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Start the school year off right by being sure to check these important tasks off your PTA To-Do list!  This is a busy time of year for PTA Leaders with so many things to get done in order to run your PTA, plan programming for students, and provide support to your school community. Here at Council we want to make sure a few key "to-do" items don't get overlooked so we've created the checklist below. We've included links and resources for these items, but remember, Council is always here to help and support our local Northshore PTA Leaders! Visit our Contact Page to connect with a Council officer. 
 The 2021-2022 school year is upon us and the PTA year is about to get into full swing! By now your PTA has held its summer board retreat and has begun planning a membership campaign. So what's next?
Now it's time to plan your first general membership meeting of the year! While some PTAs may be planning for in person meetings, many will plan for their meeting to be held virtually, which may require a little additional preparation. If you are new to hosting virtual meetings, get to know your virtual meeting tool’s online support – there should be tips for setup for all the features, including screen sharing, enabling closed captioning, and login requirements. TIP: Host one or more practice meetings with a few board members ahead of time to get accustomed to the online meeting tools and platform you'll be using. Whether the PTA meets virtually or in person, the same items of business must be done.
Bonus Tip: Plan on having something additional to offer your members once the business is complete. The first meeting is a great opportunity for your principal to give an update on the start of the year – there are lots of things about this school year that are different! Plan ahead with your principal and make sure you know what format for taking questions they are comfortable with. During the meeting, act as the moderator by setting ground rules and expectations for how members will participate and ask their questions. Questions about planning your 1st general membership meeting of the year? Contact Council - We are here to help! Information provided in this blog was originally posted by WSPTA in a 2020 article. Click here to read that article.  Please join us for our first general membership meeting of the year on Monday, September 20, 2021 via Zoom! In addition to our regular business items, we’ll also be voting on updated standing rules, goals and budget, and hearing updates from community leaders. *Update* We'll also be offering breakout rooms for networking and Q&A with Council members. The breakout rooms offered will be (1) elementary level PTAs, (2) secondary level PTAs, and (3) general questions regarding running your PTA.
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!
*A meeting passcode is required to join. It will be sent to local leaders via email. You can also request the passcode by emailing Council PTSA Communications VP, Rachel Fitzgerald.  PTAs are often the target of scammers. It's important for PTA officers to know the red flags to look out for to help keep your PTA safe.
Scam Emails Some scams may spoof the email of another officer to help make the request look legitimate. But there are things to check for before you reply:
Common Scams
Protecting Your PTA There are a few things you and your board should be doing in order to protect your PTA:
Money Handling Policy Does your PTA have a money handling policy? Has your PTA updated their policy to include online banking? Money handling policies are important to have so that it is very clear how your members and board are handling the funds of the PTA. Having these policies written out, communicated, and followed helps safeguard your PTA from scammers, and mishandled money. They should include how you handle your cash, checks, deposits, withdrawals, any online money access, and more. Need some help putting your money handling policies together or updating them? Council recently updated their own money handling policies, and it is available for you to use as a sample. Still have questions? Contact Council Treasurer, Serena Xu. Remember: There is nothing more urgent for your PTA than to follow best practices and policies to ensure you don't get caught in a scam!  All PTA/PTSAs must update their officer information in memberplanet, the membership database used by Washington State PTA (WSPTA). Updating officer information is a requirement for all PTAs per the WSPTA Standards of Affiliation. Doing so gives WSPTA and Northshore Council PTSA the means to contact a PTA/PTSA if a need arises as well as ensuring that all PTA/PTSA leaders are included in important WSPTA and Northshore Council communications.
The way to communicate leader information in memberplanet is through its Committees Module. There are a number of resources to help local PTA leaders use and understand memberplanet. However, because the Committees Module feature is so new, the documentation and support is not yet very extensive. Due to the importance of updating officer information, Northshore Council PTSA has created a guide to help users navigate the process. Download the “Assigning and Updating PTA Leaders in memberplanet” guide to get started! Looking for more help with using memberplanet? Attend Northshore Council's upcoming training! Date: September 9, 2021 Time: 7:00PM Location: Online via Zoom Presenter: Amanda Cabana, WSPTA Membership Director Register: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tdemgqDsvH9UAZzVDvhbpvGFvlGoqd7HU Additional Resources:
 Thank you to all that attended our fourth membership meeting of the school year! Each general meeting provides us with an opportunity to connect with our wonderful local PTA leaders and community partners and learn more about the great things happening across our district.
