Parents@TPS

Throughout the history of the school, parental involvement has been integral to The Philadelphia School's success. In the early 1970's our founding parents worked hard to make their dream a reality. Since the school opened in 1972, parents continued to play a key role in the education of our children and the betterment of the school. Parents are encouraged to frequently communicate with their children's teachers and are always welcome in the classrooms to share their talents and skills. Our children’s parents are respected as essential partners in making our school a place in which many kinds of learners can thrive.

The Philadelphia School Association (TPSA), our parents association, is active in organizing family and social events, planning fundraising events, and sponsoring a variety of mission-related committees. Each summer an online volunteer form is set to all parents and guardians, detailing the many volunteer opportunities available at the school. TPSA committees include

• BUILDS (Building Understanding About Intelligences, Learning Differences, and Styles). BUILDS brings together parents of children with learning differences and unique learning styles for education and parent-to-parent support. This academic year, we are developing a wiki (a private, micro-website) full of resources about learning differences, tutoring, testing, therapy, and other supports. At our monthly meetings, we will share ways to highlight our children’s strengths, address their challenges, keep family balance -- and have some fun along the way!

• Family Diversity at TPS. Family Diversity @ TPS supports and promotes an inclusive school community for all students and their families. In collaboration with TPSA and the school, the group presents parent education events and supports student and parent participation in activities offered around the city. Family Diversity @ TPS meets monthly to plan its work and to learn about the challenges and the rewards of supporting and encouraging diversity. Some recent activities included a parent education night on talking about race and racism with children and a screening and panel discussion of the film "Prep School Negro."

• Green & Healthy Team. The Green and Healthy Team works to ensure a healthy and environmentally sustainable learning environment. The TPSA Green and Healthy Team recognizes the importance of a healthy and safe indoor environment and its connections to the natural world and resources. Through its proactive promotion and leadership, the Green and Healthy Team works to increase awareness within the TPS community of environmental and sustainability issues; assists TPS administration to research and implement viable solutions; and encourages staff, faculty, and students to implement these solutions in daily life.

• Families of Color Affinity Group. This group seeks to nurture a safe space for families with children of color to dialogue about their experiences at TPS. We seek to support one another in dealing with issues relevant to our group, promote ongoing communication with the school, and encourage action that addresses our hopes and needs as families of color.

The Board of Trustees of The Philadelphia School consists mainly of current and alumni parents. Board committees include parents who are not on the board.

Parents support the Annual Fund campaign, both financially and by volunteering to work with our development office throughout the year. This support helps provide for financial aid, as well as other operational needs. While we do set a monetary annual giving goal each year, most importantly we strive for 100% parent participation. This is one quantifiable way that we can demonstrate what we already know to the community at large - that we have wonderful parent involvement and support! Periodically, parents are also called upon to support a capital campaign, from which funds are used for capital improvements to the campus.