President's Message,
Spring is almost here. To find out valuable information about what you need to know for the upcoming springtime events, activities, and opportunities for your PTA/PTSA's visit our
website
!
Happy Spring,
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VA PTA Awards
Virginia PTA is pleased to offer
Family Engagement Awards
to PTA/PTSA local units. The deadline is April 1, 2020 for all of the awards listed.
As we move into spring and leadership transitions, Virginia PTA offers a positive and productive way of recognizing our volunteers through
Service Awards
. Proceeds from the President's Honor Award, Honorary Life Memberships, Distinguished Service Awards and Certificates of Appreciation assist in funding the PTA Scholarship Program. What a great way to honor the hard work of your volunteers!
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We Need You!
Virginia PTA Seeking VP of Membership Candidates
Virginia PTA is pleased to seek interested candidates for its newly-elevated role of Vice President of Membership. This is a board-level position that was recently approved by the full general membership during the 99th Annual Virginia PTA Conference in January 2020. The approved candidate will fill the position immediately until the term expires in March 2021.
The Vice President of Membership is an important position for Virginia PTA. As the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in Virginia and one of the largest in the nation with over 1,200 PTAs/PTSAs and over 250,000 members, we know that membership is the life-blood of the Virginia PTA. We need a robust membership each and every school year to help accomplish the PTA's mission - to make every child's potential a reality - whether that is through programming, advocacy, and/or board governance.
The Vice President of Membership will have the opportunity to develop and execute a comprehensive membership plan that propels Virginia PTA into the future and solidify its status as the organization that helps students get the resources they need to be ready for the global economy.
Further questions about the position or the nomination process can be directed to Tony Shivers, Nominations Committee Chair,
[email protected]
.
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VA PTA Scholarship
Virginia PTA is proud to offer $1,000 scholarships to graduating Virginia high school students from an active PTA/PTSA in good standing. In keeping with the Vision and Mission of the PTA, these scholarships are awarded based on a demonstrated commitment to, and engagement in, volunteerism and community service. The number of scholarships awarded each year depends on proceeds of special Virginia PTA awards.
Deadline is March 2nd!
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Reflections 2019-2020
Good luck to all students that have Reflections entries being judged at the State level!
For further information and questions, please reach out to our Reflections Chair,Katie Sprouse.
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eLearning - Run Your PTA
Did you know that, as a PTA Member, you have access to eLearning resources. Some main topics available are: Understanding PTA's Mission and History, Becoming an Amazing PTA Leader, Grow PTA Membership and Resources, Advance PTA's Mission, Gain Nonprofit Management Skills, and more. Just click on the following link and learn about all of the resources and training available from your own couch.
https://www.pta.org/home/run-your-pta/elearning
When taking an eLearning course, it is best to use Google Chrome.You may be asked to create or update your National PTA profile.If you have any challenges, please contact
[email protected]
.
National PTA thanks Mountain America Credit Union, a Proud National Sponsor, for their support of National PTAs leadership development initiatives, including this e-Learning Library.
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Summer Leadership Training is Coming!
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Planning is taking place for the upcoming summer and school year already. Whether you're continuing your role as a PTA leader/member or not, the Summer Leadership Training (SLT) coming to a neighborhood near you is a must. We will have networking opportunities, speakers, meals, valuable workshops and more all in a day. We hold 4 regional training's and we hope to see you and your people at any of the locations listed below. Watch for details!
Click here for the SLT flyer
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General Assembly Insights
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We have reached the mid-point of this year's General Assembly Session, which ends on March 7th. This means that bills have been reviewed and approved in the chamber of origin and "crossed-over" to the other chamber for review and consideration. More than 3,284 pieces of legislation were introduced this session and about 1,450 bills crossed over.
