 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:
 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.
 Our final Council Membership Meeting of the year took place on May 6, 2019 at Woodinville High School! It was a lively meeting full of great energy and information. After co-Presidents Carrie McKenzie and Grace Jurado called the meeting to order, we welcomed incoming Washington State PTA President, Janice Kutzera, who, with humor and grace, led the ceremonial installation of our incoming 2019-20 Northshore Council Officers. Northshore Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid took some time to address 'suburban legends, ' including questions about implementation of the new 7-period day in the high schools (starting Fall 2019) and study hall, start times, NSD's commitment to mental health supports in our schools, 5th grade camp, the district budget outlook and more. Fun fact: Dr. Reid was this year's recipient of Washington State PTA's Outstanding Educator Award, which was presented to her at the WSPTA Convention in April! Council business included Treasurer Tricia Woods's review of recent budget reports as well as a vote to approve the proposed 2019-20 Council budget. Financial Review Committee member Nancy Chamberlain reported the results of the completed mid-year financial review. Then our VP of Communications Robin Zaback, encouraged local leaders to take our Council Survey-- please let us know how we are doing by taking the survey before Friday, May 17th! She also reported on the upcoming membership database change to memberplanet, encouraging PTAs to be sure to enter their incoming officers into PT Avenue in order to help facilitate the transition. If you want to share your feedback regarding National PTA's proposed dues increase, be sure to respond to WSPTA's survey before May 15th. School Board Director Jackie McGourty shared some updates regarding the recently completed NSD audit, end-of-year district events, as well as a few legislative updates. This led into a brief legislative update from a PTA perspective from Council's co-VP of Advocacy, Nancy Chamberlain. The Art Docent program is celebrating 50 years in Northshore and NSD Partnerships Coordinator Natalie Campbell shared some of the exciting updates they are making to the program. You can learn more about the changes on the Art Docent Program 50th Anniversary Update page on the NSD website. New materials are password protected, but interested leaders and art docents can email partnerships@nsd.org to request access. Natalie also shared some exciting upcoming district events including:
Northshore Schools Foundation Director Carmen Dalziel encouraged us to spread the word about their upcoming Family Fun Day on June 8th-- a free, family friendly event with activities, music and more! She was also excited to announce that they are also currently reviewing grants submitted in their Spring Classroom Grant cycle-- be on the lookout for announcements of grant recipients soon! To cap off the final meeting of the year, Council First VP Cindy Jensen and co-President Carrie McKenzie presented this year's Golden Acorn awards to Robin Zaback and Robin McKenzie. Both of this year’s awardees raised the bar for their positions. Their engagement and impact can be seen and felt across the entire district and beyond, and still they are extremely active in their local units. They are an inspiration to all of us! Congratulations to Robin and Robin!!! ;)  Northshore Council's 2019 Golden Acorn recipients Robin McKenzie (left) and Robin Zaback (right). After the meeting adjourned, local leaders broke up into groups to attend spring training classes, including:
Many thanks to all who attended our final Council meeting of 2018-19. And thank you to our instructors as well as to the local leaders who took the time to join us for Spring training! We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting in the Fall!
 Our 2019 Spring Recognition Breakfast is scheduled for THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019!!! Join us in Haynes Hall at McMenamins Anderson School (in Bothell) this June. The event will run from 9:30am - 11:30am. This is a district wide event that gives local PTAs the opportunity to treat their award winners to a lovely meal and a morning out among their peers. McMenamin's Anderson School 18607 Bothell Way NE Bothell, WA Local PTAs typically will invite their principal, executive team and their local award winners (e.g., Golden Acorn, Outstanding Educator, Outstanding Advocate, etc.). 'Official' invites will be available soon, but in order to allow their honored guests time to plan for the event, local PTAs are encouraged to begin making their invitations to administrators and board members now and to award winners as soon as they have been announced. Traditionally, each Local PTA is responsible for the cost of its attendees. The cost this year is $20/person. Please write a check for your whole group to Northshore Council PTSA. Mail Checks To: Spring Recognition Breakfast PO. Box 1001, Bothell, WA 98048. More information or questions? Visit our Spring Recognition Breakfast page or contact Stacey Meyer at ncptsaspringbreakfast@gmail.com or at 425-293-4666. ***NEW*** Check out the answers to Frequently Asked Questions about this year's event!  Woodin PTA, in partnership with Northshore Council PTSA, would like to invite you to this Parent Education Night for parents and guardians of elementary aged students (grades 3-5).:  Strong Start - Talking with Your Child About Puberty Tuesday, May 7, 2019 | 6:30 - 8pm at Woodin Elementary (12950 Northeast 195th Street Bothell, WA 98011) Parents want to talk with their child about puberty, but may not be sure how to start or what to say. Educator Robin Wright will lead this seminar which provides parents with information and skills on how to start conversations, what to cover at each age, and how to answer tricky questions. The physical, emotional and social changes of puberty are also reviewed to help parents feel better prepared and know what to expect. Please RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parent-ed-night-strong-start-talking-with-your-child-about-puberty-tickets-59392759342 ** Free Childcare is provided for all potty-trained children.** Robin Wright - The Wright Conversations http://www.thewrightconversations.com/ 
 CONGRATULATIONS again to our 47 Northshore students who qualified for state-level judging! Washington State PTA judged over 900 pieces of art and the competition was tough. The results are in and we have ten students who placed at the state level, three of whom achieved Outstanding Interpretation and will continue onto National PTA for further judging. Student entries submitted to the national level go through two more rounds of review by esteemed arts professionals across the country before the winners are decided.  The 2018-2019 national winners will be announced May 1, 2019 via PTA Live! Honorees will be celebrated at the at National PTA's Convention & Expo, June 2019. Best of luck to our National qualifiers! Visit our Reflections page.
