100 Ways to Help Your Child and School Succeed

There are many ways that you can help your child succeed! Here are two that you can do this week:
Coordinate and participate in evening and weekend volunteer activities at school. (Coordine y participe en actividades que se llevan a cabo en la escuela durante la tarde y los fines de semana.)
Be a role model; be active in community service yourself or together with your child. (Dé el ejemplo; adopte una posición activa en el servicio comunitario solo o junto a su hijo.)

Family Dinners: A Healthy Habit

The more often children and teens eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, or use drugs, according to research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Family dinners are also an ideal time to learn what’s going on in your children’s lives.
Reap the benefits of family dinners in your family with these tips from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
Start the pattern of family dinners when your children are young.
At the start of each week, identify several nights when the entire family can eat together. Try to stick to the schedule.
Turn off the TV and let your answering machine answer any calls during dinner.
Talk over dinner about what happened in everyone’s day. Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.
Eat dessert or play a board game after dinner to continue the conversation.
On September 24, families across the nation will celebrate Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children™, created by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University to encourage frequent family dinners. Join in with a special family dinner of your own—but remember, there’s no need to wait two weeks to make family dinners a habit. Start today!
For more information about the benefits of family dinners, visit www.casafamilyday.org.

PTA Parent Resources

Do you have a child who is the victim of bullying at school? Need some ideas for getting your family more physically active? Do you want to make the most of your next parent-teacher conference?
As the best resource for parents, PTA offers useful information to many thousands of parents just like you. PTA provides the resources and support you need to stay involved in the life of your child every day.
Take a look through the following categories within Parent Resources and learn about new ways you make a difference in your child's life.
Student Achievement
Safety
Media and Technology
Health and Wellness

Tailgate Party and Parade September 21st

This year’s Celebration of our Schools Parade and Tailgate Party is scheduled for Sept. 21st. As in past years, parade participants will gather at Harvey High School and will march through Painesville City to Jack Britt Memorial Field at Recreation Park . As the parade ends, participants can attend the Tailgate Party which will be going on at the stadium prior to the Friday night football game. Attached is the flyer with the details of the event, a Registration Form and a Parade Route for all prospective parade participants.

We are looking for parade entries from PTA and all school groups from each of the district’s buildings and representation by any school or community organization. Please let me know if you know of any community group that may be interested in joining us for this fun fall festivity. (Feel free to forward this e-mail to them). Also, each school, organization or group should have a banner that will lead your entry in the parade.

We stress that all children that participate in the parade need parental or adult supervision during the Parade and at the Tailgate Party and Football Game. Parents not involved in the parade will need to meet their child at the end of the parade. Registration Forms need to be returned to me ASAP but no later than September 15.

If you would like to participate, pleaes contact Anissa Preston at chestnutpta@oh.rr.com.

A Parent’s Guide to Healthy Lifestyles

Arriving at Leaders’ DoorsKeep an eye on the mail for a health and wellness resource to share with PTA members.
Local PTA presidents will be receiving a packet with 10 copies of PTA Healthy Lifestyles: A Parent’s Guide. The guide covers five key topics:
Physical activity—The importance of physical activity to children’s academic success, and tips to help families include fitness in their day-to-day lives.
Nutrition—Recommended daily portions for toddlers to teens, plus healthy snack ideas.
Grocery shopping—The impact of marketing messages on children’s food choices, and how to counter advertising’s influence.
School wellness policies—Information on the physical activity and nutrition standards that schools should have in place.
Vaccinations—A discussion of key vaccinations as kids head back to school, focusing particularly on vaccinations recommended for adolescents.
Share this information with families through the school and local library, PTA Healthy Lifestyles events this November, and reprints in school and PTA newsletters. The contents of the guide are also available online. Download the entire guide at www.pta.org/healthylifestyles, or direct parents to individual articles in the Parent Resources section of www.pta.org.

Kids' Stuff Sale at the Great Garage Sale Sept. 15th

Mothers of Multiples Club Kids's Stuff Sale will be part of the Great Garage Sale on Saturday Sept. 15th from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. They will be inside the Commercial Building at the front of the Lake County Fairgrounds in Painesville. Free admission and free parking.