School organizations help parents get involved

Above: Participants at the annual spelling be hosted by the Southborough Education Foundation, one of several parent groups in town (contributed photo)

Getting involved in your kid’s education is one of the most important things a parent can do. Helping them with homework is one thing, but if you’re looking to go even further, consider joining one of the many parent organizations that support Southborough schools.

Check out this list of the parent organizations in town. Descriptions are taken from each organization’s website, which you can visit for more information.

Southborough Organization for Schools (SOS)
The Southborough Organization for Schools is a non-profit organization made up of dedicated parents of children enrolled in the Southborough K-8 schools. SOS is committed to working along with the staff and community to enhance the learning experience of our children and promote teacher/parent and home/school/community relations and communications. The first SOS meeting of the year will be Friday, September 9 at 8:30 am at Finn School. (www.southborough-sos.com)

Southborough Education Foundation (SEF)
The mission of the Southborough Education Foundation (SEF) is to offer private funding through community support for creative and challenging programs that enhance the educational excellence of the Southborough public schools. SEF seeks to foster academic excellence in our public schools by awarding grants for innovative and creative programs which support the goals and ongoing priorities of the district. Programs such as these would not normally be funded via traditional school budgets. (southboroughed.org)

Algonquin Parent Teacher Organization (APTO)
Parents even though your son and/or daughter now attends high school, you are still needed! The goal for the APTO is to bring the families and students of Algonquin, and the administration together. APTO will hold their first meeting of the school year on Wednesday, September 7 at 7:00 pm at the Algonquin Principal’s Conference Room. (web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/apto/)

Northborough Southborough Music Association (NSMA)
The NSMA is a parent volunteer organization dedicated to supporting our talented music students, faculty and programs. Our funds are used for music enrichment awards and senior scholarships, as well as supporting un-budgeted special projects and for the purchase recognition trophies and plaques. We also coordinate volunteers for concerts, festival hospitality and special events. We work to promote the success of our music programs by raising awareness in our community through our website and publicity. (www.nsma.info)

Algonquin Boosters Club
The Algonquin Boosters Club is comprised of parents who are interested in supporting the sports teams of the school. Each team is represented by a parent who communicates the needs and updates regarding that team. The Executive Board along with the Athletic Director and Club Parents meet once a month. (web.nsboro.k12.ma.us/algonquin/sports/boosters/)

Northborough/Southborough Special Education Parent Advisory Council
NSPAC is a volunteer organization serving as a resource to parents and guardians of children in the Northborough/Southborough district with special needs and learning differences. Our membership is open to parents and guardians of children who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), 504s or anyone interested in special education within the Northborough/ Southborough School District. We work closely with the district administration and educators to identify areas of need and act in an advisory role to the school committee and the administration. (www.nspac.org)

Did I miss any parent organizations? If so, give them a shout-out in the comments.