National PTA Designates Sept. 17-21 ‘Back-to-School Week’

ALEXANDRIA, Va., (Sept. 14, 2018)—National PTA has designated Sept. 17-21 Back-to-School Week to celebrate back-to-school season. Throughout the week, National PTA will share tips and resources on social media using #PTABackToSchool and at PTA.org/BackToSchool to help PTA leaders, parents, students and teachers have a successful new school year. National PTA Back-to-School Week is sponsored by Office Depot, Inc. and Instagram.

“At PTA, we are committed to supporting and making a difference for students, families, educators and schools. We are excited to establish our official Back-to-School Week and share resources and tips to help everyone involved in education have a great new school year,” said Jim Accomando, president of National PTA. “We hope everyone will celebrate with us on social media using #PTABackToSchool. Together, we will make the 2018-2019 school year a huge success.” 

As part of Back-to-School Week, National PTA has launched a comprehensive webpage with a wide variety of resources. The association has also assigned each day of the week to highlight and share tips and resources for the stakeholders who play an essential role in supporting children’s learning and success.

·         Monday, September 17 – Back to School for PTA Leaders

·         Tuesday, September 18 – Back to School for Parents

·         Wednesday, September 19 – Back to School for Students

·         Thursday, September 20 – Back to School for Teachers

·         Friday, September 21 – Office Depot Day

Additionally, during the week, National PTA will be making announcements on new initiatives, grant recipients and new grant opportunities, classroom surprises and more.

“Back-to-school is always an exciting time of the year. It can also be a bit overwhelming for students, parents and teachers alike—with new people to meet, new goals and material to teach and learn,” said Nathan R. Monell, CAE, National PTA executive director. “We are grateful to Office Depot and Instagram for their support of our Back-to-School Week and efforts to help students, parents, teachers and PTAs start the school year strong and stay on track to success.”

For more information about National PTA’s collaborations with Office Depot and Instagram, visit our Sponsors & Partners webpage.

About National PTA

National PTA® comprises 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.

Ohio PTA Collaborates with Statewide Groups on School Safety Summit

            COLUMBUS — Ohio PTA joined with 21 other statewide organizations to present the School Security and Safety Solutions Summit. The free daylong series of keynote speakers and seminars was held Sept. 12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

            The summit featured two keynote speakers and a dozen presentations on school security and safety issues. The event was designed for school board members and administrators; teachers; school counselors, psychologists and support staff; mental health professionals; parent leaders; and law enforcement and other first responders. More than 800 people participated.

            The keynote speakers were Dr. Amy Klinger, co-founder and director of the Educator’s School Safety Network, and Alissa Parker, co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools. Klinger is a nationally known expert in school safety and crisis management with nearly 30 years of experience as an educator and administrator. Parker is the mother of Emilie Parker, who was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. She now works to help school communities improve safety in honor of her daughter and the other 19 children and six teachers who were killed at Sandy Hook.

            Organizers developed the summit with the goal of focusing on mental health; safety procedures and training; cooperative relationships between law enforcement and school districts; and parental involvement. Discussions focused on a multidisciplinary approach to school safety. Workshop topics included: “A comprehensive approach to school safety,” “Crisis team response to a student death,” “Engaging the community in your district’s safety initiatives,” “After-school safety” and “Communicating in a crisis.”

            Ohio PTA President Susan Hans attended the Summit and stated, “The School Security and Safety Solutions Summit was a day of networking and valuable learning sessions. I gained greater insight into school-based mental health programs and came away with ideas on how PTAs in Ohio can collaborate with schools to promote safe and secure learning environments for all our students.”

            The following groups collaborated to develop and host the summit:

• Buckeye Association of School Administrators

• County Commissioners Association of Ohio

• National Alliance on Mental Illness Ohio

• Ohio Association for Career and Technical Education

• Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators

• Ohio Association of Public School Employees

• Ohio Association of School Business Officials

• Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators

• Ohio Department of Education

• Ohio Education Association

• Ohio Educational Service Center Association

• Ohio Federation of Teachers

• Ohio High School Athletic Association

• Ohio Homeland Security

• Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association

• Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services

• Ohio PTA

• Ohio School Boards Association

• Ohio School Counselors Association

• Ohio School Psychologists Association

• Ohio School Public Relations Association

• Ohio School Resource Officers Association

Ohio PTA Voice / September 2018

PTA Leaders and Members,

Welcome back! I hope you are as excited as I am to be starting the 2018-19 PTA year. I hope you had a relaxing summer full of fun and family activities. I know you have also been busy planning your PTA programs and events for this year…and Ohio PTA has been doing the same.  Here are some of the highlights…

·         Welcomed our new staff Laurie Mottice and Linda Freemanwalker

·         Revised the Standards of Affiliation (SOA)- new simplified checklist

·         Updated, easier to navigate website

·         New membership awards program

·         New format for The Voice

·         New Ohio PTA Grants for you, our local PTAs

o   Male Involvement Grant- Apply here  (due Sept 15)

o   Science Festival Grant- Apply here  (due Oct 5)

o   Family Engagement Grants- Apply here  (due Oct 12)

I’d love to know what you think of these changes especially The Voice and the website. We want our resources to be timely and useful and your feedback will help us do that.

