Descriptions of All Board of Director Positions
PTSA Board Positions must be nominated and elected by the General Membership. Two people may hold any elected board position jointly, but in these cases, only one vote is allotted per elected position. Board members meet once monthly and attend 3-4 General PTSA Membership meeting yearly. In addition to the duties listed below, all elected officers are required to attend at least one WSPTA-approved training each year.
Descriptions of All Committee Chairs and Volunteers
A Committee Chair is appointed by the board and leads, coordinates, and oversees all functional matters concerning the program they work in. A program that requires more than two people to operate should be appointed a Chair. The Chair organizes, plans and then delegates smaller tasks to other volunteers for additional help (usually through SignUp Genius). Unlike a Board Member, a Chair is welcome but is not required to attend monthly board meetings. Like Board Members, Chair positions can also be shared between two people. Some Chairs must report to a Board Member. At the end of each appointment, Chairs are strongly advised to work with the Communications VP to update their job descriptions.
President – Responsible for the overall management of the PTSA
Direct duties:
Lead the PTSA toward the specific goals approved by the membership
Set the agenda for all PTSA meetings Plan and lead monthly Board of Directors meetings
Plan and lead three General Membership meetings
Be aware of and utilize resources from Lake Washington School District (LWSD) PTSA Council, State PTSA, and National PTSA
Review and update Standing Rules as needed
Complete Standards of Affiliation Agreement each year
Sign all binding agreements with third-party vendors and outside contractors
Attend monthly LWSD PTSA Council meetings or send a delegate in his/her place
Invite delegates to attend PTSA Founder’s Day Luncheon
Appoint table captain for LWSF Luncheon
Meet regularly with the principal
Work to create and maintain the annual budget
Be aware of key dates, deadlines, and priorities for the school and PTSA.
Disseminate and communicate all information received that is pertinent to PTSA programs
Work with the Principal to recommend candidates to receive recognition at the Volunteer Appreciation event
Maintain a copy of the PTSA’s legal documents in the President’s Legal Binder
Monitor and provide assistance to various committees
Work with the current and incoming Board of Directors to create a PTSA event schedule for the following year
Coordinate volunteers and snacks for Community Serve Day in August
1st Vice President – Acts as an aide to the President and assumes duties as directed by the President
Direct duties:
Preside at PTSA meetings when the president is unavailable
Find speakers for Membership meetings
Work on any special projects as needed
Monitor and provide assistance to various committees
Identify delegate to prepare the LW School’s Foundation Scholarship Auction Basket
Attend monthly Board Meetings and General Membership meetings
Treasurer – Responsible for the financial operations of the PTSA
Direct duties:
Maintain full and accurate accounting records using Quickbooks or other financial software
Maintain a copy of the PTSA’s legal documents in the Treasurer’s Legal Binder
Handle all deposits and disbursements of PTSA funds
Prepare monthly reconciliation of the checking account
Submit a written statement of all funds and activity at Board and General Membership meetings
Present a proposed annual operating budget for approval at the Spring General Meeting
Close the books at the end of each fiscal year
Ensure that tax returns and other federal and state compliance forms are accurately and timely filed
Help facilitate the financial review of books and records twice a year
Notify the President and Board of Directors of any fraudulent activity, financial concerns or budget carry-overs resulting in a significant budget surplus or reserve
Attend monthly Board Meetings and General Membership meetings
Secretary – Responsible for recordkeeping and ensuring that PTSA is operating in accordance with PTSA bylaws
Direct duties:
Work with Board of Directors to set the Board and General Membership meeting schedule for the year
Complete building use request forms at the beginning of each year to reserve school space for meetings
Collect agenda items from Executive Board prior to Board Meetings, prepare agenda and distribute to Board, Principal(s) and teacher reps along with minutes of previous meetings for review
Prepare copies of agenda, prior meeting minutes any other handouts for Board and General Membership meetings
Collect signatures and maintain attendance records of Board and General Membership meetings
Attend monthly Board Meetings and General Membership meetings
Accurately record and publish the minutes of Board and General Membership meetings
Maintain all meeting records in hard copy and online in the PTSA’s OneDrive account
