The FCCPTA January Monthly Newsletter
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Save the Dates!
2/5 -
FCCPTA General Membership Meeting and Program
3/15
- FCCPTA Awards Applications Due
3/31 -
FCCPTA
Advocacy Night,
(rescheduled from 12/2)
4/16 - PTA
NOVA District Student Awards Ceremony, TJHSST Auditorium
4/19
-
NOVA District PTA Annual Meeting
5/6 -
FCCPTA General Membership Meeting and Elections
6/6
- Local Officer Training, Luther Jackson MS
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- Leadership Minute
- Welcome New Board Members
- Feb. 5 FCCPTA Meeting and Program
- VAPTA Annual Meeting and Advocacy Day
- FCCPTA Reflections Finalists
- Nominations
- Military Family Outreach
- Uniendos Familias Outreach Program for Spanish-speaking families
- Membership Dues Payment Due
- FCCPTA Student Safety and Wellness Awards
- Programs at a Glance
- Resources All Year Long
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Leadership Minute
Friends,
Happy New Year! Everyone at FCCPTA is looking forward to helping our local units accomplish their goals for 2020. With the slower months of January and February ahead, now is a great time to implement a new program like Power Plates or the Citizenship Essay through Virginia PTA. Additionally, FCCPTA has unveiled its new Uniendos Familias program to engage Spanish speaking families in our communities. FCCPTA volunteers are ready to help you plan out any of these initiatives.
Its not too late to register to attend the VAPTA Annual Meeting and Advocacy Day! Please see below for important information on how to win a FREE registration and hotel stay.
Let us know how your plans are going and if you need any help executing a #TalkNow vaping event at your school. As a reminder, our
#TalkNow vaping event planning guide is available to help. Our goal is for each PTA to educate its school community about this important topic. Please let us know if you're in! Click here to
register your event. Questions? Contact Fabiola Green,
healthandwellness@fccpta.org.
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Welcome New FCCPTA
Board Members
VP Outreach, Kara Jenkins and Education Chair, Shawna Garrett
We are so excited to welcome our newest volunteer board members. Kara Jenkins is joining our board as the VP of Outreach, a position held by newly elected FCPS School Board member Stella Pekarsky. Kara will be coordinating our efforts to reach out to local units and help them implement programs, initiatives and navigate challenges. She joins us after serving most recently as Rose Hill Elementary PTA's President from 2018-2019 and treasurer from 2016-18. She can be reached
at
vp.outreach@fccpta.org
Shawna Garrett is joining us as Education Chair, monitoring various School Board, instructional and other education issues and advising the Executive Board as necessary. Shawna is currently president of Centreville Elementary PTA and is a fourth grade teacher. Shawna can be reached at education@fccpta.org.
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Feb. 5 FCCPTA Meeting and Program
Please join us for the next FCCPTA General Membership Meeting and Program. We'll be discussing our local unit awards application, nominations for the FCCPTA election in the spring and much more.
Meetings are held at 7 p.m. at the Gatehouse Administration Center, 8115 Gatehouse Rd in Falls Church. Meetings are preceded by a 6:30 p.m. Parent Update by Superintendent Scott Brabrand.
February Program: Creating Resiliency by Understanding ACES
When it comes to addressing the tough challenges in our schools, leaders and advocates can look to the data and finding from the ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences Study) for key insights. Learn about the original ACES study and what it teaches us about the intersection of childhood adversity, brain development, epigenetics and resiliency. Discuss how this research can guide our understanding of what children need to be successful and how we can come together as a community to apply this information in meaningful ways.
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VAPTA Annual Meeting and Advocacy Day
Annual Meeting offers:
- Centrally-located, beautiful conference hotel and campus
- Paperless access to all workshops, workshop schedules, presenters and presentations using the Whova app
- More than 16 workshops on subjects that matter to YOU - including Building Strong Leaders; Community and Student Connections; Advocacy & Hot Topics; and PTA Beyond Good Standing.
- Exciting and engaging speakers including First Lady Pamela Northam and Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni
- Network with other local PTA members to share ideas and get answers to all of your questions
- Learn about PTA programs
- Get questions about advocacy answered
- Learn new ways to incorporate diversity and inclusion
- Get tips on communicating with and engaging your membership
- Informal networking and social events
- PTA Day at the General Assembly (January 27)
JUST ANNOUNCED: Enter today to win
free registration and a Saturday night stay in a Conference hotel room ($196.00 value!!) Just send an email and tell your Virginia PTA President why you're interested in attending the 2020 Annual Meeting event? Is it because you want additional training? Is it because you want to hear from our special guest speakers that include the Virginia Secretary of Education and the 1st Lady of Virginia? Is it because you want to make friends and develop relationships with other PTA members?
