Other Parents Association Activities

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day

Every spring the PA sets aside a day on each campus to show our appreciation to Faculty and Staff.  The Parents Association distributes identical gifts to all faculty members, specialists, school staff and administrators who keep our children safe, happy and well-educated and who maintain the smooth running of the school. In addition, children and families are encouraged to write letters of thanks to those who have made a significant contribution to their experiences at TDS.  Since school policy strongly discourages individual gift giving to teachers, this is a way to say thank you in an appropriate and equitable manner to all the people who work with our children.

Faculty Grant Program

Twice each year, the Parents Association invites faculty members to apply for grants that will enable them to accomplish goals beyond the school's regular planning.  The PA is especially interested in supporting innovative research projects and pilot programs that will enhance the curriculum.  In the 2004-2005 school year, the PA awarded over $36,000 in Faculty Grants.  The PA Co-Presidents serve as contacts.

Grade-level Parent Parties

These are relaxed, social occasions held to give all of the parents in a grade the opportunity to get together and socialize off campus.  They are potluck dinners held at the home of a family in that grade who volunteers to host the event. Parent Representatives coordinate the evening and solicit volunteers to assist with set-up and clean-up. Save the Date notices are sent out a few weeks before your grade's party and all who attend contribute a dish, beverage etc.  The point of contact is your Parent Representative.

Literary Events

The Parents Association sponsors the Everybody Reads program.  This is a school-wide celebration of books and reading that includes visits by authors throughout the year.  The Parents Association also sponsors three Parent/Faculty Book Discussion Groups, each led by a High School or Middle School teacher.  The books featured are often those read by the students and offer parents a glimpse of the Upper School curriculum. 

Parents Association Open Meetings

The Parents Association holds two open meetings each year.  Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.  There is a General Meeting in the winter, and the Annual Meeting in the spring.  The winter meeting provides a forum for communicating to all about the results of the Fall Festival Weekend.  All are invited to attend the spring meeting to vote on the slate of PA Executive Board members and receive the list of Parent Representatives who will act on behalf of the entire Parents Association during the following school year.  In addition, the Head of School and the President of the Board of Trustees will give reports regarding the State of the School at both sessions. 

General meetings are customarily scheduled in early December and in the third week of May. Each meeting is scheduled for two separate times in order to make it possible for as many parents as possible to attend.  The agenda for each of the meetings is the same.

Safety Patrol

Trevor participates with other independent schools in the Safety Patrol Program under the auspices of the Parents League and the West Side Crime Prevention Program. Each family walks one safety patrol session per child during the school year to provide a measure of safety as children leave school.  Routes have been coordinated with other schools and the New York Police Department to provide maximum coverage, and Safety Patrol schedules are sent out well in advance to give parents as much time as possible to arrange their schedules.  Schedules are also made available on my.Trevornet in the Parents Association module.

A safety patrol session consists of one parent from each family with children in grades Kindergarten through 11 walking on patrol (with another parent partner) one afternoon per child during the school year.  We walk Monday through Friday from 3:00-4:30 pm on the East and West Campuses.  Safety Patrol walkers are given orange ponchos or vests for maximum visibility and walkie-talkies with a direct line to the local NYPD precinct.

Trevor Day School Safety Patrol is compulsory.  Parents with scheduling conflicts are required to find another parent to substitute. NYPD records confirm that Safety Patrol is an effective deterrent to crime against our students.  This one and one-half hours a year that parents spend on patrol is time well spent.

Senior Class Dinner & Gift

The Parents Association sponsors a dinner for graduating seniors and their immediate families the evening prior to graduation.  Although sponsored by the PA, the evening is hosted by 11th grade students and parents.  At the dinner, every senior is presented with a memento, traditionally a book, from the Parents Association.

Trevor UpperClassifieds

The Trevor UpperClassifieds is a set of databases that contain information about the availability of Trevor Upper School students to baby sit and do other jobs for Trevor families.  It's a great way to find a babysitter, dog walker or even a computer technician (among many others!). 

Welcoming Events

The PA sponsors many hospitality events, including welcoming coffees in the beginning of the school year and a Kindergarten picnic during the first week of school.