Author: CAPTA IT

Celebrating the 2024 Reflections Theme Search Winners

Posted on by CAPTA IT

National PTA Reflections Logo

National PTA invites students to share their ideas for the Reflections program theme each year. This important step in the Reflections journey allows young minds to express their unique perspectives and creativity, helping to inspire future participants nationwide.

The Reflections Art Program has been a cornerstone of PTA’s efforts to promote the arts and to enrich students’ educational experiences. With categories of Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts, Reflections empowers over 300,000 students annually to explore their talents and share their artistic voices. It all begins each year with a student-selected theme that sparks the student artists’ imagination and fuels their creative spirit.

This year, 50+ Reflections theme entries were submitted by students from across California, each one full of vision and originality. After much deliberation, five outstanding themes were selected to represent the best of this year’s submissions. Join us in celebrating the students behind these winning ideas, each of whom will receive a prize and advance to National PTA for consideration!

Meet the Winners:

  • “The World Through My Eyes” by Avi Gupta – Collins Elementary PTA (Sixth District PTA, Cupertino–Fremont–Sunnyvale Council of PTAs)
     Avi’s theme invites students to share their unique perspectives and encourages them to embrace their individuality.
  • “Blossom Where Life Plants You” by Sirus Parmar – Huntington Seacliff Elementary PTA (Fourth District PTA, Huntington Union Council of PTAs)
     This theme reminds us to grow, thrive, and find beauty wherever life takes us.
  • “If I had Aladdin’s lamp, I’d…” by Sanjana Shamarayar – Irvington High School PTSA (Peralta District PTA, Fremont Council of PTAs)
     Sanjana’s imaginative idea inspires dreams and possibilities beyond the ordinary.
  • “Loving Life” by Morgan Chou – San Marino High School PTSA (First District PTA, San Marino Council of PTAs)
     This theme celebrates the joy and gratitude found in everyday moments.
  • “Let’s Have Fun!” by Jaxtin Lehr – Southshore PTA (Twenty-Third District PTA, Out of Council)
     Jaxtin’s lighthearted theme reminds us to embrace creativity with excitement and joy.

What Happens Next?
California’s winning themes now move forward to the next stage of consideration for the National PTA’s Reflections program. Stay tuned as we elevate student creativity and celebrate its role in shaping the program’s future.

Thank You to Our Leaders!
The success of the Reflections Theme Search wouldn’t be possible without the dedication and support of PTA leaders at unit, council, and district PTAs. Thank you for encouraging participation and making this program an integral part of our community.

Let’s Keep Inspiring Creativity!
Whether you’re organizing a Reflections event or encouraging your school community to explore the arts, every effort contributes to our shared mission of enriching students’ lives. For resources and tips, visit capta.org/reflections.

Congratulations to all our winners! Keep dreaming, creating, and inspiring others with your incredible ideas.

Recognizing Exclusive Behavior in Your PTA

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Do you remember walking your children to school, hanging out in the Parent Center or going out to coffee with your friends, talking about PTA business?? By the time you got to the meeting, all the details were set, and the vote was uncontested. Even though you might not have had a quorum at the “coffee” date, not all the interested parties were consulted. But they could have been brought around if the project was presented well and enough votes were lined up.

A social pre-meeting is a form of exclusive behavior which is not good. Forms of exclusive behavior include social exclusion, condescension, mobbing, serial bullying, and cyberbullying on social media.

  • Social Exclusion – Social exclusion is defined as preventing someone from participating with others. It is not just mean-spirited childhood behavior that occurs on the playground; it is all too often an adult bullying tactic. Consider the example of a group text or WhatsApp conversation. It can be an opportunity to get some work done outside of committee and association meetings, but it may also be a way in which a volunteer is excluded from the conversation.
  • Condescension – Whether publicly in a meeting with others or privately in conversation, a volunteer who constantly criticizes and downgrades another volunteer’s comments or ideas is engaging in bullying. Condescension is a powerful tool of manipulation. It shuts down conversations, excludes new ideas, and alienates both the target and those who witness the behavior, making them reluctant to be involved. We, as an association, lose valuable volunteer resources when this behavior is tolerated.
  • Mobbing – When individuals in leadership positions band together to target a volunteer, they engage in mobbing. It is characterized by a coordinated campaign of humiliation, ridicule, and criticism by more than one person. Remarkably, mobbing accounts for 30% of bullying incidents. The target is made to feel isolated and inferior and eventually leaves the association.
  • Serial Bullying – The name says it all. It is a hit-and-run operation of sorts. The serial bully moves from one target to the next.
  • Cyberbullying – Cyberbullying is bullying on social media or any electronic form of communication, such as text, e-mail, and any group conversation apps. Outside standard PTA executive, association, and committee communications lies the challenging area of social media. Volunteers’ personal social media accounts are a convenient platform to cyberbully another parent. Social media allows uploading pictures and posts; settings can be set to private to keep out anyone looking to monitor activity. Exclusion behavior again….

