11/15/21 General Membership Meeting Recap

Last month Council held their 2nd General Meeting of the 2021-2022 school year. We appreciate all the local leaders from across the district as well as community and school partners who took the time to attend! Continue reading for a recap of this meeting.

General Updates from President Jane Chiodo:

• Reminder to submit your directory requests to Council's Co-Secretaries, Cheri Hardin and Pauline Wray
• Each PTA needs two insurance documents by December 1st on file with the district
• 3 Events coming up this week: Anxiety Presentation, Teen Independence Presentation, and a DEI Roundtable. Visit our Calendar page for more information on upcoming events.

Council Business: The minutes from the September 2021 meeting were approved as written. Council's AIM insurance for the year was renewed and paid for in October. The mid year financial review committee was appointed while the election for the Nominating Committee was postponed until the next membership meeting.

Guest Speakers: ​

• Dr. Michelle Reid, Northshore School District Superintendent, presented information on the bond and levies coming up during the special election in February 2022. She discussed that we had the lowest drop in enrollment in the state from Covid. However, we still rely on and need the bond and levy money to fund many of our programs. She also mentioned that the bonds and levies are not looking for new taxes, they are renewed taxes that already exist. Finally, she shared that the presentation is available to share at other PTA meetings.
• Sue Freeman came and shared information about Northshore Nourishing Network, an organization that has been around for 11 years. Visit their website to find information about local food banks as well as other programs to help families in need. Council also keeps a list of food banks hosted at our local schools. If your school/PTA has a food bank that you would like added to this list please email us. If you would like information on setting up a food bank at your school, contact Melissa Kline.
• Darin Hanson and Salim Mohammed from Maywood Hills PTA shared their new and successful approach to membership. This year, membership was paid for by their PTA for anyone who opted in via a simple two step process on their website. With this shift in their membership campaign they are able to focus more efforts on volunteering, events, and engaging with their members & school community.

Council Reports: 

• F.A.C.E (Family and Community Engagement): Claudine Miller ​discussed strategies for engaging with your school by surveying your school's teachers and admins to find out the top three needs and/or top three wishes for this year.
• Membership: Melissa Kline & Hanisha Bakshani shared our membership progress so far this year. For more information, visit our Membership page.
• Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program: Mary Khouzam shared information about how to apply for this program. Click here to learn more. Council is also hosting an upcoming Parent Education event through the grants program called “Guiding Teens On the Bumpy Road to Independence”. To learn more about this event and others, visit our Parent Education Opportunities page. 
• Reflections: Jasmine Lee Fry provided information about submitting art to Council by the December 3rd deadline. Visit our Reflections page to learn more.
• Advocacy: Diana Christiansen & Jen Drury gave several updates including:
  • A survey for local leaders/advocacy chairs on how Council can better support local advocacy efforts.
  • Save the Date for Advocacy Week which is taking place January 17-21, 2022
  • WA state PTA blog has an article about the importance of filling out the paperwork for free and reduced lunch. By filling out the paperwork, it gives families and students access to more than just free and reduced lunches. Click here to learn more.
  • A recap of the 2021 Legislative Assembly which included an update on approved resolutions and amendments to existing resolutions as well as our Top 5 priorities. They also noted that one primary focus for Advocacy right now is more nurses and mental health professionals in the schools.
• Mental Health Committee: Melissa Kline and Pauline Wray shared that the Mental Health Committee will be hosting a Parent Education event on Wednesday, November 17th at 1pm titled "Identifying and Addressing Youth Anxiety with Kendra Read, PhD". Click here to view a recording of this presentation. They also shared some of the other efforts that the committee has been doing to bring more mental health awareness and resources to students and families around the district, including promoting NSD's December 9th Forefront Suicide Prevention Training for parents and caregivers of high school students.

We hope you will join us for our next General Membership Meeting on January 20th, 2022 @ 7pm.
For a full list of our upcoming meetings and events, check out our Calendar.