council newsletter 201403.pdf

Council ConnectionYour

NewsletterMarch 2014 2013-2014, Issue 4

From the President, Evelyn Zinda

● President – Evelyn Zinda● 1st Vice President – Tami Bosker● 2nd Vice President – Evelyn Garcia● 3rd Vice President – Geri Bartuch● 4th Vice President – Larry Rowe● Secretary – Elizabeth Ariola● Treasurer – Patty Row● Historian – Tisha Unger● Parliamentarian – Sandra Estrada● Healthy Lifestyles – Donna Smith● Membership – Laura Garcia-Centeno● Arts In Education – Maria Sanford● Programs – Cindy Santoscoy● Founders Day – Shea Dudley● Hospitality – Open● J.C.J. Scholarship – Sharleen Nunez● Training – Deede Goethke● Legislation – Nancy Cuellar● Publications – Open● Technology – Oscar Garcia● Ways and Means – Cina Lesley● NISD Reps: Betsy Wynn & Steve Daniel

2013-2014 Council

INSIDE THIS ISSUEPg 1 From the President

Pg 2 Membership

Pg 3 Treasurer

Pg 3 Council Goals

Pg 4 1st Vice President

Pg 4 Arts In Education

Pg 5 Founders Day

Pg 5 4th Vice President

Pg 6 Jack C. Jordan

Pg 7 Training

Pg 8 Texas PTA

Pg 9 Legislation

Pg 10 Secretary

Pg 11 PTA Mission

Pg 11 Ott PTA

Pg 12 Ways and Means

Pg 12 Council Calender

Pg 13 Your PTA Resources

For those of you that haven't please make sure you accomplish this very important task as soon as possible. Holding elections for next year’s officers is required. Your bylaws will indicate what month your elections are held. Continue to ask people to join your PTA and to help in creating programs to educate parents and/or children. New members build volunteer capacity which keeps PTA strong and vital. It is important that the nominating committee select the best candidate for each position. Once the elections are held, the names and contact information of all board members are due to Texas PTA and Council by May 1st.

The art of leadership is the ability to make what one is doing attractive to others … attractive enough for others to want to join and take on responsibilities!

Council PTA is very proud to announce that the overall PTA membership here at Northside ISD is up from last year! Thank you for always keeping the goals and mission of your PTA in mind, and for setting an example as a parent leader.

We will begin holding training classes in May. Please share the training schedule with all board members. Training is the first step to a successful and effective board.

Council PTA is here for you, please feel free to contact us with questions, comments or concerns at any time.

Evelyn Zinda

It is hard to believe it is already March! I hope this newsletter finds you and your units doing well. By now you have probably had many great programs, events, and general meetings at your local units and your PTA is in high gear. Thank you for all of your hard work.Many of you have already begun to focus your attention on next year's PTA board and have selected a nominating committee.

From the Membership Chair, Laura Garcia-Centeno

Page 2 Your Council Connection Newsletter

Silver Award - Presented to all PTAs that recruit and report membership totals equaling at least 50% of the school’s student enrollment by the Spring award deadline of March 15. Award form must be submitted. Gold Award - Presented to all PTAs that recruit and report membership totals equaling at least 75% of the school’s student enrollment by the Spring award deadline of March 15. Award form must be submitted. Platinum Award - Highest membership award presented to all PTAs that recruit and report membership totals equaling 100% or more of the school’s student enrollment by the Spring award deadline of March 15. Award form must be submitted. Golden Apple Award - Presented to all PTAs that recruit and report 100% of school faculty as members by the Spring award deadline of March 15. Texas PTA’s definition of faculty is: principals, assistant principals, teachers, counselors, and aides employed at the campus full time. Award form must be submitted. MARS Award (Men Are Really Super) - Presented to all PTAs that recruit and report 50 or more male members by the Spring award deadline of March 15. Award form must be submitted. Student Membership Achievement - Presented to all PTAs that recruit and report 25 or more student members by the Spring award deadline of March 15. Award from must be submitted. Student Involvement Award - Presented to all PTSAs that elect or appoint students to the PTSA Board. Award form must be submitted. Texas STAR Award - Presented to all PTAs that have a President on record at Texas PTA, were active by October 15, have updated bylaws within the last 5 years and increased membership by March 15. No form to submit.

