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.

Sponsored by Northshore Middle School PTSA, Woodmoor PTSA, and Northshore Council PTSA.

Eventbrite: hips-nms-2020.eventbrite.com
Facebook Event: www.facebook.com/events/481846335737421/

Kenmore Elementary PTA and Northshore Council PTSA are working together to present the movie "Angst." This movie is for parents and caregivers to help us navigate anxiety in our students and ourselves. It provides hope and help!

This FREE film screening and discussion event will be on Tuesday, February 11th, from 6 – 8 p.m. in the Kenmore Elementary Gym (19121 71st Ave NE, Kenmore, WA 98028). The movie is 55 minutes and will be followed by a moderated panel discussion afterwards. The YMCA will be providing child care on campus for children ages 3 and up.

If you are interested in attending, please reserve your tickets through Eventbrite to help us plan (please include a note in your reservation if childcare is needed):

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/angst-movie-screening-tickets-88561470743

To learn more about the movie, visit: https://angstmovie.com/

Kenmore Elementary PTA Event Info: kenmorepta.org/free-angst-film-screening-and-discussion-february-11th/
Facebook Event: www.facebook.com/events/577550536166745
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/angst-movie-screening-tickets-88561470743

Congratulations to the 27 Northshore PTAs that participated in this year's Reflections program and to the artists who made it to Council-level judging!!!  It was fun celebrating you all at our open house on January 11, 2020 at Leota Middle School where we had more than 350 pieces on display.

Judging Results: There are 67 State Qualifiers (SQ) who will continue on to Washington State PTA for further judging.  There were also 54 pieces that received the honorable Judges Choice Award (JC).  Congrats to all the students who made it to the Council Level for judging. 

During the event, attendees had an opportunity to vote for their favorite pieces. The Votes Are In... Here are the People's Choice Pieces:

Northshore Council PTSA is proud to announce the recipients in our second (and final) round of Speaker & Event Grants for 2019-2020!

Each of these events will be open to the Northshore community. Be on the lookout for  announcements with detailed event information in the coming months!

Local PTAs/PTSAs interested in partnering with Northshore Council PTSA to host speakers or events had an opportunity to apply for a Northshore Council PTSA Educational Speakers and Events Grant. 2019-2020 grants were offered on a first-come, first-serve basis and applications were reviewed by the Northshore Council PTSA until the Council Programs budget was used in its entirety. This second round of grants used the remaining available funds for 2019-2020 so applications are now closed.

For more information about the Northshore Council PTSA Educational Speakers and Events Grant program, visit our Educational Speaker & Events Grants Program page.

WSPTA members can send a strong message by showing up in Olympia on Focus Day, January 20, 2020, for a day of talking to legislators. Members should consult with their local PTA, council or region legislative/advocacy chair for assistance in making legislator appointments for Focus Day.

The Focus Day program will begin at First Christian Church (701 Franklin St SE, Olympia, WA 98501) starting at 9:30 am with an introduction to the day and information focused on the 2020 legislative session. WSPTA has reserved the church until 3 pm so that members can eat lunch or use it as a base between meetings.

Let WSPTA know you are planning to attend by registering for the event. You will also have the option to pre-purchase a convenient boxed lunch.

The most important tip for those leaders is to make appointments with the legislators as far in advance as possible! Input addresses here to get the names of the Representatives and Senator(s) for your school district and their contact information.

Want to ride in style and comfort for free? Let us know that you want to join Northshore Council’s Focus Day Transportation.

Once again this year, WSPTA will also be will be asking members to take action from home or your phone throughout an entire week. Each day will have a new prewritten message for members to send to their legislators regarding WSPTA legislative priorities. To participate, subscribe to the WSPTA Action Network to stay informed. Further details of this 2020 event, including the exact week, will be available soon!