Maintain all of the PTSA’s legal documents in hard copy in the President’s Treasurer’s and Secretary’s Legal Binders according to the WSPTA Records Retention Requirements
Monitor and maintain a list of the training classes the Board of Directors attends throughout the year to meet the WSPTA training requirement
Distribute nomination forms for Volunteer Awards to parents and teachers
Review list of the top nominated candidates with Principal to select final award winners
Summarize a list of award recipients to receive recognition at the Volunteer Appreciation event, prepare talking points on each winner, prepare award certificates, order the state awards and engraved name plaques
Request a printout of PTSA members from the VP of Membership as of the last day of June to include in annual PTSA records and legal binder
VP Communications – Responsible for managing communication between the PTSA, parents, and staff, including all electronic archival and website maintenance
Direct duties:
Responsible for PTSAs overall Communication Strategy – how, when, who, what
Oversee Ottermail, Website, Bulletin Board, Readerboard, 1st Day Packet, Flyer Design, Social Media and Flyer Design chairs
Ensure the weekly Ottermail content collection, draft review, and distribution process is managed
Ensure occasional email blasts for important reminders and promotions are distributed
Submit content for community outreach PeachJar flyers
Closely monitor the PTSA calendar of events
Ensure web administrative duties, including maintaining current and relevant content on the PTSA website are completed
Maintain the domain and all email/mail groups under EinsteinPTSA.org
Update and maintain EinsteinFunRun.org domain, Our School Pages (OSP) account, and PTSA SharePoint office.com account
Follows PTSA logo usage guidelines and perform regular backups to the PTSA shared drive
Assist with evaluation of possible new PTSA-funded software purchases
Attend monthly board meetings and General Membership meetings
Post regular weekly updates and maintain the Einstein PTSA Facebook page, and other social media outlets as needed (if no Social Media Volunteer)
VP Family Events – Responsible for overseeing and coordinating annual school-wide family events
Direct duties:
Work with President to set the event schedule for the year
Coordinate and manage each PTSA family event with event chair (e.g. Dance Night, Movie Night, International Night, Family Yogurt Night, First Day Coffee and/or Ice Cream Night)
Manage event expenses within the allotted budget
Order and organize supplies and materials prior to events
Advertise events by creating flyers, posters, and announcement for inclusion in Ottermail
Identify and contact vendors as needed
Recruit and manage volunteers for set up, clean up and staffing during each event
Complete building use request forms at the beginning of the year to reserve school space for events
Assist as needed with school-led family events (Math Night, Science Expo, Watch D.O.G. events)
Attend monthly board meetings and General Membership meetings
VP Fundraising – Responsible for raising funds needed to sustain the annual operating budget
Direct duties:
Manage all fundraising activities for the PTSA including Fall Fundraiser, Otters Fun Run, PCC Scrip Cards, Box Tops, Amazon Smile, Fred Meyer, Redmond SchoolPool and other community partnerships
Research and evaluate new fundraising opportunities
Maintain communication with local employers who provide matching funds donations
Manage fundraising event expenses within the allotted budget
Order and organize supplies and materials prior to fundraising events
Advertise fundraising events by creating flyers, posters and announcement for inclusion in Ottermail
Identify and contact vendors as needed for fundraising events
Recruit and manage volunteers for set up, clean up and staffing during fundraising events
Complete building use request forms at the beginning of the year to reserve school space for events
Send out donation acknowledgment letters to donors
Publish fundraising results to the school community
Help create yearly PTSA budget
Attend monthly board meetings and General Membership meetings
VP Membership – Responsible for encouraging PTSA membership and maintaining the membership database
Direct duties:
Encourage Einstein parents and staff to join the PTSA by raising awareness of the benefits of PTSA membership
Track and keep accurate records of PTSA membership
Be present at various PTSA events to provide parents with information about PTSA membership
Advertise General Membership meetings through newsletter, posters and flyers
Provide refreshments for General Membership meetings
Submit applications for LWPTSA membership awards
VP School Services/Volunteers – Responsible for recruiting and connecting parent and community volunteers with various volunteer opportunities. Responsible for ensuring school services (staff appreciation, vision and hearing, testing snacks, etc.) are managed.
