All points lead the way to the NYS PTA 122nd Annual Convention in beautiful Saratoga Springs!

What does attending the NYS PTA Convention do for you, your members and your PTA? Great question!

You attendance is essential to your PTA's growth in leadership, diversity, membership, knowledge, skill sets, perspective, networking and, most importantly, advocacy. A whole new world of pride in PTA will open to you!

Your voice will be heard as you vote for new state officers, vote to retain and adopt resolutions, cheer for award winners, applaud great student performances, sit in awe as you are inspired by speakers that put children first, and attend workshops that will jump start your PTA pulse to do more for your school and community.

We will have exhibitors galore that will give you vital fundraising and programming ideas to take back to your unit. There is a banquet and dancing to a DJ that celebrates the members of this great association. A fireside chat will focus on school safety and security, a timely and important topic.

NYS PTA needs you to be there. Our children need you to be there. We'll be there, will you? We sure hope so.

See you in Saratoga Springs in November!

NYS PTA Innovative Family Engagement Challenge - WIN A GRANT FOR FREE CONVENTION!

Calling all NYS PTA units, you could win a trip for FREE to NYS PTA Convention for two of your unit members!

• Is your unit doing amazing things to support children?
• Are you working collaboratively with your school to help parents and families?

All you need to do is FILL OUT THIS SURVEY and describe your unit's Innovative Family Engagement practices!

Two units will be chosen to be featured at NYS PTA Convention held in Saratoga Springs on November 9-11, 2018.

Each winning unit will be able to send two members for Saturday through Sunday to Convention, and receive free registration, meals for Saturday and Sunday, and Saturday night (shared) hotel room.

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS September 30, 2018. Winners will be chosen on October 3 and will be immediately notified.

To win, you must be able to send two members to convention to present your Innovative Family Engagement practices!

PTA scholarship! Mountain America Credit Union gives grants to PTAs and teachers for school supplies or projects supporting K-12 classrooms. Apply HERE before September 30.

Together, we can ensure Every Child Travels Safety! Watch this video and make sure you stop for flashing lights and for stopped schools buses!

For more videos, follow NYS PTA on Facebook.

From the NYS Education Department:

Following up on the statement Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia issued on August 23, 2018, here is a memo that went out to all school districts this week affirming the rights of all students in New York State to attend school in a safe and secure environment that is free of weapons. The New York State Education Department will not allow local educational agencies to use Title IV, Part A funds - or any other federal or state funds - for the purposes of purchasing, storing, or training school staff in the use of firearms under any circumstances. As the memo states, there is no place in our schools for weapons, no matter the intentions.

NYS PTA is pleased to announce a second series of leadership training webinars for the 2018-19 year.

Leading off, NYS PTA Treasurer Sean Hannam will tackle the crucial and challenging topics of PTA budgets, audits, taxes and theft protection in "Fiscal Fitness for Units: A Guide for Treasurers," to be presented Wednesday, September 26, from 7:30-8:30 PM. This interactive session is must-see training for treasurers, budget/finance chairs, and other interested leaders.

You can join from home via online GoToMeeting or conference call. All are welcome!

Are you interested in attending a webinar? Please email RSVP@nyspta.org your name, unit name and unit code to reserve your spot and get login info and the webinar presentation early.

Please join Sean on September 26 to learn everything you ever wanted to know to keep your PTA financially healthy and fit for action!

Dear Parents,

I am always excited and energized by the start of another school year. I hope this school year is off to a smooth start for you and your children.

Click HERE to read Commissioner Elia's letter to parents.

As a working parent, there is no easy way to do all the back to school activities and keep a clear head and stay on task. Here are five great tips for surviving back to school as a working parent from National PTA.

Everything seems to change once you hit middle school. Check out CommonSenseMedia's list to find a range of stories, from laugh-out-loud funny to gritty coming-of-age, to help tweens and teens survive their middle school years.

Get expert tips for helping your child be less anxious about school and explore classroom accommodations to help with anxiety + learn about the brain chemistry behind the "fear factor" for reading-and what you can do about it from Understood.org.

Fundraising Done Right! Finally! A way for you to raise money for your school while making everyday online purchases. No Cost, No Risk, No Sales, etc.

Check out the Dining, Grocery and Shopping Program, a new benefit from Creative Solutions (2), a Strategic Alliance Partner.

The program costs only $7.77 monthly, which gives you access to savings at 82,000 restaurants, grocery coupons and deep discounts on local and online shopping! PLUS, if your unit decides to participate, they get $2.00 each month for every sign-up! Also, this program can be used in conjunction with Box Tops! CLICK HERE to read more!

KidGooRoo is the only place to go online to read ratings and reviews of kids' classes, camps and programs in your area.

The Prepare U Mental Health Curriculum (www.PrepareU.Live) is pleased to partner with the NYS PTA to support children throughout New York. Prepare U is a multi-faceted experiential mental health curriculum, developed by experts and endorsed by leading psychologists. Read more about this partnership HERE.

CLYNK is the only bottle redemption system that allows you to create a personal account, drop off bags of redeemable containers, accumulate cash in an electronic account, and donate to your school online from your own home computer. Read more here and think of us as a modern bottle drive that's simple and effective!