Don't forget to "bookmark" the council website to get current information about training, meetings, announcements etc. www.lisdpta.org You can also access Area 16, Texas PTA and National PTA websites through our "partners" page.

A Message From Your Council President

Reflections article pictures

Happy New Year! This time of year finds us reflecting on 2007 and refocusing our goals and efforts for 2008. So, take advantage of this "fresh start" in your personal and PTA life to utilize your time and efforts in the most efficient and productive manner.

January also brings us School Board Appreciation Month. The LISD Council of PTAs would like to thank our trustees for their service to the children and families in our district. School Board Trustees can be contacted via the LISD web site. http://www.lisd.net/info/board/boardmembers.html

Can you still register for the 99^th Texas PTA Convention on February 22-24 at The Woodlands? YES! The Council encourages each PTA to send at least one representative. Workshop, registration and proposed positions/resolutions to be voted on can be found at www.txpta.org. Click here to review the positions/resolutions for consideration at the 2008 convention.

We do not have a Council Regular meeting in February so be sure to utilize the Council Connection in February and email reminders to remain informed.

Kris Vaughn

President, LISD Council of PTAs

president@lisdpta.org

214.513.8359

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January Council Speaker

January is National Mentoring Month! Please join us at the January Council meeting to hear Gary Henderson, Executive Director of Communities in Schools of North Texas. Communities In Schools of North Texas was founded in 1994 in response to the quiet, but growing, dropout problem in Denton and Wise counties. Each day, CISNT diligently seeks partnerships that will allow for more at-risk youth to prepare for life. Gary will share with us some of his volunteer mentor success stories, as well as relay opportunities to become involved in meeting the needs of students at-risk within LISD.

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Council Regular Meeting Date

Our next Regular Meeting Date is Wednesday, January
16, 2008

See you there!!

Councils provide opportunities for local units to meet and share knowledge and information, receive training and coordinate efforts. A council is the key link in communication among state, area and the local units. Councils provide support and guidance to the local units, while serving as a role-model to their membership.

Texas PTA Council Presidents' Supplement, 2007

Thanks! From Dr. Roy

LISD HAS MANY BLESSINGS THIS YEAR

By: Dr. Jerry Roy

Superintendent of Schools

As this year quickly comes to a close, I am reminded of the many blessings that have been bestowed upon the Lewisville Independent School District. This year has been a special year full of amazing academic accolades, fine arts reviews, athletic wins and historical community support.

As you know, our district has been growing, which is a direct reflection of our outstanding teachers, principals and staff. Our district is extremely blessed that these fine educators have made LISD their professional home. They are one of the most and very important reasons why LISD continues to make newspaper headlines boasting about the quality educational experience we provide to our students. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank our staff for all you do and give to our community's children.

To our parents, your involvement and commitment to your child's education has been immensely important to our schools. The time and resources you give by volunteering make a huge impact on our district and your children. Often times you aren't thanked enough for all your contributions; however your actions do not go unnoticed. Daily, principals and teachers share with me how you made their day easier by answering phones, making copies or supporting activities benefiting our schools. Thank you for giving so much without hesitation.

Our PTAs, Communities in Schools, Lewisville Education Foundation and booster clubs, serve our entire district and make it possible for students, teachers and parents to receive assistance when needed. Our PTA and booster clubs are the largest student advocacy organization in LISD. Our libraries, classrooms, playgrounds, athletic areas and entire schools reflect what our PTAs and booster clubs do for our students. I personally want to thank each PTA and booster club member - your gifts are so valuable to our campuses' success and make a lasting impact for years to come.

Also serving our students is the non-profit organization Communities in Schools of North Texas (CISNT). This organization helps our disadvantaged students find clothing, tutors and mentors to build self-worth and a pathway to success. Each year CISNT raise funds to help our students where the LISD budget is limited or non-existent. Thank you to the staff and volunteers for your continued persistence in helping our most disadvantage youth stay in school. I know many children of all ages who would not be where they are today without you.

As the Superintendent of Schools, I know the Lewisville Education Foundation makes a large instructional impact. This non-profit foundation is comprised of community business leaders who recognize our teachers for their creative ideas by awarding one-time grants to implement innovative instructional programs. Our educators spend their own money providing special materials for their classrooms that it often becomes financially taxing. The foundation is able to provide those funds, and allows teachers to use their salary on taking care of themselves and their families. On behalf of LISD, thank you to our foundation for your financial support. You not only provide funds that are not part of a district's traditional budget, you allow our teachers to implement creative instructional strategies.

