Palo Alto Council of PTAs

The mission of the Palo Alto Council of PTAs is...

Through communication, advocacy and education:

  • Promote the welfare of all children;
  • Link and support unit PTAs;
  • And, involve parents and the community in these efforts.

Palo Alto Council of PTA's - 2007-08 Strategic Goals

[ in PDF format ]

  1. Advocate For, Promote and Support Student Social/Emotional/Physical Health
    1. Use PTA communications channels to inform parents and community about trends/programs/issues;
    2. Improve internal communications and foster strong working relationships with school board and district staff;
    3. Foster strong working partnerships with school board and district staff;
    4. Encourage program emphasis on emotional health and well being;
    5. Encourage the understanding of learning differences;
    6. Help each child to maximize his/her potential, through individualizing definitions of success;
    7. Sponsor parent education presentations (Elementary topics different than Secondary);
    8. Connect PTAs to relevant community service organizations;
    9. Work alongside PAUSD to promote stress reduction, good nutrition, fitness, disease prevention, sustainable schools, emergency prep & school commute safety.
  2. Promote Educational Excellence for All Students
    1. Actively support PAUSD program goals promoting academic excellence and success for all students (such as, but not limited to, recent work on writing, math/science, and arts education)
      1. Partner with the district, local government and the community to expand enrichment programs, resources, and supplies for teachers and students (such as libraries and special needs programs);
      2. Encourage the fostering of the genius in every child;
      3. Support and sponsor the National PTA Reflections program.
  3. Maintain and Enhance a Strong, Effective Palo Alto PTA
    1. Promote benefits of PTA programs and encourage volunteering;
    2. Foster inclusiveness and diversity in our membership and add active and passive members;
      1. Recruit student members and volunteers;
      2. Recruit teachers and administrators as members;
      3. Recruit community members and past PAUSD parents to join the PTA;
    3. Build leadership through consistent PTA unit training and support;
    4. Facilitate sharing of best practices between schools within and outside the district.
  4. Advocacy Effort
    1. Use PTA local, state and national advocacy networks to advocate for all children;
    2. Continue to strengthen our communication network to keep our community informed and to keep the District informed of parent views and concerns;
    3. Evaluate state and national legislative issues and see which ones should be pursued and brought to the attention of our Council;
    4. Stay current on state and national education policy and law and participate where appropriate;
    5. Spread information broadly and advocate for our students and district.

Our goals were created to be responsive to the needs and concerns expressed by our members and will serve as a guide for our work throughout the remainder of year.  We invite you to send us feedback: ideas for projects, programs and advocacy.  We invite you to let us know how we're doing. Are we addressing your concerns?  Providing the necessary support?  We're interested in what you think!  You may send your comments to Dan Dykwel, President, at dykwel@comcast.net .  Thank you for your interest!
PTA Council HomeThis document was last updated by Mona Siegel on 7/13/2007