Today's post was written by Kris Garst, European PTA Director of Membership and Communications
April 20, 2018 is the 19th anniversary of the tragic shooting at Columbine High School, and PTA advocates across the United States and Europe will be coming together today and wearing orange in honor of those lost and to send a message that we've had #Enough of the seemingly endless cycle of gun violence in our schools. After the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, I was reminded of a conversation that took place in the months following Columbine. I was the leader of a summer reading group made up of 4th and 5th grade students, and while some of the initial media frenzy after the shootings had died down, it was still a hot topic on TV and radio news. During our book discussion time and completely out of the blue, one of the girls starting asking me some really tough questions:
I really wasn't sure what to tell her, because I had many of the same questions (to be honest, I was still young enough that a part of me was hoping that a "real" adult would come and explain it to me, too). We ended up having an impromptu discussion of how the kids were feeling after the attack and how they thought we should fix the problem. They were frightened and still in shock that something this terrible could happen, and they desperately wanted to make it all make sense. Toward the end, one boy said with great confidence, "It's going to be okay. They won't let this happen again. They CAN'T let this happen again." The kids all finally agreed that the adults, the people in charge, would be able to keep them safe, because that was their job. That was 19 years and far too many school shootings ago, and we're STILL asking the same tough questions. It's way past time that we step up and make some changes to keep these kids safe. We need to stop arguing over politics and special interests and work together for a change. We need to enact stricter gun laws. We need to increase funding for and access to mental health care in our schools and communities. We need to help our kids process the trauma of this cycle of violence and help them to feel (and BE) safe in their schools. It's time for us to do our job. You can learn more about National PTA's positions and efforts to eliminate gun violence at school via a recent press release at https://www.pta.org/docs/default-source/files/meetings/legcon/2018/resources/national-pta-press-release-on-gun-violence-prevention-efforts.pdf that contains links to National PTA resolutions, position statements, and current policy recommendations. You can also read about the three gun safety and violence prevention bills that PTA successfully advocated for this March in Washington, DC at https://www.pta.org/docs/default-source/files/meetings/legcon/2018/resources/national-pta-hill-ask-one-pager-2018-final-version.pdf. All three bills were included in the omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law on March 23rd! If you'd like to purchase one of the special orange PTA tees pictured above, they're available via the online PTA store at http://www.shoppta.com/orangetee. #Enough #EndGunViolence #NoMore
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HAPPY MEMBERSHIP MONDAY!!!
Today we celebrate Presidents' Day in honor of past leaders, but it's also that time of year when we need to seek out future leaders as well. Do you know who your Local Unit President and Board Members will be next year? One of our responsibilities as PTA leaders is to look for and develop potential leaders. Basically, we need to start looking for our replacements from day one, particularly since we're in a military community and lose people to PCS on a regular basis. If you haven't done so already, now is the time to start your search! HOW DO YOU FIND THOSE ELUSIVE POTENTIAL LEADERS?
YOU CAN DO IT!!! Finding and engaging potential leaders is a year-round process, and it can be challenging in our community of transition, but it can be done! Just remember to be inclusive and welcoming, and keep the lines of communication flowing. If you ask them, they will come! HAPPY MEMBERSHIP MONDAY!!!
PTA offers many things for its members at the local, state, and national levels, so it's important to get the word out there to your members and your communities, to promote the #ValueOfPTA. Here are just a few valuable programs that are either in progress or are coming up soon at the European (state) level:
To find out more about what European and National PTA have to offer, visit the EPTA website at http://EuropeanPTA.org and the National PTA website at http://PTA.org. Today's EPTA Update post was submitted by educational consultant Adrienne Oliveira. Ms. Oliveira is an American Special Education Advocate living in Portugal. She was a Special Education teacher for 10 years, and her goal is to help American families whose children may have specific learning disabilities. For more information, you can visit Ms. Oliveira's website at www.advocateiep.com or contact her via email at [email protected].
Good Morning! I wanted to share another tip about organization with you all. A lot of times parents ask me, "what more can I do?" "I don't know the school content, they are in tutoring, and how can I help my child more?" The BIGGEST thing almost all kids struggle with is organization. I say this because most kids, across the board, struggle with writing down their daily assignments and due dates. They have no idea what their homework is and when things are due. They don't know if they left their work in the classroom or locker. What YOU can do is keep a planner at home. Teach them how to log onto to their school's blackboard to track each class' calendar every single day (this is key, a daily habit). Have them write down their assignments in their planner as well as due dates. Email or call the teacher if you are unclear. It's totally fine to contact teachers. Have them continue to do this with another planner in their backpack (because you know it will get lost) and encourage them with small praise or rewards for writing down and bringing home assignments. Cross off assignments as they are completed for a sense of accomplishment. It does take a lot of time and effort, but this is something I have seen kids struggle with in both special and general education on all grade levels as a teacher. What valuable life lessons they will learn about organization with your help outside the classroom! PTA LEADERS: Have your membership numbers slowed down to a post-season membership slump? It’s time to shake off the mid-winter doldrums and get back our collective energy!