Because LISD has such a supportive and caring community, our students are surrounded with role models who reflect the necessary values they must have to become compassionate citizens. Our students' futures are bright because of you - our community, who values children and education. As I reflect on this year's gifts, I am humbled by your generosity and know that we have much, much to be thankful for this year.

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Excerpt from www.lisd.net

Council Scavenger Hunt

Have you checked out the Council Scavenger Hunt yet?

Included in last month's Council Connection were details about our scavenger hunt. It was my intention to have this for you earlier in the year to become familiar with the online resources. Well, with all the details of learning my new position as Council President, this didn't get accomplished? (Has this ever happened to you?)

Since it was in the December issue and such a busy time of year, we are extending the deadline to submit entries until January 25^th. We will announce the winner in the February newsletter.

Thanks for understanding and do take some time to "dig" for the answers. It will help with your PTA positions and also provide a chance to win a $25 gift card to Conn's Appliance Store.

Have fun!

Kris Vaughn

******************* wording from last month's newsletter******************

The Lewisville Council of PTAs has one for you which includes "hunting" Council, Area 16, Texas PTA and National websites. What a fun way to encourage everyone to become familiar with the resources available from these PTAs. Each entry with all correct answers will be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card donated by Conn's Appliance Store. www.lisdpta.org for all the details. (Feel free to use this idea for your website and members)

Have you checked out the Council Scavenger Hunt yet?

Programs

Happy New Year! Can you believe that it is already 2008! If you are still looking for spring programs, please remember that the deadline for requesting programs from Texas PTA is January 29^th. Texas PTA has many wonderful programs for your local units to take advantage of this year. For additional information, please visit the program page of the Texas PTA website at http://www.txpta.org/members/Prog_ParentEd.html.

Trisha Sheffield
1^st VP of Programs

Bowling for Scholars - January 26, 2008

Don't Be Blue this season, Be "Bowl-ed"!
If your team is blue over missing the deadline - it's not too late! Be bold, and register your school for the Bowling for Scholars Tournament! Plenty of lanes are still available for Saturday, January 26th. However, all registrations must be received by 12:00 Noon on Friday, January 18th. Visit www.lisdpta.org to download a registration form or contact Tracie Owens at 972-874-7191.

Founder's Day Dinner

The LISD Council of PTAs Founder's Day dinner will be held on Thursday, February 28, 2008, 7:00 p.m. at the DFW Marriott located at 8440 Freeport Parkway, Irving. Invitations will be going out soon. Our guest speaker is Christine Holton Cashen www.adynamicspeaker.com See Council website for more details and attend the January 16th council regular meeting. http://lisdpta.org/founders_day.htm

Michelle McDaniel

foundersday@lisdpta.org

972-906-7221

It's Nominating Committee Time!

It's time at your PTA for nominating committees to form and start looking for candidates for next year's officers. Always consult your bylaws to see in what month your elections are held. For example, if your bylaws say your election is to be held at your March general meeting, your nominating committee will need to be formed at least 30 days before that, and the slate of nominees announced at least seven days before the election. For many PTA's, the nominating committee needs to be formed at least 60 days before the election, and the slate needs to be announced 15 days prior to the election.

It is a good idea to announce in a newsletter or flyer that the nominating committee will be elected at the next general meeting and the procedures for getting on the committee - that is, have someone nominate you to be on the committee! Presidents, it is a good idea to encourage representation from all grades and or ethnic backgrounds if applicable. The nominating committee is elected by the general membership at a general meeting. Consult your bylaws to see the number of people needed for the committee and the number of alternates.
Things to remember:

The president does not serve on this committee!
Board members can serve on the committee, but please encourage participation from your general members. The nominating committee needs to be formed and elected at the general meeting - not the board meeting!
What if you have more people wanting to be on the committee than you have spots? Then you will need to have a runoff by ballot vote
Can I be on the nominating committee if I am interested in a position? Yes, but you should leave the room while the committee discusses your qualifications.

Once the nominating committee has been elected, they will need to immediately meet following the general meeting to choose their chairman and decide when they will meet. The nominating committee needs to advertise through newsletter, email, flyer, etc that they are accepting nominations for the offices of (As specified in your bylaws). All discussion in the nominating committee is confidential. The nominating committee must choose only one candidate per office. If a candidate cannot be found for a particular office, nominations will have to be taken from the floor at the election meeting. The committee members sign the report, thus signifying that they agree with the slate of nominees. The slate is then made public through your PTA's regular communication channels.

