Parents of students at École Les Aiglons in Squamish have found an easy way to contribute to their children’s education.
They keep an eye on a bulletin board where teachers stick post-it notes with volunteer jobs. Based on their skills and interests, parents can choose which task they want to take on.
This time it’s a volunteer job involving wrapping 50 textbooks in plastic to protect the covers from wear and tear. It’s a time-consuming job that the busy teacher would have to do otherwise.
“We would rather have our teachers spend time teaching and working on educating our students. The tasks on the post-it notes are good ways parents can get involved that benefit our children,” says Christine McLeod, chair of École Les Aiglons’ Parent Advisory Committee. She has children in Grades 2 and 4.
Other times, parents volunteered to husk 200 cobs of corn for a welcome back barbecue, wash out book basins and punch holes in workbooks.
“We try to engage parents in different ways. It’s not necessarily coming to PAC meetings – there are a lot of other ways to help,” says McLeod.
This year the PAC is focusing on settling students at the school’s new location at the former Capilano University campus, as well as working on fundraising campaigns, such as its book fair in November when members of the community can select from a wide range of French books.
Finding innovative ways for parents to contribute is echoed as a priority for several other parent advisory committees in Squamish, especially since many families have busy lifestyles.
“We’re always looking for parents. If they can’t make our monthly meetings, there are still a lot of other ways to volunteer,” says Marcia Kent, chair of Brackendale Elementary School’s PAC. She has twin sons in Grade 1.
“Some people really enjoy coming to our PAC meetings, but others like to help out in different ways.”
Parents, for example, can volunteer at the concession stand during the school’s popular movie nights held every month in the gym.
“It’s all about teamwork, and we’re doing this for our children, and for the future too,” says Kent, adding there was a big turnout at the PAC’s first meeting of the school year.
“The more parents who get involved, the more our PAC is able to do for the students.”
The parent advisory committee at Garibaldi Highlands Elementary also takes the task of recruiting volunteers seriously.
“Each parent has a different strength, and we’ve reached out to people in the past based on what they do well,” says Emma Moses, chair of the school’s PAC. Moses has sons in Grades 1 and 3.
Some parents, for instance, who work as graphic designers make posters for the school’s movie nights.
“We also have parents who are in human resources and accounting, or who are good at organizing,” says Moses.
Since many parents at Garibaldi Highlands Elementary work outside the home, the PAC has come up with creative ways to get families involved in fundraising, including a “guilt free” card that lets parents donate money instead of making treats for the bake sales.
“It’s a humorous way to contribute, and we’ve raised a lot of money this way,” says Moses.
Parents at Squamish Elementary who aren’t able to make a large time commitment are also encouraged to volunteer for a single event when time permits.
“Parents don’t need to come to all the meetings. If they can take on one fundraiser, we can always use the help,” says Deanna Wampler, chair of the school’s PAC.
Last year, the PAC’s activities included learning how to grow vegetables in the school’s garden and creation of the Inventors Club, a weekly program in which students are encouraged to test new experiments.
“We’re always looking for help. Right now we’re looking for a treasurer so we’ll need someone with bookkeeping experience, but even volunteering for one event really helps us out.”
“It all comes down to the parent volunteers. They’re the ones who make what we do possible.”
