Below, please find the report from the Northshore Council PTSA Nominating Committee which lists the nominees for each of the officer positions for the 2024-2025 Executive Committee. 

The election will take place during the Northshore Council PTSA Membership Meeting on Monday, March 18, 2024. WSPTA Bylaws permit the nomination of candidates from the floor* before the vote takes place. *Nominations from the floor will be conducted through an online submission form prior to the meeting. Please refer to our post on Self-Declaring for 2024-2025 Elected Board Positions for more information.
​
Slate of Candidates:
In the 2024 Nominating Committee Report, the following slate of candidates were put forward for 2024-2025:
​

• For the Office of President: Grace Jurado
• For the Office of First Vice President: Diana Christiansen
• For the Office of Secretary: Christine Roehnelt​
• For the Office of Treasurer: Brenae Brix
• For the Office of VP of Events: Melissa Bennett and OPEN
• For the Office of VP of Advocacy:  Terra Droney and Holly Muenchow
• For the Office of VP of Communications: OPEN
• For the Office of VP of Elementary Support: OPEN
• For the Office of VP of Secondary Support: OPEN

UPDATE: 3/19/24:
The winning PTA from our Donut Forget to Complete Your SOA Contest was randomly selected at our General Membership Meeting on March 18, 2024.

Congratulations Woodin PTA! Your PTA was selected to receive donuts for your next PTA Board Meeting.
​
​SHOUT OUT to the following PTAs for submitting your completed SOA forms for the contest:

• Fernwood Elementary PTSA
• Frank Love Elementary PTA
• Innovation Lab High School PTSA
• Lockwood Elementary PTA
• Leota Middle School PTSA
• Northshore Special Education Community PTSA

​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. Cottage Lake Elementary and Council  submitted applications and were recognized for their efforts at the WSPTA 2023 Spring Training Conference held on May 6th and 7th.

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 to their communities.

This year's recipients included:

Learn more about the WSPTA Standards of Excellence Awards and Leadership Awards and apply for your PTA next year. 

Great retreats also include a few key social elements that serve as ways to allow board members to connect, bond, and get to know each other, all of which work to help build a more cohesive team:
​

• ​Include at least one “getting to know you” activity.
• Have name tags, if even one member of the group is new. For virtual meetings, ask that all participants use their correct name when signing into the meeting.
• For a virtual retreat, get everyone chatting with a whimsical poll - such as "does pineapple belong on pizza" or "what superpower would you want". Menti.com is an easy tool to use for creating a live poll.
• Include a group social activity, such as a potluck or bowling. There are activities you can do to energize your online meeting as well.

​​The extended nature of a retreat means that a board can have time for conversations and discussions with more breadth and depth. Consider some of the following discussion areas and questions as you build your board retreat agenda:

• What norms do we want for our board? Consider creating your own Standards of Conduct (example from Council).
• Build your calendar (check both the Northshore School District Calendar and WA State PTA's Multicultural Calendar for conflicts)
• Develop a communication plan for the year
• Start planning your Membership Campaign
• Brainstorm
• Strengths of our PTA?
• Challenges of our PTA?
• Opportunities?
• How can we connect, welcome, and inspire our community?
• What do you want people to say about your PTA's achievements at the end of the year?
• How will you work together?
• What does success look like?
• What resources, training, or other outside help do we need to succeed?

Finally, remember that some of the most important work will happen after the retreat ends as ideas are put into action. Take time through the year to reflect and check-in with one another regarding discussions, action items, and progress toward goals.

Guest Presentation by Northshore School District Ethnic Studies Framework:  NSD Assistant Director of Equity and Pedagogy, Melissa Riley, and Northshore students shared a presentation on ethnic studies in the Northshore School District. This presentation answered the questions "What is ethnic studies, why is it important, and what will it look like for kids?" The curriculum will be for grades Pre K-12 and more information can be found here: https://bit.ly/pesbccdei.

Council Business: 
Approval of the January 20th, 2022 Meeting Minutes which were accepted with minor changes. Approval of the preliminary budget for the 2022-2023 school year.

