By Mark McQueen, Bay District Schools Superintendent

It’s no secret that parental involvement is one of the key indicators of student success. And it gives me great pleasure to note that our beach schools enjoy extraordinary parental support.

While everyone is busy, and it’s tough to find even five extra minutes some days, parents/guardians can support our schools in so many simple ways. With this in mind, I want to take a few minutes this month to talk about a few of those.

Elevate Bay/Take Stock Mentors: Elevate Bay and Take Stock in Children are always looking for mentors who work one-on-one, or in small groups, with students who need just a little extra guidance. If you’re interested in either of those programs, please call us at (850) 767-4100 and ask for either program. While both programs have similar goals, Elevate Bay mentors primarily work with our elementary and early middle school students. Take Stock in Children, coordinated by the Bay Education Foundation, focuses more on high school students preparing for college.

Classroom Volunteers: Our schools are always looking for classroom volunteers and those who would like to volunteer at school-sponsored events like Book Fairs, Fall Festivals, and other celebrations. If you’re interested in volunteering in one of these capacities, please contact your child’s principal or the school principal closest to your place of employment or your home. Even an hour a week can make a HUGE difference.

Chaperones: Field trips and special events often need additional chaperones, and we’d love to help you complete the background check process so that you can chaperone regularly or even just once for a special event. Please contact a school near you for more information about their needs and how you could help as a chaperone if that interests you.

Donors/Sponsors: Many of our school-based programs rely on the generosity of donors and sponsors, and our schools are constantly seeking new business partners and others who can help pay for purchases and programs, both large and small. For example, someone could donate $20 to cover the cost of two students who can’t afford an optional field trip. Someone else could agree to help pay for dinner for a parent night event. Several businesses might band together to sponsor a shade sail for playground equipment or even a new piece of equipment. All of our principals have a needs/wants list, and they would love to share with you what’s on their list and how you might help.

Thank you, in advance, for thinking about how you might contribute to the long legacy of parental involvement in our beach schools. Our beach principals would LOVE to hear from you, and I can guarantee you will get more out of your volunteer time and/or donation than you will give. Our children deserve the very best we can give them, and it truly takes commitment from us all to build the strongest Team of Teams here at BDS.

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