Our goal is to engage school staff, parents and community members in ongoing, productive conversations that celebrate the successes of the school, identify opportunities for growth, and create solutions for problems that arise. Our Parental Involvement Plan, which has been designed with this goal in mind, includes many different forms of communication between the school and families and offers a wide range of opportunities for parents to participate in the life of the school.

The following initiatives were developed in an effort to facilitate communication between the school and families:

• Summer Conferences. Teachers hold 45 minute conferences with each family during the summer. These meetings provide the opportunity for teachers to share information about their classrooms and for families to share information about their children.
• Family Connection Committee. Each grade chooses two parents to serve on the Family Connection Committee. Members of this committee serve as class representatives for each grade, voice parental concerns to the administration, and plan school events that help build an inclusive community for all families at The Green School.
• Quarterly Parent Workshops. The school staff runs quarterly workshops for parents that focus on one area of study (reading, writing, mathematics and investigations) so that families have an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding or our approach to teaching and learning by participating in the kinds of daily work our students do.
• Weekly Letters. The School Director sends home a Friday Letter each week.
• Weekly Bulletins. The classroom teachers send home a Weekly Bulletins.

The school has five parent committees that meet monthly:

• Family Connection. Class representatives for each grade, voice parental concerns to the administration, plan school-wide grade level events.
• Fundraising. Organize the Green Gala & Silent Auction & the Chico Bag Sale.
• Outreach. Plan quarterly events: Chili Jamboree, MLK Potluck Breakfast, Project Clean Stream, Summer Potluck for New Families.
• Green. Promote green practices at the school and with GSB families, organize paper recycling, coordinate volunteers to wash cloth napkins, run the School Supply Co-op.
• Communication. Develop means of communication between the committees and between the committees and all parents.

We believe that volunteers are an important part of the fabric of the school and offer an opportunity to enrich the learning experience for students and their families. We have hired a Director of Service and Volunteers to develop and manage a volunteer program that both to enhances the capacity of the school to support student learning and strengthens the school's ties with parents and the community. Volunteers at The Green School support several different aspects of our educational program, including the gardens, outdoor investigations, field trips, classroom projects and activities, and the dining room.