 Northshore Council PTSA's 2019-2020 calendar is now available: Be sure to save the date and mark your calendars for this year's Northshore Council PTSA General Membership Meetings:
All meetings start with a Meet & Greet beginning at 6:30pm followed by the official Call to Order at 7:00pm. Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives-- but we welcome ALL who are interested to attend. 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. We look forward to seeing you there! Some other 2019-2020 calendar planning tools: Northshore School District Calendar 2019-2020 OSPI Calendar of Common Religous and U.S. Public Holidays, 2019-20 Education-related recognition event dates, 2019-20:
 Training is vital for your entire board. Please join us for the Region 6 Fall Conference-- it is a FREE training and leadership development opportunity for all PTA leaders.
Morning session:
Register online: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/region-6-fall-conference-with-pta-and-the-law-tickets-68040291343 Come learn, network with your fellow PTA leaders, and meet part of your PTA support team!  The start of the 2019-20 school year is about a month away and it is time to start thinking about heading back to school! According to Huntington Bank's 13th Annual Backpack Index, the average back-to-school costs adds up to $1,017 for elementary students and over $1,600 for high school students for school supplies, extracurricular fees, and technology (this includes the cost of a laptop and internet access at home, which are often needed for school work). Thankfully, there are resources available for Northshore families who may need some support for preparing for back-to-school. Events: Northshore School District Back-to-School Fair - August 16, 2019 - 4-6:30pm - Canyon Park Middle School This is a FREE community event for children of all ages and includes children's ID cards, haircuts, activities, school and community resource information, entertainment and more.  Back2School Event - August 17, 2019 - 10am-3pm - Woodinville, WA Babies of Homelessness hosts this event which offers free school supplies, kids K-5 essentials, services and activities. Back2School was created to ease the heavy financial burden that back-to-school shopping creates for low income and homeless families. For the past 2 years, through the Back2School event, 170+ volunteers have equipped 783 students for success in school. Also, many Northshore schools and local PTA/PTSAs host welcome or back-to-school events for their school communities. These events often offer opportunities to meet teachers, connect with classmates, and learn about programs and resources available at each school site. Check the websites for your school and your PTA/PTSA for information about upcoming events. Community Resources: Northshore School Foundation Backpacks for Kids - Northshore families can request a backpack filled with school supplies using this link https://bit.ly/2GkFhmp. Backpacks & supplies will be available in your child's school office by August 27th. Students in grades 6-12 can pick up supplies at their offsite location - 22107 23rd Drive SE, Bothell, WA 98021- on August 23rd from 11am to 1pm and from 5-7pm. Threads & Treads - Threads & Treads is a free clothing store for families in the Northshore School District located at Located at Canyon Park Middle School. Families can choose 3 outfits for each family member each month. In the weeks leading up to the start of the new school year, there will be some special dates/times for families to shop, including 8/16, 8/21 and 8/28. More information... NSD Resources: Northshore School District School Supply Lists -
School supplies are requested but not required. If purchasing school supplies creates a financial hardship, please contact your school's office manager and supplies will be provided for you. Free and Reduced-Price Meals at School - Parents whose income falls within specified guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture should apply for free or reduced-price meals for their students. Families must re-apply every year for the school free and reduced-price meal program. Applications for Northshore School District for the 2019-20 school year are available on their website starting August 5, 2019.  A board retreat can be a powerful way to kick-start your PTA's new year. If fact, it can be such a powerful tool that Washington State PTA considers having one to be a PTA best practice. A retreat is more than just a regular meeting-- it is an opportunity to: 
Key to a successful board retreat is setting the stage: 
Great retreats also include a few key social elements that serve as ways to allow board members to connect, bond, and get to know each other-- all of which work to help build a more cohesive team: 
The extended nature of a retreat means that a board can have time for conversations and discussions with more breadth and depth. Consider some of the following discussion areas and questions as you build your board retreat agenda:
Finally, remember that some of the most important work will happen after the retreat ends as ideas are put into action. Take time through the year to reflect and check-in with one another regarding discussions, action items, and progress toward goals. Resources:
To highlight the importance of membership growth, Washington State PTA recognizes local PTAs for enrolling more members than they did in the previous year. As PTAs achieve incremental increases in membership growth, they are recognized for each milestone they reach. As of May 31, 2019, the following Northshore PTAs/PTSAs have earned 2018-19 WSPTA Membership Growth Awards:  The 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. The following Northshore PTAs/PTSAs earned a WSPTA 100% Staff Membership Award in 2018-2019: 🏆 100% Staff Membership
Congratulations to our award-winning Northshore PTAs! Northshore Council PTAs/PTSAs welcomed 8,079 members in 2018-2019. We look forward to 2019-2020 to be even stronger!
