Northshore Schools Foundation Blog

April Newsletter

Cara’s Corner

These last few months have flown by and brought so many reasons to celebrate! For those who joined us at our ABBA is All In for Kids event, thank you. It was a wonderful night of celebration and my first opportunity to thank all the people who help us enhance the learning experience for students all over the District! To those who gave as a part of the Woodinville Chamber’s Auction as well as those who contributed at our ABBA event, we are grateful for your support and for your ongoing commitment to Northshore schools. Between the two events $23,000 was raised for Removing Barriers and $30,000 was raised for programming operational support.

Now, as we look ahead to the next school year we are working with the District leadership and School Board to determine how best to support them in the coming school year. Our existing programming is a conduit for families to support the District and

through this support, members like you do an amazing amount of good. However, more specific support may be required. We are working on two or three initiatives we will roll out at the May Conversations with the School Board community meeting on May 29th. Look for updates regarding new targeted fundraising initiatives in early June.

National Association of Education Foundations | ImpactED ’24
The Foundation’s Executive Director Cara made her own IMPACT at a national conference this month!

National Association of Education Foundations (NAEF) is a nationally
recognized professional organization dedicated to the development of education foundations. They recently hosted ImpactED, which occured April 10-12 in Tampa, Florida for educational directors. National leaders were able to enhance their philanthropic, fundraising, leadership, and operational skills through a series of workshops, networking sessions, and speaker series.

We are so proud: Cara was a featured speaker! She spoke about the amazing NSD educators who also work as Care Team Liaisons in our schools. These everyday heroes ensure that students across all 35 schools receive support in overcoming barriers to education.

Here is her story:
“I had so much fun attending my first National Association of Education Foundations’ Conference this last week! I was pleased to be an attendee, but more importantly, a speaker! I met a wonderfully talented and passionate group of Foundation folks from all over the country. I can’t help but give a shout out to Snohomish Education Foundation and Peninsula Schools Education Foundation as two of the other WA State Foundations represented.”

We were delighted Cara highlighted this unique partnership the Foundation has with our District! Thank you for representing!

ABBA is All In for Kids: We Raised $30,000 for Northshore students!

A hearfelt thank you to all who joined us for our March Fundraiser, ABBA is All In for Kids, hosted at the Brightwater Center in Woodinville. The atmosphere was electric as we grooved to the live music of TheABBAgraphs, a talented ABBA cover band from Seattle. Music, dancing,delicious food and beverages, spirited bidding wars at the silent auction and the Spin the Wheel made for a fun evening out for a good cause!

Your presence and participation made the event truly memorable, and your support means the world to us. Together, we’re making a positive difference for all Northshore students and we couldn’t do itwithout you. Thank you for being a part of our community and being All In for Kids!

We are proud to have raised $30,000!
Thank you again to everyone who attended. We would like to give a special shout out to our Board,volunteers, and school district staff who joined us! Additionally, thank you to our Ambassadors, CareTeam liaisons, event donors, and annual sponsors. You all made this event a true success!

Thank you to our event donors for our ABBA is All In for Kids Fundraiser!

Building Skills for Life – CTE | Let’s Talk Careers!

The Foundation supports experiences and opportunities that build skills for life for Northshore students! On Tuesday March 5th, Cara and Kimm attended the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Open House!
They informed Northshore families about the Skills 4 Life Podcast, a series of 40 short episodes, hosted by local podcast host Kira Dorrian. These podcasts are designed to give parents and students a
peek into potential career paths and the kind of preparation that might help.

The Skills 4 Life Podcast is available on most major podcast platforms. Find out how to listen, here!

Student Justice Conference| Christian Paige: Keynote Speaker
The Northshore Schools Foundation was proud to sponsor the keynote speaker for the NSD Racial and Educational Justice Department’s Student Justice Conference on March 22nd at Cascadia College. Christian Paige, an Emmy-nominated spoken word poet and respected national educational speaker, delivered an impassioned talk to 190+ Northshore high school students about making community work for everybody. Bravo!

Career Fair for SAS and Bear Creek Students | We’re Here for YOU

The Foundation had a great time at the Career Fair for SAS and Bear Creek

on April 19th. We chatted with students about life afterhigh school and let them know how the Foundation is here to support learning experiences in Northshore.

The fair featured professionals from over 11 different industries, covering everything from human services to education to engineering. Students got the chance to have one-on-one

conversations and hear some really exciting experiences during informative sessions.

A big shoutout to Bryan Stutz, Principal at Secondary Academy for Success, and Brian Mattias,Principal at Bear Creek! Together, we’re building skills for life for ALL Northshore students!