Direct duties:
Maintain a database of PTSA volunteers from the volunteer opportunities form and classroom signups via Airtable
Ensure that all volunteers have submitted and received approved LWSD background checks
Monitor LWSD background checks regularly throughout the year and communicates this with volunteers and board and chair members as needed
Hold volunteer orientation training in September/October
Connect volunteers with Board Members and committee chairs
Send out volunteer questionnaires (via Airtable) and follow up with those who complete them
Be available to meet volunteers in-person to provide more volunteer information
Advertise volunteer opportunities and recruit additional volunteers to support PTSA programs as needed
Be present at various PTSA events to provide parents with information about volunteering
Work with other board members and teachers to spotlight outstanding volunteers in the “Volunteer Spotlight” section of the website and Ottermail
Coordinate and host a Volunteer Social/Celebration during National Volunteer Week in April
Research and evaluate new ways to recruit and keep volunteers active
Identify alternate volunteer resources such as special interest or community groups
Attend monthly board meetings and General Membership meetings
VP Student Activities – Responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing after-school activities for Einstein students.
Direct duties:
Research interesting and relevant afterschool activities
Contact vendors, negotiate pricing and sign contracts
Complete building use request forms at the beginning of each quarter to reserve school space for classes
Prepare and distribute registration materials
Monitor, test and update online student registration tool
Manually register students from paper registration forms
Recruit and coordinate parent chaperones
Pay vendors and keep track of student activity finances
Distribute and evaluate year-end survey to collect feedback from parents who have used after-school activities
Attend monthly board meetings and General Membership meetings
VP Enrichment – Responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing enrichment programs for Einstein students.
Direct duties:
Oversees the passport club, reflections, math challenge, art docent, spelling bee, and nature vision programs and their respective chairs
Identify other enrichment programs for the students at Einstein
Recruit and manage volunteers for set up, clean up and staffing as needed for each program.
Complete building use request forms at the beginning of the year to reserve school space for events
Attend monthly Board Meetings and General Membership meetings
Director of Advocacy – Responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing advocacy programs for Einstein students. Note: This is an appointed position and not an elected position on the board.
Direct duties:
Oversee emergency prep and pantry packs programs and their chairs
Coordinate and plan annual special needs curriculum night with special needs staff
Manage, set up, and recruit volunteers for sensory rooms at family events
Create and maintain a confidential special needs mailing list to give special needs families information on programs available
Monitor current legislative issues as they relate to students at Einstein
Ensure there are funds available for the Success Fund at Einstein
Interface with LWPTSA FACE, LWPTSA special needs group, and LW Foundation to ensure Einstein has access to all of the available inclusion and advocacy programs in the district.
Identify and execute other advocacy programs for students and parent education opportunities for Einstein parents
Attend monthly Board Meetings and General Membership meetings
Make sure that Einstein has access to the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) content and good practices.
Art Docent Chair – Plan monthly art projects or lessons for each grade level. Train and manage volunteers to present the planned lesson in the classroom. Maintain a master schedule of Art Enrichment lessons by classroom. Purchase art supplies and prepare materials needed for projects, organize materials in the storage area and prepare/maintain art carts. Two people are recommended to share this position.
Art Docent Volunteer – Present and facilitate a planned art lesson in the classroom once a month. No formal art background required to volunteer, just a desire to bring art to the classroom. The lessons are already thoroughly planned with detailed instructions and all supplies will be ready for the class’s immediate use.
Assistant Treasurer – Collaborate with the Treasurer in their various functions, including receiving, counting monies and depositing all funds collected by the PTSA and forwarding the deposit receipts and other paperwork to the Treasurer for formal recording and filing.
Book Fair – Assist the school librarian with Scholastic book sales at the quarterly library fundraiser – (Oct, Feb and March)
Box Tops – Manage the Box Tops for Education collection activities. Responsibilities include promoting the collecting of box tops, organizing collection drives and preparing the Box Tops for mailing.
Bulletin Board – Create interesting, kid friendly and informative bulletin boards in coordination with the PTSA and school office staff. Depending on the month and the activities going, the board may be changed every 2-4 weeks to represent current happenings.
Community Partnerships Chair – Foster relationships between the PTSA and local businesses and organizations with the goal of gaining awareness and getting the community invested in supporting Einstein.
