News Parents/Guardians Can Use

Your PTA has been working extra hard to support children and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. School communities know they can count on PTA as a trusted source for timely and helpful information to keep our children healthy, safe and learning. Let’s work together to keep our kids safe by joining us for an important conversation about vaccines. Register for our webinar, “Take Action to Keep Kids Safely in School: What Your PTA Can Do to Address Vaccine Hesitancy,” where we will address concerns and questions about vaccines and share the benefits of getting your child vaccinated and boosted. You will also learn more about specific actions your PTA can take and hear examples of how you can partner with other community organizations in this effort. We will be joined by Vice Admiral Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States, community organizations and fellow PTA leaders. The webinar will be Wednesday, Feb. 2 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. EST. Register now!

At the beginning of the school year, due to the continuing pandemic, families focused on their children's safe return to class. However, this pandemic has exacerbated a crisis that existed prior. Across the country, local emergency departments are recording dramatic increases in all mental health emergencies, including suspected suicide attempts. Our country is currently witnessing soaring rates of mental health challenges among our children and it is inextricably tied to the stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.    Childhood mental health concerns and suicide rates have steadily risen in the last decade. By 2018, suicide became the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Children’s Hospital Association have officially declared a national emergency in children and adolescent mental health. Additionally, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory report to highlight the current youth mental health crisis in correlation with the COVID-19 pandemic.    The Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act (STANDUP Act) is the first federal legislation providing uniform research-based suicide prevention and awareness standards in schools to address the mental health needs of students. The bill currently has 46 bipartisan sponsors (38 Democrats and 8 Republicans).   PTA calls on Congress and the Administration to immediately address the many factors that contribute to the mental health crisis in the United States. Our association strongly encourages efforts that establish comprehensive community mental health. In addition, our organization supports all programs and projects that educate and inform parents, students and the general public about youth suicide prevention and support services for survivors of a suicide attempt.    The STANDUP Act has already passed in the Senate. Now it is the House of Representatives’ turn to cast the final vote! Take action today and urge your representative to vote to prioritize youth suicide prevention and vote “Yes” on the STANDUP Act! Click the link below to log in and send your message: https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/2l2845rPOI_6CDhN-9c9aQ

The Department regularly posts rules for public comment. Recently, rules related to the Ohio School Report Cards opened for comment. You can find these rules and related public comment deadlines on the Department's website.

Ohio PTA Partnership with Honesty For Ohio Education Coalition (Updates) 

February 3, 4-6 pm - Beloved Community Teach-In!

Honesty for Ohio Education invites you to our first Teach-In - an opportunity for Ohio educators & advocates to reflect, connect & learn as we deepen our commitment to honest and truthful teaching for all students. We're centering ourselves with Dr. King's concept of Beloved Community.

Quartez Harris is our inspiring keynoter, and the breakout sessions are amazing - affinity spaces, teaching ideas, Mikva Challenge & TeachPlus, and local educators & advocates with curriculum, self care spaces and learning. A shout-out to our sponsors, Ohio Education Association, Ohio Federation of Teachers and Positive Education Program.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Next Monthly SBOE Meeting: Feb 14-15

SCHOOL DISTRICTS / HIGHER ED

Ohio’s 2022 Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell is one of four finalists for the 2022 National Teacher of the Year!!!

Honesty shared a recent STAND Survey reporting that 3 in 10 teachers are considering leaving the teaching profession at the end of the school year. Teachers attribute their consideration to restrictions on teaching about honest history and current events.  

Speak Out Forum 

Contact: Piet van Lier, PMO, PvanLier@policymattersohio.org, Darold Johnson, OFT, djohnson@oft-aft.org, Cynthia Peeples, H4OE, cynthia.peeples17@gmail.com

In planning phase, the event will feature opening remarks, legislative briefing, and 10 orgs/people speaking out for 2 minutes each about honesty in education.

Speak Out Forum on Feb 17, 6pm - Save the Date 

Parent Feedback Requested

 Dear PTA leaders,

 

We have a fast-moving opportunity with a PTA Connected sponsor and ask for your help in spreading the word.    

 

Please help us distribute the attached invitation to parents and caregivers of students in grades 3-8 to participate in “The Achievery Parent Feedback Project” cohort.  

 

Background: 80% of teachers and parents say their kids would be more interested in learning tools that include popular entertainment, and 70% think the traditional classroom learning environment will rely more heavily on technology after the COVID pandemic. The Achievery (currently in Beta version), created by AT&T in collaboration with WarnerMedia, is a FREE educational platform designed to make online learning more entertaining, engaging and inspiring for today’s connected students. 

 

The Achievery will officially launch this Spring. Before then, AT&T wants to hear feedback from parents, caregivers and families about their experience using The Achievery. Feedback is confidential and will be used to help enhance The Achievery and the connected learning experience for families, like yours, using the platform. 

