What's Up, Doc? PTA is a Worthwhile Investment

By Randall Freeman, PhD

The success of our public schools to properly educate our young students depends upon the active and positive participation of all stakeholders: students, teachers, administrators, families, and community members. All of these groups are heavily invested in the academic and social successes of our children. Active engagement by all of these groups is necessary to succeed in creating a positive future for our next generation of leaders.

Today more than ever, all stakeholders need to do whatever they can to achieve this goal. A critical arm of this team is the Parent Teacher Association/Parent Teacher Student Association. Without the assistance of these parent-led groups, students would be unable to participate in educational field trips, on-campus special activities, and the like.

The mission of the PTA/PTSA is to positively impact the lives of all children and families. The purpose of this worthwhile organization is listed on their website and states:

-- To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.
-- To raise the standards of home life.
-- To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
-- To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
-- To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental social, and spiritual education.

The goals are:
1. Promote, build and expand parent/family engagement

2. Empower and support PTA members and leaders, and:
-- Engage, grow and maintain membership
-- Offer programs, services and resources that meet the diverse needs of children, families and communities
-- Build greater awareness about the role, importance and value of PTA
-- Simplify processes and make it easier to participate
-- Deliver training and materials in easily accessible formats
-- Promote and practice inclusiveness and cultural awareness
-- Establish a PTA at every school

3. Represent, inform and mobilize members and the public to advocate for the education, health, safety and well-being of all children, with a focus on:
-- Supporting the needs of vulnerable children
-- Adequate funding for every child’s education
-- Access to a full curriculum for every child that includes physical education, arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
-- Highly effective educators in every classroom
-- Standards, assessments and accountability that best serve every child’s needs
-- Safe and positive school climate
-- Early childhood education
-- Healthy lifestyles and access to support services for physical, emotional, social and mental health

A very important PTSA-sponsored activity is coming to Bell Mountain Middle School. This Saturday, April 11, the Bell Mountain Middle School PTSA is hosting its second annual Community Day. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Menifee Community is invited to participate in this extremely important and successful event.

Menifee Community business partners and non-profit organizations will be providing vendor booths to share information, network with the community, and sell samples of their important products and services. The efforts of the BMMS PTSA to provide this event make it possible for all community stakeholders to demonstrate their support for our children and our Menifee Community.

Admission to BMMS Community Day is free. Come and share a bit of your Saturday with those stakeholders who are so critical to the successful education of our Menifee children.

Randy Freeman and his family have lived in Menifee since 1993. Randy teaches kindergarten in Perris and his lovely wife Karen teaches first grade here in Menifee at Freedom Crest Elementary School. They are the proud parents of four beautiful daughters: Daniela, 18, and 14-year-old triplets Sarah, Holly, and Megan. Other family members include dogs Scruffy, Mikko, & Max, 17-year-old cat Hunter, and turtle Tuttles. Randy earned his PhD in early childhood education in 2011 and has served on the Menifee Union School Board since 2008. Randy has wisely decided to delete the bit about being Karen's boss in order to continue living in his happy home. His column will appear here every other Tuesday.