There is a lot of organization that goes into making a school year successful. Similar to any business, a school runs on meetings, emails, coordination and collaboration that is a foundational part of the work week for our faculty and staff.
Picture: SYV Family School Auction '82
While our administrative staff and teachers are amazingly competent people, in order to put on the wide variety of events and activities, it takes the whole community to cover all of the bases and needs that arise during a busy school year.
Parent Involvement Is Everything
Behind all of this additional organization is what we call the Family Circle, led by parents Kathryn Gonnion (Emory in RD and Barrett in BD), Jackie Pace Reyes (Griffin in RD and Paisley in BD), Amy Rioux (Franklin in RD) and Alley Chapman (Cole in RD and Sophie in GD). This hardworking parent council bridges the gap between our school administration, the teachers, and the parent body.
While administration keeps their eye on the bigger picture of the school calendar and classroom operations, the Family Circle is the organizing force behind the social and special events, and the fun extracurricular activities that happen in the classroom, and around school, all year.
“The Family Circle is here to organize and then bring together the special events and fun extras that make the school year memorable. We really want volunteering and participation to be fun, easy and organized. The events we plan are successful because we work together as a community,” commented Amy.
How You Can Get Involved
Part of the founding philosophy that dates back to the very first year in 1974, is that the parent's involvement is an integral part of the school’s success. The degree to which parents get involved has a two-fold benefit, as it helps create an enriching environment for the students, and also a satisfying and connected grade school experience for the parents.
Ways to get involved are plentiful and can be found on the clipboard sign-up sheets located at the school entrance. On these boards, is an array of fun and helpful ways to make a mark and do your part in whatever way fits your schedule and your skill set.
Here’s just a sample of the many ways you can get involved:
Coffee cart baker
Monthly bulletin board update with Kelly
Room parent
Einstein Day
Julefest Parade float organization
Teacher Appreciation Week
Special Person’s Day
School play
Classroom support
Green Door Laundry
None of these things happen with a single organizer, but rather a committee of passionate parents. As always, the key is working together. From Head of School and teachers, to Door Parents and parent volunteers, we’re all in this for the same reason - to create an enriching and fun environment that makes school not only a place of academic learning, but a place to build community and have fun.
The Family Circle’s goal of school-wide involvement is a unique feature of the Family School, in that there’s a lot of opportunity to get involved, which has always been a necessary component of the school’s success.
“Our goal with Family Circle is to invite parents to get involved in ways that fit their time and talents. We always need help with setup and breakdown, but we also encourage parents to share their special talents and anything that feels fun or enjoyable to them,“ Kathryn offered.
If you would like to get involved, connect with any of the parents on the committee, or sign up on a clipboard or two (of three), and the Event Chair or Door Parent will be in touch with more information as the date approaches.
Your help isn’t just appreciated, we need you and your special talents! Thank you in advance for sharing your time and unique passion to make this year a success. If you have any questions, feel free to connect with the Family Circle chairs or reach out through email at familycircle@syvfamilyschool.org.
For more information on the SYV Family School, please visit https://www.syvfamilyschool.org/ and follow along to see what’s happening around campus on our IG @thesyvfamilyschool.