April 2009

And that’s not the only change. This year, we will require all local, council, district, and region PTAs to register to receive their kit. The registration form will ask the incoming PTA president or other authorized leader to provide the unit’s preferred shipping address and date.

Units will be notified of this change in procedure via a postcard, e-mail, PTA Local Leader News, and YOU. For more details about this new delivery system, as well as an article to include in newsletters and post on the state PTA website, please refer to the e-mail sent last week to the state PTA office, president, and president-elect. (You may also reprint articles from PTA Local Leader News.)

Feedback indicates that kits are not arriving at the best time for units to make the most of the resources. This new process will help ensure that the kit gets into the right hands at the right time for each unit. And the kit is still free!

State PTA offices, presidents, presidents-elect, membership chairs, and extension chairs will automatically receive a kit in mid-June and do not need to register. Please make sure your records are up to date with the PTA national office.

For all other units, the kit registration form will be accessible through personalized links starting at the end of this month; kits will ship weekly June 19 through the end of October (kits shipped after October 1 will incur a handling cost).

If you have any questions, please contact Scott Brody at sbrody@pta.org or (800) 307-4782 Ext. 335.

Please note: The address units provide on the registration form will be used one time only, for the specific purpose of shipping The Official PTA Kit. The form will clearly state this and will inform units that they must complete all change-of-officer/address paperwork for the state PTA. The state PTA will still need to update unit records with the PTA national office to ensure that units get PTA’s other valuable mailings throughout the year.

Connecticut, Delaware, and Illinois only: Please disregard the delivery process described above. Kits for local and council/district/region units in your state will be delivered in bulk to the state PTA office. The state PTA will be responsible for communicating to units about kit delivery and distributing the kits. The order form will not allow units in these states to register for a kit.

Arts Enhancement Grants Application Deadline Extended to June 1!

Alert your local units: The deadline for PTA’s Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grants has been extended to Monday, June 1. Due to a technical glitch with the online application form, the PTA national office did not receive most applications submitted online by local units. The PTA national office is asking units to resubmit all applications via postal mail to PTA National Headquarters by June 1.

Here is an announcement to share with your local units:

The deadline for PTA’s Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grants has been extended to Monday, June 1.  Mail all applications to PTA National Headquarters. Due to technical difficulties, the online application form is no longer available. Go to PTA.org/artsgrants to download an application form and instructions.

Already applied online? We don't have your application! Due to a technical glitch with the online application form, the PTA national office did not receive most of the applications submitted online. To make sure your unit is considered for PTA's Arts Enhancement Grants, please resubmit your entire application via postal mail to PTA National Headquarters by Monday, June 1. Download an application form and instructions at PTA.org/artsgrants. We apologize for the inconvenience.

PTA's 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 arts education programs. Special consideration is given to programs that reach students whose environmental, familial, and/or socioeconomic situation may affect their academic success or ability to learn.

The Fun Starts Early at the 113th Annual PTA National Convention

Before the 2009 PTA National Convention officially kicks off on Saturday, June 27, you can participate in any of six workshop sessions on Friday, June 26, including "New Bridges: Reaching Out to Diverse Parents," "Accessing PTA’s MORE Alliance Programs for Men in Schools," and "PTAs, NCLB, and Title 1 Families." The PTA Critical Issues workshops are designed to empower you as a volunteer leader and give you a chance to concentrate on the PTA knowledge and skills you most want to build. These sessions are included in your member advance registration rate and offered at no additional fee! Register online at pta.org/annualconvention.

Following the morning sessions you'll be able to explore the exhibit hall, where 200 companies and organizations will be offering products and services covering safety and security solutions, fundraisers, PTA management and financial tools, and parent involvement and educational offerings.

That evening, all registered delegates are welcome to attend a complimentary reception. Each state will greet attendees and welcome delegates to meet fellow PTA members and state leaders, get acquainted with exhibitors, and begin sharing ideas and plans for the weekend's activities. Complimentary appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be served.

