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Greetings to all our PTA Members and PTA Officers!
We are in the home stretch! It won't be long until the school year ends and the lazy days of summer are upon us! While we might all be distracted with the events, activities and year-end chaos that comes with being involved with schools, please take a few minutes to stop and enjoy these beautiful spring days and congratulate yourself on a job well done! It is hard work being an engaged advocate of public schools and it's been a fabulous year! We also want to thank each of you for supporting PTA. Membership in PTA shows your support for the education, health, and safety of all children and youth both in Oregon and nationwide. Thank you for being a partner with us this year!
This month, we have a couple of articles that you might find useful on helping your children have a positive body image and recognizing they might have an eating disorder, ways to engage students to read this summer, track for children, and areas of advocacy that might be of interest to you.
At the bottom of our newsletter, PTA Officers will find information specific to their roles in PTA and opportunities especially for leaders. Thank you for reading and have a great month!
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Health and Safety:
Summer can be fun for a lot of kids, but for some it is a stressful time. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that a majority of children ages 10-18 are dissatisfied with their bodies and how they look. It How do you promote healthy eating? What are the signs your child might have an eating disorder? Find out more here.
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Summer track for kids!
The TrackTown Youth League is a series of FREE all-comer track meets this May and June across Oregon, open to all boys and girls ages 8-14. Events include the 100m, 400m, 1500m, long jump and turbojav. No prior track & field experience is needed! Top finishers will advance to a Championship Meet at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon during the U.S Olympic Track & Field Trials. Read more information here.
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Oregon Rising! What's your dream?
Oregon Rising Town Hall, 6-8 p.m. at Madison High School, 2735 NE 82nd Avenue, Portland. Childcare and interpretation will be available. The Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA), in partnership with the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) and the Oregon Education Association (OEA), invites the public to imagine the education you want for your kids, grandkids and for the child next door. Consider the possibilities. Describe your dream. Share your voice. Read more at Oregon Rising. Share your thoughts in a short survey here.
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Outdoor School:
In Oregon, Outdoor School has been a tradition for more than 50 years. The opportunity has given tens of thousands of children a chance to learn first-hand about science and our state’s precious natural resources by getting them out of the classroom and into the outdoors. A full week of Outdoor School also teaches independence, leadership skills, how to work as a team and forge new friendships. It inspires kids, encourages them to be more active and for some, it can even help set a more positive course in school.
Today, less than half of kids in Oregon have the opportunity to attend Outdoor School, which has been cut drastically and greatly reduced due to lack of funding. Now, a grassroots effort called Outdoor School for All is seeking to put a measure on the November 2016 ballot to ensure consistent funding for Outdoor School statewide. The campaign has garnered support from dozens of outdoor industry companies, environmental organizations and the health industry leaders. With just a few weeks remaining to qualify for the ballot, organizers have gathered approximately half of the 120,000 signatures needed so far. If you’d like to get involved, there are a number of ways to support the Save Outdoor School effort, including signing the online petition, volunteering or donating. You can also sign up for weekly email updates by filling out the online form.
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PTA Leader Announcements & Information:
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- Election season is now upon many PTA's. Presidents, immediately following your elections, be sure and log into Oregon PTA and enter your new officer lists. Even if your PTA Board isn't changing, you will need to enter your list of Officers for the 2016-2017 school year. Be sure and include an email address for each officer on your Board. This is the primary way we contact PTA Leaders during the summer months with news and training.
- Treasurers, start preparing and organizing your finances for the end of the year. Planning ahead will make the year-end transition smoother for you and your PTA. Now is the time to start assembling all the paperwork and forms you will need for your Year-End Report and Audit. It's hard to pin folks down in the summer to get the materials you need to do your reports, so while school is still in session gather everything you need.
- Get your new year off to a smooth start: mark your calendars to attend Leadership Training in the fall. Portland area training dates are August 27th and September 24th. More details will be coming over the summer.
- Elections happened? What do you do now? Read more about successful officer transitions in our most current blog post.
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Sincerely,
Lisa Kensel
President
Portland Council PTA |
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