The end of the calendar year is often recognized as an opportunity to reflect back on all of your Personal and Local Unit success for the year.  It is also a great time for everyone to assess where you are as a group.  Grab a coffee or hot chocolate, and as a Board, look back on the goals your unit established at the start of the school year.

·         Begin with the positive!  What has worked well as a Board?  Enhancing what is strong will only bring more success.  Then you can take a more progressive look at what did not work well.  Maybe the program was tailored in such a way that by placing a leader with a different skill set, it would be launched into success.  Maybe personalities are clashing.  Did your unit have a few bumps in the road at the start of the  year?

·          Be sure and evaluate it! Come up with plans and ideas of
how you would do things differently next year.  We all know that ignoring
problems only makes them bigger, but this brainstorming exercise should be a safe place to throw out some fresh perspective, and an opportunity to change the way you have done business in the past.

·         Start your New Year off right!  I found this great quote on goals "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." (Carl Bard)
What better way to establish a goal then to ask your members!  There
are many ways to survey your members; you can send one home through kid mail, at a General Membership Meeting,  or you can email a link to an online survey (Survey Monkey is free and really easy to use!).  Creating attractive incentives to getting a response is one way to get them back in.
Everybody has a few minutes to give feedback, so you want to be sure that you carefully evaluate what important information you are trying to capture in the survey with quick and direct questions.  What do you want to know?  What kind of information are you trying to capture as a Board?  Results can play a key role in identifying strengths, areas to improve, or even where organization improvements can be made.    Be ready to respond to the information you collect in your surveys, and always thank your members for taking the time to participate.  Use the data collected in your decision making as you establish or enhance the goals for your Unit.  And as always have fun doing it! Please feel free to share with your
Local Units.

by Virginia Muniz
Region 7 Director
Washington State PTA

Believe it or not, some leaders don't feel we need to Outreach to our
communities. Here are 5 reasons I feel so strongly that we do:
 
Reason #5
The reality of our nation and the world is that we are becoming more and more diverse. And K-12 enrollment has mirrored this diversity.

Reason #4
Since 2000, Washington's minority populations have grown rapidly - our
Hispanic population has increased by 71%, our Asian population has increased by 49%, and those identifying themselves as Multi-Racial have increased by 41%.
 
Reason #3
WSPTA's Outreach is focused on serving those who have differences in age, culture, economic status, educational background, ethnicity, gender geographic location, legal status, marital status, mental ability, national origin, organizational position, parental status, physical ability political philosophy, race, religion, sexual orientation and work experience.

Reason #2
One of WSPTA's objective is "Increase, retain and diversify our
membership".
 
Reason #1
National PTA's mission is "To make every child's potential a reality by
engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children". We cannot accomplish our mission if we are not reaching EVERY family!
 
 
JMarie Johnson-Kola
Outreach Director
Washington State PTA

National Standards for Family-School Partnerships  

•Standard 1:
Welcoming all  families into the school community—Families are active participants in the life of the  school,  and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to school staff, and to  what students are learning and doing in class. 

•Standard 2:
Communicating  effectively—Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way, meaningful communication about student learning. 

•Standard 3:
Supporting  student success—Families and school staff continuously collaborate to  support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at  school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills  to do so effectively. 
 
•Standard 4:
Speaking up for  every child—Families are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success. 

•Standard 5:
Sharing  power—Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs. 

•Standard 6:
Collaborating  with community—Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded learning opportunities,  community services, and civic participation. 

The complete document is available online at:   http://www.pta.org/Documents/National_Standards.pdf

1) Ask each of your committee chairs and executive committee members to keep a folder/binder with notes, ideas, and training. The binder stays with the office or committee so your next leader knows where to begin!

2) Support a committee of 2 or more people for every event, program, and actvity. This committee will be a part of the process, and can be a great asset when looking for a new chair in the future.

3) Allow and nurture collaborative efforts for your events, programs, and activities. When people feel that their input is considered and welcomed, then they feel more invested in the whole process. Valued volunteers are valuable volunteers!

What do you suggest? What has worked for your team?