First District PTA Newsletter for Local Leaders | October 23, 2020
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hello PTA Leaders,

Autumn is my favorite time of year. There is a crispness in the air with colorful leaves falling to the ground. It's the perfect season to reach out to new members while strengthening bonds with familiar faces. 

I must say that each of you has been such an inspiration to me. The creative ways that council and unit PTAs are working diligently to pivot our work into meaningful, virtual family engagement events have been impressive. Mental Health forums for families; "How-To" training to help our families navigate distant learning platforms; partnering with school superintendents to aid in the needed communication plans for reopening schools. Amazing work!
 
As we approach Tuesday, November 3rd, please make your voice heard by participating in our democratic process. VOTE!

Take care, and thank you for your continued efforts to positively impact the lives of all children and families.

Diane Hyland, President
First District PTA
FIRST DISTRICT PTA MASTER CALENDER
UPDATED FOR PTA LEADERS
There have been a few changes and additions to the First District PTA calendar for 2020 - 2021. An updated calendar is available on our website and can be downloaded HERE.
MEMBERSHIP
HAVE YOU SUBMITTED YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES TO FIRST DISTRICT?
Please be aware that each PTA unit must have a minimum of 15 members to First District PTA by November 15th to be considered a unit in good standing. There are currently 70 units that do not have the minimum 15 members as of October 19.

Congratulations to the 166 units that have met Ready, Set, Remit 30 memberships to First District by October 1. Special shout out to Burbank Council (16 units), Charter Oak Council (7 units) and Rosemead Council (6 units) for having every unit in their council reach Ready, Set, Remit.

Congratulations to the 139 units that have met Ready, Set, Remit and More 50 membership to First District by October 1. Special shout out to Arcadia Council (10 units), Bonita Council (12 units), Monrovia Council (8 units), San Marino Council (4 units) and South Pasadena Council (5 units) for having every unit in their council achieve Ready, Set, Remit and More!

This month, the First District PTA Champions for Children Membership trophy goes to San Marino Council and the Champions for Children TOTEM trophy goes again to Burbank Council.  

Way to PTA!

Questions? Contact First District PTA VP Membership, Michelle Hurst, at Membership@PTA1.org.
LEADERSHIP
PTA PRESIDENT ORIENTATION, WORKSHOPS, AND MORE!
New President's Orientation
Presidents' Orientation for council PTA and out-of-council unit PTA presidents will be on October 28, starting at 6:30 pm. Be on the lookout for the registration notice! A hard copy of the orientation materials is being mailed to council and out-of-council unit presidents and will be available online.

Live Q&A Sessions for PTA Leaders
We are trying something a little different for PTA training this year. Instead of structured workshops, we will be offering live, interactive Q&A sessions for various PTA positions. Prior to these sessions, you will be asked to view California State PTA training videos, then bring your burning questions to the virtual Q&A. Stay tuned for dates and times!

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
Youth Mental Health First Aid virtual classes have begun. Please CLICK HERE to register. These workshops are open to all adults over the age of 18. Late arrivals will not be let into the class.

IMPORTANT: We ask that if you register for this training but find that you cannot attend, please cancel your registration as soon as possible so that we may open up space for someone else. We are having a 50% no-show rate, and that simply is not fair to others who are on the waitlist to attend these valuable workshops.

We are able to bring to provide these workshops at no cost to you thanks to our wonderful sponsors, so let's be respectful and only RSVP if you are able to fully commit.

Questions? Email First District PTA VP Leadership, Sandy Russell, at Leadership@PTA1.org.
PARLIAMENTARIAN
TIME TO REVIEW AND UPDATE YOUR BYLAWS
EBylaws 2020 Templates
The 2020 eBylaws template is available for your unit bylaws revisions. Please visit CAPTA.org to access the eBylaws system. When submitting your revised bylaws for review and approval, they must go through channels – unit to council to district. If out-of-council, submit them directly to First District, please adhere to the following:

  • Complete the First District Bylaws Change Form listing proposed amendments
  • Send the Bylaws Change Form with three (3) double-sided copies of the updated Bylaws and Standing Rules plus four (4) double-sided Signature Pages.

