Northshore Council PTSA 6.10
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November 14, 2023 Membership Meeting Recap

11/17/2023

 
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On November 14, 2023, Northshore Council PTSA held a virtual General Membership Meeting. We would like to say thank you to all of the local leaders from across the Northshore School District, as well as community and school partners for taking the time to join us!
​
Continue reading below for a recap of the meeting. 
Announcements
  • AIM Insurance renewal due by the end of November and submit copies of Renewed Certificate of Insurance and the Insured Endorsement to vgreek@nsd.org by December 4, 2023. 
  • The School Board Candidate Forum was held last month and Council would like your feedback. Please complete this survey. 
  • Scam alert, make sure all board members/bank signors connect before funds given. Read more tips on our blog.
  • Food banks and clothing banks taking donations, please share with the community.
Council Business
We elected our 2023-2024 Nominating Committee Anna Jensen, Holly Muenchow, and Laura Staneff. If you are interested in joining Council's Executive Board next year, please reach out to ​nomcom@northshorecouncilptsa.org. Online nomination form and more information coming soon. Learn more about what is a Nominating Committe on our blog post Everything You Have Wanted to Know About Nominating Committees.  
Presentation by Innovation Lab High School (ILHS) Climate Action Club
  • Students, Katie C. and Justin Y., presented a Climate Action Resolution: Washington State Declaring The Climate Emergency (W.A.D.E.). The ILHS Climate Action Club is looking for endorsements from PTA/PTSAs and other Washington agencies so they can present their proposal to the Washington legislature in December. They hope the next legislative session in Olympia will support and vote on it. Northshore Council and its members voted to endorse the proposed ILHS Climate Action Resolution.
Community Partners
  • Bob Swain, School Board Director - Report given by Rachel F. 
    Superintendent, staff, and the unions affected continue to review options for budget. A school board study session was last night, it is accessible online.  We have two new incoming board members, they have been attending the study sessions. There will be additional public study sessions and 6 community and family budget meetings. Next one is Nov 30th at 11 am online. If you have budget questions, email schoolboard@nsd.org so all board members get the email and copy Superintendent Tolley at superintendent@nsd.org. This ensures your question goes to all of the people who will make the decisions. The new board members will be sworn in 12/11.  The board liaison position will be elected then.​
  •  Community Partnerships & Volunteering Coordinator - Marco Garcia
    • Dec 7th | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Superintendent Engagement Session for East Asian Families | NSD Admin Offices
    • Get volunteer applications in if needed
    • Community Resource Fair with Bothell City Council is November 18th
              
  • Northshore Schools Foundation - Executive Director Cara Anderson-Ahrens
    • Hoping to partner with Northshore Council more. 
    • Their goal is to raise money to pump into Northshore schools, support teachers and building staff, and connect local businesses to schools. 
    • Care Teams in Northshore schools are still relevant and active. There should be one person at each school. Heather Erickson from Northshore Foundation can connect the staff member to the correct school representative.  Not every school has a family engagement specialist.
Council Committee Updates
  • Advocacy
    • Topics discussed at Legislative Assembly were supporting early education, more diverse workforce;  check out the WSPTA Advocacy recap for updates. Please plan to go to Olympia for Focus Day on Jan 15th.  Northshore Council Advocacy Co-VPs will be organizing people to attend in person. 
  • Events 
    • Presidents and Principals Luncheon went well. Save the date for District-wide Reflections Celebration on March 14, 2024 and Spring Recognition on June 7, 2024.
  • Membership 
    • As of November 14, 2023, Northshore has a total of 4421 members. 
  • Reflections
    • ​Local entries due to Council December 4th.  Reach out to Council Reflections Co-Chairs if you can help with judging.
  • Educational Speakers and Community Events Grants Program
    • ​Council received a few applications this cycle and have approved up to $250 grant for North Creek High School PTSA and Skyview Middle School PTSA for a Spanish speaking event. Submit applications by December 8 for the next grant cycle. A tip for successful grant approval includes collaborating with other schools to reach a wider audience.
Calendar Reminders
The President ended the meeting with a review of the upcoming events. All of the events dates and times are listed on the Northshore Council’s Calendar. 
  • Mar. 14 - Reflections Celebration
  • Jun 07 -  Spring Recognition

We hope to see you at our next General Meeting on January 16, 2024 at 7PM. 

