What is the function of PTL?
The mission of the Parent Teacher League is to provide Christian fellowship for families and teachers to achieve greater cohesiveness and provide educational opportunities for everyone involved. PTL oversees various programs including: room parent and room responsibilities, volunteer hours, and Spirit Wear.
Meeting Dates
All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. at St. Matthew Lutheran School, in the Conference Room. All school parents or guardians are welcome to attend!
- September 16th
- October 21st
- November 18th
- December 16th
- January 20th
- February 24th
- March 17th
- April 28th
- May 19th
- June 9th
Room Parent & Classroom Responsibilities
For each class, PTL works to find at least one parent who will volunteer to be the "Room Parent". The Room Parent helps the teacher with class parties and coordinates teacher gifts (Christmas, birthday). This is done using PTL funds paid by families at the time of registration. The Room Parent is provided these funds at the beginning of the year to help defray the cost of these activities.
In addition, each class is given one overall school activity/responsibility for which they are asked to oversee the coordination. The Room Parent, enlisting the help of other parents in the class if needed, will coordinate the assigned activity. These activities have a separate budget and the Room Parent is provided the information needed to help coordinate the assigned task.
Thank you to all the parents that sign up to be a Room Parent. It is a critical role at St. Matthew and is one that helps keep things running smoothly.
Spirit Wear
Spirit Wear is a great way for parents and students to show your St. Matthew pride. Samples of different spirit wear items can be found at school. Orders can be placed by visiting our online order page.
Spirit Wear makes a great Christmas present. Each fall the order deadline to place orders to be received by Christmas will be sent out via the school newsletter.
Volunteer Hours
St. Matthew Lutheran School values parent involvement in activities and events. As such, each St. Matthew family is required to donate 20 hours of volunteer assistance per year in one or more of the school’s educational or extracurricular activities (single parents are required to donate 10 hours per year).
A few helpful things to know about volunteer hours:
- Volunteer hours for each school year are accumulated from July 1-June 30.
- The family member volunteering must be non-students and a minimum of 18 years old.
- The volunteer activity or event must be a school function (as opposed to a church function).
- Certain activities such as serving as a room parent or coaching a sports team or Destination Imagination team will automatically fulfill the required hours.
- Families may choose to fulfill all or part of their volunteer-hour requirements by paying $10.00 per hour.
Each time you volunteer, be sure to log your hours here. You can also view some volunteer hours ideas here.
Resources
Parents and kids face many challenges in today’s society. This resource section is intended to provide resources and educational materials to support parents as they help their children navigate these challenges.
Right Now Media
http://st-matthew.org/media/rightnow-media
St. Matthew Lutheran Church offers a FREE gift for all parents of St. Matthew Lutheran Church and School! St. Matthew has partnered with RightNow Media, an online media library with over 2,000 Christian Bible study, training and leadership videos from respected teachers and leaders.
This free resource allows parents and children to grow in their relationship with Christ, and others, from the comfort of home or just about anywhere. RightNow Media offers teaching on many parental and marital topics, and offers great wholesome videos for your children.
Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is not just an issue we read about that happens in other countries. It is happening in the United States and closer to home than one would ever want to imagine. Awareness is an important first step in helping to recognize potential victims as well as help safeguard loved ones from predators.
- DHS: What is Human Trafficking:
https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/infographic - Video: Human Trafficking is Probably Not How You Imagine It
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/stop-the-trafficking/human-trafficki... - DHS Online Safety:
https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/online-safety - Project iGuardian is focused on keeping children and teens safe from online predators through education and awareness:
https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians - Net Smart Kids: NetSmartz is NCMEC's (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) online safety education program. It provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online with the goal of helping children to become more aware of potential
https://www.netsmartzkids.org/
Vaping (E-Cigarettes)
Vaping and illnesses related to vaping are frequently in the headlines. It is everywhere and your child will most likely see someone vaping at some point while out and about. Per the FDA, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among both middle school and high school students. Parents are encouraged to be equipped with information to better understand the dangers of vaping as well as the impact on children.
- CDC: Quick Facts on the Risks of E-Cigarettes for Kids, Teens and Young Adults:
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-o... - Youth Vaping Risks:
https://digitalmedia.hhs.gov/tobacco/hosted/UCM624891.pdf - Teen Vaping: What You Need to Know:
https://childmind.org/article/teen-vaping-what-you-need-to-know/ - How to Talk With Your Kids about Vaping:
https://drugfree.org/article/how-to-talk-with-your-kids-about-vaping/