RHS strives to make parent participation an integral part of the community and flexible enough to accommodate the needs of individual parents. The majority of our families volunteer for the school at least 2 hours per month. When schedules preclude helping in a hands-on way our community seeks to find other ways that parents can be and feel involved.
Parent participation is primarily focused in three areas:
- Classroom Volunteering – This is the most intensive involvement, working in the classrooms as a teacher with the kids. This requires a minimum three-month commitment of one day per week for 3 hours.
“I have really enjoyed working in the classroom over the last few months. It has given me an opportunity to see my child in the classroom setting, observe the curriculum in action and mingle with all of the other children. It gives you better insight into the preschool experience and it further enhances your knowledge of what your child does all day. I can honestly see that I feel as though I have made a connection with many of the children within the last few months and it's special.” Sara Caesar-Kim, RHS Parent
- RHS Parents Committee - This committee focuses on creating a family community, enhancing communication between parents and the school, and supporting the director and teachers in their efforts. Some examples include: teacher appreciation, soccer coaching, room parents, family book production, party hosting, welcome committee, gardening, etc.
- Development Committee - This committee leads all fund-raising efforts for the school including our yearly auction.
See more about this committee’s activities in the Giving at RHS section below.
Additionally, there are other ad hoc volunteer opportunities around field trips and classroom support.
Field trips: Our field trips often have as many parents in attendance as they do children!
Reading to the kids: Reading at the end of the day is a fun way to spend some time with the children and teachers in the classroom.
Family tours: It really helps the school to have parents on hand for our new family tours. Current parents say they really enjoy attending these tours because they get to spend time in the classroom learning more about the curriculum while helping to build community. We hold tours nearly year round so sign up for this volunteer opportunity is happening continually.
Special Projects: At RHS we always have special projects in process where parents can lend a hand. Just tell us what you like to do and we will help you find a way to be involved!
For over 25 years, The Russian Hill School has thrived from the generosity of the RHS community: parents, alumnae, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends. Contributions of time, resources and talents have helped make RHS the unique and wonderful place it is today. The continued generosity of our community helped us double in size in 2004. With this support we made the move to our Divisadero Street home and retained our 4:1 ratio of students to teachers. Each year we depend on development efforts to support the foundation of our program and to enhance the educational experience by adding new and innovative curriculum elements. We thank everyone that has contributed to RHS in the past and encourage your continued support; we could not be what we are without all of you.
Ways to give
Volunteering:
Classroom volunteering
Participating on the RHS Parents Committee or the Development Committee
Ad hoc volunteering for field trips, classroom support or new family tours/orientations.
Resources:
Annual Auction
Each spring the RHS Development Committee puts on an art auction highlighting the art created by children in the program over the last year. These remarkable pieces are augmented by many donated items for a dynamic live and silent auction event.
Other Fundraising Activities
The majority of the annual fundraising goals are achieved by the annual auction, however if a wonderful fundraising idea comes out of the Development Committee, the RHS community is invited to participate and enjoy themselves in the spirit of community.
eScrip
This electronic Scrip program links directly to your debit card, credit card, or grocery store club membership card to automatically donate a percentage of your purchases to the school. Participating merchants include Safeway, Mollie Stone’s, Whole Foods, Round Table Pizza, Chevron, and more. Parents earn one volunteer hour for signing up! For more information, go to www.escripinc.com.
The group number for RHS is 1104018.
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