You're Invited! General Membership Meeting 11/14

10/7/2023

 
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Northshore Council PTSA General Meeting
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
6:30 PM Meet & Greet
7 PM Meeting Begins

Register for Zoom Meeting Link: 
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtduqorjgrGdVXE-PHC18F7bvkuHv8VUuK
The Zoom link you receive will be unique to your registration. Please have each person attending register for a Zoom link. Thank you. 

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​Meet & Greet:
​​
Join us before the meeting, at 6:30PM, to chat with Council and other local PTA Leaders! Come say hi, ask questions, or just hang out for social time before the meeting.
Please join us at our next General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, November 14.

Meeting Agenda:
In addition to our regular business, we will hold an election for this year's Nominating Committee (Nom Com). Self-nominations opened on Oct. 19, 2023. Learn more about Nominating Committee and self nominate.  

Nom Com Update: Nominations closed on November 1 for Nominating Committee. View slate and election information here. 

​​Want to learn more about the Nominating Committee? WSPTA is offering two leadership trainings. Visit our training opportunities page for registration information. 
Agenda Update: Presentation by the ILHS's Climate Action Club
Northshore Council PTSA has invited members of Innovation Lab High School's Climate Action Club to present their proposal on "Washington State Declaring the Climate Emergency''. After hearing their presentation, our membership will be able to ask questions and have the opportunity to motion to vote on whether or not we would like to endorse this proposal.

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!

Questions? Email Council President, Rachel Fitzgerald at president@northshorecouncilptsa.org.

Save the Date - View calendar of future meeting dates.

September 18, 2023 Membership Meeting Recap

9/22/2023

 
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On September 18, 2023, Northshore Council PTSA held a virtual General Membership Meeting. We would like to say thank you to all of the local leaders from across the Northshore School District, as well as community and school partners for taking the time to join us!
​
Continue reading below for a recap of the meeting. 
​We had our first general meeting on September 18, 2023.  It started out with a land acknowledgement and general information on how to find out more about this important topic. 
 
Council Business
We reviewed the purpose of Council and the benefits of contacting Council for help.  Some of the advantages of Council is that we can help answer questions you may have in your local PTSA, communicate training, resolve conflict, or help you find answers on the Washington State PTA website.  As a reminder, Council will not ask to review your books or report you to any agency - we are not the PTA Police. We are here to support our local PTA leaders. View the PTA Leaders Resource Chart that was shared with members at the meeting. 

We had an open board position and Christine Roehnelt was elected Secretary for the 2023-2024 year. Installation of all Council members was made by WSPTA Finance Officer Liz Nord. 2022-2023 Council Co-President Mary Khouzam was recognized for all of her work last year.

During the meeting two breakout rooms were created. Membership Co-Chair Allison Torgesen​ presented and answered questions about memberplanet in one room while Brittany Hernandez, AIM representative, provided an overview of what you should know about your PTA insurance and answered questions in the second room.

The proposed budget for 2023-2024 was presented and approved by the members at the meeting.
 