Northshore Council PTSA invites you to join us in celebrating our amazing student artists who participated in this year's Reflections program. More than 350 pieces by students from across Northshore will be featured and on display Saturday, January 11, 2020, from 2:30 – 5:00pm at the Leota Middle School Cafeteria (19301 168th Ave NE, Woodinville, WA 98072). Any artists needing a quieter environment to look at art may arrive early for a quiet viewing time from 2:00 – 2:30pm.

We will need a number of helping hands for this event. Saturday morning we will need help setting up the art panels and displays and then help is needed after the event to take everything down and clean up. Please consider signing up to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084babaf28a4fc1-2020

Questions? Please reach out to Jane Chiodo at vp@northshorecouncilptsa.org.

We are grateful to all who were able to attend our General Membership Meeting on Monday, November 18, 2019.

News of interest from the November 18th PTSA General Meeting included Dr. Reid’s report that the innovation lab high school located in Canyon Park will open next fall.  Peter Schurke is the planning principal and registration will likely coincide with that for Northshore’s other high schools.  Also, EAP Placement sites should be announced the week of November 25th.  Northshore Schools Foundation is partnering with NSD for Hour of Code again this year, December 9 – 16, with activities for families and awards for participation.  NSD Partnerships Coordinator Natalie Campbell reported that the district is partnering with local PTAs to bring the Northwest Art Project, a tour which includes eight original works of Northwest artists and supporting curriculum, to twice as many schools as last year.

Reflections Entries are due by November 26. Cindy Jensen will be collecting pieces at the Starbucks by Kenmore Lanes November 25 and 26th from 7 – 8:30pm.

Council's co-VP of Advocacy, Nancy Chamberlain, gave a brief summary on Washington State PTA's Legislative Assembly (October 26-27, 2019), noting that delegates adopted Family and Community Engagement as a new principal as well as  four new Resolutions including: the Vital Impact of Membership on PTAs Sustainability, Mission-Focused Fundraising, Equitable Education Opportunities to Close Gaps Across the Achievement Spectrum, and Gun Violence Prevention and Safety. She urges all members to sign up for Advocacy Action Alerts  and to mark calendars for Focus Day in Olympia on January 20, 2020. Kids are welcome! Sign up for free Focus Day transportation to Olympia with Council.

During the Emergency Preparedness Presentation, Council's E-Prep co-Chair, Robin McKenzie, urged families to make sure their contact information is correct in ParentVue, develop an emergency plan at home, and sign-up for King County/Snohomish County Alerts.  He suggested PTAs engage with their school on the Reunification Process plan.  He noted that the District will be doing a Reunification Exercise in March.

The Council also approved new goals, elected a Nominating Committee (many thanks to Jane Chiodo, Carmin Dalziel, and Tricia Woods for serving on the committee!), celebrated our 6840 members and discussed ways to boost membership. We are also thrilled to report that Tricia Woods has decided to continue on as our Treasurer. (Note: we are still seeking interested candidates to serve in other key roles, including VP of Events and Membership Chair. Contact Grace Jurado if you would like to learn more!)

After the meeting adjourned, members could choose between four training class options including:

✔️ Lining Up Your Leaders: How to Have a Successful Nominating Committee and Election
✔️ How to Use WSPTA Positions for Local Advocacy
✔️ Keep Your A$$ets Out of Trouble: Managing a Non-Profit
✔️ Emergency Preparedness: What Your PTA Needs to Know

Many thanks to Stacey Meyer, Nancy Chamberlain, Grace Jurado and Robin McKenzie for leading the classes and sharing their knowledge and experience with attendees.

The next General Membership meeting will be January 23, 2020 at the NSD Administration Building. Meet and Greet at 6:30 pm. Call to order at 7pm. We hope you will join us!

At its annual Presidents & Principals Luncheon on October 29, 2019, Northshore Council PTSA brought together PTA leaders, school principals, and district administrators from across Northshore.

