Outreach
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Outreach ideas to inspire from the winning entries for My PTA/PTSA Awards
2008
ABILITY WEEK: Los Coches Creek Middle School PTA
The Project: Challenge Week, a weeklong program to heighten awareness of obstacles people not only face, but overcome.
- Guest speakers are invited to talk about their own challenges.A group of students spends a day living with mimicked disabilities.
- Originally intended to focus on physical disabilities, the program has evolved to include other challenges, such as exposure to poverty, alcohol abuse, and peer pressure.
Success: The program helped create an atmosphere of acceptance at the school by teaching students to think outside their comfort level and look at people with challenges differently.
2008
RESPECTING DIFFERENCES: Torrance Council of PTAs
The Project: “Rachel’s Challenge” was used to motivate students to make positive changes in the way they treat others.
- The students were asked to commit to five challenges from the writings of Rachel Joy Scott, the first student to die at Columbine High School in 1999.
- A peer group of 30 diverse students and parents were trained to implement the program.A community event presented ways to reinforce the changes students were making in their treatment of others.
Success: With their “Friend of Rachel” program, students continued the acts of kindness and compassion inspired by Rachel Scott.
2007
JH WELCOME: Rio Norte Junior High PTSA, Santa Clarita Valley Council
The Project: “WINGS” (Welcoming in Newcomers and Giving Support), to ease the shift to junior high
The PTA:
- Made phone calls to incoming 7th grade students – parents to parents, students to students.
- Held “WINGS” events throughout the year, creating opportunities for outreach to new families.
2007
TEST OF TIME: West Covina PTA Council
The Project: Engage families to improve test scores.
The Council:
- Created an “Annual Celebrate Reading: Focus on Literacy” event, a daylong event in the spring.Held parent workshops throughout the year and created informational brochures training parents to help their children improve in reading.Involved district administrators, as well as elementary, middle, and high school teachers at every level of the effort
Success: Since the implementation of this project, the schools averaged a 120+ points improvement in API scores.
2006
EMPATHY & INSIGHT: Moulton Elementary School PTA, Capistrano Unified Council
The Goal: Promoting awareness and tolerance for those with physical and mental disabilities.
The Project: “Come Walk in My Shoes” (CWIMS) program for 4th-graders.
- The two-day program included guest speakers.
- One entire day focused on 10 different hands-on stations that simulated the experience of having a disability.Involving people with disabilities from the community along with intense staff participation were key to the program’s success.
2006
CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES: Bridgeport Elementary School PTA, Santa Clarita Valley Council
The Goal: Promote cultural awareness by children, staff, and teachers as well as increase the PTA’s outreach efforts.
The Project: “Celebrating Diversity” week.
The Activities:
- Drawing pictures of “diverse” people.
- Recognizing students with special needs.
- Assembling a cookbook from students’ family recipes.
- An evening “Holidays Around the World” event that had 18 countries represented with food, artifacts, and native clothing.
Success: More than 400 adults – many who normally do not come to school – and children participated.
2006
AFTER THE STORM: Palo Alto PTA Council
The Project: A long-term, councilwide outreach program to seven PTA units in St. Tammany Parish, La., following Hurricane Katrina.
The Council:
- Partnered with community groups – including Sixth District PTA and Parents Clubs of Menlo Park and Palo Alto.
- Coordinated a fundraising effort and hands-on activities that benefited these schools.
- Together sent more than $250,000 worth of goods to the Head Start program.Donated items included 20,000 pieces of clothing, 150 boxes of toys, household items, baby gear, and cribs.Shipped more than 350 boxes of school supplies and books.Sent more than $22,000 in cash donations directly to PTAs, through Louisiana State PTA and Sixth District PTA.
Success: A strong bond that includes pen pals, as well as shared insights, has grown from disaster.
2005
BRIDGING DIVIDES: Capistrano Unified Council
The Goal: To reach out to two traditionally underrepresented family groups.
The council:
- Teamed with the school district and community agencies.Created a “Spring Education Fair” as a bridge for diverse members speaking 40 different languages.
- Developed an annual “Making Connections Conference,” showcasing the newest research and developments regarding life and education of those with special needs.
Success: The partnerships forged through both events have enabled many PTA materials to be translated, have provided interpreters at PTA programs, and have facilitated a greater understanding about programs for those with special needs.
2005
HELPING HANDS: Orange Community Council
The Goal: Serve underprivileged children.
The council:
- Reached out to Project Hope School, a program for homeless children operated by the Orange County Department of Education.
- Supported the Friendly Center, a family resource center serving needy children and their families.
Success: Besides the benefit to the organizations themselves, the PTA volunteer opportunities reinforced the council’s focus on community service and heightened the awareness of PTA in the community.
2005
BABY STEPS: Del Valle Council
The Goal: Help local preschool parents.
First Project: A four-page promotional piece.
- Explained PTA’s role and structure.Gave contact information for each school’s PTA.Included information about registering for kindergarten.
- Described the benefits of a local parcel tax being supported by PTA.
Second Project: A kindergarten readiness program attended by 250 parents.
Success: Encouraged by the positive feedback, the council planned to charter PTAs at local preschools.
2005
DIVERSITY DINING: Corona High PTSA, Corona-Norco Council
The Goal: To create connections with high school parents.
The PTSA:
- Sent a liaison to monthly English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC) meetings.
- Provided translated PTA materials encouraging non-English-speaking parents to join with the PTSA in supporting their children’s learning.Partnered with community organizations to coordinate education nights for parents on issues, including student drivers, parties, gangs, and drugs. Success: The evening offerings gave parents support and information for their evolving role in their students’ lives.
2005
DIVERSITY DINING: Riviera Elementary PTA, Torrance Council
The Goal: Understanding and nurturing diversity within the school.
The PTA:
- Adopted the motto: “Embrace the Children.”Worked side-by-side with a district-funded English Language Learner program.
- Provided classroom volunteers to work one-on-one with immigrant children to assist in language acquisition and cultural understanding.Launched an International Week to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of school families.