EUROPEAN PTA is challenging all Local Units to build their membership numbers during the month of March as a part of our MARCH MEMBERSHIP MADNESS competition! The Local Unit with the highest increase will be recognized at the 60th Annual EPTA Convention Awards Banquet on May 19, 2018 at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany. CONTEST RULES:
SO, WHERE DO WE START? We're still a month away, but now is the time to start planning your school's membership campaign. This is a great opportunity to roll out a membership contest or incentive at the class, grade, or school level, so get creative and have fun with it! We even have a toolkit available with graphics and an editable flyer that you can use at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NIUKLRUidRguMaCOWedd-cD0zbbyD0tc?usp=sharing. QUESTIONS? Email the European PTA Office at [email protected] Today's EPTA Update post was submitted by educational consultant Adrienne Oliveira. Ms. Oliveira is an American Special Education Advocate living in Portugal. She was a Special Education teacher for 10 years, and her goal is to help American families whose children may have specific learning disabilities. For more information, you can visit Ms. Oliveira's website at www.advocateiep.com or contact her via email at [email protected].
I have had a few people reach out to me asking about transition meetings. This terminology is used very loosely. Even in my career, I attended so-called “transition meetings” for children leaving elementary school and entering middle school. Yet, what really is a transition meeting? Transition meetings are for students who already have an IEP. The transition plan is a separate document included in the IEP and must be completed by the time the child turns 16. At one school district I taught for, we held the transition plan and meeting when the child was in 8th grade going to 9th grade (high school) and the transition plan will continue to be included in the IEP moving forward. The purpose of the transition plan is to help prepare your child for their future after high school whether that may be college or a job. Your child is involved in this process completing surveys and questionnaires to help determine areas of interests and strengths. The main goals in the transition plan include:
Once the goals are established possible services may include:
These services and goals may change every year until your child graduates from high school and are important to help your child prepare for life after high school. Your child, along with the IEP team will work together on these goals every year until graduation. I hope this clarifies what “transition meetings” are. If the term is used in another way, it is just an IEP meeting and make sure someone is capturing the notes during your meetings! If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. Adrienne Oliveira Educational Consultant [email protected] We've talked in recent weeks about letting both your PTA members and your community at large know about the great things that PTA does for your school, but it's important that we don't forget to share the bigger picture of PTA as well.
For more than 100 years, the National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA) has worked toward bettering the lives of every child in education, health and safety. Founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, National PTA is a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. PTA's mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. It's important that we share that mission with both current and prospective members, and that we keep sight of that bigger picture that is the foundation of PTA, even as we're working hard to coordinate the many programs, events, and activities that our PTAs support in our schools and communities! Here are a few ways that you can bring our shared mission to the forefront:
Across the United States and throughout DoDEA-Europe, parents, teachers, and other caring community members are working together to achieve our mission. Every member matters, and together we really can help to make every child's potential a reality! #MembershipMonday #JoinPTA #MembershipMatters #EPTA2018 There are so many reasons why people SHOULD #JoinPTA, but what are some of the reasons that they DON'T? Most objections to joining PTA fall into the areas of time, impact and perceived value.
What seems like an insurmountable barrier to some prospective members can often be broken down with a little bit of information and communication! Put out information via flyers, membership forms, posters in your school, email, social media, or wherever else you have an opportunity to reach your community that lets people know what they should expect when they join your PTA.
You can find more information on this subject, as well as tips on how you can overcome some of these common membership objections and misunderstandings, at http://www.ptakit.org/Membership/Messaging/Overcoming-Objections.aspx. Research tells us that children really do look to parents and caregivers for advice and help on difficult decisions. Spending just a few minutes each day checking in with your children can build their confidence and reassure them that they can rely on you for help when they experience problems such as bullying.
Daily conversations starters to try:
Find more good conversation starters, games and fun kid videos by visiting https://www.stopbullying.gov. Membership has its privileges. That saying has been around for years, but it is so very true for PTA! National PTA offers a wide variety of resources and benefits for PTA members, and they're always hard at work, looking for new ways to add value to your PTA membership.
Being A PTA Member Makes You Eligible For:
Being A PTA Local Unit Makes You Eligible For:
This is just a sampling of the benefits that National PTA provides for our members and our units, and opportunities will come and go throughout the school year. There are even a few opportunities that have deadlines this week! The deadline for National PTA's STEM + Families Grants and Giveaways is approaching on Oct. 26.
To apply and enter for both of these opportunities, go to PTA.org/STEM. #MembershipMonday #PTAproud #EPTA2018 #MembershipMatters |