About Us

Mercer Island Parent Edge is a program within the Mercer Island PTA Council and is made up of parent volunteers from the Mercer Island community.  We are supported and funded by the PTAs of Mercer Island High School, Islander Middle School, Island Park Elementary, Lakeridge Elementary, Northwood Elementary, and West Mercer Elementary.

MI Parent Edge supports all members of the Mercer Island community. All Mercer Island Parents are invited to get involved. MI Parent Edge is supported by contributions from each of the PTA units within the MI School District; therefore, to be an active member of the Parent Edge board you must be a paid member of a PTA unit within the MI School District.

MI Parent Edge Team 2024-25

• Michelle Ritter
• Jacklyn Tan
  

Get Involved!

Do you enjoy Parent Edge programs? Are you curious about trends in parenting, education and supporting our youth? Do you enjoy working with a team to coordinate events? Have a super power like marketing, graphic design or web page management? We’d love to have you join the MI Parent Edge Team!

Information about the various roles within MI Parent Edge are listed below. Please contact us at miparentedge@gmail.com if you are interested in getting involved!

MI Parent Edge Executive Board

The Parent Edge Executive Board includes the following roles: Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Content Lead, Marketing Lead, Content Committee and Marketing Committee.

Each member in a lead role will serve in the designated role for a minimum of 2 years and will commit to: 1) Attending and actively participating in monthly Executive Board sessions, 2) Attending Input Committee meetings and 3) Providing regular updates on status of projects/ goals to be reviewed by leads and uploaded to tracking database.

Chairperson          

• Lead Executive Board meetings and Input Committee meetings
• Manage meeting agenda for both Executive Board meetings and Input Committee meetings
• Oversee external communication to stakeholders (MISD, MIYFS, KCLS)
• Attend PTA Council meetings
• In partnership with Content Lead, reach out to superintendent, school administrators and MIYFS to determine topics of interest for the year 

Secretary

• Internal Communication
• Email list maintenance
• Request and distribute regular internal reports/updates
• Meeting Schedule for Executive Board and Input Committee Meetings
• Annual Parent Edge Calendar Creation
• Record meeting minutes & action items for both Executive Board meetings and Input Committee meetings
• Archive documents

Treasurer

• Oversee budget
• Liaison with PTA Council Treasurer
• Coordinate annual PTA unit assessment request
• Prepare and review contracts
• Coordinate payment for talent & expenses
  
  

Program Content Team: Content Lead + Committee Members

• In partnership with Chairperson, Content Lead will gather input from MISD, MIYFS, PE Input Committee to determine themes and topics of interest for the year 
• Content Lead will oversee work of the Content committee members
  
  NOTE:  The committee works together to identify speakers and programs for the year.  The committee presents proposed line-up to Executive Board for feedback and input.  For each event, an individual committee member is responsible for overseeing the event, working in conjunction with the Program Content Lead and event volunteers.
  
  
• Research and vet possible speakers (i.e.  attend an area event to hear the speaker in person, listen or watch previous talks through online resources, reach out to other organizations that have hosted the speaker to get feedback)   
• Contact speakers for information on pricing, available dates, content, etc.
• Coordinate logistics for events
• Secure venue for events
• Manage tickets/registration
• Liaison to speaker at event
• Ticket collection
• Signage
• Distribution of materials (handouts, surveys, etc.)

Marketing Team: Marketing Lead + Committee Members

• Marketing Lead will establish annual marketing budget
• Marketing Lead will oversee work of the Marketing Committee members
• Update Website
• Manage external communication including:  3-2-1 newsletter and promoting programs and events
• Collateral (event schedule postcard, flyers, etc.)
• Manage distribution/ ownership of A-boards
• Manage social media (Facebook & other tools) to promote events, recruit new members & broaden reach/ Parent Edge audience
• Liaison to MISD Communications

MI Parent Edge Input Committee Overview

The Parent Edge Input Committee exists to provide Parent Edge with a variety of perspectives on parenting topics to help guide our programming decisions. The Input Committee meets 3 times a year to provide input and feedback to the Executive Board. In turn, the Executive Board will share information about programming efforts, community partnerships, survey results and other initiatives in the community that support the work of Parent Edge.

The Input Committee members include:

• Parent Edge Executive Board
• Chairperson
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Content Lead & Committee
• Marketing Lead & Committee
• PTA Council VP of Programs
• PTA Council VP of DEI
• PTA rep from each MISD school (IP, LR, NW, WM, IMS, MIHS and MIPA)
• MIYFS
• KCLS
• Members at Large – (Past PE members who want to continue in an advisory role)
• Other community groups TBD

Role

• Meet three times a year with Executive Board (September, January, and April)
• Executive Board would:
• share information about upcoming programs
• communicate results from community surveys
• share ideas and topics being considered for future programs
• Members would:
• share community perspective
• help promote PE programs and speakers
• provide input on topics for PE programs and speakers
• serve as a sounding board on proposed PE programs and speakers
• discuss opportunities for collaboration among the various groups
• This organization would also serve as a recruitment resource for Parent Edge

Want to get involved? Email us at miparentedge@gmail.com