You can access the Bylaws Change Form and the fillable 2020 Bylaws templates HERE.

The Search is on…

  • Are you positive, flexible, passionate, dependable, creative?
  • Do you have an optimistic attitude, the ability to mentor, and a vision for our organization?
  • Do you want to develop and expand your leadership skills?

First District PTA is seeking individuals to serve on the Board of Directors. Our elections will be held in February 2021. This is for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2023. You can download the First District Board Profile HERE.

The First District Board Profile is due October 25, 2020. Please send to Christy Brown at Parliamentarian@PTA1.org.
LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY
NEWS YOU CAN USE!!
First District PTA Superintendents & Administrators Conference
Our First District PTA Superintendents & Administrators conference has been postponed from Monday, October 26, 2020, to Friday, November 13, 2020, from 9 am - 10 am. This year's keynote speaker will be Carol Green, California State PTA President-Elect

In May, the California State PTA partnered with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and held three listening sessions with parents, guardians, PTA leaders, and educators. Carol will share the details of what families shared regarding their experiences when schools closed and their concerns moving forward in her presentation "Authentic Family Engagement During These Challenging Times." Carol will also discuss resources that address parents' needs and concerns while offering recommendations on how to support parents and families as schools navigate decision-making during this challenging time.

Census 2020
The Census count determines funding for local services such as schools, hospitals, transportation, and legislative representation. As of 10/12/2020, 99.9% of housing units in Los Angeles County were accounted for, with 30.3% counted by census takers and other field data collection operations, and 69.6% of housing units responding online, by phone, or by mail. The Census count ended on Thursday, October 15, 2020. Thank you to everyone for participating in this critical count.

Election Day - November 3rd
Election Day is only 11 days away. October 19 was the deadline to register to vote in Los Angeles County, but you can still register the same day at the polls on November 3. Many important races will be decided. As a PTA, we cannot endorse candidates or use our PTA title when endorsing a candidate. Hosting a candidate forum is an excellent way to provide voters with information on the issues and individual platforms.

Proposition 15
California State PTA has taken a support position on Proposition 15 – Schools and Communities First - A "yes" vote supports this constitutional amendment to require commercial and industrial properties, except those zoned as commercial agriculture, to be taxed based on their market value, rather than their purchase price. 60% of the funds from these commercial market value taxes will be for schools, local government, and transportation. Vote YES on Prop 15.

Proposition 16
California State PTA has taken a support position on Proposition 16. A "yes" vote supports this constitutional amendment to repeal Proposition 209 (1996), which stated that the government and public institutions cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, and public contracting. Vote YES on Prop 16.

Questions? Please reach out to VP of Legislation and Advocacy, Geoff Albert at Legislation@PTA1.org.
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
IMPORTANT DATES AND LINKS
General PTA resources for Health, Safety, Diversity and Inclusion

National PTA 

California State PTA

Health and Safety

COVID-19 

National PTA Covid-19 Resources

California State PTA Covid-19 Resources

November is month of:


Diversity and Inclusion

November is month of:


Holidays, Observances, and Notable Days in November 2020

  • November 1-2: Dia de los Muertos
  • November 3: US Election Day
  • November 11: Veterans Day
  • November 14: Diwali 
  • November 26: Thanksgiving

Mental Health Training Resource:
Congresswoman Judy Chu’s office does training on mental health, stress reduction and social media awareness. If you would like a presentation at your council or unit PTA contact Maile Plan at Maile.Plan@mail.house.gov.

Questions? Email First District PTA VP of Community Concerns, Kitty Cahalan, at CommunityConcerns@PTA1.org.
EDUCATION
IMPORTANT RESOURCES FOR PTA LEADERS
Education
Part of the core mission of PTA is to “represent, inform and mobilize members and the public to advocate for the education, health, safety and well-being of all children.” There are so many areas of concern these days it can be hard to feel you have an impact – funding and budget cuts, equity, distance learning, school reopening and more. Please remember to check out California State PTA (www.capta.org) and National PTA (www.pta.org) websites for information, resources and guidance. Also feel free to reach out to your First District Board for support.
Here are some key resources on current issues:

Reopening Schools
PTA recently created a document that provides helpful guidance on two related issues that many of you may be facing right now: school re-openings and waivers for in-person elementary instruction. To read the document in its entirety, click here.