Listen to our Podcast

Are you curious about jobs in biopharma manufacturing, video game production, or cybersecurity? Ever wonder what a workday is like for an airline pilot, construction site foreman or electrician? Passionate about the environment, solar energy and wildlife conservation?

You can explore all of these things and more by listening to our Skills 4 Life podcast! Each episode is a compelling conversation with real-world professionals in high-demand industries. Made for the middle and high school family audience, this family-friendly show is one you’ll want to follow. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and Podcast Addict.

Enhance and Inspire Learning
In March, the Northshore Schools Foundation wasdelighted to award a total of 15 grants, amounting to $12,679.48 within Northshore schools! This significant investment underscores our dedication to empowering NSD educators and students alike. We are grateful to support teacher’s ongoing efforts to inspire and enhanceeducation in their classrooms! Be sure to follow our social media because we are individually recognizing each educator!

 

The March classroom grant winners:
Nicole Redd | Shelton View Elementary School
Heidi Frank | Woodmoor Elementary School
Dione Garcia | Woodinville High School
Michelle Bragmans | Kokanee Elementary School
Kimberly Ratti Woodin | Elementary School
Jamie Hamm | Skyview Middle School
Carol Gilbert | Fernwood Elementary School
Darcia Meyers | Kenmore Elementary
Jennifer Brausse | Hollywood Hill Elementary School
Alex Carpenter | Innovation Lab High School
Angela Torre | Kenmore Elementary School
Klarissa Dillard | Sorenson Early Childhood Center
Lauren Galloway Marantz | Northshore Family Partnership (Bear Creek Elementary)
Beth Fries | Crystal Springs Elementary
Kristen Crapps | East Ridge Elementary School

Removing Barriers to Learning

Raising Funds to Support Student Opportunities and Readiness to Learn
The Foundation is gearing up for the summer Backpacks for Kids School Supply Drive. We anticipate 800+ requests for backpacks and school supplies from families experiencing financial hardship and we want to be able to say yes to all of them!

We are behind target and could really use some help. Below are some ways you can help us be ready to meet the need.
Donate to GiveBIG: Give us a head start on our Backpacks for Kids School Supply Drive! Give TODAY until May 8th!

Donate to our Removing Barriers fund: Help us continue to remove barriers in education. Donate here.

Participate in our May Wednesday Dineout Series: Every May Wednesday, we will feature aspecific restaurant. Dine there or take it to go, and a portion of food-only sales will be donated to the Foundation. Invite your community to participate too! Who doesn’t want a night off from making dinner anyway? See the full calendar list, here.

Talk about us! Really! We like it when our ears are burning. Spreading the word about us and why you are involved helps us become better known within the Northshore community. Forwarding this newsletter to your friends, family and community as an easy way to show them what we’ve been up to lately.

Upcoming Events

May Wednesdays | Feast for GOOD!
Craving something delicious with a side of generosity?Mark your calendars and get ready to dine for GOOD! Save this email so you know every Wednesday in May to dineout!

Why dineout? Every delicious bite makes a difference! A percentage of the food- only sales will be donated to the Foundation. You’re fueling something meaningful with every meal. Keep

following us on social media for the latest Dineout updates.

Join us for May is Music Month Concerts | 3 Fridays in May

We are thrilled to announce May is Music Month, our free concertseries showcasing Northshore bands! Join us for 3 performances bytalented musicians from SAS,

Woodinville HS, and Inglemoor HS. Mark your calendars, spread the word, and let’s make this May a month to remember!

Friday May 10, 2024 SAS Rock Band
Friday May 17,2024 WHS Jazz Band
Friday May 24, 2024 IHS Jazz Band

Cost: Free!

Location: 192 Brewing in Kenmore

Food and Alcoholic and Non-alcoholic Drinks: All available for purchase. Order something tasty during the concert, as 10% of food-only purchases will go back to the Northshore Schools Foundation. Eat for GOOD!

RSVP here, and we will save you a seat! Invite your peers,neighbors, and friends!

GiveBIG 2024 + Celebrating National Teacher Appreciation week May 5-10
Early GiveBIG 2024 Giving started on Tuesday April 28! GiveBIG is a statewide fundraising campaign where individuals and organizations come together across Washington to invest in our communities!

Wondering why it’s great to give early? Give now to contribute to our summer Backpacks for Kids supply drive!

The GiveBIG link is open now through May 8th! Thank you for considering a donation to the Northshore Schools Foundation!