Interested in serving as a liaison to The Guild School and representing the interests of parents and guardians? Want to share feedback with senior leadership about your child’s experience? Hoping to network with other Guild parents?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may want to consider joining The Guild’s Youth Parent/Family Advisory Committee (PAC).
Established in October 2015, PAC members meet the first Monday of every other month with Chief Executive Officer Amy C. Sousa and other Guild senior leadership to discuss school-related issues. The PAC is composed of parents and guardians from each of the school’s eight residences and a day school representative.
“Although I feel The Guild is the best place in the world, I believe that parents and guardians should contribute to decision-making,” explains Susan Tarr, who serves as the PAC chair and has been a member of the organization since its founding. “The PAC is a great way of staying in touch and knowing what’s going on at the school.”
Holly Perkins, who joined the PAC in April, has a similar viewpoint about the group’s value.
“I believe as an advisory council, we as parents, caregivers and guardians are able to share what we feel is and is not working for our loved ones, so that The Guild can continue to improve and evolve,” Holly says. “I believe Amy is interested in hearing our unique point of view and, in turn, using this feedback to make The Guild more successful.”
In addition to providing input about programs, procedures and policies that affect her child, PAC member Caryn Budd appreciates the opportunity to learn more about initiatives such as the construction of the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation Playground and the redesign of The Guild’s website.
“For me personally, I like to know what’s going on at the school,” Caryn says. “I like to be involved at that level and understand the goals and plans. The PAC is a wonderful opportunity to positively impact the school your child attends.”
In the past few years, the PAC has raised money for staff appreciation events such as an ice cream social, sending candy-grams, and purchasing morale-boosting travel mugs and gratitude gift cards.
“We all think The Guild staff works tremendously hard and we want them to know the parents appreciate it,” Sue reports.
For Caryn, one of the supplementary benefits of PAC membership is the opportunity to interact with other Guild parents. Unlike at a public school where parents live in the same community, Guild parents do not get as much of an opportunity to meet one another.
“It’s nice to connect with other parents,” Caryn says. “It creates a support group where you can share ideas and thoughts. That’s a big plus for me.”
Holly encourages her fellow parents to consider joining the PAC whether their child has been at The Guild for six months or six years.
“I always leave the meetings feeling good about The Guild, the people who work there and the initiatives that are under way. I know they care and are always striving to improve,” she says. “It’s nice to feel that I can give something back to The Guild in some small way as they give so much to our family.”
If you are interested in joining The Guild’s Youth Parent/Family Advisory Committee (PAC) or want more information, contact Sue Tarr (s.tarr@comcast.net).
