September 2010

Issue 1

Georgia PTA
Family Engagement

Fall Newsletter

PTA Universities for Family Engagement

Parent Involvement/Family Engagement Certification will be held on Wednesday, October 20 OR Saturday, October 23 from 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM. This workshop will cover the history of PI/FE, understanding the National Standards for Family School Partnerships and how to use qualitative and quantitative data to plan effective programs and strategies to increase student achievement in your school. After completion of this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to be tested on their knowledge to become Parent Involvement Certified! Don't miss this opportunity!

Town Hall dialogue on Family Engagement in your schools will be held on Wednesday, November 10 OR Saturday, November 13 from 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM. Please send topics for discussion items in advance to Patty Yohn.

Sign in and refreshments will begin at 9:00 AM for all Family Engagement workshops. Please RSVP to workshops so that we can make sure enough materials are available by emailing Patty Yohn.

Building Family-School Partnerships the PTA Way

PTA's process for building successful partnerships starts with the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships and consists of three steps:

Step 1 - Raise Awareness
Continually educate school stakeholders about the importance of family and community involvement in children's academic experience, and the vital roles they can play. Read more...

Step 2 - Take Action
With a shared understanding of what it takes for students to be successful in school, you and your school and community peers are ready to take action. Work with your principal to create an action team that reflects the school community. Read more...

Step 3 - Celebrate Success
Capitalize on your accomplishments! Your successes-big and small-are your PTA's best form of advertisement. Publish stories in school and district newsletters, send press releases to local media, and post pictures and outcomes online. Read more...

For more information please visit www.pta.org/bsp or www.georgiapta.org.

In This Issue

Family Engagement PTA Universities

Building Family-School Partnerships

Family Engagement via Welcome Centers

Education Nation

Increasing Male Involvement

Million Hours of Power Challenge

Collaboration with Zoo Atlanta

Tips to Share with Families

PTA Hearst Award Winners

Georgia PTA and Parent to Parent of Georgia Partnership

Georgia DOE's Parent Engagement Program

FE Committee

Patty Yohn, Chair

Adam Belanger

Kiddada Grey

Donna Kosicki

James Putney

Jo Ann Mitchell Stringer

Lori Sweet

Specialists

Dr. Grant Rivera - Principal Advisor

Bill Sebring - Principal Advisor

Aarti Seghal - Special Services

Caryn Thornton - Military Liaison

Partners

Julie Hollis - Georgia PIRC

Michelle Tarbutton - Georgia DOE

Brenda Williams - Title I

Family Engagement for ALL Families via Welcome Centers

by Elida Perez Knapp

Nationally, the minority population is steadily rising and now makes up 35% of the U.S. population. This minority population, represented in schools throughout the nation, includes immigrant, low income and English Language Learners. PTA, always the vanguard in family engagement is on board with several programs to assure that ALL families are represented in PTA. The National Standards for Family-School Partnership are instrumental in meeting this goal. By following and implementing the six standards PTAs could, without doubt, increase membership to reflect the face of the entire school population. Read more...

"Education Nation"

NBC UNIVERSAL PRESENTS "EDUCATION NATION"... AN UNPRECEDENTED WEEKLONG EVENT EXAMINING AND REDEFINING EDUCATION IN AMERICA THIS SEPTEMBER
NBC News launches its first annual "Education Nation" the week of September 27, 2010 - a nationally broadcast in-depth conversation about improving education in America, beginning with an interactive two-day summit on Rockefeller Plaza. National statistics show that 68% of eighth graders cannot read at their grade level; American students rank 25th in math and 21st in science compared to 30 other industrialized countries; and most college students are "non-traditional" - spending more than four years in college or enrolling well after high school. These are only some of the surprising statistics that prove it is more vital than ever to have a conversation about improving the state of education at all levels, from early education through higher education and beyond.

Increasing Male Involvement

Educate dads, grandpas, uncles and others on the importance of their involvement. Make parent involvement and PTA relevant to men by connecting it to their children's success in school and in life. Share with men the many benefits of family engagement. Read more...

