KEYS SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (KSA)
KSA stands for Keys School Association and is our school's parent association. All parents are members of KSA. The association is led by volunteer parents and charged with special activities in three broad areas: school-wide fundraising, hospitality and special events.
The mission of KSA is as follows:
- To fully support the overall mission of the school
- To support various school activities and events
- To organize and manage fundraising activities and events distinct from, but in support of Keys' development office
- To foster community within the parent-body and between the parent-body and the school
- To provide parent education on specific Keys School issues as well as general parenting concerns
KSA meetings are generally held on the first or second Friday of the month from 8:20 to 9:30 a.m. In addition, special sessions on popular parent education topics are held in the evenings, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Childcare is provided during the evening sessions. Minutes from each meeting are posted on Keys Net, the secure section of our website.
All parents are highly encouraged to participate in several activities each year. High volunteerism not only helps distribute the work, but also builds a strong sense of school community and helps maintain moderate tuition levels. KSA is responsible for many special Keys School events, such as Grandparents and Special Friends Day, Jogathon, Welcome and Year-End BBQs and Faculty/Staff Appreciation.
Room parents are an important part of KSA. They assist the teachers in providing for special class events and celebrations, as well as organizing drivers and chaperones for field trips. They are also good information and referral sources should you have a question about school events.
There are numerous opportunities to volunteer for KSA activities throughout the year. Please contact the KSA Leadership team to discuss your volunteer areas of interest.
KSA Leadership Team
Sharon Habeck - KSA President
Laura Reynolds - KSA Vice President
Shilpa Chandaria - KSA Vice President of Volunteers
Victoria Chiongbian - KSA Secretary
Please contact any officer for questions and/or to inquire about volunteer opportunities within KSA.
KSA Meeting Calendar
KSA meetings are held monthly in Fellowship Hall. Calendar discussions listed below will be confirmed in the Wednesday Newsletters preceding the meetings:
Date: |
Topic: |
Thursday, October 11th
8:20-9:30 a.m. |
Friendships: How to Foster Healthy Relationships (Tania Gil). |
Wedesday, November 7th
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
Internet Safety (Speaker TBD) |
Friday, February 9th
8:20-9:30 a.m. |
Summer Camps and Fun (Speaker TBD) |
Wednesday, April 16th
7:00-8:30 p.m. |
SPECIAL EVENING SESSION: High School Placement Process and Alumni Panel (Michael Thompson and selected Keys alumni) |
Friday, May 2nd
8:20-9:30 a.m. |
Professional Development at Keys (Michael Thompson and selected teachers) |
Upcoming Events
Welcome Coffee – Wednesday, August 29, 2007
8:15-10:00 a.m.
On the first day of school, KSA sponsors a coffee from 8:15-10:00 a.m. This is a great way to meet the new parents at the school and to catch up with families you haven’t seen since June.
Fall Family Picnic – Friday, September 28th, 2007
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Anish Bhatnagar and Patrick Dorsey – Event Co-Chairs
The Fall Family Picnic is a school-wide event where old and new families join together to celebrate the beginning of school. Volunteer opportunities (set-up, tear-down, supervision, recreation, and greeting shifts) are still available for Picnic day. Please look for more details at the KSA information table during the first week of school.
Book Fair
Monday, October 15 – Friday, October 19, 2007
Victoria Chiongbian and Kathy Dechow – Event Co-chairs
Each year, the school teams with Scholastic Books to offer a week-long book fair that is highly anticipated by our students, and enables parents and children to purchase quality books for their home libraries and/or the Keys library and classrooms. This is a volunteer-driven event, with ample opportunities for involvement. Parent volunteers are needed to help with set-up, playground duty while teachers are perusing the collection for classroom resource materials, cashiering, processing teacher wish list items, re-stocking, and packing-up.