If you think about it, all of the more common forms of bullying done on campus and in meetings can be done online, including exclusion. Moreover, people think nothing of snapping a picture with a smartphone, and those pictures can be shared on social media without permission.

In a recent survey, one in 10 participants said they became aware of secret conversations initiated about them on social media. The mental anguish and anxiety that are associated with bullying are not to be underestimated or dismissed. We are responsible for our actions and the resulting outcomes of those choices.

While it is lovely to have coffee with a friend or chat in a text, and it might seem to be the most efficient use of our time in this busy world, that is not where PTA business should be conducted.. Though it can be frustrating to wait until the next meeting, waiting will ensure that each member has a chance to respectfully share their ideas and listen to the ideas of others in order to achieve common goals. This is actually how the system should work: giving each individual a voice and an opportunity to participate without the fear of being shut down.

In summary, PTA business (votes and decisions) should not be done on any social media platform, by text, email, etc. No discussion beyond “we need to meet,” “what dates and times work for you,” with an attached agenda and request for ideas to add to the agenda. No discussion of the ideas; just a listing of them.

Meetings can take place via Zoom or another online format that allows all participants to access the meeting fairly and responsibly.

Be a buddy, not a bully. Wait for the meeting and include all voices. We do this better together.

Types of bullying taken from this article https://www.hracuity.com/blog/how-to-identify-exclusion-in-the-workplace-5-examples/

Give the Gift of Membership

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As PTA leaders, you know the value of membership, and you realize that PTA membership is a voice for all children and families.

Your membership is a gift that helps our PTA voice be more impactful. By giving someone a membership to the PTA, they are now counted as a voice as well, whether or not they can attend a meeting or volunteer at an event.

Think about those on your holiday shopping list who care for your child and their education. Those people may also appreciate a clutter-free gift and might love to hear what happens in your child’s life, including PTA and school. 

Grandparents, aunts, and uncles, or your best friend who treats your kids like their own would all be ideal recipients of a gift membership! You just need their name and email to sign them up on TOTEM. Please consider giving a gift of membership this season. 

Celebrate the Season with Art Activities

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The holidays and winter months provide many opportunities to create and integrate the arts with our traditions and culture. Here are some ideas to get you started: 

  • Take a walk outside and find colored leaves and twigs, flowers, and more to make seasonal collages
  • Paint leaf rubbings 
  • Paint and make leaf banners.

 What traditions does your family celebrate? 

  • Tell traditional stories and have family members write them down and illustrate them.  
  • Teach younger family members how to make traditional foods. 
  • Create a song and have family members sing and choreograph.

Remember that the arts keep bored kids busy, help bind us together, teach us about each other, and allow us to express ourselves comfortably. 

Happy Holidays!

From the California State PTA Arts Education Committee

Senior Scholarship Application Period is Now Open

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Your education doesn’t end once you walk across that high school graduation stage. California State PTA announces two scholarships available to help the class of 2025 achieve their college dreams and career and life goals. Here are the scholarships available this year:

  • The Volunteer Service Scholarship recognizes graduating seniors for their volunteer service in PTAs, schools, and communities. This scholarship provides financial assistance for those who wish to register for courses at accredited colleges, universities, and trade or technical schools.
  • The $500 Dr. Ralph E. White Graduating Senior Scholarship honors the volunteer and public-service legacy of Dr. Ralph E. White and his wife, Eleanor. This additional scholarship provides $500 each to two successful applicants of the Volunteer Service Scholarship who intend to pursue a career in the medical field.

Only one application is required to be submitted for both scholarships. The 2025 Graduating High School Senior Scholarship is open to PTA members graduating from a California high school with a PTA/PTSA between now and June 30, 2025. If a student does not attend a PTA high school, they can qualify to apply as a volunteer on their local Council, District, or State PTA board.

The deadline to apply, reference forms/letters, and all supporting documents is Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm. Visit our Scholarships page for additional details and apply here.

PTA Highlights of the Month – December 2024

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“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference.” – Nelson Mandela

A Farm-to-Table Learning Experience with Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies PTSA (31st District)

This month, we are thrilled to highlight the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies PTSA (SOCES) for creating a farm-to-table garden for their campus! The farm-to-table garden supports its school’s culinary classes and clubs by giving students access to fresh ingredients for foods like cabbage, broccoli, chives, lettuce, winter squash, and more. 

