experience Volunteers (6-12): Do you enjoy brainstorming creative
ideas and helping shape educational experiences? Whittier Elementary and the Whittier
PTA are seeking community volunteers to help develop a yearlong set of science-focused
activities—including demonstrations, invention projects, and games—that will support
classroom instruction and engage K–5 students in hands-on learning. Volunteers will
work independently and remotely from mid-May through June 2025 to design these
activities, with opportunities in early September to finalize plans and collaborate with
fellow community members who will bring the ideas to life in the school’s new STEAM

Lab. No teaching or science background is needed—we’ll support you every step of the
way! To learn more, contact: president@whittierptaseattle.org.
● Communications: Reminder for remaining comms for the year
● After School Programs update
● Support: Transition instructions

8:15-8:25pm – Voting
● 2025-2026 Whittier PTA Exec Board
○ Motion: Jen Foreman
○ Second: Ashley Schiavone
○ Ballots and zoom poll
○ Approved
● 2025-2026 Whittier PTA Budget
○ Motion: Anjean Bosch
○ Second: Kianna Swearingen
○ Approved
● April meeting minutes
○ Motion: Sara Lukas
○ Second: Allie DeLong Thomas
○ Approved
● Funding Proposal #1 – Secret Celebration
○ Motion: Jen Foreman
○ Second: Kate Scher
○ Approved
● Funding Proposal #2 – Sweatbands
○ Motion: Hanni Pichel
○ Second: Allie DeLong Thomas
○ Approved
8:25-8:30pm – Kudos & Thank You’s
8:31pm – Adjourned
Post-Meeting Gathering at Phinney Station