HORACE MANN PTSA

December 16, 2025 - Board Meeting

More details coming soon.

November 20, 2025 - General Meeting

At our November general membership meeting, we handled routine business and heard some exciting updates from our PTSA VPs before moving on to some voting.

VP Updates:

• Events & Fundraising: Met our goal of $20,000 for our Colt Corral Fund! Thanks to everyone who donated! The kids loved celebrating with our hot cocoa and pajama day. Our Snapdoodle fundraiser takes place next week and the Bellevue Ice Rink fundraiser will run through the season. We had a great turnout at Movie Night and our silent auction brought in $2700.
• Communications: Yearbook committee has chosen the theme of "In Bloom" and students can turn in cover illustrations for the contest until January 19th.
• Advocacy/FACE: The health room core boards are finished, and our VP supported Peter Kirk Elementary's emergency closet project. Our Disability Awareness Month display earned a spotlight from the Washington State PTA—congratulations to everyone involved!
• Enrichment: The winter enrichment schedule is coming together. Thank you to everyone who filled out the Enrichment survey! We really appreciate and listen to your feedback. Some parents raised concerns about the new "no enrichment on Wednesdays" policy. Principal Monica explained this change was made to protect staff prep time on Wednesday afternoons.
• Volunteers/School Services: Huge thanks to all who've pitched in at events. Our next staff appreciation gathering is this Monday.
• Art: Reflections National Art Contest entries are in and judged—thank you to all who participated! We did encounter a few AI-generated submissions, which we'll address in future contests.

PTSA Business:

• Some clerical and substantive changes were approved for the PTSA Standing Rules.
• Adjusted the budget: more classroom grant funds (to match our growing number of classes), increased PTSA dues (thanks to more members!), and added event/fundraising line items.
• Elected this year's Nominating Committee: Kristi Oyadomari, Mayur Upalekar, and Shilpi Sharma—thank you for stepping up!

Next Meeting: Our next general membership meeting will be January 22, 2026. We'd love to see you there!

October 23, 2025 - Board Meeting

The PTSA board gathered on October 23. After we took care of the usual business—approving the minutes from our last meeting and reviewing the monthly financial report—we were excited to give the green light to a proposal for a school spelling bee. We can’t wait to share more details with you soon!

We went over the budget line by line to get an up-to-date forecast of expected spend and income based on the latest information for each area.

We also had a productive conversation about updating our standing rules, and we’ve approved some recommendations that we’ll be bringing to the general membership for a vote at our next meeting on November 20. We hope you’ll join us and be part of these important decisions!

September 25, 2025 - General Meeting

We kicked off the 2025–26 school year with our first general membership meeting! After approving the minutes and reviewing the treasurer's report, our principal led a fun and engaging activity. In small groups of 2–3, we brainstormed words that describe Horace Mann, shared our hopes for the year, identified school strengths, and highlighted areas we'd like to focus on.

VP Updates:

• Events & Fundraising: The Colt Corral Fund has reached just over $15,000—thank you to everyone who's donated! Our goal is $20,000 by the end of October, so let's keep the momentum going. Our first event, the Bike Derby & Ice Cream Social, was a huge success—thanks to all the volunteers who made it happen! Committees for Dance Night and Family Fun Night are forming now. Interested in helping? Email events@mannptsa.org.
• Enrichment: After-school enrichment is underway with 18 classes this session. A big thank-you to our parent chaperones! The band is still recruiting 3rd–5th graders to play trumpet and trombone. Band and orchestra classes begin the first full week of October.
• Art Programs: Thank you to everyone who attended tonight's art docent training!
• Advocacy: Visit the LWPTSA Council website for upcoming training opportunities. The first Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Council meeting is October 1, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM. Our board will send delegates to the Washington State PTA Legislative Assembly in mid-October. Interested in joining the Quest Parents WhatsApp group? Email advocacy@mannptsa.org for the QR code.
• Communications: Our website has been redesigned to be more inclusive and mobile-friendly! The first issue of our PTSA newsletter, Colt Connections, was emailed on September 16. If you didn't receive it, please add coltconnection@mannptsa.org to your safe senders list to avoid future issues landing in your junk folder.
• Volunteers: Some classrooms still need class leads and art docents. We're also looking for volunteers to assist with upcoming vision and hearing screenings—sign-ups have gone out, and more help is needed!

PTSA Business:

• The PTSA Standing Rules for 2025–26 were approved with no changes.
• The board is currently reviewing potential updates to the standing rules, which will be presented for a vote at our next general meeting in November. Members will have a chance to review and comment on proposed changes ahead of the vote.
• The PTSA Budget 2025-26 was approved with no changes since last annual meeting.
• We approved a grant for two buddy benches for the playground. Total cost, including installation: $3,713.

Next Meeting: Mark your calendar—our next general membership meeting is on November 20. We hope to see you there!

August 14, 2025 - Board Retreat

The PTSA Board kicked off the school year with our first meeting on August 14! It was a great opportunity to connect with fellow members and start planning for an exciting year ahead. We're lucky to have a fantastic team of volunteers—each bringing unique strengths and big dreams for Horace Mann.

We talked through logistics for our first event, the Colt Corral, and formed a task force to tackle some tech challenges around hybrid meetings. Our goal is to make it easier for more parents to join, whether in person or online—and we're working to roll that out soon.

We wrapped up with a bit of financial housekeeping, including the Treasurer's report and confirmation that last year's financial review is complete.

We're excited and ready to serve our Horace Mann community—and we can't wait to see what this year brings!