The PTA supports three Family Councils, which act as affinity groups for families looking to connect with each other. Family Councils aim to:

  • Build community among BHIS families
  • Provide information and education to families in their home language
  • Provide a safe space for affinity groups to connect and discuss needs specific to their community
  • Connect families with school- and community-based resources (such as food banks, rent support, job support, etc)
  • Provide support to families in making teacher connections, understanding what their students are learning, and advocating for their students at school
  • Bring the voices of families furthest from educational justice to the forefront of PTA, school, and district discussions and decision-making

Family Councils set their own meeting cadence, meeting agendas, and community-building events that best reflect the needs of each specific community. Family Council Leads represent the different affinity groups, work to coordinate meetings and gatherings, and act as a point of connection with families.

Beacon Hill also employs Parent Liaisons, whose work overlaps with the Family Councils but includes a different range of services. Parent Liaisons bridge between home and school by providing outreach to families to ensure clear communication about what is happening at BHIS, especially for those families furthest from educational justice and who have historically been marginalized. Parent liaisons also assist with providing resources or connecting families to BHIS’s Family Support Worker.If you need specific support, please reach out to a Parent Liaison.

Black Family Council – Meets the third Wednesday of every month from 7-8 p.m. on Zoom (please reach out for details)

Leads: Pai-Ling Chu and Andra Kranzler (pai.ling.chu@gmail.com)

Black Parent Liaison: Robert Valentine (revalentine@seattleschools.org)

Chinese Family Council – Meets the third Thursday of every month at 2:40 p.m. at the school

Lead: Ping Ping Tan (also serves as Chinese Parent Liaison) – pitan@seattleschools.org

Latin@ Family Council – Meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:00p.m. at the school

Leads: Sindy Barco and Sendi Tinoco (Sendi also serves as the Latin@ Parent Liaison) – barcopao99@gmail.com

Vietnamese Parent Liaison: Tuyet Doa – tndao1@seattleschools.org

“Parents have to be recognized as special educators, the true experts on their children; and professional people-teachers, pediatricians, psychologists, and others-have to learn to be consultants to parents.”

–Nicholas Hobbs, Vanderbilt University