• Plan a Founders' Day celebration
• Social media theme kit for February: Family Engagement
• Apply for a Jan Harp Domene Diversity Award
• Attend the Feb. 23 School Smarts webinar
• Student board members needed
• School reopening guidance
• What's new in the Resource Library? Democracy and legislation learning materials

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Founders’ Day, which officially falls on February 17, is one of the most important days of the PTA year. We encourage you to set aside some time in the month of February to celebrate it. Why? Because so many of the parents at our school sites don’t truly understand what the PTA does. Through movies and media we have become a stereotyped group of bake sale moms – but we are so much more than that!

Sharing our legacy of advocacy, the good that has been done, and the things we have yet to do, will help your families become more invested in your programs. Perhaps it will even inspire members in your community to join your PTA!

There are so many ways to celebrate Founders’ Day. You could post on your social media accounts about some of the great advocacy work PTA has done, you could give Honorary Service Awards, or you could pass the hat for a freewill offering to help continue the mission of the PTA.

Our website has lots of ideas on fun ways to celebrate, as well as graphics, fliers, and videos you can use. Click here to see all our Founder's Day resources.

PTA's monthly Social Media Theme Kits are a toolbox of images and text that you can copy and use on your unit/council/district's social media accounts.

For February, the theme is Family Engagement!

In California, with the creation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) authentic family engagement in schools is now acknowledged as vital for school improvement and student achievement.

Click here to view the February kit, which consists of a series of sample posts and downloadable images for all the major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, plus a fun Zoom background.

Many of our local units, councils, and districts have been working on various diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. If you would like an opportunity to share the good work that your PTA is currently doing and get recognition for it, consider applying for National PTA's Jan Harp Domene Diversity and Inclusion Award. The purpose of this award is to “recognize PTAs that are dedicated to the needs of all families represented in their schools. The contest acknowledges PTAs that develop practices that are inclusive and equal for all families and that result in positive change.”

The deadline to apply is March 14th, 2021, and all diversity and inclusion efforts must be from the previous calendar year (2020). If you’re interested, click here for more information and the application.

The School Smarts Parent Engagement program prepares parents to step up, speak out, and support their childrens' academic careers.

Learn more about bringing the new virtual School Smarts program to your school by attending our informational webinar on February 23 at 4:00 pm.

Click here to register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcodeChpj8rE9XA_prRIrm0qiMASh7LGezg.

California State PTA is now accepting applications for students to serve on our state Board of Managers for the 2021-22 school year!

Students are valuable members of the board. As full voting members, they share their perspectives on current issues, voice their concerns and provide insights during the meetings they attend. Their volunteer service board provides them with an opportunity to further develop leadership skills within the framework and organizational structure of the California State PTA.

For eligibility and application information, click here. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2021.

As COVID-19 rates drop and more and more people get vaccinated, schools are starting to make moves toward resuming in-person instruction.

We want to remind you that California State PTA put together a helpful document called “School Reopening Principles” which we encourage local PTAs and school districts to adhere to during important conversations regarding school reopening.

These principles are based on our organizational goals and purposes, input from our local leaders and from our parent listening sessions last summer, our longstanding educational and legislative stances, and the most current information from reliable educational and health agencies.

To read the document in its entirety, click here.

The Resource Library has lots of great new content for February. Check out these items and activities that support learning about constitutional rights, democracy and advocacy.

• The Power of Democracy: This initiative from the California Courts aims to help improve civic learning, revitalize democracy and promote access to justice in California.

• The Legislative Analyst's Office: Learn about what's going on with the state budget, and understand the public policy principles behind California budget legislation.

• Books Matter: Children's Literature, from the Anti-Defamation League: This searchable database of children’s literature suggests books for all ages that address issues of identity, bias and bullying. Featured books come with discussion guides for teachers and parents.

• The Equity 8 – California’s Key Legislative Principles Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, from The Education Trust–West: Learn about the eight key proposals that have the potential to advance educational equity and justice for California’s students and educators during the pandemic.

If you've never used the Resource Library before, why not give it a try? It's chock full of at-home learning activities, videos and documents that support the Next Generation Science Standards – and a whole lot more!

And the Resource Library is easy to use – the search function can help you quickly find what you need by keyword, category, topic, audience type, grade level, and language. Click here to browse.