October 14, 2021
Hello New Mexico PTA Leaders & Members!
Hello New Mexico PTA Leaders & Members!

Your New Mexico PTA Board of Directors hopes that your new school year is off to a great start! We know that 2021 doesn’t look like 2019 did, but thank goodness it doesn’t look like 2020 did either! All of our dreams of returning to normal have changed because, what is “normal” anyway?
 
As you brainstorm ways to increase the membership in your PTA, first make sure you know WHY you’re doing it (and can explain it to others). PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy association in the country. Being a member of your local PTA automatically makes you a member of New Mexico PTA and National PTA. National PTA is celebrating 125 years! New Mexico PTA is 106 years old!

It is only through our members that we can make a difference!

A strong membership base makes a difference in your community too! Each year New Mexico PTA hosts groups at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe for Legislative Day and our members testify before state legislature regarding family engagement bills. At your school, members stay involved in curriculum, policy, and other decisions. Oh yeah, and don’t forget PTA knows how to host an event or two!

Now that you know why we do this, let’s talk about HOW! Here are some membership tips and tricks to consider:
  • Run promotions
  • Shirt, water bottle, magnet, etc giveaways
  • Cover the credit card fees for the first 100 members or the first month of school
  • Classroom contests
  • School-wide celebration if your goal is met
  • Create bundles
  • $6 for a membership or $10 for a membership AND a t-shirt
  • Family membership discounts
  • Levels of membership (platinum members get an insulated mug, gold members get a t-shirt, silver members get a car magnet, etc)
  • Provide membership benefits
  • VIP parking spot drawings
  • Free entry to school events with membership
  • Local business discounts
  • Make it easy to join
  • Links and QR codes EVERYWHERE
  • Send reminders
  • Principal and staff should be encouraging membership, not only volunteers

National PTA launched a new membership campaign last year: PTA For Your Child! Customizable campaign materials are available in English and Spanish (social media posts, newsletter articles, email signatures, graphics, and more). This new campaign shows everyone that There is No Wrong Way to PTA!

The New Mexico PTA Board of Directors is here to help you! Please be in touch so that we can assist you with your questions and celebrate your successes!

Tami L. Baker
NMPTA VP for Membership, 2019-2022
Great Ideas!
Great Idea From: Sombra del Monte ES PTA

Sombra del Monte ES PTA’s membership is up 200%!!! Here’s what their officers attribute it to:
  • We created a QR code that links to our MemberHub online store.
  • At ‘Meet the Teacher’ we set up a table, gave out free popsicles, posted the QR code, and invited families to join.
  • At the Kindergarten ‘Boohoo’ we set up a table, a photo booth, and handed out goodie bags with the QR code on them.
  • We gave each new kindergarten student a new shirt with the QR code and membership information.
  • On the staff’s first day back at school, the PTA provided food and drinks and invited them to join the PTA.
  • It’s hard to know exactly which strategy worked best, but a parent survey is being developed to find out!

Healthy Minds
It’s important to support a child’s mental health before, during and after challenges arise. Our resources will help make mental health an everyday priority, woven into your family’s regular routines, to help your child navigate through all they experience throughout the school year. Find helpful tools.

Make an Impact
Dear Parents, Families, and members of the NMPTA,

Thank you for the hard work you have done and continue to do for your children, neighbors, and school communities. Your ability to navigate these challenging times, while persistently advocating for students and families, shows no bounds. In my new role as Secretary of Education for the state of New Mexico, I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to work alongside you in support of our schools.

For those of you whom I have yet to meet, a little about me… New Mexico is my home. My career includes time in the classroom as a music and computer science teacher before serving as a school superintendent and supporting public education from various roles within the PED. Of course, the most important job I’ve held is that of being a father to my two – now adult – children. Watching, supporting, and guiding their educational journey has been an incredible privilege and joy, and I applaud caregivers like you who remain engaged in your child’s education throughout their K-12 experience.  

One of my goals is to make New Mexico number one in growth over the next few years and I need your help to do so. As one small, first step, I invite you to join me in making this the year of literacy and to identify diverse authors and books for your children and their classrooms. Through the pages of books, our children can be inspired by great leaders or scientists who look like them. They can embark on journeys to places both near and far that offer them a sense of wonder and a feeling of belonging. And they will establish a lifelong love of reading and learning. I think that’s something we can all get behind, don’t you?

After all, nothing matters more than supporting the growth and development of our future leaders. I firmly believe that New Mexico can lead the nation in academic growth in all subjects and that our children will grow up to become the engineers, doctors, lawyers, mechanics, teachers, professional athletes, pilots, journalists, servicepersons and artisans of tomorrow, because I believe in the people of our great state and in the strengths of our diversity.

I look forward to continue working with you. Let’s share successes and take care of each other along the way. Our communities need us.

All my best,
Kurt
Why Girls Apologize Too Much

How to help them stop saying 'sorry' and express confidence.
 

The School of Excellence Enrollment Deadline is Oct 15
Your PTA community deserves to have the best possible family-school partnership possible. Our School of Excellence program can help, but the deadline to enroll is coming up fast! Learn more.
 
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