Just send your "why" to president@vapta.org by midnight January 7th
and your name will be added to the raffle bowl. The selection will be announced on January 8, 2020 and you will be notified immediately so you can make plans to join us. There will be 2 lucky raffle names chosen.
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Congratulations Reflections Finalists
FCCPTA is pleased to recognize the student artists who have advanced to the Northern Virginia District level of the Reflections program. Every year our judges are amazed by the level of talent that we see in the entries from our Fairfax area students.
Please view the entire list at our website. Special thanks to all of our Reflections program unit level chairs and our own Denise Bolton, FCCPTA VP of Programs for all of their work on this annual program.
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FCCPTA Nominations
The FCCPTA nominations committee is searching for leaders. Elections for the 2020-2022 elected officers are being held this Spring, and the incoming officers will need to quickly fill 20 appointed positions and build up the volunteer infrastructure that ensures FCCPTA is able to meet the needs and expectations of our member units.
Visit
https://tinyurl.com/fccpta2020
either to submit an application to serve on one of these leadership positions or to refer someone else who you believe would make an excellent candidate.This is a premier opportunity to make a difference in Fairfax County Public Schools.
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Military Family Programs
Every school in FCPS has military-connected families. Is your PTA connecting with them? Military families are a huge asset to your community. Learn more about the challenges our students of military families face and how PTA's can help. Reach out to our Military Families Liaison, Julie Sheppard at militaryfamilies@fccpta.org
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Spanish-Speaking Family Outreach Program for PTAs
Are you interested in reaching out to your Spanish speaking families to increase family engagement and participation in your PTA? FCCPTA has the program for you! Email Kara Jenkins at
vp.outreach@fccpta.org to learn more.
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Membership Dues Payments Due
To be a unit in good standing, membership dues and rosters must be submitted by each unit. The first payment and membership roster should have be sent to Virginia PTA by November 1.
Council dues to FCCPTA should have been sent by December 1. For more information and instructions please visit the
dues remittance page on our website
. If your unit is having difficulties please contact FCCPTA Treasurer
Ann-Marie Ward at
treasurer@fccpta.org.
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FCCPTA Awards 2020
Start thinking now about all of the amazing things your PTA has accomplished this year and get ready to apply for the FCCPTA Student Safety and Wellness Awards this Spring.
More information and the application will be available at February's meeting, so don't miss it. At least 10 local units can win awards up to $1,000 in recognition of their efforts in the following categories:
* Alcohol, Tobacco/Vaping, and Drug programs
* Bullying Prevention & Intervention
* Digital Citizenship & Online Safety
* Food & Nutrition Programs
* Gang Prevention and Education
* Gun Violence Prevention and Education
* Mental Health and Resiliency
Applications will be due March 15 and winners will be announced at the May general membership meeting. For questions please contact
a
wards@fccpta.org. Special thanks to Wendy Chen and Patricia Woltz for heading up the Awards Committee.
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Programs At A Glance
Spelling Bee
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Start or continue a Spelling Bee tradition at your school! FCCPTA has a dedicated Spelling Bee Queen who can help you! Contact
Eliza Morss
for more information
Virginia PTA sponsors this
annual student writing contest.
It's a great opportunity for PTA's to support their school's writing and social studies curriculum. The selected theme is “What does it take to be a good citizen?"
The Virginia PTA Power Plates Program is designed to encourage students to practice healthy eating habits by submitting their recipes for competition. Open to students from pre-K - 12th grades pre-kindergarten through 12.
Virginia PTA is proud to offer $1,000 scholarships to graduating Virginia high school students based on a demonstrated commitment to and engagement in community service, plus academic achievement and financial need.
LEARN MORE AND DOWNLOAD APPLICATION HERE
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FCCPTA Meeting Dates
2019-20 General Membership Meeting Dates
February 5 Meeting & Program:
Supporting Kids Through Difficult Times.
We know memories of childhood experiences are stored in our bodies and can have a huge impact on who we are and who we will become. Join us to learn about the effects of adversity on childhood development, the impact of childhood trauma on health, and how to improve health and well-being for life.
May 6 - Meeting, Awards & Elections
Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Gatehouse Administration Center, 8115 Gatehouse Rd in Falls Church. Meetings are preceded by a 6:30 p.m. Parent Update by Superintendent Scott Brabrand.
Need anything? We’re here to help!
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