Committee Updates
  • Advocacy – Update from Holly M. 
    • On 10/3 from 6-7 pm, Council will be hosting an in-person School Board Candidate Forum.  Submit possible questions to be asked at the forum by September 25, 2023 
    • Legislative Assembly will be held virtually on Oct 21 & Oct. 22. Registration is now open. 
    • Please join our Council hosted Advocacy Facebook Group for PTA leaders.
  • Events – Update from Melissa B.
    • Presidents and Principals is 10/26 from 11-12:30 at Brightwater Event Center. Digital invites will be emailed to the PTSA Presidents and Principals with a reservation link.
  • Membership – Update from Allison T.
    • Approx. 2100 members have joined Northshore PTA/PTSAs so far this year. There are only 7 PTAs that have not yet entered their members - that is good start for being so early in the year.
  • Reflections- Update by Jasmine F. 
    • I am Hopeful Because… is the theme for this year's 2023-2024 Reflections Program. 
    • Council is hosting two Reflections Roundtables on 9/25 and 10/4. In addition to the two Council Roundtables, Jasmine is also presenting Reflections Leaders Training for WSPTA on 9/21 at 6:30 p.m. and 10/7 at 9:00 a.m.
    • Student are invited to submit a theme to WSPTA for the 2025-2026 Reflections Program. Student with the winning theme will receive $100.  
  • Speaker and Events Grants Program – Update by Grace J. 
    • First grant cycle was this summer, Council did not receive any applications. 
    • Applications are open for the second Educational Speakers and Community Events grant cycle. 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 Community Events Grant. The grant deadline is 10/27.
 District and Community Partners
  • School Board Director Bob Swain  
    • The Northshore School District Graphics Center was cut from budget. Negotiations with a company/union are underway to explore third party printing. No official solution yet.      
      • In regards to the machines, no response yet as to what will happen to them. One machine was 100K to repair so that was taken into consideration when the print shop was closed. 
    • School design capital improvements are happening now with designers and committees. 
    • There is approximately $13.5 million saved from the Ruby Bridges building budget. This excess will stay in buildings and facilities. 
    • There will be budget cuts again next year, maybe $17-20 million. Board will be in study sessions to discuss cuts. 
    • Director Swain did not seek another term for School Board. Elisabeth Sotak, is running unopposed in the November election for his seat. The transition to the new school board member will take place after the election in December 2023. 
    • Student enrollment is approximately 200 more than budgeted.   
  • Dr. Srinivas Khedam – Assistant Director of Family Engagement and Resource Center at Northshore School District 
    • On 10/4 at 6:30 p.m. Superintendent Tolley will be hosting a Listening Session for Spanish Speaking families.
    • The Family Engagement and Resource Center opened this summer. They receive referrals of families from NSD staff. Staff will check in with the family to see what resources are needed and NSD partners with the state and local agencies and connects them to help. Goal is to eliminate barriers for students and families. More information is on their website.
    • Staff is currently working on 5 minute PowerPoint informational presentations, done by students. An example of a video they will do is “What is PTSA?”. 
    • He also shares his learning from immigrant communities.
 
The President ended the meeting with a review of the upcoming events. All of the events dates and times are listed on the Northshore Council’s Calendar. 

We hope to see you at our next General Meeting on November 14th at 7 pm.  

Second Notice of Election: Secretary

9/10/2023

 
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Northshore Council PTSA will be holding a virtual election for its open board position of Secretary. 
 
The slated candidate is as follows:
Secretary: Christine Roehnelt

Virtual nominations for this position closed on Thursday, September 7, 2023.


Election Information:
Since the position of Secretary was not contested, the election will be by voice vote at the next General Meeting on Monday, September 18, 2023, at 7 PM.
​
Questions? Email Council President Rachel Fitzgerald.

2023-2024 E-Prep Chair Meetings

9/7/2023

 
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​You are invited to join our Council Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) Chair meetings. Anyone in the PTA/PTSA is welcome to attend. The online meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month starting on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

We encourage local PTA/PTSA E-Prep chairs to attend and or Presidents and/or Vice Presidents or delegates. In this meeting we share and obtain updates from the NSD Safety team and discuss opportunities where the PTA can provide support to our schools in the areas of emergency preparedness, safety, and security.  
​E-Prep Chair Meetings
First Tuesday of each month
Time: 11 am - 12pm
Click to Register for Zoom link
2023 Meetings
  • Oct 3, 2023 
  • Nov 7, 2023 
  • Dec 5, 2023 
2024 Meetings
  • Jan 2, 2024 
  • Feb 6, 2024 
  • Mar 5, 2024 
  • Apr 2, 2024
  • May 7, 2024 
  • Jun 4, 2024 
​We look forward to seeing you. Feel free to contact Council E-Prep Chair Robin McKenzie if you have any questions at eprep@northshorecouncilptsa.org.

