Category: Awards

June Meeting Recap

6/14/2020

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:

🌟 Outstanding Educator Award: Gary Keeler
🌟 Golden Acorn Award: Jane Chiodo
🌟 Golden Acorn Award: Michele Holowachuk
🌟 Honorary Lifetime Membership Award: Grace Jurado
🌟 Outstanding Student Advocate: Julia Gonzalez
🌟 Outstanding Advocate: Mayela Martinez
🌟 Outstanding Service: Nancy Chamberlain

Click here to learn more about each of our 2019-2020 Council award recipients.

The evening was adjourned with a celebratory toast to end the year.

Council Award Recipients - 2019-2020

6/5/2020

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.

Northshore Council PTSA 2019-20 Oustanding Educator Award recipient, Gary Keeler

Outstanding Educator - Gary Keeler
The Outstanding Educator Award honors individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging.

Mr. Keeler was the principal at Bear Creek Elementary for quite a few years before moving over to lead Lockwood Elementary, where he retired. He came out of retirement this year to guide the Bear Creek community in its transition to a home for the Northshore Family Partnership. His community overwhelmingly expressed their gratitude and love for this “one of a kind” principal. They talked about his “kind and gentle leadership style”, his ability to listen and to be a problem solver and, most of all, about his compassion for his staff, families and students. Over his years of work in Northshore, he has worked tirelessly to put the needs of his students first and foremost in every decision he has made. One of his famous sayings is, "Folks, the kids are the heart of everything we do!"

Northshore Council PTSA 2019-20 Outstanding Advocate Award recipient, Mayela Martinez

Outstanding Advocate - Mayela Martinez
The Outstanding Advocate Award honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to all children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth.

Mayela has been a dedicated educator and advocate all of her life. She has been with the Northshore School District for over 20 years working in the dual language program, as an interpreter, with the ELL program and as a Family Outreach Liaison. Mayela goes above and beyond the call of duty for her students and their families making sure that needs are met, no matter where she has to look for the support that a student might need. She has provided invaluable outreach that is needed to communicate and engage the parents of our English learners. She has championed the Natural Leaders program at multiple schools and created a pipeline of engaged parents in grades K-12. Mayela was recently selected as the Regional Classified School Employee of the Year for Puget Sound ESD 121 by Office of Educator Growth and Development in the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and is a finalist for the Washington State Classified School Employee of the Year.

Northshore Council PTSA 2019-20 Outstanding Student Advocate Award recipient, Julia Gonzalez

Outstanding Student Advocate - Julia Gonzalez
The Outstanding Student Advocate Award recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.

Julia Gonzalez has been an advocate all of her life. She has been involved with WE Day events, has won the C.P. & Dorothy Johnson Humanitarian award, been asked by WSPTA to testify in Olympia on mental health and school advocacy, and was a keynote speaker at our 2019 Presidents and Principals luncheon. In 2018, she created the "ME Space" program at Northshore Middle School. "ME" stands for "Mental Emotional" or "Mind Escape" and the space is a dedicated room for students struggling with anxiety or overwhelming emotions to visit during the day when they need a mental health break. The program continues to serve 25-30 students every week, providing them with a safe space to reset and recharge so that they are able to re-focus on learning. Julia's program has inspired other schools within the district to create “ME Spaces” of their own.

Northshore Council PTSA 2019-20 Golden Acorn Award recipient, Jane Chiodo

Golden Acorn - Jane Chiodo
The Golden Acorn Award is presented to a Northshore Council PTSA volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth.

In Jane’s first year serving on Council, she not only embraced her role as First VP, she quickly became an integral part across many aspects of Council, taking on projects such as editing and drafting existing and new standing rules and policies, spearheading the Speaker & Events Grant program, chairing this year’s Nominating Committee, planning and organizing our Reflections celebration, coordinating Awards and more. If there was a need-- Jane was there to help with grace, humor and an awesome ability to get things done. Her dedication and willingness to lead and serve have enriched Northshore Council beyond measure.

Northshore Council PTSA 2019-20 Golden Acorn Award recipient, Michele Holowachuk

Golden Acorn - Michele Holowachuk
The Golden Acorn Award is presented to a Northshore Council PTSA volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth.

Michele is the Special Education Representative for Council (she also holds that position at BHS PTSA as well). Over the three years she has been on Council, Michele has done a great job connecting with the Special Education parent community at every school, working to ensure that each local PTA has a representative and gathering them together to share issues, concerns and how they can help and support each other. Michele also works to bring in presenters and education events showcasing relevant topics for the Special Education families in our district. She has also been working towards the creation of a Special Education resource fair. Her dedication to the Special Education community is phenomenal and she has helped to magnify their voice.

Northshore Council PTSA 2019-20 Honorary Lifetime Membership Award recipient, Grace Jurado

Honorary Lifetime Membership - Grace Jurado
The Honorary Life Membership recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level.

Grace has worked at many levels of PTA including local, council and region. She has served in many roles over the years including elected positions, chairs of events and as a volunteer. She is always ready to help, even when she is running out the door to go to work, her kids dance competition and sports. In her current role as Council president, Grace has created opportunities for our local units to connect and share information about how to work through the current COVID-19 crisis. Her leadership has been invaluable.

