PTA needs more parent involvement
As a returning co-president of the Whitefish PTA, I would like to let the general public know what PTA is about. We are a parent-teacher association, which means that we are a group that includes parents and teachers who are devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools.
Joining the PTA is something that every parent and teacher in the district should do if they are able. Research shows that the more parents are involved, the better students perform in school. Grades are higher, test scores rise, self-esteem grows and the schools improve.
When our children improve our schools, our society improves. Children with involved parents also exhibit increased motivation and better self-esteem, less drug and alcohol use, and few instances of violent behavior. Those great benefits come from parent involvement, a major focus of PTA.
So let's say you know all of this and you still do not want to join PTA because you "don't have the time" or ?"don't want to be bothered." Your next question might be, "How much time do I really have to put in?" You may help your child with as little as one hour, assisting in a needed volunteer area, or you might be interested in one of our board positions. Your level of involvement is up to you. Of course, we would love to help you assist the children as much as possible. However, we do understand that we all lead busy lives.
What does PTA really do and what have we done in the past? The PTA funds an average of $20,000 back to the schools each year. We have funded online pilot programs in our middle school and high school that offer high-quality tools and resources to improve writing skills for our students, funded books for reader programs and classroom supplies, funded sending kids to conferences and competitions, fulfilled individual club needs, purchased equipment for all schools, funded vision and hearing screening, scholarship program for graduating seniors, teachers appreciation events, PTA Reflections, Arts in April, the list goes on and on
Join PTA. Now is your chance to make this the best year ever for your child. Contact information is available online at www.wsd44.org/ or you can call me at 249-5804.
Miriam Lewis lives in Whitefish.