The mid-point also signals the time when both the House and Senate will adopt a budget bill that includes the budget amendments introduced by Delegates and Senators to address constituent concerns. Budget amendments are heard in the Appropriations (or Spending) Sub-Committees of the House and Senate. Following approval by the full Appropriations Committee, the budget bills are sent to the House or Senate floor for action, just like bills that address policy and code changes. On the House floor, the Budget Bill is considered under the one objection rule. This means the bill, with its proposed amendments, is adopted as a block except for specific amendments that members object to and ask be considered separately. After the budget bills are adopted by each chamber they are sent to a Conference Committee comprised of four senior members from the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee and four members from the House Appropriations Committee who reconcile the differences between the House and Senate budgets. It takes roughly two weeks to develop a compromise on the budget.
TAKE ACTION FROM HOME
This year's General Assembly session includes $1.2 billion of funding initiatives proposed by the governor and approximately 60 bills and budget amendments that Virginia PTA supports based on approved priorities, position statements and resolutions. Here are ways you can take action FROM HOME to improve state education funding and policies not only for your school, but also for students and schools across the state.
- EMAIL your Delegate and Senator to share your story and support for bills Virginia PTA supports.
- SHARE links on social media to important action alerts or news articles
- FORM an Advocacy Committee for your school who is charged with following local school board budget and policy discussions and providing a monthly update at your PTA meeting.
- INFORM your members about the seven (7) new resolutions approved at the Virginia PTA Annual meeting.
- ASK your members to vote on if they want your PTA to make a statement to your local, state or federal elected officials on any of the 2020 Virginia PTA priorities or resolutions.
RESOURCES:
- Website: Visit the 'Positions & Resolutions' page on the Virginia PTA website for weekly updates on the bills and budget amendments Virginia PTA supports.
- Social Media: Follow Virginia PTA on Facebook for links to insightful articles and action alerts.
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Preparing for Hill Day in Washington D.C
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for Capitol Day in Richmond!
On our website you will find a short video with scenes from Capitol Day as we met with more than 50 legislators to talk about conditions in our schools and our support for state education funding and policy.
Join us on
March 11th (9am-5pm)
in Washington D.C. to meet with United States congress representatives and senators to share Virginia PTA legislative priorities.
Similar to Capitol Day, Hill Day appointments are scheduled by Virginia PTA. You will be provided with talking points and grouped with an experienced team of PTA advocates. All you need to do is show-up and bring your stories and personal insights to support federal education funding and policies.
Please register on-line to receive additional details about participating in Hill Day.
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DATA IS POWER - TURNING REPORTS INTO RESULTS!
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Did you know that your school receives a report card from the Virginia Department of Education?
Unlike many other states who use letter grades and test scores to rank a school's performance, Virginia's Profile of a Virginia graduate is focused on supporting the whole child and preparing them to be career ready. So, Virginia uses a basic rating system called the Standards of Accreditation. It works like a traffic light, highlighting areas where a school is performing well in green, areas to watch in yellow and areas that need urgent attention in red.
Helping your parents access your school report card provides them with a tool they can use to support the academic success of their student.
Here are ways you can help drive those #ReportsToResults to positively impact your school:
- Share a link to your school's report card (https://schoolquality.virginia.gov) in a newsletter or on social media.
- Invite your principal to review your school's School Quality Profile at a PTA meeting.
- Share social media links from Virginia PTA about school report cards and education data.
- Ask your principal if there is an area where your school needs to grow that the PTA could help support.
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They came, they spoke, they worked, they networked and now we prepare for next year. Our Annual Meeting and Conference 2020 was successful and enjoyed by all. We passed 7 resolutions, made 16 amendments to bylaws, we provided training and vendors, we had an outreach program and collected books, and most of all we networked with volunteers across the Commonwealth that attended for the Mission of PTA. For those that came, we were glad to see you. Please fill out the
survey
.
For those that didn't, we hope to see you at the 100th Anniversary Annual Meeting and Event next year. Details will follow, but save the weekend of March 20, 2021.
