Thank you to all who attended and organized the Parents' Association kick-off meeting on September 30th! As a reminder, all Duck's Nest parents are automatically members of the Parents' Association (PA) and are welcome at any meeting. Participation in the PA– big or small– is a way to voice your perspective and help guide the ways in which we enhance our children's experience at the school and foster community.
At the meeting, this year's board president, Shawn Fong (Mallard mom), described past PA activities and presented a rough budget for this year...
To follow up on some question and comments raised at the meeting, the PA will be conducting a short survey with all parents in the next 2 weeks. Input generated from the survey and feedback from the school, will be integrated into the PA priorities and final budget for the year.
A few key comments were made:
Budget/Fundraising
- The PA has a large cash reserve for an organization of its size. Should we dip into the reserve to help fund capital improvements to expedite enhancements to the new campus? Or, should we only spend what we can raise?
- Last year, the PA netted $17K (70% of which was raised at the auction held towards the end of the year)
- If asked, would parents be willing to write a check to the PA at the beginning of the year, to help front-load the fundraising and minimize the need to organize fundraising events?
- Would parents be willing to pay more for Parents' Night Out, with the additional funds going toward the PA?
Teacher Appreciation
- The group voted to approve funds for teacher appreciation (monetary gifts at birthday, holiday, and end-of-year).
- In recent years, teacher appreciation has been handled through the PA, rather than the parents in each classroom, in an effort to balance the gifts across classrooms.
Events
- The group voted to approve $500 in funds for the upcoming Fall Festival on Nov 8th (the first school-wide community-building event). The school administration also contributes $500 towards this event. The Fall Festival typically includes a potluck and chili cook-off contest, face painting and other kid crafts and activities. PA volunteers and DN staff help plan the event, do set-up/take-down and staff the activity stations.
Enrichment
- The PA traditionally sponsors enrichment programs– for many years, including last, PA has brought in a 6-week Lawrence Hall of Science program (1 class/wk for each classroom). As an alternative this year, the school administration suggests hosting several school-wide assemblies for special performances (music, dance, etc.) on the new outdoor stage area.
Immediate PA Needs
- Open Board Positions: Secretary, Fundraising Committee Members, At-Large Members
- Fall Festival Committee Volunteers (help coordinate the activities and logistics with the help of the school and recruit day-of volunteers)
- Volunteers to help organize upcoming "Kindergarten Night" info session for DN parents
- Looking for parents of younger children to get involved early in their time at DN, for more continuity and handing down knowledge in the PA
