CFS Parent Staff Association

Mission: to foster a strong, cohesive all-school community.

We do this by:

• Coordinating, supporting, and sharing volunteer-based efforts across all units of the school
• Communicating through Parent Update, monthly evening meetings, and CFS website
• Creating learning and social opportunities for parents, families, alumni, staff, board, and the      larger community

Co-conveners
Jennifer Juhlin and Jackie MacLeod

Committees
1. Executive Committee - co-conveners, unit liaisons (1 per unit attending each monthly meeting), committee heads, treasurer, list-serve manager, secretary, and staff liaisons
Purpose: coordinate and communicate volunteer opportunities, share unit activities with each other, centralize scheduling function.

2. Welcoming Committee- devoted to the welcoming and guiding new families through their first year, with a focus before the year starts on matching them up with other families, and planning social events to welcome and orient them to CFS.  Kathleen Davidson as  staff liaison
                               
3. Care Committee- a committee established to extend a helping hand and coordinate volunteer efforts towards someone or a family within our community who needs “care.”  Could organize meals or transportation or attend to whatever might be needed (for example, during an illness or after a death). Charlie Layman as staff liaison

4. Events and Programs Committee- the committee that plans and oversees whole school events.  Laura Shmania as staff liaison
                               
5. Grocery Certificate Committee- Group to oversee grocery certificate program- including tracking sales and income, promotion, and education of school community about this project.  All or part of grocery certificate revenue could be used to fund this new organization so that it has resources for events/programs.
                               
6. Review Committee- A committee that would meet as necessary to “thresh out” issues and current practices and make recommendations to the Executive Committee.  The intention is to not assume that simply because something has been done a specific way it should continue. Does a practice make sense?  How is it supported?

Examples of reviews that would be helpful:

• Staff appreciation-- review current staff appreciation efforts and make recommendations [e.g., what comes from parents spontaneously joining together to show their appreciation, and what if anything might be a formally shared activity, possibly funded by the group’s shared resources]

• Fundraising-- “audit” current ways in which parents are asked to donate to the school, review Parent-Staff Association  financial needs and streamline/coordinate efforts.

Updated 9/18/08