As a reminder, the HSAs are designed as a unique way for all levels of PTA to publicly acknowledge both individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions and service to children and youth. The HSA program includes the Honorary Service Award, the Continuing Service Award, the Golden Oak Service Award, the Very Special Person Award, the Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Outstanding Administrator Award.

Click HERE to view the California State PTA HSA brochure. Please download the HSA nomination form HERE.

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2021, to our HSA Chairperson at HSA@pta1.org.

Thank you to the First District Nominating Committee for their work on presenting the 2021-2023 slate of officers for the First District PTA Board of Directors. Please join us at our annual meeting on Monday, February 22, 2021, to cast your delegate vote at our election. Please click HERE to review the slate.

A reminder that your Nominating Committee should have been elected at a recent association meeting. For details, please refer to your bylaws, Article 4, Section 3. Please direct any questions to our District Parliamentarian, Christy Brown at parliamentarian@pta1.org

The e-Bylaws system continues to be experiencing technical difficulties. Downloadable bylaws templates are available on the First District PTA website HERE.

Questions? Contact First District PTA Parliamentarian, Christy Brown, at Parliamentarian@PTA1.org.

We are looking to celebrate membership increases of all sizes in January and February 2021. Win PTA merchandise prizes when you increase membership through channels and via TOTEM in January – February 2021.

CAPTA and First District Teachers Matter 100% teacher participation deadline is January 31.

All PTA units that add at least TWO (2) more members this February than you did last February will be entered into a drawing for a PTA tablecloth for your school. Details can be found HERE.

We are happy to announce 22 units have met the First District One More Membership Goal. Congratulations to the following units:

The membership trophy winner this month is a tie! San Marino Council and South Pasadena Council both have almost 90% of last year's membership. The TOTEM Trophy this month goes again to Burbank Council with over 85% of their memberships via TOTEM.

Questions? Contact First District PTA VP Membership, Michelle Hurst, at Membership@PTA1.org.

Please let us know if we can help you in any way. All officers and your mentors are here for you and are happy to help. Invite us to attend your next meeting, if you are having training or would like a specific training we are here to help. Reach out to Sandy Russell at Leadership@pta1.org with questions or assistance in your training needs.

We are planning on having two classes per month, so be looking for the information to sign up. If you think you have enough people at your site and would like a class tailored for you, let Sandy know at Leadership@pta1.org and we can discuss the possibilities.

Questions? Email First District PTA VP Leadership, Sandy Russell, at Leadership@PTA1.org.

Hello treasurers!

The following items are due:

Don't forget to use your First District PTA Financial Calendar. CLICK HERE to view and download the First District PTA 2020 – 2021 Financial Calendar.

Worker's Compensation Annual Payroll Report and Estimated Surcharge 5% are due to AIM on or before January 31, 2021. Forms and instructions can be found online at the CAPTA website HERE.

All 2019-20 tax forms should have been filed and uploaded to MyPTEZ in the "2019-20" year. Any 2019-20 tax forms that haven't been filed (unless an extension has been filed) are delinquent and subject to fines/penalties and interest. If tax forms haven't been filed, please do so ASAP.

Councils, please ensure tax forms have been filed for all of your units, uploaded to MyPTEZ, and confirmed with First District through your Financial Data Transmittal Forms.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact First District PTA Treasurer, Jessica Sheen, at Treasurer@PTA1.org.

It's audit time again!

All associations are required to have a year-end and mid-year audit, according to your bylaws and the CAPTA toolkit.

Guidance for completing a PTA audit can be found HERE.

As you begin to think about doing your mid-year audit, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:

Once your audit is complete and adopted by the Executive Board and Association, please upload ALL audit documents (Audit Report, Audit Checklist, Audit Recommendations, etc) in a single PDF to MyPTEZ.

If you have any questions, please contact First District PTA Treasurer, Jessica Sheen, at Treasurer@PTA1.org.

A reminder that your PTA is required to keep track of the number of hours that volunteers work on behalf of your PTA. Volunteer hours are a record of how much your PTA contributes to the school and the community. As a non-profit organization, it is also necessary to keep track of PTA volunteer hours for tax purposes.

The Annual Historian Report is due in the spring through channels. You can find blank Historian Reports on our website HERE as well as tools and information to help with the tracking of your PTA's hours.

Questions? Please contact our Recording Secretary and Historian, Lourdes Wang, at Secretary@pta1.org.

CAPTA's annual legislation conference has moved from mid-January to the second week of February (8th and 9th) this year and, like most events during COVID, will be held virtually. Although we will miss the opportunity to visit our state capitol and meet and learn from each other, this move online opens up the experience to many more who could not previously attend. The cost to attend this year's event has been reduced to $50, not to mention the savings in airfare and hotel costs. Even though it will be online, there is so much to be gained from attending.

In line with the theme, "A Path to Equity," we will hear from legislators on how legislation and the state budget link to equity, access, and opportunity for all of California's children. We will be able to meet and network with other PTA advocates across the state in breakout rooms and tips and tools on how to meet with our legislators.

