*****NATIONAL PTA WEEKLY*****
***September 13, 2004***
1. Give a Special Teacher a Hand
2. Answers Questions About "PTA Fundraising Essentials," Enter Drawing for
$250!
3. If You Could Have Any Person Involved in Your PTA, Whom Would it Be?
4. Start the Year Off with Good Homework Habits
5. Fifteen Minutes Can Mean a World of Time to a Child
6. The Must-Have Guide for Developing Parent/Family Involvement Programs
7. Why join PTA?
Note: Some items are available in the Members' area of National PTA's
website at http://www.pta.org/members. Enter the username and password on
your National PTA membership card. If you have not received your membership
card, contact your state PTA office at http://www.pta.org/aboutpta/stoffice.asp.
To join PTA, visit http://www.pta.org/aboutpta/bemember/index.asp to become
a National PTA unit member, or find your local PTA online at
http://www.pta.org/ptacommunity/localptas/index.asp.
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1. Give a Special Teacher a Hand
Want to recognize a talented, dedicated, and innovative teacher at your
school? Nominate him or her for a DisneyHand Teacher Award.
Since 1989, the Disney Learning Partnership has bestowed awards to some of
the nation's finest teachers for their teaching methods that actively engage
students in learning. (National PTA President Linda Hodge sits on the
award's nominating committee.) Nominations are placed in one of 10
categories for teachers of kindergarten through grade 12. Nominate your
favorite teacher! Visit www.disneyhand.com <http://www.disneyhand.com> to
download an award application, due October 15, or call (877) 282-8322.
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2. Answers Questions About "PTA Fundraising Essentials," Enter Drawing for
$250!
If you have about 10 minutes to spare by midnight tomorrow, you can help
National PTA and yourself while you're at it. In February 2004, National PTA
created "PTA Fundraising Essentials" as a guide to help PTAs, school
administrators, and communities work together to more effectively fundraise.
By answering our brief survey about the guide, you can help make the 2005
guide even better.
As a special thank you for participating, you can choose to enter a drawing
for a $250 American Express gift check redeemable at millions of merchants.
Use the check to help your school or keep it for yourself. Hurry, the survey
deadline is tomorrow!
To take the online survey and for complete rules, visit
<http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2QRT2RKJ9>. If you are unable to
access the site from this link, please cut and paste the Web address in your
Internet browser. (Only one submission per computer will be permissible in
the survey.)
Please note: The survey is open to anyone aware of fundraising at their
school, regardless of whether they have seen the guide.
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3. If You Could Have Any Person Involved in Your PTA, Whom Would it Be?
Who would inspire your PTA to do its best work? Please tell us about this
person-living or deceased-and describe what role he or she would play in
your PTA.
If your response is selected to be published in "Our Children" magazine's "Ask a Member" column, we'll send you a $25 Barnes&Noble.com gift card.
Deadline for submissions: Friday, September 17.
Two ways to participate: E-mail forum@pta.org or send a letter addressed to
Our Children Editor by fax to (312) 670-6783.
When submitting a response, please include
* Your name,
* The name of your PTA,
* Your city and state,
* A daytime phone number in case we have follow-up questions.
By sending an e-mail or fax, you will be granting National PTA the right to
publish your response, which may be edited for grammar, length, and/or
clarity.
Remember, as a PTA member you can always save an additional 5 percent on
your Barnes&Noble.com purchases by visiting the special storefront.
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4. Start the Year Off with Good Homework Habits
When students cultivate good study habits and the right attitudes in
September, they are laying the groundwork for academic success during the
coming school year. It's a simple fact that children who spend time on
regularly assigned homework do better in school and become better learners.
If you've ever wondered how much time a child should spend on their homework
and how much help parents should provide, read the article, "Helping Your
Child Get the Most Out of Homework" available on National PTA's
Back-to-School website at
<http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/bts/a13_homework.asp>.
The Back-to-School website offers a number of other articles that can help
your child start off the year on the right foot academically. Look for
articles on test-taking skills, enhancing parent-teacher communication, and
much more at <http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/bts/articles.asp>.
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5. Fifteen Minutes Can Mean a World of Time to a Child
As schools across the country move into full swing, it's a good time for
parents to renew their commitment to talk openly with and listen to their children, thus encouraging them to share any concerns or issues surrounding
school. To that end the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) and the
federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have
developed 15+ Make Time to Listen, Take Time to Talk. The program encourages
parents to set aside at least 15 minutes a day to listen to and talk with
their children, providing them with the necessary emotional support to
function well in school and out.
To help facilitate parent-child communication and spread the word about the
program in communities across the country, the agencies have developed free
materials, including
* An activity planner with ideas for events or programs promoting
parent-child communication
* A list of books for children in preschool through high school to encourage
conversation
* Children's mental health matters' fact sheets dealing with a variety of
issues such as anxiety, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
depression, and so forth.
These materials are available at NMHA's website,
<http://www.nmha.org/pbedu/backtoschool/index.cfm>.
Also, check out National PTA's resources on parent-child communication,
located at
<http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/helpchild/hc_lets_talk.asp>.
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6. The Must-Have Guide for Developing Parent/Family nvolvement Programs
Is your school or school district intending to develop new parent/family
involvement programs or improve existing ones? Well, before embarking on
such an endeavor, your school should have a copy of the new "National
Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs: An Implementation Guide
for School Communities." This revised edition of the former national
standards booklet includes
* Assessment questions, which school communities can use as a guide to
identify strengths and weaknesses in their parent involvement programs
* Steps toward developing parent/family involvement programs including
reproducible templates to help develop a parent/family involvement policy
and plan
* Voices from the field-information from several National PTA Parent
Involvement Schools of Excellence on how they implemented one of the six
national standards.
Copies of the guide can be ordered through the publisher, National
Educational Service (NES), by visiting NES at www.nesonline.com or
telephoning (800) 733-6786, and mentioning order number BKF175. Note: One to
nine copies of the booklet are $4 each plus a shipping and handling fee.
Quantity discounts for 10 or more copies are available.
To learn how your school can become a Parent Involvement School of
Excellence, go to
<http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/certification/index.asp>.
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7. Why join PTA?
PTA members work together to make a true difference for all children.
Whether meeting in neighborhood schools or speaking on Capitol Hill, PTA
members are powerful voices for children with relevant resources for
parents, and strong advocates for public education.
Find a PTA in your neighborhood:
<http://www.pta.org/ptacommunity/localptas/index.asp>
Maybe there isn't already a PTA in your neighborhood. Or, perhaps you
support the mission of PTA but just feel like you don't have the time to
volunteer right now. Consider joining at the national level. Membership is
just $25 a year and gives you access to the same resources local members
receive, as well as a one-year subscription to "Our Children" magazine
(normally $25 for non-members). Plus, you get the satisfaction of knowing
your support ensures there's a voice in support of quality education and
safe environments for all children.
<http://www.pta.org/aboutpta/bemember/support.asp?ID=LU>
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