Please join us for our first Parents’ Council meeting of the year on Wednesday, October 10 from 6-8pm in the Lower School cafeteria.  We’ll gather for a potluck dinner, and Principal Jeff Slater will start the meeting by sharing his key goals for this school year.  The parents’ council elections will follow.  Childcare WILL BE provided.  Please bring a dish or drink to share if you can; if not, please come anyway!  (Please note that this is a different event than Parent Night on October 4, which is when you can meet your child’s teachers and visit the classrooms.)

All parents and guardians are part of the parents’ council, and we encourage you to come learn what’s going on at the Curley and figure out you’ll help us support our teachers in providing a strong learning experience and a positive community for our children.  Whether you’re brand new to the school or you’ve been here for years, please come!

The Q&A below explains the elected parent/guardian roles.  Please think about whether these might interest you, or whether you’d like to nominate someone who will be great for the task!  There are also opportunities to work on different specific teams (fundraising, community building, art/music, etc.)  All of these great options will be discussed on October 10, so prepare to get involved with the parent community and begin building strong relationships with parents, families, teachers, and administrators at the Curley.

School Parent & School Site Council Members:  Roles and Responsibilities

Q. What is the School Parent Council (“SPC”)?
A.  The School Parent Council is the independently established “voice” of ALL the parents in the school community.  All parents and guardians are members and are welcome and encouraged to attend meetings so that we have a diverse mix of opinions.

Q. What Does the School Parent Council Do?
A.  The School Parent Council advocates for the students and the school, elects representatives to sit on the School Site Council, raises funds to support school activities, takes a leadership role in promoting parent engagement at the school, and promotes an environment of understanding and common purpose among parents and teachers.

Q. What is the School Site Council (“SSC”)?
A.  The School Site Council is governing/ advisory body at each school. The School Site Council is comprised of equal numbers of parents and staff. Parents on the School Site Council are accountable to the School Parent Council and are elected by the School Parent Council of the school.

Q. What Does the School Site Council Do?
A.  The SSC develops and approves school policy, including, but not limited to:
•    Developing and reviewing the Whole School Improvement Plan (WSIP)
•    Developing and approving the school’s annual budget
•    Creating and overseeing sub-committees such as:
–    The Instructional Leadership Team (ILT)
–    Personnel sub-committee for hiring new teachers
–    Engagement Action Team for developing a family & student engagement plan
•    Reporting back to SPC and the larger parent body on regular basis

Q. What Do the School Site Council Representatives Do?
A.  The School Site Council Representatives review and approve school policy, fully participate in the meetings, representing the School Parent Council and reporting back to the School Parent Council executive committee.

Q. What Do the School Parent Council Co-chairs Do?
A.  The SPC Co-chairs provide leadership and direction, and act as spokespersons for the School Parent Council. Co-chairs also sign off on important documents on behalf of the SPC with input from the other members, help decide what should be on the meeting agenda, and communicate regularly with principal or headmaster.  The Co-Chairs are elected members of the School Parent Council executive committee.

Q. What Does the Secretary of the School Parent Council Do?
A.  The School Parent Council Secretary takes notes during all general and executive committee meetings, prepares minutes and distributes minutes at meetings. The Secretary is an elected member of the School Parent Council executive committee.

Q. What Does the Treasurer of the School Parent Council Do?
A.  The Treasurer is responsible for keeping record of all funds raised by, or allocated to the School Parent Council. The Treasurer will prepare written reports regarding School Parent Council financials and distribute to School Parent Council members. The Treasures is an elected member of the School Parent Council executive committee.

Q. What is the City Wide Parent Council?
A.  The City Wide Parent Council is the organization of and by Boston Public Schools (BPS) that involves and empowers parents of BPS students to become effective advocates for their children.

Q. What does the Citywide Parent Council Representative do?
A.  The elected members are invited to represent the parent body on the City Wide Parent Council, attend regularly scheduled meetings and develop strategies to address these citywide issues and concerns. Members can then be voted to the CPC board.  The City Wide Parent Council Representative will share information gained at City Wide Parent Council meetings with School Parent Council members.

Q. What is the Boston Parent Advisory Council (BPAC)?
A.  The mission of the Boston Parent Advisory Council – Title 1 is to empower all parents of children attending the Boston Public and Private Schools that receive Title 1 funds to be actively and meaningfully involved in the education of their children. Two parents per school are recruited by Boston Public Schools to serve on the Boston Parent Advisory Council.

Q. What does the Boston Parent Advisory Council Title 1 Representative do?
A.  The Boston Parent Advisory Council  – Title 1 Representative will represent the parent body on the Boston Parent Advisory Council, attend regularly scheduled meetings, learn more about distribution of Title 1 funds and share the information gained at the Boston Parent Advisory Council meetings with School Parent Council members.