Learn more about E-Prep and how to get involved. 

You're Invited! General Membership Meeting 9/18

8/11/2023

 
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Northshore Council PTSA General Meeting
Monday, September 18, 2023
6:30 PM Meet & Greet
7 PM Meeting Begins

Register for Zoom Meeting Link: 
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtduqorjgrGdVXE-PHC18F7bvkuHv8VUuK
The Zoom link you receive will be unique to your registration. Please have each person attending register for a Zoom link. Thank you. 
​Please join us for the first General Membership Meeting for the 2023 - 2024 school year! 

Meeting Agenda:
In addition to our regular business, we will hold an election for 2023-2024 position of Secretary. Self Nominations are open now and close on Sept. 07, 2003. More information on how to self-nominate is posted here on our website. 

​There will be two PTA Educational Sessions to learn more about AIM and memberplanet. 

Second Notice of Election:
update 9/11/23

As there is only one candidate for the position of Secretary, the election will be conducted via voice vote. Click to read the Second Notice of Election.

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Meet & Greet:
​​
Join us before the meeting, at 6:30PM, to chat with Council and other local PTA Leaders! Come say hi, ask questions, or just hang out for social time before the meeting.

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!

Questions? Email Council President, Rachel Fitzgerald at president@northshorecouncilptsa.org.

Save the Date - View calendar of future meeting dates.

January 19, 2023 Membership Meeting Recap

6/30/2023

 
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On Thursday, January 19, 2023, Northshore Council PTSA held its third General Membership meeting of the school year.

We would like to say thank you to all of the local leaders from across the district, as well as community and school partners for taking the time to join us!
Continue reading below for a recap of the meeting. ​
Meeting Recap: 

Council Business
  • After reviewing and approving the meeting minutes from our November General Membership meeting, Council Treasurer Serena Xu presented the December 2022 financial report for review, as well as reporting SOA updates.

  • Next up was the 2023 Nominating Committee election. Jane Chiodo, Cherry Holmes, and Laura Staneff were elected to serve on this year’s Nominating Committee. Nominating Committee training will be available on February 3rd for all PTAs.

Community Partners
  • We next heard from our community partners. School Board Director Bob Swain provided an update on the Northshore School District Superintendent search, Bond and Levy Capital Projects, and the Student Safety and Health and Wellness Task Force.
    • Superintendent Search: The search process began in November 2022, with the hiring of GR Recruiting. GR Recruiting met with 40 different community and school individuals and compiled a list of qualifications for a prospective superintendent based on their feedback. The application submission deadline is February 6th. The Top applications that meet the requested criteria will be given to the School Board on February 21st. The top 2 or 3 candidates will be presented at Town Hall meetings for the public to ask questions.

    • Bond and Levy Capital Projects: Projects are going through the design stage, and will then move to the building stage.

    • Student Safety and Health and Wellness Task Force: The Task Force is comprised of 29 students, school staff, parents, and community members. They will present their recommendations in April 2023.

  • Executive Director of Communications for Northshore School District, Carri Campbell, presented an update for NSD Community Partnerships and Volunteers.
    • State of Our Schools: This event will be held on February 8, 2023, from 8 am – 9 am. Council leaders and PTA presidents are invited to attend. The event will be live streamed for those who cannot attend in person.

    • ParentSquare: ParentSquare, a new Northshore School District communication app launches on Monday, January 23, 2023 for school admin and office staff. Families will receive invites to download the app as soon as Monday. Parent Square will better support all languages and dialects. Jennifer Piplic provided a brief demonstration of ParentSquare to those in attendance.

Council Committees
  • Advocacy – Jennifer Drury
    • ​Jennifer shared WSPTA’s Focus on Advocacy Week 2023 will be the week of February 6th. Please visit Council or WSPTA websites to sign up for action alerts. Focus Day 2023 will be on February 20th. PTA members are invited to Olympia for Focus Day to meet with legislators. Transportation is being coordinated. Please complete the survey if you are interested in attending.  