See more at: http://www.txpta.org/recognition/membership-awards/#sthash.8fiGzSDh.dpuf

Please feel free to contact me any time if you have any questions or concerns. Laura Garcia-Centeno

[email protected]

Your Council Connection Newsletter

From the Treasurer, Patty Row

2013 – 2014 Council Goals

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Increase Membership by 3% within 50% of Local PTAs and Build

Leadership and Relationships by Increasing Training and Meeting

Attendance

The bylaws of a PTA contain basic rules relating to the association as an organization rather than to the parliamentary procedure that it follows. These bylaws define the primary characteristics of the organization, prescribe how the association functions, and include all rules that the association considers important to the rights and responsibilities of the membership.

Why is this important? As of February 9, 2014, Texas PTA made the following changes to all Local PTA bylaws “A duty to serve as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee” was added to the Treasurer’s responsibilities.

What does this mean to you? After the 2014-2015 PTA board has been elected and per the above mentioned bylaw changes, you will need to form your budget committee. The budget committee members will consist of the incoming or returning PTA president, treasurer, fundraising chairperson, first vice president and programs chairperson.

The budget is a financial representation of the activities and operations a PTA expects to conduct during your PTAs 2014-2015 fiscal year. The budget estimates income and expenses for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. An approved budget must be in place at all times in order for expenditures to be made and fund raisers to be conducted. Therefore, a budget is developed and adopted prior to the end of the current 2013-2014 fiscal year. Without an approved budget, there is no authorization to expend funds or to conduct fundraisers. Any funds spent without proper approval would have to be repaid to the association if the membership did not retroactively approve the expenditure.

Therefore, it is essential to have a budget in place at all times. Many times, not all of your plans will be finalized prior to the end of the current year. Therefore, a budget need only include those income and expense items that have been planned at the time it is developed. The committee studies the previous year’s annual report to determine how well that budget met the association’s needs. Next, membersdetermine the projected financial requirements, taking into consideration the funds needed for the approved programs, projects and leadership development. From this information, the committee proceeds to develop the budget.

After the budget has been drafted, it is presented by the committee chair to the PTA executive board for consideration and then to the PTA membership for approval. This “proposed budget” is adopted at the final meeting of the current 2013-2014 fiscal year (May meeting). A majority vote of the members present and voting is required for adoption. The budget is presented, item by item, to allow for discussion and amendment of each section. The approved budget must be recorded in the minutes of the association.

After the budget has been adopted, it serves as the financial guide for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Since the budget is only an estimate of the planned expenditures and income for the year, amendments may become necessary from time to time.

- See more at: http://www.txpta.org/intranet/members/bylaws/#sthash.OQsFSsAC.dpuf

Budget Committee


From the 1st Vice President, Tami Bosker

Training As we welcome new volunteers to our PTA boards or have position changes within the board, Council can help make this a smooth transition for all. Every spring we offer classes to equip all our volunteers with the tools to do the best job possible, yet there are a lot of schools that don’t take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

Council encourages all presidents to spread the word and have everyone on their boards attend this valuable training.

For more information regarding training, please contact me at [email protected].

Tami Bosker

From the Arts In Education Chair, Maria Sanford

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ImportantPTA Policies &

Procedures

The NISD Reflections Program has been a very busy, interesting and “inspiring” event. The level of talent in Northside is amazing. Seeing the transition from elementary to high school just proves that our teachers really have a passion for helping our students grow in the arts. Every discipline of the program was represented somehow. NISD will have a great representation at the State PTA level. We can be proud!

Thank you to all of the schools that participated. Thank you to all of the Local PTA Reflections Chairs, the teachers and the parents that encouraged their children to step out and shine. Without all of you, this program could not happen. Thank you to all the students that were willing to show their talents. All of you deserve the highest praise for your efforts. Keep up the great work!

All Reflections winners will soon be announced and recognized at the Reflections ceremony on April 3rd.

Maria Sanford


From the Founders Day Chair, Shea Dudley

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A huge THANK YOU to all who came out and enjoyed the evening with us on February 6th 2014, as we celebrated our 53rd Founders Day Celebration at John Jay High School. Since its founding, PTA has worked diligently for the greater good for children everywhere. On February 6, the students from John Jay and its feeder schools shone brightly to reflect the hard work and efforts of what PTA has done.

Seeing the students put their heart and soul into making it a spectacular evening is a reminder that each of us is part of something much larger. When we work together, parents, teachers, and students, we can make great things happen.

