EDI | happy-valley-pta

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Initiatives and Resources

Diversity, equity and inclusion cannot be the stand-alone work of one committee or even a small group of individuals. It is the work of every PTA member who decides to serve the families and children in their community. At Happy Valley PTA, we acknowledge that we are always learning. "The specifics and dynamics of oppression, community, and language are constantly changing," as Britt Hawthorne, Author of Raising Antiracist Children states in the introduction to her parenting guide. We are committed to discovering and addressing ways to make our organization more equitable, diverse, and inclusionary and we hope you will join us on our path.

The National PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. This mission requires that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) be central to our work and used in our day-to-day decisions and actions.

These documents from the National PTA Organization help guide our work:

PTA Local Leader Guide for DEI

National PTA Commitment Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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Happy Valley PTA's intentional work to increase equity, diversity and inclusion in our community includes:

Funding full and partial scholarships to afterschool enrichment classes for students in need.
Finding solutions to meet needs of students who require para-educator support during afterschool enrichment.
Paying for a free spirit wear shirt for every student so that we can have a monthly spirit day for all to participate.
Providing a free yearbook to each student so that no one is left out on yearbook day.
Organizing our annual Free Book Fair where each student can select up to five new or good condition books.
Offering financial assistance for anyone who cannot afford PTA Membership.
Providing free snacks at every Family Engagement Night on site at Happy Valley Elementary.
Funding opportunities to bring a diverse group of artists, authors, and guests into the classrooms.
Maintaining a fund in our annual budget to specifically to address Equity, Diversity and Inclusion expenses.
Organizing the sales of the Orange Truth & Reconciliation Shirts.
Co-Founding the first Since Time Immemorial Bellingham School District Community Event at Happy Valley.
Changing the Fun Run fundraiser to a more-inclusive Move-a-thon in order to include all members of our school population and their diverse range of physical abilities.
Funding a school garden and the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement field trips to promote environmental awareness in our students.
Holding school clean up events to encourage environmental stewardship and community building.
Eliminating Spirit Days or Weeks that require families to purchase items to participate.
Not running fundraisers that require our students to sell items.
Reducing activities or events that cause excessive trash or environmental harm.
Providing Gift Cards to families so that they can purchase what they need (identified through the school counselor) at holiday times instead of gift baskets, acknowledging that not all families have the ability to cook at home.
Organizing an annual Hygiene Drive, collecting toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo, and more to support the Friends of the Family Resource Center.
Gathering donations for the Nurse's Office Clothing Closet so that there is a selection of clothing for students to change into if they get wet, dirty, or have accidents.
Organizing the Cozy Rack, a collection of lightly worn outerwear that students can "shop" from if they are in need of a jacket. Clothing is NOT from Happy Valley's lost and found, so there is no risk of acquiring another student's clothing.
Intentionally seeking and supporting a wide range of enrichment classes for all abilities, affinity groups, and interests.
Partnering with WhatcomCARE on a number of initiatives, including the Raising Antiracist Children Book Club in Fall 2025.
Bringing Author Dr. Sonia Cherry-Paul to Happy Valley Elementary to meet with students and educators.
Supporting a Ridwell Recycling Drive to encourage environmental awareness.

What are your ideas to increase the opportunities for equity, diversity and inclusion at Happy Valley? Let us know!

CURRENT ACTIVITY: "Raising Anti-Racist Children" Parenting Book Club

Are you committed to building an antiracist family environment for your children?

Bellingham Schools Educational Coach Kirsten Jensen is partnering with the HV and Alderwood PTAs to discuss the book “Raising Anti-Racist Children” by Britt Hawthorne. Grown Ups from Happy Valley and Alderwood Elementary are invited to join. You can participate in the book club by joining an evening Zoom discussion on Monday, October 27th from 6:30 - 7:30 and Monday, November 17th from 6:30 - 7:30, or following discussion questions posted by Kirsten Jensen at your own pace.

The book closely aligns with ideas and themes taught at Happy Valley & Alderwood Elementary.

Contact Vicepresident@happyvalleypta.com to sign up

10/27 Zoom Link

CURRENT ACTIVITY: Español Para Escuelas Primeras
Learn Spanish with Friends at Happy Valley Elementary

Wednesdays from 7:30-8:00 am in the Library

Tribal Land Acknowlegement

Happy Valley PTA acknowledges that Happy Valley Elementary is located on the ancestral homelands of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have lived in the Salish Sea basin, throughout the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades watershed, from time immemorial. We invite our members to join us in expressing our deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.

Why do we acknowledge the tribal lands? We gratefully share the following words from our neighbors at Western Washington University's Office of Tribal Relations.

"As Native people, we never owned the land but rather we appreciated the abundance and the beauty this land provided for our people, and we value this practice every day. The land acknowledgement is not intended to be discouraging, but to fairly give recognition and understanding of the first inhabitants on this land. As we move forward, it is essential to continue the recognition of who the first people on this land were, and not forget the enduring gratitude they hold for the land, despite the “ownership.” In our eyes, this land has always been a gift and we hold that relationship sacred."

- Laurel Ballew, Executive Director of Western Washington University's Office of Tribal Relations.

School District Resources

Bellingham Public Schools Hate and Bias Speech Policy and Procedure 3209
3209 Procedure – Bias Incident and Hate Speech | Policy Details

Bellingham Public Schools Safety Page

https://www.bellinghamschools.org/about/school-safety

Reporting a Safety Concern to Bellingham Schools

To report a concern related to campus or personal safety you can:

Contact the administrator at your school
Contact Student Services at the District Office by calling 360-676-6400
Use the Vector Alert tip line system to report online, by text, or by phone. Reports are anonymous unless you choose to share your name.
Print and complete the HIB reporting form (3207F) for any harassment-related safety concerns.

