Greetings & Salutations!

I hope you all had a terrific summer, and are prepared to lead your unit toward a successful fun-filled year! Our council board is very anxious and enthusiastic about providing you with all the tips and tools you will need to assist you in your very important role as unit president. You set the tone, lead the way, and serve as the role model for your unit as the chief volunteer. What a wonderful opportunity you have to make a difference!

Most of you attended the training workshops in June before school was out, and I hope you gained some useful information at that time. I was really pleased with those of you who made the special effort to attend the July "How to Orient Your Board" training session we offered. You new presidents will discover what the seasoned presidents learned last year. That is, the more you train and inform your board, the easier it makes your job.

Last month California State PTA mailed the "new and improved" PTA Toolkit to all unit presidents in the state. Please let me know if you didn't receive yours, as this information kit is the most important PTA reference manual you will receive! Please place it in a large three-ring binder with a label "Property of _______ PTA." You will need to take special care so that you can pass this toolkit on to your successor as it will not be distributed again for two years. Consider ordering additional copies for reference at school by any board members and you will also find that CDs are available for purchase for only $5. Bottom line: get this information out to all the folks on your board who will need it so they can do their jobs right the first time.

On Thursday, September 19, you have the opportunity to invite your Principal to breakfast. You will receive an invitation to the President/Principal Breakfast to be held at 9:00 AM in the district board room. I strongly encourage carpooling with your principals as parking at the district office is very limited during business hours.

We have scheduled our first Saddleback Valley PTA Council Meeting for Thursday, September 26 at Rancho Caņada Elementary School, 21801 Winding Way, Lake Forest at 10:00 AM. That is the official beginning time of our council meeting. It is very important that you personally attend these meetings or in your absence, send another officer in your place. These monthly meetings will provide you with a forum of your peers to network with and serves as the vehicle for information flowing down from Fourth District, California and National PTA organizations. You need this information to keep your PTA on track.

Immediately prior to several meetings this year, we will be offering additional training opportunities. On September 26, at 9:15 AM, Julie Schwartz, Council Membership Chairman will be offering a membership training for your membership chairmen to attend along with you. This will be "hot off the press" membership information to assist your unit in a hassle-free, error-free membership drive. Following that training, your membership chairman is welcome to stay for the 10:00 AM council presidents meeting.

You will be asked to bring several items to each council meeting and one very important item you should finalize now is your board roster. You will need to bring a list of all of your officers and chairmen with full names, phone numbers and email addresses to the first meeting. We are compiling a Saddleback Valley Council PTA Directory for distribution to each unit to be used as a networking resource. We cannot do this without your assistance in providing the necessary information.

The Saddleback Valley Council PTA Board is here to serve you! Our job is to support you in your job, so please feel free to call on each and every one of us if we can be of assistance any time this year. As a general rule you should contact the officer in charge of the area in which you have a question first, before contacting me. That is not to discourage you from contacting me, but simply asking that you direct your questions to the officer trained to answer them. I don't have all the answers, I just know where to get them. I wish you much luck and success this year!

Dolores Winchell
Saddleback Valley PTA Council President
(949) 458-2109,

ITEMS TO BRING TO THE SEPTEMBER MEETING:

• Two (2) copies of Unit Audit
• Two (2) copies of Unit Proposed Budget
• Two (2) copies of Unit meeting dates/times/location
• One (1) copy of updated Unit officer/chairman phone/address/email list
• Remit Per Capita membership dues to Council upon receipt

MARK YOUR CALENDARS... UPCOMING DATES

• Sept 19 Principal/President Breakfast - District Boardroom 9:00 AM
• Sept 26 Legislative Roundtable - OCDE Boardroom 9:30 AM
• Sept 26 PTA Council Training - MEMBERSHIP & REFLECTIONS 9:15 AM
  PTA Council Meeting - Rancho Canada Elem. 10:00 AM
• Oct 2 Walk to School Day
• Oct 8 School Board Meeting - District Boardroom 7:00 PM
• Oct 10 Early Bird Membership deadline to Julie Schwarz
• Oct 16 Superintendent's Forum - District Boardroom TBD
• Oct 23-29 Red Ribbon Week
• Oct 24 PTA Council Training - COMMUNICATIONS & FINANCE 6:45 PM
  PTA Council Meeting - District Boardroom 7:30 PM

AUDITS DUE NOW!

