Board of Directors
State Office
Committee Lists
MPTSA Calendar
Message
from National
Support: The Stuff We're
Made Of
We often point to all the tangible benefits of membership as reasons to join, and stay with, PTA®. There certainly are quite a few of them: from 501(c)3 status to insurance to the huge number of online and print resources available―free―for parents and leaders and anyone else who wants to support the education and health of children. But training, tax exemptions, and Take Your Family to School Week Awards have never been the real reason why people joined PTA. Read more...
Field Service
There are always those people in every organization, whether it is your school, your church, or any civic organization, that without their dedication, spirit, and enthusiasm, that group really couldn’t flourish. Read more...
Volunteer Opportunity
Message from Michigan PTSA President Mary DeYoung-Smith
Thanks to all of you who called, wrote, e-mailed, and faxed your state legislators and told them not to cut funding to public education during the recent budget talks in Michigan. We need to continue talking to our state representatives and senators regarding the issues that are important to us. Thank you for being a part of this mission. Our future depends on you.
Let your legislators know that you are working so that every child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential, and that you expect them to do the same. Every PTA needs a Legislative Chair to assist with these efforts. There is a great Advocacy toolkit on National PTA’s website for you to use. Visit pta.org/advocacy for more information.
Read more...
News & Events
Smoke on
the Grill...
Dearborn – The annual Smoke on the Grill was held from 4pm-7pm on Thursday, October 1st at Ford Field Park. Read more about recent events...
Scholarship Opportunity
The Fran Anderson Michigan PTSA Scholarship provides an opportunity for PTSA members that are high school seniors to receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first year of college. Application deadline is January 15, 2010 – visit www.michiganpta.org for additional information.
Upcoming Events
Save the Date!
MPTSA 92nd Annual Convention
Friday, April 23 - Sunday, April 25, 2010 at the Troy Marriott in Troy, Michigan. Visit www.michiganpta.org for additional information.
Welcome to
Our New PTAs!
- Farmington Central High School PTSA, Farmington Hills
- Oak Park Preparatory Academy, Oak Park
- Oakland Early College PTSA, Farmington Hills
- Zilwaukee International Study School PTSA, Saginaw
Did you know...
Through consistent hard work, sometimes after years of perseverance, the dreams became reality. PTA was instrumental in the passage of important laws and guidelines that we sometimes take for granted today, such as:
- Building kindergarten classes into the public schools
- Enforcing child labor laws
- Supplying federally funded hot lunch programs
- Creating a separate juvenile justice system
- Mandatory immunization
Welcome to Our New 2009-2010 School District Members!
- Rochester Community Schools
Insurance Tips
…compliments of Association Management Insurance
- Know what is covered under your policy. Many PTAs think that everything is covered under their insurance policy. That makes for an uncomfortable situation when a claim comes up and coverage is not provided. Know what you’re covered for and plan activities that are covered under your liability policy.
- Make sure to put money in the bank ASAP. Money has a way of disappearing when it’s at someone’s home or in someone’s car. By depositing the money in the bank, you are protecting your funds against mysterious disappearance.
Learn more:
Embezzlement –Getting Past the Trust Factor
Programs –
Parent Involvement
Get Involved!
Get Results!
The National Standards for Parent Involvement have been revised and updated for "Today's Parents". Presentations are now available for your PTA and are conducted by presenters trained by National PTA.
Topics include:
- Communicating
- Parenting
- Student Learning
- Volunteering
- Partnering with the School
- Collaborating with the Community
We can present one or more – whatever your PTA would like!
For information or to schedule a presentation, please contact Barbara Blanchard at
Barbjblan@aol.com.
Membership
Connecting all Families through PTA Membership
One of the key PTA values is inclusivity. We value and seek input from as wide a spectrum of viewpoints and experiences as possible. With communities all across the nation growing more diverse, the concepts of inclusion and diversity become even more relevant and important to PTA's mission.
PTA speaks on behalf of all children. As a parent and PTA leader, you can promote this mission by embracing diversity and inclusion and promoting these values in your school and PTA. When we promote diversity, we are striving to include and realize the potential of everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, marital status, socio-economic status, employment status, experience, language, religion, ability, age and sexual orientation. PTA can improve cultural competency by making diversity and inclusivity of membership a priority.
Membership is year-round. Now that your initial membership push is likely over, take a second look and see where you can reach out and connect with families and other groups that have not always felt like they belong or can contribute to PTA. Look at your current membership pool. Read more...
Legislative/Children's Advocacy
Budget Time
Since the beginning of October school funding in Michigan has been cut three times! Thanks to all of you who took the time to call or write their Legislators to express your outrage. Keep it up. The voices of parents are being heard on this issue through Michigan PTSA. The bad news is that although we were able to mitigate what could have been a huge per student cut, we still will be cut at least $295 per student, more in some districts. (Many efforts are being made as I write this to reduce the cut, but in the end, I predict, it will be substantial.) In addition, if the sales tax revenues continue to come in at the lower rate than the budget originally estimated, we could be faced with additional cuts later in the year. Read more...
Michigan PTA - 3300 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 220 - Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Email: director@michiganpta.org - Website: www.michiganpta.org - Phone: (734) 975-9500