Along with the normal PTA business, there are always areas of emphasis or new long-term initiatives in any given year.  These might be long term fundraising, special curriculum programs being developed, political issues of import for our school, or programs surrounding our yearly "themes". 

These projects tend to be larger, wide-ranging and complex so we can always use additional help to work toward our goals.   If you can help with research, brainstorming, making referrals or contacts, or any other way, we always appreciate it.

3 important projects for the 2010-2011 School Year are:  

Social and Emotional Learning Programs (SEL)- A point of emphasis that began as a PTA Speaker Series subject last school year, has developed into a broader initiative for this year and is related to our school year theme of "Choices".    Often parents associate SEL with "bullying" issues and it does include "bullying", however it is also much more.

A growing number of educators recognize that students who receive an exclusively academic education may be ill-equipped for future challenges, both as individuals and members of society -- it's just not enough to feed only the mind. The field of social and emotional learning (SEL) has emerged from these new understandings of the nature of biology, emotions and intelligence and their relation to success and happiness. Through social and emotional learning children's emotional intelligence (EQ) is bolstered, giving them an enormous edge in their personal and professional futures.

To assist our students and parents in learning more about SEL and EQ, Susan Ford plans a series of events to educate about these complex issues. Please check the PTA calendar for upcoming events.

School Funding Issues- Obviously, no one has been able to escape the constant headlines about cuts in school funding in Chicago and across the country.  Hawthorne has not been immune to these cuts, however, your PTA and the school administration is absolutely committed to fighting to maintain the level of education that parents and students have come to expect from Hawthorne.

One way to do this is political involvement.  Laurie Schwegel heads our Legislative Initiatives committee and she has helped Hawthorne parents get their voices heard through our involvement with local groups such the Raise Your Hand Coalition.  RYH was successful this summer in pressuring state lawmakers to reinstate much of the school funding that was threatened and it continues to seek other avenues to use our political clout to plug budgetary holes that are expected in the years to come.

Hawthorne can always use more volunteers and ideas to help us deal with this issue in the coming years.

Grant Planning and Writing- The other way we are attacking the reduction of school budgets is by searching in new places for program funding.  As more and more cuts are anticipated, it is obvious that it will be difficult to raise the money to make up the deficits every year from the Hawthorne parent community alone.   So your PTA is partnering with the LSC to embark on a long term fundraising initiative that will target the private sector, including local corporations and foundations.

Through examination of future PTA and school budgets as well consultation with administrators, 3 target areas have been identified as candidates for this type of funding.  These are Arts Programs, Health and Wellness, and Technology.  

These are somewhat broad targets and the process of seeking this type of funding is a long and complex one that needs many hands to help.  Teams are in the process of being formed now to tackle these target areas and to create plans to achieve our goals.  If you have interest in or knowledge of any of these areas, or of foundations or grant writing in general, we would love for you to be involved.

CONTACT Volunteer Coordinator  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or PTA President  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to volunteer or give input on any of these initiatives.