With warmer weather finally here, many people are heading outdoors. If your outdoor plans include being around water, whether swimming, fishing, or boating, be sure to follow these top ten water safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You can find these and other information on how to be safe around … Continue reading Top 10 Water Safety Tips
Helping Your Child Improve Their Messy Handwriting
Children are expected to have messy handwriting when they’re starting out, but if your child is struggling with their handwriting skills when most of their classmates seem to have it mastered, it can harm their self-esteem and motivation to do well in school. If your child is struggling with handwriting, Understood has a couple of … Continue reading Helping Your Child Improve Their Messy Handwriting
Illinois PTA Policy on Fundraising and Alcohol
In response to an increasing number of questions from PTAs regarding fundraising and alcohol, the Illinois PTA State Board of Directors has adopted the following policy for local PTAs, PTA Councils, districts, regions, and the State Board of Directors. Like every PTA activity, fundraising should be conducted in alignment with our mission: to make every … Continue reading Illinois PTA Policy on Fundraising and Alcohol
Help with 5 Tough Questions About Teens, Alcohol, and Drugs
With marijuana legalization legislation pending in the General Assembly, families may need to have more discussions about its use. While the proposed legislation would legalize marijuana for those over 21, Illinois PTA continues to follow the bill regarding parts that may affect those under 21, including drug education requirements, protections to prevent sales to those … Continue reading Help with 5 Tough Questions About Teens, Alcohol, and Drugs
Is Your PTA a Clique?
Today’s guest post comes from Washington State PTA with some advice on how to avoid having your PTA seen as a clique. Sometimes, the reason more people don’t join your PTA is because they feel unwelcome. Whether warranted or not, your PTA may have a reputation as a clique. Overcoming this common issue can be … Continue reading Is Your PTA a Clique?
New Guide on Improving School Climate
We all want safe and supportive schools for our children, and a key part of providing that environment in s healthy school climate. Last month, the US Department of Education released a new guide to help parents and educators improve school climate. The guide is designed as a series of Frequently Asked Questions about school … Continue reading New Guide on Improving School Climate
Helping Your Child Get Organized
At times, parenthood feels like an endless battle against chaos. From messy rooms to backpacks stuffed with papers, our children sometimes appear to have never heard the words “neat” or “tidy.” When that chaos is resulting in missed assignments, forgotten lunches, and lost homework, it can be difficult to help them get organized. An article … Continue reading Helping Your Child Get Organized
A PTA President’s Guide to Being an Ex-
As the school year wraps up, many PTA presidents will soon be ex-PTA presidents. And while the job description for an ex-PTA president sounds simple—stop running the PTA—some PTA presidents struggle to do that, especially if they are still at the school where they were president. Here’s a handy guide to being a successful ex-PTA … Continue reading A PTA President’s Guide to Being an Ex-
Sun Safety
With the weather finally warming here in Illinois, families are spending more time outdoors. Today’s post on sun safety comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). It is also available in Spanish. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. Follow these recommendations to help protect … Continue reading Sun Safety
Building Your PTA Leadership Skills
Perhaps you’ve just been nominated or elected president of your PTA. Maybe you’re thinking about running for PTA president next year. Or maybe you’re headed into your second term and want to do things differently this year. However you’ve arrived at the position, being a PTA president will require you to develop your leadership skills. … Continue reading Building Your PTA Leadership Skills
8 Ways Teaching in Nature Improves Learning
We’ve shared the importance of kids being outdoors before, but new research from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign identifies eight ways that incorporating nature-based instruction into kids’ daily school activities promotes better learning. The researchers were skeptical that nature-based teaching would be more effective than traditional teaching methods, so they were surprised at the convincing … Continue reading 8 Ways Teaching in Nature Improves Learning
EncourageMe Program Helps Kids Develop Supportive Friendships
It’s not often that a Girl Scout Gold Award project receives national recognition, but that’s what is happening for Atlanta, GA Girl Scout Avery B. For her Gold Award (similar to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout rank), she created the EncourageMe program—a program designed to help teach older elementary school students about supportive friendships. The … Continue reading EncourageMe Program Helps Kids Develop Supportive Friendships
Earth Day 2019 Clean Up
During the month of April, Earth Day Network is helping to coordinate events to clean up green spaces, urban landscapes, and waterways. Your PTA can organize a clean up event for your school’s grounds or a nearby park, or you can join an existing clean up event. If doing your own event, don’t forget to … Continue reading Earth Day 2019 Clean Up
Are You a Rescuer or a Helper?
If you’re a PTA parent, chances are you are pretty involved in your child’s education. But how you get involved matters in your child’s ability to handle problems on their own once they head out into the world. The two main approaches are often described as Rescuers and Helpers. Rescuers Take responsibility for solving the … Continue reading Are You a Rescuer or a Helper?
6 Myths About Suicide
Suicide is once again in the headlines with the recent suicides of two Marjory Stoneman Douglas students who survived the mass shooting in Parkland, FL and the suicide of the parent of one of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Parents can play an important role in preventing suicide by directly asking … Continue reading 6 Myths About Suicide
School Wellness Policies—Is Your PTA at the Table?
Do you know if your school district has a school wellness policy, and if so, what’s in it and what the district is doing to implement it? If your district participates in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, they are required to develop such a plan and to permit parents to participate in … Continue reading School Wellness Policies—Is Your PTA at the Table?
That Google Doc May Not Be Your Kid’s Homework
Today’s teenagers aren’t passing notes in class any more—at least not physically. And while it looks like your kid is diligently working away at their homework, they may actually be chatting with friends. That’s because kids are now getting around the inability to have their phone out in class, the use of blocking software at … Continue reading That Google Doc May Not Be Your Kid’s Homework
Start Planning Your Teacher Appreciation Week Now
Next to their parents, teachers probably have the largest effect on the lives of children. Many of us can still remember a teacher who made a difference in our lives years ago. This year, Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10, 2019, and National PTA has created a toolkit to help PTAs celebrate their school’s teacher … Continue reading Start Planning Your Teacher Appreciation Week Now
Help Answering Your Kid’s Tough Questions
Every parent has dealt with tough questions from their child. And they often pop up unexpectedly—when you’re tucking them into bed or when that little voice pipes up from the back seat. National Public Radio (NPR) has partnered with Sesame Workshop’s child development experts to create a podcast called Parenting: Difficult Conversationsto help you answer … Continue reading Help Answering Your Kid’s Tough Questions
5 Tips to Get Your Volunteers to Follow Through
Running a PTA is not an easy job, and managing your volunteers effectively is one of the hardest parts. As a PTA leader, you can do everything you can to make your volunteering for your PTA a pleasant experienceand thank your volunteerswhen they’re done, and still sometimes struggle with that volunteer who doesn’t get the … Continue reading 5 Tips to Get Your Volunteers to Follow Through
One Voice Illinois 