PTSA Outreach

Connecting and Supporting One Another!

   Hello Dear Parents!

   Welcome to the PTSA Outreach page.

   You're exactly where you should be :).

   Are you curious about what outreach means?

   Outreach is, first and foremost, a commitment to creating an inviting atmosphere. It's about building respectful, trusting relationships throughout the school community and recognizing the value in each person.

   Outreach involves sharing and disseminating essential information about the PTA and matters of concern that inform and inspire action.

   Outreach should be a top priority for all of us. The better PTSA members and leaders can establish positive one-on-one relationships with all community members, the greater our ability to create positive impacts for all children, the school community, and the association.

   Outreach efforts succeed when PTSA leaders can garner community support through meaningful two-way discussions focused on student success.

   Outreach encompasses endeavors that aim to engage parents, students, and community members in the educational process and establish collaborative relationships that bring about positive change.

***What Outreach PTSA wants to Do:

•  Form an outreach committee with members representing the school and community.
•  Survey school and community members through questionnaires, phone calls, or door-to-door visits. Discover what types of activities interest different segments of the community and identify potential barriers to their involvement, such as language barriers, transportation issues, or scheduling conflicts. Understand what involvement means to those surveyed.
•  Develop an outreach plan based on survey findings.
• Set realistic goals. What do you want to achieve?
• Create activities that appeal to students, single-parent families, working parents, grandparents, senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, non-English speakers, people from diverse cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds, as well as community business leaders.
• Offer translations and interpreters.

*** What is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

   The terms DE&I have become buzzwords in many organizations and communities, but there are many ways to define them. A common definition helps ensure we are starting off at the same place and are able to measure efforts in a consistent way.

• Diversity
  National PTA defines diversity as:
  Diversity is a representation of and respect for, people from different backgrounds and identities—including but not limited to race, culture, religion, socio-economic status, age, geographic area, sexual orientation and gender identification, language, learning style, and physical appearance. It also involves bringing different ideas, perspectives, lived experiences, talents, values, and worldviews to the table to represent the broad variety of children, caregivers, educators, and communities within the PTA family.
  Click here for additional definitions of diversity

• Equity
  National PTA defines equity as:
  Equity provides fairness in resources, opportunities, and outcomes so that all communities get what they need to be engaged and successful. This moves beyond an “equal across the board” approach to:
  1. Recognize and address bias and privilege.
  2. Understand and attend to specific individual and community needs, providing additional resources to those with greater needs.

• Inclusion
  National PTA defines inclusion as:
  Inclusion is actions, behaviors, and social norms that ensure all people feel they are safe, welcomed, and that they belong. This means putting diversity into action with skill and intentionality to ensure everyone feels respected, supported, and valued—and can fully participate with equal voice and right to be heard. This includes actively seeking out voices that have been traditionally underrepresented and/or marginalized.

*** What is Advocacy?

1. Definition of advocacy: the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal: the act or process of advocating 

   Other universal definitions of advocacy include:
   • Public support for a cause
   • Speaking in favor of something
   • Being a champion for something

   PTA advocacy can be explained in four words: speaking up for children. 

   Advocacy takes place every day, from the legislative level down to individual conversations PTA members have at their school. Examples of PTA legislative advocacy at the national level through the years include universal Kindergarten, hot lunches, and seatbelt laws. At the state level, we have supported newborn screening, daily recess in elementary school, and a ban on texting while driving. All of these things have a direct or indirect impact on the health, safety, and education of our children. But, advocacy is much more than that.

   Advocacy is…

   - helping a child find their voice when they are afraid to tell their teacher that a child in their class is bothering them.- helping a child find the right words to ask their teacher about something they don’t understand in class.- finding a translator to speak to a confused and afraid non-English speaking parent who shows up at a PTA event because she isn’t sure where else to go to find help for her child.- working with a school district to update communications to make sure they are providing the best and more clear message to parents.- speaking up as a minority parent voice in a group of state education leaders, letting them know how their policies are impacting children.- mobilizing parents across the state or the nation to provide a unified voice to legislators about what’s important to our kids.