Election of our 2022-2023 officers:
Thank you to our hardworking Nominating Committee, Diana Christiansen, Cherry Holmes, and Jasmine Lee Fry, for putting together the slate of candidates! Diana Christiansen read the Nominating Report. The self-nomination period was held in accordance with our e-voting policy 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 approved by a voice vote.

Congratulations to our incoming 2022-2023 officers!!

• For the Office of Co President: Rachel Fitzgerald and Mary Khouzam
• For the Office of First Vice President: Grace Jurado
• For the Office of Secretary: Open*
• For the Office of Treasurer: Serena Xu
• For the Office of VP of Events: Open*
• For the Office of VP of Advocacy: Jennifer Drury
• For the Office of VP of Communications: Jennifer Snyder
• For the Office of VP of Elementary Support: Diana Christiansen
• For the Office of VP of Secondary Support: Brenae Brix

*Please be advised that by the time the self-nomination period closed, no candidate had come forth for either Secretary or VP of Events. Council will continue to seek volunteers for these positions with the goal of holding elections for them at a future General Membership Meeting. If interested in serving in either of these roles on an interim basis, please contact us at [email protected].

District Updates:

• NSD Partnerships & Volunteer Coordinator Marco Garcia informed us that everything related to becoming a Northshore volunteer or being a campus visitor can now be completed on the Safe Visitor website for volunteers. He also let us know that the vaccine requirement has not been lifted. Finally, Community Serve Day will be August 21st 2022 with more information to come. Learn more about becoming a NSD volunteer.

 

• NSD School Board Updates: Director Amy Cast reviewed the technology parameters with us, reviewed strategic goals and indicators of progress as it has been five years, and reviewed the use of the Levy money including safety grants, work towards more school mental health professionals, nurses, as well as fewer portables etc. Learn more about NSD's School Board.

 

• Northshore School's Foundation: Hanisha Bakshani/NSF Ambassador North Creek High School let us know that the NSF All in For Kids event is March 31st, 2022 at 4pm at the Evergreen Church. Learn more about the Northshore School's Foundation.

Council Reports: 

• Staff Appreciation: Rachel Fitzgerald informed us that we will have a virtual staff appreciation for district staff. Currently collecting thank you notes from the community to put together for the staff. There will be a different piece for the council to do as well. The deadline to collect notes  and gather all the information is April 22nd. Learn more...

 

• Council Recognition Awards: Mary Khouzam updated us on Council recognition awards. This year we have an online form for nominations again which can be found here. If you would like to help with the awards recognition, please contact Mary at [email protected].

 

• Speaker and Events Grants Program: Mary Khouzam let us know that grant program has closed for this year. Click here for Round 3 Recipients.

 

• Reflections: Jasmine Lee Fry updated us that we had 267 entries that were submitted to the council. 59 submissions were forwarded to the state. 4 entries won awards at the state level. Click here for judging results from both Council & WSPTA as well as a link to our Virtual Art Showcase. 

 

• Special Education: Laura Staneff let us know that Council will hold a series of 4 webinars scheduled for free through PAVE. The first one was about IEPS and took place on March 22nd. There will be three other webinars in April, May and June. Learn more...

 

• Mental Health Committee: Melissa Kline & Pauline Wray updated that the Mental Health Committee's Digital Safety Event with Jo Langford happened on March 14th and was well attended. Currently the committee is working on getting Mental Health resource posters up in secondary schools. Finally, an anti-bullying article is currently up on our website and ask that you please share it with your communities. 

 

• Membership: Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline updated us that 21 PTAs are over their membership numbers from last year and we have a total of 5,337 members to date.   

We hope you will join us for our next General Membership Meeting on May 16th, 2022 @ 7pm. This meeting will also include our annual Spring Recognition Event!

​For a full list of our upcoming meetings and events, check out our Calendar.

​Northshore Council PTSA will be holding online elections for eight (8) of the positions on its 2022-23 Executive Committee on Monday, March 21, 2022. 

