February 2010 |
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In This Issue
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.
National PTA Convention | June 9-15 | Memphis, Tennessee The Nominating and Leadership Development Committee met January 22-23, 2010 to consider individuals for eight member representatives to the National PTA Board of Directors, each for a two-year term, and three members to the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee, each for a three-year term. The committee reports the following nominees for election at the 2010 national convention: Member Representatives (8) - Board of Directors Vito Borrello – New York Member (3) - Nominating and Leadership Development Committee Sue Bellows – Michigan We urge you to give the above names wide publicity in your states so that members may be informed about the nominees. L.O.V.E. Shared During PTA Take Your Family to School Week With events ranging from cultural diversity festivals to parent-child lunches to family math nights, PTAs and schools nationwide invited their communities to celebrate Take Your Family to School Week, February 7–13. To support local units’ efforts, National PTA gave awards of $1897—an amount that pays tribute to the year PTA was founded—to 32 PTAs for inclusive events that promoted parent and family involvement in the school. Robert A. Black PTA of Chicago was one of this year’s award recipients. The PTA hosted an event titled Leave Out Violence Everyday—or, L.O.V.E.—to educate students and parents about violence and the significant role families play in helping their children lead a safe and healthy lifestyle. National PTA Chief of Staff Evelyn Taylor was at the event to present the PTA with a “big check.”
See more pictures from PTA Take Your Family to School Week events in Fotki Gallery. Have You Seen/Heard PTA's PSAs? The Talk. School Band. Swing. Homework. PTA's public service announcements (PSAs) are airing across the nation. In fact, the television PSAs are in the top 1 percent of all PSAs in distribution.* Since their initial distribution in July, the television PSAs have been seen in 138 markets on 303 stations. They've aired more than 23,000 times. The radio PSAs have aired more than 23,000 times on 182 stations. To see where the PSAs are airing in your state, go to the PTA PSA Web portal at PTA.org/GatewayPSAs and check the television and radio reports. Thank stations airing the PSAs and reach out to additional stations. Step-by-step instructions and sample letters and scripts are available under Resources. See in particular "How to Support a PSA Campaign at the Local Level." Previews of the PSAs are available under Spots. *Per the Nielsen Sigma ranking report for December 2009. All numbers given are the latest figures available at time of publication. For television, due to differences in methods and timing of reporting, numbers may vary between reports; numbers given here are from Nielsen Sigma Service. The application deadline for National PTA's Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Awards is 11:59 p.m. EST, Monday, March 1. Encourage units to apply today! For demonstrating exemplary all-around achievement of the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships, one local PTA will receive the Outstanding Family-School Partnership Award, with a $2,000 monetary award. Six PTAs, each representing the best in one of the six National Standards, will receive a Family-School Partnership Award of Excellence and a $500 monetary award. All local PTAs that submit a complete award application demonstrating achievement in one or more of the National Standards will receive an Award of Merit. For more information, go to PTA.org/Hearst. PTA Reflections Entries Due March 2 The deadline for all state PTA Reflections Program entries to arrive at the National PTA Office of Programs and Public Policy is Tuesday, March 2. Be sure to review the submission requirements—covered in the State Arts Chairs' Guide—and complete all necessary forms. Download the forms and guide at PTAreflections.org, How to Begin: State Participation. If you have any questions, please contact Chantay Carter, National PTA arts in education program coordinator, at (800) 307-4782 Ext. 210 or ccarter@pta.org.
