I hope the beginning of your 2025 has been successful and fulfilling. As you may know, February 17th is Founders' Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the legacy of the founders of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), specifically Alice McLellan Birney, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and Selena Sloan Butler. We recognize their efforts and reflect on their impact on improving the lives of children through education, health, and safety. We hope you will take time to recommit to the mission of PTA and we thank you and your members for all that you do for the children in your community.
In this newsletter, we have included the statement put out by National PTA with regards to new immigration policies and their impact on children in your schools. We ask that you take the time to read it, understand it, and share it with your members.
There is no better time than this year to attend our annual Legislative Conference (LegCon). This event is being held March 9-11 in Tallahassee and all are invited and encouraged to attend. For more information, visit our website. We also ask that you Save the Date for our Leadership Convention - July 10-13 - being held at the Omni Orlando Championsgate once again! As always, we invite you to reach out to our Board of Directors and/or state office staff if you need any assistance.
Lastly, we wish you a Happy Valentine's Day! This quote sums up what we do as volunteers: "Love is not about how much you say ‘I love you,’ but how much you prove that it’s true.”
Maxine Ann-Marie Lewers
Florida PTA President
president@floridapta.org
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Thank you to our Leadership Development Commission for this piece recognizing Black History Month and other DEI initiatives and resources.
“History has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.” ~ Michelle Obama
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National PTA has been closely tracking the decisions and policy changes issued by the new Trump-Vance Administration as they are released.
National PTA believes that all children residing in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, have the right of access to a quality public education, adequate food and shelter, and basic health care services. We are committed to promoting the safety and well-being of all children, regardless of their immigration status, as well as protecting children from harmful separation from their parents or family members.
National PTA is urging policymakers to work together to address immigration in a fair, appropriate and equitable way, to provide real solutions that benefit our nation’s diverse families. We call on Congress and the Administration to work in a bipartisan manner to enact comprehensive immigration reform, championing national policies and funding that ensure all children can reach their fullest potential.
Our staff, Legislation Committee, and Board will continue to advocate for our mission and uplift our members’ voices with national leaders in the coming weeks, months, and years. We encourage you to stay abreast of this work by registering for our monthly Advocacy Insider newsletter and national action alerts.
We also encourage you to review and utilize our existing resources on this topic, currently under consideration by our Legislation Committee, should these need to be strengthened in the coming weeks or months, including:
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2025 LegCon
March 9-11 in Tallahassee
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LegCon has a new look! Join us this year as we gather together at the capitol to meet with legislators and advocate for ALL children. This year we will begin our time together on Sunday evening, March 9th, with a dinner and a discussion about our priorities, current bills, and talking points. On Monday we encourage attendees to schedule meetings with their legislators. We will also share opportunities to attend committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday will be optional for those who would like more time to meet with legislators and attend committee meetings. Legislative Committee members will be available all day Monday to answer any questions you may have throughout the day.
Cost will include dinner on Sunday, lunch on Monday, and a t-shirt.
Please click here to register!
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Scholarships - Deadline is 2/28 | |
Florida PTA is excited to announce the launch of our annual scholarship program.
This program recognizes and supports outstanding students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and community service. The application window is open and will remain until February 28th, 2025. We encourage all 12th-grade students to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their achievements and aspirations.
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Application Requirements
- Must be a Florida PTA Member as of January 28, 2025
- Submit a completed and signed application at least by February 28th, 2025
- Must include a High school transcript showing a GPA of at least 2.5
- Submit a Letter of Recommendation
- Incomplete applications will not be considered
If you have any other questions or concerns, please email Scholarship@floridapta.org.
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FAQs
1.My school does not have a PTA/PTSA, can I still apply?
The great thing about PTA is that you are not just limited to just your local area, there are plenty of PTAs that would love to have you. There are also three state-wide PTAs that are open to all and benefit students throughout the state: Sunshine State PTA, Kaleidoscope PTA and SEPTA. You can find more information on these and many more at our website: www.floridapta.org/join-connect.
2.When will I be notified if I am selected?
The recipients of the Florida PTA scholarships will be notified no later than the first week of June 2025.