Jogathon
Friday, October 12, 2007
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Steve Katzman and Mike Duncanson – Event Chairs
Christine Lam – Money Collection and Awards Chair
The Jogathon is a fabulous annual event that is a lot of fun for all the students and helps raise money for the school too! Each student runs, jogs or walks around Hoover Park as many times as they can, with friends and family members pledging financial support for their efforts! Past events have featured student athletes from Stanford University who shared their field and track experiences and talked with our students about fitness, teamwork and athletic success. Last year’s Jogathon proceeds were used to support Keys’ popular outdoor education program.
Prizes are given during an awards ceremony to children in different grade groups for most laps, most sponsors, and most money raised. Many parent volunteers are needed on the day of the event to set-up, count laps, work the water table, pass out popsicles, and clean-up. Following the event, volunteers are needed to collect and count the money raised.
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Mollie Hudner Thompson and Laura Ehrig – Event Co-chairs
Cameron McClintock – Art Display Chair
Grandparents and Special Friends Day is a long-standing tradition at Keys School. The annual event provides a unique opportunity to honor grandparents and other special people in our children's lives and share with them the vision and mission of the school with a first-hand experience of our inspirational teaching staff and hands-on curriculum. Children are encouraged to invite grandparents, relatives and/or neighbors and other friends to join them for a morning of activities, both in the classroom and school-wide, including a musical program at 11:00 p.m. Volunteers are needed to prepare morning snacks, assist with hospitality and provide logistical support.
Year End Family Picnic – Friday, May 30th, 2008
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Kate Cook and Ghazala Siddiqui; Event Chairs
Friday May 30th, 2008 is the end-of-year family Picnic at Keys School. It is similar in format to the Back to school picnic.
Faculty/Staff Appreciation
Michelle Galloway and Sian Trager – FSA Co-chairs
The Faculty/Staff Appreciation Committee (FSA) at Keys is designed to show our appreciation for the many things our faculty and staff provide for our children and our community throughout the year. The committee sponsors two special events - the Spring Luncheon and Flower Day. Both of these events need volunteer support. Throughout the year, the FSA provides weekly morning snacks for the faculty and staff in their kitchen. Volunteers are needed to sign up for one week’s snack (e.g., fruit juices, bagels and cream cheese, cheese and crackers, or fresh fruit). Lastly, the FSA is also responsible for providing specialty teacher and staff birthday and end-of-year appreciation gifts.
Parent Education
Libby Heimark and Christine Southgate – Common Ground Keys Representatives
Keys School is a member of Common Ground, a speaker series for parents sponsored by a consortium of schools, of which Keys School is a member. The purpose of Common Ground is to offer programs for parents from member schools to learn from experts in the field of education and parenting. These events are free of charge to parents, faculty, and staff at member schools. Detailed information on speakers, topics and dates are available at www.commongroundspeakerseries.org. All presentations begin at 7:00 p.m. and are held at various schools on the Peninsula. Volunteers are needed with setup, check-in, and book sales on certain event days.
Room Parents at Keys
Shilpa Chandaria – Vice President of Volunteers, KSA
Two room parent volunteers per grade help teachers manage and organize class activities throughout the year. Room Parents organize grade level parent volunteering to support their classroom teacher in delivering curriculum. This includes recruiting volunteers to assist in room activities, such as organizing field trips, camping trips, writer's workshop, classroom parties, teacher gifts, end-of-year party and other activities as designed by the classroom teacher. Room parents meet with their Homeroom teacher before back-to-school night to prepare sign-up sheets. Room parents are also responsible for reminding parent volunteers of times and dates of service needed and other communications. The emphasis in this job is organizing the parents so that volunteering is inclusive across the grade level parents and is supportive of the teacher. Much of this job can be done from home via e-mail or phone.
Other Volunteer Opportunities are available!
If you are interested in any of the following events, please contact the appropriate person directly.
Keys School Open Houses, Kindergarten Coffees, and New Parent Teas
Contact: Welcome Committee Chair Alissa Picker, Welcome Committee Chair-elect I-Han Liang, Janet Billups or Jan Bruzzese, Director of Admissions
Keys School Library
Contact: Alison Kelly, Librarian
Keys School Art Program
Contact: Andrea Tucker-Hody, Art Teacher
Keys School After-School Sports Program
Contact: Gordon Iki, Athletic Director
