Parents Association

Volunteering
There are many opportunities for parents to get involved throughout the year and to strengthen our WES community. Whether you have 30 minutes to spare, time at night to send out an email or two, or a couple of hours a month, parent participation is encouraged in every aspect of school life.

Volunteers help with a wide range of activities from serving hot lunch, chaperoning field trips, and fundraising (eg., Book Fair and Auction Gala) to judging the science fair, welcoming new families as a mentor, and serving as a Room Parent. Your talents and expertise are always appreciated and enthusiastic new ideas are always welcome! Volunteering also provides families the opportunity to meet new friends as you get involved with the community. Please take a few moments to complete the form below to indicate your volunteer preferences.

To get involved, either email Director of Development Will Layman at wlayman@w-e-s.org with your area of interest of fill out our  Volunteer Survey HERE.

Activities
Many activities are funded through the Parents Association dues and the sale of used uniforms

With these funds, the PA is able to sponsor annual events and programs such as the Parent Speaker Series, Faculty/Staff Appreciation events, the spring Founders Day Picnic, as well as support various other activities and needs within the WES community.

Class Representatives
Each class or grade has a set of Class Representatives who work together as coordinators for Parents Association meetings, class activities (especially parties and field trips), class communications, and as liaisons for parent participation in other volunteer activities.

Fathers Club and Mothers Club
The Fathers Club and Mothers club foster friendships among parents and their children and deepen relationships within the community. They each coordinate several social activities almost every month, and they help with major school and other PA events.

Parents Council of Washington
Washington Episcopal School is a member of The Parents Council of Washington (PCW) a non-profit organization established to foster communication within the greater Washington, DC independent school community.

This network of independent schools and their parent communities have opportunities to share ideas, best practices, and information through various workshops, lectures, and forums.

Grade Event Support
Washington Episcopal School enjoys a tradition of lively community events throughout the year. Some of these are related to the established school year events like graduation and others reflect a spirit of kinship and recreation.

For example, Grade 7 parents typically help us to sponsor a reception for Grade 8 families after graduation in June.

These events are coordinated through the Development Office.

WES understands the value of continuing education for our parent body. This page provides information on upcoming programs, speakers, and other resources that benefit our parents. We encourage you to take advantage of these resources to learn more about practical parenting skills, child development, and current issues of interest.

Several valuable parent resources are listed below.

Parents Council of Washington (PCW)
PCW is a consortium of approximately 60 independent schools in the Washington metro area serving parents, school leaders, and students. PCW was founded in 1964 by parents who recognized the need within the independent school community for greater communication, information, and liaison opportunities to help parents and schools educate children responsibly.

PCW sponsors webinars, speakers, and programs as well as providing links to activities for the independent school community.

Parent Encouragement Program (PEP)
PEP is a non-profit educational organization for parents, teachers, and others who want to deal constructively with children and teens. PEP is dedicated to the building and strengthening of healthy, harmonious adult-child relationships in the home or classroom.

PEP conducts workshops and on-going parenting classes, as well as offering speakers and lecture series.

Common Sense Media
A parent resource for current media and technology issues.

Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington (AISGW)
AISGW is an association of independent private schools educating 33,000 students from PK3 school through high school in the greater Washington, DC region.