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HM Parents Association

The organization through which parents contribute to the life of the School is the Horace Mann Parents Association. All parents and/or guardians of current Horace Mann students are members of the HMPA, and the organization is governed by a constitution. The Parents Association President is a member of the Horace Mann Board of Trustees who communicates the concerns of parents to the Board while also helping to keep families informed of School activities. The HMPA benefits from the avid support it receives from the Head of School, Division Heads, faculty, administrators, and staff. At the same time, the Parents Association is not an independent fund-raising organization.

Mission

The mission of the Horace Mann Parents Association (HMPA) is to support the School through community building, fundraising, and providing volunteers to the School.  At all times, the HMPA will cooperate and consult with administration, faculty and staff of HM to ensure that the School’s mission and core values are maintained and furthered.  

Parents Association

The Horace Mann Parents Association (HMPA) is led by six Executive Officers: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. Each division has its own board in addition to the HMPA Executive Board. The boards are staffed by committee chairs in each division. The financial records of the Horace Mann Parents Association are maintained by the School’s Business Office. The PA is financed through the assessment of dues per student, which forms a starting capital base for the organization. HMPA fundraising is done through various efforts: Annual Benefit, which raises unrestricted funds and funds targeted for financial aid and the Student Assistance Fund; book fairs and bake sales that raise funds for the libraries; HM Goes to the Theatre which contribute to the Student Assistance Fund; the sale of HM merchandise with the School’s logo at the Nursery and Lower Divisions; and the Holiday Gift Fund drive that raises funds for holiday gifts for faculty members, administrators, and staff. 

The principal means of communication with our constituents is via the bi-weekly e-blast and the Parent Portal of the Horace Mann website. Administrators and members of the faculty and staff also receive the PA e-blasts and are welcome to attend any event sponsored by the Association. 

In addition to the leadership groups above, the HMPA boasts several alliance groups with their own leadership structures to celebrate the diverse cultures and build bridges between the groups and the School. The groups include the Black Parents Union, the Chinese Family Network, the Hispanic/Latino Family Network, the Korean Parents League, the Jewish Family Alliance, the Horace Mann South Asian Families, and the HM PRIDE/LGBTQ+ Alliance Group.

Nursery Division

The goal of the HMPA at the Nursery Division is to build community within the Nursery Division and, working closely with the administration, to help facilitate school events and foster communication between the Nursery parents and the administration. Over twenty committees work in the Nursery Division, including library, book fair, yearbook and class parent volunteers. A wellness committee now facilitates healthy changes in the School environment. Goals include providing parents a monthly series of tips and strategies that support children’s healthy minds and bodies. Each year, the NDPA holds a division-wide committee meeting to share ideas and collaborate on the year’s agenda. 

Lower Division

The goal of the Lower Division PA is to foster a sense of community among the parent body and to plan events that bring our children and families together and support our amazing teachers.  The PA has a variety of committees that spearhead activities throughout the year such as our annual Book Fair, Teacher Appreciation, Service Learning, and Spring Fling.  Class parents and grade representatives keep their classes informed and plan parties so everyone has a chance to meet each other. Officers of the Lower Division Parents Association work closely with the Head of Lower Division to promote school activities such as coffee hours and facilitate school events that align with the spirit of the Lower Division.  We also publish a monthly “LD Happenings” so everyone can plan for upcoming events.

Middle Division

The Middle Division Parents Association strives to build community through numerous events that are held throughout the school year. Some of the highlights include bake sales to support Middle Division activities; the International Food Festival showcasing the diverse backgrounds of our student body; Athletic Afternoons, where we host bake sales while we cheer on the Middle Division sports teams; and the Book Fair, which we co-host with the Upper Division. Parents from the Middle Division also help organize the school-wide Benefit, Homecoming, the New Family Welcome Committee, and Service Learning Day.

Upper Division

The Upper Division PA’s mission is to promote a strong sense of community amongst upper division parents, who inherently become less involved in their students’ day-to-day lives. The Upper Division PA builds community across grades through multiple committees, including International Food Festival, Athletics and Book Fair. Additionally, the Upper Division PA fosters community within each grade through grade representatives, whose mission is to plan grade-relevant parent gatherings throughout the year. The Upper Division PA also partners with the administration to facilitate and organize meaningful community building events such Upper Division head coffee talks, Service Learning Day and Book Day. Furthermore, Upper Division PA committee chairs collaborate across the four divisions of Horace Mann to support the Holiday Gift Fund, Homecoming, Benefit, Annual Fund and the New Family Welcome Committee.