Follow us on Facebook: Legislation that protects and calls for local control of schools.

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1 V I S I T : H T T P : / / S C P T A M O. C O M F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N Follow us on Facebook: November Volume 3 MISSOURI PTA LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM 2017 These legislative priorities are based on the issues that the Missouri PTA Legislative Department expects to target for the 2017 legislative session. As unexpected issues emerge, Missouri PTA will act in accordance with the resolution and position statements that have been approved by the membership. A complete list of resolutions and position statements are available on our website ( Missouri PTA supports: Legislation that protects and calls for local control of schools. Legislation to strengthen laws designed to protect minors from abuse and increase funding for programs and services aimed at the prevention of child abuse, neglect and maltreatment. Legislation that supports increased access to mental health services for children. Opposition to tax credits or tax deductions for tuition paid by a parent or sponsors for non-public elementary or secondary school children. Enforcement of legislation requiring school districts to have policies that promote increased parental engagement in their children s education. Legislation that will maintain or generate local and state funding for public education. Legislation that will safeguard the educational and personal records of students. Missouri State PTA Office 2101 Burlington Street Columbia, MO In this issue: President s Letter 2 Agenda 3 Bylaws Due Dates 3 Treasurer s Report 4 Clothing Bank 5 Membership 6 RIF 6 Reflections 6 4th Grade Play 6 Parliamentary Tip 7 Attendance Incentive 7 Major Saver 7 Kiwanis Shoe Buddy Gift Box 8

2 Page 2 Letter From the President Carrie Windes NOVEMBER Since this is the season for reflection and thanksgiving, I would like to say thank you... To our PTA/PTSA unit officers and members who are working hard for our SPS students, staff and schools. We are off to a great start! To our SPS administration, school board, principals, teachers and staff who are investing their talents, time, patience, love, resources and so much more in the education of our children. To my fellow council officers and members, including those whose children have been out of our school system for several years! Your dedication to and love of kids is greatly appreciated and admired. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein Preparations are underway for Founders' Day! Mark your calendars--the banquet will be held on Thursday, February 23. We hold this event each year to celebrate our volunteers, past and present. Glendale High School will host this time at Glendale High School. Watch for more details, ticket prices and ticket ordering forms in our December newsletter. Also, now is the time to start thinking about your Volunteer of the Year. Each unit is asked to select an individual from its unit who will be honored at the banquet. If you have not signed up yet for our Major Saver Fundraiser, please sign up soon. Assemblies are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis--so the sooner, the better! Remember, this is the only fundraiser that council has. Funds raised support leadership training (Officer Orientation and School of Information), and programs (The Clothing Bank, 4th Grade Play, RIF, Reflections, Project Graduation, scholarships and much more) that council offers. Your units/schools share in the proceeds, as well. It is a safe and effective way to raise money. Participation is key to its success. The fundraiser will run March 23-April 4, 2017, with kickoff assemblies on March 23rd and 24th. Have a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving! PTA Mission: The overall purpose of PTA is to be A powerful voice for all children A relevant resource for families and communities, and A strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child. We are still looking to fill a few positions on our Council Board. If you are interested, please see one of our Officers after today s meeting. Thank you!

3 NOVEMBER Page 3 (l) Welcome Agenda Thursday, November 2nd, 2016 Wilson s Creek 5-6 (II) Pledge of Allegiance (III) Program by Wilson's Creek Students (IV) Wilson's Creek PTSA President, Julie Mayne and Principal, Karyn Christy (V) Mehleena Maigi, Lost & Found Grief Center Children's Grief Awareness Month (VI) Carol Embree, Chief Finance & Operations Officer SPS Facility Master Plan (VII) Council Reports, All officer reports are printed in this newsletter. (VIII) Sergeant at Arms, Heather Buckner (IX) Adjourn Bylaw Revisions Due The following schools have bylaw revisions due this school year. If you've already completed revising your bylaws congratulations! If you still need to complete your revisions and have questions, please contact Julia Stalder at Julia@Assist2Sell.com or Tori Sallee at toris@mopta.org. Remember bylaws must be approved to be in good standing. Units must be in good standing to participate in Reflections. School Due Date Boyd E Nov Cherokee MS Nov Holland E Feb Parkview HS May 2017 Pipkin MS Nov Portland E Bylaws under review Reed MS Nov Sherwood E Feb Sunshine E May 2017 Wanda Gray E May 2017 Is your PTA/PTSA In Good Standing? One of the most important things we do as a Council is to ensure that every PTA or PTSA member stays in good standing with the state and national PTA in order to participate in the programs and benefits offered by the association. A PTA unit is in good standing if it: Adheres to the purposes and basic policies of Missouri PTA (MOPTA); Remits national and state dues to MOPTA by date required; Has bylaws approved every three years according to the procedures of MOPTA; Submits a copy of the unit s fiscal year-end report to MOPTA by December 1st of each year; Submits a copy of the unit s annual financial review to MOPTA by December 1st of each year; Submits a copy of the required IRS tax form to the MOPTA by December 1st of each year; Submits the names and addresses of officers to the MOPTA by March 31st of each year; and Meets other criteria as may be prescribed by MOPTA. These are minimal requirements of Missouri PTA and also help uphold the integrity of the business of your PTA/ PTSA as well as fulfill IRS guidelines to maintain your PTA/PTSA s 501(c)3 status with the IRS. In addition to these minimal requirements of Missouri PTA, Springfield Council of PTAs requires unit council dues ($35) to be paid by December 1 of each calendar year. If a local PTA becomes not in good standing, as soon as it has fulfilled the necessary requirements, it is again considered in good standing.

