The PTA Parent-Tuesday, December 16, 2008 |
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Take Your Family to School Week
A message from PTA National President Jan Harp Domene. Many of us will (try to) keep resolutions for New Year's. Some of these resolutions will be to do things we're already doing, but perhaps better, or at least more often. Other resolutions will be to try something new, to explore the world beyond the borders we know. One resolution will help you do a little bit of both—and help boost involvement in our schools at the same time. All you need is access to the Internet, and a little bit of time, literally whenever it fits your schedule. PTA has always been exceptionally good about connecting people who are passionate about helping children be successful and healthy—but now we have technology that allows us to connect those people in a whole new way. I want you to resolve with me to embrace the possibilities of online social networking, because it’s not just for our kids anymore. If you haven’t visited the PTA pages on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Fotki, you haven’t seen the amazing online community that continues to grow there every single day. You’ll find postings and pictures and videos of people who are sharing ideas, inspiration, and lots and lots of information. You can even communicate with PTA’s leadership, including myself. For anyone unfamiliar with the sites that millions of people (and most of our children) have been using, PTA is launching an entire series of introductory videos to help you get acquainted with social networking. Leaders can learn how to establish a Facebook presence for their local units, and how to reach out to their community and connect with the national office once they do. And absolutely anyone interested in supporting our nation’s children can learn why this new form of communication is so important, and just the few simple steps it takes to get involved. So as you resolve to bring more people into your PTA this New Year, check out http://pta-tv.org/ (with the username "ptacommunity" and password "1pta1"—just click "enter" to watch each video) to see how easy it is to be part of our online community. And I’ll see you on Facebook! Jan Harp Domene
10 Truths About Parent Involvement Research shows that regardless of income or background, when parents are involved, students are more likely to earn higher grades, enroll in higher-level programs, attend school regularly, have better social skills, graduate, and go on to postsecondary education. Here are some truths about parent involvement that you can use to gauge your involvement level and the relationship you have with your child's school. After reviewing these truths, check out PTA's resources for parent involvement for ways to get more involved:
PTA Parent Q&A
Take Part in PTA Take Your Family to School Week
The week of February 8-14, 2009, PTA schools across the country will be opening their doors to families and hosting special events to engage parents in their children's education. There will be school murals, "A Day in the Life..." videos, "Are You Smarter Than a 5th-Grader?" contests, mystery science nights, family math nights, reading nights, parent workshops, career fairs, cultural celebrations, grandparents days, conversations with principals, and performances of fairy tales. And these are just a few of the creative ways PTAs are finding to engage all parents at elementary, middle, and high schools, special needs schools, and Department of Defense Dependents Schools overseas. Find out what events your school has planned, put them on your family calendar, and plan to attend! Also consider helping out in planning or hosting, as you are able. Your enthusiastic participation is needed to make these events a real success. If your school isn't already planning an event, it's not too late to get started. Learn more at pta.org/familytoschool. Kids Share Their Family Dinner Traditions More than 100 students designed placemats for the first-ever "My Family Dinner" coloring contest this fall, sponsored by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University and PTA. The placemats illustrated family mealtime traditions and how the students' families connect during dinner. The winning artwork can be seen on CASA's Family Day—A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM website, CASAFamilyDay.org, and will be featured in the 2009 Family Day promotional campaign. "We were delighted to work with PTA on our very first coloring contest and we congratulate the winners," said Kathleen Ferrigno, CASA’s director of marketing. "Our hope is that the contest will grow with each year and that students, teachers, and parents across the country will be reminded that Dinner Makes A Difference!" Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s kids substance free. Family Day is celebrated nationwide on the fourth Monday in September—September 28 in 2009.  Give the Gift of Inspiration—The ABC's of Life PTA is proud to present The ABC's of Life, an original book from PTA National CEO Byron V. Garrett. A portion of the proceeds from every copy of this book purchased through PTA will benefit the PTA Endowment Fund. Order The ABC's of Life from PTA.org.  PTA Store Offers Discount on Teacher Gifts To celebrate the holiday season, Total Promotions—The PTA Store would like to offer every PTA member a 10% discount on all teacher gift orders of $5 or more per item. This offer is good through December 22, 2008. Please visit The PTA Store. To receive your 10% discount, when you are ready to check out, go to the "Special Instructions" area and type in "10% Teacher Discount." The discount will appear on the invoice. 100 Ways to Help Your Child and School Succeed There are many ways that you can help your child succeed! A few small activities each week will pay huge dividends over the course of the year. Here are a few that you can do this week:
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