4.2 – weekly email

Spring Break is almost upon us and we know many of you are heading out of town….If you can please get out the information that we are including now, if you haven't already, it would be beneficial to all. Important information about a survey the school board wants parents to fill out to get their input regarding cuts our system is facing is included. We do not know how much we will have to cut yet, that will depend on the final budget that passes the State Legislature. The Board wants our input, so it is important we give it. The link is below with information in the CCSD section.
 
We had our General Meeting this past week at the East Cobb MS Theatre, where we had the pleasure of presenting our Margie Hatfield Scholarship winners. Thank you to the ECMS PTSA for hosting. We are proud to announce our winners to those of you who were unable to attend:
    Bryant M – Kell High
    Hannah B – Lassiter High
    Kylie A – Pope High
    Robert B – Sprayberry High
    Catherine C – Walton High
    Pranay U – Wheeler High
 
Please remember to invite your State Legislators to programs at your school. Let them see the great programs you are providing to your students. We have to keep Education in the forefront of their minds! Let them get to know who you are so when issues arise they can put a name with the person who is calling them.
 
Please mark your calendars for District 9 General Meeting, which our Council is hosting, Tuesday, April 27th at Sprayberry High School. There will be a Vendor Fair 5:30pm-7pm with the Sign In & Registration 6-7pm and District Conference and Award Assembly 7-8:30pm. Again, we are the Host Council, so please make sure you attend. We want to have a good showing! This is open to all PTA Members so put it in your e-blasts, announce it in your newsletters. Please look for more information to come.
 
School of Information is a Training for your newly Elected Officers. Make sure your Incoming Officers have May 11, 9-Noon, Crossview Baptist Church on their calendar. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT ALL NEW OFFICERS ATTEND THIS TRAINING!
 
ECCC Officers elected for the 2010-2011 school year are:
Co-Presidents: Abby Shiffman & Irene Barton
Co-Vice Presidents: Pamela Kent & Stephanie Daniels
Secretary: Lynne Cherrington
Treasurer: Laurie Rashidi-Yazd
 
Have a safe & restful spring break!
 
Amie Fann & Abby Shiffman, Co-Presidents
ECCC PTA, 2009-2010
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Honoring Our Heroes: Thanks everyone for all their efforts with the Heroes Essay Contest.
We had 50 winners representing 19 schools and hundreds of people at the Heroes Reception at Mabry Middle School. Certificates will be sent through County Mail right after Spring Break.
 
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YOUTH SERVICES:
***In a time when feature films have brought insight to such major issues as global warming and health care, a major full-length documentary brings to the forefront a growing problem that is responsible for more than 1,700 deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries each year… alcohol misuse and hazing on college campuses.
The “soul” of the film is the story of Gordie Bailey who lost his life in a hazing incident as an 18-year-old freshman. “Gordie’s death was preventable,” says his mother, Leslie Lanahan. “It happened in an environment unknown to many parents and high school students. By shedding light on this environment we hope for parents to have an opportunity to discuss important issues about college life with their children before sending them away from home.
The motion picture is titled “HAZE” and Walton High School PTSA will be presenting this feature film on Tuesday, April 13 in the Walton Media Center starting at 7PM.   We encourage all parents to attend and start the conversation before they start drinking.   http://www.gordie.org/Education/Haze-the-Movie.aspx

*** "TRANSITIONS" Growing up is a roller coaster with extreme ups and downs.  One day a child may be cooperative, neat and quiet.  And the next, they may be just opposite.  Parents must be aware that adolescence is a time of intense development as children move from the helplessness of infancy and childhood to the independence of adulthood.  GA PTA and Ridgeview Institute will be conducting a parenting awareness program titled "The Transition Year" – moving from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school and high school to college.  Each child is unique and may development quite differently from his or her peers.  Growing up is stressful, and often children feel they cannot share the burden with anyone other than young people like themselves who are prey to the shame stresses.  You are invited to attend the workshop at Ridgeview Institute on Wednesday, April 21 from 10:00 – 11:30 to assist you as a parent to understand these transition years and find helpful tips to make these transition years manageable for you, your child and your family. See attached flyer.

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LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY:
Please keep up to date on what is happening down at the Capitol by reading the daily reports on our Capitol Watch section of the Georgia PTA website. http://www.ciclt.net/sn/new/n_main.aspx?ClientCode=gapta   or go to www.georgiapta.org and click on Capitol Watch under Programs & Services on the left column.

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REFLECTIONS: All certificates rec'd from Georgia PTA were distibuted to those schools who attended our General Meeting. If your school did not have a representative then your stuff was sent through County Mail. Congratulations to all. The updated list of who won what place at State is available on our website www.ecccpta.org !

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CCSD: VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!
 
Please pass this along to all in your local units and post on your website. It is VERY important that we have input into the process on the current budget crisis. This will affect all of our children!

Board Seeks Input On Budget

The Cobb County Board of Education is seeking input from stakeholders on the Fiscal Year 2011 budget currently under development. Due to cuts in state funding and declining local property tax collections, the school district is facing a projected financial shortfall of $137 million. To balance the budget, the school board will consider extreme measures to reduce expenses. The online survey provides an opportunity for Cobb County School District stakeholders to indicate their priorities, and offer input and suggestions. The information submitted by stakeholders will play an important role as the Board of Education prepares to approve a new budget on June 9, 2010. The survey will remain open through April 19, 2010 and can be accessed here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D9HGX8F

You can also watch a film about how to understand the budget, also accessible on  the CCSD website at www.cobbk12.org