September’s Newsletter

And we’re off! School is back in full swing and so are we. It was an absolute pleasure meeting so many of our new parents on the first day of school. We hope all new and returning families feel a warm welcome and kind embrace as you join the Syringa Mountain School Community. Families are the lifeblood of our community. There are so many things happening in the next month. Some new, some familiar, and all of them exciting! Hang in there! This email is a long-y, but a goodie.

A Couple of Refreshers

This year, in an effort to streamline communication, we will be providing alternate routes of communication. Class parents will no longer be an official volunteer ask from Parent Council. We’re hoping that parents continue to reach out to one another to facilitate play dates and build relationships. You can find direct communication from Parent Council in this monthly newsletter, sent the second Sunday of every month, on our Syringa Mountain School social media pages, and on the school’s website under the “Parent Council” tab. We’re hoping that these combined efforts reduce the communication overwhelm that has been expressed.

Something Exciting to Share!

We are thrilled to share that our school farmstand has blossomed beyond our expectations! Thanks to Ms. Erica’s incredible heart, time, and dedication, this project is thriving—so much so that it now needs a little extra hands-on support. To keep this wonderful community endeavor growing, the Parent Council is stepping up to help. We need your help and would love for you to join us!

Whether you’d like to help coordinate farmstand partnerships, pitch in with packing and prepping, or donate your own crafts and goods, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Currently, we’re looking for volunteers to help with Thursday restock, donate goods/crafts, and help waterproofing the stand for the coming season! Please contact Ms. Erica via email (emaxwell@syringamountainschool.org) to lend a hand.

The women’s Trinity Mountain Yoga retreat is back for another wonderful year! A heartfelt thank you to Tenaya, Victoria Roper, and everyone whose hard work and dedication have made this special event possible once again.

If you or someone you know would like to join in, please check out the flyer below for all the details. Not only is this an incredible opportunity to relax, rejoice, and rejuvenate, but a portion of the proceeds will also directly benefit our school!

Volunteer Opportunities

Elizabeth Przybylski (Her son is in 4th!) has volunteered to help on Wednesday, September 23rd to help pick-up and deliver a Welcome Back Coffee and Treats for our staff. Thank you so, so much for your time and efforts. If anyone is interested in helping with this at another time, please reply to this email if you’re willing and able to volunteer!

As a wonderful gesture of care from our parent community, Staff Nourishment brings a little extra sweetness to our educators’ weeks! Every Wednesday afternoon, while our staff gathers for mandatory professional development meetings, generous parent volunteers treat them to a light, comforting snack. If you would like to participate and contribute a treat, please sign up at the link below to help keep their energy high and spirits bright!

Staff Nourishment Sign up Link

We are gearing up for the return of our annual Holiday Papoose Bazaar! Every year our community comes together for fun, organized craft nights to create handmade goods to sell at the bazaar. Best of all, 100% of the proceeds go right back to the Parent Council to help us support our staff and students all year long.

Stay tuned for a schedule of dates, times, and crafts! It is a wonderful way for both parents and students to connect and build community. You can host a craft night or make some yourself to donate. If you are interested in hosting a specific craft night, please reach out to Tenaya Kolar at (208)578-4116.

Finally, Ms. Janessa has put out a request for some volunteer efforts in the 7/8th grade class. Typically, you will find specific volunteer needs from each class in your teacher newsletter released monthly. However, if you are available to chaperone the 7/8th grade class trip September 14th- September 17th, please contact Ms. Janessa directly at jcorraob@syringamountainschool.org. A huge shout-out to Teal (3rd and 6th grade parent) for volunteering to sew an extension on our dragon for the fall festival, and to both Teal and Lauren (5th and 7th grade parent) for their willingness to volunteer for the 7/8th grade trip!

We know how much everyone loves to plan! If you’d like to explore upcoming volunteer opportunities, you can view all of our current time slots and needs right here. We truly appreciate your willingness to pitch in

Housekeeping

Parent Council is looking for two individuals to fill our officer positions. We need a Secretary and a Treasurer. If you are interested, or know someone interested, please fill out the nomination survey below. Reply to this email with any questions regarding the positions. We will take nominations for August and September and do a vote in our October Parent Council Meeting.

All Parent Council Meetings will be held on the first Friday of each month at 8:15 in the Farm and Garden room, or you can join virtually. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

To help us show our appreciation all year long, our teachers complete a survey sharing their favorite things, treats, and preferences! If you’re looking for inspiration when spoiling an educator or contributing to staff appreciation, you can find all of their answers [linked here].

