A great way to receive recognition for your efforts and help Georgia PTA by sharing your great ideas!  Deadline is March 31, 2011.

Georgia PTA's Hearst Family-School Partnership Awards recognize and celebrate PTAs that are effectively demonstrating the PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships in their local school communities.

The PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships are a framework for how families, schools, and communities can work together to support student success.  There are three levels of recognition:

1. The Outstanding Family-School Partnership Award is given to one local PTA for exemplary all-around achievement of all six (6) National Standards.
2. The Family-School Partnership Award of Excellence is given to six (6) local PTAs, each representing the best in one (1) of the six (6) National Standards.
3. The Family-School Partnership Award of Merit is given to all local PTAs that apply to the awards program, in recognition of their commitment to building family-school partnerships.

Download Georgia PTA Hearst Award form.

Winners of the Outstanding Family-School Partnership Award and the Family-School Partnership Award of Excellence will be recognized at our annual Convention Leadership Training in July.

Family School Partnership Awards of Merit participants will receive a certificate.

The due date for these awards will be on March 31, 2011.

Please direct all questions to Patty Yohn, Family Engagement Chair - pattyyohn@bellsouth.net or 770-941-5415 home.

By Lori Sweet

Spring brings the PTA a transition period that can help your PTA become stronger and more effective.  Not only do the new PTA officers elected in the spring take office at the close of the school year, at that time those new leaders will choose who the committee chairs will be the following school year.  If you don't have a Family Engagement Committee, this is a great opportunity to add this committee to support your efforts.  For those who do have a Family Engagement Committee, this is a wonderful time to discuss what was successful this year, what did not work as well as you thought, and what you wish you could have handled differently. 

Open communication is not only one of the National Standards, it is important to transition and share with those who follow in your footsteps.  In the transition process, make sure you include your Principal.  Your PTA officers, along with your Principal, need to discuss and identify what programs your PTA should offer to help your school support student success and academic achievement. 

Read more about how to start off on the best foot.

By Caryn Thornton, Military Family Liaison

It is amazing how much has changed over the past few years with respect to understanding the plight of military families and the impact a military lifestyle can have on children.  Increased awareness has created several advocacy organizations that are not only dedicated to meeting the needs of military children but also ensuring that military children have a voice.  The broadened scope of advocacy has grown to include developing ways to ease transitions to new residences, ensuring equitable student access within schools, and supporting children coping with deployed parents. 

Legislative Strides

In the legislative arena, work continues on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children, which addresses the need for educational continuity for students from military families as they move across districts, states, and countries. As of January 2001, thirty-six states have voted to adopt the Compact and the work continues in order to remove lingering opposition and bring the remaining states onboard.  In additional legislative matters, Congress held the first Congressional Military Family Caucus in November of 2009.  This caucus is the first of its kind devoted solely to the interests of military families.  The most recent caucus, which met on February 17, 2011, helped to educate Congressional members and staff about unique military families needs, such as wounded warrior care and the impact of military-related moves on education.   Legislative and congressional efforts can yield considerable results; however, the process is ongoing and often lengthy.  While we continue to monitor what is occurring nationally for military families, our priority must become helping military-impacted families at the local level, first. 

Read more about what we can do at the local level. 

By Michelle Tarbutton, Georgia DOE

The Georgia Department of Education's Parent Engagement Program has launched a new workshop and enrichment opportunity for parents called Learning Your Child's School System! This tool was developed at the state level as an adaptable template and has been provided to local schools and districts to help parents understand the governance of school, who they need to contact when a problem arises and how to successfully navigate the school system.

Learning about your child's school system is an important step to becoming an engaged parent and it's never too late to start.  Do you know who to go to if your child started displaying academic challenges, needed to learn about career choices or was having behavior issues at home or school?  If not, don't worry, you are not alone!  Many parents are not aware of who they can turn to resolve certain issues they may encounter.  The education system can be hard to navigate and with various school staff and it can be tough to know who can help you with a particular issue.

The Parents' Guide to Student Success was developed in response to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics that more than 40 states including Georgia have adopted.  Created by teachers, parents, education experts, and others from across the country, the standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career.

National PTA� created the guides for grades K-8 and two for grades 9-12 (one for English language arts/literacy and one for mathematics).  The Guide includes:

• Key items that children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once the standards are fully implemented.
• Activities that parents can do at home to support their child's learning.
• Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child's teacher. 
• Tips for planning for college and career (high school only).

Click here for Parent Guides and more information or visit the PTA website.  These guides are also offered in Spanish.