The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has been established to bring together parents and teachers on each campus to support the school and assist us to continue to provide a high quality and broad education for our children.
All parents/guardians of students enrolled in ISM are members of the PTA. A committee for each campus, to represent the parent bodies in working with the school’s administration and teachers, is elected annually at Annual General Meetings. Each consists of a minimum of four members, all of whom have children enrolled in the campus. The full Terms of Reference can be read here.
Terms of Reference for the PTA
A. Objectives
The objectives of the Parent Teacher Association shall be to:
1. Support the Mission, Philosophy and Objectives of the School by
1.1 Encouraging all members of the parent community to actively support the School’s mission,
1.2 Supporting the principle of UWC East Africa as one school with one vision.
2. Support and enrich the School community through:
2.1 Encouraging parents to promote, organize and support cultural events.
2.2 Organizing social events to foster links within the community, including welcoming new parents and community members.
2.3 Promoting the image of the School by assisting with marketing and promotion activities.
3. Raise funds for School activities/resources or for wider community activities endorsed by the School, through various events.
4. Act as a parent representational body by:
a) Bringing general and specific school issues to the attention of the school through the appropriate channels.
b) Advising and guiding parents on the correct procedures for raising individual and classroom/educational issues with management.
c) Notifying parents on the outcome of specific issues discussed with management through the PA minutes.
B. Membership
Any parent or legal guardian of any student currently enrolled in UWC East Africa shall be a voting member of the Parent Teacher Association. Members of the professional staff shall be non-voting members of the PTA.
C. Annual General Meeting
Each campus PTA shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) once per school year before the November/December meeting of the Board. All members of the PTA and all members of the professional staff on that campus shall be invited to attend. The agenda for the PTA AGM shall be set by the existing PTA Committee and shall be circulated to all members and professional staff at least one month before the date of the AGM. The quorum at an AGM shall be fifteen members.
D. Changes to the PTA Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference of the PTA form a part of Board policy and can be amended in the same way as any other changes to Board policy as described in Board policy 2.50.
E. PTA Committee and Selection
1. The Parent Teacher Association on each campus shall be governed by a committee elected by all the voting members of the association present at the AGM. Each campus committee shall consist of four voting members, at least one must have a child enrolled in Primary and at least one must have a child enrolled in the Middle or Diploma years.
2. Each campus PTA Committee will also include at least one member of the professional staff who would act as an advisor and a liaison person between the professional staff and the parents on the PTA Committee. Professional staff member(s) would be non-voting. Each campus PTA will determine the number of professional staff members who may join the committee.
3. Nomination of PTA members for election to the committee may be made in writing prior to the AGM or from the floor at the AGM and each nomination must also be seconded. Candidates must signal their agreement to nomination before their candidacy is recognized. Members must be in good standing with the School with regard to fees in order to be eligible for candidacy.
4. The election of parents to the committee shall be by simple majority voting, with the first eligible candidate receiving the most votes being first elected, the next eligible candidate being next elected, and so on.
The professional staff member(s) on the PTA committee would be elected by the professional staff on that campus, that election being conducted by the Head of Campus or person designated by the Head of Campus. They will serve annual terms, but may be re-elected.
4. Candidates for voting positions on the PTA Committee will normally be elected for two year terms with half the committee being elected or re-elected at each AGM. In the event that a position on the committee falls vacant just before an AGM, an additional member may be elected at the AGM. In the event of the AGM being inquorate or that a position on the committee falls vacant during the school year, the PTA Committee may co-opt one member to serve on the committee. At no time should the committee have more than two co-opted voting members. A co-opted member may not serve as the PTA Chair nor as the Board Representative. A co-opted member must subsequently be elected by the membership at the following AGM. In the event that the PTA Committee needs to add further voting committee members they may conduct an election via electronic mail provided that a minimum of two weeks’ notice is given for this and that a minimum of 25% of campus parents/guardians vote. There is no limit to the number of terms a member may serve.
F. PTA Committee Meetings
The campus PTA committees will meet 6 times yearly as and when they can, and preferably at regular intervals.
