Please join us at our next General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
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. Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives - but we encourage ALL who are interested to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
Questions? Email Council President, Rachel Fitzgerald at president@northshorecouncilptsa.org. Save the Date - View calendar of future meeting dates. Wondering how you can make a difference in school funding? Join Council's Co-VPs of Advocacy, Terra Droney and Holly Muenchow to learn about Focus Week (Jan. 15-19) and discuss how to advocate for school funding at the state level. Join Us for Focus on Advocacy Day - Monday, January 15, 2024 in Olympia! Register and find more information here.
Questions? Email Council's Co-VPs of Advocacy, Terra Droney and Holly Muenchow at advocacy@northshorecouncilptsa.org. Actions You Can Do Now:
SAVE THE DATE:
WSPTA members and students are invited to put on their "PTA Blue" and join us IN PERSON in Olympia to advocate for children and schools with elected officials. Gather in the Columbia room with us to network and hear speakers. We will also be offering docent-led tours of the Capitol grounds. The event is from 9:00 am – 2:30 pm. The agenda with speakers listed will be added here in Eventbrite and in the Focus on Advocacy newsletter when it is available. More details and information can be found on the Focus on Advocacy webpage. More on Advocacy:
We're thrilled to announce that Northshore Council PTSA and its members have voted to endorse the Innovation Lab High School (ILHS) Climate Action Club Resolution: W.A.D.E. (Washington State Declaring The Climate Emergency).
Read ILHS Climate Action Club's Proposal and Resolution: W.A.D.E. (Washington State Declaring The Climate Emergency) on the club's webpage.
Join the Northshore Council Executive Team and make a difference in your community! Now is your chance to take your involvement to the next level and become a leader in the Northshore Council PTSA. Northshore Council PTSA is made up of volunteers from our Local PTAs and community that have chosen to use their skills to assist our community. The Nominating Committee is seeking interested candidates for Northshore Council PTSA's 2024-2025 Executive team. Positions include:
Learn more about the job description for each position as well as qualification requirements below. Nominate Yourself or Someone passionate about education, dedicated to our community today!
Nominations are due by January 31, 2024. Questions? Contact Council's Nominating Committee at nomcom@northshorecouncilptsa.org Qualification Requirements Per the 2023-2024 Council Standing Rules: All Candidates:
Brief Job Descriptions of Council Positions For a more detailed job description, click here. President: The President has many important jobs including serving as the official contact, communicator and representative of Council. They oversee and coordinate the work of the executive board, preside over meetings, are ex-officio members of all committees (except Nominating Committee) and are designated as an authorized signer for checks, contracts and authorizations for payment. But, most importantly, they work to connect PTAs which in turn helps them support families, schools and the community to work towards overall student success. 1st VP: Must be familiar with the Council president’s duties and responsibilities. Act as an aide to the president and perform the duties of the president in his or her absence. Is in charge of advertising and organizing the Council Grant Program and yearly Awards. Treasurer: Is the authorized custodian of the funds of the association and receives and disburses all monies in accordance with the budget as approved by the membership. Secretary: Keeps an accurate record of meetings, which become part of the permanent history of the PTA. Also responsible for taking attendance and monitoring quorum at meetings. VP of Events: Plans and coordinates Councils yearly events including Presidents and Principals Brunch, Reflections Celebration and Spring Recognition Event. VP of Communications: Works to facilitate Northshore Council PTSA communications in order to inform, engage, educate and inspire local PTAs and beyond. VP of Advocacy: Help to educate local PTA's and disseminate information about current WSPTA and National PTA legislative priorities. VP of Elementary Support: Act as a conduit of information for local elementary PTAs. Helps to answer questions local PTA's may have and works to recognize and celebrate local PTA's. VP of Secondary Support: Act as a conduit of information for local secondary (high school and middle school) PTAs. Helps to answer questions local PTA's may have and works to recognize and celebrate local PTA's. Questions? Contact Council's Nominating Committee at nomcom@northshorecouncilptsa.org
Reflections Update: Save Entries, Join the Reception Planning Committee, and Theme Winners Announced12/5/2023
Important Notice: Save Your Entries Thank you for submitting all the entries! We loved witnessing the beautiful interpretations of the theme from the students. Please take note that we will be hosting an in-person celebration on March 14, 2024, and we kindly request participants save all their entries. This is especially crucial for visual art and photography submissions. More details about the mounting of the artwork and printing requirements will be shared soon to ensure we can display all the wonderful creations. Stay tuned for further information! * Save the Date: Reflections Reception * Thursday, March 14, 2024 - In-Person Celebration! Join our Reflections Reception Planning Committee (Meetings will start in January 2024) Be part of the excitement - our first Reflections Reception in person since 2019! We'll need lots of hands in organizing this very special event to honor our Northshore School District Artists. Email Council's VP of Events, Melissa Quinonez Bennett, at vpevents@northshorecouncilptsa.org to be included in the Zoom meeting email. Message from WSPTA Reflections WSPTA Reflections Theme Search Winners This year WSPTA had over 45 Reflections theme search entries. The judges selected the following students' theme ideas to advance to the National level for a chance at being the winner of the 2025-26 Reflections theme.
