Florida PTA
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Dear PTA friends and families,

This is an unprecedented time with every community, family and child affected by the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation. At Florida PTA, we appreciate your concern about keeping all of our PTA families and members safe and healthy.

We are continuing to closely monitor the information from our school districts and government agencies regarding measures being implemented in our communities. As our school districts roll-out their plans to bridge learning while children remain at home, our PTAs can play a vital role in sharing information, advocating for equitable resources, and providing support through our online communities.

We know too, that many of you have concerns about how to conduct PTA meetings and events given the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Included below is the latest guidance from National PTA and Florida PTA.

Unfortunately, due to the evolving situation with COVID-19 we've had to postpone Florida PTAs Poverty Summit and State-wide Reflections Celebration. Please stay tuned for new dates. We are also looking forward to seeing you this summer at the Florida PTA Leadership Convention and registration is now open. Together we'll all continue to carry out the important work of supporting children's and families at school at home and across our communities.

Please continue to promote healthy habits and stay positive. We encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding the virus and its effects on your PTA and school community.

As always, thank you for all you're doing for ALL of OUR children.

 With warm regards,
Linda Kearschner
President | Florida PTA
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COVID-19 Updates
Florida PTA will continue to monitor and provide information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • For information on how the COVID-19 pandemic affects how your PTA conducts business, please see this update.
  • This special edition newsletter featuring various resources was previously sent for our membership (please note the Reflections Celebration has since been postponed).
  • Visit our dedicated page on our website for continued updates.

Thank you National PTA for this valuable FAQ email which includes information on:
  • How do I talk to my child about the Coronavirus?
  • Where can I go for information on the Coronavirus and its impact on education and children?
  • What if I do not have internet access in my home? What is being done to support equitable access to the internet for student learning?
  • As a parent, how can I support learning at home?
  • What is being done to be sure vulnerable students have access to school meals?
  • What legislative action is Congress taking regarding the Coronavirus?
  • What if I have concerns about end of year testing?
  • What considerations should be taken if our state PTA must cancel or postpone meeting or state conventions?
Legislative Update
Hello everyone, we hope you are enjoying our weekly updates through our FLPTAdvocates Podcast. If you have not checked them out yet, you can catch up here.

Click here to view some updates on bills currently in the Florida legislature.

Remember to sign up for Florida PTA Voters Voice for alerts and updates as well: https://floridapta.org/voter-voice-legislative/ .

Did you know that Florida PTA had representatives advocating in Tallahassee during all committee weeks and session? You can join our Florida PTA Advocacy group on Facebook for photos and advocacy messages shared across the state! Click here for the Florida PTA Legislative Priorities Brochure in English, Spanish , and Creole . Please visit our website for additional advocacy resources.

Remember, advocacy is all year round. You can schedule appointments with your legislatures at their district office at home. This is a great way to build the relationship and share in all advocacy efforts.

Lastly, please view the "New Standardization Policies FAQ" from the Florida Department of Education.
In March, Florida PTA had representation at the National PTA (NPTA) Legislative Conference (LegCon) in Arlington, Virginia. This conference ran March 10-12 th and included a Capitol Hill Day on March 11. All LegCon registrants received information about PTA’s advocacy efforts and public policy priorities via email leading up to LegCon. Would you like to learn more about the NPTA’s advocacy efforts? You can  sign up  to receive the National PTA monthly PTA Advocacy Insider newsletter and Take Action Alerts regarding federal policy issues. You can also learn more by visiting the  Federal Public Policy Agenda  webpage and reviewing the  PTA Advocacy Toolkit . Click here for the focus of Hill Day. You can view the complete details for NPTA’s LegCon here.
 
We thank you for all of your advocacy efforts. With our collective ONE VOICE we can continue to make a difference for ALL Children!
 
With thanks,
Your Advocacy Commission
Upcoming Events *Updates*
Because we are following guidelines set out by the CDC, we have had to postpone our Summit entitled "Poverty Simulation Through Their Eyes". We will keep you informed when we are able to reschedule.

We have also had to postpone the Reflections ceremony scheduled for May 2nd in Orlando. We are so proud of all the hard work from our artists and will display their entries at our Leadership Conference and on our website.
Webinars!

Florida PTA Members, join us for a Florida PTA Bylaws webinar to learn more about the Proposed Bylaws coming forward at the 2020 Leadership Convention. 

There are two webinar opportunities for you:
April 9th 8-9 pm and
April 14th 7-8 pm 



Here are the details to join the webinar: 
Dial-in number (US): (605) 468-8853
Access code: 122245#
International dial-in numbers: https://fccdl.in/i/president_elect7
Online meeting ID: president_elect7

For additional assistance connecting to the meeting text "Help" to the Dial-In number above. Message and data rates may apply.

If you are unable to join one of the webinars, no worries, we will send the recordings out.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected] . 
Treasurer Q & A
Florida PTA Treasurer Karen Mazzola has answered some important questions regarding silent auctions, raffles, and more in this helpful Q & A . If you have further questions, please feel free to email Karen at [email protected].
Awards
We want to hear from you! Please apply for our Awards so we can hear about, and then showcase, the great things your PTA/PTSA is doing! Visit our website for more information and applications.

Leadership Convention
Top Five Reasons to Attend Leadership Convention
Is Leadership Convention Expense Approved?
Scholarship Event
PTA's Got Talent
We are so excited to work on this fabulous event again this year at the Florida PTA Leadership Convention, Saturday, July 18 th . We want to share the many ways that you can help and hope you can join us! 

  1. Buy a ticket and join us for the fun! Advance purchase is $15.00, on-site purchase is limited and will cost $20.00. 
  2. Sign up to be one of our fantastic talent acts and perform for your friends. 
  3. Enjoy dressing as your favorite celebrity, cruise member, or favorite cruise apparel. 
  4. Please donate to the scholarship fund to help our graduating seniors. Every donation that we receive from your local PTA, County Council, or personal donation is restricted for our scholarship fund ONLY. 

We hope to see many of you at this amazing event that directly affects our students.

Thank you,
Scholarship Committee
Bullying Prevention
When we think of bullying, we automatically picture children, often with a bigger, older child as the aggressor toward a younger, smaller child who is incapable of defending themselves. What we don’t picture are adult bullies in the workplace, social settings or our homes.

See our special edition eNewsletter on Bullying Prevention.
Take Note...
March is designated as National Reading Month to motivate Americans of all ages to read every day. In addition to being fun, reading is a key component to education and development. Reading books gives us an opportunity to travel without leaving home. 

Click here to read what Florida PTA has been doing to create lending libraries to foster a love of reading!
National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect and promotes the social and emotional well-being of children and families. During the month of April and throughout the year, communities are encouraged to increase awareness and provide education and support to families through resources and strategies to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Election Time Reminder...
In the next several months, PTA must be vigilant about being a non-partisan voice. Florida PTA has a Guide for the PTA Advocate page on our website that will help you determine what is allowed/not allowed during election (or non-election) time. It also includes ten activities you can do to encourage voting in a non-partisan manner.

Another helpful resource can be found on National PTA's website , and this includes webinars and links to PowerPoint presentations.
ShopPTA.com sells official PTA and PTSA logo apparel, membership items, awards, gifts and more. All products are offered through each of the participating State PTA organizations. Visit shoppta.com for all your PTA needs!