Child Advocate
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September 2013 Issue 1, Volume 22
Back-to-School 2013-2014
Gain National and Community Recognition as a National PTA School of Excellence
Y our PTA can achieve excellence and qualify for National PTA’s highest honor by participating in the National PTA School of Excel-
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lence program. This program provides tools to help your PTA increase family engagement in student learning and school improvements. When designated a National PTA School of Excellence, your PTA will automatically be considered for the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Award. Recipients of the Hearst Award receive: A visit from the NPTA president, on-stage recognition and award presentation at the NPTA Convention and $2,000 to use on future family engagement strategies. Enroll your school in the National PTA School of Excellence program by September 30, 2013 at www.PTA.org/Excellence or via phone at 800-307-4PTA (4782). You will receive the Getting Started Guide, which describes program components, including your first steps to gather feedback from families and set goals with your school partner.
Growing Together
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G rowing Together is this year’s membership theme. As an organization with a 100+ year history of grassroots advocacy for children, we are continually growing to meet the changing needs of children and families in Washington state. There are a lot of organizations out there who want to set the agenda for children, but no other organization has the sole interest and agenda—the only reason for its existence—other than PTA, to promote the well-being and education of all children. The work of PTA is essential in every community in this state. Membership in PTA is not about numbers. It is about forming a partnership between parents and schools and communities for the benefit of all children. PTAs help lead the way to create a school climate that encourages parent engagement, and increases student success. So while, membership isn’t about numbers, growth in PTA membership increases parent engagement, improves student learning, and benefits everyone. Let’s work together to increase PTA membership this year! The
Child Advocate
a Washington State PTA parent involvement publication
Washington State PTA 2003 65th Avenue West Tacoma, WA 98466-6215 Website: www.wastatepta.org Email: wapta@wastatepta.org Phone: (253) 565-2153 or 1-800-562-3804 Fax: (253) 565-7753
VISION:
Using PTA Experience For Career and Life Planning
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Tips for Volunteering in the Classroom
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Parenting For School Success
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Establishing Balance in After-School Activities Helping Kids Adapt to a New School Year Back-to-School Safety: Keeping Kids Safe to and From School
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The Child Advocate is published online every month from September through May by the Washington State PTA, 2003 65th Avenue West, Tacoma, WA 98466-6215, (253) 565-2153. Contributors are welcome. Call the State PTA office for guidelines. Whenever PTA is used it also refers to PTSA. PTA is a registered trademark of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. Heather Gillette, Washington State PTA President Kathryn Hobbs, Executive Director Karen Fisker-Andersen, Editor
“Making every child’s potential a reality.”
MISSION:
PTA is: n A powerful voice for all children, n A relevant resource for families and communities, and n A strong advocate for the well-being and education of every child. The Washington State PTA accomplishes the mission of PTA by:
• Speaking on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; • Supporting parents* in developing skills to raise, protect and advocate for their children; • Encouraging parent*, teacher, student and community involvement; • Promoting opportunities for positive outcomes for children; and • Being a financially stable, well-managed organization that promotes diversity, provides quality service, models best practices and values its members and employees. *Parent may include adults who play an important role in a child’s family life since other adults (grandparents, aunts, uncles, or guardians) may carry the primary responsibility for a child’s health, welfare, education and safety.
Using PTA Experience For Career and Life Planning Sandtoptheforskillsa moment and think about the volunteer jobs you have held you have used in PTA. Have you ever balanced a local unit budget? Edited a newsletter? Managed a fund raiser? Chaired a committee? Run a meeting? These are all valuable skills gained as a PTA volunteer that can be transferred to the corporate environment. In addition to the skills and experience acquired through PTA leadership, consider the character qualities often developed in PTA leaders: self-motivation, commitment, initiative and dependability. These are all qualities prospective employers are looking for. Whether you are already working or are a stay-at-home parent, you can use your experience as a PTA leader to build your resume for future employment prospects. Keep a folder of your volunteer accomplishments to help you remember these valuable experiences. Some of items to consider including: s Did you help your PTA save money or time? How were you able to accomplish this? What were the results? s Were you involved in planning a major event? What was your contribution? How did your efforts help this effort?