Northshore Council PTSA 2019-20 Outstanding Service Award recipient, Nancy Chamberlain

Outstanding Service - Nancy Chamberlain
The Outstanding Service Award is the highest volunteer award given by the Washington State PTA. It is awarded to someone who has gone beyond his or her own school community, job, or PTA in order to give dedicated volunteer service to children.

Nancy has been taking on leadership positions for 12 years. She has volunteered tens of thousands of hours in our school, council and state PTAs as well as in our communities in various positions. She has received multiple PTA awards including Golden Acorn, Outstanding Advocate at the school, council and just this year at the state level as well as earning the Crystal Level in the WSPTA Leadership Academy. During all that, she also served on at least eight time consuming education coalitions and workshops as well as co-moderated a NSD Discussion group on Facebook. Nancy is a true PTA professional and her work supporting students and families at the school, district and state level is incalculable.

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.

General Meeting - June 1, 2020

5/18/2020

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.

WSPTA Membership Awards, 2019-20

5/18/2020

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.)

Sunrise PTA

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.)

Canyon Creek PTA
Kenmore Middle PTSA
Lockwood PTA
Skyview Middle School PTSA
Sunrise PTA
Westhill PTSA

Membership Growth Awards:

PTA Name	Bronze LY + 1	Silver 105%	Gold 110%	Platinum 120%
Sunrise PTA	x	x	x	x
North Creek High School PTSA	x	x	x	x
Westhill PTSA	x	x	x	x
Woodmoor PTSA	x	x	x	x
Crystal Springs PTA	x	x	x	x
Maywood Hills PTSA	x	x	x
Arrowhead PTA	x	x	x
Kenmore Middle School PTSA	x	x	x
Leota Middle School PTSA	x	x
Cottage Lake PTA	x	x
Kenmore Elementary PTA	x
Skyview Middle School PTSA	x

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!

WSPTA Outstanding Advocate, Nancy Chamberlain

5/17/2020

The WSPTA Outstanding Advocate Award was established in 2004 to recognize an individual for his or her statewide advocacy and commitment in helping to create strong policies relating to the health, welfare, safety and education of children and youth. The individual should have furthered WSPTA’s policy positions (legislative principles, resolutions, and legislative issues) by activities such as, but not limited to, submitting policy positions, testifying on policy positions on behalf of WSPTA, or representing WSPTA on workgroups or coalitions.

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:

Has over 15 years volunteering and serving in leadership roles
Served as her local advocacy chair at all 5 of her kid’s schools
She also been a local president, local treasurer and many council positions including advocacy
Like me, she’s an east coaster who got involved with advocacy after learning about ed funding
Learning about the school levy campaign at her local PTA meeting, she jumped into the simple majority for levy campaign with both feet and hasn’t looked back from realizing PTA’S powerful voice for kids
She’s often referred to as “an education google” because she has so much info both in her head and at her fingertips
She’s been on many local district task forces -- later start times, middle school honors, highly capable, keeping 5th grade camps, grade reconfiguration, and others programs that benefit all kids, not just her kids.
She’s extremely well respected by her local school district superintendent, the staff and can often be seen toting around large binders of background info.
Her advocacy extends beyond PTA and she never shies away from leadership roles. She’s served as a leader in Girl Scouts, and served her local community as an elected precinct committee officer.
She has a powerful presence in her community. She co-founded and still co-moderates a district-wide social media group that helps keep communication transparent in her school district. This group inspired other advocates to start their own local district wide online groups.
She’s has the fastest thumbs on the internet, day or night and averages 3.5 second response time for a like and 1.5 seconds for a frown

- Do you know who this is yet? Raise your hand if you do.

She is a relentless advocate for children who has worked on the local School bond and levy committee
She’s no stranger to testifying in front of school boards, the legislators or other decision-making bodies. Her comments are always on point and very well respected by all.
This individual is comfortable in many settings whether hiking in the wilderness, boating on the sound, chairing a PTA committee meeting, teaching in a classroom, staying on top of social media, or smiling while meeting with friends…all the time advocating for those in need and those who cannot advocate for themselves, Washington’s children.
She firmly believes wine and coffee are food group and is dedicated to meeting the daily recommended intake.

- Now, do you know who this is yet? Raise your hand if you do.

She’s said that I was her mentor but I’ve learned so much for her! We’ve mentored each other for years.
She was a recent WSPTA Advocacy Director who helped reinvent Legislative Assembly with presentations and more opportunities to caucus.
She’s never turned down an opportunity to identify and fix a problem. She goes the next steps to develop a fact sheet so everyone will have the information and benefit.
She has made a difference for the children in her home, the children of Woodinville, the children of Northshore School District, the children of Washington State and all children in the United States, and she’s not done yet!

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!
🎉🎉🎉

Congratulations to our Award Winning Northshore PTAs!

