Blog: How can I get involved?

Whilst chatting with parents, I often get asked ‘how can we get more involved in school?’.

Being a teacher, I can think of many ways to get involved, but what I didn’t factor in was the lifestyle of so many of our families. Parents work during the hours children are at school, for some the thought of helping in a classroom full of children is right up there with herding cats, wrestling crocodiles and/or speaking to a convention of 20,000 people. The classroom setting is a stressful endeavour for many.

So the question remains – 'how can I help or be more involved in my child’s school life?'

Here’s a list to start with:

• The most important way to be involved with your child’s school is to read to and with them EVERY day*. Reading is the foundation for every subject area.
• If the classroom is not your thing, try the canteen. We always need help there.
• Sign up for working bees. It’s intentional that we limit them to only 2 per year, but this is often an avenue where working parents can come and help for an hour or more.
• Help staff prepare resources. Many of our parents cover books at home, contact resources (flash cards, instruction cards etc) at home and drop them back at school when they’re done.
• If you’re particularly handy and like making things, talk to your child’s teacher and there maybe an artefact, classroom prop or theme based item you could build for the unit being studied.
• The usual classroom help is always needed. Changing readers, hearing children read, being an extra pair of hands in the room to help clean up after art, helping with our garden beds etc etc. Again, talk with your child’s teacher and let them know your skill set and preferences.
• The PTF always need parents to help. The greater the number, the greater the variety of ideas and networks built.

There are probably many other ways that would fit the bill as ‘getting involved at school’, so if something here hasn’t sparked an interest, we would encourage you to speak with your child’s teacher.

*Especially dads – the research coming out of longitudinal studies now indicates that dads who read to and are seen reading in the home, influence reading as a positive habit by children in the home more than any other factor.

Mr Brett Allen

Head of Junior School