Slate of Candidates

In the 2022 Nominating Committee Report, the following slate of candidates were put forward for 2022-2023:

Qualification Requirements
​
Per the 2021-2022 Council Standing Rules:

All Candidates:

• Any position may be held jointly by two (2) people, except the role of Treasurer. 
• Nominees must be at least 18 years of age.
• Nominees must be a current member of at least one local PTA that falls within the Northshore Council PTSA membership area. 

Candidates for the office of President and First Vice President shall also:

• Have two years of elected officer experience on Northshore Council PTSA; 

-OR -

• Have served as President of a local PTA for at least one year and have one year of serving in an elected position on Council or higher.

Candidates for the offices of VP of Elementary Support and VP of Secondary Support shall also:

• Have served in PTA a minimum of 2 years, with one year as a local PTA President and one year in a board position at the educational stage that they are going to support.

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 21, 2022. For positions that are listed as "OPEN", no candidate has come forth. Council will continue to seek volunteers for these positions with the goal of holding elections for them at a future General Membership Meeting.

Topic: Northshore Council PTSA General Meeting
Time: Mar 21, 2022 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87831033263

Meeting ID: 878 3103 3263
Passcode: *Available upon request.

One tap mobile
+12532158782,,87831033263#,,,,*369032# US (Tacoma)
+17207072699,,87831033263#,,,,*369032# US (Denver)

Dial by your location
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 720 707 2699 US (Denver)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 878 3103 3263
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kbQXYLjPbb

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 VP of Communications, Rachel Fitzgerald.

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 21st, 2022. Click here for meeting information.

Slate of Candidates:

In the 2022 Nominating Committee Report, the following slate of candidates were put forward for 2022-2023:
​

• For the Office of Co-President: Rachel Fitzgerald
  
• For the Office of Co-President: Mary Khouzam 
  
• For the Office of First Vice President: Grace Jurado
  
• For the Office of Secretary: OPEN
  
• For the Office of Treasurer: Serena Xu
  
• For the Office of VP of Events: OPEN
  
• For the Office of VP of Advocacy: Jennifer Drury 
  
• For the Office of VP of Communications: Jennifer Snyder
  
• For the Office of VP of Elementary Support: Diana Christiansen
  
• For the Office of VP of Secondary Support: Brenae Brix

Anyone self declaring for a 2022-2023​ Northshore Council Elected Board Position must meet the following qualification requirements.

Qualification Requirements
​
Per the 2021-2022 Council Standing Rules:

All Candidates:

• Any position may be held jointly by two (2) people, except the role of Treasurer. 
• Nominees must be at least 18 years of age.
• Nominees must be a current member of at least one local PTA that falls within the Northshore Council PTSA membership area. 

Candidates for the office of President and First Vice President shall also:

• Have two years of elected officer experience on Northshore Council PTSA; 

-OR -

• Have served as President of a local PTA for at least one year and have one year of serving in an elected position on Council or higher.

Candidates for the offices of VP of Elementary Support and VP of Secondary Support shall also:

• Have served in PTA a minimum of 2 years, with one year as a local PTA President and one year in a board position at the educational stage that they are going to support.

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.

Please join us for our fourth general membership meeting of the year on Monday, March 21, 2022 via Zoom!
In addition to our regular business items, we’ll be pre-approving our budget for the 2022-2023 year.

Additionally, during this meeting we will be holding elections for our 2022-2023 Council Officers. To learn more about this, visit our other blogs:

• 2022 Nominating Committee Report
• Self Declare for 2022-2023 Elected Board Positions

*UPDATE* Guest Speaker: We are excited to have Melissa Riley, NSD Assistant Director of Equity Pedagogy, joining us to give an update on the progress that has been made on an Ethnic Studies framework for our district. We'll learn what it is, who is involved, what has been done and what still needs to be done to get this off the ground. Melissa will also be joined by a few NSD students who have been actively involved in this work. To learn more about the Ethnic Studies Work Team, you can visit this link.

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.