What is the Best Way to Get Involved in My Child's School?
Volunteer opportunities
include PTA, room reps, parent readers, tutors, student mentors and classroom volunteers. In August, watch for a PTA packet
with a volunteer form in your child's Friday folder. Be sure to fill it out completely and return it to your child's
teacher. Our volunteer database is built from these forms. Volunteers are solicited from this list via e-mail and telephone.
Your e-mail address is kept private. You can also volunteer directly through your child's classroom and other volunteer
opportunities will occasionally be advertised in Friday folders.
What
is a "Friday folder?"
The folder is your communication lifeline with the school. Each Friday, check
your child's backpack for a special folder that includes updated information on what's happening in your child's
classroom, in the school, and with the PTA. Be sure to read the Handbook that is distributed at the beginning of the year,
as it will answer most of your school policy questions (buses, lunches, absences, etc.).
Are
PTA Board Meetings Open to All Members?
Yes. If you are interested in becoming involved in the PTA, you should
definitely attend the monthly PTA Board meetings. General membership meetings are held during the year, but the board meetings
are where planning is done and decisions made.
What Services Do the PTA Provide to
the School and Staff?
PTA funds provide many support services, including classroom equipment subsidies, grounds
maintenance and landscaping, media center books, cultural arts programs, teacher appreciation and an annual Teacher-of-the-Year
award, family events, an annual 5th grade graduation party, the motivational reading program, science fair, student directory,
yearbook and funds for special projects such as WeatherNet and stage sound, curtains and lighting upgrades. Our biggest contribution,
of course, is the manpower of our volunteers!
Wake SEPTA, WCPSS, & Nat'l PTA Services
Take
Advantage of Your National PTA Membership
As a member of the YMES PTA, you are also a member of the National PTA. On their Web site, you will find parent resources such as:
Student Achievement
Safety
Media & Technology
Health & Wellness
Bulletin Boards
Our
Children Magazine
PTA Store
While there, also sign up to receive the PTA Parent e-newsletter.
Special Education PTA
GOT IEP? Wake SEPTA is a district-wide PTA unit focusing on
the needs and interests of parents and educators of students receiving special education services. Membership is $5 for families
and free for educators and specialists (they're the 'T' in PTA!). For more information, call 788-2500, e-mail
info@WakeSEPTA.org, or visit http://wake-seic.org. You do not need to be a member to attend. Check it out!
Kim Rineer, a YMES
parent, is serving as the YMES Special Education
& Inclusion Liaison. See her full letter to the families of YMES.
Subscribe to WCPSS E-Mail Notification and School
News service
Using the form on the WCPSS Web site, you can choose to receive timely e-mails concerning urgent WCPSS news and important events such as school
closings, delays in opening, early dismissals, public hearings, online forums, and more. Once you create an account,
you can decide which noticifications and e-newsletters you would like to receive.
WCPSS is on YouTube
and Twitter
WCPSS introduced two additional ways to stay up-to-date with the Wake County Public School System. You
can search the library of videos on YouTube for your school, your favorite teacher, or simply browse around and discover interesting video stories and resources within
the school system.
And, you can receive timely Tweets of news and information - follow WCPSS on Twitter. (Note the NEW Twitter name -- they dropped the 1 off the end.)