A little bit of fun: We started off our meeting with a 30 minute “social” time. We invited all to join us to chat with Council and other local PTA leaders. We had great conversations and learned that “Flight” was the most desired superhero power in our fun poll! Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker this month was Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid who graciously answered questions regarding the upcoming shift to hybrid learning in NSD. A great range of questions were asked including but not limited to: how PTAs can support the return to classrooms, the thinking behind the hybrid model, vaccination progress for teachers, when the learning model will be decided for Fall, what hybrid will look like for those 100% remote, and the latest updates on SBAC testing. We thank Dr. Reid for taking the time to join us during such a busy and stressful time. Council Business: After approving our minutes from our January general meeting, we moved on to hearing the Treasurer Report for the month of February. We then moved on to learning about our 2021-2022 preliminary budget. Our budget committee worked along with our Treasurer, Liz Nord, to evaluate what our needs would be for next year taking into consideration the decrease in memberships that we had experienced in 2020-2021 possibly continuing next year. A few changes were recommended, such as lowering our income expectations and cutting costs where we could (obtaining a smaller PO Box, lowering line items such as hospitality, grants, office supplies, etc.). We also added line items for our new DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) position and our new Mental Health committee. The preliminary 2021-2022 budget was approved by a unanimous voice vote. Next up on the agenda was electing our 2021-2022 officers! Thank you to our hardworking Nominating Committee, Grace Jurado and Liz Nord, for putting together a rocking slate for next year! Liz Nord read the Nominating Report. The self-nomination period was held with no others submitting their names for nomination. The election script was followed with a reading from the WSPTA bylaws. A motion was cast to accept the slate as presented, seconded, and unanimously approved by a voice vote. Congratulations to our incoming 2021-2022 officers!!
Council Reports: Tracy Jokisch, our Emergency Prep and Safety Co-Chair, gave us an update regarding the bulk purchase of Stop the Bleed kits for district schools. There will most likely be over 500 kits ordered in total, which will include 2 kits per school contributed by Council. In conjunction with the Stop the Bleed effort, Clark Combs, district Eprep specialist on the district Safety and Security team, has been offering virtual ACT training to staff. Diana Christiansen, our Council Vice President of Advocacy, gave us an update regarding the exceptional attendance by WA State PTA members at this years National PTA Legislative Conference. It was great to see big representation especially at “Hill Day” when attendees met directly with legislators and their staffers. Check out our NPTA LegCon recap here! We got an update on the Reflections program. 55 pieces were forwarded to the state competition and we were waiting to hear results. (Results now in - check them out here!) The Council Reflections Celebration website was a big hit allowing many families – as well as family and friends around the country! - to experience all the works of art from artists all over the district. Next year’s theme was announced as, “I Will Change the World By…”. Diana Christiansen and Karrie Palis announced that our Council Recognition Awards Nominations were open. They are looking for nominations for the following awards: Outstanding Educator, Outstanding Advocate, Outstanding Student Advocate, Outstanding Service, Golden Acorn, Honorary Life Membership. They are also looking for members to join their committee to review nominations and select winners. Melissa Kline gave an update regarding membership. Three (3) PTAs had reached 100% staff membership and, in total, we have reached 4,826 members which is 62% of last year’s number. Melissa also gave an update about the newly formed Mental Health Committee. The committee had their first meeting recently, at which they discussed goals and things they would like to work on which included communicating about mental health awareness programs. Lauren Lewis, our Council F.A.C.E. (Family and Community Engagement) Chair, talked about the Equity Inventory Committee, which was established to assess where our Council stood in regards to equity and diversity. The goal of the committee was to look at all facets of our operation through a DEI lens and then to make suggestions on areas that we could improve on. Lauren was also working on finding a presentation about how to navigate the US high school system that could be offered to families in our district that speak other languages or who have moved here from other countries. Natalie Campbell, the District Partnerships and Volunteer Coordinator, said that we could partner with her and Elizabeth Meza to bring something like this to the district. It was also noted that through the Council Educational Speaker and Community Events Grants program, Woodin Elementary was offering "Guide to Helping Your Children Succeed in Elementary and Beyond", presented by Sistema Escolar, USA, to district parents. District and Community Reports: School Board Director David Cogan presented an update in regards to Northshore School District that included, but was not limited to:
