eNews & Notes

Greetings!!!

There is so much to celebrate during the month of February. This month on February 17th, we celebrate 126 years of advocacy. Adding to that is Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, the return of the President’s Roundtable Talks and also Kindness Day - we can all use a little kindness in our lives. Giving attention to our local and national celebrations, we should take a moment each day and find something in our lives to celebrate. According to Innovative Resources, “People who take time to reflect on — and celebrate — their successes are generally more optimistic, take better care of themselves and tend to be less stressed. Celebrations increase people’s sense of well-being, regardless of socioeconomic factors, education, age, or gender.” (Innovative Success - Why Celebrating Success Is Important to Our Mental Health, 2021)

You are encouraged to check out this entire February issue of FLPTA eNews & Notes. There are events that you won’t want to miss, updated personal and professional training and networking opportunities, news from National PTA and so much more.

Registration is currently open for our annual Legislative Conference (LegCon) – Tallahassee, March 26 – 28 and Centennial Celebration – Orlando, April 15th. Leadership Convention – Orlando, July 13 – 16 registration opens March 16th and soon there will be location information for our first face-to-face Reflections celebration since 2019, in Orlando on May 6th.

If you missed our January 25th edition of Road to Success, you missed a plethora of information ranging from our current membership numbers to where we are financially. But don’t despair, you can catch up by visiting the Florida PTA website to check out the recording of that session and all past sessions of Road to Success.

Florida PTA held the second of three town hall meetings on January 21^st, in Homestead. We were hosted by Principal Dr. Ericka Caldwell-Clinch, at South Dade Technical College. Joining us were community members, PTA leaders, local nonprofit organizations, Miami Dade County Public Schools district administrators, and local business leaders, all of whom have a vested interest in public education. Many thanks to the Miami Dade County Council PTA, under the leadership of President Maria Norton, and her team for helping us bring this event to fruition. Our third town hall will be held in West Central Florida, and we anticipate equally great conversations and community action on behalf of our children.

Membership is on the rise and with your help we can work toward regaining our pre-pandemic numbers!!!! Let’s all make an extra effort to engage new members and reclaim members who may have stepped away. Be someone’s Valentine and purchase their 2022-2023 PTA membership.

Did you know that Florida PTA has three state-wide community PTAs? If you’re not associated with a school in your community or if you simply want to deepen your engagement with Florida PTA, please consider joining Sunshine State PTSA, the Special Education (SEPTA) unit or Kaleidoscope PTA by following this link and searching for the local unit that suits your personal interests.

Did you elect your nominating committee last month? What about bringing forward any budget amendments that you need to execute? It’s not too late to take care of this. With the proper notification to your members, these general meeting business items can be taken care of this month. Check your bylaws for additional information. If you still have questions, check with your County Council President or Region Representative. Remember, only the general membership can approve the budget at the local and County Council levels.

I invite you to join me in embracing the PTA values of collaboration, commitment, diversity, respect, and accountability, as we engage, educate, and empower families, schools, and communities to be powerful voices for ALL children.

Carolyn Nelson-Goedert

Carolyn Nelson-Goedert, President 🐝

PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. Our mission requires that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) be central to our work and used in our day-to-day decisions and actions. Sometimes members of your PTA may not agree with a DEI-focused approach. Explore the talking points below to help you have some of those tough conversations. See the attached talking points (English) and (Spanish) for more information.

National PTA’s Take Your Family to School Week, celebrated Feb. 13–17, 2023, is designed to provide families with an opportunity to get more involved in their child’s education and strengthen their partnerships with teachers and administrators. The timing of the week honors the day PTA was founded, February 17, 1897.

Please click here to register for this webinar!

National PTA is excited to bring back 125 Days of Membership under the new name Membership Mania for the 22-23 school year. For more detailed information, please click here.