  • Membership – Kimberly Ortiz
    • ​We are currently at 96% of last year’s membership across Northshore PTAs. Congratulations to the eight PTAs who have received the WSPTA Membership Platinum Growth Award already this school year. They are Bothell High School PTSA, Cottage Lake Elementary PTA, Frank Love Elementary PTA, Kenmore Middle School PTSA, Shelton View Elementary, Sorenson PTA, Timbercrest Middle  School PTSA, and Woodinville High School PTSA.

  • Reflections – Jasmine Lee Fry (presented by Mary Khouzam)
    • Submissions for WSPTA Reflections are being entered, and local PTA leaders have been informed that submissions have been received.

  • Grants – Mary Khouzam
    • ​The application deadline for Educational Speakers and Community Events grant is on January 27, 2023. PTAs interested in partnering with Council should submit their application.

Reminders
  • The next General Membership Meeting is on March 20th, 2023. The results of a recent poll asking attendees about their meeting preferences for meeting in person or virtually showed a majority preference for meeting virtually. Therefore, the March 20th meeting will be held via Zoom.

  • Council is still looking for a VP of Events, and a FACE chair. Please contact Council Co-Presidents if you are interested in serving on Council.

Meeting adjourned at 8:45pm by Mary Khouzam.
​

Online Meeting Hosting Available for Your PTA!

6/20/2023

 
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Northshore Council will provide Online Meeting Hosting for local PTAs/PTSAs this 2023 - 2024 school year!
This can be used by any local PTA/PTSA that wants Council to host a Zoom meeting for them. Please note that max number of attendees is 100 and that this service is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Here is how it works:
  • Complete an online form to request a meeting date. 
  • Council Zoom host(s) will receive a notification upon submission. Host(s) will verify there is availability for the requested date/time including confirmation that a Council representative can stay for the duration of the meeting.
  • Once a determination is made, the PTA/PTSA requesting will be contacted with either confirmation (and zoom info) or notice that the date/time is unavailable.
  • Three (3) weeks prior to meeting, Council Zoom Host will send an email to reconfirm date and timeas requested. You will need to respond to this email at least two (2) weeks prior to your meeting or you risk having your meeting time cancelled. 
  • At the time of the meeting, a Council Zoom host will start the meeting and then pass host privileges to whomever the local PTA/PTSA designates. If at any point during the meeting there is an issue and the meeting needs to be restarted, the local PTA/PTSA representative will have access to text or message the Council Zoom host to have the meeting restarted.

​Questions? Contact us!

May 15, 2023 Membership Meeting Recap

6/2/2023

 
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On Monday, May 15th, Council held their last general membership meeting of the 2022-2023 school year. Council members were joined by local leaders, community members, and parents from across the district.
Continue reading below for a recap of the meeting. ​
Parent Education Presentation
The evening started with a presentation from Lake Washington Institute of Technology and Cascadia College titled “Community & Technical College: Preparing Students for Their Future”. This parent education event was organized by Brenae Brix, Council’s VP of Secondary Support, and included a Q&A session. For anyone wanting more information or to bring this presentation to their school community, email Brenae at vpsupportsec@northshorecouncilptsa.org.
 
Council Business
Following the presentation, Council business was accomplished. We approved the March 20,2023 General Membership Meeting Minutes, presented the April 2023 Treasurer’s Report, reported that our Annual Corporate Renewal was completed, and updated our membership that we had sent in a donation to the Washington State PTA College Scholarship Fund in accordance with our budget. We also held an election for Council’s 2023-2024 Office of VP of Events. We are excited to announce that Melissa Bennett was elected to this role! We are still looking to elect a Secretary as no nominations were submitted. To find out more about this position and other volunteer opportunities for next year’s Council, visit:  http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/council-blog/council-volunteer-opportunities-for-2023-2024.
 