Hands-on OMDRplus Experience at National Convention

The time is now for the much anticipated OMDRplus powered by Just Between Friends. The PTA national office has arranged to have a comprehensive, hands-on learning lab at the 2009 PTA National Convention that will take PTA members and leaders from step one — signing up for OMDRplus — through the next steps of learning the system and using it effectively. No matter how advanced your knowledge of OMDRplus, there is a valuable learning lab here for you. Look for the schedule and rooms when you arrive at registration.

More OMDRplus information is available at pta.org/OMDRplus.

Olympic Medalist and PTA Ambassador Dara Torres Is Proud to Be PTA Mom!

New blog post details motherhood and new book

Olympic swimmer, mom, and PTA Ambassador Dara Torres is now blogging on the PTA blog, pta-blog.org! Read her first post today as she talks about being a busy mom, training for the World Championships, and being a PTA Ambassador. Torres made history in 2008, becoming the first swimmer to win a medal in five Olympics and, at age 41, the oldest Olympic swimming medalist. On the PTA blog, she’ll also write about the recent release of her first book, appropriately titled Age Is Just a Number, which went on sale April 7!

Torres made an Olympic comeback at age 41, just months after a difficult pregnancy. Now, in her memoir, the superstar swimmer inspires everyone to dive in and dream big—in fitness and in life. Purchase the book through PTA.org and part of the proceeds will benefit the organization’s work on behalf of parents and children nationwide. An excerpt from the book is below.

“I wanted a medal. I wanted to win. Along the way, I also wanted to prove to the world that you don’t have to put an age limit on your dreams, that the real reason most of us fear middle age is that middle age is when we give up on ourselves.”—Dara Torres

Atlanta Public Schools Are on the Rise!

The PTA Urban Development Initiative is pleased to share that Atlanta Public School (APS) students are climbing higher and higher in their efforts to achieve academic excellence!

At the beginning of the 2008-2009 year, Atlanta Public School students demonstrated tremendous progress when test scores showed across-the-board improvements. In 1999, the percentage of 4th-graders meeting or exceeding state standards was 47%; today that percentage is 86%. APS 6th-graders meeting or exceeding state standards increased from 52% to 86%, while 8th-graders went from 60% to 82%. This growth is most significant because it has occurred during a time when state test standards and assessments have become increasingly more rigorous.

Atlanta’s high schools are not to be overlooked. Two thousand students graduated in May 2008. Families beamed with pride as students walked across the stage of the Atlanta Civic Center and received more than $64 million in scholarship offers from colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad.

This is excellent news during a time when the achievement gap crisis in urban schools is so prevalent, particularly in minority communities (where academic achievement gains are seeing declines across the country). Atlanta Public Schools is proud and so is PTA. PTA has more than 137 units in the Atlanta Public Schools district. Through PTA partnerships, parent involvement, and business and community support, significant positive change has occurred over the last nine years and increased student success is the result.

APS is moving aggressively toward being even more successful this year. Their commitment to engage parents in a meaningful way, along with strong administrative leadership, quality teaching strategies, continued community support, and more measures of accountability, will ensure that the students and parents in Atlanta have even more to celebrate this May and in the years ahead.

PTA salutes Georgia PTA and the Atlanta PTA Council for supporting the dreams of the Atlanta Public School students and for being a voice for every child.

Thanks to PTA’s Volunteers!

It’s National Volunteer Week, and we want to take this opportunity to celebrate all our PTA volunteers. Your enthusiasm, commitment, and leadership are vital to the success of PTA. Because of you, PTA can serve the specific needs of communities. Because of you, PTA can connect families to the information and resources they need. Because of you, PTA is a powerful voice for children—from the local to the national level. Thank you! And keep up the great work!

PTA Teacher Appreciation Week Is Fast Approaching!

This May 3-9, how will you and your PTAs thank teachers?

Find all the Teacher Appreciation Week resources you need—including our two new posters—in the PTA Teacher Appreciation Virtual Gallery. Plus, find out how to add your thanks to the gallery.

Go to PTA.org/teachers.

