01 Feb February Newsletter
Cara’s Corner
Welcome to 2024! It is February, have you settled in yet? Don’t feel bad if the answer is no. It’s a busy time of year and sometimes the to-do list can feel never ending. The Foundation is no different and our to-do list during this second half of our fiscal year includes fundraising for next year’s grants and programming support. We have several fundraisers happening in a short period of time and we would be so grateful if you chose to participate in one or more!
In February we have our For the Love of Education campaign. This is a fundraiser for classroom grants, with the special perk that money raised in honor of a teacher will be set aside for 2024/25 classroom grants for that school. It is a wonderful way to support the Foundation and your home school at the same time.
I also hope you can join us for our spring fundraising event, ABBA is All In for Kids! March 30th, Brightwater Center. Please help us meet our goal of raising $50,000.
And last but not least, we are SO grateful to be a beneficiary of the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce’s March auction on March 3rd. If you are interested see below for more information.
One of my favorite quotes I recently heard is, “Please give generously, within the limits of your budget.” Your support is the lifeblood of the Foundation. We cannot do our work without you. Thank you for your support!
Thank you and welcome!
Thank you, Heather Erickson for five amazing years with The Foundation. The Removing Barriers program would not be what it is today without your dedication, and passion. We will continue the great work you started and will be thrilled to see you at Bothell/Kenmore Chamber events.
A warm welcome to Kimm Moore, Marketing and Events Coordinator. Kimm began with us at the end of January and she has been a true asset to the team already! She is a graduate of Bellevue College’s Digital Marketing program, has experience with multiple nonprofit organizations, and is an alumni of Northshore schools. We are excited to have her creativity and expertise.
State of Our Schools Belonging: Beyond Our Classrooms
We had the privilege to attend the Northshore School District’s State of Our Schools event last Wednesday, Feb. 7th. In attendance from the Foundation was Cara Anderson-Ahrens, Emily Fisher, Kimm Moore, and Board President Patsy Treece. A highlight of attending in person was getting to chat with members of the robotics teams from Woodinville and Bothell High Schools! They demonstrated their competition robots and were eager to explain how the team works together to design and build them. We were thrilled to see how far the Bothell club has come in just two years and are proud to have helped support the founding of this team in 2022.
Other highlights were listening to the Bothell High School Jazz 1 Ensemble, experiencing Northshore Council PTSA Reflections submissions, and listening to student speakers. It was also inspiring to hear district parents speak about the impact that District special programs has had on their families. We heard from three-year-old Jasmine and her mother Crystal about the Head Start Program at Kenmore Elementary. We also heard from alumni and parents about the Nursing program at Woodinville High School and celebrated two generations of graduates from the nursing program, mother and daughter, who are still practicing medicine today.
According to Superintendent Tolley, approximately 1,000 people joined online. If you were unable to attend in person or online you can find the presentation here https://www.nsd.org/our-district/overview/stateofourschools.
Thank you to the Northshore Public Schools for the wonderful work you are doing with and for our children!
Best of Northshore Winner
For the 4th year in a row The Northshore Schools Foundation is the choice for BEST Northshore Non-Profit! Thanks to your votes and support we have been honored in the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter’s annual “Best of Northshore” competition. We couldn’t be more proud!
Northshore Shares the Love with us!
During our For the Love of Education campaign we are highlighting what our supporters and partners are saying about the work the Foundation does. We SO appreciate being a member of this vibrant community. Thank you to all who shared and continue to share quotes and stories about how the Foundation has impacted the educational journey of you, your children, and students!
Want to read what supporters have to say? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn where we will be posting colorful hearts with new quotes every few days throughout the month of February. Here is a lovely quote from an Arrowhead educator that made us melt!
I love Northshore Schools Foundation because they say YES! When educators have a great idea to try, when equators want to move outside of their comfort zone, when educators see an issue that can be addressed through project funding.
NSF says YES! to helping us be our best for our students. They say YES to new ideas and strategies, YES to renewing our library collections in tight times, YES to helping students access education in ways that work in the classroom and beyond. Thank you, NSF!
– Ginny Allemann, Teacher-Librarian, Arrowhead Elementary
Building Skills for Life
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.
Removing Barriers to Learning
Raising Funds to Support Student Opportunities and Readiness to Learn
Last newsletter we highlighted the work we do with volunteer Care Team Liaisons. They are nurses, counselors, assistant principals, classroom teachers, office managers, and more. They are educators who see that a normally vivacious student is withdrawn, who will notice if a child comes to school without a coat. They also know the worries of many students and might have a glimpse into what life is like for that student outside of school.
This is the time of year when we start raising funds for next year. As of this newsletter, we are on track to spend $60,000 across 33 schools. And by June, we will have helped 300 students and their families be able to:
• buy shoes or clothes
• get groceries for their families
• get haircuts (we partner with Supercuts)
• get up to date on vaccinations (we partner with Zoomcare)
• attend technology competitions, and much more.
