Over the past few years, Moorlands Elementary PTA has been working on campus beautification, beginning with the installation of a bottle cap mural and culminating in the completion of a garden surround. The years of effort have resulted in a school entrance that is both beautiful and welcoming.

Bottle cap art mural – The bottle-cap mural which serves as a colorful backdrop to the new garden was originally completed in 2016. This collaborative project was an experience of tremendous support and community-building and so many positive lessons for Moorlands students. The process has done so much more than just teach students about the environment and using recycled materials to make something beautiful. The lessons that it has taught them in pulling together resources, goal-setting, project process and hard work and perseverance has been invaluable in their educational experience. They all have such pride and ownership of their work now that the see the mural up on campus. They will never look at another bottle cap the same-- and many have expressed interest in making their own bottle cap art project, so this experience really doesn’t end here.

The Garden: In the spring of 2018 a garden committee was created.  The support within the Moorlands community was overwhelming to move forward with finishing the beautification project since everyone was so proud of the mural.  The garden was built to be used-- for families and visitors to walk the path, sit on the bench, smell the flowers and admire the beloved mural.  Garden Chair Janna Snider elaborated, "My hope for the garden is that staff will use the space for meetings on sunny days,  for class volunteers to take small groups outdoors to read and discuss literature, a place to calm a child down who is struggling, and for parents to take their child’s picture on the first day of Kindergarten.  It is truly a community space for all to enjoy."

Congratulations to Moorlands PTA and to the Moorlands Elementary community on completion of this amazing collaborative project! #PTAProud

25 volunteers, 5 work parties, 15 yards of dirt removed, 14 new yards added, and 175 plants!  The bench, paid for by the PTA and made out of recycled milk bottles, was custom made for Moorlands and measures about 19’ long.

Thank you to Janna Snider, Garden Chair, Moorlands PTA, for sharing her before and after project photos!

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

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

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

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

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

Finally, the membership of Northshore Council PTSA voted to adopt a Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Resolution. The idea to make this a PTA resolution came from Moorlands PTA member (and librarian) Crystal Ellis. Crystal lost her two-year old son to a tragic accident involving an unsafe dresser. She has turned her grief into action, founding Parents Against Tip-Overs and advocating with members of Congress for legislation that would lead to safer furniture. Northshore Council PTSA will now submit the Furniture Tip-Over Prevention Resolution for adoption at the National PTA Convention in 2020.

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

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

Applications are now being accepted for Northshore Council PTSA's 2019-2020 Educational Speakers & Events Grant Program!

Now in its second year, the program is designed to help support Northshore PTAs/PTSAs in hosting educational speakers and community events. Local PTAs may apply for grants through a simple application process. Grants are reviewed by the Council Board of Directors and are funded through the Council Programs budget. Grants are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis until the allocated funds for the year are used in their entirety.

To apply, complete the application and return to Northshore Council PTSA by the submission deadline. Check out the Speaker & Event Grants page for a list of all 2019-2020 submission and review dates. The first grant submission deadline is Friday, October 11, 2019.

Download the 2019-2020 application:
NORTHSHORE COUNCIL PTSA GRANT REQUEST FOR EDUCATIONAL SPEAKERS AND EVENTS, 2019-2020

Events supported in 2018-2019 included:

• Tobacco use is changing, are you keeping up? - in partnership with Northshore School District
  
• Digital Safety 101 - in partnership with Skyview PTSA
  
• Screenagers - in partnership with Leota PTSA
  
• Child Internet Safety - in partnership with Woodmoor PTSA
  
• Thrive During Life's Challenges - in partnership with Bothell High School PTSA
  
• "Padres Unidos - Familias Seguras" - in partnership with Northshore MS PTSA & Woodmoor PTSA - a series of 6 parent education workshops for Spanish-speaking families
  
• Strong Start: Taking with Your Child about Puberty  - in partnership with Woodin PTA
  

Questions about the grant program? Please contact Jane Chiodo.

Local PTAs typically will invite their principal, executive team and their local award winners (e.g., Golden Acorn, Outstanding Educator, Outstanding Advocate, etc.). 'Official' invites will be available soon, but in order to allow their honored guests time to plan for the event, local PTAs are encouraged to begin making their invitations to administrators and board members now and to award winners as soon as they have been announced.  

Traditionally, each Local PTA is responsible for the cost of its attendees. The cost this year is $20/person.

Please write a check for your whole group to Northshore Council PTSA. 

Mail Checks To:
Spring Recognition Breakfast
PO. Box 1001, Bothell, WA 98048. 

More information or questions? Visit our Spring Recognition Breakfast page or contact Stacey Meyer at ncptsaspringbreakfast@gmail.com or at 425-293-4666.

Community Serve Day is a collaborative effort between local churches, school districts, PTSA’s, non-profits, and businesses that mobilize as one for our community. For one day we come together to help schools get ready for the new school year, preparing classrooms and school grounds to become a premier learning environment for our kids. Projects include helping teachers set up classrooms, as well as improving the campuses through painting, repairs, beautification, and more. Community Serve Day 2019 will take place on Sunday, August 25th, from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Community members and families are encouraged to volunteer to help in this effort and all ages are welcome!  Sign up at communityserveday.org starting in early April. Once registered, volunteers will receive information and instructions regarding their selected site projects via email.

Three new schools will be participating in this year's event: Sunrise Elementary, Wellington Elementary and Inglemoor High School. The graphic below lists all of the participating schools and site leaders.

Note: site leaders are still needed for schools that do not have one listed. The Site Leader's role is to plan and coordinate with the principal and NSD Facilities, plan/place volunteers on various projects, and serve as the contact for questions specific to one's school. If you have suggestions for someone who may be a great site leader, contact Tim King (Northshore Community Church).

PTAs/PTSAs are encouraged to support Community Serve Day in a number of different ways:

• Collaborate with the Site Leader
  
• Volunteer to participate
• Recruit volunteers to sign up
• Serve refreshments and lunch at the event (some schools use it as a sort of kick-off to their PTSA year!)
  

PTA/PTSA timeline for this year's event:

For more information about Community Serve Day and to sign up to volunteer, visit: communityserveday.org.

Questions? Project contacts:

• Tim King (Northshore Community Church)
  
• Natalie Campbell (Northsore School DIstrict)
• Website: communityserveday.org
  

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.

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!

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.

Questions? Contact Melissa Kline.

As of January 1, 2019, the following Northshore PTAs/PTSAs have earned 2018-19 WSPTA Membership Awards:

Northshore Council PTAs/PTSAs have 7,546 members so far this year. We need your help to meet our Council goal of 8,600! There is still time to make that happen and to earn an award for your PTA as well! Think about what you can do to promote membership this winter and remind your community about the value and importance of joining PTA! Questions? Need ideas? Contact our Council Membership Chiars, Sherry Rudolph and Mary Khouzam.