Many thanks to all of our amazing Northshore PTAs/PTSAs for continually striving for membership growth helping us to have an even more powerful voice for our children!  At the beginning of June, Frank Love Elementary PTA shared photos on their Facebook page of a newly-installed bottle cap mural. The mural, which overlooks the campus entrance, serves as a colorful welcome to all who visit the school. Northshore Council contacted FLE PTA to learn more about the project and how their PTA was involved. The mural began as a 5th grade legacy project in 2017-18 in coordination with local artist, Stephanie Roman-Olvera. Parents, students, staff and community members collected and washed thousands of bottle caps which the artist used to create the colorful image. Then the 2018-19 5th Grade Class and Promotion Team partnered with Frank Love PTA, the artist, school administration and Northshore School District in order to bring the mural to completion. The PTA helped fund the mural project via its School Beautification budget. Frank Love Elementary PTA co-President Sara Lennerblom describes the mural so well: "This community mural is [a] beautiful reflection of our FLE Community and we are thankful to the many hands that provided time, talents, and bottle caps to make this legacy gift to our school a reality. It will have a lasting imprint on our campus for years to come!" It is so inspiring to hear stories about successful community-school partnerships such as this! Thank you so much, Frank Love Elementary PTA, for your part in making this beautiful mural happen and for sharing the story with Council!  Earlier this month, Arrowhead Elementary worked on a school-wide project called "Kindness Connects Us." The goal of the project was to celebrate acts of kindness that happen every day. Teachers and students worked together to nominate each other for kindness 'links' which were then connected to create chains in each classroom. On June 13th, a school assembly was held to combine all of the links-- creating a giant chain that gave a visible representation of how far their kind acts had reached. Arrowhead Elementary PTA provided Otter Pops and organized a group of parent volunteers to help pass those out and assist during a special celebratory all-school recess. The Kindness Connects Us project was created by Arrowhead staff as a way to positively reinforce the ongoing work of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS)-- the district-wide framework being used to improve school climate and provide integrated supports for improving social, emotional and academic outcomes for all students. The result of collaboration by Arrowhead's MTSS/PBIS and Equity & Diversity teams, Kindness Connects Us worked to build on the theme of Kindness that the school had been focusing on throughout the year. They also coordinated with Arrowhead PTA to help spread the word to families and organize the culminating celebration-- turning it into a wonderful opportunity for family and community engagement as well. The project was kicked off by having each student create an "Identity Link" to show kindness to ourselves and to celebrate their individual and unique identities. Each class picked from one of three identity link options. Teacher Jessica-Lynn Tompkins (also a project organizer) described this first step, "The identity links are included in our kindness chain to ensure that everyone (staff and student) had a link right away and to symbolize that even though we are different, we are one community." For two weeks, teachers gave out kindness links that included the student's name and a place to mark if they were kind to themselves, to others, or to the school. Each class had a goal of 100 links. Students received links at recess, in their classrooms, and could even nominate peers for links during class meetings. Every student in school wrote messages of how to demonstrate kindness throughout their daily lives. Then they ended the project with an all-school assembly where they connected all of the links and enjoyed some music. Together, the links of paper formed a gigantic chain across the school’s campus! The day of celebration was capped off with a special all-school recess and sweet treats from Arrowhead PTA. This Kindness Connects Us project involved the entire school community and offered an incredible visual reminder of the power of kindness and how kindness can connect us all. Many thanks to Arrowhead PTA co-President Kristie Johnson and Arrowhead teacher Jessica-Lynn Tompkins for sharing information about Kindness Connects Us with Council (and for providing some wonderful photos!). We hope that Arrowhead Elementary's project can serve as an inspiration for more collaborative community efforts in our schools! 
