I have always thought that by being an involved parent, I would be able to help my kids in school. I could help by keeping in touch with all their friends and their families, knowing the kids by name, and being available to the staff at the school. Right now I feel helpless and frustrated with the procedures and policies about bullying in schools. Sitting on the PTA board at several schools for 12 years and the PTA Council board for 3 years, I feel that I am in touch with the school district and all the great things put in place for our kids. Then why am I attending middle school again after 28 years?

I am not a loud parent who is always complaining about policies or procedures at school. I have always been a big advocate to teach other parents about why certain policies or procedures have been put in place. The staff does have a very hard job trying to educate the kids while also keeping them out of trouble at the same time. Parents are not always the nicest people to communicate with and sometimes they get very angry or are not supportive.

With the advent of new technology and programming abilities, North Texas Kids has launched a browser-supported version of the June issue that is reader-friendly on almost any device. Today’s moms are very tech-savvy and embrace technology. As moms ourselves, the staff of North Texas Kids knows how important it is to make information accessible, easy to find and readable in a variety of formats. Liz Mangelsdorf, VP of Business Developments and mom of 2 says, “I love that we are continuing to develop and create ways to reach all more moms. As busy moms, the time we have to read can be limited. Having North Texas Kids magazine available on the iPad and smart phones is going to be invaluable for so many of us!”

Music Together’s Annual Summer Disco Party benefiting the Joel Shickman Children’s Music Fund is on May 29th 2011, from 3:30 to 5:30pm Levine Academy (SW cnr Hillcrest and Frankford). Tickets are $5 per person. All ages from 0-120 are welcome

Directors of the Elizabeth Birth Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA), parents and vaccine-injured children will hold a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (717 Madison Place, NW in Washington, DC) on Tuesday, May 10 at 12:00 PM to unveil an investigation linking vaccine injury to autism. For over 20 years, the federal government has publicly denied a vaccine-autism link, while at the same time its Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has been awarding damages for vaccine injury to children with brain damage, seizures and autism. This investigation, based on public, verifiable government data, breaks new ground in the controversial vaccine-autism debate.

Free family event featuring fun vendors, kids’ activities, NASCAR vehicle and drive James Buescher, free admission to Sci-Tech discovery center and more mind-stretching fun!

Our neighborhood seems to be over run with precious bunny rabbits. At least they are precious when they are NOT nibbling on my flowers! The malls are over run with bunnies of the Easter variety! So I thought it would be fun to do a coloring contest featuring Bunny Rabbits! All entries will be placed in a drawing to win a family 4-pack of tickets to Hawaiian Falls. And top 5 winning entries will appear in our May issue.

Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants throughout the Dallas-​Fort Worth area will cap off a March “Month of Giving” fundraising campaign for Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer (WOKC), with a citywide community fund raising finale on Monday, March 28, by giving customers a free regular sub in exchange for a minimum $1 donation to the charity. Jersey Mike’s has dubbed this final day of the Month of Giving, “Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer Day”, and is donating 100% of the proceeds of all regular subs sold in the DFW area to WOKC and hopes that customers will give at least what they would have paid for the sub.

I recently interviewed Karen Blessen, one of the founders of the non-profit organization Today Marks the Beginning. Ms. Blessen is an amazing woman who has created many things in her life, but I think that Today Marks the Beginning is her pride and joy. Her enthusiasm, passion and vitality flowed over the phone lines during our hour long conversation last week. Her excitement for the work that she is doing and for the way that she has been able to bring art coupled with an emphasis on social issues and non-violent communication to students in Dallas is evident as she raves about the support of local schools and other organizations, as well as the obvious positive impact Today Marks the Beginning is having on kids.