Parent Community Organization (PCO)

The ISPP Board of Directors believes that the task of providing an education of the highest quality for all ISPP students requires the support and involvement of the entire ISPP community. To this end, the Board encourages the development of school partner organizations, which affiliate and bond with the school in support of its educational mission.

Purpose

The purpose of this group is to act as an umbrella organization for parents to ensure that their questions and concerns are addressed at the appropriate level of school administration. The members of the Parent Community Organization help improve the communication between parents and school administration by providing parents with necessary information from meetings with the Director and vice versa.

This organization will also be involved in arranging parent events, supporting leadership of events such as International Day and supporting the SCR Coordinator in improving the communication between school and community. The Director shall approve activities involving ISPP facilities or personnel.

Welcoming newcomers to the ISPP Community will be an additional role of this group. To help with this, the Welcome Team Chairperson will implement a parent representative program for each classroom on the Elementary campus, starting with the 2008-09 academic year. The Program may be expanded to the Secondary campus, if feasible. In addition, the PCO will organize a New Parent Barbeque each August and an Ice Cream Social each January.

Mission Statement

The mission of the ISPP Parent Community Organization (PCO) is to support and enhance the school program. We aim to: Foster a positive partnership which will help the school listen to parents and help parents to be better informed about the school; and, welcome new families and promote a spirit of community by offering assistance, information, and friendship to all members.

Organization

Parents from all grade levels shall be eligible to join this organization and will act as a two-way communication group between home and school. The group allows direct access to the school administration by parents.

Membership

All ISPP parents are automatically considered to be part of the PCO. Those who would like to be actively involved are encouraged to attend meetings. Meeting attendance is purely voluntary and needn't be regular or require any additional participation. The PCO will strive to have at least one parent from each grade level who will attend meetings regularly.

One Parent Board Member will be part of this organization. The purpose is to provide a link between parents and the board.

The PCO members will select a chairperson and a co-chairperson.

Class Reps

In Elementary School, each class has a parent acting as Class Representative. The Class Reps serve as liaison between teacher and parent for class or grade activities but is also a valuable contact for new parents arriving to the school. They can help new families find the information that they need.

Meetings

The PCO usually meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 12.15pm over a light lunch on the Secondary Campus; as scheduled on the School Calendar.

All PCO meetings are informal and have a portion of the meeting time open to any ISPP parents to bring questions from themselves other parents to meetings for review. A Parent Board Member serves to report these issues to the Board.

Finance

The fiscal year of PCO will be from 1 August to 31 July. The PCO receives funding as part of the ISPP annual budget to fund events, publications and other community related activities.