Please keep these points in mind during this election season:

Please encourage all your members, who are eligible to vote, to either register and/or check their voter status (https://registertovote.ca.gov/)

All registered voters will automatically receive a mail-in ballot for the November 3, 2020, General Election. Since early voting starts on October 5th, it is best to make sure you are registered and have your status verified as soon as possible. You may track your ballot: when it is mailed to you, received after you send it in, and counted if you register here (whereismyballot.sos.ca.gov). This only tracks your ballot and not how you voted. 

We have one month left to get everyone counted, and our numbers are lower than the last time we counted. We need everyone to encourage friends, family, neighbors to make sure everyone in their family is counted! The 2020 United States Census will determine federal funding for California and our community for the next 10 years (through 2030). Your response matters!

This funding supports important community needs, including free/reduced school lunch, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medi-Cal, Head Start, grants and loans for college students, adult education, housing, roads and highways, and the number of representatives we have in Washington D.C. Census results affect our community every day. (https://2020census.gov/)

A note on privacy: all residents should take the census, including citizens, permanent residents, US Visa holders, and undocumented Californians. The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S. Code to keep your information confidential. This law protects your answers to the 2020 Census. Under Title 13, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. The law ensures that your private data is protected and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court. The answers you provide are used only to produce statistics. You are kept anonymous: The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in any way that could identify you or anyone else in your home.  Read more about Census privacy here: (https://2020census.gov/en/data-protection.html)

Questions about any of the topics covered here? Contact VP of Legislation & Advocacy, Geoff Albert, at Legislation@PTA1.org.

It's that time of year to collect your "Conflict Whistleblower Forms." Remember that every board member, officer, and staff member must fill out a form annually. Treasurers should keep these with their permanent files.

CLICK HERE to view a fillable version of the Conflict/Whistleblower form.

Don't forget to close out the business of the prior year before beginning the new year!

Once you've closed out the prior year business and adopted your audit, it's time to file taxes! Each council and unit must file a Federal IRS Form 990/990EZ/99N, California State FTB Form 199/199N, and California State OAG Annual Registration Form RRF-1 with accompanying 990/990EZ/CT-TR-1(new). Please ensure these are filed by the following due dates:

Councils and units that are incorporated must also file with the State of California Secretary of State their Statement of Information Form SI-100 (due biennially in the month of incorporation)

If you plan to hold a raffle this upcoming year, file the Nonprofit Raffle Registration Form (CT-NRP-1) with the $20.00 fee for the coming year beginning 9/1/2020 or 60 days prior to raffle event. If you held a raffle last year (9/1/2019-8/31/2020) or received a raffle permit, file the Nonprofit Raffle Report (CT-NRP-2) due to the Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts by 10/1/2020.

The following forms were due to First District on Monday, August 24. If you haven't had a chance to upload them to MyPTEZ, please do so ASAP. Also, please e-mail your updated Financial Data Transmittal Forms (sent via e-mail on Friday, August 21) to Treasurer@PTA1.org and OfficeManager@PTA1.org:

• Council and Unit Budgets for 2020-21

• Council and Unit Year End Audit Reports 2019-20

• Council and Unit Annual Financial Reports 2019-20

Per capita membership dues and membership envelope payments were also due Monday, August 24. If you weren't able to remit those by the August 24 meeting, please do so ASAP by sending them to the First District office with your First District Remittance Form (sent via e-mail on Friday, August 21).

Questions? Email First District PTA Treasurer, Jessica Sheen, at Treasurer@PTA1.org.

Thanks to our partnership with Senator Portantino and our generous sponsors, we are able to continue the Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification classes online.

Course dates:

·        September 18^th – 9:30 am - 3:00 pm

·        October 17^th – 9:00 am - 2:30 pm

·        October 20^th and 21^st – 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm (course is held over two days)

·        January 12^th and 14^th – 9:30 am – 12:00 pm (course is held over two days)

Be on the lookout for registration information in the near future.

Also coming soon is our Virtual Leadership Training program! Details to follow.

