@GoatMama recently shared that St Paul’s organizes virtual seated dinners in major cities so parents can get to know each other in smaller groups.
What kinds of innovative activities or programs do other boarding schools have to knit together a parent and alumni community that is dispersed geographically?
We’ve attended annual regional holiday parties for parents, faculty, former parents, and alumni, and they also organize “Moms of Boys” luncheons (it’s a boys school) in different areas around the country. It’s fun to meet parents of kids in different grades, sports and activities whom you wouldn’t otherwise interact with.
Choate has a Parent Advisory Council that we were invited to be part of. Meetings were scheduled at times parents normally would be on campus (opening days, Parents Weekend, College Info weekend, closing days, etc.). These meetings included a meal and a presentation from the head or faculty or FA or Development offices discussing campus issues, development plans, school direction, general happenings, and a host of “behind the curtain” information. They made us feel very connected to the school and aware of what was happening at the institutional level.
In addition to the Parents Seated Meal, the Parents Engagement Program organizes Parents Coffee at SPS as well as in major cities. A Parents Webinar on a Friday morning each semester has addressed topics such as Parents Weekend, Course Selection, Living in Community, etc. A Newsletter comes out monthly.
@CTMom21 - what were the regional holiday parties like? I figured most of those types of events were focused on fundraising.
@GoatMama You mentioned elsewhere that there is also a FB page set up by the administration for each class? What percentage of class families are active on that page, would you say?
@vwlizard, there hasn’t been any mention of fundraising at any of the social events we’ve attended. Of course it’s indirect in that it generates goodwill and strengthens ties to the school, but the fundraising has all been separate from off-campus social events and campus events such as parents’ weekends.
@CaliMex The school sets up the class FB pages for the students only, not for parents. There is a FB page for parents but it’s not class-specific. Also, my kid tells me that there hasn’t been much activity on the class FB page for a while.
FB is for old people, @GoatMama
Actually FB is where all the pre-college communication takes place for incoming students. S19 just received an email from Villanova on the exact topic.
William and Mary does the same thing (Facebook groups) but my kid and many of his classmates aren’t on Facebook. So they muddled through. lol
St. Andrew’s has a number of annual “toasts” (informal cocktail reception) hosted by either parents of current students, graduates, or alum. Having never been to one before, we hosted one last year and had a great time. It really is a neat way to establish connections with people in your region.