Be sure to contact your Council board if you have questions!

For more information, please consult "Frequently Asked Questions" and "You're the President! Let's Get Started" sections of your Texas PTA Handbook.

Reflections

Congratulations to all the children who participated in the National PTA Reflections Program. The PTAs in our school district collected 2096 entries! Wow! Our sincere thanks go out to all the hard-working Reflections chairmen for handling all those entries, and to the parents for encouraging their children to participate in the program.

Over 530 entries were received and judged at the Council level. Council members and Reflections committee members were very busy over the holidays getting everything ready for the Council's Annual Reflections Reception at Flower Mound High School. The reception was well-attended and featured heartwarming opening remarks by our very own LISD Council of PTAs, President, Kris Vaughn. The judging at Area 16 included 107 of our council's entries and took place the day before our awards ceremony. From there the advancing entries will go to the state level and then on to National.

If you have not done so already, be sure to take a moment to recognize the children who participated in Reflections at your campus and encourage them to keep participating in years to come. Watch the Texas PTA website for details about next year's Reflections theme "WOW". Now is not too early for students to start their entries and then they can refine them over the summer.

Now I would like to give a special thank you to Christina Hanifan and Whitney McGee for their help in getting entrees ready to be returned to the schools and all those who helped out at the Awards Ceremony.

Environmental Contest

Environmental

Questions about your school's Environmental Contest?

Make sure your contest chair attends the Regular Meeting on
January 16^thas the roundtable immediately following will be hosted by Council Environmental Chair, Patti Pollock. Come prepared to ask questions.

Local PTA contests can be held anytime during the year with winning entries due to Council by March 1st, 2008.

This year's theme-What Can I Do?

All forms and guidelines are available at http://www.txpta.org/members/enviroRules.html

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Around the Corner

January 6, Sunday, Reflections Reception for Council Level Winners - Flower Mound High School Auditorium, 1-3pm
www.lisdpta.org/artsineducation_reflections.htm#CeremonyFAQ
January 16, Council Regular Meeting; 9:30 am
January 18, NOON, Deadline to enter Bowling for Scholars
January 25, Deadline to enter Website Scavenger Hunt
January 26, Bowling for Scholars Tournament, Lewisville Lanes, 9-11, 11:30-1:30, or 2-4 bowling4scholars@lisdpta.org
February 22-24, Texas PTA Annual Convention, The Woodlands
February 23, Monopoly Game Tournament benefiting LISD Adult & Community Education, 9 - 2 pm
February 28, Founder's Day, DFW Airport Marriott, 7-9:30 pm foundersday@lisdpta.org
April 19, Vendor Fair, Killough LHS North 9 am - noon vendorfair@lisdpta.org
April 26, Area 16 Spring Conference www.area16pta.org

See council website for more details on calendar

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Lewisville Council of PTA's Goals

· Educate local units about council support and resources

· Provide training and exposure for all PTA leaders and volunteers

· Actively include and encourage all local units to be involved with Council activities

Communicate

Advocate

Rejuvenate

Educate

LISD School Board Meetings

LISD Board of Trustees meetings

are held in the Board Room of the William T. Bolin Administrative Center, 1565 W. Main St., Lewisville, at 7 p.m.

January 14, 2008
February 11, 2008
March 10, 2008
April 14, 2008
May 19, 2008
June 16, 2008
July 14, 2008
August 11, 2008
September 8, 2008

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Did You Know?

National PTA Logo

National PTA

PTA Take Your Family to School Week
February 10-16, 2008

PTA Take Your Family to School Wek, February 10-16, 2008, is just one of the PTA programs revitalizing parent involvement in education. PTA has worked to bring families and schools together since its founding on February 17, 1897.

National PTA has the tools you need to implement PTA Take Your Family to School Week at your school. The event embodies one of PTA's founding principles: When it comes to children's education, the best way to get involved is to become part of the school community. Click on this link for information to get started. (http://www.pta.org/familytoschool/familytoschool_landing.html)

When schools open their doors to all families, and parents put aside their other commitments, children get to see that their education is valued, families earn a unique perspective on students' school days, and educators gain a new way to build positive partnerships with entire families.

PTA Take Your Family to School Week February 10-16, 2008

PTA Take Your Family to School Week
February 10-16, 2008