Hot Off the Press!!!
By · CommentsIt is official. We are officially ECCC PTA, now known as East Cobb County Council (from Eastern Cobb County Council). We received our confirmation from Georgia PTA approving our Bylaw amendment.
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Our General Meeting is being held in conjunction with our Margie Hatfield Scholarship Presentation, Tuesday, March 30th, 9:30 am at the East Cobb Middle School Auditorium. Please notify all 4 Delegates (your PTA representatives) so they can plan to attend to not only celebrate our Scholarship Winners but also participate in our ECCC PTA Elections. (We moved the time to 9:30am since Middle School starts school at 9:15am, therefore you can avoid the influx before school starts.) The ECCC PTA Nominating Committee Slate of Officers are:
Co-President Abby Shiffman East Cobb Middle
Co-President Irene Barton East Side Elementary
Co-Vice President Pamela Kent Keheley Elementary
Co-Vice President Stephanie Daniels Garrison Mill Elementary
Secretary Lynne Cherrington Mountain View Elementary
Treasurer Laurie Rashidi-Yazd Dodgen Middle
Presented to the ECCC PTA BOD, Tuesday, March 16 by the Nominating Committee
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!
Once your Officers are elected, please make sure your Secretary enters the information for each Officer on the Georgia PTA Website under Local Unit Toolkit and submit the new officer names and contact information to Heather Rees at secretary@ecccpta.org. They must also enter in all Chairs when they are appointed.
By now all Local Units' nominating committees should be working diligently to get a Slate of Officers and your General Meetings should be sceduled at a time where ALL PTA/PTSA Members can attend. Please let us know when your meeting is scheduled so we can have someone from ECCC PTA attend and also if you would like one of us to install your Incoming Officers it would be our pleasure!
Enjoy the warming trend and have a great week!
Amie Fann & Abby Shiffman, Co-Presidents
ECCC PTA, 2009-2010
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COUNCIL EVENTS/NEWS:
COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR:sponsored by ECCC PTA, THIS Sunday, March 21, 2-5pm at the Mountain View Community Center/Mountain View Elementary School. You should have received a poster through the County Mail system. Please place that poster somewhere on your campus for all to see!! Attached is the updated flyer as well.
HEROES: Honoring Our Heroes Essay Winners/Reception is upcoming Tuesday, March 23, 6:30-8:30pm at Mabry Middle. Please see attached Invite.
LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY: Please see the attached "Bills to Watch". This will help notifying your PTA Communities about Bills that will especially impact the BUDGET CRISIS our school system is facing! Put this info in your E-blasts/newsletters/etc.
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SCHOOL EVENTS:
WHEELER HS Sr. Projects: It’s time to mark your calendar for Wheeler High School ’s Spring 2009 Senior Boards. Many of you have so willingly served as judges for this special night before, and Wheeler is so very thankful. Without your commitment and participation Wheeler’s Senior Project would not be possible. The Wheeler students and staff continue to be overwhelmed by your generous support.
Thursday night, April 23, 2009,is the day to mark on your calendar. Dinner will be served by Wheeler faculty and students beginning at 4:45 PM in the Wheeler Media Center. We ask that you wear professional business attire as our students are required to dress for business when they make their presentations. At 5:30 PM there is a brief training session prior to judging at 6:00 PM . The evening will conclude by 9:00 PM.
As most of you know this effort requires 150-180 community volunteers to make up the 35 panels that evaluate presentations. Each panel will hear oral presentations from five or six different seniors with each presentation lasting between eight and ten minutes. The Senior Project is an established academic program in hundreds of high schools across America . Among its special features is public participation. This is a direct personal service of critical value to Wheeler seniors, to Wheeler High School , and your East Cobb community. Here you step from the role of passive consumer of the education system into the role of participant in the success of Wheeler and its students. If you have friends, co-workers, or neighbors interested in serving, please forward this email so they can sign up. All are welcome. More information about Senior Project can be found on the Wheeler website at www.wheelerhigh.com.
ACTION NEEDED: Please respond to this email indicating your willingness to judge on Thursday, April 23, 2009 from 4:45 to 9:00 pm .
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on April 23, 2009.
