 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!
 Mark your calendars for our final Northshore Council PTSA General Membership Meeting of 2018-19! It will be on Monday, May 6th at the Woodinville High School Library. We'll be hosting a meet and greet starting at 6:30pm and the meeting will begin at 7pm. In addition to all of the normal updates and information sharing, we'll be voting on a new budget, awarding our Golden Acorn, and there will be some Spring training opportunities! Training will begin at 8pm. Classes options will include:
Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives-- but we encourage ALL who are interested to attend. We hope you join us! Questions? Contact Carrie McKenzie & Grace Jurado.
 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!  Below please find the report from the Northshore Council PTSA Nominating Committee, listing the nominees for each of the officer positions for the 2019-2020 Executive Committee. The election for these positions will take place at the next Northshore Council PTSA General Membership Meeting on Monday, March 18th, at 7:00 p.m. at the NSD Administration Building. Nominations will be taken from the floor at that time. March 2, 2019
The Northshore Council PTSA Nominating Committee hereby places the following names into nomination for the 2019/2020 Northshore Council PTSA Executive Committee:
The Nominating Committee has confirmed that all nominees meet the eligibility requirements as stated in the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws and the Northshore Council PTSA Standing Rules. Respectfully submitted, Sue Freeman (Chair.) Nancy Chamberlain Stacey Meyer  Mark your calendars for our next Northshore Council PTSA General Membership Meeting on Monday, March 18th at the NSD Admin Building. We'll be hosting a meet and greet starting at 6:30pm and the meeting will begin at 7pm. Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives-- but we encourage ALL who are interested to attend. In addition to all of the normal updates and information sharing, we'll also be electing our 2019-20 Executive Board! We hope you join us! Questions? Contact Grace Jurado.
 The Region 6 Winter Conference has been rescheduled to take place on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at Dearborn Park International Elementary School (2820 South Orcas Street, Seattle, WA 98108). The event is 10:00am - 3:30pm and includes classes (including PTA & the Law), roundtable discussions, and more! This FREE training and leadership development event is for all PTA leaders! Come learn, network with your fellow PTA leaders, and meet part of your PTA support team. Learn more and register online...
 Many thanks to all who attended our General Membership Meeting on January 7, 2019! It was wonderful to see so many Northshore leaders in attendance this month. Also great gratitude to our featured presenters, Dr. Charla Griffy-Brown and Janice Kutzera. In addition to reviewing the November minutes as well as the November and December financial reports, we heard from a number of Council leaders regarding upcoming events. First VP Cindy Jensen encouraged all to attend the Reflections Celebration on January 12th (details available here). Council Advocacy VP Nancy Chamberlain invited everyone to participate in Focus Day on February 11th, noting that Council will again be providing free transportation to Olympia for any interested Northshore PTA/PTSA members (details available here). She also passed out postcards that local leaders could use and/or take back to their PTAs that their members can use to write to their legislators. She noted that completed postcards can be returned to Council via the district's interdepartmental mail and we will hand deliver them to legislators on Focus Day. Printable postcards are available on the WSPTA's Focus Day event page (scroll down to "Resources" at the bottom of the page). Advocacy Week will be February 11-14 and all are encouraged to sign-up for WSPTA Action Alerts to facilitate contacting legislators about WSPTA's current platform issues (details available here). Sue Freeman then shared information about the Nominating Committee and encouraged people to ask questions and to nominate potential candidates for next year's Executive Board roles. She noted that the hope is to have a full slate by March 2nd (details available here). Finally, Cindy Jensen stepped up to encourage local PTAs to participate in this year's WSPTA Awards of Excellence program, noting that applications are due March 1 (details available here). District Partnerships Coordinator Natalie Campbell shared a number of upcoming district events and also announced availability of an updated PTSA/PTA District Resource Guide, now available online. She noted that the Resource Guide is an ongoing effort and will be added-to over time as needed. Local PTA leaders will be able to find information there regarding facilities, communications, district policies relevant to PTAs, and more. Download a copy by clicking on the blue "PTA/PTSA Resource Guide" button on the PTA & PTSA page on the NSD website. Carmin Dalziel of the Northshore School Foundation introduced their new crowdfunding program, Northshore Gives, noting that they are piloting the program with a number of different funding opportunities. She also invited all to consider attending the upcoming All in for Kids Luncheon on April 4, 2019. Guest speaker, Dr. Charla Griffy-Brown, joined the meeting virtually and gave an informative presentation on "Cybersecurity 101: for Non-Profits." WSPTA Finance Officer Janice Kutzera followed with a talk about electronic banking safeguards and online financial safety for PTAs. There are many resources available on the Leadership Guides page of the WSPTA website (note: login/password is available via WSPTA's Leadership News). Then a local leader came forward and shared a powerful story about their personal experience in dealing with fraud. During the Q&A session, it was noted that there will be an upcoming in-person PTA & the Law training on February 7, 2019 at Woodinville Fire Station #31 from 6-9pm (details available here). Our PTA Spotlight this month highlighted Hollywood Hill PTA. Their PTA's Special Ed. Representative, Denise Need, joined us to share their "sensory box." The large storage tote lives between their school gym and music room, and is accessible to anyone during school assemblies and evening events. The box includes items such as headphones, ear plugs, a teddy bear, bumpy seat pad, activity books and crayons, fidget spinners and other items for kids of all ages. Directions are simply to use as needed to ease discomfort of any child then return items, wiped down, to the box when done. It is such wonderful idea that works to help create an inclusive and welcoming environment at events at their school. Great job Hollywood Hill PTA! Finally, we closed the meeting with some awesome doorprize drawings. We hope you will join us for our next general membership meeting on Monday, March 18, 2019!