California State PTA’s “School Reopening Principles” are based on our organizational goals and purposes, input from our local leaders and from our parent listening sessions last summer, our longstanding educational and legislative stances, and the most current information from reliable educational and health agencies. We encourage local PTAs and school districts to adhere to these principles during important conversations regarding school reopening.

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), in cooperation with California State PTA, produced “Navigating the Uncertainty of Reopening Schools: A Guide for Parents, Families and the Public.” This report summarizes the current state of knowledge about key issues and suggests a set of questions that parents and educators should ask when considering plans for reopening during the pandemic. This summary infographic serves as a valuable handout for community discussions.

#DiscoverTogether: WHAT WILL YOUR FAMILY DISCOVER?
#DiscoverTogether: California State PTA is working to promote family engagement with science and offers great resources for families to explore AND a messaging kit for local councils and units to use to get the message out about the importance of science education. Use this link https://capta.org/discover-together/ to access the resources, messaging kit and NGSS. There is also an opportunity to share the way your family is exploring the world together and learning through discovery by recording a 30-second video. Help us spread some positive messages about ways our families can #DiscoverTogether.

ED100
Ed100 will be offering their successful Ed100 Online Academy for Student Leaders again next June. Early decision applications for this conference are being accepted through December 9, 2020. For students who apply early, Ed100 guarantees there will be no fee to participate.

Remember to complete Ed100 lessons and earn tickets to the drawing on December 9, 2020. You could win up to $1,000 for your school.

Questions? Email First District PTA VP of Education, Patty Scripter, at Education@PTA1.org.
ARTS EDUCATION & REFLECTIONS
NEWS FOR ARTS ADVOCATES
Unfortunately, fewer than half of all students in California get any kind of arts education, despite it being mandated in our state education code. California falls well below the national average in terms of numbers of students receiving any kind of arts instruction. This puts our students at a disadvantage both academically and professionally, and they deserve better.

Even in these challenging distance learning times, please don’t forget the importance of arts education. Here are 15 ways to improve arts education in California, grouped by the level of commitment each requires.

Reflections
All Council/OOC Unit Reflections are due to First District NO LATER than November 16th at 1:00 PM. Entries must be advanced via Virtual Student Entry Form (VSEF). Please note: only entries being advanced to First District require this form.

If you are having challenges with the Virtual Student Entry Form (VSEF): 

First: CAPTA is offering a workshop for Council and District Reflections people on “what’s next after what’s next” on October 28th 10-12 or 7-9 (evening will also be in Spanish):

This workshop is intended ONLY for Council and District folks – I will be sending out a link to register for the workshop! If you do not receive it please email reflections@pta1.org and I will resend.

What will be covered:
  • How to combine the Google Sheets you receive from the units and/or Councils into a single Judges Scorecard.
  • How to share the sheet and category folder with the judges.
  • How to use the scorecard to assign awards.
  • How to advance the top entries to the next level, District or State.
  • Then LOTS and LOTS and LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of Questions and Answers.

Second: The November 16th Deadline is FIRM! If you are having problems with the VSEF process, you MUST reach out for help PRIOR to the deadline with enough time for us to help so you CAN meet the deadline. Please help us help you. We recognize this is a new, complicated process and we are committed to helping everyone who has offered the Reflections program advance their winning entries to First District but we also have deadlines to meet.

Questions: Reflections@pta1.org and thank you for your efforts to keep our great Reflections Program going for another year. We appreciate each and every one of you.
COMMUNICATIONS
ONLINE RESOURCES FOR PTA LEADERS
National PTA and California State PTA have a wealth of resources for local PTA leaders available on their websites. Be sure to sign up for e-newsletters from both organizations to stay up-to-date. Your First District PTA friends have a little website, too. 😊 Check it out!

National PTA

California State PTA

First District PTA

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!

#FirstDistrictPTA
#PTA4Kids
#JoinPTA
#AllChildrenAreOurChildren
This email was sent to all unit and council PTA officers and chairpersons, principals, superintendents, and the First District PTA Board of Directors.