Natalie Campbell, NSD Partnerships and Volunteer Coordinator, reported the following:
Carmin Dalziel of the Northshore Schools Foundation gave updates regarding her organization and their work to support NSD:
Our last guest was Patsy Treece of the Citizens for Northshore Schools group to talk about Bond and Levy support. Her group’s purpose is to give citizens information about the bond and levies on the ballot and to urge them to vote. Bond and levy votes only happen every four years. Bonds need 60% to pass and levies need 50%. She was looking for volunteers to serve the group and was particularly interested in adding diversity so that all voices could be heard. She also asked if PTAs could add a line item to their budgets to help support the Citizens group. Learn more about Citizens for Northshore School here. Our next membership meeting will be held on Monday, June 7th. We hope to see you there!  Northshore Council PTSA will be holding online elections for the eleven (11) positions on its 2021-22 Executive Committee on Monday, March 15, 2021.
Slate of Candidates: In the 2021 Nominating Committee Report, the following slate of candidates were put forward for 2021-2022:
The period for self-declared nominations for these positions closed on Friday, March 5, 2021. Qualification Requirements Per the 2020-2021 Council Standing Rules: All Candidates:
Candidates for the office of President and First Vice President shall also:
Candidates for the offices of VP of Elementary Support and VP of Secondary Support shall also:
Each of the slated candidates meets all qualification requirements. Election Information: As there is only one candidate per position, the election will be conducted via voice vote at the next General Membership Meeting, on Monday, March 15, 2021: Topic: March 15, 2021 - Membership Meeting - Northshore Council PTSA Time: March 15, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95442068687 Meeting ID: 954 4206 8687 Passcode: *Available upon request. One tap mobile +12532158782,,95442068687# US (Tacoma) +16699009128,,95442068687# US (San Jose) Dial by your location +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) Meeting ID: 954 4206 8687 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adRhsyzKXK Information about Northshore Council PTSA online elections procedures is available in its Electronic Voting (E-Voting) Policy. Questions? Please contact Northshore Council PTSA President Jane Chiodo. *A meeting password is required to join. It will be sent to local leaders via email. You can also request the password by emailing Council PTSA Communications VP, Rachel Fitzgerald.  Northshore Council PTSA will be holding its 2021-2022 elections online. Since “nominations from the floor” can’t work as they normally would at an in-person meeting, Northshore Council PTSA is opening up the floor virtually by using an online submission form. If you are interested in joining the 2021-2022 Northshore Council PTSA Executive Board, now is the time to self declare! Anyone who would like to nominate themselves for an elected position on Northshore Council PTSA for 2021-2022 can do so at: https://forms.gle/6qJ5M9FveDAjvGYp8 Deadline for submission is Friday, March 5th, 2021 Election Information: At the close of the self-nomination period, if there is any contested position we will send out an electronic voting method to Northshore PTA/PTSA presidents and vice-presidents. If no position is contested, we will hold the election by voice vote during our next General Meeting, on Monday, March 15th, 2021. Click here for meeting information. Slate of Candidates: In the 2021 Nominating Committee Report, the following slate of candidates were put forward for 2021-2022:
Anyone self declaring for a 2021-2022 Northshore Council Elected Board Position must meet the following qualification requirements. Qualification Requirements Per the 2020-2021 Council Standing Rules: All Candidates:
Candidates for the office of President and First Vice President shall also:
Candidates for the offices of VP of Elementary Support and VP of Secondary Support shall also:
Below is a 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 about Self Declaring or Virtual Elections? Contact Council President, Jane Chiodo.