As specified in your bylaws, all units must have a complete financial audit conducted on a semi-annual basis. Since our fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, that means all units should have their audits complete prior to the first board meeting which most of you have in August.

For new presidents or auditors, the PTA publication entitled "California State PTA Toolkit" has a section under Finance called "The PTA Audit" which spells out the audit procedure step by step. If you do not have this publication, it is available from the California State PTA.

The final completed audit must be adopted by your association at a unit meeting, by way of motion, and the adoption date must be indicated on the audit.

Please submit two (2) copies of your "adopted" unit audit by bringing it to the council meeting on September 26 or mail it to me by September 30 to Luis Alvarado, 28981 Canyon Rim Dr, Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679. Feel free to contact me with any questions. Luis Alvarado, , 858-5257

FALL MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

The PTA theme of "every child. one voice" continues to be the focus of our Council. We strive to work together for the benefit of all children in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. Last year we saw many positive results due to the efforts of our PTA units; we expect the same this year. Our PTAs promote a positive school environment for our children to flourish and learn. We look forward to working with you to grow your units. We urge you to explore new and creative ways to welcome all members of your community and to work cooperatively on behalf of all children. It is important to involve everyone in PTA.

The National PTA (founded in 1897) has played an important role in many areas including child labor laws, hot school lunches, early childhood development and Children's Television Act (to improve TV programs) to name a few. Although most members join because they care about their child's school, every member is also a part of a much bigger organization. The National PTA has over 6.5 million members, with 26,000 units in all 50 states! PTA is the largest volunteer organization working exclusively for children. Your PTA leaders set the example for the whole unit and I am sure they set a climate of inclusiveness. It is important to reach new families at your school or just families that have never joined before. PTA is so MUCH more than "bake sales" - get the word out!

Membership Themes:

Start your membership drive off with a catchy theme. Prepare a bulletin board display where parents, students and teachers can visually see your membership goals. Don't forget to encourage your teachers and staff to join. You may also want to ask you local city elected officials, local business people or friends of your school. Some themes are:

• Be Part of the Production - Join the Cast
• Strike it Rich With PTA
• Get Roped Into PTA (Western Theme)
• Sea-ing is Believing (Ocean theme)
• Grow With Us (Gardening Theme)
• Complete Our Puzzle, Join PTA - Where Everybody Fits (Puzzle pieces were used)

I would love to hear what theme you are using - I am sure many of your units are very creative! Accurate record keeping is a must in regards to membership. If this is a challenge for you, ask someone in your unit who is good with numbers to help! If your unit allows for family memberships, you need to review your bylaws to verify exactly how many members that represents (many units have indicated that a family membership represents two members. When you track the name and number of members, it is important that you list two names and count two members.) You must remit $3.85 for each member who joins PTA. Please call me if you have any questions regarding this matter.

IMPORTANT MEMBERSHIP DUE DATES:

Early Bird Award (min. 15 members) October 10
Chairman's Club (50 members +) Oct. 24 (Council Mtg.)
Final Membership Remittance Feb. 27 (Council Mtg.)

In order to be eligible for a California State PTA Creative Membership Award, you must meet all the above membership deadlines. This application is sent directly to the State office by February 1, 2003. Check your Toolkit for an application.

Please remember that I am here to help you and your Membership Chairmen. Please let me know how I can assist you. It is the goal of the Saddleback Valley PTA Council to support you at the unit level in every way possible. You can reach me (Julie Schwarz) or (949) 582-0830.

REFLECTIONS 2002-2003

The 2002-2003 Reflections program theme is "Signs of Courage". It should be a very exciting year. I am looking forward to meeting all the unit Reflections chair people and working with you on this wonderful program. Thank you for all your hard work, I know we will have a great program again this year.

The information you will need as the Reflections chair is in the California State TOOLKIT; please get a copy of your Reflections portion from your president and read it packet thoroughly. Note rules that may have been added or taken away, deadlines, and forms. There is Reflections information on the Council website (www.svpta.org/reflections.html) and additional forms will be posted soon (www.svpta.org/forms.html).

We are planning a Reflections workshop tentatively set for September 26, at 9:15 AM at Rancho Caņada Elementary School. Entries are due to council November 20, 2002. Late entries will not be accepted. If you have any questions you may contact me. Bridget White, Reflections Chairman , 949-766-0778