Texas PTA Member Message 10.2012

Texas PTA October 2012 Member Message Message From The President It seems so hard to believe that it's October already. But the leaves are changing, and the temperatures are cooler. This brings a wonderful opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the autumn with your families. For many, it was so hot during the summer you couldn't spend much time outdoors. But now that fall has arrived, I hope you take advantage of getting outdoors and enjoying activities such as hiking, biking, walking, or just doing family chores together. When my sons were younger, we tried to get at least one get fall camping trip in before it would get too cold. We also spend at least one weekend, sometimes more, in the backyard cleaning up all the leaves that seem endless. While this may be considered a chore, it usually ends up being a fun and productive time together. And don't forget about fall safety. Layered clothing and staying hydrated are important. And when you're out trick-or-treating or enjoying a fall carnival, be sure to have costumes with reflective tape or light colors, stay together, and supervise everything. Enjoy this beautiful time of year with your family by spending time together!   PTA Membership 2012-2013 Membership for the 2011-2012 year expires October 14, 2012. Have you renewed your membership for 2012-2013? If so, you should have received one of the new membership cards with a brand new, modern design. To receive your member benefits and login information for the members' only sections of the National PTA and Texas PTA websites, please activate your new membership card through National PTA as described on the new card.    Quote "PTA is an opportunity for us as parents to play a key role in our child's education and support his/her school and administrators who outside of me as a parent, spend the most amount of time with my children." Gaye Lynn Rast China Spring Intermediate PTA Join Our Mailing List

Members Connect With Texas PTA! PTA Connection Day A Success!  PTAs throughout Texas were given the opportunity to connect with Texas PTA and PTAs throughout the state on our first ever PTA Connection Day. On September 20th, 1,044 PTAs called, texted, tweeted, posted on Facebook, or emailed their membership numbers. By the end of the evening 266,313 members were reported. An astounding and impressive amount indeed! You've heard the saying, "There is strength in numbers." Our membership (our numbers) is PTA's strength. This strength can be looked at in two ways. First, as fellow members of PTA, we are given the opportunity to work with each other for the benefit of all our children. Networking and collaborating are large parts of being a member of PTA. Connecting with each other enriches our lives and helps make us more productive. It gives us strength, so to speak, individually. Our membership numbers also give us strength collectively. The more members we have, the louder our voice in the legislative arena. When representatives of PTA meet with legislators and decision makers at the state level to voice their concerns, their message carries even more clout when they can say, "On behalf of the ½ million current members of Texas PTA, we want you to address this issue." That's a lot of constituents speaking to the legislators! Numbers matter. Numbers make a difference. Your PTA membership makes a difference! To learn more about PTA's legislative efforts, check out Texas PTA's legislative webpage.  Rally Day 2013 Rally Countdown - September 2012 to January 2013  90-minute Webinars are being offered October through January to prepare.  If you missed the first series, Getting Started, you can watch the recorded webinar athttp://www.txpta.org/events/rallyday/. The remaining webinars are: The Policy Issues, Tips for the Day, How to Find your Legislator Become informed about Texas PTA's legislative priorities, tips on how to prepare for a legislative meeting and how easy it is to identify your legislators to set up an appointment. November 7, 2012 - 10 am November 7, 2012 - 7:45 pm  November 8, 2012 - 10 am November 8, 2012 - 7:45 pm  Setting up and Conducting a Meeting with a Legislator Legislators are accountable to voters and PTA members. Learn how easy it is to meet with a legislator and why what you say and how you say it can make a huge difference for Texas students.  January 7, 2013 10 am  January 7, 2013 7:45 pm  January 9, 2013, 10 am  January 9, 2013 7:45 pm   Financial Facts The real working capital of a PTA lies in its members, not in its treasury. Although funds are necessary in order for a PTA to develop and implement its programs, the primary emphasis is focused upon the promotion of the Purposes, not upon fundraising. The PTA membership must authorize the expenditure of all funds and fundraisers by approving and amending the budget throughout the year. An approved budget must be in place at all times in order for expenditures to be made and fundraisers to be conducted. Without an approved budget,there is no authorization to expend funds or to conduct fundraisers. It is essential to have a budget in place at all times. Prescription Drug Abuse Is A Major Problem Amongst Our Youth http://my.drugfree.org/the-drug-guide It's crucial for us as parents to talk with our kids about the dangers of abusing medicine and to make sure that the medicines in our homes are secure at all times. The guide can help you learn the signs and symptoms commonly experienced by people abusing the three main types prescriptions drugs -- pain relievers, stimulants, and depressants. Educate yourself by looking at the medicine abuse drug guide now. It could be a lifesaver! Increasing Parent Involvement Webinar Friends of Texas Public Schools and Voss & Associates have teamed up to offer you this multimedia campaign. Join the conversation by visiting: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/join/815996922, Then, Join Meeting Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP). A headset is recommended.  Enter Meeting ID: 815-996-922   Or, call in using a landline: Dial +1 (510) 443-0604 Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting We all know that an increase in parent involvement will increase student achievement. We hope you will join us to learn how this campaign will help you spread the word to educators and parents alike through these professional, easy-to-use materials. Be There is a multi-media campaign designed for increasing parent involvement in public schools across the country.   4 Things You Can Do to Lower Your Insurance Premium Talk to your agent about these ways to save money and protect your car.  Brought to you by Nationwide Insurance®   Do you want to lower your auto insurance premiums right now? Of course you do! These hints can help you save. Be a good driver. The best way to keep rates low-and even get them lowered-is to avoid any tickets for moving violations, says Kalen Smith, a contributor to MoneyCrashers.com, a personal-finance site. Demonstrate responsibility by taking an approved defensive-driving class, which can lead to a discount on your insurance premium. "Drivers may pay as little as $20 a course," Smith says. Nationwide typically provides a defensive driver discount for mature drivers, and an Accident Free discount to all drivers ages 21 or older with at least five years of driving experience and no accidents or major violations in past five years. At least one driver on most Nationwide policies benefits from this discount.     Invest in safety. Do you deliberately buy vehicles that are ranked lowest on the "most stolen" list? Do you spend more for added safety features? All of this can result in lowered premiums. "Highlight all the safety advantages your vehicle offers for your insurance agent," Himmel says. "This includes air bags, anti-lock brakes, rear-view cameras and more."    Adjust your insurance package. If you can afford to spend a couple hundred dollars to repair damage from a minor accident, consider raising your deductible to $1,000 and purchasing Deductible Savings features like Vanishing Deductible and Total Loss Deductible Waiver. Also, if you have homeowners and life insurance scattered among different companies, look to move everything to Nationwide to take advantage of bundled discounts. And take advantage of Nationwide's EasyPay, a monthly recurring Electronic Funds Transfer from your checking or savings account. Nationwide waives monthly processing fees for full pay and Easy Pay customers. In addition, Nationwide has an existing relationship with Texas PTA. Learn more  about exclusive auto insurance discounts for members.