SOCES is one of the few schools in the greater Los Angeles area to have a newly built five-star culinary kitchen for the students to use. But what’s a culinary kitchen without a chef? SOCES PTSA leader Bonnie Wall credits Chef Avila for teaching the school’s culinary program. “We revel in the fact that our chef is one of the best in the country,” said Bonnie.

This hands-on learning experience was made possible through the partnership of PTSA members, ChefAvila, Los Angeles Unified School District’sAgriculture and Food Service and Hospitality program, Mr. List, and many students. Together, they cleaned up the abandoned garden by weeding, removing molded dirt, fixing 18 irrigation lines, filling it with rich soil, and planting all the donated plants. Bonnie considers the garden a two-fold win that brought together their local stakeholders and students. “The community was engaged and had a great time, AND we were able to make this area useful again for a unique program…The best results are yet to come as the vegetables and fruits grow,” said Bonnie.

We are incredibly proud of the SOCES community who helped bring the Farm to Table garden to life to provide children with a meaningful learning experience. 

Miwok Village PTA Reaches Over 300 Memberships (Third District)

Congratulations to Miwok Village PTA for kicking off the year strong, achieving over 300 memberships early in the 2024-2025 school year! Miwok Village PTA President Melinda Wilson shared the key steps that helped their PTA reach this milestone:

  • Membership Drive: At the beginning of the year, they hosted a membership drive for their school.
  • Communications Plan: They crafted a communication plan that included flyers, banners, emails, and in-person opportunities to join their PTA online or in-person. Their PTA leaders also dedicated outreach hours at their school entrance before and after school to spread the word about PTA.
  • Special Prizes & Giveaways: For every adult that joined the PTA, they gave their student a goodie bag! Miwok Village PTA also planned special prizes for the top classes in each grade, consisting of an arts/crafts party. The class with the highest percentage of students whose adults joined also received a trophy that will be passed down every year.
  • School Wide Goal: To push their membership drive, they set a schoolwide goal, which they surpassed! 

We are beyond proud of the hard work Miwok Village PTA has committed to PTA membership to impact the lives of children and families positively! 

As we prepare for the next half of the school year, we look forward to highlighting more PTA stories. We encourage your PTA to share any highlight or success story with us to be included in our next “PTA Highlights of the Month.” Submit a PTA Success Story Submission Form to share about your PTA’s impact.

Call for Vendor Recommendations: Refer a Vendor, Receive a Ribbon!

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The Convention Commission’s goal is to pack the Convention 2025 Exhibit Hall with celebrated vendors, and we would appreciate referrals of your favorites! Does your District, Council, or Unit have a must-use vendor for your book fairs, STEM nights, educational assemblies, or other family events? If so, please pass their contact information to exhibitors@capta.org in order to expand resources for our statewide Convention attendees. You will receive a ribbon for your referral!

Vendors can also visit our 2025 Exhibitor Information page to learn more information about how to become an exhibitor at Convention. Exhibitor applications open online on January 13, 2025.

School Smarts Family Engagement Program

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The California State PTA School Smarts Family Engagement Program consists of seven two-hour sessions designed to promote long-term family engagement. By participating in the academy sessions, parents and caregivers invest in their students’ education through active involvement. Additionally they are able to connect with the school community and with each other.

Each of the seven sessions focuses on a single topic: parent/caregiver involvement, preparing for a lifetime of learning, understanding California’s education system, understanding your local school system, becoming an effective communicator, standing up for quality education, and taking action.

Every School Smarts session has an art component, and the curriculum is available in multiple languages to ensure accessibility for the diverse communities we serve.

This award-winning, research-based program is specifically designed to assist schools with their state and federal family-engagement requirements, as well as to support Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) implementation.

For more information, visit our School Smarts page to find out how to bring this program to your school or district, email programsupport@capta.org today.

PTA Highlights of the Month – November 2024

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“Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.” – Barbara Mikulski

The Journey of Rebuilding Gledhill Elementary PTA (31st District)

PTA membership is not just a title – it is a journey that calls for community, collaboration, and creativity. This month we are thrilled to highlight Gledhill Elementary PTA. Their incredible members came together to relaunch their PTA for the 2024-2025 school year. Diligently they worked to overcome several challenges, focusing their efforts on re-creating the basic foundation for their PTA. Part of that foundation was updating their TOTEM account and registering their PTA with the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. 

