Parent Involvement

As members of a co-operative, parents and teachers share the responsibility and opportunity to work together to provide a nurturing experience for the children. Our parents contribute their time and energy as well as their interests and expertise.

The Co-op Schedule

Each morning, two parents come to school to assist the teachers. Although the schedule varies monthly, you can expect one co-op day for each 12 days your child comes. The schedule is distributed every month. You may contact the scheduler in advance if you plan to be out of town, or cannot co-op on certain days of the week. Once the schedule is published, it is your responsibility to arrange trades with other parents. Those with younger children may be able to arrange a baby-sitting swap with other co-opers. After the children depart, the co-oping parents are responsible for straightening and cleaning the school in preparation for the next day.

Job Assignments

Because we are essentially a parent run organization, each parent has a job assignment. These jobs range from board positions such as co-chairperson or treasurer to librarian, playground and construction maintenance, or cooking with the children. You may offer your first three choices of jobs- the co-chairs for each year make the final assignments.

Cleaning and Organizing

Three times a year we go beyond the daily clean-up and do a thorough job of cleaning and organizing—all parents participate. Typically, each parent spends a couple of hours opening the school in September, straightening up in February, and closing in May.

Parents' Meetings

Parents' meetings are a time for joint decision-making in regards to school activities, policies, events, etc. It is essential that each family be represented at all parent meetings. It is an excellent opportunity for discussion with our teachers and with each other. We welcome ideas for particular topics or speakers for upcoming meetings as we try to make these meetings interesting and informative. In addition, we enjoy social gatherings such as a fall parent potluck dinner, a Halloween party, a spring picnic, and playgroup opportunities throughout the year. We invite the whole family to special cultural events which take place during the school year.

The Newsletter

A newsletter, published once a month, provides information about upcoming events, family developments, and school activities.

Teacher Evaluation

Parents are asked to assist in evaluating the teachers by submitting written comments around the middle of the school year (February).