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Spring Recognition Breakfast - 2019
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the event this year?
Thursday, June 6th, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at McMenamin’s Anderson School in Bothell.
What is the Recognition Breakfast and why is it special?
This event celebrates and recognizes our most dedicated PTA volunteers and supporters throughout the school district and is organized and sponsored by Northshore Council PTSA. We will have a delicious breakfast, listen to an engaging keynote speaker, recognize award winners (such as Golden Acorn, Outstanding Advocate, Outstanding Educator, etc.), and be entertained by talented student musicians. We know all PTA officers and leaders at every level work hard and put in countless hours to help make their school communities great. On this morning we take time to say a big THANK YOU! to all those people without whom Northshore PTAs couldn’t exist. Every PTA is encouraged to send representatives from their school to show their appreciation for the service and support these awesome people give throughout the year. We want this to be a memorable, meaningful, and fun event for everyone.
Who attends?
Each PTA (usually the president) decides who they would like to invite from their school to attend this special, by-invitation-only event. As a general rule these include the school principal, PTA officers (like you!), and the recipients of their annual PTA awards such as Golden Acorn, Outstanding Advocate, Outstanding Educator, Lifetime Service, etc. or whatever other awards you give out. Many PTAs include other volunteers who may not have won an award but who have been particularly dedicated, as well as school support staff (like the office manager) who’s really helped your PTA. Each PTA determines how many guests they would like to invite and sponsor; there is no limit or minimum number of guests per school. Some PTA’s have specific guidelines for who is to be invited to the Spring Recognition Breakfast so be sure to check your Standing Rules. Additionally, top Northshore School District administrators attend, including the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, department directors, and the entire School Board.
How much do tickets cost and who pays for them?
The cost of attendance is $20 per guest and each PTA pays for their guests. PTAs should not ask their invited guests to pay for their own tickets. This means that every PTA should have an amount budgeted for attending this event. If you are not sure if your PTA has a place for this in their budget, talk with your treasurer or your former president to see where money for this event would be covered in the budget. If you don’t have a line item in your budget for the Northshore Council PTSA Spring Recognition Breakfast, you might be able to pay for the event from another line in the budget. Your treasurer should be able to help you figure this out.
If you need further help with this question, please contact Northshore Council: Cindy Jensen (First VP) at [email protected].
If you need further help with this question, please contact Northshore Council: Cindy Jensen (First VP) at [email protected].
How many people should our PTA invite?
Often the amount your PTA has budgeted for the event determines how many people your PTA brings. We hope that each PTA in the district will send at least one person to the event and many have 5 to 10 guests. It’s a good idea to invite one to three more people than you can afford to have attend since inevitably some of those invited will not be able to attend. It’s also nice to be able to let a few more people know that their efforts have been noticed and appreciated. If you find that more people have accepted the invitation than you had counted on, there are ways to cover the extra expense in your budget. Talk to your treasurer or Council for help on this if needed.
When and how do we invite our guests?
You (as PTA President) should be receiving a formal printed invitation from Northshore Council by May 15th. Ideally, you should extend your own invitations to your PTA’s guests as soon as you receive your invitation. You can do this with individual email or written invitations from you personally, or with personal phone calls. How ever you choose to invite your guests, please make sure that each one knows they are being invited as a recognition of their special contributions to your PTA this year.
How do we invite our award winners if we haven’t given out our awards yet?
Because the list of annual PTA award recipients is confidential until they are officially announced, you may not know who these selected individuals will be far enough in advance of the event to invite them in a timely manner. Your PTA may not even announce winners until after the breakfast event. You can still make sure that these important people are invited and with proper notice. Here’s one way to handle it:
Make a list of who you believe should be invited to the event. That is, a list of those who deserve to be thanked and recognized for their support of and contributions to PTA this year. There’s a good chance that your list will include all or most of the award winners anyway, even without knowing who they are. To be sure that you will be inviting all award recipients, give your list to the chair of your awards committee. Ask the chair to review the list and make sure that all of the committee’s award recipients are included on it and to add in any names that they know should be included. If needed, you can whittle the list down but chances are the number of acceptances will still be within your budget. If you do remove names, check with the awards committee chair again to make sure you haven’t inadvertently removed other awards winners. In this way, you will preserve the confidentiality of the
awards process while being sure to invite all the people you want to recognize.
Make a list of who you believe should be invited to the event. That is, a list of those who deserve to be thanked and recognized for their support of and contributions to PTA this year. There’s a good chance that your list will include all or most of the award winners anyway, even without knowing who they are. To be sure that you will be inviting all award recipients, give your list to the chair of your awards committee. Ask the chair to review the list and make sure that all of the committee’s award recipients are included on it and to add in any names that they know should be included. If needed, you can whittle the list down but chances are the number of acceptances will still be within your budget. If you do remove names, check with the awards committee chair again to make sure you haven’t inadvertently removed other awards winners. In this way, you will preserve the confidentiality of the
awards process while being sure to invite all the people you want to recognize.
When are RSVPs due?
May 30, 2019
How do we RSVP and what information do you need?
Whether or not anyone from your PTA will be attending, please send in your RSVP by email to: [email protected].
If anyone from your PTA will be attending, please make sure to include the following information:
IMPORTANT: If no one from your PTA will be attending, we still need the names of your award winners and which award they have received. Please send this information by the RSVP deadline of May 30th.
Just a reminder that it is very important to invite your Principal, even if you don’t think she or he can come.
If anyone from your PTA will be attending, please make sure to include the following information:
- How any people are coming
- Which of your guests have received or will be receiving a PTA award this year (we will note this in our program and acknowledge them at the event)
- The title for any PTA officers and for the Principal
- The names of any other award winners who will NOT be attending along with their award (so we can publish a complete list in our program)
IMPORTANT: If no one from your PTA will be attending, we still need the names of your award winners and which award they have received. Please send this information by the RSVP deadline of May 30th.
Just a reminder that it is very important to invite your Principal, even if you don’t think she or he can come.
How do we pay for our tickets and will we get an invoice?
Tickets need to be paid for in advance of the event. We will not send you an invoice, however we will give you a receipt for your records. Please have your treasurer write your PTA’s check payable to “Northshore Council PTSA” and mail it (to be received by June 4th) to:
Cindy Jensen,
15011 61st Place NE,
Kenmore, WA 98028.
If you have any questions about making payment, please contact Cindy at [email protected].
Cindy Jensen,
15011 61st Place NE,
Kenmore, WA 98028.
If you have any questions about making payment, please contact Cindy at [email protected].
Will there be vegetarian and gluten-free options available at breakfast?
Yes!
Is this event a fund-raiser?
No, it’s something Northshore Council does to show our appreciation for all the work you all do throughout the year. The cost of the event is not entirely covered by ticket sales and Council pays the difference.
Does our PTA have to attend?
While we hope it is something that all of our PTAs want to attend, this is a completely optional event. Our goal is to have at least one representative from each PTA in the district at the breakfast.
If there is something that is preventing your PTA from participating, please let me know. We’d like the chance to overcome whatever obstacles may be standing in the way of every PTA enjoying this event.
If there is something that is preventing your PTA from participating, please let me know. We’d like the chance to overcome whatever obstacles may be standing in the way of every PTA enjoying this event.
If you have questions that aren’t covered here, please contact Stacey Meyer at [email protected] or by phone or text at 425-293-4666.
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