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Utah PTA Programs and Commissioners
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Utah PTA Community Involvement Commissioner
Kris Denison
E-mail: kris@utahpta.org
Phone: 801-261-3100
A Community Involvement or Volunteer Coordinator is one of the most fun and versatile positions on the PTA/PTSA Board. The list of needs a volunteer can fill is endless. Every community has available talents and resources that benefit the public schools.
Volunteering
A volunteer can be many things - a role model for the students, an extra pair of hands to help teachers and staff or a liaison between schools and the community.
Each school can make its own Volunteer Handbook," personalized for your own school. Using the "Guidelines for Volunteers" Handbook (listed below), please add your own theme and/or school name to the cover page, add a welcome message from your principal on page 2, and list your schools and councils in their region on page 4.
PTA formed and working within a school is most beneficial to the individual child's growth and development when its actions and programs promote parental involvement and community interaction within the school. The old adage, "It takes a community to raise a child," is most evident in the local school environment. PTA encourages all stakeholders withint the school to become involved.
Focus of the Community Involvement Commission
Utah PTA Community Involvement Areas of Focus are as follows:
- Business Partnerships
- Community/Public Relations
- Educating Family and Community Groups
- Education Foundations
- Information/Communication Network Plans
- Lifelong Education/Community Education
- Minority Leadership/Involvement
- Parent/Community Involvement Events
- Teacher Appreciation
- Volunteer Coordination
- Volunteers
National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
A new way of leading: Building family-school partnerships for student success
When planning a program, look at each of these standards and see if your program uses each piece. If it does, then your chance of having a successful program will increase.
PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
Standard 1: Welcoming all families into the school community —Families are active participants in the life of the school, and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to what students are learning and doing in class.
Standard 2: Communicating effectively —Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning.
Standard 3: Supporting student success —Families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.
Standard 4: Speaking up for every child —Families are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.
Standard 5: Sharing power —Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs.
Standard 6: Collaborating with community —Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.
In the 2002 research review A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement, Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp conclude that there is a positive and convincing relationship between family involvement and student success, regardless of race/ethnicity, class, or parents’ level of education. To put it another way, when families are involved in their children’s learning both at home and at school, their children do better in school. The report also points to specific types of involvement as being especially beneficial to children’s academic success.
For more information on Family-School Partnerships, please visit http://www.pta.org/family_school_partnerships.asp.
Appreciating Your Volunteers
Use the documents below to find different ways you can show recognition to your volunteers.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Since 1984, National PTA has encouraged all citizens to show their appreciation to teachers during the annual National PTA Teacher Appreciation Week. Each May, Teacher Appreciation Week offers the opportunity for citizens to reaffirm their commitment to parent-teacher partnerships. The following is a calendar of publicity and program ideas to prepare you for Teacher Appreciation Week and follow-up ideas to use after Teacher Appreciation Week.
For more information, please visit the Teacher Appreciation page on the National PTA Website
http://www.pta.org/local_leadership_subprogram_1117568214281.html
Male Involvement
Studies show students perform better when mothers and fathers are both involved in the education of their children. Men and women think differently and bring different perspectives and skills to school and PTA activities. School communities and PTAs thrive when both men and women participate. Yet men remain a largely untapped resource.
Learn ways to get men more involved at http://www.pta.org/topic_male_involvement.asp.
Three for Me
Three for Me is a PTA program designed to effectively involve parents and families in support of children and their education. Three for Me will help schools, PTAs, parent groups, and other volunteer based organizations reach volunteer hours never thought possible. Learn how to tap into the many talents and skills that parents are happy to offer.
With Three for Me, you will find:
- Creative ways to connect all families to their child's school and education
- Ideas to strengthen home-school-community partnerships
- Resources to motivate parents
Get Three for Me started at your school, or organization today and put a new face on parent involvement!
For more information, visit the Three for Me website at http://www.three4me.com.
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Utah PTA in the News
Dads' participation at Magna school soaring - 8/21/2010
Magna Elementary seeking a few ‘superheroes’ - 8/18/2010
VIDEO: Need for Summer Break - 8/8/2010
>> View All 24 News Articles
What's New?
Perspectives Magazine
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Guidelines for Volunteers
Teacher Appreciation Week Sample Letter
