SAVE THE DATES  

From President  

Karen Fleck 

January 12, 2012

Greetings!   

Happy New Year 2012!

     I hope you're recharged after the holiday and ready to PTA again! I look forward to seeing all of our unit and council officers at our Annual Meeting and Founders Day breakfast next month. Last year, nearly 500 people attended and this year will be just as big.

    In addition to our fabulous keynote speaker, California State PTA President Carol Kocivar will be speaking as well. I hope you are all submitting photos of your PTA events for our display for all to "ooh" and "aah" over!

   As you plan your spring programs such as Reading Nights, Science Fairs, Career Nights and more, remember the business end of PTA. Most units should be working on their first six month audit and mid-year budget revisions. Ask your council for help if you need it. We like most of your efforts to be on programs that benefit students in your school. Let us know how we can help. 

Karen  

Ninth District PTA 2012 Annual Meeting and  

Founders Day Celebration Brunch

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

8:30 am to 11 am

Scottish Rite Event Center 

Keynote Speaker: Darin Curtis   

Lakeside Union School District  

2011 California State Teacher of the Year  

Special Guest Speaker: Carol Kocivar

California State PTA President 

 Tickets are $25 if you reserve by February 1.  

Create your bylaws with an expert on hand

Wouldn't it be great to have an expert looking over your shoulder as you create your association's e-bylaws? Now you can. On Thursday, February 2, come down to the San Diego County Office of Education Computer Lab anytime between 10 am and 7 pm to create your e-bylaws. We'll have people on site to help so your e-bylaws come out letter perfect. Cost is $2. Request a password to access the California State PTA e-bylaws website at least two days before training. Learn more. 

As secretary, you have an important job making sure the official records of your PTA are in good order and your membership list is up-to-date. January is a good time to do a mid-year tune-up. Here's a mid-year checklist secretaries can use to make sure your records are in ship-shape.   

Some fundraisers require you to have some beginning cash on hand to make change. How does that money get into the cash box? We don't recommend putting your personal money in the cash box. It's also not acceptable for the treasurer to go to the bank and withdraw cash. Instead, the treasurer should issue a check signed by two people and payable to the bank for the beginning cash. After the fundraiser, fill out two Cash Verification Forms - one to show the start-up money to redeposit in the bank and the other to list the proceeds. By keeping them separate, you'll know exactly how much money you made from the fundraiser. To learn more, check out Section 5.4.3 Petty Cash in your Toolkit.

    As Californians enter 2012, I want to highlight some of the new education and child safety bills chaptered into California law for our PTA leaders and the school/family communities you serve. From booster seats to the age children can enter kindergarten to higher education, these laws will affect our kids. Inform your community. Read about the new laws.

     Unfortunately, not one of the 750 new laws secured adequate education funding for California's eight million children and youth. We encourage you to review the Our Children Our Future ballot initiative 2012 which seeks to correct this problem. Learn more.

    I warmly invite you to be part of the 2012 Ninth District PTA delegation to Sacramento February 6 and 7, 2012.      

    Now, perhaps more than ever, parents are needed in Sacramento to send a strong message to our elected officials that PTA members are beyond concerned about the present budget situation for public schools -- we're livid. We want solutions now.

     Time is limited, register today for the California State PTA Legislation Conference.  

    If you can't go, you can still participate without leaving San Diego. Just have students from your school write letters to their lawmakers. Suggestions for letter writing can be found here. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Imagine students listening to five minutes of classical music, piped in through the school's audio system each day. Isn't that a beautiful and calming way to start the day? Orchestra Nova offers such a program called "Take Five for Music". Students listen to the same short piece of music each day for a week. Students also listen to a fellow student, a teacher or the principal read fun facts about the composer with historical and social contest. It's flexible and adaptable and exposes kids to great works of classical music. Learn more. 

Starting January 1, 2012, children in California must remain in a booster seat in the back seat until age 8 unless taller than 4'9". Seat belts are designed for adults and don't properly fit children. A booster simply "boosts" the child up to make the adult-sized belt fit correctly. If the belt crosses the child's stomach instead of the hip bones, the child can be severely injured by the belt in a collision. The fine to the driver not following this law can be up to $475. Learn more.

Join The WorldBeat Center and Jeanne's Garden Program for Children on Thursday, February 9 from 10 am to 2 pm, for a special event free to teachers, educators and PTA leaders throughout San Diego County. Attendees will learn about sustainable practices including school gardens, zero waste in schools, school pizza ovens and rainwater capture. This is your chance to have all this information right at your finger tips while you enjoy a live performance and buffet lunch.  To RSVP, please email Jeanne's Garden Program or call 619-675-6956. 

Remind your members they can do some good for their pocketbook while they're doing good for their children. PTA members receive access to exclusive offers on wireless mobile service and equipment with T-Mobile. This includes 14 per cent off monthly recurring charges for new or existing customers! Learn more.