 GREETINGS PTA FAMILY, Happy May!! I hope that this communication finds you and your families staying healthy and safe and doing well. Wow, what a past couple of months it has been!! We have journeyed through some difficult, challenging and unprecedented times and the days ahead will continue to be difficult and challenging but there is light at the end of this “tunnel” - HOPE!! As of now, National PTA and NCPTA have suspended all activities. Our Reflections Celebration was cancelled but we were able to highlight the winners from each category on our Facebook page. We also cancelled our Night of Stars, which was our volunteer recognition, as well as, our elections for our officers for 2020-2021. We will be in touch with you in the coming weeks to determine how we will proceed. **If you are interested in volunteering with the council, please send us an email and let us know what you are interested in. THANK YOU!! We are so pleased that many of our units have been providing support to our numerous communities here in Wake County. This speaks highly of the commitment and dedication of our volunteers to be of service to others in the time of need. So again, THANK YOU!! We are trying to stay connected with the national PTA and the NCPTA to ensure that we share the most important information to you all. The council has been holding monthly meetings via conference call and encourage you guys to do the same. We are here for you!! Reach out to us!! Please take care of yourselves and your families and stay safe Our year started strong and amazing and although it has been totally interrupted we can still finish PTA STRONG! Every child. One voice Advocating for all, Kassandra L. Watson TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEKTeacher Appreciation will definitely not look the same this year, but that doesn't mean PTAs across the country won't try to show their teachers some love. Teachers are working harder than ever to adjust lessons and keep kids engaged. We have received a lot of questions about gift cards for teachers. Here are some guidelines from the NCPTA. Please be aware of WCPSS policy regarding gifts: "School system employees shall not accept any gifts except token gifts of insubstantial value. School system employees shall not accept any gift, reward, gratuity, or other compensation from any manufacturer, merchant, dealer, publisher, or author for the purpose of influencing or recommending to the school system or any school the use of a seller’s goods, wares, merchandise, materials, supplies, services, or equipment." WCPSS has created the following: We encourage everyone to join in by using #WCPSSThankATeacher and tagging @WCPSSTeam when giving a shout out to a favorite teacher or to all teachers. Use the following resources to recognize your favorite teachers next week:
National PTA has a partnership with Office Depot to recognize teachers: We LOVE Teachers!Get emoji-tional with us and #ThankATeacher during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8, 2020! Teachers change the lives of millions of children every day—their immense work and impact moves us beyond words, so we need emojis to say how we feel. And with the abrupt end to the physical school year, our teachers have done even more to continue education with virtual classrooms and learning at home lessons. All to ensure every student has the tools they need to reach their full potential. How You Can #ThankATeacher Get creative! And post how you honor your teachers using #ThankATeacher. We love seeing all the awesome ways you celebrate the “T” in PTA!
Download our Teacher Appreciation Week Toolkit. It’s easy to #ThankATeacher! Use our thank-you cards, certificates, flyers, web ads and social media graphics. Download all of the toolkit materials quickly and easily with the following two zip files. Download All (English) Download All (Spanish)  If you have a rising kindergarten student, and have not yet registered, you might have questions. All information can be found on this WCPSS site https://www.wcpss.net/site/Default.aspx?PageID=33753. The following enrollment process will allow families to enroll while school buildings are closed due to COVID-19. You will start by completing the online enrollment form as outlined below, then await instructions from your child’s base school about how to complete the enrollment process. These forms can be found via the WCPSS link above. Families who are not able to complete the online process should contact their base school’s data manager, whom can be found on the school website staff directory. A school representative will contact you by telephone to assist with completing the online enrollment process. Once schools re-open, you will be asked to submit hard copies of all required documents at your child’s school. Prior to schools re-opening, some parents may be required to bring documents in person, using safe distancing guidelines. Families will be contacted to schedule an appointment should this be necessary.   NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness  Depression is the most common mental health problem for women, and women experience depression at twice the rate of men. During National Women’s Health week, learn the facts and encourage the women in your life to make their mental health a priority. http://bit.ly/1WQhZXC  E-Cigerettes and Vaping Concerned about the dangers of vaping and impacts of nicotine and other substances used in vaping products on adolescents? Check out the How to Talk to With Your Kids about Vaping Guide from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Still have more questions and concerns? Contact the WCPTA Health and Wellness Committee at healthandwellness@wakepta.org to schedule a program for your PTA. SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands 5 May 2019 Washing our hands properly is one the most important things we can do to stop the spread of germs. Check out these handwashing videos from the Poe Center for Health Education. ENGLISH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xITIASd4CG8&feature=youtu.be SPANISH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcMSvqlIxig&feature=youtu.be National Physical Fitness and Sports Month  Children who have eat dinner with their families are less likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Check out this great Baked Apple French Toast recipe from ChopChop Family. ENGLISH: BAKED APPLE FRENCH TOAST https://www.chopchopfamily.org/recipe/baked-apple-french-toast/ SPANISH: PAN FRANCÉS CON MANZANA HORNEADOhttps://www.chopchopfamily.org/recipe/pan-frances-con-manzana-horneado/  Congratulations to 2019-2020 Look Within National PTA Reflections winners from Wake County!These national award recipients were chosen from nearly 1,000 student submissions. Of these submissions, 211 students were selected from 40 State PTA Congresses for national-level recognition. Awards of Excellence
 Guidelines for the Election of Officers and Officer Terms
The State Office has received numerous questions regarding officer elections and terms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As you know, on April 20, 2020, the NCPTA Board of Directors approved amendments to the Local Unit and Council Uniform PTA Bylaws to address the international COVID-19 pandemic allowing meeting by teleconference, in the event of an emergency; such as natural disaster, war, or epidemic. The amendments clearly state ways for the membership to meet while circumstances such as a pandemic prevents your general membership from physically meeting. We hope the information provided in this notice will help clarify procedures concerning the election of officers and how your unit can proceed. Elections: The Uniform Bylaws state that local units and councils are to hold elections of officers at the last general membership meeting of the year. The Board of Directors of the local units and councils, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the board members in office, has the authority to change the date of a regular scheduled general membership meeting. If your unit decides to have elections by teleconference before the end of the fiscal year, your unit must comply with the procedures outlined in the NCPTA State Emergency Virtual Meeting Policy. The policy address participation guidelines, quorum, motions, roll-call vote process and more. If your unit decides, the last general membership meeting of the fiscal year could be postponed and the elections of officers could take place at such time when gathering limits are relaxed or wait till school resumes in the fall. A delay in elections will cause officers to hold the position past the designated term, but that possibility is provided for in your bylaws (or until his/her successor is elected). Officer Terms: In regards to the current year’s term; even though schools are closed, the PTA is still considered active and so are the officers’ terms. The term of office in the Uniform Bylaws has not been amended. The term for officers remains a one-year term with the opportunity to serve two consecutive terms in the same office. Therefore, each officer terms ends on June 30 or when his/her successor is elected. What happens when the nominating committee asks for members to serve as officers for the upcoming year and there is no interest and also no nominations from the floor during the election? The position would be considered vacant, and the current officers may stay in their positions until their successors are elected. If officers do remain in office past their term, the Nominating Committee needs to continue to actively look for their replacements. |
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