 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  Thank you to all who joined us for the final Northshore Council PTSA general membership meeting of the year on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was an action-packed and celebratory evening! One key business item was a vote to change the 2020-21 Council budget. Due to COVID-19 related delays in chartering a new PTSA at Ruby Bridges Elementary (opening in Fall 2020), Northshore Council PTSA members voted to approve a line item in the budget to host a special school supplies fundraiser to benefit the Ruby Bridges community and future PTSA. Once the business portion of the agenda was concluded, President Grace Jurado took some time to thank the current officers and other volunteers, and we welcomed Washington State PTA President, Janice Kutzera, who did us the honor of installing our 2020-2021 Officers! Natalie Campbell, Northshore School District (NSD) Partnerships Coordinator, shared that she keeps a Community Assistance page up-to-date on the district webpage. She noted that the district's Back to School Fair will likely not be held in-person this year and Community Serve Day, tentatively scheduled for August 23rd, is still up in the air. The Wall of Honor presentation will also be delayed. She was also excited to share that the NSD Volunteer Application will soon be available online for all volunteers at all schools. School Board Director Jacqueline McGourty noted that NSD aced a recent audit, everyone is preparing for commencement, and the school board is being briefed regularly by OSPI on changes in policy and guidance as we head into fall. NSD Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid also shared an update. On June 8th, the State will give out guidance about school opening in the Fall. With regards to sports, she noted that WIAA has not made a decision about fall sports. It is possible that we may even flip sports seasons with more-contact sports in the Spring and less-contact sports in Fall. The highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the 2019-2020 PTSA Awards. Congratulations to this year's award recipients:
 The evening was adjourned with a celebratory toast to end the year.
 Each year, Northshore Council PTSA recognizes a few special people who have gone above and beyond in service to our community and who promote the well-being and education of children in our district and beyond. This year, Council was proud to recognize seven amazing individuals.
Congratulations to this year's winners! Northshore Council PTSA recognized its 2019-2020 award recipients at its general membership meeting on June 1, 2020 which was held online.
Use the steps below and the suggested tools to help you move toward a setting up a successful fall membership campaign!
And don't forget to take time to read the Membership Handbook*️! It offers a wealth of information about all aspects of membership and it includes a monthly calendar to guide you through the membership year. *️ Note: Leadership Guides resources are password protected. The username and password info can be found in the latest issue of WSPTA's Leadership News or you can request them from your Council VP of Support-- Elementary or Secondary.
Class schedule:
You are welcome to take as many classes as fit your schedule and, because they are WSPTA approved, they will count toward fulfilling your annual training requirement for 2020-21.
There are some great benefits to attending a Northshore Council training session including:
Please share this info with current and incoming officers, committee chairs and interested PTA members, and join us!
We look forward to seeing you in class!
Questions? Email Council President, Grace Jurado.
 Mark your calendars for our final Northshore Council PTSA General Membership Meeting of 2019-20! It will take place on Monday, June 1, 2020 at 7:00pm via zoom (see meeting info below). Topic: Northshore Council PTSA General Meeting Time: Jun 1, 2020 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84148631357?pwd=YzY2cWlrNEpWM1BsQ25YdUUxSy9Zdz09 Meeting ID: 841 4863 1357 Password: available upon request** **Password will be required to join the meeting. In addition to all of the normal updates and information sharing, we'll be announcing this year's Council award recipients, including Golden Acorn, Outstanding Educator, Outstanding Advocate, Outstanding Student Advocate, Outstanding Service and Honorary Lifetime Membership! We hope you join the fun in celebrating amazing individuals and the end of a wild PTA year! Questions? Please contact President Grace Jurado.
PTA is a membership-driven association. Sustaining and growing membership builds PTA's power as advocates and change makers not only in your own school community, but also at district, state and national levels. WSPTA recognizes PTAs for their work growing membership as well as for achievements in membership.
Congratulations to our Northshore PTA/PTSAs that have earned
WSPTA Membership Awards in 2019-2020!!!
Membership Achievement Awards:
100% Membership Award
(The 100% PTA Membership Award is presented to local PTAs that enroll at least as many members as there are fulltime enrolled students at the school associated with that PTA. This is the ultimate achievement in PTA membership and recognizes that every child in the school community has a paid PTA member to be their voice.)
100% Staff Membership Award
(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 Growth Awards:
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!
