Today is the last day of school for the kids! My children woke up excited and ready to go. For them, this is a day filled with joy, excitement and wide-eyed wonder at all the adventures they will have over the summer. And they will have many adventures and new stories to tell when they return in the fall!
In many regards, I feel the same way! As the PTA functions, events, and other responsibilities wind down for the summer, I find myself joyful, excited and wide-eyed in wonder at what next year will bring. I know there will be new challenges and plenty of learning experiences as well as successes. Fall and the new school year will be here before I know it!
For the past few weeks (and continuing for the next couple of weeks), I have been meeting with the new officers for the 2013-2014 school year, attending meetings of various PTO/A groups (east side or district wide meetings), and have been talking with some women who work with school communities and PTO/A groups in empowering parents and building strong communities. I have also been corresponding with the PTA local, state, and national offices. I have learned a lot about the functions and capabilities of parent groups. Together, parents, teachers, and communities can do some pretty amazing things!
All of this has culminated into a plan. Right now, we are sketching the big picture. Over time, we will look at filling it in. I want to take a moment to share with you what the picture looks like and how you can help start filling in the picture with details and color.
1. We are looking into ending our relationship with the Parent Teacher Association, the national organization of parent groups, and converting into a parent group that functions on a more local level. We believe that we can access most of the same benefits with greater ease while getting rid of a lot of the red tape and costs associated with being a ember. It is a complicated process and even the national PTA suggests getting a lawyer involved.
People with a background in legal processes are strongly encouraged to step forward!
2. Fundraising to support school-based events, teacher grants, field trips, and the myriad of other ways the PTA is able to financially support the school community IS important and a necessary role of any parent group. However, we are going to move away from the typical sales types of fundraising as they are a lot of work and do not yield a great profit. Instead, we are exploring ways to bring in community members to support the school. This includes things like looking for corporate sponsors to match funds, hosting a community event like a pancake breakfast or concert, applying for grants that will support our efforts, and using the 'donate-to-my-cause' websites to fund special projects.
People who understand the fundraising process are strongly encouraged to step forward!
3. The biggest and most important change is how we will structure and focus all of our efforts. This year, and probably for a few after it, all of our decision making will be guided by our mission of Community Building and Diversifying the PTA. Expect to see changes! In addition, we feel that refocusing our efforts allows us to better support the school in their goals of supporting children and families outside of the classroom.
People not afraid of or are looking for change are strongly encouraged to step forward!
4. In line with our mission, we are hoping to create some committees because we certainly cannot do it by ourselves! We need other parents and teachers to be involved to make this work! Teachers will now have an opportunity to meet with the PTA to share their insight, successes, concerns and needs with us through conversations at a convenient time and place for them. We are looking for parents and teachers to help us form a Compassion Committee (reaching out to families who have experienced a tragedy), Latino Council (to provide a united voice in events and school matters), and a Diversity Group (to provide a united voice for other minority to groups). These represent on-going committees and do not include short term projects like parking and advocacy although those are certainly needs!
Anyone interested in learning more about any of our efforts or the various roles we play in the school or to express an interest in stepping forward should leave a comment below, e-mail any of the new officers (Heather Banschbach, Carrie Welch, Stephanie Taylor, and Sheila Blackey-Rothman) or send an e-mail to sandburgpta4114@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!
We need you for the best interest of every child and family in the Sandburg school community!
Sincerely,
Next Year's PTA Officers
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