National PTA is proud to announce the 2011–2012 PTA Reflections Program theme: "Diversity means..." This winning theme was submitted by a student at Ozark North Elementary PTA in Ozark, Missouri. The theme was selected from among 128 student entries from 27 states and will inspire all the artworks for the 2011–2012 program year. Please join us in celebrating this outstanding student contribution. Remember, the 2010–2011 theme is "Together We Can." To learn more about the PTA Reflections Program theme search, go to PTAreflections.org. Arts Enhancement Grants for Local Units Each year, National PTA offers a limited number of matching grants of up to $1,000 to help local units establish or enhance student-centered arts education programs. These Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grants can be used to support arts education in the classroom or other learning environments through the introduction of new technologies, techniques, or methods; visiting artists; or other activities. Special consideration is given to applicants that reach large numbers of at-risk students. At risk encompasses a wide range of factors that may make it more difficult for a student or a segment of the student population to succeed in learning. Some factors that make students at risk are financial, familial, health, behavioral, social, and environmental or other community conditions. Local PTAs must submit complete applications and match this grant dollar for dollar with PTA or other donated funds and/or in-kind resources. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT, May 3, 2010. Please advertise this grant opportunity to your local units. Go to PTA.org/ArtsGrants for more detail. PTA Teacher Appreciation Week: Put It on the Calendar Join National PTA in saying thanks to one of our schools' greatest assets: teachers. PTA Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2–8. Updated resources are now available at PTA.org/Teachers. You'll find activity ideas, a planning timeline, posters, a press release, a proclamation, a certificate of appreciation, and new this year, stickers and a newsletter ad. Whether they're at elementary, middle, or high schools, all PTAs can build stronger family-school partnerships with activities for PTA Teacher Appreciation Week. Encourage units to make the week part of their spring schedule. PTA Founders Day, February 17, is a reminder of the substantial role that PTA has played locally, regionally, and nationally in supporting parent involvement and working on behalf of all children and families. It's a time to renew our commitment to be a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education.
National PTA Congratulates State Teachers of the Year Click here for a letter from National PTA President Charles J. “Chuck” Saylors and a complete list of state teachers of the year. Policy 1210 of the Baltimore County Public Schools entitled Relationship with Parent-Teacher (Student) Associations begins, "The Board of Education of Baltimore County (Board) recognizes the PTA Council of Baltimore County and local Parent-Teacher-(Student) Associations PT(S)A units as important partners of the Board." Click here for more: http://www.bcps.org/system/policies_rules/policies/1000series/pol1210.pdf We commend the Baltimore County Public Schools and urge all PTAs to work with their boards of education towards similar relationships. A Word from MetLife, PTA Member Benefit Provider Do you know enough about insurance coverages to ensure that your family and personal property are protected? MetLife Auto & Home® can help with a visit by one of our licensed property and casualty insurance professionals who can educate your PTA's members on the basics of auto and home insurance. A simple 30 minute PowerPoint presentation and seminar can help ensure them they have the proper safety nets. MetLife Auto & Home is a brand of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates: Economy Fire & Casualty Company, Economy Preferred Insurance Company, Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Company , Metropolitan Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Company (CA Certificate of Authority: 6730; Warwick, RI), Metropolitan General Insurance Company, Metropolitan Group Property and Casualty Insurance Company (CA COA: 6393; Warwick, RI), and Metropolitan Lloyds Insurance Company of Texas, all with administrative home offices in Warwick, RI. Coverage, rates, and discounts are available in most states to those who qualify. L0210088044[exp0113][All States][DC] In Net Cetera: Chatting With Kids About Being Online, OnGuardOnline.gov gives adults practical tips to help kids navigate the online world. Kids and parents have many ways of socializing and communicating online, but they come with certain risks. Net Cetera covers what parents need to know, where to go for more information, and issues to raise with kids about living their lives online. Feel free to order as many free copies as you'd like, put your own sticker on it, reprint sections in a newsletter or on a website, download a button or link to it, or even reprint it with your own logo. These materials are in the public domain. To order free copies of Net Cetera, visit bulkorder.ftc.gov. To find out more about reprinting the guide, contact OnGuardOnline@ftc.gov. | |||||||||||
| March 1 | Phoebe Apperson Hearst Family-School Partnership Awards application deadline | |
| March 2 | PTA Reflections state entries due to National PTA office | |
| March 9–11 | National PTA Legislative Conference, Washington, DC | |
| May 3 | Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grants application deadline | |
| May 2–8 | PTA Teacher Appreciation Week | |
| June 9–15 | National PTA Convention, Memphis, TN |