As you may know, Ohio PTA won a National PTA Family Engagement Grant last spring. The grant is to promote transformative family engagement throughout our state.  Family engagement is connecting families, schools and the community to work together to positively impact student outcomes. What is transformative family engagement? It is family engagement practices that reach every family and make it possible for every family to change their child’s life for the better. It really is the heart of our mission “Making every child’s potential a reality.” So, I invite you to learn more at ohiopta.org and on the Ohio PTA Membership Blog. Think about what you can do or are doing as a PTA to be inclusive, to develop parents’ knowledge of school academic goals, to build relationships to a new building or grade level or help staff and families to truly communicate with each other.  Please tell us about your family engagement successes- either on the new SOA checklist or email me at president@ohiopta.org.  Just as families and staff need to learn from one other, we can do more if we share our experiences and resources.

Have a great year and thank you for being part of PTA!

Susan

See all September 1st posts for the Ohio PTA Voice in the right margin ---------->>>>

Or CLICK HERE for easy access to all articles in the September Issue of the Ohio PTA Voice

Ohio PTA Voice / September 2018 / Hispanic Heritage Month / September 15- October 15

Hispanic Heritage Month 101

(source: https://www.pta.org/home/events/About-Every-Child-in-Focus/Calendar/National-Hispanic-Heritage-Month)

Do you know why Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 – October 15?

September 15, is the anniversary of independence for 5 countries: El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Mexico’s Independence Day is September 16 and Chile’s is September 18. We extend into October because October 12 is known as “El Dia de la Raza,” or “The Day of the Race.” It is a day celebrating the many nationalities present in the history of Mexico, Central America, and South America including Native Americans such as the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas; and European nationalities such as Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

What is the difference between Hispanic and Latino?

The U.S. government distinguishes Hispanic and Latino as terms to define regions of origin and not a person’s race. 

(source: http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/businessetiquette/a/pc-hispanic.htm)  

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, being Hispanic refers to someone whose origins are from: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America and the countries of South America where Spanish is the primary language.

• Latinos are considered individuals from countries (or cultures) within the bounds of Latin America. 
• Brazilians are considered to be Latino but are not considered to be Hispanic.
• Latino has come to be used interchangeably with Hispanic in the United States. Neither term should be used to describe a person’s race.

Male Involvement Grant 2018

Ohio PTA is committed to helping your unit grow its male involvement at your school. Research shows that when fathers and father figures are engaged in children’s education, student grades and test scores improve, attendance increases and students are more involved in school activities.^[1]

This fall, Ohio PTA will be awarding a grant of $250 to a unit in good standing for a Male Involvement/Engagement event.  $150 will be awarded in the Fall to fund the event and the remaining $100 will be awarded after the unit has submitted the planning guide, photos, and evaluation. Click the link below to submit your proposal! https://goo.gl/forms/D8nEtF7195NKfcgG3

5 ways to start off your school year working on being diverse and inclusive!

1. When using photographs to make sure the faces in the photos represent the different faces you see at school.   
   

2. The name of your events should promote inclusivity- “Donuts with Dads” can be “Donuts with Dudes” or “Donuts with Grown-Ups”.  We want all children to feel welcome at events.  The simple switch up of a name can make a child and family feel included.
3. Plan on celebrating Inclusive Schools week! Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., which is held each year during the first full week in December. The week is a celebration of how your school has worked hard to provide a supportive and quality education to all students.  Check out https://inclusiveschools.org/inclusive-schools-week/ for ideas on how to celebrate!
4. Create a sensory friendly space at an event and advertise it!  Let families know that they are welcome to attend and use this space if needed.  You can also offer a sensory friendly time that is before an event to give families the chance to explore and enjoy before the crowds arrive.
5. Remember that every event is for the children.  You are the voice of this child, that child, and every child. Make inclusion part of everything your PTA unit does.

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^[1] Allen, S., & Daly, K. (2007). The effects of father involvement: An updated research summary of the evidence. Ontario, Canada: Father Involvement Research Alliance; U.S. Department of Education. (2010). A call to commitment: Fathers’ involvement in children’s learning. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/parents/calltocommit/fathers.pdf.