Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Other Charter

This post will appear in the "PAW Print" newsletter on May 28, 2009::

Now that I’ve nearly completed my first year as a charter school parent, it’s clear to me that a successful charter school is really about two charters and both of them are equally important. The first charter, of course, is the one that the school has with the State of North Carolina, which is all about meeting the standards for schools set by the state. It’s also about realizing the vision laid out in the charter application for what makes the school different, which comes about by implementing the educational philosophies behind the vision.

The “Other Charter” is the one the parents have with the school to serve and support it. In order to work, the Other Charter needs full participation because the role of parents in a charter school is so critical to the basic operation of the school that if the school had to pay vendors to provide the services that our parent volunteers provide, the numbers just would not add up and the school would have to close. As a result, both charters are necessities for Endeavor to operate and succeed. We’ve had so many successes this year, and many of them are due to the way that our parents have stepped up and kept the Other Charter alive.

If you are among the few that have not found your groove as a charter school parent, please contact me at
paws.president@endeavorcharter.com and I might have some suggestions for you. If your daytime hours are limited, there are many ways you could help the school in the evening or on weekends. Of course, during the day there are many opportunities to help – both at the school, or from your home or office. For those of you that are involved, thank you so much for your time and dedication. And remember that as a member of PAWS you have a voice – please participate in the PAWS General Membership meetings or come observe one of the PAWS Board meetings. The next Board meeting is at 6:30pm on Tue., June 16 in the multipurpose room. This letter appears as a post in my blog – click on the link below my name and post a comment if you like.

All the best,
John

Monday, May 4, 2009

Into the Homestretch

This post will appear in the "PAW Print" newsletter on May 7, 2009:

It’s hard to believe that we’ve almost completed our first year, but it’s true. At our last PAWS general membership meeting, we voted in next year’s PAWS Board of Directors and they will begin their terms after fourth quarter ends.

I’d like to call for a round of applause for Karin Reed, president; Kris Stauffer and Karen Josloff, co-VPs of Fundraising; Liz Green and Karen Johnson, co-VPs of Volunteers & Communications; Christina Cermin, VP of Programs & Services; Kristy McClure, treasurer; and April Lee and Karen Lynn, co-secretaries.

If you are interested in heading a PAWS committee next year, get in contact with the appropriate Vice President for next year, since they appoint the committee chairs. The list of committees and their VPs are on the
Endeavor Web Site. And please don’t forget that there is always a need for people on all of the committees.

And of course, thank you for all of your hard work this year.

All the best,
John