Dance Night Chair – Plan and execute the annual school-wide dance night. Responsibilities include planning theme, advertising event, recruiting volunteers to help and overseeing logistics on the day of the event.
DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Chair – Make sure at Einstein we recognize and offer information and implement good practices about diversity values, differences and similarities among people through its actions and accountability. These characteristics include age, ethnicity, gender, language and culture, socioeconomic status, among many different things.
Egg Drop Chair – Plan and execute the popular school-wide egg drop contest at the end of the school year. Responsibilities include contacting the Redmond Fire Department to confirm their involvement, advertising the event to students to encourage participation, recruiting volunteers to help and overseeing logistics on the day of the event.
Emergency Prep – Ensure that Einstein is prepared in the event of an emergency. The coordinator is tasked with organizing, taking inventory, maintaining and/or replenishing the emergency supplies. Attendance at the Emergency Preparedness meetings at Lake Washington PTSA Council is also encouraged.
FACE – Interface with LWSD PTSA FACE group to ensure Einstein is taking advantage of all of the advocacy opportunities available through the district-level PTSA.
First Day Coffee Chair – Coordinate the First Day Coffee events at the beginning of the school year. Provide coffee and snacks for all parents after kids are dropped off. Recruit volunteers as needed.
First Day Packet Chair – Oversee the production of the First Day Packets (student, staff, new student) both online and printed. Coordinate with PTSA Board to update First Day Packet materials, oversee document updates and printing, and organize a team to assemble the packets before the start of the new school year.
Fruit Cutting Chair – Prepare a master schedule and coordinate Fruit Cutting Volunteers to ensure fruit is provided every day to students. Fruit pick up and cutting may also be required.
Fruit Cutting Volunteer – Pick up donated organic fruit from PCC, wash and cut at home or at school. Distribute to classrooms by 10:30 AM. Transportation is required to pick up the fruit. (2-2.5 hours start-finish)
Flyer Designer – Provide creative direction and design assistance to those seeking help with their PTSA project or event. Examples include event banners, flyers, website banners, webpage design, logo design, and any printable PTSA materials or forms. Must adhere to national and state PTA logo usage guidelines.
Geography Bee Chair - Lead the Geography Bee Club open to all students in Grades 1-5. The School Champion goes on to compete in the Regional Competition.
Grant Writing – Find creative sources of funding for Einstein to obtain supplies, support programs and staff needs by researching and identifying grant opportunities. Responsibilities include discussing funding needs with relevant parties, researching available grants and facilitating the grant application process.
Health Room Assistant – Be on call to back up the Health Room Secretary. Responsibilities include providing TLC to sick or injured students. This volunteer does not administer medication and training is provided. Times needed: 10:15 AM -2:30 PM M-F if you are called and are available to help.
International Night Chair – Responsibilities include recruiting families to set up tables to highlight their culture through pictures, dress, food, games, etc., finding performers to further highlight the represented cultures, enlisting volunteers to help with set up and clean up, and general facilitation to make this popular Einstein event a success. International Night is scheduled for April so the planning begins in February. Best suited for someone who is passionate about celebrating diversity at Einstein.
Legislative Chair – Gathers and provides PTSA members with information about PTSA positions on current legislation and issues that may affect our students or the PTSA organization. The Legislative representative attends the State PTSA Annual Legislative Assembly and stays abreast of current legislative activities.
Library Helper – Help our librarian by assisting with checking in and shelving of library books.
Lunch Buddy – Invest in the future of a student in need of an adult role model. Lunch buddies meet for one hour each week with their student to complete crafts, play games, each lunch together or just talk. Volunteers provide social support by being a friend to a student.
LW Foundation Chair - Interface with Lake Washington Schools Foundation group to ensure Einstein is taking advantage of all of the advocacy opportunities available through the foundation.
Meet & Greet Chair – Coordinate the PTSA involvement at the Meet & Greet event at the beginning of the school year. Recruit volunteers to set up and staff PTSA tables. Order lunch for teachers and staff.
Math Challenge Chair - Coordinate and manage the school level math challenge. This includes working with the match challenge company, ensuring the website is up to date, advertising each challenge, and coordinating the grading of the challenges.
