March 2018
Alabama PTA to hold 100 th convention!
  Alabama PTA will hold its 100 th convention on April 27-28, 2018, at the Embassy Suites Montgomery. Workshops will cover a range of topics, including ethics, diversity, and the state of children in Alabama. National and Alabama PTA leaders will be available for questions and guidance on leadership development and governance.

Don't miss out on the chance to honor awardees at the Friday Membership Dinner and Saturday Awards Dinner! After the Membership Dinner is the return of the ever-popular paddle auction, where you have the chance to bid on a range of items including books, household decor, jewelry, electronics, and more, starting at just a quarter!

Any person interested in education and the welfare of Alabama’s children are welcome to register and attend. For more information and to register, please visit www.alabamapta.org

Don't wait! Early registration ends March 16, 2018. Save even more if you register a group of 4 or more from the same PTA!

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact the Convention Chairs, Kim Munford, Alabama PTA VP of Leadership Development, dekiha@charter.net , 205-616-5675 , and Denise Hills, Alabama PTA VP of Programs, denise@goodliffe.org , 205-239-8191
Membership

Bylaws: To remain in Good Standing with Alabama PTA, Local Unit and Council PTA's bylaws should be updated and sent to the Bylaws Committee for review every 3 years.

Membership Dues: T here is still time to send in membership dues to be counted for this year. Please check your records to be sure that you have remitted all dues to Alabama PTA. If you qualified for a membership certificate, please let us know if you have not received it.

Treasurers:
PTA Treasurers play a crucial role in maintaining the health of the organization. The Finance Guide available at www.pta.org shares best practices for budgeting, banking and conducting a PTA audit, with specialized information on contracts, incorporation, insurance and federal tax requirements.
Spotlight on PTAs

Local PTAs
Local PTA's are vital to the success of many of our schools! Administrators, teachers and students so appreciate the PTA volunteers that make our schools a better place. Below is a note from an elementary teacher in the Montgomery Public School System reminding us of how important PTAs are to our schools!

With the current state of MPS, a lot of questions have been raised and a lot of articles have been shared. Let me say that I have worked at 2 schools inside of MPS and both are extremely different. I loved the teachers I worked with at my former school and I miss them a lot. The bond we shared was how we made it through the day and I will forever cherish those friendships.
But what makes these 2 schools so different- It’s not the teachers (because I’ve worked among some of the best at both schools), it’s not the administration, and it’s not the central office. It’s the parental and community involvement. I am blessed to be at school that has parental/community involvement and a PTA that goes over and beyond for the school. If you walk through the halls of our school any day of the week you will see parents in every hallway, parents in the library with our younger students, PTA getting ready for the next upcoming event, Parents watching a teachers class so she can enjoy a duty free lunch. And to top it off, this week is Read Across America week. Our school has been transformed by parents volunteering every day to help make this school fun and exciting.
So, to the parents that have taken time out of their day to come help us, THANK YOU! To the parents who sit around and do nothing but complain, GET UP and volunteer, send in supplies if you can’t give of your time, be active in your child’s school! That what makes the different in a failing school and a passing school. It starts at home- when your child sees you wanting to make a difference, being active, being POSITIVE then their attitude will change about school. If your child has a bad attitude about school or their teacher, look in the mirror. What are you saying about them? What are you saying about their teacher? What are mumbling under your breath when you see another email? Your words affect them every day- show them you care and they will care!
In order for schools to succeed you must be active in your child’s life! It’s not going to be easy some days but in the end it will be worth it. Just something to remember!



Congratulations to Whitesburg P-8 in Huntsville! They have been awarded a STEM+ Families Grant!

National PTA and Microsoft are partnering to empower families to support student success and fill a critical gap in STEM education. The 2018 National PTA STEM + Families Tech Grants sponsored by Microsoft, awarded $1,000 to 35 local middle school PTAs to host a STEM + Families Tech Night in the spring of 2018. This Tech Night event will bring students and families together to either learn exciting new Minecraft coding skills or to build a robotic finger (two different program models).
National PTA will provides all the support and training necessary to host a successful STEM + Families Tech Night. No prior computer or technology experience needed! The PTA makes sure all families and students are welcomed to the event, coordinates the student and family technology experience, and arranges for food and prizes.



Important Information on the use of PTA Debit Cards!!

Please read Alabama PTA's position on the use of debit cards. (Click Here)
FREE ACT/SAT/STEM Preparatory Testing!!

Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office are providing FREE Preparatory Testing for ACT/ SAT/ or STEM Tests. Here are the locations and times for ACT-SAT- STEM Prep testing during AEA Holidays (March 10 through March 17, 2018). There will be two sessions conducted at each location. Up to ten (10) students may test for each session, for a total of twenty (20) students testing at each location. SIGN UP AT YOUR CHOICE LOCATION!
Saturday, March 10, 2018 Lee High School
At 225 Ann St. Montgomery, AL 36107
8AM to 5PM.
 
Monday, March 12, 2018 Ramer Branch Library
At 5444 SR- 94 Ramer, AL 36069
9AM to 6PM
 
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Pike Rd Library
At 9585 Vaughn Rd., Pike Rd., AL 36064
9AM to 6PM
 
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 EL Lowder Branch Library
At 2590 Bell Rd. Montgomery, AL 36117
9AM to 6PM
 
Thursday, March 15, 2018 Hampstead Branch Library
At 5251 Hampstead High Street
Suite 107
Montgomery, AL 36116
9AM to 6PM
 
 
Friday, March 16, 2018 BP Williams Branch Library
1276 Rosa L. Parks Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36108
9AM to 6PM
 
Saturday, March 17, 2018 Carver High School
2001 W. Fairview Av. Montgomery, AL 36108 
8AM to 5PM
Alabama PTA | 470 South Union Street, Montgomery | 334-834-2501 | 334-834-2504 | alabamapta@yahoo.com | www.alabamapta.org