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Sponsors for our Annual Meeting and Summer Leadership Training
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Each year, millions of school days are missed due to cold and flu illness, which is why Lysol is proud to partner with PTA to help families and teachers instill healthy habits at home and in the classroom.
Click here to learn more about healthy habits.
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Impacting Family and School Partnerships
Family engagement has shifted over the years. We have seen schools transition from a focus on parent participation to meaningful engagement. Successful Innovations has been impacting family and school partnerships for 14 years. As a national leader in the field of family engagement, the company provides an interactive platform,
Family Engagement on Demand
, to help schools more effectively reach out to families with strategies to support academic and social / emotional topics.
Successful Innovations is also the host of the only educational conference in the nation focused exclusively on family engagement. In April, hundreds of educators, PTA leaders, and school administrators from around the nation will attend the
National Family Engagement Summit
in Norfolk, Virginia. Successful Innovations is partnering with the
National Association of Family and Community Engagement
(NAFSCE) to provide all conference attendees with a complimentary membership to NAFSCE, the only professional association dedicated to advancing high impact policies and practices for family, school, and community engagement. Family engagement presenters and practitioners will share best practices and strategies on how to impact family and school partnerships and reframe the conversation around family engagement.
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Mark your calendars – the fifth annual Thank a Teacher campaign kicks off in April!
For the fifth year in a row, we are partnering with the Virginia Lottery to celebrate the Thank a Teacher campaign. As a refresher, Thank a Teacher encourages students, parents and the public to send thank-you notes to public school teachers to recognize them for their hard work and dedication.
Thanks to your support, the 2019 Thank a Teacher campaign resulted in more than 50,000 thank-you notes sent to public school teachers in Virginia. You’re the best! Check out last year’s winners, Laura Callahan and Allison Westcott; they found out they each won the grand prize in a surprise visit.
In 2020, we are asking local PTAs to join us again in thanking our wonderful teachers for all they do. With your help, we are confident we can get even more participants and thank-you notes this year. As you begin to organize your Teacher Appreciation Week activities (May 4 -8, 2020), consider pre-ordering complimentary printed thank-you notes from the Lottery. This year’s notecards will feature original designs from three public school students, who will be announced in March.
Teachers who receive a thank-you note can enter for the chance to win one of two Virginia vacation packages, courtesy of the Virginia Lottery, AND $5,000 in supplies and prizes for their school, courtesy of The Supply Room!
When it comes to education, the Virginia Lottery is good fun for a great cause. All profits benefit K-12 public education.
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Virginia529
helps families plan ahead and save for the cost of college, private K-12 tuition and can now be used to pay back student loans! We are the largest 529 plan in the nation and have been helping families dream, save and achieve their education goals for over 20 years. However, many families still aren’t aware of how a 529 plan can help them reach their goals.
Encourage your PTA to invite Virginia529 to your next meeting or other event to host a
FREE
information session! In just one hour (or less, sessions can be tailored to your needs), you can learn how to save for college, apprenticeships, private k-12 tuition, and even pay back student loans while taking advantage of tax-free earnings and a VA state tax deduction.
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2019-2021 Board of Governance
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Executive Committee
President, Donna Colombo
President-Elect, Pam Croom
VP Advocacy, Jenna Alexander
VP Programs, Scott Rhyne
VP Training, Michelle Leete
Secretary, Sharon Abernathy
Treasurer, Kathy Harrison
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Committee Chairs
Bylaws - Art Wayne
Family Engagement - Carey O'Brien
Health & Safety, Jenna White
Nominations - Tony Shivers
Reflections - Katie Sprouse
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District Directors- Cont'd
Hunt - Kirsten Shabanowitz
Northern VA - Debbie Kilpatrick
Patriot - Sara Case
Peninsula - Mychael Willon
Richmond - Nichelle Abrams
Roanoke - Nicole Sheppard
Southeastern - Lynn Dula
Tidewater - Shelly Jones
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