Faye Oakley Patty Morgan
Community Judge Coordinator Senior Project Coordinator
Faye.Oakley@cobbk12.org
wheelerseniorproject@yahoo.com
JJ Daniell Middle: SpringFest 2010, featuring our inaugural 5K Race & 1 Mile Fun, taking place Saturday, April 24th at 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM. In addition to Honorary Attendees State Representative Don Parson and Miss Cobb County 2010 Casy Walker, there will be entertainment, a Healthcare & Community Business Expo, an Arts & Crafts Marketplace, and much more! This grew to be more than just a Fun Run and by the way things are falling into place, it will be a great community event. MORE INFORMATION ATTACHED!!
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News from the 9th District:
Outstanding Local Units awards – The state deadline has passed but the 9th District will still accept your reports if you would still like to participate. Please send a copy to Patty Yohn, 4698 Balley Shannon Drive , Mableton , GA 30126 . The District will be giving awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the categories ES 750 and below, ES 751 and above, Middle School and High School.
National Standards for Family School Partnership Awards – New this year but VERY IMPORTANT - The deadline for these will be April 13th. Local units and councils can write a brief report 150 words or less about how they are currently implementing any or all of the National Standards for Family School Partnerships. Local units and councils will be given awards Gold, Silver and Bronze based on their performance against the standard rather than each other. This will give us a chance to recognize more of the great work our PTA’s are doing. In addition the Best Ideas garnered from these reports will be included in a brochure that is distributed to all of our local units.
Due to the short turn around time these reports must be submitted electronically. Please send them to Patty Yohn at pattyyohn@bellsouth.net. Council Presidents – we will need you to assist by encouraging your local units to participate in these easy to complete Standards reports. The best ideas generated will help all of us to strengthen our programs going forward. Please see attached form and distribute to your local units.
Election of officers:The election of new officers is a very important process and one that sometimes does not bring out the best in people. Please review the Quick Tips for Conducting and Election and share this information with your local units. Being informed and educated on the topic will help to prevent many common mistakes and misunderstandings.
Transitioning: The transition to new leadership in the spring is one of the most important things we do during the year. Please follow the link below for information regarding successful transitions.
Quick Tips for Successful Transition from Outgoing to Incoming officers – A Presidents Guide
The BIG Transition
GEORGIA PTA:
Convention Leadership Training Is Your Road to Success…
When: June 25-26, 2010
Where: Georgia International Convention Center, College Park
Delegate Hotel: New Spring Hill Suites at the GICC, Phone – 770.907.8880
Basic Registration Fee and Parking: $85.00 per person
Complete Registration Package: Includes registration, parking, Friday and Saturday lunch, and Banquet dinner – $150.00
More information coming soon.
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CCSD:Next Public Budget Forum To Be Held March 23 at Campbell H.S.
The Board of Education is hosting a series of public forums regarding budget development. The next forum will be Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. at Campbell High School. The forum will be a general information session to help the public understand the budget development process and the challenges created by the economy. Additional forums will be announced as the FY2011 budget development process continues throughout spring.
Superintendent Delivers State of the School District Report
Superintendent Fred Sanderson delivered the 2010 State of the School System address during the March 10 work session of the Cobb County Board of Education.
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3/25/2010 CCSD Board Meeting |
Find all info at www.cobbk12.org
County:
The East Cobb Civic Association March general meeting is at 7:00 PM, Wednesday, March 31at the East Cobb Public Library in Parkaire mall at 4880 Lower Roswell RD, Marietta.
The speaker is Bob Ott, Cobb County Commissioner, District 2. The Commissioner will talk about activities impacting East Cobb and the county at large, and will take questions from attendees
TAKE ACTION!
By · CommentsPTA
Takes
Action
Advocating for every child
Georgia PTA’s weekly update on legislative activity – Mar. 15, 2010
Welcome to the weekly reporting of legislative activity for the 2010 session. The General Assembly is scheduled to reach Crossover Day, the 30th day, on Mar. 25th. Any bill that has not passed out of one chamber to the other, or ‘crossed over’ as it is called, is considered dead for the rest of the legislative session. The language of a bill may still be appended to another bill (as long as it pertains to the same area of Georgia Code) so it becomes very important to watch for substitute language now as bills move.
The revenue numbers for February were released recently and they don’t look positive. As a result of the continuing declining dollars, the Governor revised his FY 10 and FY 11 budgets. The remaining ARRA dollars have been moved from the FY 11 budget to fill the over $300 million hole in the FY 10 budget. That means the estimates for revenue in FY 11 were reduced by over $300 million. Education’s budget continues to shrink. One well founded rumor is that the 2010-11 school year will be funded only for 170 schools days, not the 180 required by law, and teacher work days will be limited to 4, not the 10 as required. That would save nearly $600 million, on the backs of school children. The local boards of education could continue for 180 days, with their own revenues, like the property tax, which means they will take the heat for raising taxes, but the General Assembly will not.