After enjoying a lunch catered by Lombardi's (Mill Creek),  keynote speaker Julia Gonzalez (now a freshman at Inglemoor High School) shared her story about developing 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, started in 2018, continues to serve 25-30 students every week, providing them with a safe space to reset and recharge so that they are are able to re-focus on learning. Julia's presentation and the success of her student-centered program inspired some wonderful discussion around opportunities for school-PTA partnerships and collaboration in supporting Social-Emotional Learning (SEL).

Many thanks to all who were able to attend as well as to event organizers Grace Jurado, Stacey Meyer and Carrie McKenzie. Gratitude to Evergreen Church for sharing their beautiful space with us for the event as well as to Lombardi's Mill Creek for providing a tasty lunch.

A few photos from the event:

Northshore Council PTSA is proud to announce the recipients in our first round of Speaker & Event Grants for 2019-2020!

Each of these six events will be open to the Northshore community. Be on the lookout for  announcements with detailed event information in the coming months!

Local PTAs/PTSAs interested in partnering with Northshore Council PTSA to host speakers or events may apply for a Northshore Council PTSA Educational Speakers and Events Grant. 2019-2020 grants are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis and applications will be reviewed by the Northshore Council PTSA until the Council Programs budget is used in its entirety. The submission deadline for  the next round of Speaker & Event Grants is December 6, 2019.

For more information about the program and to download the application, visit our Educational Speaker & Events Grants Program page.

Northshore Council PTSA held its first general meeting of the 2019-2020 on Monday, September 16, 2019 at the NSD Administration Building. Co-Presidents Grace Jurado and Stacey Meyer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and took a few moments to introduce this year's Council board members before diving into the agenda.

Council business included a review of the minutes from the May meeting, updating Council's Standing Rules for 2019-2020 (link available soon!) and a review of the end-of-year financial report for 2018-2019 as well as financial reports from July and August. Vice-President Jane Chiodo encouraged local PTAs to apply for an Educational Speaker and Event Grant (the first application deadline is coming up on October 11th!). Cindy Jensen, our Council Reflections Chair, then spoke briefly about the Reflections program and the value of sharing this opportunity in our local PTAs that encourages students to express themselves creatively through this national arts recognition program. Co-VP of Advocacy, Nancy Chamberlain, took some time to promote the upcoming WSPTA Legislative Assembly, taking place October 26-27 at Bellevue College. Then the floor was opened for nominations for the Council Treasurer position, but there were no takers. We are grateful to Tricia Woods for continuing to serve in the role as we work to find a new Treasurer (contact  Grace Jurado and Stacey Meyer if you are interested in learning more).

We also heard from district leaders, including School Board Director Jackie McGourty and NSD Partnerships Coordinator Natalie Campbell, each of whom shared information, updates and answered questions about recent projects and current initiatives.

The last part of the meeting was focused on outreach and advocacy.

Kelly Hennessey is the Coordinator of Threads & Treads, a clothing resource for Northshore families that is operated by Canyon Park Middle School PTSA. She came forward to share information about the work they are doing to serve the community and asked for the support of Northshore PTAs as they work to expand their outreach to include Saturday hours. An exciting moment came as Northshore Schools Foundation (NSDF) Executive Director Carmin Dalziel committed the foundation's financial support to help ensure those Saturday hours through the end of the school year! Thank you NSDF!!!

Finally, the membership of Northshore Council PTSA voted to adopt a Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Resolution. The idea to make this a PTA resolution came 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. Northshore Council PTSA will now submit the Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Resolution for adoption at the National PTA Convention in 2020.

The meeting closed with some fun door prize drawings followed by Fall Training classes on a variety of topics, including Treasurer Basics, How to Be a Membership Chair, Volunteers: Find Them and Keep Them,  as well as Secretary: More than Just Minutes.

Council meetings are a great way to network with other PTA leaders and learn about what is happening in the district and PTA. We hope you'll join us at our next general membership meeting on Monday, November 18th!