Council is helping to promote PTA Membership across our district!

Last week, Council's Co-Chairs of Membership, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline, traveled to all corners of our district placing "PTA for Your Child - Join PTA" yard signs. These signs were placed at all Northshore Schools and the District Admin Building. The QR code on these signs directs families to our list of Northshore PTAs/PTSAs* on our website. This list includes links to your website, Facebook, and online join link so families can connect with your PTA and sign up for membership.

Check out the photo gallery below for pics of all the yard signs!

To find out more about why online join is key, check out last week's Membership Monday article on Planning Your Campaign.

*Need to update or add a link for your PTA to our list? We can do that! Just send us an email.

Do you like to plan parties and organize events (or know someone who does)? Then Council's VP of Events may be the perfect fit for you!

The VP of Events main duty is to plan and coordinate Council's yearly events including the Presidents and Principals Brunch, Council's Reflections Celebration, and the Spring Recognition Event.

This position may be held jointly by two (2) people. Those interested must be at least 18 years of age and a current member of at least one local PTA that falls within the Northshore Council PTSA membership area.

For more information, please contact Jane Chiodo, Council President.

​Please join us for our first general membership meeting of the year on Monday, September 20, 2021 via Zoom!
In addition to our regular business items, we’ll also be voting on updated standing rules, goals and budget, and hearing updates from community leaders.

*Update* We'll also be offering breakout rooms for networking and Q&A with Council members. The breakout rooms offered will be (1) elementary level PTAs, (2) secondary level PTAs, and (3) general questions regarding running your PTA.

Council meetings will build your PTA knowledge, give you the opportunity to network with other PTA, school district and community leaders, and they can be a lot of fun, too. Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives - but we encourage ALL who are interested to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
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*A meeting passcode is required to join. It will be sent to local leaders via email. You can also request the passcode by emailing Council PTSA Communications VP, Rachel Fitzgerald.

PTAs are often the target of scammers. It's important for PTA officers to know the red flags to look out for to help keep your PTA safe.

Scam Emails
Some scams may spoof the email of another officer to help make the request look legitimate. But there are things to check for before you reply:

• Confirm the actual "from" address of the sender - don't just rely on the name that is shown.
• Does this email look and sound like other emails you have received from this person?
• Does this email ask you to do something that is not in alignment with current financial or money handling policies?
• If there is any question about an email, pick up the phone and talk to the person to double check on the message.

Common Scams

• Asking for gift cards. Remember gift cards are the equivalent of cash and if the email is acted upon, there is likely no recourse to get the money back.
• Requesting a wire transfer. Wire transfers are not recommended for PTAs. Instead you should have a clear funds disbursement procedure that is well documented for your records.

Protecting Your PTA
There are a few things you and your board should be doing in order to protect your PTA:

• Establish clear lines of communication between board members.
• Know your budget well. The best indicator of a potential fraudulent activity is a request that is made for something outside of your PTAs member-approved budget.
• Make sure your board of directors is well trained! View upcoming trainings here.
• Make sure you have well documented procedures and processes for money disbursement. (See below)

Money Handling Policy
Does your PTA have a money handling policy? Has your PTA updated their policy to include online banking?
Money handling policies are important to have so that it is very clear how your members and board are handling the funds of the PTA. Having these policies written out, communicated, and followed helps safeguard your PTA from scammers, and mishandled money.  They should include how you handle your cash, checks, deposits, withdrawals, any online money access, and more.  

Need some help putting your money handling policies together or updating them? Council recently updated their own money handling policies, and it is available for you to use as a sample. Still have questions? Contact Council Treasurer, Serena Xu.

Remember: There is nothing more urgent for your PTA than to follow best practices and policies to ensure you don't get caught in a scam!

Applications* are now being accepted for Northshore Council PTSA's 2021-2022 Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program!

This program is designed to help support Northshore PTAs in hosting relevant and timely speakers for our district families and to encourage them to create engaging events for our community. ALL local PTAs, within the Northshore School District and in good standing, may apply for a grant through a simple application process.

Learn more about our grants program by clicking here.
Download & Print the 2021-2022 Grants Application Form

*2021-2022 grants are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis where applications will be reviewed by the Northshore Council PTSA or until the Council Programs budget is used in its entirety.

Submission Deadlines for Applications
September 24, 2021 (Review by Council on Oct. 4th)
November 26, 2021 (Review by Council on Dec. 6th)
January 21, 2022 (Review by Council on Feb. 1st)

Looking for a speaker or event to bring to your community? Check out our past Grant Recipients and our Community Resource Page for inspiration.

Questions? Email us!

Save the Date  for our School Board Candidate Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021!

We are working on finalizing the location and time. At this time we are focusing on planning an in person forum. Details will be posted as soon as they are available.

We are also gathering questions from the community to ask during the forum. If you would like to submit a question, please fill out the form below or email your question to [email protected].