 On March 19, 2019, the Northshore Community Kitchen closed its doors after nearly seven years of serving its local community. The Northshore Community Kitchen, a partnership between Northshore Council PTSA and the Northshore YMCA, served as a wonderful resource for in-need families in our community since April 2012. Over the years, the program prepared packs and distributed around 45-50 ready-to-eat meals-to-go every Wednesday, year-round. Thanks to continuing support from some local businesses, PTAs, individual community members, and a terrific group of volunteers, they served a total of 14,023 meals! In addition, the Kitchen also supplied the Kenmore Library "Study Zone" program and Skyview Middle School's "Kitchen Table" homework club with snacks each week. Northshore Community Kitchen worked to raise awareness about the food insecurity issues facing many of our neighbors and also took positive steps to do something about it. Thank you to everyone who made the program such a success:
Great gratitude as well to volunteer Sue Freeman, who organized and managed Northshore Community Kitchen operations on behalf of Northshore Council PTSA, dedicating years of service and care toward the program, its volunteers and those it served.  At Northshore Council PTSA's March 18, 2019 General Membership Meeting, vollunteer Sue Freeman was recognized for her many years of dedication and service managing the Northshore Community Kitchen! Pictured (from Left): Northshore Council co-President Grace Jurado, Sue Freeman, Northshore School District Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, Northshore Council co-President Carrie McKenzie. And a special thanks from Sue Freeman, "Most importantly, thank you to all the families who allowed us into their lives and trusted us to cook for them."
 Many thanks to all who joined us for Northshore Council PTSA's March 18, 2019 General Membership Meeting. It was a full meeting with a wealth of information and inspiration! The meeting began with a report from Sue Freeman about the Northshore Community Kitchen. After 7 years of serving meals-to-go to Northshore School District families in need, the Kitchen was packing its final meals on March 19, 2019. Sue shared some inspiring statistics about the work the Kitchen has done, including the fact that they served 14,023 meals to 67 families in NSD over the years. A big thank you to Sue for her many years of organizing and managing operations of the Northshore Community Kitchen. We are so grateful for her dedication and service.  Many thanks to volunteer Sue Freeman for her many years of dedication and service managing the Northshore Community Kitchen! Pictured (from Left): Northshore Council co-President Grace Jurado, Sue Freeman, Northshore School District Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, Northshore Council co-President Carrie McKenzie. NSD Superintendent Dr. Reid shared updates regarding school schedule adjustments to make up for winter weather closures. She also answered questions on a variety of topics, including next year's school calendar, the change to a 7-period day in high school and its impact on bell times and scheduling, the need for mental health specialists at all high schools, Camp Cedar Springs, summer school registration, and more! We are grateful to Dr. Reid for taking time to join us and answer questions! General business items included approval of the minutes, review of financial reports, and formation of a Mid-Year Financial Review Committee and Budget Committee. Then we held Council elections for the 2019-2020 Executive Board. The following individuals were elected to office for next year and will begin their term on July 1, 2019:
Congratulations to our incoming officers!!! Membership voted to approve some changes to Northshore Council PTSA Standing Rules, removing the VP West and VP East officer positions and adding two new roles, Vice-President Local PTA Support: Secondary and Vice-President Local PTA Support: Elementary, as well as detailing experience requirements for individuals entering into those roles. A vote was also taken to name Council's delegates to this year's WSPTA Convention, including Grace Jurado, Carrie McKenzie, Stacey Meyer, and Tricia Woods. Nominations are being accepted for Council's Awards program now! Please submit your nominations for Outstanding Educator, Outstanding Advocate, Outstanding Service, Honorary Life Membership, Outstanding Student Advocate, and Golden Acorn by Monday, April 22, 2019. NSD School Board representative Jackie McGourty shared updates on work they are doing, including the possible purchase of a new building for high school programs. Then NSD Partnerships Coordinator Natalie Campbell shared information on upcoming district-sponsored events, including Project VOICE and the CP and Dorothy Johnson Award, as well as the refresh of the Art Docent program. Tim King from Northshore Community Church invited PTAs for their support and participation in this year's Community Serve Day, on Sunday, August 25, 2019. This year, 26 Northshore schools are participating! Find more information and sign-up to volunteer at http://www.communityserveday.org/. The meeting ended with a PTA Spotlight focused on Membership! Sorenson PTA President Amber Rosenquist shared their approach to membership, offering some great examples of what they do to grow membership each year. Then Canyon Park Middle School PTSA co-President Jane Chiodo gave an overview of how they are able to grow membership at the secondary level. Many thanks to both Amber and Jane for presenting at the meeting! Our final General Membership Meeting of the year is
Monday, May 6, 2019 at Woodinville High School. There will be a meet-and-greet beginning at 6:30pm with the meeting beginning at 7pm. We will have more great sharing of information, presentation of our Golden Acorn Award, as well as WSPTA Approved Training classes. We hope you join us!  Each year, Northshore Council PTSA seeks to recognize individuals who make a difference in our Northshore community through its Council Recognition Awards program. Please take a few minutes and nominate someone you feel has made a positive impact! Awards include:
The awards are presented at Council's Spring Recognition Event which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 6, 2019. ** The Golden Acorn award will be presented at the May 6, 2019 Membership Meeting. To nominate: please submit the ONLINE FORM or email Cindy Jensen with the following information by Monday, April 22, 2019.
Note: It is okay if you are unsure what award to nominate someone for. The committee will evaluate all submissions. Also, feel free to ask others to nominate your candidate! 
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