Important Dates

September and October 2026 PC Happenings
Monday, September 7th	NO SCHOOL
Friday, September 18th	EcoThon Begins!!	Please look for info sent home
Wednesday, September 23rd	Staff Back to School Coffee&Treats	Please reply to this email to volunteer!
Thursday, September 24th	Curriculum Night!	5:30 pm-7:00 pm @ Syringa
Friday, September 25th	NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 2nd	PC’s Monthly Meeting!	Join us in the F&G room or virtually at the link
Thursday-Friday, October 8-9th	NO SCHOOL	Parent Teacher Conferences! Look for emails from your teachers
Friday, October 16th	Fall Festival!	11:30am-12:45pm
November 9th-November13th	Book Fair!	Look for info in your monthly teacher newsletter

Parent Council Meeting Virtual Link: https://meet.google.com/dvb-xuzj-epe

Parent Council Nominations: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyHOQY0x729ddlBgGh-LkEM-Z5yqVeIip5xVRMICLl8zvMbw/viewform?usp=header

We’d love to hear from you if you have any feedback for the parent council. You can find our survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrVnsHRwz9sPmkY6qZ7HCrFbtpQHrfh_79Q9V7SrUXvzzNTA/viewform?usp=header

August’s Newsletter

Summer Greetings from Parent Council

It’s hard to believe that another school year is right around the corner. We hope that you were able to soak in the sun and make the most of your few months off. We’re getting excited as the first day of school is closely approaching and there’s a lot of new and exciting things coming from Parent Council this year! Parent Council would not be possible without the support of each of you. Thank you for your time, support, funds, and feedback. All the ways that you have continued to show support keep our small community strong.

Last school year, together, we were able to provide ongoing staff support with Wednesday staff nourishment, facilitate much-needed volunteers for school events, provide a robust effort towards staff appreciation, support, and morale through generous holiday gifting, abundant potlucks, and a week of celebration during Teacher Appreciation Week.

Behind the scenes, our community coordinated or supported at least eight major community-building events that would not have been possible without our parents’ time and efforts, including:

The Holiday Bazaar and craft days leading up to the bazaar
Parents’ Night Out
Grandfriends Day (providing the main dish)
Ski Week and Ski Week Potluck
Spring Concert bake sales
May Faire (coordinating volunteers for stations and flower crown creation)
A parent-led middle school dance in May, and
The Summer Kick-off Celebration

What’s new?

Parent Council spent time gathering feedback through different surveys to see how we could continue to support our families and build a strong sense of community. The majority of families that responded to the survey shared feedback that parent council would benefit from coordinating asks with the school to prioritize the highest needs first, find better and different ways to communicate so we’re not overwhelming parents, and continue to communicate and support flexible volunteer opportunities for parents while also working towards rebuilding a tight-knit school community.

In response to this feedback, here’s what’s new this year!

We’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of our class parent volunteers. This year, in an effort to streamline communication, we will be providing alternate routes of communication. Class parents will no longer be an official volunteer ask from Parent Council. We’re hoping that parents continue to reach out to one another to facilitate play dates and build relationships. You can find direct communication from Parent Council in this monthly newsletter, sent the second Sunday of every month, on our Syringa Mountain School social media pages, and on the school’s website under the “Parent Council” tab. We’re hoping that these combined efforts reduce the communication overwhelm that has been expressed.

Now, something exciting to share!!!

We would like to welcome ALL families behind the fence and on the blacktop the morning of the first day of school (Tuesday, August 25th). We’d love for our community to join us in launching our students into a new and wonderful school year! Parent Council will provide warm beverages.

Housekeeping

We are looking for one volunteer to help on Wednesday, September 23rd to help pick-up and deliver a Welcome Back Coffee and Treats for our staff. Please reply to this email if you’re willing and able to volunteer!

All Parent Council Meetings will be held on the first Friday of each month at 8:15 in the Farm and Garden room, or you can join virtually. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Important Dates

August and September 2026 PC Happenings
Tuesday, August 25th	First day of school Launch!
Thursday, August 27th	Picture Day!
Friday, September 4th	PC’s First Monthly Meeting	Join Us Here
Monday, September 7th	NO SCHOOL
Friday, September 18th	EcoThon Begins!!	Please look for info sent home
Wednesday, September 23rd	Staff Back to School Coffee&Treats	Please email parentcouncil@syringamountainschool.org
Thursday, September 24th	Curriculum Night!	5:30 pm-7:00 pm @ Syringa
Friday, September 25th	NO SCHOOL

Parent Council Meeting Virtual Link: https://meet.google.com/wmq-dbfp-rym

Parent Council Nominations: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyHOQY0x729ddlBgGh-LkEM-Z5yqVeIip5xVRMICLl8zvMbw/viewform?usp=header

We’d love to hear from you if you have any feedback for parent council. You can find our survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrVnsHRwz9sPmkY6qZ7HCrFbtpQHrfh_79Q9V7SrUXvzzNTA/viewform?usp=header

2026-2027 Parent Council

Parent Council Meeting Agenda
Parent Council Meeting Minutes

PARENT COUNCIL HANDBOOK