17th District PTA

17th District Convention Delegates Go Out Singing

Susan Bell — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:52:53 +0000

The California State PTA Convention in Anaheim was an arts-filled affair, from Hawaiian dancers to a 110-strong drum circle, from FAME-ous actress and dancer Debbie Allen to State Reflections chair Sara Otus-Green. The delegates from Seventeenth District went out on a musical note, offering this rousing song to close out the 113th Convention: lyrics can be found here.

Spring Training May 21

Susan Bell — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:51:30 +0000

Please join us at Bayside STEM Academy in San Mateo for our annual General Meeting and PTA/PTSA Officer Training Workshop, Monday May 21. Doors open at 5:30 PM, dinner and general meeting at 6:00 PM, workshops following 7:00 – 8:30 PM. State PTA President-elect Colleen You will present the keynote speech. If you’re a new or returning PTA officer, this is for you! Find information about training workshops, directions and RSVP here.

RESPECT! 24/7 April 17 event

Susan Bell — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 02:12:27 +0000

The county’s new anti-bullying campaign, RESPECT! 24/7, will kick-off with a program on April 17 at the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits in Redwood City (330-350 Twin Dolphin Drive, Redwood City. Admission free. The event will be spotlighting Linda Fogg Phillips, co-author of Facebook for Parents and The Facebook Guide for Educators. She will speak from 9:15 to 11:45 am. Related events with Fogg Phillips are scheduled for parents on the evening of April 17 at the Bayside Performing Arts Center in Foster City, and for teachers and administrators on the afternoon of April 18 at SMCOE in Redwood City.

Other RESPECT! 24/7 activities will include symposiums for school and district personnel, a student arts competition, a speakers’ bureau, promotional materials and presentations coordinated with community partners. A large community event is tentatively scheduled during October, which is National Anti-Bullying Month.

Seventeenth District is proud to be co-sponsor of the kick-off event.

2012 Reflections Art Program

Susan Bell — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:05:59 +0000

The results are in! The 2012 Reflections award winners are listed here. Congratulations to all who entered and good luck to the first place award winners who are now competing at the State level. We hope to see 17th District Reflections winners represented at the California State PTA Convention in Anaheim, May 9 – 12!

Signature Gathering Begins for Our Children, Our Future initiative

Susan Bell — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:23:24 +0000

17th District has issued a 3500-signatures challenge by the California PTA. As we begin participating in the Our Children Our Future: Local Schools and Early Education Investment Act campaign activities, please observe the PTA guidelines to ensure that all of the efforts that are being made stay positive, respectful and effective. See Advocacy pages for more information.

March 12 Training: Council Officers

Susan Bell — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:15:16 +0000

Join us for a special “Just-For-Councils” training for present and future Council presidents, treasurers, auditors, parliamentarians, and secretaries, on Monday, March 12 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Dinner will be provided at no cost. RSVP, more info here: http://bit.ly/wVYDDv

State PTA Convention in Anaheim, May 9-12

Susan Bell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:26:47 +0000

Early online registration for this year’s California State PTA Convention opens February 1-April 30 at www.capta.org. More information on registration, events, and convention grants here.

Northern California Arts Education Forum

Susan Bell — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:25:31 +0000

Want to learn more about arts education? The Northern California Arts Education Forum which was originally set to take place on December 12th has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 1st. We hope that you will be able to join us on this day as we have a great lineup of arts education leaders who will be presenting on three panel discussions.

In addition, we are excited to have Susan Stauter as our keynote speaker! Arts education and advocate Susan Stauter is currently Artistic Director for the San Francisco Unified School District and was instrumental in the creation of SFUSD’s internationally recognized Arts Education Master Plan. An award-winning credentialed teacher of Theatre and English, she was the founding Chair of the Department of Theatre for the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, and went on to serve as the Conservatory director for the Tony Award-winning American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), where she oversaw all educational programs. Ms. Stauter also works throughout the U.S. and internationally as a keynote speaker, workshop leader, teacher, writer and trainer in the area of arts education. She has consulted for the North Carolina School for the Arts, Great River Shakespeare Festival in Minnesota, the Grammy Foundation, and the Leonard Bernstein Center for Education at Gettysburg College.

Please help us also to spread the word by forwarding the invitation to your mailing lists and posting to your websites. We hope to see as many of you as possible on February 1st!

California PTA Endorses Ballot Initiative

Susan Bell — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:18:33 +0000

Today in Sacramento, The Our Children, Our Future: Local Schools and Early Education Investment Act was submitted to the Attorney General for title and summary for the November 6, 2012 ballot.

California State PTA supports this bold initiative, which will provide approximately $1,300 per student in new funds each year that must be spent directly at school sites with local parent and educator input.

In particular, the funding must be used by schools to provide a well-rounded education that supports college and career readiness for every student, including a high-quality curriculum that includes the arts; music; physical education; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); and vocational and technical education courses. It can also be used for smaller class sizes, school libraries and librarians, school nurses and counselors.

California State PTA had a role in crafting the final ballot measure language, and we plan to actively engage in the broad, grass-roots effort to qualify and pass this measure.

In the coming weeks we will continue providing information about this important initiative and how you can get involved to help.

More information, including the full text of the initiative, can be found at:www.OurChildrenOurFuture2012.com.

Community Schools

Susan Bell — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:14:16 +0000

WE ARE THEIR PTA, TOO: PLEASE SUPPORT S.M. COUNTY COURT AND COMMUNITY SCHOOL STUDENTS!

The 17^th District PTA (comprised of all the PTAs and PTSAs in San Mateo County) is asking for your support of the students in the Court and Community Schools. Please read about the S.M. County Court and Community Schools programs on our Advocacy page, and read about their creative activities here.

Starting on December 7, 2011, and ending on January 31, 2012, we are have having an online Follett Titlewish book fundraiser where 100% of the money raised will go directly towards purchasing new sets of books for the students to read in their English classes.

We’re asking you to participate and help us raise $1,000.00 which will be used to purchase class sets, totaling 140 books, of Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice to the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson.

To help us meet our goal, please make a donation by going to: http://www.titlewish.com/101169; and clicking on “Help Your Kids, Donate Today”

Thank you for helping us provide San Mateo County Court and Community Schools students with the best education possible!

If you have questions about the Court and Community Schools programs, contact: Lori McBride at: communityschools@17thdistrictpta.org

If you have questions about Follett’s Titlewish program, contact: Liz Luaulu at: historian@17thDistrictpta.org