4 NOVEMBER Page 4 Treasurer s Report Account 9/01/2016 9/30/2016 CARE Fund Clothing Bank 13, , General Checking 80, , Gertrude McBride Fund 2, , Scholarship Checking 2, , Total Unrestricted Funds 98, , Scholarship CD (Restricted) 47, , Total Funds $146, $143, Tips for Treasurers December 1 st is fast approaching. This is the deadline for all Units to have filed their IRS 990-N, sent financial review and audit to MOPTA and paid SCPTA dues. It is also a good idea to check with the MO Dept of Revenue to be sure your officers listed for your school are current. This is for your MO tax exempt form when making purchases for your school/unit events. salestaxexemptions@dor.mo.gov or call Please treasurer@scptamo.com if you need any help with these forms or have questions. You can also Tori Sallee for a status of your Unit with MOPTA at torisallee@gmail.com. Detailed financial records are available on-line at Use SCPTA as the username and password. FOUNDER S DAY Founders' Day will be Thursday, February 23, Glendale High School will host this event at Glendale High School. Watch for more information, ticket orders and ticket prices in the December council newsletter!

5 NOVEMBER Page 5 CLOTHING BANK The PTA Clothing Bank belongs to all of us for the benefit of every child and we need your help! We need more volunteers! Please give an update on the Clothing Bank at your monthly unit meetings and let people know that it is a welcoming place and that volunteering there is easy and enjoyable. You can volunteer ANYTIME between 9 am and 5 pm on Thursdays and 9 am to 11 am on the first Saturday of most months. We are sincere when we say that even ONE HOUR of your time means a great deal to us!! Please remember, YOU DO NOT ONLY HAVE TO COME ON YOUR ASSIGNED SCHOOL DAY! Until very recently, we didn t realize people had this misconception. You are welcome to volunteer on ANY THURSDAY OR SATURDAY that we are open! Sometimes we don t have ANY volunteers at all and we re getting behind on a lot of projects. You can volunteer EVERY Thursday if you d like to!! Please follow us on Facebook at The PTA Clothing Bank! We post reminders, needs, seasonal updates and lots of thank you s. Please like and share as often as you can. Thank you all so much for your continued help, generosity, support and encouragement!! Patty & Jennifer

6 NOVEMBER NOVEMBER Page 6 MOPTA MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN INCENTIVE: The Missouri PTA is offering an incentive for all units who increase their membership by at least 10% over last year. All units that meet the percentage increase will be put into a drawing for the cash incentive: 10% increase $250; 15% increase $500 and 20% increase $750. This will be awarded at the 2017 Missouri PTA convention in April. Missouri PTA has set a goal of 50,000 members for this year. Check in on the state website for updates on membership progress. SCPTA CHALLENGES Deadline Extended: MEMBER CHALLENGE Every PTA Unit who has increased their membership over last year will be entered into a drawing for a great prize TBA. Deadline is Wednesday, November 23, BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP CHALLENGE Increase your school s business membership total from last year and your school goes into a drawing for a great prize TBA. The deadline to report is November 23, Drawings for prizes will be at the December Council meeting. Totals will be based on state office totals received from units by November 23, RIF has held our first distribution, and the books will going to the 1st and 2nd graders in your buildings soon. Thanks to everyone for finding coordinators in your schools. A special appreciation goes to these PTAs which have been able to make a contribution this school year: Sunshine, Wanda Gray, Harrison, Sherwood, Pershing, Disney and the Springfield Council of PTAs. It takes about 4700 books per distribution at about $2 a book, and we must raise all funds locally. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated! Our deadline for turning in Reflections art pieces is just around the corner! The Springfield Council PTA will be collecting Refections art pieces on November 15th at the Creamery Art Center, 411 N. Sherman Pkwy. We will be there from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Please review how to package your artwork and get signatures for all forms. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Aaron Mrad at Can't wait to see all the beautiful pieces that your students have created! 4th Grade Play Council General Meeting minutes are approved by the Executive Committee as directed in the bylaws. Minutes are available online at category/meetings/. The 4th Grade Play is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 2nd and 3rd, Freckleface Strawberry The Musical takes place in a school and is about feeling comfortable in your own skin.