Common Core State Standard Initiative (CCSSI)
The draft of the Common Core State Standards has been released. This initiative, lead by the National Governors Association and the Chief Council of State School Officers, is designed to create common standards across the states. They are internationally benchmarked and are intended to prepare students to be college and career ready. In an increasingly mobile society it is critical that a student’s education does not suffer because the child moves from one state to another. The goal is to have every state voluntarily adopt these standards so that what a child learns in Massachusetts is the same as what the child learns in Georgia. These standards will establish what students need to learn, but they will not dictate how teachers should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to help students reach the standards.
GA PTA supports this voluntary state initiative and encourages its members to read more about it. The standards themselves are open for review and public input is welcome and encouraged. Public comment will be accepted until April 2. Please forward this information to other parents and to the teachers in your school so they, too, can learn more about this initiative. The standards can be found at www.corestandards.org.
Legislation to Watch
Every week we will report on legislation that we believe is critical to you. In the next week we anticipate that there will be many committee hearings as legislators try to push bills so they can ‘cross over’. Legislation passed at the Capitol will have a big impact on your child, your school, your community and you. If PTA has an official position it will be shown next to the bill number. Please note, if PTA has an established position, a local unit cannot take an opposing position.
HB 1097: Establishes a school calendar start date not before the third Monday in August. This removes the local board of education’s ability to set the date that best meets the needs and wishes of the local community. Voted down in House Education committee.
HB 927: Anti-bullying: Expands the definition of ‘bullying’ to include electronic bullying that physically harms a person or damages the property of another, has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s education, creates an intimidating or threatening education environment, or substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school. DOE is required to develop a model policy and make it available on the department’s web site for use by local school systems. SUPPORT Tabled on House floor. Please contact your legislator by Mar. 22 and ask them to support this bill.
SB 319, Money appropriated for 'textbooks’ can also be used to purchase computer hardware and software. PASSED Senate and House Science and Tech committee
HB 1100: Eliminates the CRCT in grades 1 and 2. The SBOE can waive any required test if insufficient funds are appropriated. PASSED House Education Committee
HB 1121: Tampering with state test answer sheets shall be a misdemeanor such as copy a test booklet, make answer keys available, give inappropriate guidance to students taking the test. Superintendents and principals are included if they fail to follow testing procedures established by the state. The penalty is up to a $1000 fine and/or 30 days in jail and is in addition to any other process currently in law, such as loss of certification by the Professional Standards Commission. The governor’s recommendation. PASSED House Judiciary Non Civil
HB 1130: Class sizes can be increased until 2013 by the following:
• K-5 can be exceeded by one student
• 6-12 can be exceeded by two students
• State Board of Education may authorize up to one additional student per class upon requests by a local school board.
A 30 notice and a public hearing must be held by the local school board. The state board may ask for performance measures in exchange for the additional class size authority such as higher graduation rates, SAT or ACT performance, CRCT or EOCT score increases. Also removes expenditure controls on QBE programs and the 20 additional instructional day program. PASSED House Education Committee
SB 360: Use of a cell phone or texting while driving for those age 18 and under will get points added to their drivers licenses. Exceptions are in an emergency, reporting or averting a crime, public safety personnel and public utility service folk. Fine is $500. PASSED Senate Public Safety
SB 308: OPPOSE If one possessed a concealed weapons permit, one may carry it anywhere except a college dorm and a school building. Shifts issuance of weapons permits to the Secretary of State rather than the local probate judge. Current law also forbids guns at school functions and within the 1000 ft school safety zone around a school. PASSED Senate Special Judiciary
Key: HR- House Resolution, HB – House Bill, SR– Senate Resolution, SB– Senate Bill
Karen Hallacy Reporting
GA PTA, 2nd Vice-President
Honoring Our Heroes Council Cover Packet
By · CommentsPlease use the form in the link below to submit your local unit winning entries to the Council Level recognition. ECCC PTA will take submittals up to Monday, March 1, 2010. The form indicates where to submit packets.