 Please join us for our first Northshore Council PTSA General Membership Meeting of 2019 on Monday, January 7th at the NSD Admin Building (3330 Monte Villa Pkwy, Bothell, WA 98021). There will be a meet and greet at 6:30 and the meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Each PTA may send up to 4 voting representatives-- but we encourage ALL who are interested to attend.
Learn how you can better protect YOUR PTA from fraud! To start the year off, we are excited to welcome Dr. Charla Griffy-Brown and WSPTA Finance Officer Janice Kutzera as guest speakers. Non-profit organizations are increasingly becoming targets for fraud, and there are even PTAs that have fallen prey to email and "phishing" schemes. Charla has a wealth of experience in the world of non-profits and technology and she will be sharing information about what you *need to know* about cybersecurity. Janice will be speaking to financial best practices and money handling. In addition to a presentation there will be a Q&A so that you can get your questions answered! We hope you join us for what is sure to be an informative meeting! Charla Griffy-Brown is a Professor in Information Systems and Technology Management at the Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business. In addition, she is an accomplished corporate board member and speaker. As a scholar she is now distinguished as Editor-in-Chief of the international journal, Technology in Society. She was recognized as one of Pepperdine University’s outstanding faculty with the Howard A. White Teaching Award in 2011 and in 2017 received recognition as a Waves of Innovation grant winner. Dr. Griffy-Brown graduated from Harvard University, is a former Fulbright Scholar, and holds a Ph.D. in Technology Management from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. Charla has served as PTA president at Timbercrest Middle School and Co-President of Hollywood Hill Elementary. She currently serves on the Northshore Schools Foundation Board.  At our November 5, 2018 General Membership Meeting, we heard an informative and inspiring call to action from speaker JMarie Johnson-Cola regarding Family & Community Engagement (FACE). Each child must be supported by, not only parents and teachers, but extended families, school districts, neighbors and community members to help them realize their full potential. Handouts included an example of a Family Engagement Action Plan Template as well as a quote from the Carnegie Corporation of New York regarding what it takes to meet the challenge of FACE:
In her talk, JMarie mentioned a number of resources to help inform Family and Community Engagement best practices. Here are a few of the ones she mentioned: Books & Articles:
Reports:
Websites:
Course Modules for FACE:
PowerPoint Presentation:
 Thank you to all who made time to attend Northshore Council PTSA's general meeting on November 5, 2018. It was an informative and inspiring meeting! We are pleased to announce our 2019 Nominating Committee!
Northshore Council has awarded Educational Speaker and Event Grants to five local PTAs so far. Congratulations to Leota, Woodmoor, Canyon Park, Skyview and Bothell High. The next deadline for receiving grant applications is November 26, 2018. Please visit the Speaker and Event Grants page for details and to download the application. Sue Freeman shared an update on the Northshore Community Kitchen project. This program will be evolving over the next year as facilities go offline at Carol Edwards Center and new partnerships are forged in the community. They will continue preparing meals for families in our community through March. Jane Chiodo delivered an update on Threads and Treads, a district-wide clothing bank for Northshore families that is operated out of Canyon Park Middle School. There are currently about 200 families using this service. Threads and Treads is looking for a new program leader. Visit their website for additional information and volunteer opportunities. We heard reports from district leaders, including School Board Director Amy Cast, NSD Partnerships and Volunteer Coordinator Natalie Campbell, and Northshore Schools Foundation Executive Director Carmin Dalziel. Each shared information, updates and answered questions about recent projects and current initiatives. Sam Ames and Aileen Hammar presented an update on the work of the NSD Dyslexia Committee. The committee is charged to develop a model for proactively identifying, instructing, and assessing all students learning to read, which will reduce the number of students needing additional supports and structures not inclusive of general education. They shared an informative TED Talk presentation, "What is Dyslexia", that offered background about the learning disorder. They followed that up with a PowerPoint presentation that was shared with the School Board at its October 8th meeting. For more information about NSD's Dyslexia Committee, visit their page on the district website. Finally, we heard an informative and inspiring call to action from speaker JMarie Johnson-Cola regarding Family & Community Engagement (FACE). Each child must be supported by, not only parents and teachers, but extended families, school districts, neighbors and community members to help them realize their full potential. For more information about FACE and PTA, check out WSPTA's website. Council meetings are a great way to network with other PTA leaders and learn about what is happening in the district, the state and the PTA. We hope you'll join us at our next general membership meeting on: Monday, January 7, 2019 NSD Administration Bldg. Meet & Greet: 6:30 pm Call to Order: 7:00 pm ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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