PTA groups look to build strong community partnerships
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The Alaska PTA open house will be held Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. — 2 p.m. at 619 E. Fifth Avenue. Officers can pick up membership cards to sign up new and regular members during registration and at back-to-school events. |
By JANICE LOUDEN
Special to the Daily News
Joining the Parent Teacher Association is a great way to show that you care about the children and families in your school.
The PTAs at the local level are involved in the important activities of the school community, every-thing from back-to-school events, science fairs and bike safety rodeos to advocating for important programs and letting the staff know they are valued and appreciated. This is only a small sample of the great things being done by PTAs all over our state.
The local chapter is just one important part of the PTA big picture. There are areas of our state where local units come together at the Councils of PTA to discuss issues of importance to the entire district. At the state level, volunteer Alaska PTA Board members from all over the state meet by teleconference to discuss issues important to all Alaskans.
The Alaska PTA holds an Issues Conference in November to decide on the statewide priorities that will be the focus of our advocacy during the year. We also have an annual convention in April where we offer training and workshops for local unit officers. We represent parents on a variety of Deptartment of Education and Early Development committees. Some examples are the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam cut score committee and the school designating committee.
Years ago, PTA had the reputation of "Moms as room mothers doing bake sales and planning parties." PTA is so much more than that.
In today’s PTA moms, dads, grandparents, teachers, administrators and community leaders are all advocating for the children and families all over Alaska.
The National PTA is 6.5 million members who care about the children and families in our nation. The National PTA just published a book entitled "Building Successful Partnerships." At all levels of PTA, we know that to help make our schools the best they can be, everyone must be involved. This book and the workshops that can go with it, talk about some of the ways to promote parent involvement and build partnerships between Parents-Students-Commun-ities and Schools.
Together we can and do make a real difference. Please consider joining PTA when school starts.
Janice Louden is president of Alaska PTA.
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