PAEC Handbook - Updated May 2024

Parents’ Association Executive Committee Handbook

Mission and Values of Collegiate School

The mission of Collegiate School is to create a diverse and inclusive community of learners committed to a challenging and supportive educational experience that will foster the intellectual, moral, emotional and physical development of each student.

Collegiate School is a community with a continuing commitment to the following shared values. These values guide our philosophy, educational program and daily interaction:

HONOR

Personal integrity and devotion to the truth, which make one trustworthy, forthright, responsible and fair.

LOVE OF LEARNING

A creative spirit that promotes intellectual and personal growth through exploration, inquiry and openness to change

EXCELLENCE

A sustained commitment to meeting high standards of character, achievement and personal accountability.

RESPECT

Fundamental regard for the dignity and worth of each individual.

COMMUNITY

A commitment to responsive and compassionate citizenship and service on campus, in the local community and in the broader world

Mission and Goals of the PA

The mission of the Parents' Association is to promote and foster the well-being and continued advancement of Collegiate. We are composed of all parents and guardians of Collegiate students as well as all faculty, administration and members of the Board of Trustees dedicated to the future of our children at Collegiate

Our primary goal is to bring families together to build and strengthen the community We provide opportunities for families to meet, volunteer and get involved, while generating enthusiasm and excitement for all aspects of Collegiate.

In addition, we organize fundraising events such as Cougar Holiday Express, Bingo Night and Village Green Fair. Any funds raised are directed toward the continued advancement of our School All parents are welcomed, needed and encouraged to volunteer and be advocates for Collegiate's excellence.

PAEC Roster

Parents’ Association Executive Committee (PAEC) Roster

PAEC Calendar of Events and Schedule of Meetings

2024-25 PAEC Calendar of Events and Schedule of PAEC Meetings

Expectations and Best Practices Expectations

A PAEC members should strive to be optimistic and growth-minded School supporters with a willingness to listen to others' perspectives and experiences.

B PAEC members will understand and support the School’s philosophy, policies and procedures as well as be supportive of the School’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive community

C. A positive, cooperative and open relationship with the School's faculty, staff, administrators and Board of Trustees is paramount for the Parents' Association to live its stated mission and achieve its goals. The Parents' Association is part of the School. We are community-building partners who each benefit from the other's hard work for and dedication to the members of the Collegiate community PAEC members should regularly consult with the appropriate Division Head, the Development Office, the Business Office and/or the Director of Parent/Family Relations when planning any Parents' Association event

D PAEC members should refrain from engaging in conflicts between parents and the School and should instead encourage respectful and direct dealings between the parent(s) and the appropriate faculty member or administrator.

E PAEC members are important stewards of the Collegiate community and as such, should work to set personal advocacy aside when working in their PA roles.

Best Practices

A. Email

● PAEC and Parents' Association members will use parent contact information and email lists only for communicating about a Parents' Association event. Sharing email lists with external groups not affiliated with the School or using the lists for commercial use or solicitation is not allowed

● All Division Coordinators will share the above information with their respective Room Parents and Grade Level Reps In addition, Room Parents and Grade Level Reps should be educated about how to request an email list from the School in the event that a parent from the broader community contacts them for an email list for a School-adjacent (i e Breakfast before Brunch) and/or a non-School event (i.e. Sweet Sixteen).

● PAEC members and Parents' Association volunteers will employ the "BCC" feature when emailing any groups (five or more) of our community members

● PAEC members will "CC" the PA President (and Vice President and Past President when appropriate) on emails of importance sent to their subcommittees and parent volunteers to keep the President abreast of developing work and plans.

● PAEC members will "CC" appropriate faculty, staff, administrators and the Director of Parent/Family Relations on emails of importance sent to their sub-committees and parent volunteers

B. Reports and Timelines

● PAEC members will keep detailed, accurate notes throughout their tenure so that written reports and timelines can be shared with the current PAEC and subsequent members of the PAEC.

