Parents » Parent Connection

The mission statement for the Parent Connection is "to create an optimum environment for students and parents and to facilitate communication between the school and parents." It is our hope that parents will help make the school a true community and that this parent group will engage the students in positive activities outside the classroom, as well as during school hours, by sponsoring diverse social and educational activities and programs.

How to Join?

Membership is open to any parent/guardian of an Academy student. Family members are also welcome, e.g., grandparents. There are no annual dues. There is no formal membership application.
All parents are "automatically" members of the Parent Connection and can freely join any committees or activities.
The Parent Connection's four primary goals and some possible means for achieving them are as follows:
Facilitate communication between parents and administration.

• Meetings which feature a speaker from the school on topic of the parents' choice, e.g. curriculum explanations, computer programming, homework policies, Student Life™, etc.
• Orientations for parents whose children are moving from Lower School to Upper School.
• Orientation for new students and their families just before the start of school.
• Evenings with the director -- informal dialogue and discussion on a variety of topics.

Provide more social, cultural and developmental opportunities for students.

• In-school class parties
• Upper School Dances
• Grade-level parties in the evening for students and their families
• Cultural programs
• Mentoring programs
• Out-of-school volunteer opportunities
• Fundraising to offset some of the cost of after-school, weekend, and holiday activities that will allow all students to participate

Provide a structure for Parent Volunteer activities.

• Library aides
• Crossing guards
• After-school activities

What Does Involvement Include?

There are four officers, President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each officer is elected for one year, but those serving are encouraged to serve more than one year to maintain continuity. The role of each officer is similar in function with other organizations. For meeting information refer to the montly calendar. Meetings usually last about 1 hour, and refreshments are served. The membership elected to have "double-meetings" to allow parents to select either an evening or morning meeting. The agenda is the same for both meetings. Please note that it is possible that meeting times may change in the near future to meet the needs of the current Parent Connection membership.

Involvement with the organization can include volunteering for Parent Connection sponsored activities, e.g., fund raising drives, providing for needy families during the holidays, and assisting with school and community events (e.g., Health Fair, School Fair, Community Pride Day, field trips, award ceremonies, sports events, and a variety of others).

Parent Connection usually has announcements or other business to share with parents, and normally uses the Academy's "Parent Up-Date", as the communication link between the organization and Academy parents/guardians. The organization has sponsored "Parent's Night Out", "Family Night" and Open House events in an effort to promote good will among parents, staff, and prospective new families.

Persons interested in learning more about the Parent Connection organization may leave their name and telephone number at the International Academy for Parent Connection President. The Academy's telephone number is 600-5000. If e-mailing is more suitable, you may send the e-mail to the school's e-mail at iaf@sabis.net or contact Traci Cormier, School Director for additional information regarding Parent Connection.