Math Night Chair - Plan and execute the annual school-wide math night. Responsibilities include planning activities (or working with Mathnasium to determine activities), advertising event, recruiting volunteers to help and overseeing logistics on the day of the event.
Movie Night Chair - Plan and execute the annual school-wide movie night. Responsibilities include determining and getting approval for movie, advertising event, recruiting volunteers to help and overseeing logistics on the day of the event.
Nature Vision Chair - Work with Nature Vision to execute its programs at the school.
Nominating Committee – This committee is comprised of three PTSA members elected by the PTSA general membership in January. The committee identifies, recruits and nominates qualified candidates for each elected PTSA position, by holding confidential meetings and reviewing nominations. The committee is also tasked with trying to find volunteers to hold the various chair positions needed to run PTSA sponsored programs. (Late winter/early spring)
Ottermail Editor – Send out a request for articles to board members, Einstein staff and committee chairs for inclusion in Ottermail. Distribute draft, complete edits to content and send out for weekly distribution.
Otter Wear – Manage the fulfillment vendor and ordering process for Otterwear, which is available for purchase twice a year – fall and early spring. Distribute Otterwear items following receipt from the vendor and reconcile billing. Vendor selection, management, and coordination may be necessary regarding web tool and product needs.
Otters Fun Run Chair – Lead and manage the Fun Run Committee to ensure everything runs smoothly. Prepare a work-back schedule of key dates and hold committee meetings to monitor progress.
Otters Fun Run Committee – Plan and help execute the Otters Fun Run by finding corporate sponsors, soliciting student prize donations from the community, updating or creating online and printed materials in support of the event, including the Fun Run envelops and packet, event t-shirts, and flyers, hosting the Fun Run Assembly, working on the logistics for the day of the event, tracking lap data and funds raised. (January-June)
Otters Fun Run Volunteer – Help on event day for the Otters Fun Run. Tasks may include help in the classroom getting kids ready, marking lap cards, handing out water or otter pops, taking pictures, being present as a watchdog, set up, and clean up.
Pantry Packs Chair - Coordinate and schedule Pantry Pack Volunteers to ensure the program runs according to schedule.
Pantry Packs – Help provide weekend packs of food for students identified as “food insecure” by the school counselor. Responsibilities include packing and picking up food items once a month from Hopelink (Kirkland location) and distributing packs weekly to the classrooms of identified students. Transportation is needed to pick up the assembled packs from Hopelink the first Wednesday of every month between 2:30 PM and 4:45 PM.
Passport Club Chair - Coordinate and oversee the Passport Club program. Responsibilities include ensuring students get materials, advertising event, recruiting volunteers to help on testing days and overseeing logistics of the club.
Photographer – Capture the fun and memorable moments throughout the school year by taking pictures at various school functions for use in the yearbook and PTSA projects.
Picture Day Chair – Work with Lifetouch, our photo vendor, to coordinate student pictures and retakes. (October)
Reader Board – Update the reader board located at the school parking lot entrance on a biweekly basis.
Recycling Event - Plan and execute the annual recycling event Responsibilities include coordinating with recycling company, advertising event, recruiting volunteers to help and overseeing logistics on the day of the event.
Reflections Chair – Coordinate the implementation of the National PTSA Reflections Art Program with materials provided by the Lake Washington PTSA. The committee is responsible for advertising and disseminating information to the students, collecting entries, recruiting judges, having the entries judged and forwarding the winning entries to the Lake Washington PTSA council. Host a small party or other celebration for all the student entrants. (Sept – Nov)
Room Parent Chair – Act as coordinator and information resource across room parents and Einstein teachers. Kick-off the school year by confirming selection with teachers, notifying room parents, and providing room parent resources. Consults with the teachers and ensures that every class that wants a room parent will have one. Follow-up during the school year with reminders of holidays, birthdays, wish lists, and teacher appreciation. Coordinate reminders of official parties and provide information/support for those room parents who request it. Collect feedback from room parents and teachers on best practices, lessons learned, etc. This role is ongoing and most work can be achieved electronically/off-site.
Room Parent – Room parents are responsible for organizing simple classroom parties (Halloween, Valentine’s Day and End of the year party) with teachers and other parent volunteers. Class parties are around 1 hour long and may consist of a craft, playing a game, having snacks and in the case of Valentine’s Day, exchanging cards.