New Child Safety Resource Page at PTA.org

When it comes to child safety, the summer months can bring increased concerns for parents. Encourage local units to plan events for this May that teach parents and children about ways to stay safer. Be sure to check out—and tell units about—the new “Child Safety Events: How to Get Involved” page at PTA.org. There are child safety resources for parents and action steps for PTA leaders.

The PTA national office wants to know about PTAs’ child safety events! PTAs that send an e-mail to ChildSafety@pta.org by June 15 to let us know what they did to promote child safety in May will be entered in a drawing for a PTA Video Store gift card. Winners will be notified via e-mail by June 19.

PTA Helps Keep Kids Healthy on Main Street, Despite Troubles on Wall Street

2009 PTA Healthy Lifestyles Awards

With tight school budgets and even tighter family finances facing communities today, schools and PTAs are having to make difficult choices on how to allocate funds. And it can be frustrating to have to cut back on the maintenance of a school garden, or incentives for a walking club, when kids need these programs as much as, if not more than, ever. Programs like these go a long way in equipping children for a day of learning and a lifetime of health.

That’s why the PTA national office is once again offering local PTAs awards of up to $1,000 to support their Healthy Lifestyles programming.

All applications will be subject to competitive review, and judges will be looking for programs that

• Celebrate PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month, November 2009, and have a long-term impact;
• Promote healthy lifestyles in the home, school, and community;
• Promote family involvement in the school;
• Emphasize the connection between healthy lifestyles and student achievement; and
• Engage a diverse group of family and community members.

Units will receive a mailing about the awards next month, including stories from last year’s award recipients. More planning resources are available online at PTA.org/HealthyLifestyles, and the application will be soon. 

As your units plan for next year, encourage them to apply for a PTA Healthy Lifestyles Award. All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. EDT, Friday, September 11, 2009. Visit PTA.org/HealthyLifestyles for more details.

All Six Media and Technology Tip Sheets Now Available!

Since January, PTA has introduced six one-page tip sheets to help parents protect their kids and promote responsible media and technology use in their families. These tip sheets, available in English and Spanish, cover

Include the media- and technology-use tips in state newsletters, link from the state PTA website to PTA.org’s media safety page, and encourage local units to share this valuable information with parents at end-of-year events and in school and PTA newsletters.

2009 PTA Legislative Conference a Huge Success!

Attended by over 220 PTA advocates, this year's PTA National Legislative Conference in the nation's capital was a resounding success. Having recently refocused the organization's attention on public policy matters, the excitement was palpable as PTA took further steps toward reclaiming its grassroots advocacy origins.

In addition to attending over 300 congressional meetings, PTA advocates took part in skill-building workshops and had the opportunity to honor (and speak with) some of the most influential leaders in Washington DC.

On the first day of the conference, attendees were fortunate to hear a keynote address from Marian Wright Edelman, the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund and a lifelong advocate for children. Attendees also heard from President Obama's Special Assistant for Education, Roberto Rodriguez, who shared the President's strategies to improve and reform education in America.

To gear up for their Hill visits, attendees received training on PTA's 2009 legislative priorities and how to stay on message when meeting with members of Congress. This year's workshops, many of them led by experts on PTA's staff, centered on public policy priorities and gave in-depth perspectives on the reauthorization of ESEA-NCLB, the Child Nutrition Act, the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and funding for education in our current economy.

During the awards luncheon on Capitol Hill, PTA honored a few members of Congress for their efforts to improve the health and well-being of all children. Both Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) received the Congressional Voice for Children Award, for work on juvenile justice and support of homeless children, respectively. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) received the National Congress of Parents and Teachers Founders Award for a lifetime of speaking up on behalf of at-risk youth and children with disabilities. During that same luncheon, PTA Outstanding Advocacy Awards were presented to California State PTA and Capistrano Unified Council of PTSAs, and Kim Anderson was given PTA's first-ever Shirley Igo Advocate of the Year Award for her amazing leadership at the local level and her years of organizing a community of child advocates.