For Your Officers
- New survey about YOUR school
- Money for Family Engagement Results
- Register now for Dec. 3 Advocacy Night
- Family Engagement Gets Personal
- Screenagers
- Membership Database Feedback
- Deadlines for Dues, Reflections & Spelling Bee
- Virginia PTA Conference & Day at General Assembly
- Digital Safety Grants
For Your Members
- Digital Advisory Council Meets Nov. 13
- Real Food for Kids Advocacy Training Nov. 8
- Crisis Text Line
- ADVANCE for college-bound seniors
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New FCCPTA Survey provides feedback about YOUR school.
Next week we launch an Education Survey to solicit the opinions of parents, students, and FCPS employees on a wide range of school-related issues (including school programs, personnel, food, facilities, class size, curriculum, and technology). We will provide every school and PTA with school-specific survey results, so you will have unprecedented insight into the needs and priorities of your school community. The survey will be available in seven major languages. PTA member dues make this survey possible.Questions? Contact Matt Dunne,
[email protected]
).
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Family Engagement Pays
.
Last month FCCPTA members passed a
budget
that provides brand new resources for local PTAs:
- A fund to help defray costs of interpreters and translators.
- Mini grants of $250 for six PTAs that participate in Take Your Family to School Week Feb. 10-17 (PTA must be in good standing, apply here by Nov. 30).
- $10,000 in Family Engagement Awards. With support from Whole Foods and Ernst & Young we will provide financial rewards to PTAs who make tangible gains in their family engagement efforts this year. Award criteria will be based on Virginia PTA awards. Winners will be announced during our May 22 meeting. Financial awards may be used in any way that supports your PTA for the 2019-20 school year. For more information contact Wendy Chen, [email protected].
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Second Annual FCCPTA Advocacy Night
7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 3
Fairfax County Government Center
Light dinner available at 6:30 p.m.
FCCPTA is providing parents, students, and FCPS employees with a unique opportunity to engage with their elected officials, FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand, and County Executive Brian Hill in panel discussions and small group settings. Share your thoughts on FCPS budgets, policies, and procedures.
Please register
here
, so we can plan accordingly.
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Family Engagement Is Personal.
Family Engagement has been at the heart of PTA for 121 years. It is transitioning from a passive model (“let’s serve the children and families in our school”) to an active one (“let’s get our families
involved
in supporting their children’s education"). Speakers and panelists at our October 20 Family and Community Engagement Conference informed and motivated us. Thanks to our special guests and all PTA leaders who attended!
The upshot:
PTAs must make personal connections with their families to increase support for students, parent involvement, volunteers and members. How Family Engagement is brought to life will look different at each PTA. FCCPTA will continue to provide information and tools to attract and involve all your populations, ranging from military families to special ed families to English second-language speakers and more. Stay on top of ideas, inspiration and discussion on our
Facebook Best Practices Page
.
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Thank you to Conference Keynote Speaker Nina Thomas (pictured above with her family) for an inspiring Cultural Proficiency message. Thanks to panelists FCPS Ombudsman Armando Peri, Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova, Superintendent Scott Brabrand and Mason District School Board Member Sandy Evans for sharing news and information about
OneFairfax
.
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Screenagers.
Thanks to local PTAs, important conversations about parenting kids’ screen time are happening throughout the County. Ready to show the film to your community? Email Jane Miscavage for info and discount,
[email protected]
.
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National PTA’s membership database…ISO feedback.
NOVA District PTA Director Debbie Kilpatrick is gathering info about local PTA’s experiences with the membership database. Please take this BRIEF
survey
. Questions? Contact Debbie,
[email protected]
.
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When are dues due?
The schedules for PTA dues payments differ between local and state/national PTA (and yes, we agree this is clunky – but at $0.25 per member, FCCPTA is reluctant to add our dues to Treasurer’s monthly to-do lists; rather we only collect twice per year). From now through Dec. 31:
- Nov 1= Combined Virginia/National PTA dues for all members through Oct. 31 (if you do not use National’s membership database, you can print the dues form from the vapta.org homepage)
- Dec. 1= FCCPTA dues for all members through Nov. 30 (dues forms were sent to presidents in August, or print here) – and – combined Virginia/National PTA dues for new members added in November. Questions? Contact Barb Waldmiller, [email protected].