   These are all examples of PTA advocacy that has taken place in Alachua County.YOU are an advocate. We are all advocates. Our voices are important. We are creating change. Never forget the impact you are having on children as a PTA advocate! 

*** What is Sustainability:

   The National PTA has worked to secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth. Over the years, the National PTA has recognized the growing importance of environmental issues and the impact they have on the health and welfare of children and their families. PTA members have a responsibility to promote environmental health and safety and to help protect our world’s finite natural resources.

   National PTA recognizes the scientific consensus surrounding climate change and the impact of human activities. Children represent a particularly vulnerable group already suffering disproportionately from both direct and indirect adverse health effects of anthropogenic global warming.

National PTA urges its members at all levels to monitor, support, and advocate for laws, regulations, and programs that:

• Promote environmental education programs in pre-Kindergarten through higher education including educating students on climate and energy literacy and human sustainability.
• Make schools carbon-neutral and energy-efficient models.
• Eliminate environmental pollutants and prevent new hazards.
• Protect children from health risks by testing for specific hazards in and around homes and schools and, if hazards are found, by limiting exposure and addressing remedies.
• Use protection and management strategies that take into account the geographic, economic, ethnic, cultural, and other societal factors that influence the incidence, exposure, and effects of environmental health hazards.
• Require comprehensive right-to-know and public information provisions in environmental laws and policies.
• Encourage the use of renewable, sustainable energy and technologies, as well as environmentally healthy land-use policies to reduce greenhouse gases and manage hazards to minimize further health problems.
• Promote “reduce, reuse, and recycle” policies and support incentives for pollution prevention and natural resource conservation activities.
• Improve the quality of our physical environment by securing and monitoring the enforcement of stricter health and safety standards for contaminants and pollutants.
• Minimize the production of hazardous waste, and enforce strict compliance with rules that require the safe transportation, storage, management, and disposal of hazardous waste.
• Support research and data collection about environmental hazards and health risks.
• Reduce man-made contributions to climate change and mitigate their impact on children’s health.

*** Who is the Room Parent:

   A room parent’s main task is to facilitate communication between other parents and the teacher, the school parent group, and occasionally school administration.

   This can vary widely from class to class, teacher to teacher, and sometimes even district to district. For the most part, as a room parent, you’ll solicit donations (paper goods, snacks, decorations, etc.) from parents for classroom parties and events (usually based on a list from the teacher), collect money for teacher gifts during holidays and Teacher Appreciation Week in May, organize volunteers for the classroom for events or enrichment, and other tasks as decided by the teacher.

   Also, some room parents act as liaisons for their school’s PTSA, attending parent group meetings and, potentially, helping generate support or interest in parent group efforts. (For example, room parents can help the PTSA promote an event by reminding their parents of an upcoming program or fundraiser.)

*** What is a Parent Ambassador:

   A parent ambassador is a parent or adult who has a child at your school who helps you spread the word about your school to their friends, neighbors, and community.

   However, these parents are more than just your biggest fans.

   An effective parent ambassador is trained, focused, and works in coordination with your school as a part of an intentional marketing strategy.

   Think of your parent ambassadors as your boots-on-the-ground marketing team. They are out in the community — at the soccer games, the swim meets, the grocery stores, the local park or playground — talking to other parents about their experience in your school.

    Now, would you like to join us and volunteer to help create a better environment for our children?

You can find the list of CHAIR POSITIONS below in the chart. Chair positions are not elected positions, they are filled by volunteers.

 If you are interested in one of the chair positions below, please contact VP Outreach to discuss your interests: outreach@audubonptsa.org.

   We look forward to welcoming you and, as outreach members, putting smiles on your faces :-).

  Zahra Eslami

  VP Outreach