Course Descriptions (Listed Alphabetically)
Fall 2010 PTA Workshops

Note: The fee of $10 is per person, not per course. "Who should attend" listings are guidelines but not requirements. All PTA members, not just officers and chairmen, are welcome at workshops. Bring a crowd!

Advanced Leadership Topics:
Addressing controversy in your community, dealing with the media, techniques for handling divisive or complex issues, PTA leadership development, effective communications, building appropriate community partnerships, and other select topics.
Who should attend: Experienced unit and council leaders

Arts Advocacy:
Become part of PTA's growing movement of advocates for art education. Learn about the data that shows how the arts enhance students' overall achievement. Get materials and strategies to help you encourage arts activities for children in your area. Find out about the coalitions in our county and state for arts education and how PTA is involved with them.
Who should attend: Anyone with an interest in promoting arts education

Financial Procedures:
Learn how to safeguard the funds that come to the PTA for the benefit of children. The 4th District financial team will lead you through all the procedures, from receiving funds, to approving expenditures, to writing checks. Learn proper record-keeping and all the checks and balances that keep PTA funds safe. Find out basic information about tax requirement and ways to protect PTA's nonprofit status. There will be a break-out session partway through this workshop for auditors to learn their duties in the required semiannual audit of PTA records.
Who should attend: Treasurers, Financial Secretaries, and Auditors of Units and Councils; also valuable for presidents

Fundraising:
Learn PTA's "3 to 1 Rule" about balancing fundraising with other activity. Consider issues that might affect your selection of a fundraiser including insurance coverage, profit margin, use/non-use of students, permits, noncommercial policy, wellness and environmental issues. Know when and how to sign a contract with a vendor. Handle money and keep records properly.
Who should attend: Fundraising/Ways & Means chairmen, financial officers, presidents

Membership:
Both the fun and the official side of encouraging people to become PTA members. How to run a membership campaign, including themes, goals, and incentives. Ideas for where to find additional prospective members and how to communicate the benefits of membership. Proper recordkeeping, sending per capita dues up channels, membership award dates, use of membership cards, and other official procedures will be explained.
Who should attend: Membership chairmen/vice presidents from units and councils


Middle/High School PTA Idea Share:
PTAs at middle schools and high schools face different challenges than those in elementary schools. In this workshop, PTA leaders will share what has worked for them at these schools. Discuss how to find a niche for PTA in a school environment with booster clubs and foundations. Consider ways to run a membership campaign when communication through the backpack is less reliable. Bring your best ideas and hear what others have to say.
Who should attend: Leaders of PTAs at secondary schools

Money Matters & Fundraising in Spanish (Asuntos de dinero y recaudacin de fondos en espaol):
Learn many basic financial procedures, from receiving funds, to approving expenditures, to writing checks. Learn proper record-keeping and all the checks and balances that keep PTA funds safe. Find out basic information about tax requirement and ways to protect PTA's nonprofit status. Also, instruction on how to hold a PTA fundraiser, including contracts with vendors, insurance coverage, counting money, keeping records, and communicating with your school community.
Who should attend: Spanish-speaking PTA leaders, especially treasurers, presidents, financial secretaries, auditors, and fundraising chairmen.
>>Asuntos de dinero y recaudacin de fondos en espaol:
Aprenda los procedimientos financieros bsicos, desde como recibir dinero, pasando como hacer reportes y escribir cheques hasta aprobacin de gastos. Aprenda a llevar los records financieros que le permitirn mantener los fondos de la PTA seguros. Le daremos informacin bsica de de reglas de impuestos y como mantener su estatus de asociacin no lucrativa. Tambin le instruiremos en cmo llevar a cabo una recaudacin de fondos, incluyendo contratos con proveedores, cobertura de seguro, reglas para contar el dinero colectado y llevar los records del evento y como comunicarse con su comunidad escolar.
Quin debe asistir?: Lideres de PTA de habla hispana, especialmente tesoreros, presidentes, secretarios financieros, auditores y directores de recaudacin de fondos.

Parliamentarian:
Learn the role of a unit/council parliamentarian. Find out basic parliamentary procedure for running a meeting properly. Take a walk through your PTA bylaws to keep your unit operating according to its own rules. Learn the process of reviewing and updating your bylaws.
Who should attend: Unit or council parliamentarians

Presidential Basics--"I've been elected; now what do I do?":
Take a step-by-step tour through your year as president of your PTA unit or council. Topics will include goal setting, calendar, budget, working with principals and superintendents, running a meeting, representing PTA in your community, PTA resources, communications, and team-building.
Who should attend: President & Executive Vice President of Units and Councils

Program Ideas:
Meaningful PTA activity does not need to be about money raised and spent! Learn ideas for free and low cost programs to try out at your PTA. Get tips on surveying your school community to find areas of interest. Find out about community resources to bring in for parent education at no charge. Think about low key ideas to promote family-school connection.
Who should attend: Programs chairmen or any PTA leaders planning their year


PTA Basics in Spanish (Puntos Bsicos de PTA):
A basic starting point for all Spanish-speaking PTA leaders, this workshop will cover the purposes of PTA, how to encourage PTA membership, setting a budget and selecting PTA programs, working with your principal, keeping minutes and other legal records, where to find PTA resources, what a PTA meeting should look like, and many other helpful topics. There will be time for questions.
Who should attend: All PTA leaders who speak Spanish
>>Puntos Bsicos de PTA:
Este taller es el comienzo de los puntos bsicos de PTA para los lderes de habla hispana. En dicha clase cubriremos los objetivos de la PTA, como animar a los padres a hacerse miembros, como elaborar un presupuesto y seleccionar los programas adecuados; como trabajar con el director de la escuela, tomar notas o minutas adems de la conservacin de records legales; donde encontrar los recursos de la PTA, como debe conducir su junta y otros temas interesantes y que le ayudaran a empezar su labor de PTA. Habra tiempo disponible para preguntas.
Quin debe asistir?: Todos los lderes de PTA que hablen espaol.

Reflections:
Basic training on how to run a Reflections arts recognition program. Sponsored by National PTA, the Reflections program recognizes the artistic talents of students in a variety of media. This workshop will cover how to encourage participation, the rules of official submissions, due dates, how to coordinate judging of entries, ways to recognize student artists, and everything else it takes to run a successful Reflections program.
Who should attend: Reflections chairmen

School Wellness Policy & PTA:
All school districts have adopted a wellness policy. This workshop will discuss school wellness policies and councils and programs and activities that PTAs can offer to their parents, students and communities, including a list of free or low cost resources that are available in Orange County. Attendees will leave with enough information and materials to do at least one parent education program at their school site. California State PTA has passed resolutions that address a variety of health concerns. We will also highlight the work of the State PTA and the direction and resources available to local unit leaders from the State and National PTA.
Who should attend: Anyone interested in promoting healthy lifestyles for students and their families; chairmen of programs, parent education, or community concerns.

Secretary:
How to keep the legal records of your PTA. Basics on writing minutes: What is necessary to record? How do you deal with financial motions and lists of checks? What other documents should be attached to the meeting minutes? Learn about correcting and adopting minutes, as well as how and why to keep a proper legal minutes book. What should the PTA secretary have at every PTA meeting? Learn about it at this workshop.
Who should attend: Secretaries of units and councils

Websites:
Basics of running a PTA unit or council website. What materials should and should not be posted on the internet, techniques for keeping things up to date, ideas about how to make your website user-friendly, issues of PTA versus school sponsorship of a website.
Who should attend: Webmasters for sites run by PTA units & councils