​WA State PTA's 100% Staff Membership Award is presented to local PTAs that enroll at least as many school staff members as there are full-time certificated employees at the school.

This award recognizes the value of teachers and school staff as stakeholders advocating for all children through PTA membership.

PTAs must be in good standing and submit a completed application form by March 15, 2022 to be eligible for this award. Recipients of the 100% Staff Membership Award will be recognized at the WSPTA convention in the spring.

Check out the below flyer put together by Washington State PTA to help determine if you are eligible for this award! Click here to download or print the flyer.

 In our area of the Pacific Northwest, many of us suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Often when
the seasons change to fall and winter and the days get shorter and darker, we might feel sad and not ourselves. We may have trouble sleeping, overeating, and have low motivation. Not only is SAD common in people with depressive disorders, but also those with anxiety, panic, or eating disorders, and those with ADHD. SAD affects mostly women, and generally the onset is between ages 20-30 years of age. This means it may not affect our children as much as us caregivers.
We need to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of our loved ones.

While it is not fully known what causes SAD, research shows that low levels of the brain chemical serotonin plays a large role, as well as high levels of melatonin. Both of these help maintain daily body rhythms, along with sufficient levels of vitamin D. Traditional treatments include light therapy, vitamin D, talking to a therapist, and possibly some medications.

Additionally, with the holidays approaching, even more of us may suffer the Holiday Blues. This time of year can bring more anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, unrealistic expectations, and even memories of the past that can lead to sadness. It might be helpful to remember that the Holiday Blues are short term, however, the effects can still feel all-consuming and should be taken seriously.

Council's goal for our combined Northshore PTAs is to have 6,000 members this year. We encourage all of our local PTAs/PTSAs to continue to promote the value of membership. For tips and resources in doing so, visit our Membership page. Additionally, you can always reach out to Council's Co-Chairs of Membership, Hanisha Bakshani and Melissa Kline.

You are invited to join Council's next Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) Chair meeting!
Anyone in PTA/PTSA is welcome to attend our meetings, and we encourage all local PTA/PTSA E-Prep chairs to attend as well as PTA/PTSA Presidents and/or Vice Presidents or delegates.

In this meeting we share and obtain updates from the NSD Safety team and discuss opportunities where the PTA can provide support to our schools in the areas of emergency preparedness, safety, and security.  

Date: Tuesday, December 7th
Time: 11:00 AM to Noon, Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Zoom Link & Passcode: Available upon request

If you would like the zoom link and passcode in order to attend this meeting, or have questions concerning Emergency Preparedness, please email Council's E-Prep Co-Chairs, Tracy Jokisch & Robin McKenzie. We look forward to seeing you!

On Wednesday, November 17th we had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Kendra Read, Ph.D. titled "Identifying and Addressing Youth Anxiety". 

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns youth face. While it is a normal emotional experience, it can grow to become incredibly distressing and interfering, particularly during a global pandemic. When anxiety is present, caregivers (parents, educators, family members) have an important role in helping youth identify anxiety and encouraging and reinforcing brave vs. anxious behavior. In the video below, Kendra Read, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, discusses how to identify, understand, and begin to intervene in cases of problematic anxiety.
 
We want to thank Dr. Read for the informational and engaging presentation. If you missed it or want to listen again, we have made a recording of this presentation available, which can be viewed by clicking the image below. Please note, this recording does not include the live Q&A portion.
 
BIO: Kendra Read, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, the Director of the Mood & Anxiety Program and Director of Anxiety Programs at Seattle Children’s. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA under the mentorship of Philip Kendall, Ph.D., and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department. Dr. Read specializes in the treatment of youth with anxiety disorders and OCD from a cognitive behavioral therapy perspective. Her research interests include understanding factors that contribute to treatment outcome, and the dissemination and implementation of CBT for anxiety disorders.

This event is brought to you by the Northshore Council Mental Health Committee.
For questions, please email mentalhealth@northshorecouncilptsa.org

​We're fresh out of Legislative Assembly and gearing up for Focus Week which will take place January 17 - 21, 2022!

Let us know how we can support advocacy efforts at your school! Please complete Council's short Advocacy Efforts Survey to help us serve you better.

Additionally, Council's Co-VPs of Advocacy, Diana Christiansen and Jennifer Drury, are happy to speak at one of your PTA's board or general meetings or talk with folks one-on-one about questions they have about getting involved in advocacy at all levels. Please reach out to us at advocacy@northshorecouncilptsa.org.

You have promoted Reflections and shared your due date with your school community. Some of you may even be receiving artwork!

So now what? Now it's time to submit artwork to Council! Deadline to submit is 9PM on Friday, December 3rd.

Check out our Step-by-Step Guide to Submitting Your PTA's Reflections Entries to Council below. For questions or help with your submissions, please contact Jasmine Lee Fry at reflections@northshorecouncilptsa.org.

1. Make sure you have registered your Local PTA Reflections Program with the National PTA.
2. Make sure the signature lines on all entry forms are filled in. Names can be signed or typed.
3. Take any necessary digital photos of visual arts pieces or work with families to get photos. Please check the rules to ensure the pieces are compliant.
4. Arrange for blind judging as necessary. Click here to read more on judging Reflections.
5. Determine the artwork you will be submitting to Council. Each local PTA can submit up to 20 pieces (+ up to 6 special artist pieces) to Council.
6. Each PTA has its own Dropbox folder. A link will be emailed to Reflections chairs and PTA presidents by Monday, November 15th. Once you have access to the folder, please upload a test file so we have time to troubleshoot any issues you may encounter.
7. Inside your folder you will see:
   • Directions -- Please read this document before submitting.
   • Spreadsheet -- You will fill in some information needed to coordinate judging and to advance pieces to WSPTA. All of the information you need should be on the entry forms.
8. Upload/copy/drag student art piece and entry form to the Dropbox folder. You should be submitting two files per student entry. The exception will be Music Composition entries that require notation; those entries will have three files (This is only for middle and high school divisions).
9. Please rename the files to match this format: Student First Name and Last Name - Arts Category - Form/Artwork/Notation (notation is only used for 6-12th Music Composition entries). This will help us make sure the hundreds of pieces of art we receive can be matched to an entry form.
   1. Example 1: Jasmine Fry - Literature - Form
   2. Example 2: Jasmine Fry - Literature - Artwork
10. When you have added all of the artwork and entry forms to your Dropbox, please email reflections@northshorecouncilptsa.org and let us know you are done and how many pieces you are submitting, so we can verify that we have matching numbers.
11. Feel free to submit your artwork early! After 9PM on Friday, December 3rd, access will be restricted to the Reflections Dropbox folders.

For more information about Reflections, including entry forms and rules, visit our Reflections page.

Looking for a way to keep your membership campaign going strong? Consider running a membership giveaway!

Giveaways for joining your PTA must have every member of your PTA registered by a set date included in the drawing to win. You can even make the drawing themed for the season. This time of year is perfect for a "Thanksgiving Giveaway" where the prize is a Thanksgiving meal in a bag: Turkey (or gift certificate to redeem one), box of stuffing, salad kit, and you can't forget the pie! Reach out to your local grocery store as they may even be willing to donate the items for the giveaway.

Questions about running a membership drive campaign or giveaway? Contact Council's Membership Co-Chairs, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline.