By Bekki Livingston, President

This school year is going by so fast!  Your Council PTA is busy at work.  We are evaluating another successful Parenting Conference that was held in February and are already planning to make it even better for next year.  We are in the final stages of preparing for Advocacy Day.  This year we are hosting our legislators at the Crow Canyon Country Club rather than loading onto buses for the trip to Sacramento.  This annual event is presented in partnership with the Las Trampas Creek Council of PTAs.  I hope to see many of you there.  Please check our website often as new programs and community events are continually updated for your convenience.

If I have heard it once, I have heard it many times in the past two weeks – PTA is not your mother’s bake sale of the previous generations.  With the emergence of Education Funds/Foundations, PTAs need only raise enough money to run their budgets for programs and events.  PTA’s primary purpose is twofold: to be a communicator of information and to advocate for children.  We do this through various committees and programs.  Our Special Needs Committee continues to provide information and resources for our entire community.  In fact our Special Needs Committee has just completed assembling Ability Awareness Kits.  Our Health & Safety Committee continues to coordinate with district staff regarding school safety, emergency supplies, and is once again delving into wellness, including nutrition and exercise.  We have seen more energy around “green” committees and recycling.  Our Inclusion and Diversity Committee continues to find ways to encourage and build respect for and tolerance of differences within our schools.

PTA has changed over the years.  We have stayed relevant and vital in our efforts to improve the quality of education for our students.  We remain proud of our work on behalf of children and families, both locally and nationally.

It is election time for our PTA boards. I am excited about the continuing leaders, the new leaders and the emerging leaders at our school sites.  It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”  Thank you all for making our school district one of the best.

By Kelly Kaplan, Vice President of Legislative Advocacy

Register by Tuesday, March 20 to attend our 32^nd Annual PTA Advocacy Day on Friday, March 23, from 9:00am to 2:30 pm at Crow Canyon Country Club in Danville.   If you have ever wondered why school districts are in a “perpetual state of crisis”, PTA Advocacy Day is for you!  We’ll learn about the challenges facing public education today from experts on the California budget at the state and local level.  Our Keynote Speaker, Jonathan Kaplan of the California Budget Project, will summarize the effects the state budget and trigger cuts have had on every day citizens.    Bill Clark, Associate Superintendent of Business and Administrative services for Contra Costa County Office of Education will put the effects of the tightening budget in real, local terms.  The highlight of the event is the Legislator Panel, where we will host a Q&A session with our local legislators: Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (15^th District); Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, (11^th District); Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (14^th District) and State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (7^th District).  In the “Breakout Sessions” after lunch, we’ll explore a specific topic in more depth from a choice of four sessions: 

• California School Finance 101- Provides an overview of California school funding. The way California funds public education is vastly different than elsewhere; a timeline will be used to illustrate the past 40 years as a result of lawsuits, legislative action, and the initiative process.
• Mobilizing Your Community– Whether an issue is statewide or local, many voices (and hands) make a difference in resolving it successfully. This session will provide you with a practical advocacy template and award-winning strategies for engaging others and taking effective steps toward change.
• Understanding Special Needs Funding- An overview of special education funding at the school district level will be provided including resources provided from both the state and federal level that flows through the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). The history of special education funding in California will be highlighted along with a summary of the current fiscal issues facing the State.
• The Digital Classroom- Explore what it means to transition our present day classrooms to rich, interactive, and personalized digital learning environments that address each student’s unique learning needs; appropriate to their learning interests, styles, and aptitudes.

The cost of the event is $55.  Registration is now open at PTA Advocacy Day Registration  or visit San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs Legislative Advocacy Day Information Site to learn more about the event. 

Other Legislative News: The California State PTA has joined forces with the Advancement Project on a state-wide initiative for the November 2012 ballot titled Our Children, Our Future.  If approved by the voters, the initiative would provide approximately $1,300 per student (K-12) in new funds each year for 12 years that must be spent directly at school sites with local parent and educator input.  The California State PTA is organizing a grassroots effort to collect signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot.  This effort is currently being “rolled out” to local PTA leaders.  For more information, feel free to contact your PTA Unit Legislative Representative, your PTA Legislative Advocacy Representative or contact our Legislative email at SRVLegAdvo@gmail.com.

By Kristin Chen, Special Needs Committee Chair

Have you started to plan what your children will do during their long summer break this year?  Have you run out of ideas, but would rather not have your kids play video games all day long?  If so, please mark your calendars for the Summer Programs Resource Fairon March 28!  This event will be held from 7-9 PM in the MPR at Iron Horse Middle School (12601 Alcosta Blvd., San Ramon), and is sponsored by the SRVUSD Community Advisory Committee and the PTA Special Needs Committee.  Many local providers of camps and activities for children with special needs will be in attendance, and this is a great opportunity to meet the providers face-to-face and learn about their programs.  Please check the Special Needs Committee web page for up-to-date information on vendors, and register to attend today!  Registration ensures enough vendor handouts.

Also, please attend Understanding Special Needs Funding, a workshop featuring SRVUSD Special Education Directors Karen Heilbronner and Linda Rowley-Thom.  This workshop is part of PTA’s Advocacy Day, held on March 23 at Crow Canyon Country Club.  In addition to this special workshop, you’ll be able to learn about the challenges facing education from experts on the California budget at the state and local level. For more information and to register, please visit http://srvcpta-ca.schoolloop.com/AdvocacyDay.

