 Every year PTAs start their membership campaign and every year families ask the same question: "Why join the PTA?" This year especially, families may be asking why they should support PTA. It can be hard to communicate your PTA's value now that everything is online when families are used to attending PTA events or seeing the support your PTA does in the classroom. That's why it's more important than ever to answer the question "Why PTA?" One great way of doing that is sharing with your families the reason why you support the PTA. Knowing WHY those leading your PTA serve is a great way to inspire other families to support your PTA by joining or donating. Check out all the reasons that inspire your Northshore Council Leaders to PTA below! Interested in making your own "Why I PTA" slides? Contact Council's VP of Membership, Melissa Kline, for help on how to.  In 2018, about 4.3 million reports were made to child protective services concerning the safety and well-being of approximately 7.8 million children. Last year, an estimated 678,000 children were found to be victims of child abuse or neglect nationwide. School districts are one of our most important partners in keeping children safe. Teachers, counselors, paraeducators and other school staff build strong relationships with students and often are the trusted adults who are able to report suspected abuse and neglect and find help for a child in need. Law Enforcement throughout the nation rely upon our school partners to help us best serve at risk children. However, closures and social distancing efforts in response to COVID-19 have limited mandatory reporters’ access to children and youth, making it harder to detect abuse or neglect and leaving many children at risk. EVERYONE is encouraged to keep an eye out and report concerns about child welfare. Let's continue to come together and protect our children and communities! Washington State PTA is dedicated to the health, safety and welfare of children and youth. Resolution 2.14, Child Abuse Prevention Supports explicitly addresses its resolve to provide voice, advocacy and resources toward necessary services and resources to support and educate families and communities about child abuse prevention. Resources:
Use this list as a starting point and if you are in need, try to call providers ahead of time to check.
 Parents and caregivers are invited to participate in the "Hidden in Plain Sight" experience on Wednesday, February 26th from 6:30 - 8:30pm at Northshore Middle School (12101 NE 160th St, Bothell, WA 98011). Space is limited, so reserve your FREE ticket today! The “Hidden In Plain Sight” initiative helps parents spot signs of at-risk behaviors, using an interactive display of a teenager's bedroom. After walking through the display, participants will learn more about adolescent development and common signs of substance use provided by professionals in treatment, law enforcement, substance abuse prevention and other parents. This exhibit educates and empowers parents to communicate with their children about at-risk behavior that could lead to substance use disorders. A strong parent-teen relationship is the most effective tool to prevent youth substance use. Looks can be very deceiving - Especially if you don’t know what to look for. Come to a “Hidden in Plain Sight” exhibit and learn what to look for and what to do if you do find something. Please consider sharing this event with your PTA/PTSA community!
Dyslexia – 6:45 – 7:30pm Local experts and advocates, Sam Ames and Aileen Hammar, will give an overview of dyslexia and provide an update on the work of the NSD Dyslexia Committee. Best Buddies – 7:35 – 8:30pm Student Taylor King and staff advisor Jessica Lorenz will share information about the Best Buddies one-to-one program for students with and without disabilities at North Creek High School. Attend one or both presentations! We look forward to seeing you there! If you have questions or need special accommodations, please contact specialed@northshorecouncilptsa.org. Download the flyer:
 Core to every PTA's mission is the overarching vision to make every child's potential a reality. Every child has needs that extend beyond the classroom and sometimes families might need additional supports in order to meet those needs. Helping to connect families with resources available in their community can be a wonderful way for local PTAs to offer their support.  Crystal Springs PTA printed a brochure titled, "Emergency Food & Housing Resources," and made it available in their school's main office. Crystal Springs PTA has taken this idea to heart and developed a great tool for their families. It is a brochure titled, "Emergency Food & Housing Resources." They have compiled a listing of community resources that families can reference in times of need and have put it all together in a handy brochure. Included are food stability resources, emergency housing options, and more, with details and contact information for each. Crystal Springs PTA printed the brochure and then partnered with their school office to ensure that the brochures are available and can be shared with interested families. The brochure they have created is available for download below. In addition, Crystal Springs PTA has shared the original MS Publisher file. It is editable so that your PTA can easily customize it for use in your community.
This is a wonderful way to help families who may be in need! Crystal Springs PTA's thoughtful approach to serving their community and their sharing spirit are great examples of what makes us #PTAProud!
 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.
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.
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: 
How do you share information about e-prep in your community? What ideas do you have about building e-prep awareness? We'd love to hear from you! Email Robin and Tracy with your ideas.
 Threads & Treads provides Northshore families free, quality donated clothing for school age youth, teens, young adults and parents. Clothing items include: school-appropriate clothing for the school day and special events, sportswear, shoes, and accessories. All NSD families in need of clothing assistance are welcome to shop each month for 3 outfits and school event attire. They are open weekly each Wednesday afternoon from 3-6pm. **NEW in 2019-2020** Starting Saturday, October 5th, Threads & Treads will also be open one Saturday a month from 9-12pm. Please consider helping to spread the word about this Northshore community resource via your PTA communication channels! Download a poster or suggested write-ups that you can share via social media and/or your website. Or consider printing a poster that you can hang at your school (check with your office administration regarding poster guidelines at your school).
 Threads & Treads Needs Donations!
Threads & Treads Needs Volunteers! Visit this link to sign-up today: https://cpptsa.org/ways-to-help/volunteer-sign-ups/
Threads & Treads donation wishes:
If you have any questions or would like information to provide to your school, please feel free to contact Kelly Hennessey. Thank you for your help in supporting this vital community resource! THIS PROGRAM IS COORDINATED AND SUPPORTED BY CANYON PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA.
This amazing community resource is available to our community thanks to Canyon Park Middle School PTSA in partnership with the school district and Bothell United Methodist Church. It is a huge responsibility to operate a resource like this and it is a testament to the dedication of CPMS PTSA and the many caring volunteers who make the time to operate this resource for Northshore families. At Northshore Council PTSA's general meeting on September 16, 2019, Threads & Treads Coordinator Kelly Hennessey briefly spoke to the work that they do and the families they serve and invited Northshore PTAs to contribute their support either by budgeting an annual financial donation or by volunteering. She also shared that at the during this year's NSD Back to School Fair, they provided outfits to more than 100 people, and in just the first few weeks of school, they have been averaging 50 people a week who visit and take home clothing. And they are working to help broaden their impact by offering Saturday shopping hours once a month. The importance and relevance of Threads & Treads in our Northshore community cannot be understated. And CPMS PTSA and the Threads & Treads volunteer leaders are working hard to make that known! Through email campaigns, social media, and by sharing their story with local PTAs and community leaders at our Northshore Council general meeting, they are already seeing successes and gaining additional support. Seeing the work CPMS PTSA and their dedicated volunteers are doing to not only operate Threads & Treads-- but also to help it grow and become an even stronger resource in our Northshore community-- makes us PTA Proud!  Visit the Threads & Treads website for more information about donating, volunteering, making financial contributions, or arranging a clothing drive. If your PTA is interested in learning more about out how it can offer support, please contact Threads & Treads Coordinator Kelly Hennessey.
 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.
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