Parent Engagement

Since our founding in 1980, the affirming and trusting partnership between parents and faculty/staff has been a hallmark of NPES’ school culture, providing a healthy and positive climate in which our students know they are safe and loved, and can thrive. This partnership continues to be rooted in empathy, listening for understanding, transparency, respectful truth-telling, collaborative problem-solving, easy access to school staff, and mutual recognition that all have the best interests of children in mind. NPES further believes that parents seeking a community of families for their family should find that in their child’s school, and that schools should provide multiple pathways for parents to get involved in the school to the extent they are able.

Here are just some of the ways parents/caregivers get involved at NPES:

• All parents/caregivers are members of the NPES Association, and at least one representative from each family attends the the fall, winter, and spring meetings organized by our Room Parent Steering Committee and NPES staff 
• Engage in the wide variety of social activities sponsored by parent clubs and association groups, i.e., pickup basketball, yoga, music, class nights out, park and other play dates, cultural celebrations, Premier League, camping, resale events, community service, a cook-off, trivia, and more
• Join an association group sharing a common educational interest to support the school, i.e. Service Learning, Cultural Celebrations, Divergent Learners, Community Relations Volunteers
• Volunteer as a Room Parent, partnering with teachers on class parties and other events, organizing thank-yous and celebrating faculty/staff, helping plan the agenda for association meetings, working on auction baskets, and more
• Volunteer to help chaperone recess and field studies, share expertise and cultural heritage in classrooms, be a mystery reader, welcome and onboard new-to-NPES parents, and represent the school at community events
• Collaborate with the Director of Development to plan, host, and staff the annual NPES Gala in the spring (an auction and social gathering off-site), the Fin Run in the fall, and other fundraising events to support our school 
• Serve on one of the Board of Trustees’ standing committees, including the Finance Committee, Development Committee, Facilities Committee, Educational Excellence Committee, and Nominating & Governance Committee
• Serve on the Board of Trustees, the school’s independent and self-sustaining governing body (all present or past NPES parents) engaged in policy making, approving the annual budget, hiring and evaluating the Head of School, oversight of the school’s congruence with its stated mission, and serving as stewards of the institution for future generations of students, families, and employees