Fairfax County Council of PTAs

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) invites students, parents, staff members and citizens to participate in developing a digital learning vision for FCPS. FCPS will host several meetings during May and June to gather suggestions from students, parents, staff members, and citizens. Interpreters will be available. The ideas and information gathered will help form a vision which will assist FCPS as we create a strategic plan around digital learning. Information collected at these meetings will be presented to the Fairfax County School Board in the fall. Citizens are welcome to attend any meeting that is most convenient for them. All meetings are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. in the cafeteria. Meetings will be held at the following locations:

• Columbia Elementary School on Monday, May 20.
• West Potomac High School on Monday, May 20.
• Key Middle School on Tuesday, May 21.
• Oakton High School on Wednesday, May 22.
• Lake Braddock Secondary School on Tuesday, May 28.
• Wolftrap Elementary School on Thursday, May 30.
• Great Falls Elementary School on Monday, June 3.
• Rocky Run Middle School on Tuesday, June 4.
• Woodlawn Elementary School on Monday, June 10.
• Dogwood Elementary School on Wednesday, June 12.

The meetings will provide an overview of digital learning, then attendees will work in groups to share ideas and information.

We are also providing an opportunity for you to share your thoughts on digital learning. What are your beliefs around digital learning? Please Click HERE To Submit Your Thoughts Online.

For more information, please visit www.fcps.edu/is/news/digitallearning.

The Fairfax County Council invites you to participate in our annual Leadership Training on Saturday, June 8, 2013, at Lake Braddock Secondary School, 9200 Burke Lake Road, Burke. Typically, our training draws over 100 PTA leaders from Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William school systems. Our local PTA leaders are expected to attend this important local training as they prepare for the upcoming PTA school year. This year’s program includes scheduled opportunities dedicated to attendees networking with Exhibitors. Exhibitors are always welcome as their business partnership allows the local PTA units to carry out the PTA mission and purposes of the PTA.

PTAs are a powerful voice for children, a relevant resource for parents and a strong advocate for public education.  Here are a few reasons to Exhibit:

• PTAs buy educational material and publications for both children and parents
• PTAs are constantly looking for the latest information and innovative program ideas
• PTAs are interested in your resources
• PTAs bring back ideas to implement new programs, ideas and events for their schools
• PTAs influence decisions in their school communities

We hope you will consider this opportunity to exhibit with us on Saturday, June 8, 2013. The Exhibit area will be open to PTA leaders from 8:00 AM to 1:15 PM. This is your opportunity to reach PTA leaders in the Northern Virginia area.

Application deadlines and fees are outlined on the attached application form, below. If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Nair at treasurer@fccpta.org or Ramona Morrow at president@fccpta.org.

Children's National Medical Center (CNMC) earned the the Fairfax County School Board's Blueprint for Change consulting contract to assist the School Board with the goal of establishing high school start times at 8:00 AM or later. Judith Owens, MD., MPH, Director of the CNMC Sleep Medicine Department and Danny Lewin, PhD, D.ABSM, Director of the National Institutes of Health's National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, are available for Adolescent Sleep Health presentations to members of local unit PTAs and PTSAs.

Drs. Judith Owens and Danny Lewin are internationally recognized experts in sleep disorders medicine. Together they have decades of experience as sleep clinicians and researchers. They have given hundreds of talks to health care providers, policy makers, teachers, parents, and children on sleep health. They have published numerous scientific papers, book chapters, and articles on child and adolescent sleep.

As co-directors of a new contract with FCPS, Drs. Owens and Lewin are charged with community engagement and education program outreach as well as the development of a "Blueprint for Change," a report outlining how the FCPS School Board can achieve its goal of changing school start times for high schools. As part of their community engagement and educational efforts, Drs. Owens and Lewin would like to present information about adolescent sleep health to FCPS staff, teachers, parents, and students.

Would your PTA be interested in hosting this event? If so, please contact Jennifer Williams at jenniferkwms@gmail.com or 571-232-5139.

Please visit www.fccpta.org/content/later-high-school-start-times-slideshow if you would like to review the slideshow they are going to present.

Below is the slideshow presented by Dr. Judith Owens, during the the joint FCCPTA and SLEEP in Fairfax "Sleep Night" held at Annandale High School on February 26.  Dr. Owens is the Director of Sleep Medicine at Children's National Medical Center.  

Please take the time to review Dr. Owen's slideshow on this important issue.

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Ramona Morrow, FCCPTA President, and J. David Moses Rozsa, FCCPTA Reflections Chair, are pleased to congratulate all 2012-2013 FCCPTA Reflections entrants who won an Outstanding Interpretation Award or Honorable Mention!  

Please Click HERE To View The 2012-2013 Reflections Program Booklet.

The Executive Committee recognizes the contribution of the many people who helped make our FCCPTA Reflections Program a success, including:

• 2012-2013 Reflections arts competition student entrants
• Principals, staff, PTA leaders, and parents who encourage children’s artistic expression and support the Reflections program in the schools
• Participating PTAs from 84 of our Fairfax County Public Schools
• Local Unit (school) Reflections chairs, co-chairs, committee members, and volunteers
• J. David Moses Rozsa, Fairfax County Council of PTAs Reflections Chair,  and other Board Members who invested many hours in the organization, promotion, coordination of judging, and administration of this program
• Category judges
• FCPS Gatehouse building managers and staff 

PTA believes all children deserve high-quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in the PTA’s annual Reflections arts competition. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition. Students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade are encouraged to create and enter works of art in one or more of six categories: Dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography, and visual arts. A new grade level division this year was “Special Artist."

