Roles and Responsibilities
Print Version of all Roles and Responsibilities
Grade Specific Responsibilities
Parties and Community Activities and Special Events
I. Introduction
Room parents at Sacred Heart Schools serve as important liaisons between the administration, the faculty and the parent body. Their primary role is to work with the classroom teacher to coordinate and organize volunteers that assist the teachers with classroom projects, parties, community service and school fundraising activities.
Second, room parents help the school administration by providing an additional means of communication to and from parents of specific grade levels or divisions. A room parent’s involvement is helpful in identifying and articulating possible concerns from parents that teachers may want to address. Honest feedback of our planning and consideration is helpful to the parent-school partnership. It can be both fun and helpful to communicate with other parents about exciting school happenings.
To enhance the role as communicator and facilitator, room parents are also encouraged to participate in Parents of the Heart.
II. Room Parent Responsibilities:
- Meet with your classroom’s teacher.
- A meeting should be set with the teacher and the room parents. You’ll want to do this as soon as possible.
- Discuss with the teacher their hopes and expectations for the year.
- Schedule all classroom events in advance with the teacher(s).
- Assist the teacher in coordinating volunteers for special projects or for help in the classroom (reading, pumpkin carving etc.).
- Using the Grade Specific Responsibilities, Parties and Community Activities page as a guideline, plan each event. Discuss with the teacher the following:
- Is this event classroom specific, grade-wide, or Hardy/Academy specific.
- Consider the number of volunteers needed from your class.
- Consider the necessary supplies, if they are to be purchased or supplied by the school.
- Consider if the teacher would like this to be an open invitation for parents to attend, or if this is an event only for the children.
- Contact other room parents in the grade.
To avoid duplication of effort and to facilitate community spirit, Room Parents may find it useful to meet with the other room parents in the grade. This is particularly true for Kindergarten. At this meeting the parents may choose which events will be celebrated as a “grade” and which will be celebrated as a class. Input from the teacher and past tradition will help in this decision making process.
- Send an introduction letter and phone tree to parents via US mail in September. Beyond this first letter Welcome Letter, communication can be made via kid mail and/or e-mail.
- The letter will be used to set the tone for a year of “working together”. Have fun with it and use it to convey your well-meaning spirit!
- The letter will introduce you and your role as the room parents.
- It will also help you collect your volunteers and planners for the year. Consider that some parents may want to be more deeply involved. You may ask the parents in your class if they would like to “plan” an event. If that is the case, be sure to gather the major event details from the teacher, division head and other room parents before passing on the planning. An example of this is asking if another parent would like to coordinate the Class Basket for L’Espirit.
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- Finally, the letter will provide a means for building a class activity fund.
The letter should include:
- An outline of activities and how each family can get involved: Activity Sign Up Sheet.
- A copy of the Classroom Celebration Policy: Classroom Celebration Policy.
- Requests for a class fund to cover costs of class parties and events. Please be conscientious about the financial demands made on all of our families. Some families may not be able to give and some more than others.
- A phone tree developed from the class roster: Phone Tree Template. One copy should be given to the teacher and one to the division head. This will be used for emergency purposes.
- Room parents will build community within the classroom by coordinating grade specific events, classroom parties, community service projects, school-wide fundraising projects and after school family and/or parent parties.
- All events are under the approval of the Division Head and classroom teacher(s).
- Costs, procedures and parental involvement are to be clearly documented in the following manner:
- Please fill out a Job Request for large events, particularly when space outside the classroom is required.
- Please refer to this document as you plan each event: Facility Checklist & Guidelines for Events on SHS Campus
- Please fill out an Event Recap summary for each event. As an alternative, you may include a set of brief but complete and organized notes in your folder. Use the Recap Form as your guide. The notes will be passed on to next year’s class.
- Coordinate class participation in school wide fund raising and community service projects.
- Room parents will coordinate the L’Espirit Auction Basket for the School fundraiser.
- The Room parent may seek another parent to act as an Auction representative.
- The room parent and/or the representative will solicit and gather either cash or specific item donations from the class for the Auction Basket.
- Direction and approval will come from the Auction Committee.
- Room parents will coordinate class participation for the Howard Community Center Baskets.
- These will take place under the guidance of the Community Service Coordinator, Paz Salas, as well as the Community Representative from the Parents of the Heart Executive Committee.
- Room Parents will coordinate an informational mailing to parents. The mailing will explain the Howard Area project along with donation requests.
- Room parents will plan with the teacher on the Howard Area project. The plan should include the teachers desire to have or not have a wrapping party for the gifts and to see if the teacher would like to have the children make cards for the gifts.
- Room Parents should provide a container to the classroom for the collection of the donations. A laundry basket is the usual.
- Room Parents may be asked to facilitate the collection of items for school wide food or clothing drives.
- Attend quarterly meetings. Your role this year is as a communicator, organizer, and coordinator for your child’s teacher and the school. Dates for Quarterly Meetings
- This is an opportunity to hear from the administration as well as give feedback from the class.
- Provide avenue of communication between administration and parents. Please be a voice for your class and bring to the meeting ideas and questions that you have heard from the parents in your room.
- Room parents will send a recap following the meeting to the parents of that particular class.
- Please keep a watchful eye on families that might need an invitation to feel included in the community.
- Attend Parent of the Heart Meetings
- Room Parents may not collect funds on behalf of the class for teacher gifts. Rather, the primary opportunity for gift giving is to actively participate in the annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Breakfast. Room parents can be very helpful to Parents of the Heart in soliciting gifts for this event. Only individual families, if they so desire, should give end of year gifts to teachers.
III. Room Parent Meeting Times:
Sacred Heart Room Parents and the Academic Team will meet four times during the year. Each meeting will begin with a general session and then break out into sessions with the Primary, Lower and Middle School Division Heads to discuss division specific issues.
If there is ever a topic you would like to add to the agenda, please contact the Room Parent Coordinator or Nat Wilburn, Principal.
The four meetings will be held as follows:
Tuesday, September 9 8:30 a.m.-10:00 Multipurpose Room
Tuesday, November 11 8:30 a.m.-10:00 Multipurpose Room
Tuesday, February 10 8:30 a.m.-10:00 Multipurpose Room
Tuesday, April 7 8:30 a.m.-10:00 Multipurpose Room
Reminders will be sent to you in advance confirming the place and time of each meeting. Meetings will start promptly and will last about an hour and a half with one hour as the general meeting and half an hour as a breakout session with the division heads.
- Parents of the Heart Monthly Meetings
Room Parents are encouraged to participate in the Parents of the Heart Monthly Meeting. These take place the first Thursday of each month at 8:30 and are usually held in the Multipurpose Room.
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