A Good PTA = A Good Village

Since my daughter entered 1st grade last year, I've been blown away by how much is handled by our PTA and what a service it is to our school and our community.   Roughly once a month there is an event at school for families.  In this school year, SO FAR, we've had:

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  A Dads and Kids Pizza Party - getting dads more involved
  
  
  
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  Ice Cream Social - because everyone loves ice cream sundaes!
  
  
  
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  International Night - celebrating diversity in our community
  
  
  
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  Mark Daniels Show (Magical Story Telling) - encouraging the love of reading
  
  
  

All of the events are free, and all of them are very much enjoyed.  In these social opportunities, the kids and parents and teachers get to meet and interact in a fun and casual way.  Very little true "school business" is discussed, as the focus is on fun.  However, these casual interactions make more serious business later go much more smoothly.  Parents meet the parents of their children's friends and before you know it, parents are picking up each others kids and doing all kids of stuff to help each other.

Why is this important? You know the saying "It Takes A Village To Raise A Child"?  Well, the village WILL raise your child.  The village includes the kids' friends and their families, teachers, scout and club leaders, coaches, ministers and church leaders.  With a little help from the PTA, you'll be meeting and interacting with many members of this village.  So you'll know where to encourage your child to spend more time (or less), and how to "frame" certain issues for them when discussed at home.  You can better apply your values when you are able to intelligently discuss commonalities and differences between your family and the families of your child's friends.

As your child grows, so will his or her village.... Getting involved and staying involved takes a lot of work, but it's worth it.  Consider joining and being active in the PTA at your child's school.  It will benefit you more than you know.

Much can be accomplished when determined and creative parents work together for the good of their collective children.

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For more information on Loudoun County Schools, Check out These Posts:

Find out how to sign up for automatic emails and texts about school closings and how to pay for your child's lunches on line with a credit card.

Bookmark the student schedules for Loudoun

Learn how to support the schools in your community through your "Loyalty" cards (the membership cards to grocery and drug stores).  It's free!

Magical Story Telling

Last week, my daughter's elementary school hosted Mark Daniels, the "Magical StoryTeller".  He performed for the children during an assembly in the daytime, and then for a really special treat, he had a second, evening performance, for the children and their families.

The event hosted at the school by the PTA are always enjoyable and always free, so I packed up my preschool son and elementary aged daughter and headed to the school after dinner. 

I regularly take my children to see kids entertainers of all sorts - singers, bands, puppet shows, dancing shows, you name it, and we enjoy all of them.  THIS particular childrens entertainer truly brought a little magic with him, and I must say he is perhaps the best childrens entertainer I've seen in recent years.

His show incorporates some special friends - like puppets and a live rabbit.  It includes some low tech magic tricks that will capture the interest of the children. And, he tells stories - like Green Eggs and Ham - in a special "fast forward" kind of way - hitting the highlights.  This allows his 1 hour show to include about 5 stories - most of which are children's classics.  By combining these elements, some background scenery and music, and his own special kind of charm, it truly is a magical experience.

I was thoroughly delighted and felt "happy" at the end of the show, ready to fall asleep and dream beautiful dreams full of rainbows.  I could listen to him every night.  My children were absolutely in awe, as they got to hear, see and experience these stories in a truly new and amazing way. 

Mark Daniels fully earns his title of "magical story teller", and his shows truly encourage the love of reading and teach that magic lies within each book if you'll just apply your imagination. Check out his web site and make time to see him if you can: http://www.magicalstoryteller.com/

Thank you to our PTA for sponsoring such a great show and making it available to the families of our school.