3.Do I have to attend a college/university?
No, we actually have a minimum of four (4) scholarships, one each in the following categories: University, Fine Arts, Community College, and Vo-Tech.
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Florida Coalition for Children Foundation
Learning Community
Don’t miss the hot topics in child and family well-being featured in the first 4 webinars of the 2025 FCCF Series! CEUs are offered - read the details and register today: https://buff.ly/4jjnpJA
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⌛ Time is Ticking – Join the Florida PTA Membership Challenges 2024-2025 Now ☀
🚀A few more exciting challenges are on the way! Are you ready to take your membership to the next level?
Here's what's in store:
✅10% Student Membership Challenge: Get students involved and make their voices heard!
✅Founders’ Day Membership Challenge: Celebrate PTA’s rich history by growing your membership.
✅Membership March: Step into spring with a focused membership drive!
✅5 for the Grand Prize: Any PTA unit earning 5 of the incentives above on or before the deadline will be entered into a drawing for the GRAND PRIZE!
Join now: https://www.floridapta.org/membership-challenge/
Stay tuned for more challenges and details as we work together to make a difference!
💡 Share your wins and inspire others to join in. Let’s grow our PTA community and make an even bigger impact for Florida students and families.
#FloridaPTA #MembershipMatters #PTAChallenge #5ForTheGrandPrize
See our website page for more details!
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Which badges have you earned so far? | |
THANK YOU to all the amazing members able to attend our Membership Monday MEMO on January 13! Always remember the value and benefits of PTA! Be sure to have a ten-second elevator speech when asked why you should join PTA. Here are two valuable tools to help you! Please watch for our next Membership Monday MEMO coming up in just a few short weeks! Please remember -everyone is always welcome! Let's continue to grow membership together-membership is year round-365+ days a year! Check out and share these fliers: | |
For more Awards information, click here. | |
Florida PTA offers three awards that can be given at any time of year: The History Walk of Fame, Honorary Life Member, and President's Award of Honor. Details on these prestigious awards can be found here. | |
In January, Florida PTA sent an alert about the 1099-K form from Givebacks. Many of you had questions, so here’s what you need to know:
Givebacks is required by law to send this form, and we helped them make it available electronically. Please check your email for instructions on how to update your Stripe account in Givebacks.
The IRS has changed the rules for third-party payment processors.
- For 2024, the new limit is $20,000
- By 2026, the limit will drop to $600
What does this mean for your unit? If your local unit falls within the limit you will receive the form and you should keep it for your records. If your local unit falls under the limit, you will not receive the form.
If your local PTA is using a peer-to-peer payment app like Venmo, it is strongly recommended you stop. If total payments received through a peer-to-peer app exceed the IRS minimums, a 1099K must be issued. This applies if whether payments are for personal or business-related transactions.
If you use peer-to-peer apps to sell products to raise funds for a nonprofit, the IRS may consider these transactions as taxable income unless the nonprofit qualifies for an exemption, or the sales are explicitly excluded. The burden falls on the recipient to prove that payments are non-taxable. This may involve keeping records of:
- The purpose of the payments.
- Details linking the transactions to nonprofit activities.
- Any exemption or charitable status of the nonprofit.
To minimize the risk of incurring a tax liability it is recommended you keep separate accounts, and this is why it is recommended your PTA not use peer-to-peer apps. You may use payment platforms that are able to be established in only the PTA’s name such as PayPal, Square, WePay, Stripe, or others.
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Florida PTA needs your input! Please take a moment to complete our Strategic Planning Survey, to help us better serve our local units, leaders, counties, and state as a whole.
Strategic Planning Survey
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America's Healthiest Schools | |
The 2025 America's Healthiest Schools application is now open.
Since 2007, this annual reconition program has honored schools for the key role they play in advancing the health and well-being of students, staff, and families.
Schools have until Tuesday, April 15th, to apply. Check out these top resources to help you with your application:
Get started today by connecting to your school in the Healthier Generation Action Center!
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Visit the ShopPTA Store for all of your logo'd and merchandise needs! From tablecloths to pins, banners to tote bags and so much more, the store has you covered.
Shop now!
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