Council Co-President, Rachel Fitzgerald, then gave the following updates and reminders to the membership:
  • Local PTAs were asked to update their newly elected officers into memberplanet and into Northshore Council’s Contact Document: http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/council-blog/time-to-update-2023-2024-leaders-contact-information-with-council.
  • A thank you card from Northshore School Board Director McGourty was read out that thanked Council for the staff appreciation video that was put together for NSD and included thank you messages from Northshore PTA members to Northshore Staff. View the video here: http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/council-blog/we-appreciate-northshore-school-district-staff.
  • They also gave a recap of Washington State PTA’s reimagined convention. This year the annual event was broken up into two separate parts. The first was a virtual business meeting on April 29th and 30th where Members elected the 2023-2025 Board of Directors and voted on changes to the Washington State PTA Bylaws. The second was the in person spring conference on May 5th and 6th which had several leaders from PTAs and PTSAs in Northshore in attendance. The in-person event was not only a lot of fun, but a great opportunity to receive annual training and connect with PTA leaders from across Northshore and the state!

Council Committee Reports
The next part of our meeting was our Council Committee Reports.
Spring Recognition Celebration: Updates from Mary Khouzam. This event will be held on June 6th from 10:30-12:30 at Brightwater Community Center. Updates included reminding local PTAs to contact their President in order to RSVP and to submit their award recipients for recognition at the Council level. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekeNRBGfw7qzuQNA1alhcZq4DZkQirh3Ht8vJSgpWIkFVSQw/viewform
Special Education Chairs: Laura Staneff reported on their recent meeting with Assistant Superintendent Obadiah Dunham discussing supports for neurodiverse students and gave an update on where they were at in the process of forming of a new Special Education PTSA in NSD.
Membership: Kim Ortiz announced that Membership across Northshore PTAs is at 101% of last year with a total of 5521 members! There were special shoutouts to Shelton View PTA, Bothell High School PTSA, and Frank Love PTA for having the highest percent increase of members. We also gave a reminder to local PTAs to utilize the end of the year database checklist provided by WSPTA: https://www.wastatepta.org/pta-leaders/leader-resources/leadership-guides/
Advocacy: Jennifer Drury reported on her recent meeting with fellow Council board member Melissa Kline and School Board Directors Amy Cast and Sandy Hayes where they discussed overcrowding and communication between city and county councils and the school district. There were updates about the upcoming school board elections including working with the incoming Co-VPs of Advocacy on hosting a candidate forum. Jen also let us know that Washington State PTAs Legislative Session Scorecard is available to see what passed and what didn’t and that a draft of the conclusions of the Student Wellness and Safety Task Force from Northshore Schools is available to view.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Chair: Cherry Holmes gave a recap of our parent ed event “Northshore Panel Discussion: Beyond Black and White” in partnership with RARE. Feedback from attendees was that they really appreciated the event.
 
We ended the meeting with some timely calendar reminders.
  • May 15 is the last day to submit award nominations for Council’s Awards.
  • Friday May 20 is the last day to sign up for group registration for the National PTA Convention which is virtual.
  • A Grant Cycle will be held right at the start of next school year with submissions due on September 4.
  • Washington State PTA will host an Autumn Leadership Launch on August 25-26. Registration should open soon.
To see our full calendar, visit http://www.northshorecouncilptsa.org/calendar.html. We will be updating this page over the summer to include events for 2023-2024 so please make sure to check back often and read your summer eNews to keep up-to-date on all things Northshore Council PTSA!
 
We want to thank all the volunteers, district employees, and community members who attended this meeting and all the previous meetings held this year. We hope you will continue to join us for our General Membership Meetings in the 2023-2024 school year.
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March 20, 2023 Membership Meeting Recap