I would like to thank the Founders Day committee members, Mr. Harris, Principal at John Jay, Mr. Buchholtz, Student Council Adviser, Shawna Dixon, Culinary Arts Teacher and the rest of the faculty at John Jay for their hard work and support. I would also like to thank Mr. Miculka, and Mrs. Sanchez-Lopez, from the NISD Fine Arts Department.

We couldn’t do it without the invaluable efforts of volunteers, educators, school staff and the students who always go that extra mile for PTA.

I cannot believe that it is almost spring time. Before we know it, the year will be coming to an end. At this time, you should be wrapping up your current membership drives. Remember to send in everything to the state office postmarked by March 15th. Also, you should have your nominating committees in place to pick your slate of officers for next year. If you are not sure when to hold your election general meeting, check your bylaws. Once your nominating committee has chosen the slate of officers for next year, post the list prior to the election meeting. It is really important that this process is completed and a new board is elected by May. If you have any difficulty with this task, please contact me or Evelyn Zinda.

Speaking of bylaws, remember to look at your copy and see when they were last updated. If it has been more than 4 years since your group last revised your set, it is time to start the process. Council recently held a great workshop on how to do the bylaws process. If you are having difficulty with this task, please contact me and I would be glad to help you.

Remember to continue to send your monthly financial reports for your PTA/PTSA unit to me. I will in turn file them with the appropriate personnel with Council and Central Office.

The Council meeting in March is the time that the annual Vendor’s Fair is held. It includes not only fundraising vendors, but companies and individuals with program ideas you might wish to consider for next year. The event is held prior to the March Council meeting. Invite your fundraising and programs chairperson to attend that night so you can take all the good information back to your local unit. Good luck in the coming months with all the remaining tasks. Again, let me know if you need any assistance. I am here to help you. My email address is: [email protected] and my phone number is (210) 373-9580.See you at the March meeting.

Larry Rowe

From the 4th Vice President, Larry Rowe

John Jay HS Senior Matthew Baiza

From the Jack C. Jordan Scholarship Chair, Sharleen Nunez

Your Council Connection NewsletterPage 6

Scholarship Donations Needed

If you haven’t begun your Penny Drive to benefit the Jack C. Jordan Scholarship fund, it’s not too late! Your funds support the continuing education of NISD outstanding seniors. Schools who donate by April 4, 2014, will receive a recognition plate.

The support of each local PTA is important to the success of the scholarship program. No amount is too small.

JCJ Scholarship Committee Election

The Jack C. Jordan Scholarship Committee is made up of members representing each high school area as defined in the committee’s standing rules. The odd-numbered high school areas will be elected at the March 6 NISD Council of PTAs General Assembly Meeting. The term is for two school years starting in 2014-2015.

Committee members must be PTA members and either live within the high school’s attendance area or be employed by a school within the high school’s attendance area. Committee members do not have to be on a PTA Board or Staff at a school. We encourage parents of all aged children to become part of this rewarding process. The high school areas being elected are:

Area 1- Holmes

Area 3- Taft

Area 5- Marshall

Area 7- Warren

Area 9- Brandeis

The committee meets in the fall to revise and approve documentation. In the spring, the selection process begins and committee members review the applications. There are two meetings in March to select candidates to be interviewed and two meetings in April for interviewing candidates. The finale is the dinner reception and introduction of recipients at the May NISD Council of PTAs General Assembly Meeting.

If you know of someone in your PTA that might be interested, please contact Sharleen Nunez at [email protected].

From the Training Chair, Deede Goethke


2014 Spring TRAINING The following is a list of classes and workshops available this spring. Hopefully you will be able to find a time that suits you best. You can register by using the form provided on the training page on our website at http://www.nisdpta.org/training.html.

Please note that registration closes 24 hours prior to each training/workshop. Seats will not be guaranteed after this time.

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Date Training TimeThursday May 22nd President 6:00-8:00pm

Secretary, Membership and 6:00-7:30pm

Treasurer's Software 6:00-7:30pm

Friday May 30th Treasurer 10am-12:00pm

Membership and Healthy Lifestyle 10am-11:30am

Saturday May 31st President and Treasurer 10am-12pm

Financial Reconciliation Workshop 10am-11:30am

Secretary 10am-11:30am

FOUNDATIONS: Leader Orientation (FLO)

Foundations: Leader Orientation course has been designed with the new PTA leader as its focus. The goal of this course is to provide a firm understanding of the missions, vision and purposes of PTA.