● PAEC reports and timelines will be filed on the appropriate Parents' Association Google Drive and shared with the next parent to fill the PAEC role

● To ensure that PAEC meetings run efficiently, PAEC members should read all reports and School communications prior to meetings

C. Meetings

● PAEC members will attend all PAEC meetings and make a concerted effort to attend Parents' Association events.

● When possible, PAEC meetings will be an opportunity for education and discussion with participation from different School representatives

D. Volunteer Seeking

● PAEC members will attempt to invite and include parents of different backgrounds, grade levels and with varying experience when seeking volunteers for a given project or event They will strive to be cognizant of work schedules and other constraints our parent volunteers might face with a goal of fostering a sense of belonging for all parents

E. Working with School Faculty and Staff

● PAEC members and volunteers should be mindful of the appropriateness and timeliness of requests they make to School staff and faculty so as not to overburden them. Also, at PA events, PAEC members and their volunteers should refrain from asking faculty and staff to complete work that is designated for PA volunteers.

● When designing and branding products for a PA event, PAEC members and their volunteers should maintain regular contact with Jen Holloway in the Cougar Shop to avoid duplication of products. Jen is an excellent resource on the School’s style guidelines and can lend that knowledge when needed In addition, PAEC members should consider consulting Jen when seeking quotes for products (i e T-shirts) as Jen has strong relationships with preferred vendors.

F Use of the School’s Social Media Accounts

● From time to time, the School's Instagram and Facebook accounts may be utilized to publicize PA events Proposed social media postings should be coordinated with the PAEC Communications Chair before making a request to the School's Communications staff The School's social media accounts may be used to provide coverage and/or a recap of a PA event and occasionally to share event details and/or a reminder about an upcoming event. However, the Weekly Paws, pushpages and emails from Room Parents and Grade Level Reps should be the main channel to convey PA event details and reminders

Important Contacts at School

Frances Coleman – 804 754 1553, fcoleman@collegiate-va org

Frances, as Director of Parent/Family Relations, is the School’s liaison with the PA. She supports and advises the PA by attending regular meetings with the PA President and Vice President, handles special requests, supports VGF planning and attends all PAEC and VGF meetings.

Paige Fox – 804 741 6259, paige fox@collegiate-va org

Paige, as Manager of Special Events, is responsible for coordinating all Collegiate event setups, including PA events Paige is also the point of contact for any catering needs and will communicate directly with Myra Edwards (Lexington Independents)

Heidi Benson – heidi benson@collegiate-va org

As Student Accounts Receivable Specialist, Heidi is your contact to submit Student Charges for our events.

Alex Neilson – alex neilson@collegiate-va.org

Alex, Development Assistant, is your point of contact with any donations (cash or in-kind) that are received via our fundraising efforts

Ellie Lynch – Ellie lynch@collegiate-va org

Ellie, Communications Project Coordinator, works closely with the PA Communications Coordinator on all School publicity of PA events and messaging as well as email address requests

Jennifer Holloway – jennifer holloway@collegiate-va.org

Jenn, Cougar Shop Manager, is the point person for ordering any products for PA fundraising

School Partnership

Coordination and communication are important to strengthen the PA/School partnership Every year, the PA sets and accomplishes big goals and the School is there to support the PA Guidelines and deadlines are necessary but the real partnership comes from the many conversations and collaborations between PA volunteers and School employees

Campus Maps and Access to Campus and Security

To be allowed (and to remain) on Mooreland Road Campus and Robins Campus, all PA Volunteers must wear their school-issued nametag. All volunteers must check in at a division office to be cleared to stay on campus. Since doors are locked, you will need to identify yourself and wear your nametag to be checked in

Campus Map

Campus Map

Main

Robins

Visitors/Vendors for Events

Any outside party must obtain a Raptor badge from Director of Campus Safety and Security John Kimenhour or Assistant to the Head of Lower School Clara Pettus prior to coming onto campus The PA Treasurer will guide you on the steps required by the Business Office Deliveries where the outside deliverers do not remain on campus do not need security clearance.

