PTA Mission: To Make Every Child’s Potential a Reality by Engaging and Empowering Families and Communities to Advocate for All Children

College & Career Readiness in Connecticut: What do families need to know? Do you know how testing has changed in our schools? Do you have the information and resources to help your children at home? We want to empower parents with the information and tools they need to help their children and support their success. Connecticut PTA has partnered to host an informative event for New Haven parents and families. We'll provide information and discussion on the changes happening around assessments in our schools and throughout the state. Join us by participating in the discussion, refreshments and prize drawings! QUINNIPIAC TERRACE- COMMUNITY ROOM 2 John Williamson Drive, New Haven Wednesday, March 29 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm FREE Presentation, Dinner and Prizes! Click here for flyer Connecticut PTA would like to thank all Partners Capital Preparatory Magnet School City of New Haven CSA(community services administration) Elm City Communities HQAP (high quality assessment project) New Haven Family Resourch Center VARICK Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church Yale School of Medicine

Resources for You Click here to visit the resources below In This Section Run Your PTA Advocacy Family Resources Parent Toolkit Center for Family Engagement Notes from the Backpack Podcast Parents' Guide to Student Success Our Children Magazine College and Career Readiness Assessments and Standards Health Safety Family Guides Special Education Toolkit Summer Learning and After-School Opportunities In the Classroom Kids in Art Class Children Arriving at School Raising Hands In the Classroom Teacher and Young Student Kids for Peace Classmates Teacher and Kids Teacher & Student Fun in the Pool Playing with Animals Summer Camp Kids

Standing Committees for CT PTA Government Relations Committee Bylaws Committee Finance Committee Events & Recognition Nominating Committee Strategic Planning Committee Policy/Procedure/Delegate Selection Sponsorship/ Resource & Development Membership Office Management Standards of Affiliation Election Board(only if needed)

click here to see our Sponsors Check out our FULL Sponsorship Brochure Ready to Register? Every Sponsorship includes an Exhibitor table in our Expo Hall at our Yearly Symposium! Visit our Current Sponsors Email us For More Details

The attached proposed amendments to the Connecticut PTA Bylaws were approved by the CT PTA Board of Directors at the January 28, 2017 BOD meeting and will be presented for consideration at the Connecticut PTA 117th Annual Meeting. The Connecticut PTA Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday, May 31, 2017 . Meeting will be held at CT PTA , 540 Washington Avenue, North Haven Meeting begins at 6:00 pm. click here to review CT PTA bylaw changes

CT PTA TEAMS UP WITH IKEA TO BRING PTA MEMBERS 15% SHOPPING DISCOUNT! THANK YOU FOR JOINING US! HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! thank y ou

CT PTA LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD CONNECTICUT PTA LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Contact CT PTA for an application and more information for this prestigious award. This award can be presented by your PTA at any event. CT PTA will also present this award if requested at the CT PTA Symposium or the CT PTA Annual Meeting. This award helps donate to the CT PTA Scholarship. office@ctpta.org

SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION Interested in starting a SEPTA? Contact CT PTA at office@ctpta.org or call us at 203-891-6140 What is SEPTA? SEPTA is a PTA within a school district. SEPTA bring together people who are interested in special education and children with special needs. SEPTA support, strengthens and promotes the welfare of children with special needs. SEPTA promote an understanding of special education and strive to enrich the lives of children with special needs. ARE THE GOALS OF SEPTA? -To ensure that all children receive an education that allows them to reach their full potential. -To bring together parents, families and teachers of children with special needs in order to share their experiences. -To educate parents about special education, including the identification and placement procedures for children with special needs. -To inform legislators, school boards, and the community about the importance of special education programs. -To improve the lives of children by providing cultural, social and physical enrichment. -To advocate for children with special needs and their right to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. WHO ARE SEPTA MEMBERS? -Anyone that has an interest in the welfare of children with special needs. -Parents, families, teachers, school administrators, students, friends. -Membership is open to all. HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT SEPTA? Join a SEPTA Attend meetings Participate in programs Volunteer your time Get Involved SEPTA BROUCHURE- CLICK HERE SEPTA Locations in Connecticut with Unit Presidents Visit our SEPTAs below Cheshire SEPTA- Aimee Sobkowiak Easton SEPTA- Jill Madeo Fairfield SEPTA - Trisha Pytko Hamden SEPTA - Alexander Valentine Monroe SEPTA- Maria Dulas Newtown SPED - Amanda Perna Trumbull SEPTA- Jenny Zambrano United SEPTSA of Stratford - Melody Lehrman Wilton SEPTA- Kara Berghaus Easton SEPTA Fairfield SEPTA Hamden SEPTA Monroe SEPTA Newtown SPED PTA Wilton SEPTA Cheshire SEPTA Trumbull SEPTA United SEPTSA of Stratford Director of Special Education Resouorces Maria Dulas MonroeSEPTA@mail.com http://wondermoms.org/resources/ MINDS IN MOTION Minds in Motion™ offers exciting, fast-paced, interactive workshops for every child with every interest, Kindergarten – 8th grade. Adults can attend a keynote and thought-provoking, special-interest workshops, free of charge at every MIM™ event. At Minds in Motion™ you'll also receive free literature, network with fellow parents, and learn about resources, after-school programs, camps, books, and other educational tools beneficial to your child. Other Links Network of Care for Behavioral Health SPED*NET Autism Families CONNECTicut CACLD Students with Autism Guide to Helping Kids with Autism Sleep Better Autism Resource Center Creating an Autism Friendly Home How ASD affects sleep along Moving with Kids with Autism 30 Ways to Celebrate Autism Awareness Month Traveling with Kids with Autism

