Convention is now only two and a half months away, and it’s going to be right next door to us in San Jose! 17th District is one of the host districts for this year’s convention (along with 6th, 32nd, and Peralta districts). As such, we and the California State PTA are looking for volunteers to help out at Convention this year. Volunteers at Convention are entitled to free admission to the general meetings, exhibits and workshops (space permitting), plus mileage and parking reimbursements on the day(s) that you volunteer. And while you’re down in San Jose, you’re more than welcome to join the other 17th District delegates for other district events that will be taking place (more details on those in the coming weeks)!

If you’re interested in volunteering, there’s a new online form for Convention volunteers where you can select the positions/times that you’re interested in, or you can simply provide the number of hours you can volunteer and ask to be placed where needed. A bit more info about each of the positions is listed after the jump. If you have any questions about volunteering for Convention, please contact Sara Otus-Green, 2009 Local Convention Committee Chair.
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Online registration for the 2009 State PTA Convention in San Jose is now open. Register before March 31 to take advantage of Early Bird registration pricing ($140 for full time, $90 for one day). After March 31, the prices will increase to $180 for full time and $110 for one day. (Student registration costs of $70 full time and $40 one day do not increase between now and Convention.) Also, if you register before March 31, your Convention badge and workshop tickets will be mailed to you, meaning that you’ll be able to skip the long registration lines if you want to get to your first workshop on Thursday. (You will still need to stop by registration in order to check-in and pick up your badge holder, ribbons, and voting card.)

To register online, go to the Convention 2009 page and click on “MEMBERS – register now!” You can also click on the HOUSING link to book a hotel room for the Convention. State PTA knows that you have a wide choice of hotels, but encourages you to book at one of the official hotels for this Convention so that they can meet their contractual obligations. Online registration requires a credit card. Once you finish registering, simply print out the confirmation page and turn in to your PTA for reimbursement, if you are being reimbursed for Convention expenses. Be sure to save a copy of the barcoded confirmation page, as you’ll need it for check-in at Convention. You also need to have a current 2008-09 PTA Membership Card. If you can not verify that you have a card during the online registration process, you will need to present it at check-in and will be required to pay the non-member registration fee if you are unable to do so.

If you would rather not pay online, download the 2009 Convention Registration Book and print out the registration and housing forms on pages 20 and 21, respectively. You may pay by check, money order, or credit card. Mailed registrations must be RECEIVED by 5 PM on March 31 or April 20 for their respective discount registrations (no postmarks accepted). Faxed registrations will not be accepted.

Have any questions about registering for Convention? Contact Kathryn Cross, Vice President for Programs & Convention.