The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Collaboration committed to educating kids, parents and teachers about responsible and safe Internet use Memphis, Tenn. and Palo Alto, Calif. – June 10, 2010 – Today, National PTA and Facebook announced a formal collaboration to promote responsible and safe Internet use to kids, parents and teachers. Together, National PTA and Facebook will establish a comprehensive program that will provide information, support and news to encourage citizenship online, reduce cyberbullying and advance Internet safety and security. The partnership is founded on the belief that awareness is essential to supporting safe and responsible Internet use. Thus, in addition to creating comprehensive and engaging resources, PTA and Facebook are committing to aggressively promoting Internet safety information to their respective audiences. National PTA will use its Website (www.pta.org), and actively reach out to the 24,000 local PTAs across the country with a goal of reaching every American public school. Fa...

On June 10th through June 13th the National PTA (Parents and Teachers Association) will have their annual conference .  There will be many workshops, book signings, lectures and learning experiences for all the attendees.  They will bring back to our local areas the vast amount of resources and informational tools to continue to educate and help the children of today and tomorrow. Forty years ago this month, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (NCCPT) and the National Congress of Mothers united to form the National PTA , adapting the same mission they had operated under separately: to improve the education and well being of every child? Today, while many great accomplishments have been made there are still obstacles that we must conquer, both inside and outside of the classroom and across ethnic backgrounds. So at this year’s national convention there will be much to tackle: The nation’s K-12 public education system is in crisis. Our stu...

During these troubling economic times, buying gifts can be difficult for some families. Teachers work all year with our children, during hard times and the good times. They are the ones that are children are with most of the week. They are the future of our children. At VolunteerSpot , teachers are loved! That’s why they have complied this eBook filled with the Greatest Gifts for Teachers . Many are low-cost or no-cost and all show your teacher how much you care. Ideas for winter holidays, Valentine’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, retiring teachers and more. VolunteerSpot’s free and easy volunteer scheduling software saves time signing up and reminding volunteers for teacher appreciation activities. Take the time to review this fantastic eBook of gift ideas. VolunteerSpot  is a fantastic organization that help communities come together and work for the benefit of others. VolunteerSpot launched in Spring, 2009 with the mission of enabling ANYONE to quickly mobilize and c...

As today's generation is definitely the surf the waves of cyberspace, where do we draw the line? Should teachers befriend their students? Should student befriend their teachers? With the growth of Facebook while MySpace is still alive more and more people are signing up for social networking. Whether you Twitter or Facebook, chances are you will run into your kids and your kids may run into their teachers - virtually speaking. As parents should be the monitor for their child's online safety; Should the teacher be part of their off-line - off-campus life? Although there may be some teachers that are comfortable with befriending their students, many would prefer to keep their private lives just that - private. Teachers, as well as many others that either own a business or are employed, like to keep their business lives separate. However there are many that prefer the mix. Depending on your personal comfort level, you will know where you fit in. Learning to respect each ...

Has “zero tolerance” gone too far? I hear from parents regularly and I must admit, although I completely understand safety of our children is always a priority, some of the suspensions or incidents that land immature young students in alternative school situations, can be troubling – debatable at least. I believe each incident should be reviewed individually, however at the same time we do need policies in effect. This is another time parents need to be involved. Be an educated parent, you could save your child from being placed in a not so good situation. Source: Education.com By Bob Ross There was a lesson to be learned recently in the case of Zachary Christie, a 6-year-old first-grader in Delaware who earlier this month brought a camping utensil along with his lunch. The tool included a folding fork and knife—the reason Zachary took it out during lunch time at Downes Elementary School in Newark last month. Unfortunately for Zachary, that favorite camping utensil also included a fold...

What a fantastic article as school as just opened in many areas. Education.com is always full of informational and up-to-date news on academics, parenting and more. One of my favorite websites! Source: Education.com Ethics in the Classroom: What You Need to Know By: Anna Weinstein Ethics and morals are often associated with religion, but schools can also provide important lessons in ethical thinking and action. “There’s a big fear out there that somehow teaching ethics in school will seep into students a particular religious viewpoint,” says Dr. Bruce Weinstein, aka The Ethics Guy. “But ethics must be taught and are being taught in school. It’s impossible not to teach ethics in a school.” Weinstein, who writes a weekly column for BusinessWeek.com and recently released the popular book Is It Still Cheating if I Don’t Get Caught?, says if schools have a code of conduct, they are teaching ethics. According to Weinstein, there are five basic principles of ethics that are common to all ...