November 14, 2023 Membership Meeting Recap

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!
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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.