October is Mental Health Awareness Month. As parents and caretakers, you have probably heard in the news, from friends, or from your school that mental health and youth suicide is a growing problem in our communities. We write to you in hopes of gathering your thoughts and opinions about your relationship with your school and supporting your child's mental health needs via this survey.

New York State recently passed landmark legislation mandating mental health education in the classroom, making mental health equally as important as physical health. As schools react, build curricula, and evaluate mental health and youth suicide best practices, we would like to hear your feelings, gather your concerns, and record your ideas.

Your feedback will help inform mental health leaders who are working to support schools in New York State.

Please take 20 minutes to complete this 15 question survey.

TAKE THE SURVEY

[Click the graphic to download a larger version.]

Have a SEPTA in your school district? You can join both your school PTA and your district SEPTA!

Click HERE to join your school PTA, your district SEPTA, or any other unit in New York.

Do you know a high school senior who dreams of being a teacher and needs a little financial help? Check out the Jenkins Memorial Scholarship for Teacher Education $3,000 scholarship.

For more information about criteria and the application process, click HERE. 

Scholarship Applications due December 15

On Tuesday, October 23, 2018, NYS PTA Executive Director Kyle McCauley Belokopitsky testified before the Assembly Education Committee on the importance of a Whole Child education, support for health and mental heath services, increased recess and play, and more student support personnel including school nurses, clinical licensed social workers, school psychologists and guidance counselors.

You can read Kyle's testimony HERE.

Reflections Program Enrollment Closes Soon!

The arts - and the National PTA Reflections program - support student success and serve as a valuable tool for building strong partnerships in your school community. Celebrate the arts in your school community with Reflections.

Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts based on the 2018-2019 Reflections theme "Heroes Around Me".

Be sure to enroll your PTA in the Reflections program by November 1. You will also get a free 2018-2019 National PTA Reflections Toolkit.

You can find out more about the Reflections program HERE.

NYS PTA's next leadership webinar is Together is Better: Your Building‐Unit Partnership in Advocacy, on November 15, 2018 at 7:30 PM.

Discover how you can work with school leadership to raise concerns, institute new ideas, and implement changes in your school building. Learn what it means to be an advocate, how to work with PTA members to raise parent concerns, and what information you'll need to meet successfully with administrators or school board. You'll learn how the process works as we follow a specific issue from start to finish.

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 us on November 15!

Dear Parents,

I hope you are enjoying the fall. Last week, the Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) had the pleasure of honoring the National Rural Teacher of the Year, Scott Jordan!

Click HERE to read NYS Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia's letter to parents.

Exciting news! NYS PTA has partnered with Swank Movie Licensing USA to bring PTA units discounted movie licensing! Movie licenses run for a full year, and can be used by your whole school building. Keep your school copyright-compliant and watch the best movies!

Swank even provides you posters to advertise your movie night! Go HERE to learn more about Swank Movie Licensing.

Fortnite and kids with ADHD or social skills issues: 7 things for parents from Understood.Org.

As my kids have gotten older, they've asked that I refrain from posting about them on social media. I try to honor this. But I feel conflicted. After all, social media is how I connect with fellow parents, friends and family; from Your Teen Magazine.

Parent-teacher conference guide to middle school: be on time, be prepared, bring questions and other tips for the parent-teacher conference with your middle schooler from Education Nation.

Join The 30,000+ Schools, Fire Stations, Police Departments and Homes That Already Have LifeVac.

Strategically place units in the principal's office, the physical education office, the nurses office, and the cafeteria. Easy as Place-Push-Pull. If you can use a plunger at home, you can save a life with LifeVac.

NYS PTA Back to School Special Only $189.00 Including Free Shipping.

Read to Them educates families and schools on the benefits and importance of reading aloud at home. A growing body of research describes the complex and permanent effects of reading aloud. Literacy skills provide the basis for a lifetime of learning and productivity.

Help Our School (HOS) is a portal that provides products for school(s), parents, students, local businesses and the community to purchase.

Stop the Bleed is a nationwide campaign to empower individuals to act quickly and save lives. No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss in under 5 minutes.

NEW MEMBER BENEFIT! NYS PTA has partnered with Stop the Bleed to offer a 10% discount off any kit ordered, use code nypta10 here - stopbleedingkits.org