Calling All PTA Advocates for Mental Health Awareness Council's Mental Health Committee has been noticing inconsistencies with the accessibility to a school's mental health resources. We are asking our local leaders to take a few minutes to check out the website for their school to determine the following:
After checking out your school's website, if you find these things hard to locate or not available, we encourage you to advocate with your school office staff and principal to get these things included. If your school is already doing a great job at making mental health information accessible, we would love to know! Please email the link to your school's website so we can share it as a resource with other PTA leaders and schools looking to improve their mental health accessibility and awareness. Last night at the January 20th General Membership Meeting Council's Board of Directors put forward the issue of supporting the bond and levies that are on the February ballot. During this meeting we presented both the pro and con positions on the issue before calling for a motion to determine our PTSA’s support of or opposition to the bond and levies. Council would like to announce that the motion to support the Northshore School District Bond & Levies on the February 8th Ballot was passed unanimously. Resources to Learn More about the Bond & Levies, including the Pro and Con Positions General Bond & Levies Info: https://www.nsd.org/our-district/overview/bond-levies Pro Position Info: https://citizensfornorthshoreschools.org/ Con Position Info: https://www.nsdstudentsfirst.com/home Voter Information & Resources February 8th, 2022 Special Election Dates & Voter Registration Information January 21st - Ballots are mailed out and Accessible Voting Units (AVUs) are available at voting centers. January 31st - Last day for voters to register or update voter information online February 8th - Last day for voters to register or update voter information in person by 8pm February 8th - *Special Election Day* Deposit your ballot in an official drop box by 8pm Additional Resources King County Ballot Information Snohomish County Ballot Information Voter information and registration can be found at http://vote.wa.gov/.
The Final Deadline has been Extended for Council's Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program! The Northshore Council PTSA’s Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program is designed to help support local PTAs in hosting relevant and timely speakers for our district families and to encourage them to create engaging events for our community. ALL local PTAs, within the Northshore School District and in good standing, may apply for a grant through a simple application process. EXTENDED Final deadline is February 1, 2022! Not sure what to apply for? Check out some of the programs supported through this grant program on our past recipients page. Learn more about our grants program by clicking here. Download & Print the 2021-2022 Grants Application Form. Questions? Email us! Northshore Council PTSA is proud to announce the recipients of our 2nd round of Educational Speakers & Community Events Grants for 2021-2022!
Local PTAs/PTSAs interested in partnering with Northshore Council PTSA to host speakers or events are able to apply for a Northshore Council PTSA Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant. 2021-2022 grants are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis and applications will be reviewed by the Northshore Council PTSA until the Council Programs budget is used in its entirety. The submission deadline for the final round of Educational Speakers & Community Events Grants has been extended to February 1st, 2022. For more information about the grants program, visit our Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program page. You are invited to an upcoming FREE Parent Education event, "Laying the Groundwork for a More Supportive and Aware Community Around Gender Diversity"
These sessions are intended for families, caregivers, educators, and community members. Students are welcome to attend, however content (and terminology used) may be more suited for middle & high school students. Registration is required to attend. Deadline to register is Wednesday, February 2nd at 4pm. There is NO requirement to attend both sessions, however only Session 1 will be recorded and shared. Information Regarding Session 1: Join gender education specialist Aidan Key with Gender Diversity in examining the topic of gender diversity in children and teens, the challenges faced by these children youth and their families, exploring current research and identifying the best approaches for creating inclusive, supportive environments for these children. In our TWO PART WEBINAR, Aidan Key will address several key objectives (as well as several more):
Information Regarding Session 2: Kids have questions. Adults have questions. We can get them answered in Session 2! NOW IS THE TIME to get clarity from a reliable source. Questions may arise like these:
If you already have questions, please include them in your registration so the presenters can prepare in advance. This event is co-hosted by Arrowhead Elementary PTA, Canyon Creek Elementary PTA, Canyon Park Middle School PTSA, Cottage Lake Elementary PTA, Hollywood Hill Elementary PTA, Kenmore Elementary PTA, Lockwood Elementary PTA, Northshore Council PTSA, Northshore Middle School PTSA, PACE @ Lockwood Elementary, PACE @ Wellington Elementary, Ruby Bridges Elementary PTSA, Shelton View Elementary PTA, Skyview Middle School PTSA, Sunrise Elementary PTA, Wellington Elementary PTA, Westhill Elementary PTSA, and Woodin Elementary PTA.
