Families

At Park, your entire family is a fundamental part of our bright, active, and inclusive community. The School delivers not only an excellent whole-child education, but an enriching whole-family experience. You’ve got the support and camaraderie of other parents and family members to make navigating parenthood as enjoyable, functional, and rewarding as possible.

“Many Park families think of the School as more than a place to send their children – it’s a place to belong, a real community, a 'neighborhood.'”

– Park School Parent

Parents’ Role in Education at Park

We believe that learning begins with the family, and our goal is to extend and develop that process. To reinforce what goes on in school, we encourage parents and guardians to confer with their child’s teachers about expectations and progress, to be aware of the curriculum and the teachers’ objectives, and to guide children in their work at home.

Key to the parents’ role in education at Park is being informed. Our website is tailored for each member of the School community with an individualized portal that links parents to their children and faculty. We also encourage parents to attend Morning Meeting, class events, and school functions, visit the library and classrooms, or drop by the lobby for coffee.

Parents' Association

At Park, all parents and guardians are automatically members of the Park Parents’ Association (PA) and are invited to attend meetings and participate in discussions and decisions. The variety of volunteer opportunities makes is possible for parents with different interests, talents, and schedules to participate in the life of the School. Whether a one-time or ongoing commitment – every contribution is needed and valued.

Community Expectations

We expect one another to be positive, contributing members of the Park community. Each student is responsible for developing his / her own abilities and for helping others develop theirs by:

Supporting each individual’s dignity and right to learn
Nurturing and caring for the community in its diversity
Respecting the environment and personal and community propertyIn addition to assuming responsibility for themselves and for their conduct towards others, students (in Grades 1–8) are expected to participate in cleaning their classrooms, clearing lunch tables, and supporting the School’s recycling program. Each Upper Division student is also required to complete one hour of service to the School community each term. At home, parents are urged to reinforce these expectations for responsible membership in a community.

Park is also committed to making children aware of the larger community beyond their classroom and the school walls. Students have many opportunities to participate in projects, both through the service learning curriculum, as well as through activities sponsored by Service Council, Pangea, and the Parents’ Association Community Service Committee.

Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day

Each year, Park looks forward to welcoming grandparents and special friends to spend a morning at school with their loved ones.

Guidelines for Parents & Families

Religious and Cultural Observances

As a diverse and inclusive community, The Park School supports each family’s holy days and celebrations. Our guiding principle is that students and their families should be able to celebrate holy days without feeling unduly burdened with assignments upon return to school. Tests are not given on days when a significant number of students will be absent, and major projects are not due on the day of expected return to school. Similarly, tests are not given on the day when students observing holidays return to school.

CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS

Park is sensitive to the pressure to conform that children often feel from one another. If parents note concern on the part of their child, we ask that they bring the matter to the attention of the child’s advisor, homeroom teacher, or class representative. Together, we are committed to reinforcing understanding and sensitivity among the students, thus developing a positive appreciation of personal differences and minimizing the impact of peer-group pressures. We also ask that parents be sensitive to economic differences among Park families and discourage children from making comparative statements about vacations, clothing, and expensive or trendy possessions.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE & CLOTHING

Freedom of choice, coupled with responsibility towards appropriate appearance, underlies the School’s dress code. Students should wear neat, clean clothes that are appropriate to a PreKindergarten through Grade 8 school. Ripped jeans, T-shirts with offensive graphics or language, and clothing that is distracting to the learning environment are examples of inappropriate attire. All footwear should be safe with soles meant for indoors. The faculty will monitor these guidelines, but primary responsibility for dress remains with students and their parents.

Dress Days: A few times each year, students are asked to wear coats and ties, dresses, skirts, or dressy pants.

PARTIES & PARTY INVITATIONS

Families are encouraged to use “Small or All” as a commonsense guideline – invite either a whole class or grade or a small group, such as an advisory, section, or a group of friends that is less than one fourth of the class. Within all levels of the School, party plans should attempt to respect the range of values regarding age-appropriate activities (e.g., movie selection).

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