Resources:
Northshore Council PTSA Reflections Co-Chairs: Jasmine Lee Fry and Foram Shah
A yearly financial review completed in July is necessary to ensure that the board has engaged in responsible fiscal oversight and that good financial practices have been followed. It is a formal examination of the financial books and records of your PTA and serves to certify that receipts and expenditures, as authorized in the minutes, conform with bylaws, standing rules, and budget limitations. The annual financial review is also a PTA/PTSA insurance requirement. Additionally, completing a mid-year review in January can make the year-end review easier to process and allows your PTA to catch any problems early on so that they are addressed as soon as possible. As a treasurer, you want to make sure your review committee can easily access all documents. As the review committee, you want to stay organized and have a good system for including all committee members in the process. Did you know that financial reviews can be done in person or virtually over a video call? Offering a digital option allows for more flexibility in how volunteers meet and can even make it more accessible with tools such as closed captioning during video calls. Below, you will find pointers for both treasurers and financial review committees on how to organize, prepare, and complete an online financial review. Following the guidance below will help treasurers feel confident when handing over the books for review and help empower the financial committee members to fulfill their duties. Who Can Serve on the Finanical Review Committee: The financial review committee shall consist of no fewer than three members appointed by the president. The financial review committee shall not include officers with signatory authority or individuals living within the same household as those authorized to sign on the bank account for the period being reviewed. Further information about financial reviews may be found in the Managing Your Nonprofit PTA Handbook. TREASURERS
You want to make sure you are continuing to maintain your physical binder while also putting together a digital binder. The entire review committee will need access to the digital binder, but it’s recommended that at least one member of the review committee be given access to the physical binder as well. Note: Before you hand over your binder, remove anything you store in it that shouldn’t be shared, such as passwords. Also, if it is at all possible, give at least one person on your review team viewing access to your financial software. Steps to creating a simple and easy-to-use online binder:
FINANCIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS If you’ve volunteered to be a part of your PTA’s Financial Review Committee and are not sure where to begin, check out these 3 steps:
IMPORTANT REMINDER: The annual Financial Review is a requirement of your PTA/PTSA’s insurance. It is also a helpful tool meant to assist the treasurer and the rest of the board of directors in establishing and refining best practices. During a Financial Review, the policies and procedures are reviewed, and the committee’s feedback is important in providing guidance on those policies. If you still have questions about preparing for or completing a Financial Review, contact Council Treasurer, Brenae Brix. If you have ever asked someone to support your PTA by becoming a member, volunteering at an event, or attending a meeting, then you’ve probably been asked this one simple question: “Why?” And likely you’ve responded with a list of events your PTA hosts or the different ways your PTA provides funding for your school. Both are great things to share, but there is one aspect that is often overlooked: the value being part of PTA has given to you as a volunteer. PTA is rewarding for those involved and it’s great to highlight this to your members. It not only demonstrates another way your PTA brings value, but also showcases that additional value, which can inspire other families to support your PTA. Looking for an idea of how to do this? Look no further! Northshore Council PTSA recently held our annual Presidents and Principals Luncheon and used this opportunity to highlight why different Council board members have gotten involved in PTA and what they have gained along the way. As this year’s P&P event was road trip themed, we framed our answers as a “PTA Journey” – showing where we started, what we gathered at pit stops along the way, and sharing our favorite PTA road trip memories. You can view Council’s PTA Journey in the video and slides below. Bonus Tip: Having members of your board create something similar to showcase their PTA Journey not only shows the value of your PTA, but also helps to introduce your board members to the community! If you are interested in making your own slides/video and would like help, reach out to Council President, Rachel Fitzgerald, by emailing president@northshorecouncilptsa.org. View Council's Video on Northshore Council's YouTube channel! On November 14, 2023, Northshore Council PTSA held a virtual General Membership Meeting. We would like to say thank you to all of the local leaders from across the Northshore School District, as well as community and school partners for taking the time to join us! Continue reading below for a recap of the meeting. Announcements