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Reflections turn in Nov. 8-9.
We’re excited to see students’ work! Times and location details are
here
. Questions? Contact Denise Bolton,
[email protected]
.
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Spelling Bee Registrations due Dec. 15
. Our Spelling Bee program continues to grow! Visit
www.spellingbee.com
, home of the
Scripps National Spelling Bee,
and click “Enroll” at the top. All the materials are provided for you to create the program your school needs.Questions? Eliza Morss,
[email protected]
.
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Virginia PTA Annual Conference and Day in Richmond, Jan 28-28 & 29.
PTA members and officers are encouraged to join FCCPTA at this important and energizing annual conference.
Registration
is now open! Have a voice in how PTA operates, learn new skills, network, and represent your child and school at the General Assembly. This weekend does not disappoint. Hope to see you there!
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National PTA Digital Safety Grants
.
National PTA is offering $1,000 grants to help your PTA promote digital safety. More than 400 grants are still available, so
apply now
! Applying is easy and takes less than an hour to complete.
- The PTA Connected with Facebook grant gives your PTA all the tools it needs to host an event where parents and kids learn together about how to spot a scam and how to create a good online reputation.
- The PTA Connected with Google grant provides your PTA with the skills and strategies to host a guided, parent-to-parent discussion about what their children are actually doing online and if there's any real way to "do it right" when it comes to parenting in the digital age.
Apply for a grant by Nov. 11 at
PTA.org/Grants.
Every family deserves to feel secure online. Give your families that chance.
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FCCPTA Digital Advisory Council Meets Nov. 13.
Join parents who want to help kids, families and teachers make healthy technology choices. Our second meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Lanier Middle School cafeteria. For info contact Fabiola Green,
[email protected]
.
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Real Food for Kids Advocacy Training Nov. 8
. Since its 2011 launch,
Real Food for Kids
has been recognized as a successful model for school advocacy due to a positive approach in policy and practice and in building collaborative relationships to affect chance. Real Food for Kids’ Advocacy Training is designed to help you foster a more robust and engaged culture of health at your school by turning your passions into an action plan. For more info click
here
.
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CrisisText
is a messaging tool for students and parents who need help with mental health, depression, or thoughts of suicide. It is a confidential, safe, and non-judgmental resource when you need someone to talk to. Trained crisis counselors who respond can also provide information about emergency resources in the community. CrisisText is available on the FCPS Mobile App or by sending a text message to:
85511
and entering the keyword
NEEDHELP
. CrisisText is a 24-hour resource that has been very successful in providing support and resources to those who used it last year. For more information about this important resource, click
here
.
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New ADVANCE Program for college-bound seniors
. Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University have created the ADVANCE program to streamline the journey toward a four-year degree. Learn more
here.
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Cuts to state education funding hurt Fairfax County schools.
Your voice is needed on Commonwealth funding for public schools. Virginia is the 8th wealthiest state and yet it is the 9th worst in cuts to public education.
Here's what we know: Public education is the great equalizer. Our public schools represent the greatest means to help Virginia's children live rich and fulfilling lives. We should fund schools with the priority they deserve. We know this.
Here's what else we know: Our schools continue to be underfunded. Our buildings in many areas are crumbling. We had more than 1,000 teaching positions open at the start of this year.
Now is the time to urge Governor Northam to fully fund our schools. Our schools, our students, our teachers deserve all the support we can give them. Please click
here
to urge Governor Northam to fully fund our schools. Thank you for speaking up for public schools!
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Important Dates
Nov. 1 Virginia/National PTA Dues
Nov. 7 Fall Survey Launch
Nov. 8 & 9 Reflections Drop Off
Nov. 8 RFFK Advocacy Training
Nov. 11 Digital Safety Grant Deadline
Nov. 30 TYFTSW Mini grant applications due
Dec. 1 FCCPTA Dues &Virginia/National PTA Dues
Dec. 3 FCCPTA Advocacy Night
Dec. 15 Spelling Bee Registration Closes
Jan. 23 FCCPTA General Membership Meeting
Jan. 27, 28 Virginia PTA Annual Conference
Jan. 29 PTA Day in Richmond
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Still Reading?
You've just won a bonus image to lift your spirits when dealing with tough parents!
Enjoy and have a great month!
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