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Q
Did you know that the Parents Association funds $3,200, which is approximately one third of the Publishing Center's operating budget?
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A
Lamination supplies, paper, and ink cartridges are funded by our annual contribution to the center. At the end of the 2007-08 year, the Parents Association also donated six new PC's to the Publishing Center. Of course, the equipment and supplies come to life only through the dedication of our parent volunteers, who supportively transform our children's written work into books. The Publishing Center is a dynamic curricular resource for our children, through the monetary support of the Parents Association, parent volunteerism and collaboration with the school's administrative team.
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Q
Did you know that the Parents Association awards travel grants to faculty and staff each year?
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The 2007-08 grant recipients – Mark Humphries (London, England), Anne Harlan (Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina), Anne Tyler (Teze, France) and Therese Kahn (Turkey) – shared their dynamic travel experiences at the PA General Meeting in the fall.
While each journey was unique, reflecting individual scholarly interests, the recipients described – in enthusiastic unison - the profound impact of their travels. All agreed that their trips: “enhanced their understanding of teaching and learning”; “allowed them to be models for their curious students”; made them “enthusiastic learners” and “energized” individuals. Each traveler was “deeply grateful” to the parents of St. Patricks for these “extraordinary” opportunities.
If you know or meet one for these faculty/staff members, ask them about their interesting journeys. Or if you know a faculty/staff member with a sincere professional interest that would be enhanced by travel, encourage them to apply for a Parents Association travel grant this winter. St. Patrick’s values the professional development of its faculty and staff. In turn, we as parents show our appreciation of faculty and staff and demonstrate our commitment to scholarship beyond our school walls with these grants.
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Q
Did you know that St. Patrick’s supports the Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol, a vital service program that feeds the hungry in downtown Washington, in two ways?
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1) You may know that children across all grades prepare food in their classrooms each month. Nursery, PK, and Kindergarten students peel vegetables, which are used to prepare soup. Grades 1 to 8 make hundreds of sandwiches and provide a variety of cookies. Room Parents help to coordinate the ingredient deliveries, thanks to your generosity, and parent volunteers support the children with the food preparation. But our community involvement doesn’t stop there.
2) Parent, student, and faculty volunteers—four to six per shift—distribute our prepared food directly to the homeless by riding in the Salvation Army Grate Patrol van. The Salvation Army van runs 365 nights a year, in all weather conditions. St. Patrick’s delivers food twice a month—on the third and fourth Wednesdays—beginning at 6:15 pm. Van delivery volunteers are needed! If you would like to be involved, please contact Kankunda Klingenberg at klingenbergk@stpatsdc.org or visit the St. Patrick’s website, clicking on the Parent Volunteer tab.
Many of our St. Patrick’s students, as young as Kindergarten age, have been introduced to the spirit of volunteerism by riding in the Grate Patrol van. It is indeed a meaningful way to help others in our community.
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Q
Did you know that the Parents Association hosts breakfasts and teas for all faculty and staff?
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They are treated to homemade goodies, Starbucks coffee, bagels and lox, and more. This is a part of the Parents Association mission to recognize the St. Patrick's faculty and staff and show the parent body's thanks for their work in a personal way. These breakfasts and teas build on the “welcome back to school” coffee mugs, which we gave to all faculty and staff at the start of the school year. The Parents Association will host other breakfasts throughout the year.
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Q
Did you know that the Parent Association’s annual fundraising events, logo sales, and Groceries for Education program underwrite a lot more than the annual gift(s) to the school and faculty and staff summer grants?
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The Parents Association also funds:
* 25% of the annual budget for the school website
* Appreciation gifts and recognition events for faculty and staff
* $3,500 contribution to the Publishing Center
* Support for Community Conversations on Equity
* Family Bingo Night
* Contributions for community service programs, including Environmental Service Week, Gifts for Good, and speakers
* Babysitting for children during Parent Potlucks
* A pizza dinner during the Fall Book Fair
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Q
Did you know all proceeds from St. Patrick's logowear sales help to fund the Parents Association gift to the school?
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Sweatshirt or baseball cap, Scout bag or t-shirts . . . all help to make our end-of-year gift possible. Last year, the Parents Association funded 32 GB iPod Touches for the Nursery School classrooms, ten iPads for the Lower School, and five Amazon Kindles for the Grades 7 and 8 students, to name only a few items. Just know that when you show your St. Patrick's pride, you are also giving back to the school. To see our full array of logo items, visit the online School Store at www.stpatsdc.org.
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Q
Did you know that the Parents Association makes an annual holiday donation to a local charity as a gesture of appreciation to faculty and staff?
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Last year, the Parents Association donated $1,000 to Homeless Children’s Playtime Project.
The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project (HCPP) was founded in 2003 and seeks “to nurture healthy child development and reduce the effects of trauma among children living in temporary housing programs in the District of Columbia.” HCCP (www.playtimeproject.net) is powered mostly by volunteers. Since its inception, more than 600 volunteers have served more than 1,000 children at eight playtime sites throughout the city, providing one-on-one attention, healthy snacks, and access to developmentally appropriate toys and activities designed to reduce the effects of homelessness on children and promote learning and joy.
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Q
Did you know that St. Patrick's is a member of the Parents Council of Washington?
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St. Patrick's is a member of the Parents Council of Washington, an organization of parent volunteers, started in 1964, that currently represents over 50 independent schools. The mission of the Council is to communicate and share information among parents, students, and their respective schools in order to guide students responsibly.
For further information about the Parents Council, click on the links on the parents pages of our website or go directly to www.parentscouncil.org, which is designed to facilitate interaction among independent schools in the Washington area. The website provides links to the member-school's websites, a community calendar to learn about public speakers and events at member schools, a monthly letter written by a Head of School about current trends or issues, and a summary of recent Parents Council programs. If you have any questions, please contact our St. Patrick's representatives to the Parents Council, Lindsay White at lindsaydriscollwhite@gmail.com and Manar Morales at manarmorales@yahoo.com.