First District PTA encourages all units and councils to adopt the PTA Professional Governance Standards.

In both schools and communities, PTA volunteers are recognized as leaders and advocates. They bring unique energy, perspectives, and skills to the table based on their life experiences. A shared commitment to the PTA mission "to positively impact the lives of children and their families" is the driving force behind their efforts.

As board members, PTA leaders have a special set of responsibilities to oversee the management of their PTA as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and govern responsibly on behalf of their members.

That's why California State PTA has adopted Professional Governance Standards. These standards outline the key principles and responsibilities for board members to follow in running a PTA.

Each council and out of council president has been assigned a mentor. Please reach out to your mentor for assistance. If we don't have the answer, we know how to get the answer. We are here to support you and your PTA units in any way we can. Your mentor will be reaching out to you shortly, but in the meantime, you can find your mentor listed on the First District website.

If you are in need of a First District officer to attend one of your events or meetings, please fill out a Leadership Services Request Form. This form can be found on our website HERE. Send the completed form to Leadership@pta1.org.

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

We know membership is going to be a challenge, but it is important to continue to have a membership campaign. There is no single answer for every PTA, so each council and unit must think outside the box for their membership campaign. One thing that has not changed because we cannot be on campus is the mission of PTA, to positively impact the lives of all children and families. It is important to remember that PTA is the oldest and largest non-profit child advocacy organization in the United States.

National PTA commissioned a study regarding people’s perceptions of PTA. The biggest take away was that parents’ image and perceived value of PTA is completely based on the people, programs, and tangible benefits they see at their own school. That means that you, the local PTA leader is the most important connection people have to PTA. The study also found that current PTA members believe in the value and benefit of PTA, but prospective members have a strong perception of old stereotypes of PTA, that PTA is a clique. I encourage you to watch the National PTA Membership presentation!

California State PTA and National PTA websites have lots of membership information and tools. Click the links below.

CAPTA Membership Toolbox – Marketing plans, membership theme ideas, ready to print, and customizable fliers in several languages are available.

CAPTA Social Media Kit – Provides content, including membership content and support for promoting PTA on social media.

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

COVID-19

CAPTA’s resolution, passed at the 2020 Virtual Convention, on prevention of chronic disease and injury: https://capta.org/resource/amid-dual-public-health-crises-of-covid-19-and-racial-inequity-california-state-pta-adopts-resolution-to-support-prevention-of-chronic-disease-and-injury/

August is Month of:

September is month of:

September is:

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

Well as we all know by now, normal is relative. But Reflections is carrying on! This year we are figuring out how to help you do Reflections. In the next few weeks, we will be sharing information and guidance on how entries can/will be submitted “virtually” but I encourage you to kick off and promote your Reflections program now. Rules and Student Entry information are posted on the California State PTA website.

With many schools opening with only remote learning and limited contact allowed, we have to reinvent how we handle student entries. We are encouraging Councils/Units to join First District PTA in going “virtual” this year by accepting student entries electronically. This will be a challenge for all of us, but we believe we can all adapt and that this is the safest way to maintain this great PTA program. Details about how this will work will be coming but remember this will impact only how the student entries are submitted but not how they are created.

Great News: California State PTA has created an electronic Student Entry Form that can be filled out on a computer, tablet, or cell phone with some great features. Training on how it works are coming.

COUNCILS: Watch for invite to set up a time to get the form. If we have your email, you will hear from First District.

UNITS: Watch for email invites from your Council to get the form.

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

Whether you are new to MyPTEZ (formerly PTAEZ), the online accounting system for PTAs, or an experienced user looking for more information, you’ll want to review the recording of the “MyPTEZ Made Simpler” webinar, which took place Tuesday, August 25.

Once you are familiar with MyPTEZ, be sure to visit often to upload your unit and council financial documents and keep your officer information up to date. First District PTA uses the officer contact system in MyPTEZ to send our PTA leaders important news and information.

Note: You do not have to be a current MyPTEZ subscriber to enter and view your unit or council contact information or to upload your PTA documents.

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!