The Child Advocate, September 2013
s Did you author a major report, newsletter, or publication? Who was the publication distributed to and how well was it received? s Did you receive any awards during your experience as a PTA leader? If so, what were the awards and what experiences qualified you to be a recipient? s Did you make improvements to current PTA programs or processes? If so, what improvements were made and how did this help your PTA unit? s Did you have any experience advocating for children at your school, community, or before a state decision-making body? If so, what was the issue and what were the results of your efforts? s Did you have experience managing volunteers? How were you able to organize and motivate them? s What leadership training did you receive as part of PTA leadership? Your skills and experience as a PTA leader are valuable. Simply by volunteering for a leadership role in PTA, you demonstrate that you are willing to work hard and are passionate about building a better world for all children. We appreciate your service to this organization. It is our hope that you can use your PTA experience to further your career and life goals. n
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Tips for Volunteering in the Classroom Simproved tudies have linked parent engagement with student learning. There are many ways parents can be engaged in their student’s education, both at home and at school--one of which is being a member of PTA. Many parents are also finding time to work in their children’s classrooms and if this is a possibility for you, it is a rewarding experience that provides insight into your children’s day and learning experiences. However, there are some specific guidelines to remember if you decide to volunteer to be a classroom helper this year: s Don’t sign up to be a “super-volunteer.” Only sign up for what you have time to commit to, while maintaining the time you need for the other areas of your life. s Remember that you are there to assist the teacher, not your child. As a classroom volunteer, be prepared to correct papers, prepare for art projects, record reading minutes and do other odds and ends as requested by the teacher, so she can spend more time working with the students or preparing her lessons. s Avoid discussing the performance of other children in the classroom with other parents. As a classroom volunteer, you are expected to maintain a high level of integrity and trustworthiness. s Don’t use your classroom time to evaluate other students to deter-
mine who would be the best friends for your children. This will only interfere with your children’s social development. s If you have any specific talents or skills, be sure to share this with the teacher. She may be able to use your expertise for special lesson, which may be a very gratifying experience for you. s If you are not able to help in the classroom, consider volunteering to chaperone a field trip or help at a class party when your schedule allows. n
Why Join PTA? •
school environments that encourage parent engagement in children’s education, as well as programs and events to build a positive school environment for children and families, and provides many other services and resources which result in improved student learning in local schools across the state and nation. •
PTA benefits all children, not just the children at your child’s school. Unlike other unaffiliated parent groups,
PTAs actively advocate for all students in a school community and across the state and nation, and have made a substantial and lasting impact benefiting children and families in its 100+ year history. As part of a grassroots advocacy effort, your PTA and others like it across the nation, have participated in efforts resulting in laws preventing the giving and selling of alcohol to minors, school lunch programs, federally funded kindergartens, driver’s education, and more recently the Washington State PTA
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helped pass a state ballot measure to allow school levies to pass with a simple majority, a bill to redefine basic education, and legislation that addressed school accountability, college and career learning standards, and family engagement.
PTA’s only interest is promoting well-being and education of all children. Local PTAs help establish
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The Washington State PTA provides free support services, resource material, and leadership training to its local unit leaders, including PTA and the Law workshops and region conference training. This provides PTA leaders confidence as they successfully gain knowledge and experience that allows them to move from serving as a committee member to a local unit officer, then a council or region officer, and finally serve in the state or National PTA or transfer their knowledge and skills to a corporate position. PTA provides an opportunity to develop a meaningful resume of experiences while volunteering for a well-known and respected association that supports children. n PTA provides upward mobility.
a Washington State PTA parent involvement magazine
Parenting For School Success about the day, their teacher or their school, and just learning in general. If students come to parents for help, make sure they have first tried to figure out the problem on their own. Parents can help by making sure students understand the process involved in the homework or how to get organized to complete their tasks. Avoid doing their homework for them. Be positive about the importance of homework as a tool to learn and retain knowledge, and to teach students how to get organized, plan ahead and stay motivated to finish a task. If a student continues to struggle with homework, make an appointment with his teacher to learn how you can support your student at home. Establish a positive relationship with your children’s teachers.
