 Find out what is important to your members before your delegates vote at the 2020 Legislative Assembly! WA State PTA has made it easy for PTA leaders to survey your members with this e-survey. Just send the link out to your members and WSPTA will send you the results for your school before legislative assembly starts to see your members’ responses. Your delegates can use these results to guide their votes along with the education and caucusing sessions available for all topics. This survey will provide great input to help your delegates represent your PTA. Looking for help on how to communicate this e-survey with your members? Check out the wording from WSPTA's Communication Kit for local PTAs below that includes longer messaging for articles and shorter messaging for social media posts. The e-survey closes on October 9th, so make sure to start sharing it today! Short Messaging to Promote the E-Survey What issues are most important to you? Hurry - the e-survey closes on 10/9! Your voice matters -- please take a few minutes and complete our [insert your PTA or council name) PTA e-survey. There’s a wide range of topics and we need your input when we vote at the upcoming Washington State PTA Legislative Assembly. The survey is just titles only, so take a few moments to review the WSPTA Voters’ Guide. But don’t delay, the e-survey closes on 10/9. Longer Messaging to Promote the E-Survey (Option A) What issues are most important to you? Hurry - the e-survey closes on 10/9! Your voice matters -- please take a few minutes and complete our [insert your PTA or council name) PTA e-survey. There’s a wide range of advocacy issues and we need your voice to help our PTA delegates vote on the Top 5 issues that are most important to us. The survey also includes other proposed positions that delegates will vote on to develop the WSPTA platform. The issues all support the health, education, and welfare of children and youth -- from increasing access to mental health to preventing gun violence and suicide to closing the digital divide. Resolutions range from access to recess and unstructured play to improving outcomes in special education to dismantling institutional and systemic racism. Plus, one new principle against racism, discrimination, and oppression. The survey is just titles only, so take a few moments to review the WSPTA Voters’ Guide. But don’t delay, the e-survey closes on October 10/9. Longer Messaging to Promote the E-Survey (Option B) What issues are most important to you? Hurry - the e-survey closes on 10/9! Member voice matters — please take a few minutes and complete our [insert your PTA name) PTA e-survey. There’s a wide range of advocacy issues and we need your voice to help our PTA delegates vote on the Top 5 issues that are most important to us. The survey also includes other proposed positions that delegates will vote on to develop the WSPTA platform. The issues all support the health, education, and welfare of children and youth but the proposed platform covers a wide spectrum of advocacy positions and legislative policies from increasing access to mental health to preventing gun violence and suicide to closing the digital divide. There are also eight resolutions with topics ranging from access to recess and unstructured play to improving outcomes in special education to dismantling institutional and systemic racism. Plus one new principle against racism, discrimination, and oppression. Take the e-survey and let us know what’s important to you. There’s also a WSPTA Voters’ Guide to give you more information on all the issues as the survey just has the titles. Take a few moments to review that information as you take the e-survey. Your replies will help guide our PTA’s delegates when they vote at the upcoming WSPTA Legislative Assembly in late October where the new 2020-2021 Platform will be set. Take a few moments to learn more about the proposed positions and share your priorities with us with the e-survey But don’t delay the e-survey closes on October 9.  Registration is now open for the 42nd Annual WSPTA Legislative Assembly!
PTA delegates from across the state will come together to update the WSPTA legislative platform. At legislative assembly, discover the power PTA has to advocate for the success of every child – the whole child. In PTA every member has an equal voice, and your input matters a great deal to the success of PTA's grassroots member-driven platform. PTA is needed more than ever right now, and you can help! Key Things to Note:
The Washington State PTA legislative platform is a two-year platform to mirror the Washington state legislative cycle. This year, as with every even-numbered year, the new platform will be voted on by members during the legislative assembly. Learn about WSPTA's current legislative priorities and other supported issues by clicking here. Be a part of the process and help direct the course for WSPTA advocacy by serving as a delegate for your PTA! If you are interested in attending Legislative Assembly as a delegate for your local PTA, contact your local PTA president. Check out the Legislative Assembly web page to learn more about this year's event.  In lieu of an in-person Candidates Forum for the upcoming November election, Northshore Council PTSA is working on doing something a little different. This year, we are working on creating a virtual forum where we gather education-related questions from Northshore community members and then compile questions and candidate responses together as a handy guide for voters. Send in your education-related question for one of your legislators for our online candidate spotlight forum by emailing Council's Advocacy VP, Diana Christiansen, or submitting it via the form below. Deadline to submit a question is Friday, September 18th.  Join us for ‘Northshore PTAs Connect’ – an online roundtable discussion for PTA/PTSA leaders to ask questions, share ideas and connect with one another. Offered two times a month—once in the evening (7pm) and once at midday (noon)— this series of roundtable events is designed to support our local PTA/PTSA leaders as we navigate membership, programs and managing our organizations in an uncertain and ever-changing landscape. Each roundtable event will feature a focus topic, but it is an open discussion and there is always opportunity to ask questions and tackle emerging or ongoing areas of interest or concern.
You may choose to attend the topics or times that work best for you, or attend them all!
We hope to see you there!!! If you have questions or suggested topics you would like to see addressed in the discussion, please email Council PTSA President, Robin Zaback.   What is advocacy? Advocacy for the PTA is supporting and speaking up for children, families, and schools!