Among the various speakers that will be presenting to us, we will hear from:

Additionally, I am scheduling meetings for our First District attendees to meet with your state Senators and Assemblymembers during the latter half of the week (February 10-12).

I hope you can join us and experience first hand our collective advocacy power for the education, safety, and well-being of all children. Click HERE to sign up now!

"In the view of California State PTA, the Governor's proposed budget holds promise. The $6.7 billion to mitigate the COVID pandemic impact on schools will support students and staff. We must keep the health and safety of our students, staff, and families first in any early action plan. Addressing learning loss and ensuring equity is crucial.

PTA is also pleased to see investments in student mental health, early childhood education, extended education, and the cradle-to-career data system, as well as the ongoing commitment to professional development for educators. The use of one-time funds to spend down funding deferrals owed to K-12 education and to defray costs of employee pensions makes sense.

We appreciate the focus on investments in special education, but a greater financial commitment will continue to be necessary to fully fund the costs for our most vulnerable students.

PTA believes prioritizing the needs of vulnerable families is critical now more than ever, and we look forward to working with the Legislature and Governor as the proposed 2021-2022 budget moves through the process during this unique and challenging time."

Questions? Contact Geoff Albert, our VP of Legislation & Advocacy, at Legislation@PTA1.org, or visit the California State PTA website HERE.

A new variant first seen in the UK, called the B.1.1.7 variant, seems to be both more infectious, and also to be tied to greater virulence, causing more severe cases of the disease. This variant is gaining prevalence in the U.S. and is expected to be the most common strain by March, which could lead to new surges in cases and hospitalizations. Because of the increased chance of infection as this variant becomes more common, health officials are recommending that people double mask or wear 3-layer masks, where at least one of the layers is tightly woven and preferably one of the layers is a filter material. N95 masks are particularly effective. Make sure masks make a tight seal around the face, and that the nose and mouth are covered at all times.

So far, the approved vaccines seem to be effective against the b.1.1.7 strain.

February is:

National PTA has introduced an updated version of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion toolkit, which can be found HERE.

These tools are designed to help PTAs make their organizations more diverse, equitable and inclusive, with lenses on membership, programming, governance and advocacy. First District PTA will be presenting some of these materials and a framework to help councils and units approach this work at our February association meeting.

Questions? Email First District PTA VP of Community Concerns, Kitty Cahalan, at CommunityConcerns@PTA1.org.

The Commemorative Scholarship application forms are now posted on the First District PTA website. Please promote this scholarship opportunity to your 2021 graduating seniors.

Please ask questions BEFORE the deadline (education@pta1.org) to ensure that your student applications are considered and thank you for promoting this opportunity for our graduating seniors.

Ed100 is working in conjunction with the California State PTA Legislation Team to offer great supporting information for this year's Legislation Conference. Please take some time to read the info before participating in the conference – you will be even better advocates for our students and families if you do.

Questions? Email First District PTA VP of Education, Patty Scripter, at Education@PTA1.org.

Congratulations to our First District PTA Reflections winners! Click HERE to view the list of students whose work was selected for recognition.

The Outstanding Interpretation recipients were forward to California State PTA for consideration for additional recognition. Feel free to share the information with your units and your students and families. The entries submitted this year were creative and inspiring and we are planning the First District PTA Virtual Reflections recognition event – stay tuned for more information.

We have had many questions about the need for a release form for your local unit/council Reflections events. You do need a release form if you are planning to have an online event and/or to post the entries online. Unless the student used AND the parent signed the Virtual Student Entry Form, you do not have permission to post their entries. There is a Photography Release form that you can use to cover your PTA. Make sure your parents understand when, how, and for how long their child's entries will be posted online. Feel free to reach out to Reflections@PTA1.org if you have questions.

Thank you for all of your work and support to make this year's Reflections program available to your students.

Questions? Email Reflections@PTA1.org.

Recent news has highlighted the different ways our personal and professional lives can intersect on social media. Social media includes all means of communicating or posting information or content of any sort on the Internet – whether or not these channels are associated or affiliated with a PTA.

Many of us are Facebook friends with or have Twitter or Instagram accounts that are followed by our superintendents, principals, teachers, school board members, elected officials, and other well-known community members. It can take years for your PTA to develop relationships with these individuals. They are our partners and allies in our service to children. Keep these relationships in mind when you are communicating, be it online, via email, or otherwise. It's important to consider your audience when you post on social media.

California State PTA and National PTA have guidelines and social media policies to assist PTA leaders in making responsible decisions about using social media. Here are a few key things from those guidelines to remember:

California State PTA continues to share its social media kits to help PTAs create impactful online communication with ease. The kits are updated monthly. The images in the kit may be used on your personal and PTA social media accounts. They are customizable and fun!

Click here to see social media kits from prior months.

Questions? Email First District PTA VP of Communications, Amy Kamm, at Communications@PTA1.org.

Be sure to follow us on social media! We want to see what amazing things your PTAs are doing for kids!