Be sure to introduce yourself to your children’s teachers early in the school year, attend back-to-school nights and parent teacher conferences. Join PTA and help improve the learning environment at the school by volunteering to help at PTA programs and events. Recognize and acknowledge how difficult teachers’ jobs can be and take every opportunity to let school personnel know when they are doing a good job.
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arents play a big role in student success. Communicate with your children why you value their education. Take an active interest in finding out what your children are learning and how they are doing at school. Be clear that you expect them to try to do their best at school, taking advantage of test retakes and extra credit opportunities, but you don’t expect them to be perfect. Provide learning opportunities at home as well, such as trips to the library to check out books, family field trips to the park or zoo, and engaging in conversations around the dinner table. Don’t over schedule your children, so they don’t have time to do their homework. Provide an adequate amount of table space, good lighting and the supplies they need to complete their assignments. Be sure your students go to school each day well-rested and fed, and with a positive attitude Provide a home environment that is homework-friendly.
The Child Advocate, September 2013
Be a good role model for your
Let them see you reading, solving problems, and balancing your checkbook. Do your best in your job or your volunteer work. Describe to your children the pride you feel when you’ve accomplished a difficult task or feel good about work well done. children.
Provide boundaries. Kids
need structure and consistency in their lives. Household rules should aim at creating a home environment that is safe and respectful for every family member. Consequences for breaking family rules should be established ahead of time and enforced with love and never in anger. Finally, give encouragement. Children
respond to honest praise from their parents. Tell them when they have done a good job on their book report, when you are proud of their effort in figuring out a math problem, or when they shown responsibility and self-motivation. n
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Establishing Balance in After-School Activities
• Accept your children for who they are. Put aside your dreams of them being gifted students or talented athletes. If you try to make your child something that she is not, then life will be difficult for both you and your child. These efforts may prevent your child from trying new things due to fear of not living up to your perfectionist expectations. Celebrate each child’s unique traits. Look for gifts that may be overlooked by others—such as being a hard worker, resilient, compassionate or creative. Don’t compare your child’s talents with those of their siblings, neighbors or friends. • Take care of your own needs. If your entire life revolves around your children, not only will you be tired and cranky, your children will not learn to manage their own lives.
M any children and teens are so busy with extra-curricular activities that they are having dinner in the car going from one activity to the next, leaving them with no time to relax and talk about their day with their parents in the evening. The result of this harried lifestyle is stress, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, and a breakdown in communication and the family relationships that are so important to children and teens. Studies show an increase of stress-related ailments in students, including headaches, stomachaches, sleep disturbances, drug addiction, eating disorders and depression. Additionally, when students don’t get enough sleep, they are easily distracted and don’t perform their best in school. There has also been an increase in caffeinated beverages marketed towards younger students, and schools are seeing more incidents of cheating. How can we help our young people reclaim their lives? Following are a few tips to consider: • Don’t try to create a “superchild.” Find out what your child genuinely enjoys and sign your child up for that activity. Your child will be happier if you don’t make her take extracurricular lessons in things she doesn’t enjoy. If your child hasn’t found her passion yet, try one activity at a time until she finds what she loves. Remember that life is a journey to be enjoyed, not a race to the finish line! • Don’t feel guilty if your child’s friend is doing more activities than him. By doing less, you have the opportunity to lead a more relaxed lifestyle that lends itself to building good relationships, which is something that all children and teens truly desire. A more relaxed lifestyle will give you time to enjoy family activities, communicate your values with your children and teach them life skills, such as teaching your children how to cook, mow the lawn or change the oil on a car.
