PAFA Structure

One of the hallmarks of a successful student is the involvement of the family in the child's education. At AISCT, we understand that each parent's involvement in the student's academic life is essential. Making time to read together, joining class field trips, supporting a school team or visiting the classroom throughout the year are only a few of the ways parents help their children to know that school is important. We also understand that family involvement means participation in activities which enhance school life.
PAFA provides a wide array of choices and opportunities for parents to become involved:

• Chaperoning excursions,
• Providing materials for special projects,
• Helping to coach a sports team,
• Helping in the classroom,
• Attending presentations and events,
• Organizing fundraisers,
• Providing transportation.

Membership in PAFA is automatically conferred on parents of students enrolled in the school and can be extended to any member of the school community interested in supporting the mission of the school. When parents enroll their children at the American International School of Cape Town, the parents become part of the AISCT family too!

Structure of PAFA

PAFA is legally a branch of the AISCT system and follows the direction of the administration and School Board. Therefore, the administration reserves the right to make all final decisions regarding PAFA activities.

Each year, PAFA membership (parents and staff) will be responsible for nominating and electing an executive committee to coordinate all activities. The executive committee is formed by the following positions: president, treasurer, secretary and class coordinators. All elected offices may be held jointly by two people. The PAFA executive committee is elected during a meeting in May or June.

It is the responsibility of the executive committee, along with the administration, to find and appoint other people to fill the many positions needed to coordinate the various community-building activities. It is critical that the executive committee maintain a high level of communication with the school administration.

The principal will attend the meetings, listen to input, share information and provide clarity and assistance when necessary.

The president is responsible for chairing monthly PAFA meetings, giving general guidance and support to the PAFA committees and working with the executive committee to create the activity schedule for the year.

The vice president is responsible for filling-in for the president in his/her absence and assisting with the creation of the yearly activity schedule.

The treasurer is responsible for creating a yearly budget plan, keeping track of all PAFA funds, recording expenses and income and for signing-off on all finances approved by the executive committee.

The secretary is responsible for taking minutes at the monthly meeting, distributing those minutes to all committee members and for making them available to all stakeholders via the Friday News or the PAFA web page.

Decision-Making Process

Decisions that need to be made shall be presented to the PAFA membership at the monthly PAFA meetings. If voting is required to make a decision at a PAFA meeting, a legal quorum (at least ten PAFA members) must be present. A majority (50% + 1) of those present at the meeting is needed to win a vote.

Fundraising

PAFA operates under the license and government registration of AISCT on a Section 21 basis. The importance of fundraising by PAFA is to be seen as a way to unify our community and support the community activities, rather than for financial gain. The money raised from fundraising is to benefit our school and our children. All money raised by PAFA will be allocated towards items outside of the scope of the school’s operating budget. To ensure that parents see the benefit of these funds during their stay at AISCT, it is a requirement that all funds earned under the auspices of PAFA be allocated and spent within a reasonable amount of time of having been raised. Each year, PAFA will be allowed the liberty to make charitable donations based on membership approval.

The school is directly responsible for any funds raised under PAFA's auspices. AISCT is obligated by its charter to ensure that all money raised by PAFA is channeled directly back to the school.

Any money raised under the auspices of PAFA is accountable to the school and is the responsibility of the school in terms of annual accounting and tax audits. All money raised by PAFA must be deposited to the school accounting office, where a PAFA account has been established. These funds are raised from parents and students in the name of the school. The school administration must approve proposed expenditures and ensure that they are of general benefit to the school and to as many students as possible.

PAFA Activities and Support

In addition to material allocations, PAFA is seen as a resource for the faculty by volunteering time at school in various capacities, such as library assistants (cataloging, reading to students) and classroom coordinators (parents who help support a classroom teacher by assisting with special activities and field trips). It is understood that parent volunteers assist only upon request of the classroom teacher or administration as coordinated by PAFA.

PAFA-sponsored activities may include parties on various holidays. PAFA may sponsor such events as International Day. These activities are for the benefit of the entire student body and are dependent upon requests by faculty and administration as well as the degree of parental involvement. As PAFA is dependent upon parents who volunteer their time and talent, the activities and the degree of volunteerism will inherently vary from one year to the next.