Black River Parent Organization Bylaws
(Revised November, 2010)

Article I. Name
The name of the organization shall be: The Black River Parent Organization

Article II. Objective
The objective of the Parent Organization shall be:
To promote educational, social, and material activities in support of the mission of Black River Public School. Such activities, at all times, are to be in accord with the policies and standards established by the Board of Trustees, the Head of School, and the Administrative Team.

Article III. Membership
All parents or guardians of current and graduated Black River Public School students, members of the faculty and staff, and members of the Board of Trustees are welcome as members.

Article IV. Organization
The Parent Organization shall consist of a Steering Committee and Parent Groups, including but not limited to: Elementary Enrichment, Middle School Enrichment, High School Enrichment, Athletic Boosters, and Music Focus Group. Any additional focus groups may be added as interest warrants.

Any additional Parent Group that wishes to form shall submit a purpose statement and organizational plan to the Chairperson and the Head of School. When approved, they shall be part of the Parent Organization

Article V. Steering Committee
The Steering Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chair, and the leader or designated representative from each parent group. The Steering Committee shall meet bi-monthly, or at the Chairperson’s discretion to review the Parent Group activities, share information, and receive updates and communications from the school.

The position of Chairperson shall be established to ensure the Parent Groups are operating and cooperating with each other and with the School. The Chairperson will ensure that the Groups are informed of each other’s activities through the year at bi-monthly meetings. The Chairperson should also attend the Groups’ meetings when possible, and communicate regularly with the Group Leaders and the School.

The position of Vice Chair shall be established to assist the coordination of the Parent Groups. The responsibilities of the Vice Chair are: record keeping, financial reporting for all the Parent Groups (coordinating with the business and accounting office of the school), and filling in for the Chairperson when needed. The Vice Chair will be responsible for reporting the state of each Group’s financial account to the Leader of each Group on a monthly basis. Each Group shall also be responsible for providing the Vice Chair with a monthly financial report.

The Chair and Vice Chair shall be appointed positions, agreed upon by the Group Leaders and/or Boards of the existing Parent Groups and the Head of School or an appointed member of the Administrative Team. The Chair and Vice Chair for the upcoming school year shall be appointed at the last Steering Committee meeting of the current school year. The Chair and Vice Chair may be appointed to a second term, but no more than two concurrent terms may be served.

Standing cross functional committees shall be directed by the Chairperson and are as follows:
Directory
Rat Wear
Community Rewards
Shiftboard Volunteer Coordinator

It may be necessary to establish other cross functional committees for functions that do not fall under any established Parent Group. Should this occur, the Chair shall establish these committees with the advice and consent of the Head of School and supervise their activities.

Article VI. Parent Groups
The Elementary Enrichment Group shall:

Maintain communication with elementary parents and the school.
Help coordinate parents and volunteers as needed for elementary events and teacher requests.
Work with the school to organize elementary events (i.e.: Hoe Down, 5th grade party, Reading Around the World, Elementary Picnic, etc).
Work with the MS/HS Enrichment Groups to coordinate the teacher appreciation lunches.
Raise funds for elementary field trips, enrichment, and other activities.
Coordinate with the school to host community building activities for elementary students and families.
The Elementary Enrichment Group shall consist of a chairperson, committee members, and a school staff member. The chairperson will be a liaison to the elementary teachers, the elementary committee members, and the Steering Committee Chairperson. The chairperson shall call meetings of the above members at their discretion. The chairperson or their representative is required to attend all meetings called by the Steering Committee Chairperson. Committee members shall be appointed as needed to fulfill the duties above, plus additional duties consisting of record keeping for the group and financial reporting to the Vice Chair of the Steering Committee.

The Middle School Enrichment Group shall:

Maintain communication with middle school parents and the school.
Help coordinate parents and volunteers as needed for middle school events and teacher requests.
Work with the school to organize middle school events (8th grade graduation, 8th grade end of year party, 6th grade beginning of year team building event, etc).
Work with the elementary and HS Enrichment Groups to coordinate the teacher appreciation lunches.
Raise funds for middle school field trips, enrichment, and other activities.
Coordinate with the school to host community building activities for middle school parents (coffees, dance socials, etc.)
The Middle School Enrichment Group shall consist of a chairperson, committee members, and a school staff member. The chairperson will be a liaison to the middle school teachers, the middle school committee members, and the Steering Committee Chairperson. The chairperson shall call meetings of the above members at their discretion. The chairperson or their representative is required to attend all meetings called by the Steering Committee. Committee members shall be appointed as needed to fulfill the duties above, plus additional duties consisting of record keeping for the group and financial reporting to the Vice Chair of the Steering Committee.

The High School Enrichment Group shall:

Maintain communication with high school parents and the school.
Help coordinate parents and volunteers as needed for high school events and teacher requests.
Work with the school to organize high school events (senior party, honors night, graduation, etc).
Work with the elementary and MS Enrichment Groups to coordinate the teacher appreciation lunches.
Raise funds for high school field trips, enrichment, and other activities.
Coordinate with the school to host community building activities for high school parents.
The High School Enrichment Group shall consist of a chairperson, committee members, and a school staff member. The chairperson will be a liaison to the high school teachers, the high school committee members, and the Steering Committee Chairperson. The chairperson shall call meetings of the above members at their discretion. The chairperson or their representative is required to attend all meetings called by the Steering Committee. Committee members shall be appointed as needed to fulfill the duties above, plus additional duties consisting of record keeping for the group and financial reporting to the Vice Chair of the Steering Committee.

The Athletic Boosters shall:

Maintain communication with the athletic booster members and the school.
Help coordinate with the Athletic Director to fulfill the needs of the Athletic Department in terms of volunteers for projects, sports, and events (athletic awards nights, pep rallies, homecoming, home sporting events, etc).
Raise funds for athletic program needs.
Coordinate with the Athletic Department to host community building activities for booster members.
The Athletic Boosters shall consist of a chairperson, committee members, and the Athletic Director. The chairperson will be a liaison to the coaches, the committee members, and the Steering Committee Chairperson. The chairperson shall call meetings of the above members at their discretion. The chairperson or their representative is required to attend all meetings called by the Steering Committee. Committee members shall be appointed as needed to fulfill the duties above, plus additional duties consisting of record keeping for the group and financial reporting to the Vice Chair of the Steering Committee.

The Music Focus Group shall:

Maintain communication with the music focus group members and the school.
Help coordinate with the Music Director to fulfill the needs of the Music Department in terms of volunteers for projects and events (music nights, concerts, etc).
Raise funds for music program needs.
Coordinate with the Music Department to host community building activities for Music Focus Group members.
The Music Focus Group shall consist of a chairperson, committee members, and the Music Director. The chairperson will be a liaison to the music teachers, the committee members, and the Steering Committee Chairperson. The chairperson shall call meetings of the above members at their discretion. The chairperson or their representative is required to attend all meetings called by the Steering Committee. Committee members shall be appointed as needed to fulfill the duties above, plus additional duties consisting of record keeping for the group and financial reporting to the Vice Chair of the Steering Committee.

Article VII. Amendments
The By-laws can be amended as following:

Any member may submit, in writing, an amendment to the existing by-laws to the Steering Committee. The amendment shall be introduced at the next meeting of that Group, then published in the minutes and in the Ripples, and shall be voted on at the next meeting of the Group. A simple majority shall pass the amendment. The amendment shall then be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval, and when approved, shall become part of the by-laws.