February 2009 |
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2008-2009 Membership Year is Coming to an End
As the PTA national membership year nears its close on March 31, all PTA members should be proud of their accomplishments and the amazing work of those who have engaged families and impacted children. Yet there is much work left to be done. The movement created by the collective voices of PTA members is the foundation of this organization and what will move PTA forward, towards new and greater successes. The weeks between now and March 31 are a critical time for demonstrating the strength of this powerful movement.  Limited Engagement April 27 – May 15 Save a Date for Your School! ~ Stay Tuned for More Info! Let's Fight Flu Together in 2009!
Thank you for your support of the Let's Fight Flu Together! initiative. Exactly 444 schools participated in our first year of the initiative and we know that this number will grow exponentially this year! Plans are currently being made for spring outreach to local unit leaders and your support is needed. Many changes are taking place in the second year of the program. Here are just a few highlights:
PTA's goal is to have 5,000 local units host an influenza vaccination clinic and for 1 million children to be vaccinated next year! Local units can begin registering for their influenza vaccination clinic now. Go to www.pta.org/flushotclinics for more information. Your support and help with this initiative is important! If you have any opportunities for the national office to reach out to your local units, or have workshop and exhibit space available at your summer leadership conferences, please e-mail Annie Krysl, Outreach Manager, at akrysl@pta.org. Look for more information at the PTA National Legislative Conference in March!  MEN WANTED at Convention!
113th Annual PTA National Convention and Exhibition A growing number of men are joining PTA, with a 2% increase in male PTA leaders just last year. For the first time in PTA history, a man will become the national president when Charles “Chuck” Saylors is inducted during the convention in Fort Lauderdale. The 2009 PTA National Convention is a great opportunity for dads and other men to learn how to make the most of their involvement in children's lives. There will be plenty of workshops specifically aimed at boosting male involvement, including workshops on the following topics:
Start recruiting men to attend convention today, and encourage them to bring the whole family. PTA is hosting a Family Expo and Fort Lauderdale is home to terrific family attractions. Registration information will be posted on PTA.org on March 2. The deadline for advance registration is May 22, 2009. Send your men to pta.org/annualconventionon now! Celebrating Successful Family-School Partnerships All year, your local units have been hard at work, planning and implementing programs to increase families' opportunities to be involved in their children's education. Encourage units to celebrate their successes and share their stories with the PTA Report to the Community template. This web-based, fully customizable resource helps schools share, through words and pictures, how they are working to achieve the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. All you need to do is provide an e-mail address to which units can send their Reports to the Community. Then, post the reports on the state PTA website, share copies with the chief state school officer and district-level superintendents, and forward them to education writers at local and regional newspapers. Units are also encouraged to submit their reports to the PTA national office via e-mail to partnerships@pta.org or via postal mail to the PTA Office of Programs and Public Policy, 1400 L Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005-9998. Everywhere, every day, PTAs are doing great work to strengthen families and support student learning. Let's do all we can to spread the word. Check out the PTA Report to the Community online. Reflections Program Deadline: March 2 The deadline for all state Reflections Program entries to arrive at the PTA national office is Monday, March 2, 2009. Please be sure you can track and confirm delivery of all materials. Send the entries to
There are very specific requirements for how to submit entries to the national Reflections Program. All necessary instructions and forms may be downloaded at pta.org/reflections under Reflections Planning. If you have any questions, please contact Chantay Carter, PTA national arts in education program coordinator, at (800) 307-4782 Ext. 210 or ccarter@pta.org. Cooperation. Collaboration. Appreciation.
Encourage your local units to make PTA Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3–9, 2009, part of their spring events for families, students, and the community. Activity ideas and other planning resources are available at pta.org/teachers. Arts Enhancement Grants for Local Units PTA's Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant Program offers a limited number of matching grants of up to $1,000 to help local units establish or enhance student-centered programs focused on arts education. This year, there is a total of up to $10,000 available — $7,500 more than last year! Special consideration is given to programs that reach large numbers of at-risk students (students whose environmental, familial, and/or socioeconomic situation may affect their academic success or ability to learn). Please advertise this grant opportunity to your local units. The grant application and program details are available online at pta.org/artsgrants. PTA Provides Fundraising Resources Even though PTA is far more than just bake sales and craft fairs, raising funds is still an important task for local units, especially in this challenging economy. PTA has added resources to the fundraising section of the website to assist local units in running effective fundraisers. This resource can help units ensure that their important efforts, initiatives, and events continue. Go to pta.org/fundraising.asp for more information. ABCs of a Family-School Celebration William Lehman Elementary PTA in Miami, Florida, was one of only 32 PTAs nationwide to receive an $1,897 Award for their efforts around PTA Take Your Family to School Week (February 8-14). They joined thousands of PTAs in inviting families into school during the special week. Betsy Landers, PTA national secretary-treasurer, visited the school during their Achieve, Believe, and Create Gala on Friday, February 13 to present them with a “big” check and admire student work.  Pictured in the photo (left to right) are Ryan McLain, local AXA Financial representative (AXA was the sponsor of this year's awards); Betsy Landers; Tammy Wells, William Lehman Elementary PTA president; and Maria Cruz, William Lehman Elementary School principal.  PTA Three for Me
Helping schools involve families. Learn more at three4me.com. Have Three for Me success stories? Share how PTA Three for Me is helping engage parents in their children's education. Send an e-mail to threeforme@pta.org. Remembering the Founders of PTA
We are their legacy. Learn more at pta.org/founders. |
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PTA Teacher Appreciation Week — celebrated the first full week in May since 1984 — is about forging positive partnerships between families and teachers. It's about saying thanks for teachers' dedication to excellence in education. It's about supporting teachers throughout the year through cooperation, collaboration, and expressions of appreciation.