PAST EVENT:

Truth & Reconciliation Day
Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Students and staff were invited to wear an orange shirt to school on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, to promote awareness and education on the residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities. Truth and Reconciliation Day shirts designed by artist Jason LaClair were available for purchase. All proceeds from shirts purchased benefit the Children of the Setting Sun Productions. Shirt ordering is currently closed for this session. Shirt scholarships were available to make shirt purchases accessible for all students and families at HVE by emailing the PTA.

Happy Valley PTA supports learning and teaching about Truth and Reconciliation Day each year, which aligns with the Since Time Immemorial Essential Questions, especially #4: What are ways in which Tribes respond to the threats and outside pressure to extinguish their cultures and independence?

To increase historical awareness and support community healing and justice, we help support a community learning project. This project involves: learning and teaching about Coast Salish identities and cultures, teaching the history of boarding schools (Indian Residential Schools), as well as Indigenous resistance, and how students, staff and the community can contribute to healing and justice. Students are then invited to wear an orange shirt or something orange on Tuesday, Sept. 30th if they chose, after learning about this day and about truth and healing and our history.

We also welcome families to engage in learning about this day and our history by viewing the lessons for elementary level and/or continually building background knowledge with the resources below. We acknowledge that this topic may be challenging for some. We do our best to support all students in this learning, which is important because many of our community members and their families have lived or been impacted by the boarding school experience. Ultimately, this project is about healing and hope for the future. Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback. kirsten.jensen@bellinghamschools.org.

PAST EVENT:

Conversations with Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, April 2024

Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, renowned educator and author of Stamped (For Kids) and Antiracist Reading Revolution, visited Happy Valley Elementary School on April 24, 2024.

Her visit was part of a series of events aimed at promoting anti-racist education and literacy. During her time at Happy Valley Elementary, Dr. Cherry-Paul engaged with students and staff, leading discussions focused on fostering inclusive and transformative learning environments.

This visit underscored Happy Valley PTA's commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment where students are valued, respected, and empowered to be anti-racist.

PAST EVENT:
Truth & Reconciliation Day
Monday, September 30, 2024
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Happy Valley PTA supports learning and teaching about Truth and Reconciliation or Orange Shirt Day each year, which aligns with the Since Time Immemorial Essential Questions, especially #4: What are ways in which Tribes respond to the threats and outside pressure to extinguish their cultures and independence?

To increase historical awareness and support community healing and justice, we helped support a community learning project. This project involved: learning and teaching about Coast Salish identities and cultures, teaching the history of boarding schools (Indian Residential Schools), as well as Indigenous resistance, and how students, staff and the community can contribute to healing and justice. Students were then invited to wear an orange shirt or something orange on Monday, Sept. 30th and each student had the opportunity to wear an orange bracelet, if they chose, after learning about this day, about truth and healing and our history.

At the elementary level, we center our learning around a highly acclaimed book that was written for ages 5-7: "My Powerful Hair" by Carole Lindstrom. Please see lessons above and more resources below. You can access the book in Epic.com or the Bellingham Public Library.

· Visit this Interactive Boarding School Map

· Learn about the impact of historical trauma

· Learn more about Lummi cultural resilience efforts and community education projects by Children of the Setting Sun Productions

· Exploring the Impact of Residential Schooling | Bellingham Public Library | BiblioCommons

PAST EVENT:

Jason LaClair Truth & Reconciliation Orange Shirt Sales Support

Orange Shirt Day (September 30th) was established as an observance in 2013, to promote awareness and education of the residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century. The residential school system has been recognized as a cultural genocide, and continues to this day. The use of an orange shirt as a symbol was inspired by the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad, whose personal clothing—including a new orange shirt—was taken from her during her first day of residential schooling, and never returned. The orange shirt is used as a symbol of the forced assimilation of Indigenous children that the residential school system enforced. The official tagline of the day, "Every Child Matters", reminds us that all peoples' cultural experiences are important.

Happy Valley PTA was honored to partner with Indigenous artist Jason LaClair to help produce and sell products featuring LaClair's Truth and Reconciliation hummingbird design. Proceeds of the shirt sales went to Children of the Setting Sun Productions and to support Jason LaClair's work.

Jason LaClair is a Coast Salish artist from the Lummi and Nooksack communities, who has worked extensively in the Bellingham Schools and within Happy Valley Elementary in particular as a teacher, woodcarver, painter, and muralist. Mr. LaClair has been practicing Northern Formline Art and Coast Salish Styles for more than 25 years. In 2021, he collaborated with local artist Gretchen Leggitt to create the public installation of the “Salmon Run” mural for the City of Bellingham. In addition, he was the artist of the “One from the Heart” mural in Ferndale. Other murals decorate the Boardmill Building in the Port of Bellingham’s central waterfront redevelopment. Mr. LaClair's drive comes from the need to share the art of his ancestors with his People and the Whatcom Community as a whole. He says he loves what he does and that his career is the best way to express himself.

PAST EVENT:

Since Time Immemorial Community Event

Happy Valley PTA was proud to be a co-founder of the first Since Time Immemorial Community Event in 2023, held at Happy Valley Elementary. The event has grown to become a District and Community-Wide event, held at larger venues across the city in the following years.