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• Watch your attitude. As parents we all want our children to feel loved and to belong, but avoid boasting about your children, cutting down other people’s children, or being critical of other families’ decisions. This approach only alienates your children from their peers. • Engage in activities as a family. Help out a neighbor or bring a dinner to someone who is alone. This not only builds bonds within your family, but it helps children realize that life isn’t all about them. Not everything they do has to be achievement-oriented. Sometimes the most important lessons involve doing something kind for another person without receiving recognition. • Do your best to schedule at least a few weekday evenings to all be home for a family dinner. Make the most of it by turning off the telephone and television during this special time. If your work schedule prevents you from having dinner together, then consider occasionally getting up a bit earlier to make pancakes and have a hearty breakfast together. • Find time each week to do something together as a family. Don’t wait until everyone has their homework done—instead intentionally carve out some time to watch a movie at home, bake cookies, go for a walk, visit a museum, go to the park, play a board game, volunteer at a church food bank or a community soup kitchen, watch the stars come out, or whatever interests your family. • Spend an hour every week doing household chores as a family. Kids need to learn to contribute to the family. It’s not only helpful in teaching responsibility, but it also helps kids learn valuable life skills. • If you can’t carve out time to spend together, then you probably need to cut back on the activities a bit. Time is a gift that you can never reclaim—seize the opportunity to enjoy your life together. n
a Washington State PTA parent involvement magazine
Helping Kids Adapt to a New School Year
T he beginning of the school year can be an anxious time for students as they anticipate a new teacher, a
higher level of coursework, and different classroom rules and procedures. This is especially difficult for students who have heard from older students that the teacher they were assigned is the “hard” teacher, or for students who have been placed in a different class than their friends. A dip in self-confidence or a drop in grades during a time of transition is not uncommon for children as they adapt to a new set of expectations. The most important thing parents can do to help their children adapt to the new school year is to try to keep things running smoothly at home. Develop a daily routine that includes breakfast, plenty of time to do homework, and a reasonable bedtime. If your mornings are hectic, then consider getting your children up earlier for a less stressful morning experience. Establish a positive attitude about your child’s teacher at home. Whether your child was assigned to the new teacher, the teacher who is rumored to be difficult, or the teacher that didn’t work so well for an older sibling, remain calm and encourage your child to find something he likes about his new teacher. Go over the classroom rules and expectations with your child to be sure he fully understands how things will be done this year. Resist the temptation to request that your child be transferred to a different teacher. This sends your child the wrong message--that her parents don’t have confidence in her ability to succeed with a certain teacher or without her friends in her class. Sometimes students experience more success when they are separated from some of their friends, and sometimes the teacher that didn’t work so well for an older sibling turns out to be the perfect fit for the younger child. Encourage your children to talk to you about their new teachers and classmates. When your child complains about the new teacher, encourage him to try to see the teacher’s perspective. An important life skill is learning how to get along with others. However, if your child continues to complain, try to gather as many details as possible about what is going on. Talk to other parents with children in the class so you can acquire a better picture. Don’t immediately take your child’s comments as the definitive truth on the matter, as he may be missing some vital piece of the picture. If the problem persists and seems to be interfering with your child’s success at school, make an appointment with your child’s teacher to see if you can learn something new about the situation. Listen as much as you talk and be sure not to go to the meeting angry. Openly discuss, without criticizing the teacher or her methods, what your child is feeling about the classroom situation. Before leaving the
The Child Advocate, September 2013
meeting, determine with the teacher, some resolution to the problem and an agreement to meet again to evaluate the outcome of this solution. Also be sure to thank the teacher for meeting with you. If there isn’t progress in the right direction towards solving the problem then take the problem to the principal, but make sure you remain calm and focused on the issue, not on any personality differences. Transitions to a new school • Provide encouragement--Students
can get easily discouraged when school seems harder, when the other kids seem smarter, or when they feel overwhelmed with the number of students at the school. • Get your children involved--Parents
can encourage their students to participate in extra-curricular activities or welcome them to invite new friends over after school. • Stay engaged as parents--Join
