 WA State PTA's 100% Staff Membership Award is presented to local PTAs that enroll at least as many school staff members as there are full-time certificated employees at the school. This award recognizes the value of teachers and school staff as stakeholders advocating for all children through PTA membership. PTAs must be in good standing and submit a completed application form by March 15, 2022 to be eligible for this award. Recipients of the 100% Staff Membership Award will be recognized at the WSPTA convention in the spring. Check out the below flyer put together by Washington State PTA to help determine if you are eligible for this award! Click here to download or print the flyer. 
💡 Membership Tip: To show appreciation for teachers & staff when they join, consider printing a certificate to give them to highlight their special recognition in your PTA. You can even ask them to display this certificate in their classroom/office - a perfect way to help promote joining your PTA to others! Click here to download, save, and customize the certificate shown below.    As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, Council would like to take time to give thanks and we hope that you will as well. We also would like to recognize that November is Native American Heritage Month and as part of PTA's mission of inclusivity, we honor and stand with our Native American neighbors. We hope that as you spend time with friends and family this holiday weekend giving thanks, that you will also take time to support Indigenous American communities.
Resources to learn more about Native American Heritage Month and Supporting Indigenous Peoples
 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. CONGRATULATIONS to all our local PTAs/PTSAs! As of Thursday, November 18th, as a combined group, Northshore PTAs had officially passed their membership total from last year! All the hard work on your membership campaigns this year is paying off. Here at Council, we are #PTAProud and so impressed by everything you have done!
Council's goal for our combined Northshore PTAs is to have 6,000 members this year. We encourage all of our local PTAs/PTSAs to continue to promote the value of membership. For tips and resources in doing so, visit our Membership page. Additionally, you can always reach out to Council's Co-Chairs of Membership, Hanisha Bakshani and Melissa Kline.
 You are invited to join Council's next Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) Chair meeting!
Anyone in PTA/PTSA is welcome to attend our meetings, and we encourage all local PTA/PTSA E-Prep chairs to attend as well as PTA/PTSA 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. Date: Tuesday, December 7th Time: 11:00 AM to Noon, Pacific Time (US and Canada) Zoom Link & Passcode: Available upon request If you would like the zoom link and passcode in order to attend this meeting, or have questions concerning Emergency Preparedness, please email Council's E-Prep Co-Chairs, Tracy Jokisch & Robin McKenzie. We look forward to seeing you!   On Wednesday, November 17th we had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Kendra Read, Ph.D. titled "Identifying and Addressing Youth Anxiety". Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns youth face. While it is a normal emotional experience, it can grow to become incredibly distressing and interfering, particularly during a global pandemic. When anxiety is present, caregivers (parents, educators, family members) have an important role in helping youth identify anxiety and encouraging and reinforcing brave vs. anxious behavior. In the video below, Kendra Read, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, discusses how to identify, understand, and begin to intervene in cases of problematic anxiety. We want to thank Dr. Read for the informational and engaging presentation. If you missed it or want to listen again, we have made a recording of this presentation available, which can be viewed by clicking the image below. Please note, this recording does not include the live Q&A portion. BIO: Kendra Read, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, the Director of the Mood & Anxiety Program and Director of Anxiety Programs at Seattle Children’s. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA under the mentorship of Philip Kendall, Ph.D., and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department. Dr. Read specializes in the treatment of youth with anxiety disorders and OCD from a cognitive behavioral therapy perspective. Her research interests include understanding factors that contribute to treatment outcome, and the dissemination and implementation of CBT for anxiety disorders. This event is brought to you by the Northshore Council Mental Health Committee. For questions, please email [email protected]  Click the image above to watch the recording of the Parent Education Presentation, "Identifying and Addressing Youth Anxiety" from November 17th, 2021. |
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Northshore Council PTSA is a welcoming organization that works to support our local PTAs and serve the children and youth of our community through advocacy, collaboration, education, engagement, leadership, and mentorship.