November 2009 |
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Healthy Lifestyles Month in November gives us the chance to recognize and celebrate the fantastic work of our units, including those that will create a long-term impact on their schools and communities. A great example is Leroy F. Greene PTA in Sacramento, CA, which will hold a recruitment event for its Parents in Action training in November. The Parents in Action program focuses on engaging parents in the improvement of their school’s environment, increasing healthy food and physical activity opportunities through school wellness policies, and strengthening parents’ leadership and advocacy skills. This year National PTA was able to double the number of Healthy Lifestyles grants with a generous donation from Jamba Juice. In all, 45 local PTAs will receive up to $1,000 to support nutrition and physical activity in their communities, impacting over 28,000 students in this school year alone. What will your PTAs do to celebrate Healthy Lifestyles Month? It is not too late to get involved. Visit PTA.org/healthylifestyles for tools, information and resources to share with your local units to encourage them to participate in Healthy Lifestyles. Please share this important information with your PTA units and members on new partnerships from National PTA. National PTA is partnering with Parenting to serve as the national media sponsor of Reflections, and will feature the program in Parenting School Years and online at Parenting.com throughout Reflections’ 40th anniversary year. Parenting’s November issue includes an article about arts in education and features Reflections! Parenting has also created online galleries of Reflections entries from across the country, which can be viewed, along with the November issue article, at Parenting.com/PTA. Parenting is offering PTA members an exclusive discounted subscription rate for Parenting School Years: 11 issues for $9.97 – a savings of 77% off the cover price! For every PTA member who subscribes, Parenting will donate $1 to support National PTA. Click here to Subscribe Now! National PTA has also partnered with Consumer Reports and the National School Boards Association to create the School Safety Alert Program to provide parents, schools, and educators with the most up to date information about product and food safety to keep your children safe. Safety tips and important recall information will be shared monthly in the PTA Parent E-Newsletter and online at pta.org/safetyalert. As part of the partnership, PTA members also receive an exclusive discount to subscribe to Consumer Reports’ web site that offers 1,000+ ratings, reviews, expert advice, product comparisons, and more. Reflections Theme Ideas Due December 7 Each Reflections Program year, students create works of art inspired by a specific theme. That theme is selected from hundreds of ideas submitted by students through their state PTAs. Entries for the 2011–2012 PTA Reflections theme are due to National PTA by Monday, December 7. State PTAs may submit up to five theme entries. The winner will be selected in January and will be presented at the 2010 National PTA Convention. Repeat themes will not be considered. Mail the original entries to the National PTA Office of Programs and Public Policy, 1400 L Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005-9998. Faxed entries will not be accepted. For the list of past themes (see page 2 of the Student Submission Form), go to PTAreflections.org. Kudos from National PTA President As you plan state PTA Reflections awards ceremonies, please consider including the congratulations of National PTA President Chuck Saylors. He has recorded a video message to the students, parents, teachers, and volunteers who participated in the program this year. We hope you’ll be able to use this video to share National PTA’s thanks and praise with your state, and to remind your communities that they are participating in a national program as part of a national association. Download the video message at PTAreflections.org or PTA.org. What’s Happening in Your State? PTA News from Across the Country
MS PTA President Deloris Irving and members of the board of directors help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Mississippi PTA. 
Have you received your seasonal flu vaccine? Check to see if a local PTA in your area is hosting a seasonal flu vaccination clinic by clicking on “Schedule a Vaccination” and search by ZIP code at PTA.org/flushotclinic. Don’t see a clinic in your area? Encourage your local PTA to help fight the flu and keep everyone healthy this flu season. Watch our National President, Chuck Saylors, discuss the importance of flu vaccinations. Flu Busters is working with state and local health departments across the country to help provide the H1N1 vaccine to our youth. For more information on H1N1, visit flu.gov. 
The AXA Foundation, a Proud National Sponsor of PTA, offers a signature program, AXA Achievementsm, which provides resources that help make college possible: access and advice.
The winners, known as AXA Achievers, are ethnically and economically diverse, but share these qualities:
Encourage graduating high school seniors to apply. Direct students, parents and educators to http://www.axa-achievement.com/, where they can find more information and downloadable applications, which can be filled out online. As part of AXA's partnership with PTA, AXA offers free workshops to PTA units on topics such as planning for college and other financial issues facing families. Visit the AXA website designed exclusively for PTA leaders, www.axa-achievement.com/PTA, for more information about the wide range of workshops that can be presented to your PTA unit. The AXA Foundation is also the exclusive awards sponsor of the PTA's Take Your Family to School Week program, a nationwide initiative designed to increase parental involvement and participation in the schools. |