CAR WASH SCHEDULED FOR 10.06.12 CANCELED

UPDATED 10.03.12  - DUE TO PENDING INCLEMENT WEATHER THE CAR WASH HAS BEEN CANCELED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER TIME!

DEBIDO AL MAL TIEMPO QUE SE ESPERA EL LAVADO DE AUTOS ESTA CANCELADO Y SERA REPROGRAMMADO EN OTRO MOMENTO!

To Support Wildcat Football and Cheerleading 

End-of-Season Party

Saturday, October 6

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

South Hills Elementary Teachers’ Parking Lot

Suggested donation per car wash: $5 to $10.

Encourage family and friends to come out, get a car wash and support our team!
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Para Apoyar el equipo de fútbol de los Wildcat y Porristas 

En sus fiestas del final de la temporada

Sábado, 06 de octubre

10 a.m.-2 p.m.

En el Estacionamiento de nuestra escuela

Donación sugerida por lavado de autos: $ 5 a $ 10.

Anime a sus familiares y amigos para salir, conseguir un lavado de autos y apoyar a nuestro equipo!

WILDCATS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

CHECK OUT THIS SEASON'S WILDCAT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: Football Schedule 2012

Car Wash

To Support Wildcat Football and Cheerleading 

End-of-Season Party

Saturday, October 6

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

South Hills Elementary Teachers’ Parking Lot

Suggested donation per car wash: $5 to $10.

Encourage family and friends to come out, get a car wash and support our team!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Para Apoyar el equipo de fútbol de los Wildcat y Porristas 

En sus fiestas del final de la temporada

Sábado, 06 de octubre

10 a.m.-2 p.m.

En el Estacionamiento de nuestra escuela

Donación sugerida por lavado de autos: $ 5 a $ 10.

Anime a sus familiares y amigos para salir, conseguir un lavado de autos y apoyar a nuestro equipo!

Get your School T-Shirts!!

(t-shirt shown Item#8400 $7.95- 100% pre-shrunk cotton, we have 4 different designs!)

3 Ways to Order!

1. Phone - (800) 854-4452
2. Online - spiritandpride.com (enter School ID #192333) 

3. School - Use the envelope sent home with your child or 

print one from the website.

Please remember LAST day to turn in your order form is 

Friday Sept. 28th, 2012. 

Limited Offer so please place your order now!

Don't forget to fill out the form for your free school shirt 

that was included in the envelope and turn it in by Friday Sept. 28th.

Thank you for shopping, sharing, and SHOWING your WILDCAT PRIDE!

School Spirit Yard Signs for Sale!!

SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT, SHOW YOUR SCHOOL PRIDE! 

LET EVERYONE KNOW YOU ARE A PART OF SOUTH HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! 

Show your school spirit with our NEW durable, one-sided 18"x 24" plastic Spirit Yard Sign with galvanized steel H-stake. These Spirit Yard Signs are durable and all-weather resistant.  Spirit Yard Signs are a great way to show off your Wildcat pride! 

These will be available at our next PTA Meeting Tuesday, September 25, 2012. The cost is $10 each.  There are a limited amount on hand so get them while they're hot!

Your purchases help raise funds for our school so please come and show your support!

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MUESTRE SU ESPÍRITU ESCOLAR, MUESTRE SU ORGULLO DE LA ESCUELA! 

QUE TODOS SEPAN QUE SON PARTE DE SOUTH HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! 

Muestre su espíritu escolar con nuestro nuevo cartel de patio durable, con el imagen de un solo lado de 18" x 24". Estos carteles son resistentes y duraderos para cualquier tipo de clima.  El cartel escolar es una gran manera de mostrar su orgullo de los Wildcat!

Estos estarán disponibles en la próxima reunión del PTA Martes, 25 de septiembre 2012. El costo es de $ 10 cada uno. Hay una cantidad limitada a la mano así es que haga su compra mientras están calientes!

Sus compras ayudan a recaudar fondos para nuestra escuela así que por favor vengan y muestren su apoyo!

Back-to-PTA Handbook 2012 - Online Issue

The latest issue of Our Children (National PTA) is now online. 

http://www.ptaourchildren.org/ourchildren/20120809?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Takes_Action_Update___September_2012&utm_medium=email#pg1