Over the past few years, Moorlands Elementary PTA has been working on campus beautification, beginning with the installation of a bottle cap mural and culminating in the completion of a garden surround. The years of effort have resulted in a school entrance that is both beautiful and welcoming.

Bottle cap art mural – The bottle-cap mural which serves as a colorful backdrop to the new garden was originally completed in 2016. This collaborative project was an experience of tremendous support and community-building and so many positive lessons for Moorlands students. The process has done so much more than just teach students about the environment and using recycled materials to make something beautiful. The lessons that it has taught them in pulling together resources, goal-setting, project process and hard work and perseverance has been invaluable in their educational experience. They all have such pride and ownership of their work now that the see the mural up on campus. They will never look at another bottle cap the same-- and many have expressed interest in making their own bottle cap art project, so this experience really doesn’t end here.

The Garden: In the spring of 2018 a garden committee was created.  The support within the Moorlands community was overwhelming to move forward with finishing the beautification project since everyone was so proud of the mural.  The garden was built to be used-- for families and visitors to walk the path, sit on the bench, smell the flowers and admire the beloved mural.  Garden Chair Janna Snider elaborated, "My hope for the garden is that staff will use the space for meetings on sunny days,  for class volunteers to take small groups outdoors to read and discuss literature, a place to calm a child down who is struggling, and for parents to take their child’s picture on the first day of Kindergarten.  It is truly a community space for all to enjoy."

Congratulations to Moorlands PTA and to the Moorlands Elementary community on completion of this amazing collaborative project! #PTAProud

25 volunteers, 5 work parties, 15 yards of dirt removed, 14 new yards added, and 175 plants!  The bench, paid for by the PTA and made out of recycled milk bottles, was custom made for Moorlands and measures about 19’ long.

Thank you to Janna Snider, Garden Chair, Moorlands PTA, for sharing her before and after project photos!

The Northshore Council PTSA has been asked by Northshore School District Superintendent Dr. Reid to gather feedback on pick up and drop off issues at our schools. The survey may be taken more than once to give feedback for more than one school.

Council will present the anonymous results to the school district as they seek solutions that make our transportation system more efficient. Please share this survey with your school community - and take the survey too!

Click the link below to take the survey:

Survey Deadline is Friday, October 18, 2019.

Preparedness for emergencies and disasters, as well as the prevention of accidents is a serious concern of those who care for children in the home, at school, and in the community. Activities to promote safety/injury prevention can be incorporated in all PTSA/PTA interests.

To help inform our communities about the value and importance of emergency preparedness (e-prep), Northshore  Council PTSA E-Prep co-Chairs Robin McKenzie and Tracy Jokisch have compiled some sample blurbs that local PTA/PTSAs can customize and include in their communications.

See some examples below (scroll all the way to the bottom for an easy, downloadable version!).

Be Prepared, Not Scared

Did you feel our 4.6 earthquake near Monroe in July? Are you prepared at home for an emergency or a disaster? Here are 12 ways you can get ready (click on the picture):

The Great Washington Shake Out: October 17th  

On October 17, at 10:17am, [school name] will be participating in the Great Washington Shake Out, an earthquake preparedness drill. Participating is a great way for your family or organization to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes– wherever you live, work, or travel. Remember to drop, cover and hold during an earthquake! Stay where you are for several minutes afterward, bracing for possible aftershocks.  Click on the picture for more information.

Northshore School District Emergency Reunification

The Northshore School District has created a standard Emergency Reunification process for all schools and conducted a drill in May 2019.  For information on the process (Click Here) .

[School Name] Family Reunification

Do you know what to do in the case of an emergency or crisis during school hours? 
Do not rush to school to pick up your child.  Our school is in an area where the additional traffic may impede needed emergency vehicles or personnel from arriving.  If a school evacuation is ordered, your presence at the site could delay evacuation and reunification. When the situation is under control, students and parents will be reunited in a safe, orderly, and timely manner.

1. Wait for notification from Leota or the district for the pickup process. Your student could be relocated via bus to one of three or more reunification sites depending on the situation.
2. ALL PARENTS AND EMERGENCY CONTACTS must have picture identification to pick up the student.
3. The parent, guardian, trusted neighbor or authorized emergency contact’s name must be in  ParentVUE

Please take this opportunity to update the emergency contacts in ParentVueOpens a New Window. and consider including trusted neighbors or others that can respond to the reunification sites in case your response is delayed by other emergencies happening in our region.

How Can you Help?
Please remind your emergency contacts that when picking up a student during an emergency, everyone must have picture identification. These additional contacts will be critical if you cannot pick up your student.

1. Ensure you have a ParentVUE account. If you do not have an account, contact Leota and request your 7-digit activation key.
2. Login to ParentVUE, click on “Student Info” in the left-hand menu. Click the Edit Information button.
3. Scroll down to find the Emergency Contacts area. Update existing emergency contacts and enter new contacts here.
4. Click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the screen.
   

Emergency Supplies

Did you know…. that the supplies used in an emergency by the students and staff of [School Name] are funded by the [school name] PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association)! Parents thank you for your donations to our PTSA!
 
[insert Picture of School E-Prep Container]

Download them in Word format (.docx) so that they are easy to edit and copy and paste as needed: