Chapter 8: Participation Councils and Parent Organisations

Both the Primary and the Secondary school have a Participation Council, the Medezeggenschapsraad (or MR for short). In Primary, this comprises three staff members and three members of the parent/guardian community. In Secondary, this comprises six staff members, three members of the parent/guardian community and three student representatives from the Student Council. Members are elected using an official MR mandated process. Under Dutch law, the MR is established with specific responsibilities to advise or approve. They meet regularly with the school’s leadership to talk through predetermined items, such as school policies, curriculum changes, health and safety, the budget and the school’s development plan. These conversations provide a helpful forum for the school community to participate in important decision making. More information can be found here: https://www.infowms.nl/ and on the school website (https://www.ishthehague.nl/community/mr). The MR can be contacted at primary.mr@ishthehague.nl and secondary.mr@ishthehague.nl.
 

The GMR is a legal body within our organisation which provides staff, parents/guardians and students with an opportunity to have a voice in the direction taken by the Rijnlands Foundation (the Stichting).

Members of the GMR for both Primary and Secondary are appointed by their respective sections - staff, parents/guardians and students (Secondary only) for a term of three years.

Primary Parent Association (PPA)
All Primary parents/guardians are automatically members of the PPA. There is a PPA Board who organise meetings in school and manage events. Support from the parent community is actively encouraged and their efforts have resulted in many successful events over the years. The PPA also assists the school by coordinating and organising parent classroom representatives. The main purpose of the PPA and classroom representatives is to engage parents/guardians in meaningful involvement at the school in order to help create a sense of community and fun. To contact the PPA, email ish.ppa@ishthehague.nl.

Secondary Parent Association (PA)
The ISH Secondary Parents' Association plays an important role in the social life of the school, fosters and coordinates parental involvement, and contributes to the information newsletter for parents/guardians and the school community. The Parent Association (PA) is a group of parents/ guardians who have been elected to represent different aspects of school life and to reinforce the link between the parents/guardians and the school. This includes the bookstore, community events. This active participation is vital to school life, and ensures that the ISH community works well together for the benefit and future of our children. To contact the PA Board, email ish.pa@ishthehague.nl.

The Parent Connectors
This is made up of parents/guardians who have been here a little longer. New families are connected to others who share their culture and/or language. This assists new families, both Primary and Secondary, by connecting them with someone to help them settle and find their way around the school and the city. There are welcome afternoons, coffee mornings, activities and importantly, someone to call to ensure that your transition into ISH is as smooth and welcoming as possible. You can contact the Parent Connectors by emailing parentconnectors@ishthehague.nl.

Parent Representatives
Each Secondary year group has Parent Year Representatives. They meet several times a year with the Senior Leadership Team to discuss questions and concerns raised by the parents of the different year groups. In Primary School, Class Representatives assist teachers with sharing information and assist with memorable events for the children.