The quality of the school experience for our children is directly related to the assistance provided by parent volunteers. Field trips, unique classroom activities, and special performances enhance our children's learning. With this in mind, Mackintosh Academy expects each family to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours assisting in school activities. Support can be provided in a myriad of ways: driving on a field trip, helping with a performance, supporting at car line or in many other ways. Any family members, from grandparents to nannies, can help provide this support. We require all parents/volunteers to document their hours in FACTS.
The Mackintosh Academy Parent Council is a proactive, community building, fundraising entity.
The Parent Council:
Encourages parental involvement and engagement by organizing social and community service events;
Raises funds to benefit Mackintosh Academy; and
Sponsors educational events to support the continual learning of parents.
All parents of children attending Mackintosh Academy are members of the Parent Council and are encouraged to attend the meetings and events. There are no dues or fees. Meetings are held monthly with an agenda developed collaboratively between the Parent Council Chairperson(s) and the Head of School. Each class is represented by one or more Parent Council Reps.
Each homeroom class has at least one class parent representative. These are selected by those who volunteer. "CPRs" organize class events like before school picnics and get-togethers, class celebrations, and teacher appreciation events. They also attend the monthly parent-council meetings and disseminate information to their homeroom parents on community events.
In addition to monthly meetings, Parent Council also hosts coffee gatherings throughout the year typically after morning drop off. These are a great opportunity to get to know other parents and build engagement.
Parent Council 2022-2023 Roster
Chairs
Brianne Claypool
Ana Krumholz
Vice Chair
Vacant but working to recruit
Staff Liaison
Tami Vinson, Director of Development & Community Engagement
Treasurer
Jenny VonStroh
Parent Class Reps ( CPR)
Pre-K
Sarah Whitehouse, Auna Jornayvaz and Andrew Wolf
Kindergarten
Megan Schlegel, Paula Johnson
First Grade
Stella Shen, Ashley Ottaviano
Second Grade
Jenn Lyman, Rachel Kelly
3rd/4th Grades
Stefanie Rauen, Jenn Lyman, Rachel Kelly, Susan Brion, Marg Collins
5th/6th Grades
Alli Jones, Lori Walters
7th/8th Grades
Pizza Coordinator
Wholesome Foods Lunch Coordinator
Selection of Parent Council Leadership:
Parent Council Chair and Vice-Chair
Parent Council Chairs typically serve a two-year term.
Ideally we have a Chair and a Vice Chair, with the Vice-Chair rolling into the Chair position after the Chair’s term has ended.
The Chair and Vice Chair are identified and selected by the Head of School in collaboration with the Director of Development & Community Engagement and current Chair and Vice Chair. Candidates are typically selected from the pool of Class Parent Representatives or other deeply engaged parent volunteers.
Throughout the given year, parents are encouraged to reach out to leadership if they are interested in PC leadership roles.
Class Parent Representatives (CPRs):
At the end of the school year, Parent Council leadership puts out a call for volunteers to serve as CPRs for the next school year. Oftentimes the current CPRs continue on in their role but we also encourage additional parents to become engaged. This opportunity is also open to new parents for the upcoming school year. We try our best to match a new parent CPR with a parent who has been at the school for at least a year and has served in the role.
Other Parent Council Leadership Roles:
Other roles such as Pizza Coordinator and Wholesome Foods Coordinator are selected after a request for volunteers has been shared with the community.
Parent Council Orientation, Training, and Managing Support:
Parent Council Chairs provide an orientation and training to Class Parent Reps at the start of the school year.
During this training, volunteers share the roles and responsibilities of a CPR; demonstrate how to use the Parent Square platform for communication with parents and teachers; answer questions; and provide time for CPRs who have served in the past to share their experience and tips with other CPRs.
Parent Council plans quarterly CPR meetings separate from the monthly Parent Council for which all parents are invited to attend. These quarterly meetings allow for CPRs to share ideas and learn from one another as well as plan for the future.
The Parent Council Chairs meet monthly with the Head of School and the Director of Development & Community Engagement. These meetings are held the week of the monthly PC meeting in order to discuss the agenda, ideas for discussion, calendar items, and guest speakers. Depending on the time of year and needs, Parent Council succession planning is also discussed in depth.
In addition, the Director of Development & Community Engagement provides ongoing support to the PC Chairs throughout the year and acts as a liaison between the Parent Council and the faculty and staff.