The Parents’ Association plans several recurring events. The Morning Forum and the Parents’ Coffee Connection are held monthly. The Parents’ Assocation Speaker Series sponsors evening events periodically, with lots of advance notice.

Morning Forum with Mr. Choyt

The monthly Morning Forum is an opportunity for the NYA parent community to gather informally for give-and-take discussions with Head of School Brad Choyt. Depending on the month, Mr. Choyt will either present specific items for conversation or invite parents to suggest topics.

The forums were conceived to be positive, informative chats so that a wide range of subjects can be aired and commented on. In that spirit, we ask that parents please keep the comments and questions generalized, refraining from specific concerns and complaints.  This sort of free discourse exemplifies Mr. Choyt’s commitment to hearing new ideas from a very important constituency, NYA’s enthusiastic, well-informed parents.

The forums are held from 8 am to 9 am in the Middle School Community Room. Coffee will be served.

Dates for the 2011/2012 school year are:

Wed. Oct. 19, 2011 - Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 - Wed. Dec. 14, 2011 - Wed. Jan. 18, 2012 - Wed. Feb. 15, 2012 - Wed. Mar. 21, 2012 - Wed. Apr. 18, 2012 - Wed. May 16, 2012

Parent Association Coffee Connection

With our busy lives, it can be hard to connect meaningfully with our fellow parents. To that end, the Parent Association is pleased to host monthly coffees – as informal and chatty as the name implies.

Timed to coincide with drop-off and scheduled well in advance, for your calendar, the parent coffees are intended to attract as many moms, dads, uncles, cousins and grandparents as possible. Reminders are sent the day before the event. As an added incentive to attend, this year we are experimenting with inviting faculty members to come as our guests.

The Coffee Connection has a relatively long history as a regular NYA event. Currently, they are held off-campus at local coffee shops to emphasize the casual, adult nature of the gathering. In the past, they have been held successfully on campus as well. We are seeking any venue that seems to appeal to the greatest number of parents, since the old adage holds – the more the merrier!

Please note the dates on your calendar, come to our coffees and enjoy some good company:  Wed. Nov. 9^th with Upper School math teacher and Viet Nam trip leader Khoa Khuong, Friday Jan. 6,  Tuesday Feb. 28, Tuesday April 24.

The NYA Parent Association Speaker Series

In keeping with our mission, to build community at NYA, the Parent Association hosts a few guest speakers every year. These special presentations vary in content but are always designed to appeal to as broad a group as possible. Usually, our speakers are experts in some area that is of acute interest to our members; that is, a subject that directly affects middle schoolers, high schoolers and/or their parents. Past speakers have addressed such topics as supporting good study habits, keeping kids substance-free in the real world, and preventing cyber-bullying.

If they require a stipend, the speakers are funded through Parent Association grants. It is our strong belief that a well-informed community of parents contributes to the overall quality of our children’s education, and to that end, we encourage everyone to attend our speaker events, ask lots of questions and leave with an extra brownie.

If you have any ideas for speakers, or if you think of a specific subject that you would like to see addressed, we welcome your ideas! Please contact the Events Committee chair, Jane O’Halloran, at joh@maine.rr.com or Holly Mitchell at hmitchell@kw.com .