5/17/2020

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:

Outstanding Website

Canyon Creek PTA (Gold)
Northshore Council PTSA (Gold)
Fernwood PTSA (Silver)

Outstanding Communication

Canyon Creek PTA (Gold)
Fernwood PTSA (Gold)
Northshore PTSA Council (Gold)

Outstanding Newsletter

Northshore PTSA Council (Gold)
Fernwood PTSA (Silver)
Canyon Creek PTA (Bronze)

Standards of Excellence

Canyon Creek PTA (Gold)
Fernwood PTSA (Gold)
Skyview Middle School PTSA (Gold)

FACE (Family and Community Engagement)

Canyon Creek PTA (Gold) – for the development of their Comfort, Care and Coping (CC&C) box for events which works to support positive and inclusive learning environment by offering supportive outlets to those that need them.
Hollywood Hill PTA (Gold) - for their Community Culture Night which brought together families, teachers and students for a evening of sharing, connecting and fun.

PTAs Taking Significant Action

Fernwood PTSA (Gold) – for the expansion of their Science Olympiad program to be open to all elementary students across Northshore School District

Leadership Academy Program –
(Recognizes and acknowledges leadership skills attained by PTA leaders throughout all levels of the association.)

Robin Zaback – Skyview Middle School PTSA, 6.10.69 – Silver
Liz Nord – Kenmore Middle School PTSA, 6.10.60 – Bronze & Silver

Congratulations to our award-winning Northshore PTAs!!!

Celebrate People in Your PTA!

4/20/2020

While it may seem a bit weird to keep conducting PTA business with school being virtual, make sure you are still recognizing and celebrating your volunteers! Now, more than ever, it is important to celebrate the dedication and care of those who support our mission and goals. WSPTA has a formal volunteer award recognition program allowing local PTAs to award honors for outstanding educator, advocate, student advocate, and volunteer (Golden Acorn), as well as the honorary life membership award. Ask for submissions via your social media or electronic newsletter. You can even create an online survey form for people to complete to nominate folks using tools like Google Forms or Survey Monkey. You can order your WSPTA awards online.

Local PTAs may award the following within their local community:

Golden Acorn – presented to volunteer(s) in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth in your community.
Outstanding Advocate – Honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth.
Honorary Life Membership – Recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level. This special award can be given by a PTA unit, council, or region.
Outstanding Student Advocate Award - Recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.
Outstanding Educator – Individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging.

Northshore Council PTSA Awards:

Similar to how you celebrate outstanding service in your PTA community, Northshore Council PTSA also celebrates amazing people. Please help us and nominate someone who you feel has made a difference! Award nominations are due by May 1, 2020. To nominate, you can either fill out the online nomination form or email Jane Chiodo.

Visit our Council Awards page to learn more about Council awards and past recipients.

Northshore Council PTSA Recognition Awards 2020

2/2/2020

Northshore Council PTSA Council Recognition Awards 2020

We all know people within our community who give a little extra, work a little harder, or who are always volunteering!

Now you can help us recognize these people by nominating them for a Northshore Council PTSA Recognition Award!

Every year, we look for nominations for the following awards:

Outstanding Educator – individuals who go beyond the normal expectations of their jobs to make the learning environment fun, beneficial and challenging.
Outstanding Advocate – Honors individuals for their continued and dedicated service to ALL children demonstrating a commitment to speaking up for children in the areas relating to health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth.
Outstanding Service - this is the highest volunteer award given by the Washington State PTA. It is awarded to someone who has gone beyond his or her own school community, job, or PTA in order to give dedicated volunteer service to children.
Honorary Life Membership – Recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to a PTA at the local unit, council, or state level. This special award can be given by a PTA unit, council, or region.
Outstanding Student Advocate Award - recognizes students who have made significant contributions through leadership and service in their school and community.
Golden Acorn – A Golden Acorn Award is presented to a school or community volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth (Note: this award will be presented at the Northshore Council PTSA May Membership Meeting)

Awards will be presented at our Council Membership Meeting in May.

Fill out an online nomination form TODAY!

Nominations are due by Friday, May 1, 2020!

Remember, multiple forms can be completed for multiple nominees!!!

Learn more about Council Awards and see previous recipients.

WSPTA Membership Growth Awards: 1/1/2020

1/19/2020

Congratulations to our Northshore PTA/PTSAs that have earned
WSPTA Membership Growth Awards so far in 2019-2020!!!

Keep up the amazing work and continue to build upon your success!

As of January 1, 2020, Northshore Council PTSA has 7,303 members. This is about 90% of our total from last year. We have lots of room to grow and we can still make our goal of 8,400 members across Northshore! Keep reminding your community about the value of PTA membership and the work you do within your school community and beyond!!!

Membership Growth Awards are automatically calculated and awarded to local PTAs and councils that reach the required criteria levels for Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum recognition. Your PTA can focus on the important work of enrolling members while the WSPTA Membership Committee determines your eligibility and recognizes your PTA or council for its membership growth. Awards are typically calculated on a monthly basis and can be earned all the way through June.

Visit the WSPTA website for more information about WSPTA Membership Awards.

2018-2019 Membership Award Winners

6/24/2019

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

East Ridge PTA
Fernwood PTSA
Kenmore Middle School PTSA
Lockwood PTA
Timbercrest Middle School PTSA

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!

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