The Director and Head of Campus will attend PTA Committee meetings ex officio. At such meetings a quorum shall be regarded as 3 voting members.
The business of PTA meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules. Other PTA members or professional staff may be invited by the committee and sub-committees to attend meetings in a non-voting capacity.
The PTA Committee may hold meetings or activities in the School in cooperation with the administration provided that the curricular, co-curricular or residential programmes are not disturbed. Pursuant to this each committee may organize campus specific activities in cooperation with the administration for the purpose of promoting their respective campus or the School.
Role of Professional Staff Member(s)
The role of professional staff member(s) on the PTA Committee is to:
• Advise the committee concerning arrangements for events (such as timing, possible student/teacher involvement, resources needed, which personnel to liaise with)
• Act as a liaison person and facilitate communication between the PTA and the professional staff.
The professional staff member will not normally be the person to organise or set up events.
G. Officers of the PTA Committee
Each campus PTA Committee shall elect its own officers annually following the AGM as follows:
• Chair
• Vice-Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• One representative to the Board
In the event that the chair or secretary of the respective PTA committee is absent, the quorum will decide among themselves on a Chair and Secretary for the meeting.
The Chair shall set the agenda of all PTA Committee meetings and circulate this to members at least 7 days prior to a meeting. Each campus committee will set their own agenda according to the relevance to their campus. The Chair shall preside at PTA meetings and also act as the principle liaison between the PTA and the administration of the School. It shall also be the responsibility of each Chair to liaise with the Chair of the PTA on the other campus, so that issues affecting both campuses can be discussed and, if appropriate, acted on jointly.
The Vice-Chair shall act for the Chair in his/her absence from any PTA Committee meeting.
The Secretary shall record minutes of all PTA meetings and distribute these to members. He/she shall also handle all correspondence of the PTA and shall maintain a record of meetings and correspondence. All minutes will be shared for comment within the committee before distribution to the parent body as per usual.
The Treasurer shall handle all money and keep records of all incoming and outgoing funds. He/she shall report all receipts and disbursements and present, upon request either by the PTA or by the Director, itemized statements of the accounts.
The Board Representatives shall act as voting members of the Board of ISM and shall follow all regulations and expectations pertaining to Board members as described in Board policy.
H. PTA Communication
The Parent Teacher Association will normally communicate with parents through a section in the School newsletter, through special letters or emails on specific issues, or through notices on School notice boards or elsewhere. In all cases such communication should be with the agreement of the Director. The PTA will normally be expected to bear the costs of any communication through funds raised for this purpose by the PTA.
I. PTA Committee Members Ethics
All PTA Committee members and non-voting members are expected to follow basic ethical principles. In particular:
1. No PTA Committee member may benefit financially from any activities of the PA.
2. PTA Committee members are expected to consider the welfare of the School and are responsible to the institution as a whole, rather than to any constituency which they may represent.
3. PTA Committee members are expected to respect the confidentiality of discussion in PTA meetings and of documents which may be submitted to the PTA for informational purposes.
4. PTA Committee members are expected to guard against any conflict of interest. They are expected to inform the PTA should any conflict or potential conflict arise.
5. PTA Committee members are expected to support the School within the community.
6. PTA Committee members are expected to attend meetings whenever possible. If a committee member is absent for three consecutive meetings, the committee may, by using a two-thirds majority of those present, remove the member from the committee and nominate another member in his/her place.
7. PTA Committee members must respect the authority of the Chair in his/her conduct of meetings.
J. Removal from Office of a PTA Committee Member
A PTA Committee member may be removed from the committee by a two-thirds vote at a properly constituted AGM, or by a two-thirds vote of the Board of UWC East Africa, if it is believed that have violated any ethics or have acted outside or against the objectives of the PTA.
K. Sub-Committees of the Parent Teacher Association
The PTA Committee is authorized to establish sub-committees in order to perform specific tasks within the objectives of the Parent Teacher Association. Such sub-committees shall be directly responsible to the PTA Committee.
L. Unofficial Parent Groupings
The Board does not support or recognize unofficial parent groupings; such groups will not normally be permitted to hold meetings in the School or communicate through the School.