Rudolf Steiner School

Parent Association (PA)

The PA core group, comprised of parents who represent each class and one or more teachers, meets once a month. They share news from throughout the school and plan general PA meetingss. The PA sub-committees (Welcoming, Parent Education) work on their particular focus and report back to the core group. The Welcoming sub-committee conducts activities to assist new families to the school community. The Parents Education sub-committee works to provide parents with informative meetings on Waldorf education or related subjects.

News from the Parent Association
by Christine Casarsa, School Year 2007 - 2008

Welcome, new families joining us this year, and welcome back to all of our GBRSS families!

Parents are an integral part of the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School. A strong Parent Association (PA) encourages parent participation in the life of the school. The PA’s role is to collaborate with teachers and foster the sense of community that thrives here. The PA Committee and Class Representatives (Class Reps) communicate parents’ concerns to the faculty, organize parent volunteers for community celebrations, and provide both fellowship and funds to the school. Although the PA mainly focuses its attention within the school, it is also active in outreach endeavors.

Parents provide practical, emotional, and spiritual support for the teachers and the students. Class Reps, along with other supportive class parents and the class teacher, create a strong core for each grade and early childhood classroom. Class Reps are responsible for outlining what each class’s duties are for hosting events at the school during a specific month. For instance, each time there is a school event, different classes take on the duties of setting up, providing refreshments and cleaning up. Event organizers provide detailed instructions of what is needed. The eighth grade is in charge of hospitality for the month of September. Please check with Kate Hixon and Karen Hennessy to find out what needs to be done for the Early Childhood Open House and the Michaelmas Assembly.

There are plentiful informal opportunities for parents to contribute to the life of the school—whether in the classroom, in the main office, or through the school’s events and outreach activities. The Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School is truly a community for families, not just for students.