PTSA NEWS and NEEDS
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Change of date! PTSA Book Club Feb 3, 7:00 pm, Ballard lunch room
We will have a short, 20 minute meeting, and then discuss You, Me and our ADHD Family, Practical Steps to Cultivating Healthy Relationships by Tamara Rosier
Teacher and Staff Appreciation
We are so grateful for our teachers and staff at Ballard! In December, we would like to raise the money to show them some love! We have 170 teachers, admin, office staff, lunch workers, support staff etc. (we like to show love to EVERYONE.)
If we can get $500-$1000 in donations, we will provide lunch for them. (Trays of sandwiches and homemade salads.)
If we can get $1000-$2500 in donations, we will get a gift card for every person ($5 to $20 value in a thank you card; it's a fun surprise what you get!)
If we can raise more than $2500, we can do both! We would do gift cards for the December staff meeting, and a lunch in January.
Click on the link to donate:
https://ballardptsa.givebacks.com/shop/items/454639
If you would like to help volunteer for either event, email kentuckyshumways@gmail.com.
Thank you for supporting our FRC!
Thank you for your help stocking up our FRC! We've raised over $700 for deodorant, TARC tickets, feminine supplies and clothing for students who need them. We will leave the donation site open, and 100% of donations made here will go to FRC needs:
https://ballardptsa.givebacks.com/shop/items/ea2bca9b57
Help the PTSA with Kroger
We are NEWLY REGISTERED as a non-profit supported by Kroger! You can support our programs FOR FREE, by taking two minutes right now:
Log onto your Kroger.com and at the bottom of the home page, select "Community Rewards". Select, "Link your shopper's card" and search for Ballard PTSA. It's that easy! Then Ballard PTSA will get a small donation from Kroger every time you shop! kroger.com
Lunch Bingo with Dr. Neuss
If you haven't yet heard from your student, this has been a HIT. Parents responded, and we raised over $1200 for prizes! The kids love it, as do the staff! We even have teachers joining in the lunchtime fun. A surprising hit? Wristwatches! We purchased 20 inexpensive watches and they are GONE. If BINGO is not your thing, you can play cards or a board game with an AP in the large cafeteria. The energy and joy at lunch on Fridays is electric! We will continue to take donations for prizes here:
Welcome to Ballard PTSA
The PTSA's mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.
Join and/or support!
Please join! By joining, you are on our email list to get our newsletter and information about volunteer and donation opportunities and meetings. (No obligation!) Students can join too! ($10 per membership)
Your membership fee pays for state and national advocacy efforts and helps us with some of our operating expenses. You can give directly to any of the projects we run at Ballard, without joining, by using our website (same as membership website):
https://ballardptsa.givebacks.com/shop
Upcoming: PTSA Book Club/Meeting
(Meetings will be the first 20 minutes of our book club discussions.) Join us to learn vital communication skills and how to teach kids to have healthy relationships. Location TBD!
September 2, 6:45 pm; Crucial Conversations, Kerry Patterson et. al
November 4, 6:45 pm; Two Parent Privilege, Melissa S. Kearney
January 6, 6:45 pm; You, Me, and Our ADHD Family: Practical Steps to Cultivate Healthy Relationships, Tamara Rosier
March 3, TBD
For our first book club this year, learn how to have difficult conversations. This bestseller is full of great tools for communicating more effectively.
All PTSA books were selected because their information is helpful to the well-being of teens, can improve relationships and help families thrive. Please come, even if you don't get a chance to read the books! Parents, students and teachers are invited. The Ballard library has several copies of each of these titles available. Also, if you mention our book club at Carmichael's Bookstore, they will give you 20% off these titles!
PTSA Board:
Currently, we have several open positions we would love to fill. In high school, PTSA is not time consuming. If you are willing to serve on our board or on a committee, please contact Becky Shumway 502-345-3290, kentuckyshumways@gmail.com.
Students perform better in school when their families are engaged too!
What does Ballard PTSA do?
We engage and empower families by:
● Supporting SBDM by organizing and overseeing the election; and having a presence in meetings.
● PTSA book club
● Parent/Teacher Chat Podcast: At your leisure you can listen to conversations with parents, students and teachers about issues facing our Bruins. If you have an idea for a Bruin Parent Teacher Chat topic, we’d love to hear it!
Check out our FIRST FOUR episodes of The Parent Teacher Chat.
Listen to Jay Crocker and Bryan Rich sit down with PTSA president Becky Shumway and talk about cell phone use at Ballard High School.
Hear the experiences of 5 students who took the Bruin Phone Freedom Challenge. Was it awful? Wonderful? Life changing? Hear perspective from one senior who has never had a phone. Is he the loneliest person at Ballard?
You can listen using the link below! (If the link will not work, copy and paste it in your browser.)
https://open.spotify.com/show/4TyGh2QZfbxkohTIqfHhdq
We work to make every child’s potential a reality by:
● Supporting the FRC. We do collections of things like personal hygiene supplies for students who get services at the FRC and serving on the FRC advisory board.
● Freedom Project Campaign focused on healthy life choices; avoiding anything that is addictive.
○ Signage and handouts about topics like vaping, marijuana, tech addiction, alcohol and drug abuse.
● The Compassion Project Campaign focused on kindness in our Ballard community.
○ Thank you card stations at lunch for teachers
○ Valentine’s stations at lunch for students
○ Compassion Awards for teachers and students who exhibit above and beyond compassion to others at Ballard.
○ Signage to encourage and inspire students to be their best.
○ Signage and “Manners for Modern Teens” calendars throughout the school.
We improve the community of Ballard through:
• Teacher Appreciation Projects:
o A teacher appreciation lunch
o Snacks in the teachers’ lounge (4 times a year)
o We collect gift cards for distribution at the December faculty meeting
● Senior Graduation Party (Project Graduation): We organize and put on a late-night chaperoned, drug and alcohol free, inclusive party for all our seniors. We pay for it by selling senior yard signs and tickets to the event.
● Campus service projects like graffiti removal and weeding/garbage pickup on grounds
● Various hospitality projects like providing refreshments at the college and career fair.
Store:
Join the Ballard PTSA, donate to the Compassion and Freedom Projects, the Library Fund or Project Graduation:
https://ballardptsa.memberhub.com/stor
PTSA Social Media
To find the PTA on FB, ask to join the group 'Ballard Bruins PTSA Group'
Twitter is @ballard_ptsa
Twitters is @for_bruins
IG - @ballardptsa
IG- Forballardbruins
Ballard PTSA Officers
Becky Shumway, President (kentuckyshumways@gmail.com)
Erin Wathen, Vice-President
Merabeth Martin, Treasurer
Stephanie Goodman, Secretary
OPEN, Compassion Project Award Chairperson
OPEN, Compassion Project Chairperson
OPEN, Freedom Project Chairperson
OPEN, Senior Project Graduation Leader
OPEN, Teacher Appreciation Chairperson
First come, first served! Get in on the action now, before all the spots are taken!
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