Per Texas PTA Bylaws, all board members on a local PTA board are required to attend Foundations: Leader Orientation (FLO) once in their PTA career. By requiring all board members to attend this training, it will give them the level of knowledge in the mission and purposes of PTA. Including all board members in this training will strengthen our PTA boards and help with board development.

Training is still required to take place by October 15th per PTA Bylaws. Requirement is fulfilled by either having attended the prior Leadership Orientation Training (LOT) or the new Foundations: Leadership Orientation (FLO).

The cost for FLO/LOT is $8.00 per person. We ask you to have exact change if paying by cash. Checks made payable to NISD Council of PTAs will also be accepted. The training fee should be reimbursed to members by your PTA as part of your training budget. Remember to submit your receipt when requesting reimbursement.

For your convenience, Texas PTA now offers FLO training online at the following webpage:https://notebook.txpta.org/index.cfm?pg=semwebCatalog&panel=browse&ft=SWOD

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns, questions or would like to register. When registering for a class please include the following information: training class and date, attendee's name, email, phone number, PTA, and PTA position.

Deede [email protected]

Officer & Positions Training & Workshops

FLO (Formally LOT)Date Time

Wednesday May 13th 6-8pm

Wednesday May 21st 10am-12pm


Texas PTA

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Crash rates are the highest for teens during the first 6 months and 1,000 miles after licensure."CRASH" is a comprehensive media campaign to help youth and parents understand the dangers associated with distracted driving and give them specific tools and suggestions for lessening the chance of a crash. The project includes a broadcast documentary, live follow up TV program, a viewer guide and a town hall meeting guide for youth. This will be an opportunity for youth and their parents to come together and help make each other safer drivers.The hook to the campaign is hearing and seeing real stories from people who have been involved in a crash. We will also show the reasons why distracted driving (intoxication, cell phone use, eating, additional passengers) causes crashes. The program will also highlight the most recent research involving cell phone use, DWI, and other causes of crashes and focusing on the extremely high numbers for distracted driving crashes especially for young people. For more information regarding this program please contact Texas PTA.

DISTRACTED DRIVING: CRASH

From the Legislative Action & Advocacy Chair, Nancy Cuellar

Your Council Connection NewsletterPage 9

After a third public hearing on HB 5 graduation requirements and lengthy discussions throughout the State Board of Education, the board adopted the final high school graduation rules. The new requirements, which will be effective for incoming ninth graders this fall, were mandated under a law approved by the Legislature last year that scaled back high school testing and overhauled graduation rules.

A few highlights of the final rules include:

● Additional course options for English language arts were added to the foundation requirements including Communications Applications, Independent Study in Speech, Advanced Journalism: Newspaper III, and; Advanced Journalism: Yearbook III.

● Additional course options for the third math credit were added to the foundation requirements including Algebraic Reasoning and Statistics. The courses were added to the rules as placeholders for courses that TEA will develop. A timeline for course development has not been established at this time.

● In the languages other than English (LOTE) section of the foundation program, the rules now specify that a student who chooses the two credits in computer programming option must select the credits from Computer Science I, II, or III.

● Additional course substitution options in the foundation program, for a student who is not likely to complete the second credit of LOTE were added including World History or World Geography; a LOTE credit in a language other than the first credit language; or, a computer programming language.

● The new rules also eliminated speech as a course requirement in high schools.

For a complete list go to: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=25769806149or http://www.lisd.net/ourpages/auto/2013/9/12/58719955/TEA_Jan312014.pdf


From the Secretary, Elizabeth Ariola

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Congratulations Déjà Hall!

We are almost to Spring Break in our school year, and it’s a good time to review your Procedure binder that holds all the official records of your PTA to be sure you are not missing any records that should go into storage at the end of your PTA’s fiscal year.

Be sure you have signatures on all forms and minutes of your PTA’s meetings. If you had extra copies of minutes left over from past meetings, hang on to them. You can bring them with you to the last meetings before summer break, for board members that may have missed a meeting, and might need to include them in their binders.

If you are not sure you have all the information needed in your binder, you may find a list of the information you need to include in the Secretary’s book at the Texas PTA website under Procedure Binders, Secretary.

