The Florida PTA Annual Leadership/Convention was held July 11-13, 2014 in Palm Harbor, Florida. The Palm Beach County Council of PTA/PTSA was represented by board members Sandy Roth, Wendy Corso Ruud, Tara Vanner, Dennis Roetzel, Laura Fellman, Jen Martinez, Kay M. Stagray and Mindy Haas.
Over 60 representatives from 21 local PTA units were in attendance. The Palm Beach County Council PTA offered five units a grant to help offset costs to attend the annual conference. Palm Beach County Council PTA/PTSA presented each attendee with a bag of goodies including: welcome letter, water, snacks, T-shirt, flashlight and note pad.
This was the second time for the Florida PTA an installation was held at the annual Leadership/Convention. We extend congratulations to our own Mindy Haas, who was installed the President for Florida PTA and Jen Martinez who was installed as the Treasurer for Florida PTA. Palm Beach County Council PTA and our local units look forward to working with them all to further the mission of PTA. The Palm Beach County School District sent a very nice greeting and congratulations video to congratulate and welcome Mindy Haas as the Florida PTA President
“It is great to see so many volunteers come together for the good of all children; Every Child One Voice was clearly seen throughout the event. I am looking forward to sharing all the information with our local units in August,” said Sandy Roth, Palm Beach County Council PTA/PTSA President.
The Convention portion is the annual business meeting of the Florida PTA. This year the convention delegates elected new Florida PTA officers, adopted bylaws changes and updated the position statements in priority for the spring legislative agenda. Leaving such items in priority; Funding, High Stakes Testing, Early Childhood Education, Voucher Funded School Accountability and Support of Health and Wellness to Reduce Childhood Obesity Policy.
The Leadership portion offers a variety of roundtables and workshops for members to take to help them be successful in whatever PTA role they play. Attendees were invited to participate in many workshops including: Social Media, Common Core State Standards, Increasing Male Involvement and Engaging Dads at School, Diversity Workshop, Family Involvement Award and Idea Exchange, role specific training such as: President, Secretary, Treasurer and many more!
Key Note speakers included National PTA Representative Stella Edwards, and Dr. John Fitzgerald Gates, Commissioner Pam Stewart. County Councils and local units throughout Florida had their programs and accomplishments recognized by Florida PTA. Awards presented to the Palm Beach County Council of PTA/PTSA included: Thomas Newsletter Grant, Promoting Communication Excellence, Program Awards (3) and Study Discussion Group Awards (3).
The newly installed officers of the Florida PTA are:
President – Mindy Haas (Palm Beach)
President-Elect – Cindy Gerhardt (Escambia)
V.P. for Leadership – Lindy Kearschner (Pinellas)
V.P. for Regions and Councils – Tammy Weaver (Orange)
V.P. for Membership Development – LaTasha Green-Cobb (Duval)
V.P. for Education – Graham Rabinowitsch (Broward)
Secretary – Joseph Piecora (Hernando)
Treasurer – Jen Martinez (Palm Beach)
Awards presented to local units in Palm Beach County included:
President’s Program Award: Palm Beach County Council PTA/PTSA
Friends of the Environment Award: Eagles Landing Middle School PTSA
PTSA Student Advocate Award: Sarah Palumbo, Eagles Landing Middle School PTSA
President’s Membership Award: Elementary: Sandpiper Shores Elementary PTA and Secondary: Eagles Landing Middle School PTSA
100% Membership for 8 years: Morikami Park Elementary PTA
Membership over 1,000 Members: Spanish River High School PTSA
Advocacy Award: Palm Beach County Council PTA/PTSA
Literacy Award: Secondary: Eagles Landing Middle School PTSA
Membership Plus Award: Spanish River High School PTSA
Local units will receive other awards presented to them at the first Palm Beach County Council PTA/PTSA General Meeting.
For more information please contact President Sandy Roth at 561-703-7821.
About PTA
The Palm Beach County Council of PTA/PTSA is a member of the largest advocacy group for children in the nation. PTA stands for Parent Teacher Association and PTSA stands for Parent Teacher Student Association. Collectively referred to as PTA, we are an all volunteer association that is nonpartisan, noncommercial, and nonsectarian. PTA is a nonprofit child advocacy association organized at the local, county, state and national levels.
PTA comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. Join a local unit today!www.PalmBeachCountyPTA.com.