This is a great opportunity to get to know the candidates better before the November 2nd General Election. To register to vote, update your voter registration information, or learn more about what's on your ballot, visit Vote.WA.gov.

The Reflections Program is a National PTA and WSPTA cultural arts competition. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to use their creative talents by expressing themselves through their own original works for the theme of "I Will Change the World By...".

Reflections is so much more than "just an art contest."  It helps kids take risks, be inspired, think creatively, receive positive recognition and be celebrated for their works of art.  It also allows our community to celebrate our students' creativity!
Encourage art by offering Reflections at your PTA!

Council is here to help make it easy! Check out our Reflections page for regular updates and links to the student entry form and rules (available in English and Spanish), join the Northshore Council PTSA Reflections and Art Docent Chairs Facebook group and be sure to sign up for our "almost weekly" Reflections communications.

Dates to Note:

• December 3, 2021 - Council's Online Turn In Date
• January 2022 - Council Celebration Open House

Please stay tuned for more information on submitting entries to Council and our Celebration Open House that will follow district and county public health requirements.

Questions? Contact Council's Reflections Chair, Jasmine Lee Fry.

Northshore Council is continuing to provide Online Meeting Hosting for local PTAs/PTSAs this school year!
This can be used by any local PTA/PTSA that wants Council to host a Zoom meeting for them. Please note that max number of attendees is 100 and that this service is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Here is how it will work:

• Complete this online form to request a meeting date.
• Council Zoom hosts (Jane Chiodo and Mary Khouzam) will receive a notification upon submission. Hosts will check to see if there is availability for the requested date/time including confirmation that a Council representative can stay for the duration of the meeting.
• Once a determination is made, the PTA/PTSA requesting will be contacted with either confirmation (and zoom info) or notice that the date/time is unavailable.

• At the time of the meeting, a Council Zoom host will start the meeting and then pass host privileges to whomever the local PTA/PTSA designates. If at any point during the meeting there is an issue and the meeting needs to be restarted, the local PTA/PTSA representative will have access to text or message the Council Zoom host to have the meeting restarted.

​Questions? Contact us!

As you begin to coordinate your 2021-2022 membership plans, think about the reasons why families and staff should join.

• What makes your PTA unique? 
• What support do you provide for students, families, and staff?
• What enrichment programs do you offer your school and community?

These things can be anything from communications to staff grants and everything in between. Highlighting these things anytime you promote joining your PTA/PTSA will encourage more members to join.

This year it's more important than ever to kick off your campaign and start entering those memberships because Washington State PTA has a **new** requirement. This year, in order to remain in good standing, your PTA/PTSA must have at LEAST 25 members entered into memberplanet by October 31, 2021 AND must enter any memberships received into memberplanet no more than 30 days after someone joins. Why is it important to remain in good standing? If you want to attend convention, send in reflections submissions, apply for awards, or apply for grants you must be in good standing. (Click here for all SOA requirements.)

One way to increase your membership this year is to make sure it is EASY to join online. We have compiled a list of all our local PTAs/PTSAs with a link directly to your site to join online, so make sure your links are up to date. This makes each PTA/PTSA more accessible to members of our community, school board, and even district admin who might be looking to join. 

Please know you can contact us anytime with questions or to help you brainstorm ideas for your membership campaign.

Reminder: Council will be hosting a Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtable this Thursday, August 26th @ 7PM. This Roundtable will focus on membership. Membership is everyone's job, so all officers are welcome to join!

Additionally, please email your membership chair name(s) and contact information to us ASAP so they can be added to all communications about membership. 
 
Melissa Kline and Hanisha Bakshani
Northshore Council PTSA Membership Chairs
[email protected]

It's time to get started on PTA Advocacy for the 2021-2022 school year.

Here are 6 Advocacy Action Items to add to your PTA's back to school list of things to do:

1. Recruit an Advocacy Chair(s) for your PTA/PTSA. (Sometimes called a Legislative Chair).
2. Make sure that your Advocacy Chair(s) is listed in memberplanet as well as updated with Council.
3. Have your Advocacy Chair (and anyone else on your board who is interested in advocacy work!) join Council's Advocacy Facebook Group.
4. Attend a PTA training(s). PTA training is great for everyone on your board (and required for all elected officers). Coming up is WSPTA's Autumn Leadership Launch. For more training opportunities, visit our training calendar.
5. Keep up to date on PTA issues by Subscribing to WSPTA's Action Network Group - Action Network.
6. Visit our Advocacy page to learn even more!

 
Bonus Advocacy Action Item: Let’s Vote Challenge! National Voter Registration Day is September 28th! Did you know that Local PTAs/PTSAs can run voter registration drives? You can also include the graphic below in your e-news and on social media to encourage your members to register to vote! For WA state, voter information and registration can be found at http://vote.wa.gov/ and is provided in multiple languages!