Connect With Your Community!
Connect With Your Community!
After gaining approval from the school board in mid-September, the Three Forks Parent Action Council (PAC) is hosting a meeting on Wednesday, October 9, at 6 p.m. in the Middle School Library.
According to the website found at http://www.tfpac.org, the purpose of the newly formed PAC is to provide teachers and staff with the support they need to effectively educate and enrich the lives of Three Forks School District students, to assist in planning and coordinating the school’s educational and social programs, projects, and activities, to assist in identifying and achieving the educational goals of the Three Forks School District, to promote communication and collaboration between Three Forks parents/guardians, community members, teachers, and administrators, and to encourage and promote community.
PAC members provided the Voice with the following answers to questions about the new group.
1. Could you provide some background on the formation of the Parent Action Council?
The PAC started after there was a strategic planning meeting last spring that was focused on improving the district as a whole. Stakeholders were invited to attend, ask questions, and make comments. Something that came up repeatedly was a disconnect between the district and the community as a whole. Community members and parents alike felt like they had no idea what the district was contending with like budgeting, staffing shortages, and test scores. Two teachers stepped up and said they’d work on getting some kind of parent-teacher association in place to start rebuilding the bridges between the classroom and home. The PAC will hopefully be one of many solutions to promote better communication and collaboration for all stakeholders, to support teachers as they enrich the lives of our students, and more!
2. How great was it to get the approval from the board so that you can move forward?
Getting board approval feels great! With our initial group of parents and teachers, we have a pretty clear idea of where we want to focus our efforts, so working on bylaws and getting started wasn’t as difficult as it could have been. We’re really excited to move forward with our ideas!
3. What can those in attendance expect to see at the next meeting?
The next meeting is on October 9, at 6:00pm in the MS/HS library, and anyone is welcome to attend! All stakeholders of Three Forks School District are considered members of the PAC - we need many hands and voices to make this a successful organization!
We have bylaws and a full agenda posted on the website: http://www.tfpac.org, with elections, volunteer recruitment, and a first community event on the docket. Take a look at the officer positions to be filled (President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer) and let us know if you’re interested in being on the October 9 ballot! You can email your interest, or any questions, to [email protected].
4. What goals do you have with the PAC?
We have so many goals! The overarching goal is to improve the school climate, and build community. We are excited to get more parents and community members into the classroom, be it through weekly volunteerism or being a guest speaker or chaperone. We are excited to raise funds for teachers, since classroom budgets have been slashed. We are excited to host events that get community members in the doors of the school. There are so many exciting possibilities, we can’t list them all!
