**NEW** Palomar Council PTA Tips for
PTA Meetings via Teleconferencing
CAPTA General Guidelines for PTA Meetings and Events during the Coronavirus Outbreak
**NEW** CAPTA Webinar "Tools and Best Practices
for Virtual Meetings"
(Note: to skip info for Audio Meetings,
start at minute 10:50 for info on using Zoom)
Announcements
Message to PTA Leaders from PCPTA President
Dear PTA Leader:
Due to the continuing social distancing mandate by the State of California, CAPTA has removed its restrictions on holding your association meetings via teleconferencing through June 30, 2020. The document linked above goes over the guidelines, as well as some FAQs. Some additional things to keep in mind:
* Your executive board should vote to hold the association meeting via teleconference (you can hold your executive board meetings via teleconference without board approval)
* It is recommended that you hold your election meeting if at all possible. Postponing it until the Fall is not recommended, as you will no longer have an executive board to conduct the meeting and Council or District would have to do it for you. If you absolutely cannot conduct your election, please email president@palomarcouncil.com
* Most of the teleconferencing apps provide free accounts to hold video meetings (check to see if they’ve relaxed the time limit of 40 or 45 minutes; some have). The above document shows several apps to choose from. If you decide to go with Zoom, here’s a tutorial to get started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLKpRxBfeD1kEM_I1lId3N_Xl77fKDzSXe&v=qsy2Ph6kSf8&feature=emb_rel_end
* If you are conducting an election meeting via teleconference, you may want to purchase a month of the upgraded service (Zoom’s is $14.99 per month). This will give you some added benefits, such as Zoom's “polling” feature that will allow you to add motions and other items that need to be voted on (like elections). Also, purchasing the service will ensure you don’t get bumped in times of high utilization. Remember that you are authorized by your bylaws to spend a specified amount of un-budgeted funds between association meetings (usually $1000 but check your bylaws)
* Palomar Council is happy to attend any virtual meeting if you feel we can be of help. We have purchased the upgraded Zoom package and can add you as a co-host if you would like to use it. Contact president@palomarcouncil.com for more info.
We know this is a time of uncertainty, change, and stress, but are confident if we keep the lines of communication open we will all weather this well. You are not alone in this, and we are here to help in whatever way we can!
Lisa Velazquez
Palomar Council PTA President
Upcoming Events
Convention Update
The CAPTA Convention has been cancelled.
Refunds will be issued.
2020-2021 Slate of Officers
The following slate of officers were elected on March 3, 2020. If you are interested in the open position please contact Rhonda Petrosky.
President - Frida Brunzell
First Vice President, Leadership - Lisa Velazquez
Second Vice President, Membership - Rhonda Petrosky
Third Vice President, Legislative Advocacy -Tovah Terranova
Fourth Vice President, Community Concerns - Mikhak Ghorban
Secretary - Jennifer Boles
Treasurer - Stephanie Cole
Financial Secretary - Steve Tutunjian
Auditor - Open
Historian - Meenakshi Jain
Leadership Tip
As a leader, you may feel that you have to do everything yourself. This is not true, nor is it advisable… One of the advantages of a PTA is that you are not in this alone. The entire PTA board, including chairman, can help with the work.
Whether you're a new or seasoned leader, delegation is going to be a major key to keeping your unit, council and district PTA’s performing at capacity and serving the children and families in your community in addition to keeping yourself sane during the term!
Delegating tasks is a skill that, like any skill, can be learned and improved on over time. This can also lead to building capacity of your leaders and increase motivation to take on more responsibilities by some.
Put these delegation strategies into practice and remember not to “micromanage” the process. People work differently and it is the end result that counts.
Learn to let go. The biggest problem leaders’ face is the inability to let go of their own work. Sometimes they feel so dedicated to completing their own work that they refuse to let other people help. Other times, they fear that nobody else has the skills or abilities necessary to execute the work effectively.
Whatever the case may be, your first priority needs to be to learn to let go. Start small, delegating only the smallest tasks, and gradually work your way up. Get to know your team better and improve the trust among you and your board members. Take baby steps and know that eventually you will have to let go of your work if you want your team to be successful.
Play to your board members/volunteers strengths. As a leader, you'll have to learn the subtleties of your teammates. You should know each individual's strengths and weaknesses, including his or her current, and potential, range of skills.
Always include instructions. Even if the task process seems obvious to you, make sure to include instructions with each task you delegate. If you have specific preferences for how the assignment will be carried out, include that information. If you have a strict deadline or milestones you need to hit, be clear about them.
Including details and straightforward instructions from the get-go will avoid most communication gaps and will allow your tasks to be executed effectively.
Trust, but verify. Once a task is delegated, trust your team to execute it on his or her own terms. This will allow the person to tackle the work the way he or she feels is best. However, don't be afraid to occasionally step in and verify that the task is moving along as planned. For example, if you made an assignment a week ago that's due tomorrow, trust that they are on top of things, but send a quick verification email to make sure the person hasn't hit any snags. Doing so encourages more trust and respect within your team and helps prevent breaks in communication or understanding.
