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In This Issue
10 Things You Can Do With Your School to Promote Learning
What You Need to Know About Child Car Seats
PTA Briefs
100 Ways
PTA In the News
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Develops Key Skills
The concept of social and emotional learning (SEL) has been linked to higher student achievement, according to the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL). The March 17 PTA Parent http://www.pta.org/2820.htm examined what parents can do at home to foster SEL. This edition looks at 10 things parents can do with the school to aid in their children’s social and emotional learning.
- Focus on the value of learning. Take some time each day to ask what your child learned in school. Don’t focus just on math, English, and social studies. Ask how your child gets along with other students and how he or she feels about school.
- Focus on creating a positive learning environment at home. Create regular homework times and provide a quiet, well-lit place for homework. Limit the amount of TV. Decide with your child about rules for dealing with interruptions such as phone calls or visitors.
- Set up a school bulletin board at home. Display the school calendar and other fliers from the school. Decide as a family which school events you will attend. Help your child get involved in interesting and worthwhile school activities.
- Listen when your child talks about school. Pay attention to what your child says about school. If your child is happy with his or her classroom and school activities, write or call the teacher to say thank you. If your child seems frustrated, bored, or lonely at school, call a teacher or counselor to see what can be done.
- Help your child with homework. Don’t ever do homework for your child. But do help. Assist your child in setting priorities for schoolwork. For example, encourage your child to tackle difficult assignments first while he or she has the most energy.
- Take advantage of school meetings. Finding the time to attend school meetings can be a challenge. Many schools offer alternative times and places for parents to ask questions and discuss solutions to common problems. Often these meetings provide child care.
- Volunteer at school. By volunteering in the classroom, you can better understand how to support your child’s learning at home. Try being a room parent, a chaperone at school functions, or a tutor. Even parents who work full-time can create opportunities if they do not exist.
- Attend school activities. Whenever possible, attend your child’s plays, sports events, or science fairs. Your presence shows that your child’s interests and work are important to you.
- Join or create a “Social and Emotional Learning Book Club.” In some communities parents have created book clubs to learn how they can encourage their children’s social and emotional development. This could be part of your PTA. It could also be something you do with friends.
- Encourage good communication with the school. Good communication is basic to supporting your child’s education. Ask your child’s teacher to provide suggested home activities to support skills the children are learning at school. Ask for homework assignments that directly involve parents.
For more information, go to casel.org.
You still have time to bring PTA Movie Night Live to your school - pick either Walt Disney’s BOLT (PG rated) or the high school hit TWILIGHT (PG-13 rated) for a school showing between April 27 and May 21. We have extended the registration deadlines. Check www.PTAMovieNightLive.com for details.
Attendees get admission to the event AND a PTA Digital gift card! Each attendee will receive a $5 gift card redeemable at PTAdigital.com which can be used to create personalized photo products such as customized posters, summer calendars, small photo books, greeting cards, door hangers, and photo cubes (see product examples to the right), all delivered right to your door for less than $5. Personal pictures can be put onto your favorite Dr. Seuss backgrounds, or you can create your own graduation,
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Pictures can be added to Summer Calendars, Greeting Cards, Teacher Appreciation and Graduation Gifts, or Locker Posters.
| Teacher Appreciation, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day gifts using your favorite personal pictures! If you would prefer to purchase a movie instead, you can apply the $5 gift card towards a $5 discount for a family DVD on PTA Digital as well.
How does PTA Movie Night benefit your school? PTA Movie Night Live 2 brings a turn-key night of family entertainment to your community and school at no cost to register. We will send you a PTA Movie Night Kit with everything your school needs to host the event: the DVD of your selected movie to give away after the showing, the required public performance license, and the $5 gift card for each attendee! Your school can also raise funds by selling snacks, beverages, raffle tickets, and more at your event.
How can you help? Spread the word to your school administration, advisors, friends, and family. Consider volunteering to be the movie night event coordinator and make sure your school signs up immediately.
It’s easy for schools to get started. Here’s how:
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Designate a movie night event coordinator (this could be you!) |
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Have your school pick a date for your school’s movie night between April 27 and May 21 |
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Coordinators should go to PTAMovieNightLive.com to select your preferred film and date |
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Coordinators should print the available order forms, distribute to students and parents, and start promoting your movie night. |
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Once you have a final headcount for your attendees, go to PTAMovieNightLive.com to register your school. Check your registration deadline at the website; deadlines have been extended if you pay by phone or online with a check. |
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Receive your PTA Movie Night Kit and enjoy your event! |
To participate, schools must have a 25 attendee minimum.
For PTA Movie Night Live 2 Frequently Asked Questions, please visit PTAMovieNightLive.com/faq. PTA Movie Night Live is proudly sponsored by PTAdigital.com, your new online family destination where students, parents, and faculty can create customized photo products for both fundraising and personal use. You'll also find your favorite family movies at PTAdigital.com.
Parents need to understand more than what type of car seat to buy. For instance, they need to know how to properly install a seat. A recent GMAC insurance survey shows that more than one-third of drivers have misconceptions about what constitutes safe installation and use of car seats. To better understand car seat safety, read this article from the online edition of Our Children.