By Jean Maguire, Sister School Program Chair

Our Sister School representatives have been busy with many events.

Los Cerros Middle School held a bake sale, selling treats made by their students and staff, to raise money to buy bus passes for students at their Sister School, Riverview Middle School in Bay Point.  They also organized a coat drive and collected over 250 coats and jackets from the Los Cerros community to donate to Riverview.

Greenbrook Elementary also collected warm coats for their Sister School, Ford Elementary in Richmond. Earlier in the year, Greenbrook collected much needed school supplies for Ford, helping them to start off the school year better prepared. They also had a Pajama, Socks and Underwear drive. Greenbrook students were asked to bring the cozy clothing to their movie night.

Iron Horse Middle School shared the holiday spirit with their Sister School, Riverside Elementary in Richmond.  Students at Iron Horse collected enough toys so that each child at Riverside would have a gift. A group of students helped deliver the toys, along with a treat of cookies and milk for each class at Riverside.

Thanks to all our wonderful Sister School representatives who do so much throughout the year and thanks to all our generous students and parents for their support.

Remember, the STAR testing snack drive is coming up at many schools.  If your school is collecting healthy snacks for their Sister School students, please consider making a donation. It will be greatly appreciated.

By Heidi Emerson, Membership Chair

Membership campaigns should remain a constant effort throughout the year.   Two of our units took a leap and participated in the "Jump Into January" Challenge.  Please join me in CONGRATULATING Walt Disney PTA and Country Club Elementary PTA for taking the challenge to jumpstart 2012 with a midyear membership campaign.  Both units will receive a certificate, be recognized on the CAPTA website and in any applicable CAPTA publications, and best of all - at PTA Convention.

In addition, we had two units complete the "Teachers Matter-Now More Than Ever" Membership Challenge.  Walt Disney PTA and Live Oak Elementary PTA both completed the challenge by securing 100% of their credentialed teachers to become PTA members.  Each unit will receive a letter of congratulations from CAPTA with an individual convention code--good for one online registration for PTA Convention in Anaheim, May 9th-12th!  They will also be honored with a "Teachers Matter" convention ribbon.  CONGRATULATIONS for all of your hard work!

Our Membership Challenge doesn't stop here.  All of our units still have the opportunity to accept the challenge........

IN THE FINAL LAP

Membership is coming into the home stretch, the final lap! Help your PTA keep up the pace by finishing off your membership yearlong campaign with one more push! Cross the finish line with more members than last year!

+ 24

When all units add 24 members, California State PTA = One Million Members!

100% Connected!

When membership = school enrollment Your PTA is 100% connected!

* The final deadline for these challenges is June 30, 2012. Award certificates for units will be sent out during the summer.

A 5th grade student was one of more than ten students from John Baldwin Elementary School who participated in the recent SRVUSD Technology Symposium. These students were part of a breakout session at the Symposium that educated participants about how applications like iMovie are being used in elementary schools to engage students in digital learning. More than 300 people attended the Symposium at Dougherty Valley High School, where the district also unveiled a three-year initiative to increase the number of students benefitting from a learning environment supported through a 1:1 laptop or digital tablet environment.

SRVEF’s 3^rd Annual Read-A-Thon:  Read with SRVEF

Thank you to everyone who helped make theSan Ramon Valley Education Foundation’s third annual Read-A-Thon:  Read with SRVEF such a great event.  We appreciate all who supported, participated and helped out with the read-a-thon.  We hope everyone enjoyed the program and had fun reading! The Awards Ceremony honoring the top students and schools/librarians/teachers will be held in April.  More details and the results will be posted on our website www.srvef.org/read.

Night with the Stars – May 1^st, 2012

Join us to celebrate San Ramon Valley Education Foundation’s 30^th Anniversary “A Night with the Stars” Annual Dinner on May 1, 2012.  It will be a night of honoring the “STARS” who have dedicated so much to our community.  The event will be held at 6pm on May 1^st at Diablo Country Club and will benefit our Major Gifts and Endowment Fund. Bill and Carol Dunkle will be our Honorees of the Year based on their long history of outstanding contributions to the success of our School District.

More information will be posted on our website www.srvef.org.

To purchase tickets online, visit http://nightwiththestars.eventbrite.com

Form your own Relay For Life (RFL) team in honor or memory of someone who has battled cancer! RFL is a fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. It is a way to CELEBRATE cancer survivors (please register and be present). It is also a time to REMEMBER those we have lost to cancer during the luminaria ceremony. And, it is a time to FIGHT BACK by raising much needed funds (used for research, education, and services) and awareness.

San Ramon @ Cal High, June 23 - 24

Visit www.relayforlife.org/sanramoncato register your team and for more information. Questions: contact Isabel Lau, team recruitment chair, isalau@aol.com

Danville @ San Ramon Valley High, July 28-29

Visit www.relayforlife.org/danvillecato register your team and for more

Information. Questions: contact Lori Garcia, team recruitment chair, DanvilleRelayForLife@gmail.com