 

The Opportunity: Each cohort member will receive a $50 honoraria, and be expected to: 

1. Preview a pre-recorded session to learn about The Achievery, and complete an initial survey.  
2. Explore The Achievery and complete 2-3 lesson activities with the students in grades 3-8 in your family.  

1. Provide feedback on the digital learning platform by completing The Achievery feedback survey.  

 

This project will run from January 28 – February 11, 2022. 

 

We are seeking 300 parents and caregivers to participate in the cohort, and we would love for some of them to be from your community.  We welcome both PTA and non-PTA parents and guardians of kids in grades 3-12!   

 

Please share this opportunity with your network of families.  Interested in having your family participate too? Please complete this enrollment form by Friday, January 28, 2022.   

 

Questions?  Contact hparker@pta.org. 

 

Thank you for your help promoting this exciting opportunity! 

National PTA Announces Alliance with Discord in Support of Teen Digital Safety and Well-being

National PTA Announces Alliance with Discord

in Support of Teen Digital Safety and Well-being

 

Alexandria, Va., (Jan. 13, 2022)—National PTA is pleased to announce an expansion of its PTA Connected initiative through a new alliance with Discord, an online voice, video and text communication service on a mission to create a space for everyone to find belonging. Discord will collaborate with National PTA on digital safety resources and events designed to elevate youth voices and foster shared understanding among teens, caregivers and educators.

 

As part of the alliance, National PTA and Discord will co-host a live digital safety session Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. EST during PTA’s weeklong commemoration of Safer Internet Day. The session will be led by Discord's Teen Moderators, a group of teens empowered to help Discord create spaces where people feel safe and find belonging. The event will be hosted on National PTA's new Discord server and is open to all parents, caregivers, educators and teens. Pre-registration for this free event is located, here.

 

"We recognize that the digital landscape continues to shift and evolve, and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the joys and challenges of an increasingly digital life,” said National PTA President Anna King. “We want to keep our teens safe online, while they simply crave connection and spaces for personal expression. PTA’s collaboration with Discord reflects our belief that we need to meet teens where they are—in virtual spaces like Discord—while addressing the need for digital safety education.”

 

This spring, Discord and National PTA will facilitate a series of listening sessions with teens and caregivers to explore current attitudes, perceptions and behaviors around digital safety and well-being. Discord has pledged to act on the insights gained from these sessions to help create a healthier digital ecosystem, and PTA will leverage the insights to develop new, timely educational programming aimed at families with children in high school.

“Discord is a place where teens can find belonging and community and connect over shared interests and passions with friends and classmates. Through our collaboration with National PTA, we hope to foster an interactive dialogue between parents, educators, and teens about the role that Discord plays in their lives and collaborate with them to create an even more welcoming and positive experience for teens on the service,” said Savannah Badalich, Director of Policy at Discord.

Discord’s two-year commitment to National PTA includes grant funding for high school PTAs/PTSAs across the country to help eliminate barriers in providing digital safety and well-being education for local families (in-person or virtual, as health and safety protocols allow).

 

About National PTA

National PTA® is comprised of millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org.

 

National PTA does not endorse any commercial entity, product or service. No endorsement of Discord is implied.

Scholarships!!!!

 The deadline for applications is March 1st, 2022.

• Academic Applicationl https://tinyurl.com/OPTA-Scholarship-Academic-2022 
• Post-Secondary/Certification|  https://tinyurl.com/OPTA-Scholarship-PSCert-2022
• Special Education|  https://tinyurl.com/OPTA-Scholarship-SpeEd-2022

Rally to Read 100

 

Happy New Year from everyone at Reading Is Fundamental. We are excited to kick off another month of our Rally to Read 100 reading initiative. As we begin a new year, it is the perfect time for some new adventures. And, that’s why our January Rally to Read theme is Adventure.    We are thrilled to have acclaimed author and illustrator Don Tate read the book he illustrated, Black All Around!. In this lively, poetic celebration of the color black, a young girl experiences the wonder and joy of all the black objects she finds around her. The letters and words on the pages of a book, a limousine, a big workhorse, beetles, firefighter's boots, piano keys, and more all capture the young girl's attention in joyously illustrated spreads that combine seemingly unrelated objects in imaginative, adventurous interactions.   Watch the Read-Aloud Use our pre and post book activities and classroom, student, and family theme activities to extend the learning around adventure all month long along with our activity packet of games and puzzles.  We hope you are making progress on your pledge to read 100 books. Need ideas to hit your goal? Check out this month’s recommended book list and don’t forget all K-5 educators can enter for a chance to win 100 new, diverse books for their school (you can enter once a day!). This sweepstakes closes on February 1, 2022 so enter today!  Thank you for rallying with RIF to get our nation’s young readers excited to read.   Happy reading, The RIF Team

Join us at our 115th Convention!

 

Join us at our 115th Convention! A legitimate PTA expense. Register today!

http://www.ohiopta.org/events/