Don’t Wait - Applications are now being accepted for Council's Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program! The Northshore Council PTSA’s Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program is designed to help support local PTAs in hosting relevant and timely speakers for our district families and to encourage them to create engaging events for our community. ALL local PTAs, within the Northshore School District and in good standing, may apply for a grant through a simple application process. Next deadline is January 21, 2022! Not sure what to apply for? Check out some of the programs supported through this grant program on our past recipients page. Learn more about our grants program by clicking here. Download & Print the 2021-2022 Grants Application Form. Questions? Email us! Last month Council held their 2nd General Meeting of the 2021-2022 school year. We appreciate all the local leaders from across the district as well as community and school partners who took the time to attend! Continue reading for a recap of this meeting.
General Updates from President Jane Chiodo:
Council Business: The minutes from the September 2021 meeting were approved as written. Council's AIM insurance for the year was renewed and paid for in October. The mid year financial review committee was appointed while the election for the Nominating Committee was postponed until the next membership meeting. Guest Speakers:
Council Reports:
We hope you will join us for our next General Membership Meeting on January 20th, 2022 @ 7pm. For a full list of our upcoming meetings and events, check out our Calendar. In our area of the Pacific Northwest, many of us suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Often when the seasons change to fall and winter and the days get shorter and darker, we might feel sad and not ourselves. We may have trouble sleeping, overeating, and have low motivation. Not only is SAD common in people with depressive disorders, but also those with anxiety, panic, or eating disorders, and those with ADHD. SAD affects mostly women, and generally the onset is between ages 20-30 years of age. This means it may not affect our children as much as us caregivers. We need to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of our loved ones. While it is not fully known what causes SAD, research shows that low levels of the brain chemical serotonin plays a large role, as well as high levels of melatonin. Both of these help maintain daily body rhythms, along with sufficient levels of vitamin D. Traditional treatments include light therapy, vitamin D, talking to a therapist, and possibly some medications. Additionally, with the holidays approaching, even more of us may suffer the Holiday Blues. This time of year can bring more anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, unrealistic expectations, and even memories of the past that can lead to sadness. It might be helpful to remember that the Holiday Blues are short term, however, the effects can still feel all-consuming and should be taken seriously. Here are a few ideas for Avoiding the Holiday Blues and SAD: Get plenty of sleep Keep routines Exercise, even a little Sit by a sunny window Keep things simple Eat a well-balanced diet Set reasonable expectations and boundaries Do things that make you happy Take time for yourself to recharge Don’t overschedule If these coping strategies do not help, consider talking to your doctor or your mental health professional. Check out these links for more information:
Tips for Managing the Holiday Blues | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Seasonal Affective Disorder (nih.gov) Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) | Mental Health America (mhanational.org) This article was brought to you by Northshore Council's Mental Health Committee. Visit our Mental Health Awareness Resources page to learn more about this committee and the other resources they have provided. Each year, Northshore Council PTSA requests a list of district families that have opted in to receiving communications from the Northshore School District. Council is happy to share this information with the Local PTA’s that request it from us for the purposes of PTA/PTSA communications. Requests should be made to our Council Secretaries - Cheri Hardin and Pauline Wray - and must come from the local PTA president only. Along with your directory list, we will send a copy of our 2021 Communications Guidelines for Student Directory regarding responsible use of this information. Please allow up to 1 week for your directory request to be processed. What happens if you have a vacant officer position? If your nominating committee has had no luck finding a candidate to fill a position, if you have started the year with an empty officer position, or if one of your officers resigns from their position mid-year, here is the WSPTA recommended procedure that you should follow. NOTE: You do not have to create a nominating committee to find someone for this empty position! A nominating committee is only formed to find qualified nominees for the election that happens in the Spring for your next school year. Your executive committee can appoint a person to fill the vacant office. The appointed officer acts in an "interim" capacity until you can find a person that wants to step into the position in an official capacity and you can elect them OR until the appointed interim officer can be officially elected into their position at the next membership meeting. An interim officer at a local PTA/PTSA has no limitations on what they can/cannot do. An interim officer assumes all the rights and duties of that position. From the WSPTA Uniform Bylaws: If a vacancy occurs in a local PTA or council office, the executive committee may appoint a member to fill the vacancy until the next membership meeting. At the next membership meeting, nominations shall be made from the floor with the consent of the nominee. The election shall be by ballot vote. A majority vote is necessary to elect. The election may be by voice vote if only one candidate is nominated for an office. The newly elected officer shall immediately assume the duties of the office. To learn more about nominating committee, elections, and officer resignations or removals see:
If you are still have questions or are in need of guidance, please reach out to Council - we are here to help! |
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