We would love to raise more this year but are behind target and could really use some help. Below are some ways you can help us raise the funds we need to be able to continue to be there to help support the most vulnerable of our students. Our goal is to ease at least one worry for a family and give educators a way to help.
1. Raise the Paddle for Northshore Schools Foundation at Salute to Woodinville
The event will raise money for the Woodinville Chamber AND a special raise the paddle will benefit the Northshore Schools Foundation Removing Barriers fund. We are so honored to be chosen by the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce and hope to see you there, raising your paddle for both organizations!
2. Join us for our ABBA is All In for Kids fundraiser
We are looking to raise $50,000 and you can help! Come play Spin the Wheel, bid on Silent Auction items like two tickets for a Puget Sound tour with Kenmore Air; several WA State weekend getaways; a week in Mexico!), and Raise the Paddle while listening to ABBA tribute band, The ABBAgraphs.
Upcoming Events
2024 All In for Kids Fundraiser Featuring The ABBAgraphs
Mamma Mia! We are planning to be All In for Kids in a new way this year. Rather than a luncheon, this event will celebrate a new era at the Northshore Schools Foundation. We want to raise $50,000 for Northshore students because they deserve it! Save Saturday March 30th and attend the party while bidding on exciting silent auction items, playing spin the wheel, and raising your paddle.
Dance the night away to Seattle’s ABBA cover band, The ABBAgraphs. Tickets include light bites and 2 drink tickets for beer, wine, or soda.
We hope you will join us as we acknowledge the companies, families, and community organizations who fuel our work to be All In for NSD students, educators and schools. Get your party clothes and mark your calendars for March 30th and helps us raise some Money, Money, Money!
Woodinville Chamber Raising Funds for NSDF at 2024 Auction
Salute Woodinville is the Woodinville Chamber’s annual event featuring a silent and live auction and an elegant dinner.
The event will raise money for the Woodinville Chamber AND a special raise the paddle will benefit the Northshore Schools Foundation’s Removing Barriers fund. We are so honored to be chosen by the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce and hope to see you there, raising your paddle for both organizations!
Save Saturday March 2nd and enjoy an evening out! Event details and to purchase tickets are available at Salute Woodinville – Woodinville Chamber
A Fundraiser for 2024-2025 Classroom Grants!
For the Love of Education campaign is here to honor remarkable educators who go above and beyond every day. Join us in celebrating their dedication and passion for shaping young minds by making a contribution to classroom grants.
Your donation in honor of a Northshore educator will be directed to a special fund set aside for future classroom grants awarded to that school. Let’s honor as many educators as possible throughout February!
More heartfelt notes = more future grants
Write a heartfelt note honoring an extraordinary educator, and we’ll amplify your words on social media, sharing the love and gratitude while sending them a special note expressing the collective appreciation for their invaluable contribution to education.
Read all the heartfelt notes, here!
Share the love and make a donation today, here!
Career and Technical Education Open House at North Creek
Are you planning to attend the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Open House on March 5th at Bothell High School? We will be there from 6:30-8:00 PM and hope to see you there!
This annual event gives students a glimpse into the 80+ offerings and several pathways to graduation. Gone are the days when there was only one way to design your high school career. Interested in gaining real world skills like auto mechanics, nursing, or baking while getting high school (and sometimes college) credit? Come to the Open House! You can also follow this link 2024-2025CCRCatalog.pdf (finalsite.net) to the 2024/25 course catalog.
Stop by the Northshore Schools Foundation table where we will be promoting our 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. You can access our podcasts at the “Learn more, here” link below or visit the Build Skills for Life section in this newsletter.
Thank you, Grantors and Sponsors
Microsoft
We are thrilled to celebrate Microsoft as a sustaining sponsor. In January we received $15,000 for our general fund. This is a multi-year partnership with this amazing company. We also are privileged to be the recipient of Microsoft employee giving. If you are a Microsoft employee who chooses the Foundation as one of the recipients of your employee donations through workplace giving, thank you! If you work for Microsoft, or an organization who offers workplace giving, please consider adding The Northshore Schools Foundation to your list of beneficiaries.
Costco Grant
Thank you to the Costco Corporation for awarding us a grant for $4,500 to be used to purchase backpacks and school supplies for our Backpacks for Kids distribution this coming August. This amount will help us purchase approximately 23% of the backpacks we plan to distribute to families this summer.
Annual Sponsors
We are putting out a call for 2024 sponsors! We would love to add your name to our 8 ft. banner that will stand at the entrance to our ABBA event. This month we will be reaching out to companies who have been both event and annual sponsors in past years. We hope you will join us at our ABBA fundraiser and raise the paddle to support Northshore Schools!
To be a sponsor, contact Cara at cara@nsdfoundation.org and be ready for a reach out via phone and email. I am excited to tell you about the many benefits of being a sponsor, the best of which is investing in the students who are the future of our Northshore community.
Below are our 2023 sponsors. Connect with Cara to see your business listed below in our next newsletter!