5/19/2023

 
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On March 20th, 2023, Northshore Council PTSA held a virtual General Membership Meeting. We would like to say thank you to all of the local leaders from across the Northshore School District, as well as community and school partners for taking the time to join us!
Continue reading below for a recap of the meeting. 
District and Community Partners:
We welcomed NSD’s Director of Food Services Juliana Fisher as our guest speaker. Ms. Fisher shared with us that about 2500 NSD students qualify for Free and Reduced rate breakfasts and lunches, but unfortunately only a fraction of them are currently enrolled in the program. As a result, Food Services is partnering with schools to make sure that all families are aware of the benefits and services to their students, and to encourage them to sign up if they qualify for the program. Ms. Fisher also shared with us that Food Services has faced some recent challenges due to the COVID pandemic and the impact that it had on providing meals at all schools. The main challenges have been a decrease in staffing, as well as supply chain issues. These issues have impacted the capacity for menu varieties, scratch cooking, cultural access, increasing vegetarian/vegan options, and cultural/linguistic/emotional access. Recently, Food Services created and implemented a picture food menu for our schools, which has been a hit with some of our students! Thank you, Ms. Fisher, for joining us and sharing with us how NSD Food Services continues to feed our students in our schools!

Council Business:
Council Treasurer Serena Xu presented the February Financial Report for review and approval, as well as the proposed Council budget for the 2023-2024 school year. Many thanks to the Council Budget committee (Mary Khouzam, Rachel Fitzgerald, Serena Xu, Brenae Brix, and Melissa Kline) for all of your hard work in helping create and proposing the new Council budget! Serena also shared with us that the Standard of Affiliation (SOA) is complete, and all elected Council officers have completed all of their required training, including PTA and the Law. Speaking of the SOA, Council Board member Diana Christiansen shared that 6 NSD schools participated in our SOA Raffle Drawing. The participating schools were Lockwood Elementary, Innovation Lab High School, Woodin Elementary, Frank Love Elementary, Cottage Lake Elementary, and Canyon Creek Elementary. The winner of the SOA Raffle Drawing is Lockwood Elementary! Congratulations, Lockwood! 

Council Nominating Committee member Cherry Holmes presented nominees for Council Executive Officers, and a vote was taken to approve the nominations. Our new Council Executive Board for the 2023-2024 school year are as follows: 

President - Rachel Fitzgerald
Vice President - Grace Jurado
Treasurer - Brenae Brix
Co-VP of Advocacy - Holly Muenchow 
Co-VP of Advocacy - Terra Droney
VP of Communications - Jennifer Snyder
VP of Elementary Support - Diana Christiansen
VP of Secondary Support - Jennifer Drury

Congratulations, new Executive Board members!

We currently have two Executive Board positions that we need to fill. Those positions are Secretary and VP of Events. If you like keeping accurate records and creating meeting minutes and newsletters, or if you love throwing parties or events, please consider throwing your name in the hat for one of these roles. ​Council will continue to seek volunteers for the OPEN positions of Secretary and VP of Events with the goal of holding an election at our General Membership Meeting on May 15, 2023.

Advocacy Chair Jen Drury gave thanks to all of those involved in advocating for the best superintendent candidates, and thanks, also, to all of those who spent time during this last Washington State Legislative Session advocating for the Special Education bill, which passed in the Senate. Thank you, advocates! Half a dozen of advocates, including parents, spent much time in Zoom meetings with our legislators, and 2 dozen NSD parents, students, Superintendent Tolley, NSD school staff, and school board members traveled to Olympia on February 20th to meet with our state legislators and shared their voices in advocating for things that impact our students and our schools. Thank you for all of your advocacy!

On behalf of the Grant Committee Chair (Grace Jurado, who as unable to join us), Mary Khouzam shared that another round for grant application submissions was open until March 24th, and the Council Awards Nominations form will be available soon.

Reflections Chair Jasmine Fry shared that online showcasing is now available on Council’s website, and several NSD students did well! Carissa P. from Leota Middle School is advancing to National Reflections for Videography. Congratulations, Carissa! 

After several other committee updates, including info for an upcoming Mental Health Fair on May 23rd at Skyview Middle School, and a reminder that the Washington State PTA Convention will be held in May at the Bellevue Hilton, Co-Chair President, Mary Khouzam, brought our meeting to a close by reminding us that planning for Council’s Spring Recognition Even is underway, and details will be shared shortly. To help determine the time of day that works best for attendance, Mary shared a link to a poll asking us if a morning event time or an afternoon event time works best for each of us. 

Thank you to everyone who took time to join us!

​
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