The role of a room parent will vary from class to class depending on the teacher. Some teachers utilize their room parent more than others, so it's best to get acquainted with your class teacher and find out in what ways he/she will need your help over the coming months.

Teachers may or may not wish to have an activity associated with American holidays such as Valentine's Day or Halloween, etc. Some teachers may ask for help during school photo sessions, UN Day, field trips and/or class activities such as journal writing or putting on a play.

Besides being available to help the teacher as he/she desires, the PSA urges the room parent to arrange one or more social venues during the year for parents to get to know one another (coffee mornings, meet for lunch, etc.). Room parents may certainly use the PSA Lounge as a convenient venue to meet.

Becoming acquainted socially with your class parents will make being a liaison to those parents about class activities much easier. You will be expected, with the help from as many others as you chose, to organize class parties, usually one before winter break and another at the end of the school year. After deciding the nature of the party with the teacher, the room parent can allocate other parents to bring various dishes and refreshments as well as supplies (cups, napkins, plates, etc.) or arrangements can be made with Mr. Ahluwalia in the school cafeteria to make pizza and/or other finger food and drinks to be delivered to the classroom. Generally, class parties are coordinated by grade with input from the room parents from the other classes in your grade as well as all of the teachers in that grade.

Further, the room parent is expected to arrange on behalf of the children for the purchase of a gift to be presented to the class teacher, teacher's assistant and specials teachers (art, music, computer, language). Parents in each grade who have a child involved in ESL or the Learning Center may want to get something for those special teachers. Sometimes room parents may decide to have the children put their creativity to work and instead make their teacher(s) a gift. Christmas or Diwali gifts made to teachers are generally made on an individual basis.

It is best to ask your teacher to supply you with his/her list of student name/parents' names and telephone numbers once it is compiled. The room parent may chose to compile an additional list includes birthdates, nationality, etc.

The sample letter (accessed by clicking the link below) contains some of the information you may want to relay to your class's parents in an introductory letter that you should send at the beginning of the school year. We recommend that room parents try to attend the PSA meetings, held the third Thursday each month in the Board Room at 8:40 a.m. as well as the ES Coffees that are held periodically (check AES News for time and agenda).