The Director of Parent/Family Relations (Frances) will inform Campus Security of each PA event. Event chairs should estimate the number of attendees to provide to her.

Solicitations and Sponsorships

All fundraising ideas need to be cleared by the PA President before proceeding. We work together with the Development Office to manage the many “asks” that may be in front of parents, alumni and businesses. We want to coordinate and be sensitive to the timing and frequency of these requests Please do not use the Collegiate Directory or emails provided to you in your roles for any purpose that is not Collegiate approved or sponsored

For PA fundraising, coordination and communication with the Development Office is essential Paige Fox’s approval is required for any potential sponsor or solicitation Our goal is to prevent local businesses from being solicited by both the School and PA without careful coordination and planning Happily, the School and PA have strong local business support for our various fundraisers and have a track record of successful coordination of efforts. The first step in seeking approval for a sponsorship donation is to complete the form (see form below) Once the form is completed, please let Paige know

Sponsorship and Solicitation form

Cougar Shop Partnership

Working closely with the Cougar Shop benefits all by preventing any duplication of products If the PA wants to order a product for fundraising, Jenn Holloway, Cougar Shop Manager, needs to be contacted first and her approval is required. She will offer her expertise and her network of providers to order products for the PA while eliminating any markup Regular communication for any special PA product is important. For example, any printed product would need support and approval from the Cougar Shop and Communications (they must coordinate on font, art, colors, logo presentations, how they are being used, etc ) Adhering to best practice for branding and product selection is crucial.

All questions should be directed to Jenn in the Cougar Shop

Email Address List Requests

Email Address List Request Process and Email Address List Request form If you have any questions, contact Ellie or Frances.

Scheduling and Catering Logistics

For PA event planning, coordination and communication with the Development Office is essential Frances’s approval is required for any potential event change or scheduling issues, such as adding a rain date. Please reach out to her with any scheduling changes or catering questions If there is a change to the PA calendar and you need to change/add an event, once you seek and obtain Frances’s approval, please complete this form, the E-Setup form

E-Setup form and process If you have any questions, Frances can help

Cougie Mascot Reservation form and process. If you have any questions, Frances or Alex Neilson in the Development Office (804 741 9718) can help

PA Procedures

Documentation and Reports

Prepare a summary of your committee’s activities for the Executive Committee meetings scheduled for September, November, January, March and May. Email your report to the PA President a week before the meeting All the reports (including the minutes of the previous meeting) will be batched together and emailed before the scheduled meeting for you to review and print out, if you choose

It is important for both Executive Committee members and their committee members to create a folder in the Google Drive with detailed information and reports regarding their positions This is a key tool for those who follow in subsequent years. Feel free to alter prior reports but be sure to save them as a new file so that the information is not overwritten

Please include the following in the Google Drive:

1 Timeline of activities and all reports

2. List of committee members.

3 Examples of printed pieces, such as invitations, flyers etc

4 Final version of requests submitted for pushpages and Weekly Paws – the copy of the pushpage and Weekly Paws is essential.

5 Final version of Shopify submittals and screenshots of the Shopify shopping pages to provide visuals for next year’s chairs.

6. Financial results, including copies of receipts.

7 Copies of E-setup requests

8. Copies of important and useful emails.

Mid-Year reports are due a week before the January Executive Committee meeting Final reports are due a week after the last Executive Committee meeting. Reports should be sent to both the PA President and Vice President For events and programs after that date, please submit an addenda

Please include the following in your Mid-year and Final reports:

1. Summary of your activities and events, with pertinent notes and suggestions for the future

2 Committee chairs and key players for any events, if applicable

3. A summary of revenue and expenses, including vendor contacts if applicable.

4 An analysis of your area’s activities and events In the final report, please include recommendations and suggestions for the next year

As Coordinators you are responsible for collecting all reports for your area at the end of the year in time to incorporate this information into your final report Request Event Reports from Committee heads shortly after events have taken place rather than at the end of the year while information is fresh Please make sure reports are complete and that all information is documented in the Google Drive.

