ABOUT US

Our mission

Our mission as the PaRK IS Parents Association is to work in partnership with both parents and the school to promote a thriving environment for the academic and personal enrichment of all PaRK IS students and to continue the work started towards creating a strong PaRK IS community.

The mission of the PPA is thus as follows:

1. Contribute to the academic and personal growth of PaRK IS students,
2. Continue to foster communication within the PaRK IS community,
3. Contribute to the creation of a strong PaRK IS community,
4. Serve as a voice on behalf of the parents in matters of common interest for parents and students.

Program of Activities

The PPA fulfils its roles by engaging in several areas of activity and by implementing its Action Plan, as proposed to the academic years of 2025/26 and 2026/27:

Increased Parental Involvement

When parents are engaged and take part in school affairs, it creates a positive and supportive environment for students, improving academic performance, attendance rates and school accountability.

The PPA aims to encourage and facilitate parental involvement in school activities and academic life by: 

• Keeping parents informed through various communication channels (PPA website as a platform for sharing information, PPA Instagram account, PPA Facebook page, PaRK IS weekly newsletters).
• Maintaining the WhatsApp Year Groups now available for all Grades from Early Learning through to Grade 12 and the Year Group Coordinators, as implemented by the previous PPA board.
• Maintaining regular Cup of Coffees with parents to encourage integration of new and existing families into the PaRK IS community.

Strengthen Relationship with School

Effective communication leads to better understanding, collaboration, and cooperation among all stakeholders, creating a more cohesive and informed school environment.

By leveraging the collective voice of parents, the PPA helps bring the community closer to the school staff and school management, facilitating collaboration to overcome issues and to keep improving the satisfaction of the community. The PPA addresses issues that impact multiple parents and students, such as those related to policies, curriculum, resources, and student well-being, through:

• Monthly meetings between the PPA and the school. This includes termly meetings with the Year coordinators and the heads of Early Learning, Junior and Senior Schools to discuss important issues raised in the WhatsApp groups.
• Promoting a better understanding of the PaRK IS plans and projects, helping to address any current or future issues that may affect the PaRK IS community.
• Advocating for the common needs and interests of the student body and their families at the school.
• Proposing ideas and projects that could bring additional value to the students and school community such as ideas for school outings and field trips, and career events.

Educational Enrichment

The PPA aims to contribute to achieving an outstanding academic and personal growth environment for PaRK IS students, taking advantage of the excellent capabilities of PaRK IS to fulfill the students' individual potential, broaden their horizons and foster their love of learning:

• Define common areas of interest where the PPA can support the school, such as extracurricular events (safe use of technology, health awareness events such as CPR instruction, STEM-related activities)..
• Propose end of year trips for every grade (e.g., like MyCamp at the end of Grade 4, it's an old students' wish to have memorable trips in other Grades) and a broader range of day school field trips from Early Learning to Grade 12.
• Support the organisation of careers events with guest speakers from businesses and NGO entities for both students and parents. Also encourage PaRK Graduates to come and share their experiences as university students, both in and outside Portugal. 

Sense of Community  

A sense of community fosters a supportive network, promotes school spirit, and strengthens the overall school culture. The community starts at the level of each Campus and extends to the whole of the PaRK IS community.

The PPA aims to continue to build a sense of community amongst parents, teachers, and students by:

• Organising events outside the school to help integrate international parents into Portugal, the Lisbon area, as implemented by the previous PPA Board (outings like guided tours of Lisbon/Sintra, visits to museums or historic sites, wine tastings, brunches or dinners, hikes, or what parents offer to organise)..
• Maintaining conversation classes lead by volunteer parents, in Portuguese language for foreign parents to improve their fluency and confidence, both useful to their life in Portugal, as implemented by the previous PPA Board. Implementing conversation classes in English, as requested by foreign and Portuguese parents.
• Organising the annual Christmas Market, as started by the previous PPA Board, to unite PaRK IS community in a welcoming event for new families, and the opportunity for all families to connect while raising money for local charity.
• Organising the beloved annual Summer Fair that welcomes parents to join in and represent their country with an International Booth as well as raising money for local charity.
• Maintaining the 2nd Hand Uniforms online shop, as implemented by the previous PPA Board, as well as the 2nd Hand Uniforms Fairs at the PPA events..

Volunteer Support  

The PPA relies on volunteers to organise and execute their activities, both at a Campus level and a whole-school level. This volunteer support can extend to various school events, like social events or 2nd Hand Uniform fairs as well as the annual Christmas Market and Summer Fair. PaRK IS' network of engaged parents provides a valuable resource for the school to tap into, enhancing the overall functioning and success of the school. 

These activities will have a start and end date, specific objectives, and will rely on volunteer parents, with the support of the PPA Governing Bodies:

• Whole school events like Christmas Markets and Summer Fairs that involve students, staff, and parents.
• Monthly outings to help integrate all families and promote the sense of community.
• Additional activities that will be suggested by parents or the school and adopted by the PPA.

Consult the full programme and the association's statutes.

YOUR PPA TEAM

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