You can find updated information on Northside ISD Council of PTAs website, on the left side of the home page to go to the Secretary’s page. Please contact me if you have any questions or need more information.

Elizabeth Ariola(210) 663-8642

On February 25, 16-year-old singer Déjà Hall took The Voice stage to belt out “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. The tenacious athlete of Taft High School (Northside ISD, San Antonio, TX) took her aggressive attitude to the stage with the ‘80s cult classic tune. Midway into her performance, Déjà received a two-char turn from coaches Shakira and Blake Shelton. Nearing the end of the her set, coach Usher came in and moments later, all three judges were vying for the singer.

Shakira complimented the singer on her “beautiful and angelic” voice, while Blake made his bid to be Déjà’s coach by reminding her that he won The Voice in Season 4 with (at-the-time) 16-year-old Danielle Bradbery. While Adam noted that his only reluctance to push his button for Déjà was her omission of one major note in the song, Usher asserted that he could help Déjà hit those notes with no problem, if he were her coach.

Shakira continued to tell Déjà she was quite certain she would be the better coach for her, while Blake opted to adopt her into his family. When it was time to make a choice, Déjà chose to join Team Shakira.

PTA Mission Statement


PTA's VisionEvery child’s potential is a reality.

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PTA's MissionTo make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

PTA's Purpose

To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community and place of worship; To raise the standards of home life;To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth; To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth; To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social and spiritual education.

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Communications

PTA set up a bulletin board in the lobby of the school. The bulletin board features our current newsletter, photos from events, our Box Tops for Education goal tracker, and any important news and information.

The PTA has started a monthly newsletter. The newsletter features articles about upcoming events, students & volunteers, and information about how the PTA is spending funds. Also included in the newsletter is a calendar of events that can be clipped out and hung on the refrigerator.

Ott PTA has a new Facebook page! We can keep parents updated on PTA meetings, school events, and any important announcements.

Membership

Ott PTA Membership currently stands at 271. Membership is up 16% from last year’s total of 234.

Ott PTA has over 50 dads that joined PTA this year! Thanks to our WatchDOGS coordinator Johnathon Ezernack, many of these dads are taking an active part in their child’s education and school day.

This year Ott PTA started “membership perks” for our PTA members. We raffle donated prizes at our general meetings.

Programs

Boo Hoo Breakfast Monster Mash

Bike RodeoReflections

Parents Night OutBMX Bike Show

Classroom Door Decorating Contest, WatchDOGS Dads & Student Pizza Night

Holiday Social & Pictures with SantaHoliday Shoppe

Spirit Sticks Macy's Make-A-Wish Foundation's “A Million

Reasons to Believe”Family Movie Night

3rd Grade Reading Nook

Ott PTA has many more events on the horizon! In the spring, we hope to offer a family fitness night, art exhibit & social, spring carnival, and much more.

From the Ways and Means Chair, Cina Lesley


Council CalendarMARCH APRIL MAY JUNE

28th Council PTA Board Meeting

6th Council of PTAs Vendor Showcase

at NAC

4th Jack C. Jordan Penny Drive Deadline

11th Council PTA Board Meeting

Page 12

6th Council of PTAs General Assembly

Meeting

3rd Council of PTAs Reflections

Ceremony

10-14th NISDSpring Break!

25th Battle of Flowers Parade

1st Council of PTAs General Assembly

Meeting

1st Jack C. Jordan Reception at

NAC

5th Last day of School for NISD

Your PTA Resources


NISD Council of PTAs5900 Evers Road

San Antonio, TX 78238(210) 397-8500

http://www.nisdpta.org

Keep InformedNISD Trustees meet monthly

in regular meetings on the 4th Tuesday of the month. They

may also meet in called meet-ings for workshops, retreats,or to handle routine business.Meetings are held at 7p.m.,

in the Board Room, 5900 Road,San Antonio, TX 78238

http://www.nisd.net/board/

NISD Board of Trustees

Trusteesc/o NISD

5900 Evers RoadSan Antonio, TX 78238

[email protected](210) 397-8500

www.area7pta.txpta.org Texas PTA7600 Chevy Chase DriveBuilding Two, Suite 300

Austin, TX 78752(800) TALK-PTA(512) [email protected]

National PTA Headquarters1250 N. Pitt Street

Alexandria, VA 22314(800) 307 – 4PTA (4782)

[email protected]

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560-8796

Documents

council newsletter 201403.pdf