Parent Information Nights: the Board Chair's Perspective

During the last few months, we have been holding Parent Informational Nights to introduce parents to Montessori elementary education and Golden Oak. Despite a bad cold and sore throat at the first meeting, Deirdre Fennessy, the Head of School, did a terrific job introducing the school, mission, and philosophy of Maria Montessori. All of the thirty or so parents in the audience had clearly heard of GO through word of mouth or the flyers sent to all HUSD kindergarten-eligible families. The enthusiasm was obviously high. Questions focused on discipline, transition to high school, and admissions.

I was marveling at how far we have come since last year, when the parent info nights were held in the dusty, cave-like, unfinished and unfurnished classrooms. Then we had to ask parents to take a leap of faith to join a school that still only existed in our dreams. Remember the applications table at the Hayward farmer's market? The cold office hours all alone in the empty GO classrooms?

I feel so proud of how much the parent and community founders dedicated themselves to inspire these new parents to come on board. At the Governance Academy for charter school leaders last month, I talked with many other charter founders and realized how many new charters (even in their 3rd to 4th years) struggle to fill enrollment-- not GO!

At the first Parent Informational Night, about five current GO parents came to the meeting as well. A few talked about their experience at GO-- how much they have seen their children become motivated, independent, problem-solving students, excited about school. It was deeply touching to see the dream become such an effective reality. All the GO Board officers were there too and I wanted to capture the feeling of the meeting because it was so moving.

--Aneema Van Groenou, Founding Community Member and Board Chair