SBA Snacks Chair – Purchase, organize and deliver healthy snacks to classrooms during SBA (Smarter Balanced Assessment) and testing. (Spring)
School Play - Plan and execute the annual school-wide play. Responsibilities include finding performance, recruiting students for performances, managing all aspects of practices and sets, advertising event, recruiting volunteers to help and overseeing logistics on the day of the event.
School Supplies - Work with 1st Day School Supplies and staff to set up, order, advertise for, and distribute 1st Day School Supply Kits.
Science Expo - Help Einstein staff coordinate and plan the annual science expo.
Small Group Instruction – Work directly in the classroom by facilitating small Math and Reading groups.
Social Media – Provide regular weekly updates and maintain the Einstein PTSA Facebook page, and other social media outlets as needed. Be available to answer any questions on these sites.
Spanish Translation – Translate written documents for circulation to our Spanish speaking families.
Special Needs Chair – Support communication and understanding between Einstein students receiving special education services, their parents, the PTSA, and special education staff members. Provide guidance to parents in need of additional information regarding the special education services that LWSD provides. Keep the families informed of the PTSA Special Needs Group’s upcoming monthly meetings. The Chair is also available to answer a family’s questions about special education.
Spelling Bee Chair – Lead the Spelling Bee Club open to all students in Grades 1-5. Follow the Scripps National Spelling Bee program to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage. The School Champion goes on to compete in the Regional Competition.
Staff Appreciation Chair – Plan and organize staff appreciation events, including Meet & Greet lunch (before school year begins), bi-annual staff appreciation luncheon (Fall/Spring) and staff breakfast (Winter/Spring). Stock and maintain baskets in the staff lounge and restrooms. Collect, maintain and publish the Staff Favorite Things form and Teacher Wish Lists.
Student Activities Chaperone – Be present at the school to chaperone at a before or after school student activity. Remain on-site until all students have been signed out by a parent/guardian or escorted to their classroom or to the YMCA for aftercare. The family of each child participating in an activity will be responsible for chaperoning for at least one class per session.
Student Directory – Collect information from LWSD for the student directory. Collect logos and ads from the Otters Fun Run Chair to include in the directory. Prepare and format student and parent information and oversee production and distribution of directory. Must have knowledge of Excel (October/November)
Student Store Chair - Organize the Halloween and Valentine’s Day “student store” during lunch periods. Responsibilities include purchasing items for resale and working with the 5th-grade teachers to create a staffing schedule. (Oct, Feb)
Teacher Production Assistant – Lighten our teacher’s workload by making copies of lesson materials. Some cutting and pasting may be involved.
Vision and Hearing Chair – Liaison between the school nurse and parent volunteers to run the annual school vision/hearing test. Responsibilities include recruiting and contacting volunteers prior to testing to confirm their availability. Supervise and facilitate vision and hearing testing on the day of and coordinate snacks for test volunteers.
Vision and Hearing Tester – Facilitate vision and hearing testing for all students. Training is provided for this one-day event. (Oct)
Volunteer Spotlight – Work with other board members and teachers to recognize outstanding volunteers in the “Volunteer Spotlight” section of the website and Ottermail. Questions about their volunteer work and background are sent to selected volunteers and then showcased in an article. Two volunteers are featured every month.
Volunteer Social/Appreciation Chair – Coordinate and host a Volunteer social and appreciation event during National Volunteer Week in April to celebrate volunteer week and to give thanks to our fabulous volunteers and their families. The event could be an ice cream social or family picnic at a nearby park.
Walk to School Day Chair – Manage the annual event to promote walking/biking to school. (Oct) Communicate with WTS coordinator at the City of Redmond for promotional materials and signage. Coordinate with VP of Fundraising for SchoolPool fundraising opportunities.
Webmaster - PTSA Chair position responsible for managing PTSA file sharing & email exchange management and website maintenance. Reports to the VP of Communications.
Yearbook Editor – Selects and negotiates a contract with Yearbook vendor. Makes sure volunteer photographers are covering school and family events. Collects photos for yearbook throughout the year, coordinates individual and class photos, oversees yearbook production and distribution.