7 NOVEMBER Page 7 Parliamentary Tip of the Month From The Parliamentarian November 2016 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Can bylaws be suspended? Only bylaws that are clearly in the nature of rules of order (for a business meeting) may be suspended. This can be done with a two-thirds vote. For more information, refer to Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised 11 th Edition (RONR). President has resigned, now what? Most PTA bylaws have a provision in Article VI Section 9 that an election will occur to fill the unexpired term of any officer that resigns and that, in the event of the President s resignation, the Vice-President will serve the notice of election. In the interim, the Vice-President will act as president until the election occurs. This is different from RONR in which case your PTA bylaws supersede RONR. When does a resignation take effect? A resignation is actually a request to be excused from a duty. It is effective only after the resignation has been accepted by the appointing or electing authority, unless the bylaws say otherwise. Are mail-in, or telephone votes okay? No, not unless authorized by the bylaws. If allowed per bylaws, a provision should be included that states that the result of such votes will be noted in the minutes of the next meeting. Does a treasurer's report need to have a motion of approval? No, a motion is not needed nor is it proper. A treasurer's report is simply "received" as it is given and no motion should be made to "adopt", "accept" or "approve" it. An annual auditors' report, on the other hand, is "accepted" or adopted. Do you have questions about Parliamentary Procedures or meetings in general? me: petiford@sbcglobal.net Major Saver fundraiser dates have changed! The fundraiser will run March 23-April 4, 2017, with kickoff assemblies March 23rd and 24th. Remember, this is the only fundraiser that Council does. Each unit that participates raises money for their school, also. If you have not signed up yet, please do so today! If you have questions, contact Julia Stalder at Julia@Assist2Sell.com. SCPTA Meeting Incentive Program - $250 If you send a PTA/PTSA member to every Springfield Council meeting this school year, your unit will receive $250 from SCPTA at our May 2017 meeting. Principal attendance does not count. It must be a member of your unit who attends. Be sure to sign in each time when you arrive! This incentive is to improve our attendance, so a member may only represent one unit.

8 NOVEMBER Page 8 The club s mission to build children s dignity through new school shoes has continued uninterrupted for over 65 years, making it one of the longest running community service projects in the state of Missouri. The club raises all monies, buys and stocks different styles of new shoes, and even operates a city-wide, free shoe bank in collaboration with the SCPTA Clothing Bank at Study School. Each child gets to express their individual style by picking out their own hand-fitted shoes. During this last school year, the Kiwanis Shoe Bank hand fitted over 1,100 pairs of new shoes. That brings the grand total, since 1950, to over 30,000 pairs of free shoes! A $30 donation will gets you 1 Kiwanis Shoe Buddy Gift Box (8 Washington Red Delicious Apples, Hershey Chocolates, hard candy, and a client gift letter. Nestled in colorful spring paper and hand packed in a new Kiwanis Shoe Buddy Box. The perfect community conscious gift to a community involved client. Your donation buys 2 pairs of brand new shoes for Springfield school kids. A $75 donation gets you one full bulk case of fresh, Washington Apples (88 Red or Golden Delicious). Your donation buys 4 pairs of new shoes. A $40 donation gets you 1/2 bulk case of fresh, Washington Apples (44 Red or Golden Delicious). Your donation buys 2 pairs of new shoes. All gift boxes, apples, etc. are purchased from/through LOCAL Springfield businesses, with handling, packaging, and delivery done by Kiwanis Club of Ozark Empire volunteers, since You can make a donation by any of the following methods. OakStar $30 Shoe Buddy Gift Box Apples, Chocolate Candy $100 4 Shoe Buddy Gift Boxes Best Deal $75 Full Case (Red or Golden Delicious) $40 Half Case (Red or Golden delicious) Name: Delivery Address: City: State: Zip: Other Info: Kiwanis Club of Ozark Empire is a not-for-profit organization under IRS Section 501(c) (4). Please consult your tax advisor as to the of any payments made to the Club. deductibility