CONCORD ELEMENTARY PTA 6 15 76
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Mission Statement
Our mission as parents, teachers, and community members is to work in partnership towards three goals: 1) Support of our students in learning academically and emotionally; 2) Support of our teachers and acknowledgement of the unique challenges they face, teaching in a high-poverty school; and 3) Support of our parents and caregivers, raising children to be active, caring and respectful citizens in a diverse and dynamic culture. We are motivated by our responsibilities and very much respect the public-school system and its important mission to educate all children in our community.
About This Cause
Support Equitable Education & Community The Concord International Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is composed of parents, grandparents, teachers and community members. We work to support the students who attend Concord International and their families in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle. The PTA does the following: • Advocate for and provide a voice for families and students. • Raise funds for school programs, facilities, and after-school programs; • Offer classroom, field trip, event, and school support; • Organize after-school enrichment programs; • Promote community involvement and support; and Serving Community: South Park is a place where business, industry and residents all co-exist, and have for over a hundred years. Our school, Concord International, has been part of the South Park fabric since 1914. We are reaching out for you to join our community in our mission to support equitable education through a gift of financial support. Concord is a vibrant school, serving a diverse group of families and children: •89% children of color, •60% English language learners, •70% immigrants, and •75% low income families. Twelve years ago, in an effort to support our many native Spanish speakers, our teachers worked tirelessly to introduce a Dual Language curriculum. Today, a thriving Dual Language program serves both native Spanish and English speakers, including some children who speak a third language at home! We also offer a traditional English-only path. We are the only Seattle public school teaching kids in K-5 to be bilingual and biliterate in both Spanish and English. Following best practices according to the latest research, all subjects — including math, social studies, and science — are “bridged” and taught concurrently in English and Spanish. Barriers to Success This goes to show that with committed, passionate teaching staff, engaged and ambitious families, and a supportive community, many things are possible! Our school is a daily haven of bright, hard-working and happy children, despite working within a framework of high poverty, immigration worries, and grave public health and safety concerns. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, not ALL things are possible. If you are a member of the Seattle Public Schools community, you may know that state and local funding is terribly inadequate to provide the level of resources, materials and extra-curricular support that we envision for our kids—and that other, wealthier PTAs are able to subsidize. The Equity Gap Some Seattle schools fundraise $200,000, $300,000, $500,000, and above every year to pay for extra teachers for smaller class sizes, full-time nurses and counselors, after-school activities, recess monitors, professional development, substantial classroom-support stipends, and more. At Concord, we typically raise $20,000 through our annual auction, which we use to support after-school programming, classroom support stipends, and a donation to another low-income Seattle elementary school that has much smaller fund-raising capabilities. Most of the rest of the funding is designated as emergency support for Concord families in our community, for emergencies such as a death in the family or deportation. This year our PTA does not have the capacity to organize an auction and we are ineligible for the City of Seattle grant. Bridge to Growth What is your role in all this, you may be asking? As the Concord PTA, we organize with, and advocate for, our school community. We are also building a broader sense of community—with local businesses, the City, families and individuals without children, and now industry. We are a small and special area of Seattle with a shared goal—to grow, achieve, and find success in South Park. We are asking you to join us in this shared goal by donating to our organization so we can stay committed to our mission statement of supporting families, teachers and students at Concord. Together, we can make the difference for this community. Thank you for your support!