All PAEC Coordinators have access to their own Gmail Check with your predecessor to access the password. If you need help or have questions, check with the PA President.

Financial Information and Procedures

PA Treasurer

● The PA Treasurer’s primary role is that of liaison between the PA and the Collegiate Business Office

● Always contact the Treasurer with questions about financial issues instead of contacting the Business Office directly

Financial Reports and Oversight

● Monitor your committee’s financial activities on an ongoing basis and make sure they stay within their budgets or cover their costs, as applicable Ensure that all expenses are discussed with you so that you can evaluate that request in consideration of your budget and goals

● Request that your committee chairs compare and verify prices when planning events in order to keep costs at a minimum.

● At each Executive Committee meeting, the Treasurer will provide Coordinators with their Project Detail Reports that show all the revenue and expenses for the activities under their supervision It is the responsibility of each Coordinator to carefully review these reports for accuracy and to contact the Treasurer ASAP with questions or to make any changes.

● If you would like your reports prior to an Executive Committee meeting, please feel free to ask the Treasurer for a copy to be sent to you

Budgets

Budgets are due to the PA President no later than June 30. Please include detailed explanations for all changes versus last year’s budget

Guidelines for Expense Reimbursements

● Submit all expense reimbursement requests as soon as possible but no later than within 10 days of purchase Please click here to download a copy of the Reimbursement form

● All reimbursement requests must be accompanied by dedicated receipts, which only include the items that were purchased for Parents’ Association activities Personal items must not be included

● Specific instructions for submitting reimbursement requests, working with student charges and handling vendor invoices are provided in separate documents We will likely be using email (scanned documents) to submit requests to the Business Office. Please keep all original receipts for your records

● Executive committee coordinators must approve and sign off on all expense reimbursement forms completed by their committees. Coordinators should check the accuracy of the reimbursement request, confirm the correct, complete account code and should make corrections when necessary

Guidelines for Collecting Revenue, Donations and In-Kind Contributions Submitting student charges

● Student charge spreadsheets are required for mass student charges.

● Request a student charge spreadsheet from the PA Treasurer several days before the event.

● Do not alter the format of the spreadsheet It is set up to be compatible with the Collegiate accounting software

● After the event, enter the appropriate charge by each student’s name, double checking as you go, to make sure you are charging the correct student the correct amount There must be a total at the bottom of the sheet before it is submitted to the PA Treasurer Save the final version in your Google drive.

Cash boxes

● If an event will collect cash as a source of revenue, contact the PA Treasurer 2-3 weeks before the event to secure a cash box with the necessary cash to use for making change.

● The cash box should be kept closed and secure throughout the event Cash should be handled carefully Keep denominations separated, count incoming cash and outgoing change accurately, etc. Emphasize these responsibilities to all volunteers tasked with handling cash

● Cash boxes must be brought to the Business Office as soon as possible at the end of the event; otherwise, make arrangements with the PA Treasurer if the event is after-hours

Donations

If you receive donations in the form of cash or check, please contact the PA Treasurer, who will process the donation for you by completing a deposit form and submitting it to the Development and Business Offices Also, please alert PA President and the Database Coordinator in the Development Office so that donations can be tracked and a thank you/tax receipt sent from the School. Frances Coleman will also write a personalized thank you note. If possible, the name and their title are helpful so that the thank you note can be written and mailed to the appropriate person

In-kind Contributions

● Examples of in-kind contributions are donations of services or supplies that are left over from another event, might be on hand to lend, borrowed tablecloths the list goes on and on

● Please note, in detail, ALL in-kind donations that your committee receives. If we do not track these contributions, the true costs of events may not be accurately represented, and as a result, future budgets and expectations could be adversely affected

● If a parent makes an in-kind donation and would like a tax receipt, there are in-kind donation forms in the PA corner of the Business Office

Publicity and Communications

Leading and planning an event is important work Click here for our dedicated publicity website and click here to learn more about the process and how to submit your requests.