____________________ 2021 Legislative Conference March 9 – 12, 2021 VIRTUAL ________ 2022 Legislative Conference March 8 – 11, 2022 Alexandria, VA ______________

SAVE THE DATE TO TAKE ACTION National PTA has endorsed both the Senate and House versions of the Student and Student Athlete Opioid Misuse Prevention Act. Congresswoman Esty is one of the lead sponsors with Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and Rep. John Larson (D-CT). Her staff has asked below if any parents might be interested and available to participate in a press conference her office is hosting in CT on June 12th in the district. More details will follow. Please email Judy Goldberg, VP of Government Relations at ctptagovrelations@yahoo.com if you are interested in attending. Esty, MacArthur, and Larson Introduce Legislation to Curb Opioid Addiction Among Students Bill seeks to reduce the risk of opioid addiction among students and student athletes WASHINGTON, D.C.–Today, Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT-5), a member of the bipartisan Opioid Task Force in the House, introduced legislation to address concerns about the rising use of opioid drugs among student athletes. Esty’s bill is the House companions to Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-NH) bill in the Senate. The Student and Student Athlete Opioid Misuse Prevention Act, which she introduced with Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and Rep. John Larson (D-CT), would augment current drug prevention programs to allow schools, communities, and youth athletic associations to provide evidence-based prevention programing to reduce the risk of opioid addiction and overdose among students and student athletes. “In cities and towns throughout central and northwest Connecticut, families have shared with me devastating stories of confronting opioid addiction,” Esty said. “We must take steps to ensure our communities affected by this epidemic have access to the prevention resources and services they need to assist students and allow student athletes to recover and move forward. To halt the terrible impact that drug addiction is having on our schools and universities, we must also work to prevent folks from becoming addicted in the first place. I’m committed to working across party lines to ensure that we heal everyone we can.” “The rising number of preventable opioid deaths in our country, especially among young people who have their entire lives ahead of them, is a national tragedy. I thank my colleagues Reps. Esty and MacArthur for their leadership on this issue. We must continue to fight this terrible scourge that is plaguing our communities and shattering so many lives. In order to so, we must invest in the preventative measures that are required to reduce the risk of opioid misuse amongst our student athletes who are often at higher opioid abuse risk when prescribed pain medication,” said Larson. The bill would also authorize the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to provide funding to support prevention programs for students and student athletes, as well as training for teachers, administrators, trainers, coaches, and athletic directors, specifically targeted at mitigating the risk of opioid addiction and overdose. Esty’s bill has support from the National Parent Teacher Associations (PTA). In 2015, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released a report that found that 23 percent of college athletes reported receiving a prescription for pain medication. Overdose deaths for those 19 and younger increased 165 percent from 1997 to 2012. Esty was a member of the bipartisan Opioid Conference Committee for the House and Senate versions of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) in 2016. The legislation authorized $77.9 million per year from fiscal years 2016 through 2020 and devoted funds for treatment and recovery services, alternatives to prison for nonviolent offenders, law enforcement initiatives, and programs to prevent overdose deaths and improper prescriptions. Two Esty-sponsored provisions on consumer and provider education about the risk of prescription opioid addiction were included in the final legislation. Here is National PTA’s Position Statement concerning opioids: https://www.pta.org/home/advocacy/pta's-positions/Individual-Position-Statements/Position-Statement-Recommendations-Regarding-Prescription-Opiate-Abuse-Awareness-and-Prevention

click here for so much info! Schedule a call with Courtney! She will assist & help set your PTA account up in Givebacks! Click the link below and plan your personalized session today! Personalized 1-on-1 Session with Courtney! https://meetings.hubspot.com/courtney-mullis?uuid=8b971f86-82d5-484a-af81-709ced26b2e0 How do I update my Givebacks account/profile email address? How to change settings for processing fees. How to start sending weekly newsletters to all your school families. How to use html newsletter templates in Givebacks. Daily Online Workshops https://info.givebacks.com/workshops Connecticut PTA is excited that we’ve teamed up with Givebacks to provide their valuable online tool to all PTA's in Connecticut…free of charge! Givebacks makes it easier to run your PTA -- engage families, raise funds, stay in good standing, and more. You’ll save hours on admin tasks, so you can focus on connecting with your children and engaging your school community. Givebacks is valued at $1,200 per year, but they are providing it to Connecticut PTA's for free because Givebacks and Connecticut PTA want to further the PTA mission through easy-to-use technology. Givebacks will be used to manage members, make state dues payments, report officers, and record good standing requirements, but we also hope you take advantage of all of the great features available through your free Givebacks site! Here are some of Givebacks most popular features: Your Own E-Store: Sell PTA memberships (including custom/bundled memberships), spirit wear, event tickets, collect donations, and more -- all online in your PTA’s Givebacks store. Communication Tools: Keep families in the loop with email and text capabilities, calendars, signups, file sharing, directories, and more -- to everyone on your site or to smaller groups of people you can organize in hubs as you see fit. Fundraising: In addition to selling items and collecting donations in your store, Givebacks provides a simple way to raise funds through Sponsor Share. Sponsors get advertising in emails you send through Givebacks and you get a no-fuss way to add funds to your budget! Click here to learn more about SponsorShare . Also click here to learn more about the Fundraising Campaigns feature ! Easily Stay in Good Standing: Your free site provides automatic member management, member reporting, dues remittance to the state, and visibility of state PTA compliance tasks. PPopular Givebacks Help Articles Giveback: Site Overview Login: Access your Givebacks Site Three steps to get started in your Givebacksstore How do parents access our givebacks store? How to change settings for processing fees How to pay your state dues in Givebacks How to Enter PTA Officers How to complete your application to take payments online Who do I contact with questions?