Council Business We elected our 2023-2024 Nominating Committee Anna Jensen, Holly Muenchow, and Laura Staneff. If you are interested in joining Council's Executive Board next year, please reach out to nomcom@northshorecouncilptsa.org. Online nomination form and more information coming soon. Learn more about what is a Nominating Committe on our blog post Everything You Have Wanted to Know About Nominating Committees. Presentation by Innovation Lab High School (ILHS) Climate Action Club
Community Partners
Council Committee Updates
Calendar Reminders
The President ended the meeting with a review of the upcoming events. All of the events dates and times are listed on the Northshore Council’s Calendar.
Reflections 2023-24 Student Entry Form for Local Reflections Chairs
Each PTA may submit 20 pieces plus 6 Special Artist pieces to the Northshore Council PTA. Friendly reminder: Each Reflections category comes with specific rules. Please ensure your Reflections piece adheres to these guidelines when submitting to Council PTSA. Unfortunately, if a submission is non-compliant, we won't be able to forward it to the State PTA for additional judging, regardless of its exceptional quality. Thank you for your attention to detail! SAVE THE DATE Districtwide Council Showcase March 14, 2024 We are excited to announce that our in-person celebration of our Northshore Reflections participants will be held on March 14. We are still in the early planning stages and will provide more information soon. Resources:
Northshore Council PTSA Reflections Co-Chairs: Jasmine Lee Fry and Foram Shah
Streamline Your Membership Process with memberplanet's "Packets" If your PTA/PTSA has embraced online membership through memberplanet, congratulations are in order! You're not only making it super easy for your members to join but also lightening the load of mundane paperwork for you (the membership chair)! Setting up online membership through memberplanet is a breeze. Once set up, you can share your MemberPlanet online membership link on your website, social media, newsletters, and even create a QR code. However, there's a common challenge we've noticed when assisting Membership chairs across the district. Some PTAs/PTSAs are using the "Payment Form" function for taking online membership, when they should be utilizing the "Packets." Let us clarify why Packets are the way to go when it comes to membership management. Packets vs. Payment Forms The purpose of Packets is crystal clear: it's designed for taking memberships directly. Moreover, it's your secret weapon to keep your member database in perfect sync. On the other hand, the Payment Forms function is primarily intended for collecting payments, like for spirit wear, though some PTAs do use it for "donated" memberships. Here's the key difference: Payment Forms don't automatically connect to your member database. This means that if you use Payment Forms for memberships, you'll need to manually upload to the member database. This can be a real hassle and might lead to an inaccurate count of paid members in your database. It's understandable that you may think you need a payment form to manage memberships because, after all, you do need to collect a payment. But here's the deal: Packets offer so many more benefits, making them the smarter choice. The Power of Combining Functions with Packets One of the great things about memberplanet is that you can combine different functions to suit your needs. Packets can work hand in hand with other features, making it easier than ever to manage your PTA/PTSA. You can combine Surveys, Donation Sites or Payment Forms in combination with collecting membership through the Packets to streamline the whole process. Of course, Surveys, Donation Sites and Payment forms can stand alone (not be combined with the Packet) also. In conclusion, choosing Packets for your online membership management not only simplifies the process but also keeps your member database up to date automatically. While it may seem a bit confusing at first, the benefits far outweigh any initial hesitation. Make the switch today and streamline your PTA/PTSA membership experience for everyone involved. Questions or difficulties with memberplanet? Email: membership@northshorecouncilptsa.org
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