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:

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:

Registration is now open for this year's WSPTA Legislative Assembly on October 26-27, 2019 at Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA!

PTA delegates from across the state will come together to update our WSPTA legislative platform in support of our vision of "Making every child's potential a reality." Delegates will have the opportunity to debate, amend, and vote on long-term resolutions and principles as well as new and amended short-term platform issues that will guide WSPTA's advocacy efforts in the upcoming legislative session.

The WSPTA Legislative Assembly 2019 Voter's Guide, contains information needed to familiarize yourself with these proposals. This year's delegates will be voting on one new legislative principle and one amended legislative principle,  one new legislative issue and one amended legislative issue, four new resolutions and 15 amendments to existing resolutions.

As a complement to the Voter's Guide, there is also a downloadable survey available that PTAs can use to gather input from the members of your local PTA or council that can help inform your delegates voting on the proposed issues, resolutions and principles.

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.

Get all the details for this year's Legislative Assembly on the WSPTA website:

Northshore Council PTSA held its first general meeting of the 2019-2020 on Monday, September 16, 2019 at the NSD Administration Building. Co-Presidents Grace Jurado and Stacey Meyer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and took a few moments to introduce this year's Council board members before diving into the agenda.

Council business included a review of the minutes from the May meeting, updating Council's Standing Rules for 2019-2020 (link available soon!) and a review of the end-of-year financial report for 2018-2019 as well as financial reports from July and August. Vice-President Jane Chiodo encouraged local PTAs to apply for an Educational Speaker and Event Grant (the first application deadline is coming up on October 11th!). Cindy Jensen, our Council Reflections Chair, then spoke briefly about the Reflections program and the value of sharing this opportunity in our local PTAs that encourages students to express themselves creatively through this national arts recognition program. Co-VP of Advocacy, Nancy Chamberlain, took some time to promote the upcoming WSPTA Legislative Assembly, taking place October 26-27 at Bellevue College. Then the floor was opened for nominations for the Council Treasurer position, but there were no takers. We are grateful to Tricia Woods for continuing to serve in the role as we work to find a new Treasurer (contact  Grace Jurado and Stacey Meyer if you are interested in learning more).

We also heard from district leaders, including School Board Director Jackie McGourty and NSD Partnerships Coordinator Natalie Campbell, each of whom shared information, updates and answered questions about recent projects and current initiatives.

The last part of the meeting was focused on outreach and advocacy.

Kelly Hennessey is the Coordinator of Threads & Treads, a clothing resource for Northshore families that is operated by Canyon Park Middle School PTSA. She came forward to share information about the work they are doing to serve the community and asked for the support of Northshore PTAs as they work to expand their outreach to include Saturday hours. An exciting moment came as Northshore Schools Foundation (NSDF) Executive Director Carmin Dalziel committed the foundation's financial support to help ensure those Saturday hours through the end of the school year! Thank you NSDF!!!

Finally, the membership of Northshore Council PTSA voted to adopt a Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Resolution. The idea to make this a PTA resolution came from Moorlands PTA member (and librarian) Crystal Ellis. Crystal lost her two-year old son to a tragic accident involving an unsafe dresser. She has turned her grief into action, founding Parents Against Tip-Overs and advocating with members of Congress for legislation that would lead to safer furniture. Northshore Council PTSA will now submit the Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Resolution for adoption at the National PTA Convention in 2020.

The meeting closed with some fun door prize drawings followed by Fall Training classes on a variety of topics, including Treasurer Basics, How to Be a Membership Chair, Volunteers: Find Them and Keep Them,  as well as Secretary: More than Just Minutes.

Council meetings are a great way to network with other PTA leaders and learn about what is happening in the district and PTA. We hope you'll join us at our next general membership meeting on Monday, November 18th!

The membership of Northshore Council PTSA adopted a Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Resolution at its membership meeting on September 16, 2019. The full resolution is available for download below:

The idea to make this a PTA resolution comes from Moorlands PTA member (and librarian) Crystal Ellis. Crystal lost her two-year old son to a tragic accident involving an unsafe dresser. She has turned her grief into action, founding Parents Against Tip-Overs and advocating with members of Congress for legislation that would lead to safer furniture. She has even testified before Congress for passage of a law to improve and make mandatory regulations to prevent furniture tip-overs.

The bill, the STURDY act, has now passed the US House of Representatives with bipartisan support:
https://www.congress.gov/116/crec/2019/09/17/CREC-2019-09-17-pt1-PgH7720-3.pdf

Northshore Council PTSA will now submit the Furniture Tip-Over Resolution for adoption at the National PTA Convention in 2020.

In addition, WSPTA's Legislative Consultant, Marie Sullivan, has written some articles that also provide great insight into some of the new legislation. Check out her analyses:

Join Washington State PTA for Focus Day on Monday, February 11th and meet with our legislators in Olympia! Let's join together to show lawmakers that parents and students support excellence in education!

This year we will begin at The United Churches of Olympia located at 110 Eleventh Ave SE (the corner of Capitol Way and 11th, across the street from the Capitol grounds).

The Focus Day program will begin at 9:00 am with a presentation designed to help you better understand WSPTA priorities, the legislative process, and tips for talking to legislators. The program should end around 10:30 am.

Register for Focus Day here: www.eventbrite.com/e/wspta-focus-day-2019-tickets-55040539736

Don't want to drive??? Once again, Northshore Council PTSA will be offering a "bus" for members who wish to attend Focus Day in Olympia on Monday, February 11th. We'll be leaving from the NSD Admin building at 7:30am with a planned return time of 3:30pm.

Email FocusDay@northshorecouncilptsa.org to save your seat on the bus!

There is a wealth of information about Focus Day available via Washington State PTA. Resources include:

• Invitation to PTA Members to Attend Focus Day (YouTube)
  
• Focus Day/Advocacy Week Event Page
• Advocacy in Olympia: Show Up to Speak Up on Focus Day February 11, 2019
• Focus Day Postcard (pdf)
• Washington State PTA's 2019 Legislative Platform (pdf)
  

Join us as we meet with our Northshore legislators in Olympia to show that parents and students support excellence in education! Once again, Northshore Council PTSA will be offering a "bus" for members who wish to attend Focus Day in Olympia on Monday, February 11th. We'll be leaving from the NSD Admin building at 7:30am with a planned return time later that day of 3:30pm.

Email FocusDay@northshorecouncilptsa.org to save your seat on the bus!

Are you interested in making your voice heard???

During the Washington State Legislative Sessions, Washington State PTA will send action alerts and informational broadcasts to WSPTA members who have subscribed to WSPTA's Action Network Group. These action alerts are quick, easy ways to communicate with our legislators on topics they are actively working on that relate to WSPTA's legislative platform.


You can sign up here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/subscribe-to-wsptas-action-network-group.

At our November 5, 2018 General Membership Meeting, we heard an informative and inspiring call to action from speaker JMarie Johnson-Cola regarding Family & Community Engagement (FACE).  Each child must be supported by, not only parents and teachers, but extended families, school districts, neighbors and community members to help them realize their full potential.

Handouts included an example of a Family Engagement Action Plan Template as well as a quote from the Carnegie Corporation of New York regarding what it takes to meet the challenge of FACE:

In her talk, JMarie mentioned a number of resources to help inform Family and Community Engagement best practices. Here are a few of the ones she mentioned: