CLASS
PARENTS
September 20, 2007
Dear Parent,
We are so glad you have volunteered
to help your child’s class and
teacher this year. Class Parents act
as liaisons between the teachers and
parents, and are instrumental in
supporting the teachers with class
events.
Many class parents have wondered how
parents have done things in the
past, so this year the PA has
collected sample letters and forms
that you may find useful as you take
on your new or continuing role. This
Class Parent Information Packet has
been created to help parents
streamline their efforts.
The computer in the PA Office is
available for your use to copy
templates, or you may download the
files from the PA Website. There is
paper available for copying purposes
as well. If you have any questions
please feel free to talk to any of
your representatives on the PA
Board.
We hope to have a Class Parent
Meeting in October in order for
Class Parents to exchange
information, and talk about ways in
which you can support your class.
Since e-mail is now such an
important communication tool, we are
asking that each of you set up a
group e-mail distribution list for
your classes, and forward a copy of
it to Laura Jett
(jettlaura@hotmail.com ).
Please make sure your parents have
given permission for their e-mails
to be used for P.A. communications.
The group distribution list will be
used as another tool of notifying
you throughout the year. From time
to time, we may ask you to e-mail
your class, or we may send group
information using e-mail.
We have a great school because of
your willingness to get involved.
Thank you for volunteering,
Deb Dillingham
PA President
P.S. 101Q Class
Parent Guidelines
Class
List:
Prepare
or find another parent to prepare
the Class Directory (sample
provided). Let the parents know that
their inclusion in a class list is
VOLUNTARY. Adjust the sample form
for your child’s class, and give
copies to your child’s teacher for
distribution in the children’s
backpacks. The teacher will then
give you the completed forms. After
you gather the information and input
it, ask your child’s teacher to look
it over and double-check the
spelling of the children’s names.
Make edits as necessary and provide
your teacher with final copies for
distribution in the children’s
backpacks. Please make sure that you
also ask the parent whether or not
the information can be used by the
Parents' Association. If so, please
generate a group e-mail list for
your class and the P.A. (permission
needed).
Class
Liaison:
Class
Parents (there can be more than one
per class) act as liaisons between
the Parents’ Association and the
parents in your individual classes.
Your participation in PA Meetings is
suggested so that you can update
people when they can’t attend a
meeting or have unanswered
questions.
Steps to
take when parents have concerns
about their child:
If a
parent has a concern that is related
to their individual child, the
parent should be instructed to
contact the teacher. If the concern
is not resolved, the parent should
contact the Parent Coordinator for
direction. If the issue is still not
resolved, the Assistant Principal
and Principal should be contacted
accordingly. E-mails for the School
are attached for your reference.
General
class concerns:
If many
parents in your child’s class are
experiencing the same difficulty or
have an overall concern, then we ask
that you inform the PA in writing so
that we can help advocate for you.
In an effort to express your class’s
problem accurately, please email or
submit written summaries to the PA
Executive Board.
If you choose to write to the School
Administration directly, please cc
the PA or we cannot help you. All
parents are welcome to join in the
weekly PA Executive Board Meeting if
they would like to discuss an issue.
Teacher
Gifts:
In
December 2005, the Chancellor, Joel
Klein, retracted a statement
previously given in which he wanted
to limit the amount that could be
given to a teacher. He later stated
that the limit is unnecessary, and
that parents should use “common
sense” when buying gifts. Chancellor
Klein revised the conflicts of
interest section of the Chancellor’s
Regulations to reflect the change,
but no letter was sent out to
parents.
If you choose to coordinate the
giving of a class gift, you need to
tell parents that all gifts are
VOLUNTARY, and that it is their
option to participate or not
participate. No dollar amount is to
be required of any individual. You
are welcome to suggest an amount,
but must be clear that any donation
would be welcome. We also suggest
that cards on group gifts state:
“from the class” rather than from
individual parents. Please be
understanding of those individuals
who may not be able to give for
various reasons.
Gifts to
Support your Child’s Classroom:
The
same rules apply as for Teacher’s
Gifts. You can discuss a particular
gift for the class with your
teacher, but the class parent needs
to be responsible for holding class
funds and purchasing gifts. A
teacher cannot hold a class fund. It
is prohibited. Again, all
contributions are VOLUNTARY. Please
make this clear to all parents.
Major
gifts: We encourage
parents to give major gifts through
the PA fund drives in order to meet
the specific needs of the school.
The PA and the principal work
closely in assessing the school’s
priorities.
Recruiting Volunteers:
The
Parents’ Association needs many
volunteers throughout the year. We
need the Class Parents to recruit
volunteers, and let them know how
important it is to participate in
the various school events. The Class
Parents help to identify the parents
in each child’s class who would be
willing to help, but aren’t always
sure how to get involved. The more
parents we have on committees, the
better our events will be. We need
the Class Parents to serve as an
extension of our organization, to
reach out to parents and welcome
them into the PA Community, and to
serve as a voice for the Parents’
Association.
