From President

Karen Fleck   

January 17, 2013

Greetings!

   My 2013 PTA New Year's wish: that each of us attends more PTA job training than we did in 2012.   

   For PTA Councils, one of the great perks is our monthly meetings and mentoring. Attend and bring another council board member if you are allowed. Get new ideas from other local PTAs; implement their successful family night at your school.   

   For PTA units, we offer officer trainings at Ninth District. They are well attended, but I know some PTAs don't take advantage of them. Change that for 2013. Your PTA finances stay safe when every board member knows how to count and safeguard money properly.   

    Use the perks of being a PTA, with access to council officers, Ninth District officers and fellow PTA boards to improve the success of your own school and your own PTA. For example, if you don't have an auditor, ask a neighboring PTA board with no auditor to do your audit, and you do theirs.     

   Our strength lies in the regular addition of new PTA board members paired with the assistance of those who have experience and want to give back. Let 2013 be the year of utilizing all that is PTA to the max! 

Karen 

On Saturday, February 2, you'll have the chance to attend

a special training event put on by the California State PTA. 

• 2:30 to 3:15  Nominating Nuts and Bolts with Shirley Gold, California State PTA Parliamentarian

• 3:30 to 5:00 pm State Budget Update and overview of key issues in the legislative term with Patty Scripter, California State PTA VP of Legislation

These classes are ideal for presidents, parliamentarians and legislative chairs. Both classes will be held at the Town & Country Resort. Training is free and open to all PTA board members. RSVP.    

As we collectively mourned last month's tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, discussions of firearms laws and mental health issues quickly followed. The National PTA understands that while the opinions of individuals may differ on this issue, there is a need to clarify certain positions that directly impact children and their schools and assist concerned parents with locating additional helpful resources. They have issued a concise Frequently Asked Questions document. Additionally, the California State PTA's position on Firearms and Mental Health can be located in the PTA Toolkit in Section 4.5.35. Learn more.   

 I hope your winter break was filled with many blessings and a renewed spirit of volunteerism. While the passage of Prop 30 will definitely put a dent into California's education funding shortfall, we still need every volunteer hour possible to keep our school programs, i.e., art, music, library, mentorship, etc., alive. Please keep that thought in mind as you quantify, document, and report your volunteer hours. Ninth District would like to showcase your PTA's special and unique achievements at Founders' Day, February 13. Learn more. 

   Audits for the 2012-2013 mid-year period should be completed soon. Please have the president/secretary include the adoption of the Audit Report as part of the next association meeting agenda. The secretary should record that date on the Audit Report once it is adopted by the membership.

    Each audit should include three (3) items: the Audit Report, the Audit Checklist and the recommendations, if any.  Each unit must forward two copies of all three (3) items to your council; the council will forward one copy to Ninth District PTA. Out of Council units should forward one copy of the above documents directly to Ninth District PTA.

PTA has identified six standards that identify what parents, schools, and communities can do together to support student success. This issue let's look at Standard 3 - Supporting student success. At schools that embrace this standard, families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students' learning and healthy development both at home and at school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively. How do we help our families and schools achieve this standard? Learn more. 

   Now, perhaps more than ever, our presence is needed in Sacramento to send a strong message to our elected officials. We want to make sure the funds the Governor promised to public education will make their way there!!

    I warmly invite you to be part of the 2013 Ninth District delegation. Go to the California State PTA website and register TODAY for the Legislation Conference. This is a legitimate PTA expense and dollars well-spent for your units and councils.  Learn more.