All of these actions and many others are Advocacy! This year, Council will have lots of opportunities for your PTA/PTSA to advocate for children! Check out our Advocacy Page for more information. Looking to get started now? Try to black out our Advocacy Bingo board!
 The following is a summary of 2019/2020 Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) activities. We want to recognize and thank the following individuals for contributions to Emergency Preparedness, the Northshore School District, and our students:
Many thanks to our NSD team that has supported every Emergency-Preparedness (E-Prep) monthly meeting with updates and for giving PTSA parents a forum to vocalize both suggestions and concerns. We would like to specifically thank Clark Combs E-Prep TOSA, Bill Brooks, Security, and Henry Simon, Director Safety and Security, for their continued focus on the safety of our students and staff, security, and preparedness. Here are a few of the key things achieved this school year:
The Northshore Council PTSA E-Prep team is looking forward to next year’s opportunities to continue to help improve each school’s emergency preparedness and we will also be focusing on our family preparedness for emergencies and disasters. Next year you will also see an improved NS Council PTSA E-Prep webpage, on-line E-Prep meetings, meeting recordings and on-line training. One example is online CERT (Community Emergency Response Training), which will provide access to those who may have had trouble getting it and allow volunteers to acquire the CERT credential at their own pace. CLICK HERE for more info. Have a wonderful and safe summer,
Robin McKenzie and Tracy Jokisch Emergency Preparedness Co-chairs Northshore Council PTSA 6.10 A Culture of Preparedness in our Community
This year's recipient is Dr. Nancy Chamberlain. She currently serves not only on the WSPTA Board of Directors as Finance Officer, but also as Northshore Council PTSA's co-VP of Advocacy. She has dedicated many years to being a voice for all children, mentoring advocates and PTA leaders, and being all-around awesome. Heidi Baron Bennett, recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Advocate award, has graciously given permission to Northshore Council PTSA to share the speech she gave as she presented Nancy with the award at the 2020 WSPTA Convention. Washington State PTA Outstanding 2020 Advocate Award The Washington State PTA Outstanding Advocate award recognizes the individual who goes way beyond the call of duty at both the state and local level to advocate for the health, education and well-being for children and youth. Our Outstanding Advocate for 2020 is a remarkable individual with a rich history. This individual:
- Do you know who this is yet? Raise your hand if you do.
- Now, do you know who this is yet? Raise your hand if you do.
Please join me in recognizing our 2020 Washington State PTA Outstanding Advocate, a past Washington State PTA Advocacy Director and current Washington State PTA Finance Officer, Dr. Nancy Chamberlain. -- Heidi Baron Bennett May 16, 2020 WSPTA Convention We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated and tireless advocate working for our children in Northshore and beyond!
Congratulations to WSPTA's 2020 Outstanding Advocate, Nancy Chamberlain! 🎉🎉🎉  In 2018, about 4.3 million reports were made to child protective services concerning the safety and well-being of approximately 7.8 million children. Last year, an estimated 678,000 children were found to be victims of child abuse or neglect nationwide. School districts are one of our most important partners in keeping children safe. Teachers, counselors, paraeducators and other school staff build strong relationships with students and often are the trusted adults who are able to report suspected abuse and neglect and find help for a child in need. Law Enforcement throughout the nation rely upon our school partners to help us best serve at risk children. However, closures and social distancing efforts in response to COVID-19 have limited mandatory reporters’ access to children and youth, making it harder to detect abuse or neglect and leaving many children at risk. EVERYONE is encouraged to keep an eye out and report concerns about child welfare. Let's continue to come together and protect our children and communities! Washington State PTA is dedicated to the health, safety and welfare of children and youth. Resolution 2.14, Child Abuse Prevention Supports explicitly addresses its resolve to provide voice, advocacy and resources toward necessary services and resources to support and educate families and communities about child abuse prevention. Resources:
The submission process is now open!
Legislative issue submission title and short description due Friday, May 1, 2020. Resolution title and draft (for new and amended resolutions) due Friday, May 1, 2020. Completed proposal forms for issues, resolutions and legislative principles are due Monday, June 1, 2020. To assist you in the process, WSPTA has developed a series of four videos, "The Savvy Submitter's Guide to Issues, Resolutions, and Principles," to walk you through the required steps: The current legislative issue platform will be replaced at the 2020 Legislative Assembly in October 2020. Members will adopt a new Top 5 platform including the additional issues that will comprise the "also supported" list. Questions about submitting or about advocacy? Contact Northshore Council PTSA's co-VPs of Advocacy, Nancy Chamberlain and Charla Griffy Brown.
Core to Washington State PTA's Mission is advocacy for children and youth. During Advocacy Week, February 24-28, 2020, WSPTA will be asking members to send prewritten emails each day on bills and issues related to our state legislative platform. You don't have to go to Olympia to be an advocate for kids!
We KNOW you care about kids – that’s why you are a PTA member! Imagine if legislators heard from all 128,000+ members about how much we care about kids! Learn more about the WSPTA legislative priorities: Every Child, One Voice! Questions about advocacy? Contact our Council co-VPs of Advocacy, Charla Griffy Brown and Nancy Chamberlain.
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