[NYPT Summer 2018]
By Gracemarie Rozea, President
Just a week ago, our family welcomed its newest member James Matthew. Along with his birth comes many dreams for what his future will hold.
Similarly, with a new school year we have dreams of successful outcomes for ALL children.
Our elementary units will be greeting new kindergarten and first grade families. Our middle and high school units will receive children from a variety of feeder schools; a new experience for these children and families.
It is important to remember how you felt as a new family in your school. You can probably recall some excitement along with a little apprehension. A warm welcome from the PTA can make all the difference in alleviating those feelings!
For our leaders, it is time to work on plans or fine-tune those that are in place to make the ‘Back to School’ experience the best it can be. When the school doors open, PTA needs to roll out the red carpet, welcoming ALL children and families to the new school year.
There are so many terrific programs that your PTA can sponsor to enhance the educational experience for all children. I invite you to visit the Programs page on our website for some ideas.
A very important aspect of running your PTA is having a robust membership. Numbers do count! Especially when you are advocating on behalf of the children in your school (whether to the local school board or elected state and federal legislators), your voice is amplified when your membership number is higher. The NYS PTA Membership Toolkit and the National PTA Local PTA Leader Kit will help your unit have a successful membership campaign.
Speaking of raising the voice of your PTA unit, have you ever participated in the New York State PTA Convention?
If you haven’t before, this is an opportunity for you to come together with leaders from all around New York. The networking opportunities, informative workshops, and general sessions (where you’ll be a part of electing new officers and voting on resolutions) will leave you inspired to go back to your community with many new and exciting ideas.
You might even meet one of our delegates, June Innella, who has attended 38 Conventions!
I hope you’ll consider joining us in Saratoga Springs from November 9-11; I promise you won’t be disappointed.
So in these remaining days of our lazy, hazy summer, enjoy some down time with your families, start your PTA ‘to do’ list, and prepare to welcome ALL of those new kids on the block entering your schools this year!