Picnic Point PTA
Edmonds, Washington
Links
Information on the upcoming 2010 Levy: http://www.mukilteo.wednet.edu/departments/pr/info/levy/index.htm
Do you know the difference between the state budget and the levies? Do you know which one pays for what? Are you confused about this entire topic? Here’s a quick review that might help you understand the talk that you’re likely to hear in the weeks ahead:
http://www.mukilteo.wednet.edu/departments/pr/info/lighthouse/100108/money.htm
Don't miss the new & improved WA State website!
National PTA Website ~ http://www.pta.org/ (use the password on the back of your pta card to access special member-only sections!)
Picnic Point Elementary ~ http://schools.mukilteo.wednet.edu/pp/
Mukilteo School District ~ www.mukilteo.wednet.edu
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction -- http://www.k12.wa.us/
United States Department of Education -- http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
Washington State School Directors Association - http://www.wssda.org
Washington Education Association -- http://www.washingtonea.org/
Washington Association of School Administrators - http://www.wasa-oly.org
Association of Washington School Principals - http://www.aswp.org
Partnership for Learning - http://www.partnership4learning.org/
Center for Public Education - http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org
Click on the link below for an article mentioning PTA in the 8/3/09 Herald:
Sample of information you'll get from the National PTA site
Family Key to Building Child's Self-Esteem
Be confident: Children model parents' behavior
Helping a child build self-esteem is a crucial and often difficult task for parents. One easy tip for parents to remember is that they are the models for their child's self-esteem, according to Suzy Yehl Marta, founder of Rainbows (http://www.rainbows.org/) in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The effects of a parent lacking self-esteem trickle down to his or her children, she says. Read on for more ways Marta says can help parents strengthen their children's self-esteem.
Family serves as the foundation for self-esteem. Having a healthy, functioning family does more to build a child's self-esteem than anything, according to Marta, president of Rainbows, which helps kids heal emotionally after suffering a loss. It does not matter if the family is of the single-parent variety or the traditional nuclear family. "It just needs to be a healthy place for children to thrive in," she says.
Other tips from Marta:
Positive Talk – Don't put yourself down. Don't say negative things about your spouse, especially in a separation or divorce situation. That goes right to the heart of a child, "The message to the child is if dad is bad or not dependable then I must be too because I'm half mom and half dad," contends Marta.
Don't be a Parachute Parent – You can't always "parachute" in to solve your child's problems. Empower your child to take care of his or her own business when appropriate. Be available but also teach them how to handle challenges on their own.
Disappointment is OK – There is a whole generation of parents who don't ever want their children to feel bad. You see this in things like sports leagues where every kid gets a trophy. This treatment and over-protection makes for unrealistic expectations from life. "Our sole job is to prepare (children) for adulthood. And as adults, you don't always get a prize," she says.
Sincere Praise – Tell them when they do well and when they do poorly tell them so in a loving way. False praise leads to more unrealistic expectations.
Monitor Media – Negative messages on television, in movies, across the Internet and beyond erode a child's self-esteem. Monitor what they are viewing and talk with them about it. Review PTA's tip sheets on monitoring media
Say No – The word "no" is a love word.. Children must learn they cannot have everything they want. This teaches them to be more discerning.
Express Love – Tell children daily that you love them. Parents would be surprised how often this does not happen...and how powerful it is when it does.
Reproduced with permission from the PTA Parent Newsletter.
