Parent Association

Message from the PA President

Dear AISHK families,

On behalf of the AISHK Parent Association (PA), I would like to extend a warm welcome to new families and staff joining us this year, along with our returning families.

AISHK has come to be known for its warm community and “family feel”. This is largely owed to our supportive parent community who are truly a helping hand and friendly face for the whole school.

Any AISHK parent is automatically considered part of the AISHK Parent Association, and we encourage parents to take advantage of opportunities to support the school and make new connections. The initiatives and activities of the Parent Association are supported by annually-elected volunteers who make up the Parent Association Executive Committee.

The role of the Parent Association is to:

Welcome and Support You The PA promotes close cooperation between the School and parent body, and ensuring a welcoming support network for both new and current parents.
Make a Difference Share your skills and resources to enhance the learning and recreational environment of our students through fund-raising.
Connect! Getting involved with the PA is a great way to meet fellow parents and make lasting friendships within the community.
Celebrate Community The PA work as a team with the School to coordinate AISHK’s dynamic community events.
Collaborate and Communicate The PA works closely with the AISHK Development Office to promote PA activities through the School’s official platforms.

The Parent Association could not be as successful as it has been without the help of our wonderful community. There are many ways to contribute to and benefit from this - from helping volunteering as a Parent Representative for your child's class, getting involved with events and their planning, or by simply attending a PA General Meeting.

To stay up-to-date with school and PA news, I encourage parents to install the AISHK App and read the weekly school e-newsletter, Dhanara. Please also keep an eye on this webpage as meeting and event dates will be published here when confirmed.

If you have any queries, suggestions or would like to learn more about being involved with the PA, please get in touch with me by emailing the aishkpa@aishk.edu.hk.

On behalf of the PA Committee, I look forward to a wonderful 2024, working with the community and getting to know you throughout the year.

Alex Harrington | President, AISHK Parent Association

Committee Members

2024 Executive Committee

President: Alex Harrington
Vice President – Events: Marnie Shaw
Vice President – Community (Class Representative Co-ordinator): Nafisa Qureshi
Vice President – Treasurer: Beth Lorenzo
Vice President – Secretary: Julie Marchese
Vice President – New Parent Co-ordinator: Steven Do

General Committee
Lourdes Chiu, Rob Daniel, Jacinta Fernandes, Kwai Lee, Alanna Miles, Tin Nguyen, Emily Tang, Jenny Wong

Parent Association Role Descriptions

PA Executive Committee

President

Oversees and assists with all activities undertaken by the Association;

Represents the Association to the School and the wider community through events, meetings and through a position by invitation on the School’s Board

Promotes sound cooperation and collaboration between the PA and the School and demonstrates commitment to all Association events and their planning

The President is expected to Chair all PA General Meetings (approx. 4 per year) and Head of School meetings (approx. 4 per year)

Vice President - Secretary

Oversees the agenda, minutes, record-keeping and other administration for the Association

Must attend all PA Executive & Head of School Meetings (approx. 4 per year)

Vice President - Finance

Manages the account of the Association and supervises the accounting for Association events

Liaises with the School’s Business Administrator and reports to the Association on financial matters, and therefore, should have a reasonable understanding of Accounting

Vice President – Events

Supports the President, Secretary and specific event committees to plan and schedule PA events for the year

Coordinates with and supports the PA President and Secretary and specific event committees to maintain related documentation and communications regarding PA events

Works proactively and closely with the School Development Office to leverage from and align messaging with the School’s official communication platforms and ensure timely event promotion

Works closely with the Treasurer to observe the budget for PA events

Assists with attracting volunteering, donations, rostering and on-the-day planning for PA events

Vice President - New Parent Coordinator

Facilitates the Welcome Coffee Mornings, normally the first day of each term

Manages the New Parent Forums at the beginning of each term, as required

Ad hoc, informal meeting with parents, as required

Works closely with the Vice President – Community

Liaises with School and external parties, as appropriate, to conduct other gatherings of interest to new families to Hong Kong and AISHK

Vice President – Community

Recruits and coordinates Class/Year-level Representatives

Manages communication between the Class/Year-level Representatives and the PA in relation to parent social activities within their class or year levels

Works closely with the Vice President – New Parent Coordinator and their respective activities

PA General Committee (10 Positions Available)

Members provide general assistance with tasks as they arise throughout the year. They may take on specific committee responsibilities for the Association, by arrangement with the PA President and the Head of School, such as assisting with Parent Forums, Welcome Committees for new AISHK parents or the PA Website. General committee members may wish to join the sub-committees that are formed during the year to organise key events eg. AISHK Fair, Ball, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day events.

Class Representatives Guide

Why Become a Class/Year Level Representative?

AISHK has always enjoyed and been known for its warm community spirit and has been fortunate to have a supportive and dedicated parent body. The Parent Association have a long tradition of inviting parents to become a volunteer representative for each year group. Parents generally find being a Class/Year Level Representative is a rewarding way to become involved in the school community and to get to know other AISHK parents and families, and members of the wider AISHK network.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

There is generally one Class Representative per homeroom in Primary and one Representative per Year Level in Secondary who all play an integral role through the Parent Association by forming and strengthening parent connections. The main purpose of this role is to provide a link or contact point for parents within class groups and year levels. The role is especially important in helping to welcome new families to our school. Class and Year Level Representatives will:

Promote PA events and activities, encouraging participation from parents and families, particularly those newer to the community to make them feel welcome.
Answer parent queries where appropriate, or to direct queries to the Parent Association or relevant school contact.
Assist new and existing parents with welcome events, activities and connections where appropriate and with consideration of cooperation with the PA VP New Parent Coordinator’s activities
Build a relationship with teachers and organise assistance with class functions, activities or excursions, if requested or required.
Contribute and invest time towards coordinating the above. Required time will vary, however, around one hour per week may be needed at most for general communication. During major events, more time may be required.
Class and Year Level Representatives are not expected to be involved in day-to-day school/class logistics, individual student queries or to have the answers to every query raised by the parents in the class. Your VP Community can provide further guidance on this.

2024 Meeting Schedule

Term 4 General Meeting
8:30am - 9:30am on Tuesday 29 October 2024, 9th Floor Staff Centre

Annual General Meeting (AGM)
1:30pm on Wednesday, 20 November 2024, at AISHK (Meeting room TBC)