Nutritious free meals are available for children and teens, ages 18 and younger, at a number of locations in the Northshore area throughout the summer while school is out of session:
To find locations in other areas:
Other Food Resources:
Community Meals in North King/South Snohomish Counties:
Food Stability Resources & Food Banks in North King/South Snohomish Counties:
(ID and proof of residence required at all locations)
Northshore Nourishing Networks offers regularly updated printable lists for community meals and food stability resources (food banks) on their website: www.nourishingnetworks.net/networks/northshore/.
 Northshore Council PTSA held its annual Spring Recognition Breakfast on Thursday, June 6, 2019, at McMenamin's Anderson School in Bothell. The event celebrates the work of PTAs throughout Northshore as well as this year's amazing volunteers and award recipients district-wide. Guests included representatives from Northshore PTAs, their award recipients and honored guests, district officials, school board members, and community partners. Many thanks to North Creek High School's instrumental music program students and director Deborah Montague for providing wonderful performances during breakfast. Special thanks to keynote speaker, Janet Harvey, MCC, who offered an inspiring presentation about leadership and the power and value of staying true to one self. Northshore Council PTSA was also honored to present awards during the event. Many congratulations to this year's award recipients, each of whom has worked to promote the well-being and education of children in our district and beyond:  🌟 Outstanding Advocate: Corina Pfeil The Outstanding Advocate Award recognizes an individual for his or her advocacy and commitment in helping to create strong policies relating to the health, welfare, safety and education of children and youth.  🌟 Outstanding Student Advocate: Ayden Harris (7th grade, Leota Middle School) 🌟 Outstanding Student Advocate: Cami Brix (12th grade, Inglemoor High School) This is the first year Northshore Council PTSA has given this award. The Outstanding Student Advocate Award recognizes student PTA members who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.  🌟 Outstanding Educator: Dr. Michelle Reid The Outstanding Educator Award is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions in their community to enhance the educational outcomes of all children or youth. An educator is not limited to a teacher and may be defined as a teacher, assistant, specialist, support staff, administrator or community member.  🌟 Outstanding Service: Wendy Reynolds The WSPTA Outstanding Service Award was added in 1962, building on the success of the Golden Acorn Award program. This award recognizes statewide service to children. It is awarded to an individual who has given dedicated and long-term volunteer service that positively impacts every child throughout the community while demonstrating the WSPTA core values. We are grateful to all who were able to join us for this wonderful morning of food, music, community, and celebration!  The Northshore Council PTSA Emergency Preparedness Team, composed of E-Prep Chairs from schools across the district, meets monthly to discuss and support important school safety and preparedness initiatives. Topics have included NSD Emergency Management, Safety Policies, Emergency Containers, Safe School Emergency Operations Plans, Safe Schools Advocacy in Olympia, Student/Parent Reunification, School Active Threats, Security Cameras, Door Locks, Stop the Bleed Kits and much more. At the June 3rd, 2019 E-prep meeting, three individuals were recognized for outstanding contributions to Emergency Preparedness this year:
 Northshore Council PTSA 2019 E-Prep team picture, taken at the June 3, 2019 meeting. (Photo courtesy of Robin McKenzie.) Next year we hope to expand our team to include every school PTSA in the district and create even more collaboration with the School District Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness group. Robin McKenzie and Tracy Jokisch will be serving as our Northshore Council E-Prep Co-Chairs for 2019-20. Please contact Tracy and Robin if you would like to be a part of our PTSA E-Prep team and join our Facebook group.
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