Volunteer Sign-Up Procedures

The Volunteer Resource Board is available year round through PawNet and is a way for parents to indicate interest in volunteering for the many events and programs coordinated by the Parents’ Association Pushpages and the Weekly Paws will also be used to encourage parents to sign up for opportunities available during the following school year. We will publicize the Volunteer Resource Board in May and again at the start of the school year in August/September Parents of new students will also receive a welcome letter that includes a link to the Volunteer Resource Board.

During the summer, the Volunteer Coordinator will email an initial list of volunteer names to each Coordinator. The Volunteer Coordinator will also email an updated list of volunteer names to each Coordinator as well as to the VGF, Campus Support and Special Events chairs periodically throughout the year to make sure any new volunteer names are shared

1 Please pass those names on to your Committee Chairs

2. IMPORTANT: Please frequently monitor your Coordinator email account throughout the year to be aware of additional volunteers who have signed up through the Volunteer Resource Board Be sure to pass those names along to your Committee Chairs through the year as needed.

3 Consider having your Committee chair send a confirmation to those who have signed up thanking them for their interest and that they will be contacted closer to the event

Recruiting Volunteers

The Volunteer Resource Board is the first way to generate volunteers Additional volunteers may be garnered from friend and grade level groups. However, an interest of the Parents’ Association is to increase volunteerism across our community and to ensure our volunteer base is inclusive and reflective of our community. If your committee chairs need to seek volunteers, please share the goal with them The Director of Parent/Family Relations will support the PA in our goal to build community/increase volunteerism from all families, but also supports a wide range of family engagement in all areas of the School from which potential volunteers will arise They will reach out occasionally to provide suggestions of new parents to contact

Communicate

Committee Chairs should follow up with everyone who has signed up to volunteer (especially if their help isn’t needed). Please send an email thanking volunteers for their help or their willingness to help

Copies and Flyers

● PA code #7900 must be entered when making all copies (No PIN code is necessary, even though there is a place to enter that.) We will be charged 10¢ for each color copy, so please use this feature sparingly

● Please try to use the Business Office copier for large copy jobs and use the copier in Lower School, Middle School or Upper School for smaller jobs. Ask permission at the front desk Copy on two sides when possible to save money Always give preference to faculty and staff.

● Flyers or any printed material requested to be sent home with students needs prior approval by PAEC and Division Head and review by PA and school communications

Golf Cart Usage

The School will allow the use of the Head of School (HOS) golf cart for Donut Days as long as this process is followed:

● PA Volunteers who will be driving the golf cart must present to John Kimenhour (804 726 3269), Director of Campus Safety and Security, their driver’s license for proof of identity and driving record review.

● Once John approves them, they will contact Amy Verdi (804 741 9702), Executive Assistant to Interim Head of School, to reserve the golf cart as it has its own calendar! Amy will explain where to get the cart key and where to return it.

● Next, they should contact Melissa Mingus (804 618 3141), Transportation Supervisor, to schedule a 45-minute training session The HOS golf cart is a particular make and model and requires familiarization. Most importantly, the access points and best pathways around the campus are of extreme importance The cart is speedy and could easily harm pedestrians, and our campus is a pedestrian campus. And many of our pedestrians are small children

For VGF, a generous past parent lends the PA two Gators for use during the week of the Fair

All of the School’s golf carts, including the HOS one, are being used by staff that day.

PA Storage

Main Campus Storage

The PA closet is located in the far right corner of the garage of the Business Office The key is located on the wall to the left of the reception desk in the Business Office. A treasure trove of items is located there (signs, tablecloths, aprons, notecards, etc ) Please return items you use

Note: this is not a storage facility for Special Events or VGF

Robins Campus Storage

All special events and VGF materials are stored in this locked shed at Robins Campus.