PTA or if your student’s new school doesn’t have a PTA, then contact your region director to inquire about forming one. Help out where you can at the school-in the classroom, on PTA committees, or in the school’s library or office. • Know the teachers--Email
your students’ teachers to introduce yourself. Make a point of meeting them when you see them at school. Let them know you are available and willing to help if needed. • Finally, communicate often with your kids about school--Take
advantage of the times of the day they are most open to talk—for example, while shopping, running errands, walking the dog, playing basketball, or at bedtime. n
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Back-to-School Safety: Keeping Kids Safe to and From School
T he beginning of the school year is always a good time to remind your children--even older ones--about rules to keep them safe to and from school. Whether your students walk to school, ride bicycles or ride the bus, there are specific safety rules they need to know. If your PTA is participating in the International Walk to School Day* on October 9, 2013, you can help distribute these valuable tips prior to this event to help keep the students in your school community safe. Pedestrian safety There should be safe walking routes already established by your children’s school. Make sure your students follow the safest route from your house to the school. If possible, coordinate the children on your block so they all walk together to and from school. It not only makes it more enjoyable for the kids, it makes it safer as well. Remind your children to always use crosswalks and to stop, look both directions, and listen for cars before crossing the street—even if they have a green light to walk. Instruct your student to make eye contact with drivers who are waiting at the intersection. If the driver seems distracted or doesn’t appear to be aware that there are pedestrians present, teach your children to be patient and make sure the driver sees them. Encourage your students to wear outer clothing that is bright or has reflective markings. This helps drivers see pedestrians on those gray, rainy days when there is limited visibility. Students should also be aware of their surroundings. They should never take shortcuts through alleys, parking lots or through the woods. Also encourage them to be cautious of vehicles, such as a van, that pull up and park on the street just ahead of where they are walking. Remind them not stop to talk to someone in a car that pulls to the side and asks for directions, asks for help looking for a puppy, or has any other requests. Explain that you are more concerned about their safety than appearing polite to strangers. Additionally, remind them not to get into anyone’s car, even someone they know, unless they check with you or unless the person can supply the parents’ pre-established secret “OK” passcode. Finally, all papers need to be securely placed in book bags or backpacks, so they don’t get blown onto the street and into the path of an approaching car. Bicycle safety If your children’s school permits students to ride their bikes to school, make sure your students know that they need to wear their helmets at all times when they are riding (not just when you are looking). In addition to wearing helmets, parents should establish other safety rules for their young bicyclists as well; such as: ride with traffic and take advantage of bicycle lanes or paths; know and obey the rules of the road; signal and look before turning; ride in single file lines when in a group;
wear appropriate clothing and footwear; don’t ride at night; don’t ‘stunt ride’ (let go of handlebars, ride too fast, ride with two people, and do other tricks); and don’t ride while listening with earphones. Finally, invest in a bike that is in good working order and purchase a good stowing system that will allow your students to strap their book bags to the back of the bicycles. This will allow them to keep both hands on the handlebars and will help prevent them from losing their balance while wearing a heavy backpack. School bus safety While waiting for the school bus, students should remember to arrive at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. Instruct them to stand well away from the curb while waiting. When the bus arrives, riders should form a single file line, without pushing. If a student drops her backpack or other item while getting on or off the bus, instruct the student to tell the bus driver, so he knows the student is retrieving that item. Once on board, students should find their seats quickly and keep the aisles clear. To exit the bus, students should be reminded to use the handrail and keep any loose straps (such as drawstrings, backpack straps) tucked in so they don’t get caught in the bus door when it closes. To cross the street in front of the bus, instruct students to walk far enough in front of the bus that they can see the driver as they cross. Finally, don’t over-estimate your children’s abilities to remember traffic safety rules. Your children will need to be reminded of these safety tips from time-to-time throughout the school year. n *Your school is invited to celebrate the 17th Walk to School Day on October 9, 2013. Registration is free and available for individuals and organizations holding an October event in the United States. Although Walk to School Day is focused more on walking and Bike to School Day (in May) is focused more on bicycling, both days welcome and encourage all forms of active transportation to school. Register your school at http://www. walkbiketoschool.org/.