What is Panda Partners?

At one of the summer meetings, one of the moms asked me to define how the Panda Partners would be different from the PTSA. She asked what is the goal of this new PTO (or Parent Teacher Organization)?

I decided to write a description and read it out loud to the parents at the first school-wide Panda Partners meeting on 8-29, during the President's report. I wanted to share it with parents and families who were not able to attend, and might want to know a bit more specifically about events/goals and areas of focus for the group. I hope this can help clarify if there is confusion about the Panda Partners' role within the school. So, here it is!

What is the new OCS Volunteer Group Panda Partners all about?

Our mission statement is: OCS Volunteer Group Panda Partners is organized for the purpose of supporting the education of children at Our Community School by fostering relationships among the school, parents, and teachers through outreach, community and service.

This new group was formed over the summer to serve as a way for parents to connect  and to move forward  with activities that help enrich and improve our students’ educational experience at OCS.

With that in mind, we proceeded to identify 3 main categories for our focus this year. These include Outreach, Community and Service. The outreach committee will be headed by Leah Mayer and will include initiatives that help families in need on campus, and involve students with helping organizations in our local community.  The community committee will focus on events that help build a sense of community and relationship for all who are involved with the school.  Events include monthly Pizza Friday, First week hospitality, the pancake breakfast/garden work day and the panda café, among others.  The third committee,  service, will help to provide volunteers in several ways. First, there are the room parents and room parent coordinators that assist with classroom needs. Secondly, there are sub-committees for recycling, the OCS garden, and the Panda Coalition for the Arts. Most importantly, it is the job of the service committee to help funnel volunteers to support the major school fundraisers. These events are run and coordinated by the development committee and include Kids Dash, Big Night Out, the House of Blues Talent Show and the Spring Faire.

In our foundational year as Panda Partners, we wanted to set small and reasonable goals. We feel the things we have chosen to support and move ahead with are initiatives that we can successfully support. That said, we will truly need the participation of our parent base. We can’t expect one small group of dedicated people to cover all the needs for these different activities. The executive board recognizes that we are a diverse group with many different types of working situations. It is our goal to be able to identify and find ways for all parents to become  involved and an active part of the Panda Partners. Please know that we are open to all ideas and look forward to your feedback and suggestions throughout the year.

Another goal for this year is to create a very open line of communication about what is happening so that parents who cannot attend the meetings can stay up to date. Please look for our facebook page, OCS Volunteer Group Panda Partners online. Another way is to to check the weekly packet for notices, and to check the OCS website Panda Partners section for minutes posted.  Parents can also follow and subscribe to a newly created blog for more detailed information. Please check out: http://www.ocspandapartners.blogspot.com/

Thank you!