Drinking Gourd Elementary School

You are welcome in the classroom at any time.

Parent Involvement

Welcome . . . We need you!

Parents are welcome in the classroom at any time. They are encouraged to be as involved in the school as they are able.

Many parents volunteer their time as a Classroom Aide, Listening Ear (listening to a child read), Piggie Pal (helping to care for our guinea pig pets) or Garden Coordinator (working with the children in their organic garden), and teachers love to have their help.

Some parents, whose work hours keep them from helping during class hours, contribute by printing the Drinking Gourd News, coordinating field trips, doing sewing repairs, and many other jobs that can be done at home. These are volunteer jobs and are not required by the school.

Each family is required to spend about two hours cleaning the school on the weekend four times during the year. There are two parent work days when everyone gathers to do a special project together. In addition, each family provides a snack for their child’s class twice a month. These contributions help to keep tuition costs low.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Teachers create written progress reports for each student three times a year. These are narrative reports which outline current skills, progress since the previous report, areas of strength and areas of concern, and goals for the coming period.

Formal parent-teacher conferences are scheduled to discuss the progress reports two or three times a year. North Star students take part in setting their goals and in discussing their progress at these conferences.

Daily Communication

In addition to scheduled conferences, parents and teachers communicate with each other on a daily basis. Teachers in both classes send home a weekly note with information about the week’s activities. Parents often have an opportunity to talk with the teacher for a minute or two before or after school. For longer conversations, parents can schedule an after-school meeting at any time or talk with the teacher on the phone.