Office Manager

Cathy Lilja

Phone 301-460-0224

Fax 301-460-0225

Visit our web site

www. us.net/mccpta

Welcome PTA leaders and MCCPTA Delegates to the 2005-06 school year! It is with great anticipation that I look forward to working with you, and for you, over the coming months. We have a strong foundation upon which to build yet we also face unique challenges this year. For the first time this year—and thanks in significant measure to our collective advocacy—elementary schools are seeing a reduction in class size and 93 schools have all day Kindergarten. At the same time, our communities are confronting the implications of gang violence; asking difficult questions about how to meaningfully address the academic achievement gap; and continuing to press for effective middle school reform and rigorous high school expectations across the board among many other issues. Your efforts and contributions are needed now more than ever! On behalf of the 140,000 students who began school this year, please let me thank you for your hard work and efforts! Working as a team, we can make this a productive year of advocacy on behalf of all our children.

Just as our children began back to school, children in New Orleans faced tremendous and almost unimaginable loss. It is with great pride that I recognize and thank the myriad local PTAs who looked for and found ways to reach out to help. For those who have sought to raise funds to support the victims of Katrina, we urge you to be mindful of the restrictions and special procedures which must be followed to protect your PTA's charitable, non-profit status. Our interim Treasurer, Juan Johnson, stands ready to help you with any questions regarding charitable contributions and distribution of funds. (NOTE: We will also post guidelines being developed by the National PTA as soon as they are available).

As you begin the hard work of advocating for the children in your local schools, please remember that MCCPTA is here to help and support you. If you have specific issues that you require assistance, please contact the committee chair that represents your area of concern. If you are not sure who to contact for help, do not hesitate to contact your cluster coordinator or any of the MCCPTA executive officers. We will be happy to direct you to the right person to help you. You will find attached a list of the executive officers, committee chairs, area vice presidents and cluster coordinators including their contact information. It is also imperative that you submit your local school “Blue Book” directory information to our office so that we can finalize and disseminate our directory to facilitate your work. Please also look in this packet for information about how to sign up for MCCPTA’s electronic Bulletin so that you can receive announcements electronically. We had a request over the summer for a “mentoring” program for new delegates. Please contact me to let me know if this would be of interest.

To our MCCPTA Delegates, remember that you receive your authority from your local PTA to represent the local community’s interest. Your role is vital. We rely upon you to bring forward issues and

concerns which your local community thinks may have broader implication at the county level. Delegates are entitled to introduce proposed resolutions to better support delegates, we will be sponsoring a workshop on October 1, 2005 geared specifically to addressing questions you may have about how to bring issues of concern to the organization for action. (See the flyer attached) You are also our link for sharing the work of MCCPTA with your local communities. We rely on you to communicate MCCPTA’s agenda and proposed actions through your local PTA meetings, PTA newsletter, electronic lists and any other PTA tools for full discussion and input.

This first mailing is full of important information for all PTA presidents and delegates. Please read through our packet carefully. You will find information that will help prepare you for our first delegate’s assembly on Tuesday September 27, 2005. Please give special attention to the attached Advocacy Agenda. One of our first pieces of business together is to examine and refine the advocacy priorities which will guide and inform our work. We are presenting you issues of common concern raised by local PTAs throughout the county for your consideration and input.

In addition, at the September 27 Delegate Assembly we will be presenting for your information, discussion and possible action the following items worked on by the MCCPTA Executive Board during the months since our last Delegate Assembly:

· Resolution on PTA directories

· Resolution on a Policy FAA (Long Range Facilities Planning) workgroup

· Resolution on adding a May Delegates assembly

· Status of the MCCPTA bylaws update

· Status of our Interim Treasurer who was appointed when the elected Treasurer stepped down

Please note that the draft copies of the minutes from the last delegate assembly in April are available on our website and will be available in hard copy at the Delegate Assembly for approval.

I look forward to meeting each of you at the first Delegates assembly on September 27 – please be sure that your school is represented at every delegates assembly this year. Please remember to come early and meet this year’s committee chairs at our Committee Fair which begins prior to our Delegates assembly. Refreshments included! We want to work cooperatively with all of you and look forward to an exciting and productive year of advocacy for all of our children!

Cindy Kerr