 Below, please find the report from the Northshore Council PTSA Nominating Committee which lists the nominees for each of the officer positions for the 2021-2022 Executive Committee. The election will take place during the Northshore Council PTSA Membership Meeting on Monday, March 15, 2021. WSPTA Bylaws permit the nomination of candidates from the floor* at the meeting before the vote takes place. *Since meetings are currently held virtually, "nominations from the floor" will be done using an online submission form prior to the meeting. See our post on Self Declaring for 2021-2022 Board Positions for more information.
 What is a Nominating Committee? Who can serve on it? Why is it important to have one? We've put together this resource to help you learn more about how to establish your local PTA’s Nominating Committee and how to be sure to operate the nomination process in accordance with your standing rules and the Washington State PTA (WSPTA) Uniform Bylaws. Much of this information is adapted from the WSPTA Nominating Committee Handbook, available on the Leadership Resources page of the WSPTA website. (Note: login and password are required. Find them in the latest issue of WSPTA Leadership News or Contact Council.) Why have a Nominating Committee? The Nominating Committee serves the vital role of finding and recruiting the most qualified people to fill your PTA’s elected positions. Because of this, this committee can shape the nature of your PTA and can help set your PTA up for future success. The executive committee (the elected roles on your PTA board) are in office for a one year term (with a term limit of two consecutive years). This means that there are new PTA officers entering into leadership every year! Finding passionate and qualified volunteers for these roles is the work of your Nominating Committee. Who can serve on a Nominating Committee? The Nominating Committee consists of three PTA members who are elected at a membership meeting at least 30 days before the officer elections take place. Things to keep in mind when electing your Nominating Committee: • Members of the Nominating Committee must be elected. They may not just volunteer for the job and they cannot be appointed by the board of directors or president. • A candidate for the Nominating Committee must be a member of the local PTA for at least 15 days preceding her/his election. • The Nominating Committee cannot include the current PTA president or school principal. Neither the PTA president nor the school principal may participate in the committee’s deliberations. • Nominating Committee members may not serve on the committee for more than two consecutive years. Additionally, the members of the Nominating Committee members should have a strong knowledge of the PTA’s goals, needs and culture as finding qualified PTA officer candidates can be a challenge. Connections within the school community are helpful in reaching potential candidates. Don't forget - Nominating Committee members are still eligible to be nominated for an elected office! When should your Nominating Committee be elected and start work? The goal of the Nominating Committee is to present to your membership a signed and dated report stating the names of one or more candidates for each office to be elected at least 15 days prior to the election. Giving your Nominating Committee time to locate candidates allows for the best possible slate of candidates. State guidance suggests that the Nominating Committee be elected at the first general membership meeting of the school year. This may be difficult for PTA’s that are still getting their year organized. Having the committee in place by the first of the year is a great goal, this way the committee will have a few months to work prior to the election. How can your current board support the Nominating Committee? Setting up your Nominating Committee for success is very important! It is recommended that the PTA president conduct an orientation meeting shortly after the committee is elected. Topics to discuss at this first meeting include: 1. The president must not be involved in the Nominating Committee process or selection of officers. 2. The committee must hold its own counsel and have honest discussions about individuals being considered for nomination. 3. The committee must keep their work confidential and the group should discuss what confidentiality means. 4. Develop a committee calendar and double-check relevant dates and deadlines paying special attention to your electronic voting policy if needed: • Dates of PTA events for the year. • Dates of local PTA membership meetings. • Date of the meeting during which the election is to occur. • Date the nominating committee report is due to the local PTA members. At this orientation meeting, the president can assist the committee by providing: • The PTA’s current membership roster • The WSPTA Uniform Bylaws* • The current WSPTA Nominating Committee Handbook* • The local PTA’s standing rules • Job descriptions for all elected positions • A sample “Nominating Committee Recommendation Form”* • A sample “Nominating Committee Report”* *These forms can be found on the WSPTA PTA Leaders webpage under either Governance or Leader Resources. What does a Nominating Committee need to consider when choosing a candidate? Nominating Committee meetings give committee members the opportunity to review the roles that need to