We hope that you are having a wonderful summer.  We are already looking forward to an exciting 2010-2011 school year.   

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many parents who volunteered their time and energy to help with PA events during the 2009-2010 school year.   For new parents, we hope that the information found below will give you an idea of the many activities that the PA sponsors.

As a result of the hard work of many FSS parents, the Parent Association donated $10,000 to the school during the 2009-2010 school year.  At the request of the Administration and faculty, the money will be used as follows:

• $4000 for Lower School faculty training/development for the Everyday Math Program
• $2000 for Middle & Upper School faculty training/development for different techniques in teaching students with learning differences
• $4000 for the International Studies Program.  This money will be matched by the EE Ford Foundation.
  
  In addition, we are very proud of the following PA sponsored accomplishments:
• a  canned food drive for Philabundance.
• the first ever Martin Luther King Day of Service which was sponsored in conjunction with the Families for Ethnic and Cultural Diversity (FECD) Committee of the PA.  More than 100 people joined in this effort.
• the annual auction which raised more than $62,000 for the annual fund.
• two fundraisers at Barnes and Noble at Rittenhouse Square which not only raised money for the school but created a strong sense of community with faculty and students.
• the Scholastic Book Fair, which brought in the highest amount of revenue for the book fair in five years. In addition to the funds that were raised, the PA was able to donate 219 books to FSS through the classroom wish list program.  An additional $500 was given to the school to be used for the purchase of books. This year's book fair also included two author visits.
• a new meeting schedule which included morning and evening meetings in order to allow more parents to attend. 
• statements of purpose were created by the FECD committee and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Committees (LGBT) of the PA.
• a screening of  The Prep School Negro which was hosted by the FECD.  More than 400 people attended from all over the Philadelphia area, including many parents from peer schools.
• an informative window display sponsored by the LGBT committee with help from Tr. Fred Kogan.

On behalf of the PA Association, we hope that you are having a safe and wonderful summer. We look forward to working with you next year.  If you have any questions or suggestions for next year, please feel free to contact us.

Rita Ann Lamb  (dslambs@aol.com)     
Jessica Shapiro(jsingalshapiro@gmail.com)

All parents of Friends Select students are members of the Parent Association (PA). Its mission is to support Friends Select School as a learning community rooted in Quaker values. Led by a PA board and several committees, members of the PA work with the school administration to achieve the following goals:

• Provide opportunities for parents to meet together socially.
• Serve as a communications link between the school and families, particularly through PA Class Representatives.
• Create opportunities for parent education through lectures, speakers and discussion sessions.
• Facilitate parents' financial and volunteer support to the school through events that traditionally include a book fair, gift wrap sale and auction.

For more information about the Parent Association, contact Vaishalee ("Vay") Sampat, director of parent programs, at 215.561.5900, ext. 139 or at vaishalees@friends-select.org.