Show your children the value of volunteering and the value of their education. Find time this April to get involved in your children’s schools and fulfill the PTA Three for Me commitment. Help out on the playground, make classroom decorations, chaperone a field trip or school dance, work one-on-one with a child, help set up a PTA event… the opportunities are endless. And your children will benefit.
Talk to the school and PTA about your availability and their needs, and visit PTA.org for family involvement tips. Points of Light Institute—the leader of National Volunteer Week, April 19-25—can help you and your family find even more volunteer opportunities.
This spring, give three hours of your time to your child’s school and see what a difference it makes.
| The PTA national office wants to know how Three for Me has made a difference for your family and school. Send your stories to threeforme@pta.org. | |
- Participate in school beautification activities.
- Read to your child’s or another child’s class.
- Tutor students before, during, or after school.
- Help write or publish the PTA or school newsletter.
- Join the planning team for a PTA or school event.
- Make calls for the school or PTA.
- Create classroom or event decorations.
- Ask your employer for a donation.
Three hours for your child’s education is all it takes to fulfill the PTA Three for Me commitment, but it has big returns for parent-teacher communication, family-school partnerships, and student success. Talk to your PTA today about how you can help.
To learn more about PTA Three for Me, go to http://www.three4me.com/.
help local PTAs establish or enhance student-centered arts education programs are available through PTA’s Mary Lou Anderson Reflections Arts Enhancement Grant Program. This year, we are awarding more grants than ever before!
Special consideration is given to programs that reach large numbers of students whose environmental, familial, and/or socioeconomic situation may affect their academic success or ability to learn.
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST, May 1, 2009. Go to PTA.org/artsgrants to learn more, and talk to your PTA about applying.
Last year’s grant recipients staged a bilingual production of The Wizard of Oz, hosted a poetry year with a poet in residence, and created a mosaic mural that incorporated students’ science curriculum. Read more.
PTA Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3–9, 2009. How will you and your kids say thanks?
You could:
- Write a personal thank-you note or e-mail, or say thanks the next time you see your children’s teachers.
- Encourage your children to say thanks to teachers past and present with notes, artwork, or even a video.
- Join PTA’s Thank-A-Teacher group on Facebook to post a message of thanks.
- Hang homemade thank-you signs in the windows of your home or business.
- Give teachers the gift of time by helping out in the classroom.
- Work with your children to create a list of five nice things they can do for their teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week.
- Find out what your school has planned and how you can participate.
Check out the PTA Teacher Appreciation Virtual Gallery for all of PTA’s Teacher Appreciation Week resources—including brand-new posters—and a collection of teacher thank-yous from students and parents. Plus, find out how to add your thanks to the gallery. Go to PTA.org/teachers.
Olympic swimmer, mom, and National PTA Ambassador Dara Torres, is now blogging on the PTA blog. Read her first post as she talks about being a busy mom, training for the World Championships, and being a PTA Ambassador. Torres made history in 2008, becoming the first swimmer to win a medal in five Olympics and, at age 41, the oldest Olympic swimming medalist. On the PTA blog she'll also write about releasing her book Age is Just a Number, which you can purchase from PTA.org.
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) joins the Department of Defense and military communities worldwide in celebrating April as Month of the Military Child. Sponsored by the Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy, the Month of the Military Child is a time to applaud military families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome. The observance is part of the legacy left by the late former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, who established the Defense Department commemoration in 1986.
PTA has a long history in working with military families, and the work continues today. Read this story about how PTAs at schools on a German air base support a group for children with deployed parents.
PTA and T-Mobile have partnered together to bring PTA members exclusive discounts on wireless mobile service and equipment. All PTA members will receive the following special promotions:
Special Savings for PTA Members!
- 14% discount on monthly service plans
- FREE Activation (savings of $35)
Custom pricing on the following devices for new activations:
* FREE Blackberry Pearl
* FREE Blackberry Pearl Flip Phone
* FREE Nokia 6301 with a FREE Bluetooth
* T-Mobile Sidekick for $49.99
Google G1 for $139.99
* PRICES ABOVE ARE NET OF ALL INSTANT/MAIL-IN REBATES
THIS PROGRAM IS NOT AVAILABLE IN RETAIL STORES AND REQUIRES A NEW LINE OF ACTIVATION
To take advantage of these and other special offers, please call 866-464-8662 and mention promo code 9788TMOFAV.
If you are already a T-Mobile customer, please call 877-453-8824 to receive the PTA discount! Don’t forget to mention your “Local PTA Unit Number” as a reference.
There are many ways that you can help your child succeed! A few small activities each week will pay huge dividends over the course of the year. Here are a few that you can do this week:
Provide a quiet,well-lighted place with basic school supplies for studying/homework. Proporcione un lugar tranquilo y bien iluminado con los útiles escolares básicos para estudiar y hacer las tareas.
Provide your child with books, magazines, newspapers, and other materials, and encourage regular reading. Proporcione a su hijo libros, revistas, periódicos y demás material, y aliéntelo a leer.
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