be filled and any potential candidates, including recommendations from board members and/or their PTA community. All candidates must be given the same scrutiny and evaluation. Candidates who wish to be considered for co-officer positions can be considered together as long as the opportunity to serve together is something that both candidates agree to prior to the election. According to the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws, there are also some minimum qualifications for any role under consideration. The Nominating Committee is the responsible for confirming the following for each candidate being considered: • Candidate is a PTA member (though not necessarily a member of the pertinent PTA) at least 15 days preceding the election for local PTAs. • Candidate must be willing to attend required PTA training for the position to which he or she will be elected. • Candidate must be enthusiastic and supportive of the local PTA. • Candidate must believe in the purposes of PTA. • Candidate should have previous experience in PTA, though other association work may also be considered. • Candidate should have knowledge of PTA and its role in the school and community. • Candidate should be relied upon to give PTA a satisfactory level of priority and commitment. • Candidate should have good relationships with people. • Candidate must be fair, objective, able to subordinate personal interests to the interests and well-being of the local PTA or council. • Candidate should have vision and be innovative. • Candidate must be at least 18 years old.  Frequently Asked Questions Q: If I make a recommendation to the Nominating Committee, will that person automatically be on the Nomination Report? A: All recommendations received by the Nominating Committee are recommendations rather than nominations. Think of these recommendations as suggestions that the committee will then take and use to help inform their decision-making process. Q: Does the Nominating Committee elect the officers? A: The Nominating Committee is the group that will NOMINATE someone for election via its report to the members. The members of your PTA will be the ones who officially elect officers during a general membership meeting. Q: Should the Nominating Committee find someone for every role? A: That is the goal, however, the Nominating Committee should only put forward individuals they feel are well qualified for the position for which they are running. Individuals who are not well-suited or who are not qualified for the position should not be nominated by the committee, even if that position must be left open on the nominating committee report. Just because someone is interested in a position does not mean the committee should put the name forward. Q: If someone isn't nominated by the Nominating Committee, can they still be elected to a role? A: Every qualified person has the right to be “nominated from the floor”, whether in-person or virtually, in the event that they want to run for an office and is not on the Nominating Committee Report of presented slate of candidates. Q: Is the Nominating Committee obligated to nominate a current officer for a second term? A: Current officers are not guaranteed a nomination the second year. Current officers should be evaluated just as you would any candidate. If the committee finds a more qualified candidate, that's who they should nominate. Q: Can a member of the Nominating Committee run for an elected position? A: Yes! However, the committee member should recuse themselves from and leave the room during all discussion about their nominations, including discussion about other potential nominees for that position. Q: What do you do if you cannot find a candidate for a position? A: This is an especially relevant question this year! Because we have been virtual with no in-person events in which to meet and greet with those in our community, it could be harder than ever to find candidates for PTA officers. Here are a couple of ideas to broaden your reach when searching for candidates:
What if you STILL can’t find a candidate for a position?
Have another question about the Nominating Committee that wasn't listed here? Contact Council and we can help!  Additional Election Information: As stated earlier, elections of officers will happen during a general membership meeting. The Washington State PTA offers a script for the proper language to conduct elections in the Nominating Committee Handbook. In the case of an in-person meeting, additional nominees from the floor can be submitted at the time of the election if the candidate was not part of the presented Nominating Committee report. In the case of a virtual election, there will be a stated time that self nominations may be submitted prior to the meeting. Please referrer to the handbook for more information on holding elections. Resources: • Nominating Committee Handbook • Nominating Committee webinar • Sample Recommendation for Nomination (pdf) • Sample Nominating Committee Report (pdf) Special Note from Council: Make sure to express your appreciation to all the leaders who take on the important role of Nominating Committee Member. Being a part of it helps to ensure the strength and viability of your PTA for another year. That is the reason Washington State PTA calls the Nominating Committee, “the most important committee we have”! |
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