“We are learning as each deadline approaches and preparing notes for future PTAs to continue this wonderful opportunity for our school, parents, and community,” said Gledhill Elementary PTA Secretary, Mrs. Ana Carmina Ilagan.

Rebuilding their PTA took work and a commitment to the children and families of Gledhill Elementary. We applaud the PTA leaders and members for their commitment to their school community.

Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary Hosts NASA Moon Tree Ceremony & Education Day (Fourth District)

Congratulations to Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School for being recognized as a 2024 NASA Moon Tree Steward! This school, along with several K-12 schools, major universities, and governors, received “moon seeds” from NASA’s Artemis I Mission that traveled to the moon twice, then splashed back onto Earth. The “moon seeds,” named for its giant Sequoia seeds, were collected by NASA and sent to the US Forest Service to be grown into saplings. 

On October 14, Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School held a Moon Tree Ceremony and Educational Day, where their students had the opportunity to plant the giant Sequoia. But it didn’t end there; this extraordinary experience also brought together NASA scientists, JPL engineers, US Forest Service representatives, and educational leaders who shared valuable insights and hands-on demonstrations with their students. The enthusiastic students also enjoyed a week of galactic activities including an interactive Mars Portable Planetarium, student performances, space-themed art, astronaut ice cream, and a surprise visit from notable children’s book author Sue Fliess (author of Zoologists on the Train and Astronauts on the Space Station).

Thank you to Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School PTA for supporting this remarkable event that celebrated the power of teamwork, inclusivity, and the positive impact of parents, educators, and communities working together to benefit education. 

Read more about the 2024 NASA Moon Tree Stewards and the tree planting ceremony on national news outlets including AP News, NBC Los Angeles, Patch, and SBS News.

Many thanks to our PTAs who positively impact the lives of children and families in their schools and communities! 

Ready to spotlight the work of your PTA? Submit a PTA Success Story Submission Form to share your PTA’s highlight so you can be included in our next PTA Highlights of the Month.

How to Protect Your PTA from Check Washing

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Have you ever heard of check washing?

It’s a real thing. A check is written, mailed to the intended recipient, but never received. However, the check clears the bank account, often payable to someone else and/or in a much larger amount.

Checks, often stolen from mailboxes or directly from postal workers, are “washed” in chemicals to remove the ink and change the payee and/or amount. Alternatively scammers will use copiers or scanners to print fake copies of a check. These fraudulent checks are deposited and money is stolen from a bank account.

There are ways to protect your PTA funds from check washing:

  • Use a pen that contains indelible black gel ink to write your checks.
  • Don’t leave blank spaces in the payee or amount lines of checks you write.
  • Opt for checks with security features. These features might include a watermark, microprinting, or the use of special inks.
  • Deliver your PTA check in person to the payee.
  • It’s recommended to drop your mail in a collection box inside a post office, or hand it to a postal worker.
  • Send your envelope via registered mail, so that you may track the delivery of your envelope.
  • Before you mail a check, send an email to the intended recipient letting them know that the check is in the mail, and ask that they confirm receipt of the check. Ask them to cash your check as soon as possible.
    • Be especially vigilant at the end of term when checks are mailed, and a new treasurer will take over. The outgoing treasurer will want to make sure that the final checks written clear the account when reconciling the June bank statement and preparing the Annual Financial Report. Thieves are aware that PTAs transition officers over the summer, and they’re hoping that we’re not paying attention!
  • Consider making payments using e-check, ACH automatic payments and other electronic and/or mobile payments. Remember, PTAs should only use business-to-business electronic payment systems, not person-to-person (i.e. Venmo) apps.
  • Use online banking to review copies of your checks to ensure they were not altered.
  • If you still receive paid checks back from the bank, shred them – don’t just throw them in the trash.
  • Regularly review your bank activity and statements for errors.

What do you do if your PTA is the victim of check washing?

File a report immediately with:

  • The United States Postal Inspection Service at https://www.uspis.gov/report or call 1-877-876-2455.
  • Your local police department.
  • Your financial institution; you may need to freeze or close the account.
  • Your district PTA officers.
  • AIM, our insurance provider.
    • Follow procedures detailed in the Insurance Guide to file a claim with AIM Insurance
  • Make sure that your PTA is following the insurance requirements of a non-signer opening, reviewing, and signing the monthly bank statement, a non-check signer reviewing the monthly bank reconciliation, and completion of an Annual Financial Review. Also make sure that these activities are documented in monthly minutes. In the event that a claim is filed with AIM, this is how you’ll prove that you are fulfilling AIM’s requirements.