Challenge from National PTA - Let's Go for a Million Hours of Power

To combat historically low male participation in parent involvement groups, National PTA's MORE (Men Organized to Raise Engagement) Alliance and the National Fatherhood Leaders Group have teamed up to launch A Million Hours of Power, an initiative to inspire 350,000 American men to dedicate three hours of service to the education, health and well-being of children.

Three hours of service-truly a small amount of time to invest-from 350,000 men totals more than 1 million hours of true power to the lives of children, resulting in educational, social and physical benefits to kids across the nation.

Million Hours of Power Flyer

Collaboration Led to Great Success at ZOO Atlanta!

Saturday - August 14, 2010 was the annual Family Day Event at Zoo Atlanta, where all Fulton County residents enjoyed the zoo with free admission. National PTA, Georgia PTA, Georgia Parental Information Resource Center, and other sponsors were gathered under the Ford Tent and distributed back packs filled with school supplies to 500 students. An estimated more than 250 students also received school supplies. Parents and students participated in activities, and there were community partners - as well as Georgia Department of Education - on hand providing educational information to families.

More than sixty volunteers (students and parents) were available to stuff, meet, greet, distribute and participate in this great event.

Tips to Share with Families at Your School

Family Engagement enhances student success and teacher effectiveness. A first step toward involvement is communicating with your child's teacher. Effective communication consists of meeting with the teacher, being a positive partner in the learning experience, and keeping lines of communication open.

Read more for tips to share with your families to increase communication and improve parent/teacher relationships.

2009-2010 PTA Hearst Family-School Partnership Award Winners

Congratulations to our 2009-2010 PTA Hearst Family School Partnership Award Winners:

Standard 1 - Welcoming All Families into the School Community
Chattahoochee High School PTSA, Alpharetta, GA

Standard 5 - Sharing Power
Harmony Elementary School PTA, Goshen, GA

Special Services - Georgia PTA and Parent to Parent (P2P) of Georgia Partner

Parent to Parent of Georgia provides support and information services and training and leadership opportunities for families who have children and youth with disabilities.

Families need to work together with service providers, agencies, and other professionals in making decisions that affect our children with disabilities at all stages of their lives.

Families need accurate and relevant information that they can easily and readily access. P2P's information services provide opportunities for families to increase their knowledge and build their own capacity. Our education services provide opportunities for families to build on existing strengths to become stronger advocates.

One of the most meaningful sources of support is another parent or family member who has experienced living with a disability. Sometimes simple advice or direction, mixed with experience, makes a world of difference.

No matter the disability or health concern, Parent to Parent of Georgia can help by connecting you with other parents with similar experiences. So visit http://p2pga.org or call us at 800-229-2038 to get started!

Georgia DOE's Parent Engagement Program

The mission of the Georgia Department of Education's Parent Engagement Program is to increase student achievement by engaging and empowering parents to become actively involved in their children's education across all grade levels. While your local school and community is the best place to obtain information first, we are excited to provide many resources and tools to help you positively impact your child's school and educational future such as:

Have questions about what your child is learning, what support services are available to help your child succeed, or what school options are available to best meet your child's needs? Check out the Parent Website at http://www.gadoe.org/parents.aspx for helpful information and answers to those questions!
Need to Get Involved? Not sure what you can do? Check out our "Get Involved!" brochure that lists 15 different ways parents and families can get involved in their children's education.
Join the party in November as we celebrate Georgia Family Engagement Month! Look out for events parents can attend and suggestions for family activities throughout the month that will be provided by your school.
Have a child starting Kindergarten next year? Kindergarten transition is a year long process, so it is never too early to get started. Check out our "Let's Go to School" Brochure that helps children and their families begin school with a smooth transition.

Obtain copies of brochures by asking your school's Parent Involvement Coordinator, contacting the Parent Engagement Program at 404-656-2633, or visiting the Parent Engagement Program's website.