Applications* are now being accepted for Northshore Council PTSA's 2021-2022 Educational Speakers and Community Events Grant Program!
This program is designed to help support Northshore 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. Learn more about our grants program by clicking here. Download & Print the 2021-2022 Grants Application Form *2021-2022 grants are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis where applications will be reviewed by the Northshore Council PTSA or until the Council Programs budget is used in its entirety. Submission Deadlines for Applications September 24, 2021 (Review by Council on Oct. 4th) November 26, 2021 (Review by Council on Dec. 6th) January 21, 2022 (Review by Council on Feb. 1st) Looking for a speaker or event to bring to your community? Check out our past Grant Recipients and our Community Resource Page for inspiration. Questions? Email us! Northshore Council is continuing to provide Online Meeting Hosting for local PTAs/PTSAs this 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. Here is how it will work:
Questions? Contact us! All great Membership Campaigns start the same way: with a plan! ![]() As you begin to coordinate your 2021-2022 membership plans, think about the reasons why families and staff should join.
This year it's more important than ever to kick off your campaign and start entering those memberships because Washington State PTA has a **new** requirement. This year, in order to remain in good standing, your PTA/PTSA must have at LEAST 25 members entered into memberplanet by October 31, 2021 AND must enter any memberships received into memberplanet no more than 30 days after someone joins. Why is it important to remain in good standing? If you want to attend convention, send in reflections submissions, apply for awards, or apply for grants you must be in good standing. (Click here for all SOA requirements.) One way to increase your membership this year is to make sure it is EASY to join online. We have compiled a list of all our local PTAs/PTSAs with a link directly to your site to join online, so make sure your links are up to date. This makes each PTA/PTSA more accessible to members of our community, school board, and even district admin who might be looking to join. Please know you can contact us anytime with questions or to help you brainstorm ideas for your membership campaign. Reminder: Council will be hosting a Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtable this Thursday, August 26th @ 7PM. This Roundtable will focus on membership. Membership is everyone's job, so all officers are welcome to join! Additionally, please email your membership chair name(s) and contact information to us ASAP so they can be added to all communications about membership. Melissa Kline and Hanisha Bakshani Northshore Council PTSA Membership Chairs [email protected] Calling all Advocates! ![]() It's time to get started on PTA Advocacy for the 2021-2022 school year. Here are 6 Advocacy Action Items to add to your PTA's back to school list of things to do:
Bonus Advocacy Action Item: Let’s Vote Challenge! National Voter Registration Day is September 28th! Did you know that Local PTAs/PTSAs can run voter registration drives? You can also include the graphic below in your e-news and on social media to encourage your members to register to vote! For WA state, voter information and registration can be found at http://vote.wa.gov/ and is provided in multiple languages! All PTA/PTSAs must update their officer information in memberplanet, the membership database used by Washington State PTA (WSPTA). Updating officer information is a requirement for all PTAs per the WSPTA Standards of Affiliation. Doing so gives WSPTA and Northshore Council PTSA the means to contact a PTA/PTSA if a need arises as well as ensuring that all PTA/PTSA leaders are included in important WSPTA and Northshore Council communications.
The way to communicate leader information in memberplanet is through its Committees Module. There are a number of resources to help local PTA leaders use and understand memberplanet. However, because the Committees Module feature is so new, the documentation and support is not yet very extensive. Due to the importance of updating officer information, Northshore Council PTSA has created a guide to help users navigate the process. Download the “Assigning and Updating PTA Leaders in memberplanet” guide to get started! Looking for more help with using memberplanet? Attend Northshore Council's upcoming training! Date: September 9, 2021 Time: 7:00PM Location: Online via Zoom Presenter: Amanda Cabana, WSPTA Membership Director Register: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tdemgqDsvH9UAZzVDvhbpvGFvlGoqd7HU Additional Resources:
When it comes to joining your PTA, make it EASY for families to sign up online! ![]() Joining online will be key for families this year. Your join link should be clear and on the front page of your website. If you have questions or want help setting up a way for your families to sign up online, contact our Membership Co-Chairs, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline. BONUS: Council is also helping with easy access by including all of your online join links on our website here! We'll be promoting online join for all Northshore PTAs/PTSAs at the upcoming August 28th NSD Back to School Fair. So please take a few minutes to check the links for your school. Need to update a link? Email [email protected]. Looking for help with using memberplanet? Attend Northshore Council's upcoming training!
Date: September 9, 2021 Time: 7:00PM Location: Online via Zoom Presenter: Amanda Cabana, WSPTA Membership Director Register: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tdemgqDsvH9UAZzVDvhbpvGFvlGoqd7HU This training is intended to teach Northshore PTA Leaders how to navigate memberplanet, update PTA officers, enter memberships, and more! Registration is required. Once registered, participants will be emailed a link to join the Zoom on September 9th. Questions? Contact us! Join us for ‘Northshore PTAs Connect’ – an online roundtable discussion for PTA/PTSA leaders to ask questions, share ideas, and connect with one another.
Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtables are designed to support our local PTA/PTSA leaders as we navigate membership, programs, and managing our organizations in an uncertain and ever-changing landscape. This evening (7pm) roundtable will feature a focused discussion on the topic of Membership. Local leaders will have the opportunity to ask questions and brainstorm ideas as PTAs begin their 2021-2022 Membership Campaigns. While the focus will be on membership, Northshore PTAs Connect Roundtables are an open discussion and there is always opportunity to ask questions and tackle emerging or ongoing areas of interest or concern. Date: Thursday, August 26th Time: 7:00PM Location: Online via Zoom Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95115031258 Meeting ID: 951 1503 1258 Passcode: *Available upon request Questions? Contact Council's Membership Co-Chairs, Hanisha Bakshani & Melissa Kline Hello Northshore PTA Leaders! We all know that last year was incredibly challenging, stressful and at times downright frustrating. But, the barriers COVID presented also encouraged us to think outside our comfort zones to come up with new and innovative ways to engage with and support our communities. Through it all, our Northshore PTAs have continued to be strong, flexible and tenacious. I am so proud of every single one of our PTAs for not backing down in the face of such an extreme challenge and continuing to achieve their mission of supporting every child's potential. As we step into the 2021-2022 school year, it seems that this next school year will be more of the same - challenging us once again to pivot quickly and adapt to changing circumstances that are beyond our control. I want to let you know that we are always here for you. Our mission as your Northshore PTSA Council is to support the work you do at the local PTA level. We have many resources that can help you navigate the day to day PTA work, as well as the unexpected, including:
Our 2021-2022 Council team is ready to help you continue to do amazing things for our students, families, schools and communities. Wishing you a fantastic school year! ![]() Council recommends local PTA leaders do two important things this summer:
A board retreat can be a powerful way to kick-start your PTA's new year. If fact, it can be such a powerful tool that Washington State PTA considers having one to be a PTA best practice. A retreat is more than just a regular meeting; it is an opportunity to:
![]() There are many things to consider when planning for your retreat. While board retreats can take place in person, due to Covid guidelines or the individual needs of your board members, it maybe be best to plan a virtual retreat, which adds a few more items to that list.
![]() Great retreats also include a few key social elements that serve as ways to allow board members to connect, bond, and get to know each other, all of which work to help build a more cohesive team:
The extended nature of a retreat means that a board can have time for conversations and discussions with more breadth and depth. Consider some of the following discussion areas and questions as you build your board retreat agenda:
![]() Finally, remember that some of the most important work will happen after the retreat ends as ideas are put into action. Take time through the year to reflect and check-in with one another regarding discussions, action items, and progress toward goals. Additional Resources:
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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.