Honoring Our Heroes 2010 – ECCC PTA Packet Cover
Honoring Our Heroes Essay Contest 2010
Parent to Parent Program
By · CommentsSign your school up to participate in "Parent to Parent", a prevention program that empowers parents to raises healthy, responsible kids in our increasingly toxic culture. Created by Bill Oliver, a former Walton parent after his daughter got involved in drugs, Parent to Parent has reached over 3 million parents in 18 years.
A small group of parents (20 or less) watch a DVD presentation and hold discussions with a trained facilitator for 4 weekly sessions. Some of the topics discussed will be putting yourself in the way of our toxic culture; signs and symptoms of a healthy and unhealthy child; children are not adults and why schools cannot raise children; 11 ways to raise a toxic child; managing the internet; and drugs and alcohol.
The ECCC and Cobb County Prevention Intervention Center are offering the program to East Cobb PTA’s free of charge (including the parent facilitator). Materials are $16 per parent/couple and include a book and set of CD’s to keep. The program is also offered in Spanish, but an English/Spanish interpreter is needed.
For more information and how to bring the program to your school, contact Stephanie Holden at involvement@ecccpta.org
Click here to find out more on why Parent to Parent is important and what our children face in today's culture. *** Please note that the content is for adults only.
Celebrate Earth Day – April 22, 2010!
By · CommentsThis April 22 will mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and it's a great opportunity for your Environmental Education Committee and/or Club to lead the way for your school community. Here are a few program ideas, and I would love to hear other events that are out there. Earth Day will fall during the CRCT testing period, so events will need to be coordinated with your school's administration team and may need to be held on alternative days. Check out http://www.earthday.net/earthday2010 for some big picture info.
Shredding Event
Bob Karlinski from Shred2Go is a Cobb County parent and business owner who continues to support the community. Check out the flyer on a shred program for nonprofits. Bob's contact information is included.
Grounds Clean Up (School or nearby location)
The Great American Clean Up will begin March 1, so organizing a clean up/beautification event on your school grounds or at a nearby location will be a double dip! Keep Cobb Beautiful has grants available and the next application deadline is Wednesday, February 10, 2010. Check out http://kcb.cobbcountyga.gov/schoolprograms.htm for more info. Your PTA or EEC could donate a tree or flowering shrub to the school grounds.
River Clean Up (Probably more suitable for older students)
There are several websites that offer coordination of clean up activities:
- Rivers Alive: http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/aascd/RiversAlive/ra_cleanups.asp
- Upper Chattahoochee RiverKeeper: http://www.chattahoochee.org/cleanups.php
- Sierra Club – Centennial Group http://georgia.sierraclub.org/centennial/Clean_Water.htm
Reusable bags, Water bottles and other eco-items for sales
Combine with education to your school family on why these items make sense (plastics don't degrade, reducing waste, use of petroleum and energy to keep producing disposable). On a side note – I just finished "Bottlemania" by Elizabeth Royte – defintely worth the read.
Gale McTiernan, GJM Promotions, Koru Fundraising.com 404 202-5433
Kim Zemmali, icare Bags http://www.icarebags.com/ 404-271-5506Note: ECCC PTA is not endorsing these companies – just providing information.)
Seeds for Change
Click here to see flyer for information on seed cards. Can be a joint project with your Health & Nutrition Committee. The cards come grouped in a set of four, one for each season. The wholesale price is $8 a set, and schools are free to set their own price and margin. If you purchase enough quantity to cause the cost of production to go down, then the Mendez Foundation will extend the savings and lower the wholesale price even further. If anyone is interested in doing a bulk order so we can take advantage of this, please let me know your desired amount by January 25. Seth Freedman's contact info is 404-734-7144 and his email is sfreedman@mendezfoundation.org.
Nature Hike
A low-key event for elementary-age students. Make "bracelets" of masking tape and have students collect leaves, berries, buts, seeds, etc. from the outdoors. It's amazing what can be found on a playground!
Daily Events
Waste-free Lunch day, Walk and/or Ride the Bus to school day, wear green day, calculate your carbon footprint are events that you can sponsor each day of the week. Art show with recycled materials (Mt Bethel ES does a fantastic job with this in conjunction with America Recycles Day).
As you can see, there are lots of opportunities for your school to show your support of this important milestone and provide some education to your school family about the important role each of us play in safekeeping our natural environment. If you need additional contact information or have an idea that the rest of us can benefit from, please don't keep it to yourself!