For more than 40 years, the Reflections program has encouraged millions of students across the nation and in American schools overseas to create works of art. The Reflections arts competition was started in 1969 by Mary Lou Anderson, who was President of the Colorado PTA at that time.

Students participate in the Reflections Program by submitting entries to their local PTA or PTSA. Any PTA/PTSA in good standing is eligible to sponsor a Reflections Program.

The theme for the 2013-2014 Reflections Program is "Believe, Dream, Inspire."

Dear Members of the Fairfax County School Board,

Founded in 1897, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is the earliest and largest child advocacy association in the nation. We are very proud of the 57,000 plus members in our 181 PTA/PTSAs which comprise our Fairfax County Council of PTAs (FCCPTA). Like our national PTA colleagues, FCCPTA speaks with a powerful voice on behalf of every child and provides the best tools to help children be successful students.

As President of FCCPTA, I write this letter based on our Executive Board’s near unanimous vote on January 3, 2013 that states the “FCCPTA asks the Fairfax County School Board and Superintendent to conduct comprehensive data-driven analysis and genuine community engagement before making policy changes in the Advanced Academic Program.”

Dear Chairman Bulova and members of the Board of Supervisors:

As president of 64,000 PTA members here in Fairfax County, I write you today of a topic that is of great concern to the Fairfax County Council of PTAs (FCCPTA).

The Fairfax community has made considerable investment into the use of instructional technology in its schools. As the Internet plays a greater and greater role in many aspects of our lives the more important it is for our citizens to know how to use of technology effectively in our homes and schools. Not only is it important for our students to know how to use technology and the Internet effectively, access to those technologies becomes more important for students to be able to gain knowledge in all academic areas. Students of families not able to provide easy, timely, and convenient access to the Internet are at a disadvantage in learning. Teachers are also impacted negatively by having to teach to students with different levels of access to the Internet. There are many students in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) without adequate access to the Internet in their homes.

Dear School Board Member,

On December 5, the Fairfax County Council of PTAs Executive Board and approximately 35 local PTA representatives heard a presentation by FCPS staff on issues and problems discovered during the implementation of the new Online Math and Social Studies textbooks. There was also a brief discussion of FCPS plans to address those issues and problems. During the presentation it became obvious that many concerns remained in the minds of the overwhelming majority of the audience regarding implementation of digital textbooks. As a result the Executive Board of the Fairfax County Council of PTAs voted at the January 2 meeting to request Fairfax County School Board to consider establishing an “Online Digital Textbook Study Work Group”. The work group would be asked to:

• Review the requirements, costs, benefits, and deficiencies of digital textbooks.
• Explore other means of providing textbook knowledge to FCPS students.
• Identify the actions needed to integrate digital textbooks effectively in FCPS’s instructional technology plan.
• Consider whether the Fairfax County School Board should adopt additional digital textbooks.

We suggest the proposed work group be composed of FCPS staff, teachers, students, parents, community members, and digital textbooks experts. It is recommended that all future FCPS purchases of digital textbooks be placed on hold until the work group issues its report.

There are many new and challenging developments currently occurring in the publishing and information technology industries that must be considered prior to an FCPS decision to convert additional textbooks to digital format. The entire community needs to be involved in the decision – not just FCPS staff.

Last night, we were made aware of Delegate Scott Surovell’s plan to introduce legislation to prohibit the use of online textbooks unless a school system can show they’ve taken steps to ensure every child has home access to broadband and a home computer. The link for you to further review is: http://scottsurovell.blogspot.com/2013/01/weekly-column-some-of-my-2013.... in part reads:

"This past year, the Fairfax County instituted an online textbook program. Many low income families in my district do not have broadband internet or home computers. It is not fair for a public school to give tools to one child that cannot be used by another at home because of income disparities. Some school systems have also refused to help market affordable broadband programs. I will introduce legislation to prohibit the use of online textbooks unless a school system can show they’ve taken steps to ensure that every child has home access to broadband and a home computer”.

As you know from our past communications, home accessibility is one of our greatest concerns. We stand willing to assist you in finding a solution.

The Fairfax County Council of PTAs appreciates your consideration of this suggestion and hope you will endorse it.

Regards,

Ramona Morrow

President, Fairfax County Council of PTAs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Anne L. Carson, Virginia PTA President

P:804-564-3430; F:804-264-4014

president@vapta.org

Richmond, VA (December 21, 2012) -- “The horrific event at Sandy Hook Elementary School last week brought home to parents across the Commonwealth the necessity for constructive conversations about gun safety and violence in our schools. As the largest parent advocacy group in Virginia the Virginia PTA is reiterating its long-held priority to promote safe, non-violent learning environments for our students.

For decades, the Virginia PTA worked to enact legislation to create gun-free zones around our schools resulting in effective laws in1994. Members of the Virginia PTA have long advocated that guns and schools don’t mix, no matter what the circumstances.

As we all deal with this tragedy in individual ways, statements suggesting we even consider arming school personnel, are not appropriate. We are greatly concerned that Governor McDonnell would even consider discussing options where children would be exposed to an environment where teachers are armed. We join the Virginia Education Association in opposing this suggestion. We are encouraged by Governor McDonnell's plan to convene a Task Force on School Safety and will use the opportunity to reinforce our members’ belief in gun-free schools and direct the focus to problems within the mental health system to provide individuals the help so desperately needed. Finally, we again call on the Governor and the General Assembly to close the gun show loophole. This is a problem long overdue to be fixed.”

The Virginia PTA is the largest parent and student advocacy group in the Commonwealth of Virginia with more than 295,000 members.