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! 🎉🎉🎉  Each year, Washington State PTA recognizes the work of individuals, PTAs and Councils across the state via a variety of awards, including Leadership Academy and the Awards of Excellence Program. Some of our amazing Northshore PTAs submitted applications and were recognized for their efforts at the 2020 WSPTA Annual Convention in May. Awards work to celebrate the efforts of local PTAs and Councils in a variety of different areas. The criteria reflect a strong knowledge and application of best practices and the submission process can be rigorous. These awards are truly reflective of the dedication and strength of these PTAs and the powerful contributions they make in their communities. This year's recipients included:
FACE (Family and Community Engagement)
PTAs Taking Significant Action
Leadership Academy Program – (Recognizes and acknowledges leadership skills attained by PTA leaders throughout all levels of the association.)
Congratulations to our award-winning Northshore PTAs!!!
 As we spend our final months of the school year still under stay-at-home orders, and our children realize they will not be in a classroom again before fall, it’s easy to lose track of the year-end stuff our PTAs still need to take care of-- the things we have to accomplish as well as all those things that it would be nice to be able to do. Must Dos: There are two things a PTA must do before the end of the year: approve the budget for next year and elect new officers. Elections Hopefully by now you have seen the guidelines for holding an election virtually. If not, there are more details in this article on the WSPTA website as well as some resources on our website. Once you have elected your 2020-21 officers, be sure to email all of your officer information to support@wastatepta.org. For each officer (new and returning) they will need:
Budgets: Everyone’s Favorite Topic We need to look at our budgets differently than we would have two months ago. Depending on if you had a spring fundraiser you could no longer hold and on how many budgeted expenses you no longer have (Field Day is probably giving us all a nice budget buffer this year), you are most likely ending the year with a final bank balance much different than originally expected. With that in mind you should expect fall fundraising efforts to bring in less funds than usual. You may also want to modify some of your fall events to more community-based, lower cost or even virtual events. Look at ways to tweak your expenses for next year to lower them if possible. If it looks like you will start off the year with a stronger account balance than usual, you may also want to consider increasing scholarship lines since there will probably be more aid requests next year as our state continues to have record unemployment levels. Finally, since economic and health standards are constantly changing in 2020, remember that there will be opportunity over the summer for the new board to make adjustments to the budget if it looks like circumstances will change drastically by the fall. Remember: Budget decisions you make now will not bind you for the whole next year. Other Stuff (things you don't have to do, but may want to consider) Staff Appreciation This week (May 4-8) is Staff Appreciation Week and there have already been a lot of wonderful online thank yous to school and district staff, admin and teachers. Please encourage your families to keep the appreciation going all week long and use the hashtag #ThankATeacher in all appreciation posts. Some suggestions compiled by National PTA include:
Awards: to do or not to do We have seen lots of debate over whether or not to do awards (Golden Acorn, Outstanding Educator, Outstanding Advocate, etc) this year, and most of the PTAs in our area have decided to do move forward with them. Our recognition ceremonies will definitely look different this year, but there are two big reasons to do award this year: something happy and positive is always a good thing in “emotionally down” times like now, and we are seeing some amazing volunteers stand out with all they are doing to help during this crisis. With so many great options of people to recognize, why not take advantage of it? Plus, the award fees go to the State PTA scholarship fund—a win win situation! Council is looking forward to seeing what kind of creative ways our PTAs will recognize their award recipients this year. Year-end “Graduation” Celebrations (5th, 8th, 12th grades) Year-end “Moving On” Celebrations for kids on their last year at their school is another big thing on many PTA minds. By now, most of our high school seniors have received house signs recognizing them as 2020 grads. Some parents have also ordered signs from local sign companies for 8th grade graduates moving up to high school and 5th grade graduates moving up to middle school. If this is not already under way in your school, this is a great thing for PTAs to help coordinate and share the purchase info with your school communities. For more celebratory planning, PTA celebration chairs should meet with school admin to see how you can collaborate on this. Thank you all for all that you do. I am constantly impressed by the amazing ways I am seeing our Northshore PTAs adapt to this new normal, support their school communities, and keep their kids engaged. I’m sure some of you are already a step ahead of these suggestions, but we wanted to compile some of the key takeaways from our weekly roundtables in one place. We will continue to hold our weekly roundtables on Tuesdays at 12:00 through the end of the school year. If you haven’t joined us yet, please do!
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