Grandparents and Special Friends’ Day - Friday, October 12, 2012
When does Grandparents & Special Friends’ Day start?
The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and coffee in the theater lobby.
Do I need to RSVP?
Advanced registration is closed, but walk in registration is available. We would love to have any Grandparent or Special Friend join us on this special day. There will be volunteers available to create nametags, provide information and give directions on Friday morning.
What should I wear?
The dress for the day is casual and comfortable. Most importantly, you should wear comfortable shoes, suitable for walking throughout Paideia's campus.
Who is invited?
We have mailed an invitation to any grandparent or special friend for whom contact information has been submitted by the parents. If your grandparent or special friend has not received an invitation, please contact April Castro in development at 404-270-2358 or grandparentsday@paideiaschool.org. We have made many improvements to our address list but we still have some errors and would love to correct them.
Due to space constraints, Paideia parents are not invited. There will be many volunteers available to help visitors get around campus. If you’d like to be on campus, please come as a volunteer. For opportunities, check the volunteer signup website (password required).
What if a grandparent can’t be there? How about a special friend?
If a Grandparent cannot attend the day, then a Special Friend is encouraged to attend instead. This may be another relative or a special family friend. Talk to your child about whether having someone visit is important to him or her and plan around his or her wishes.
In the elementary classes, the teachers do a wonderful job of creating a special lunch in the classroom for those students without visitors to enjoy. No students will eat lunch alone.
When and where will visitors meet their grandchild or special friend?
At 10:30, the program in the theater will end and parent volunteers will escort visitors to the classrooms of the children they have come to visit. With the exception of the half-day classes, all classroom visits will begin at this time. From 10:30 until lunch, visitors may visit classrooms and other programs that will be taking place. (Check back on the website after September 15 for more details on the programs available).
If you are visiting more than one child, there are many volunteers available to help you find a classroom after you complete your first classroom visit.
How do visits to half day work?
Visitors to half day have a slightly different schedule than the rest of the school. Your suggested schedule is described below.
If your grandchild or friend attends Paideia for a half day in the morning:
Your day will begin at 8:15 with a visit to their classroom in the 1341 South Ponce de Leon building. Following the classroom visit, a shuttle bus will meet you in the front of this building and will take you to the theater building located about a block away.
You will arrive in time for the Opening Program at 9:30. That program will last until about 10:30. At that point you have several options for the next hour. You may choose to attend one of several presentations described below, or you may simply wish to relax with a cup of coffee in the theater lobby. If you have older children to visit, this is the time when their teachers will be expecting you for a classroom visit.
The children in the morning half-day class will be escorted by parent volunteers to meet you for lunch in the gym. They will arrive about 11:30. While lunch is complimentary for our visitors, all students should bring their lunch as usual. If your half-day child has an older sibling, then the older child should join you at the designated tables inside the gym for lunch at his/her normal lunch time.
If you have multiple children to visit, please look at the suggestions below and make a plan with the family concerning when to visit other classes and how to meet for lunch. Parent volunteers will be available at lunch to help.
Following lunch, parents of your half day student should plan to pick up the child at 12 noon in front of the tent.
If your grandchild or friend attends Paideia for a half day in the afternoon:
Your day will begin with coffee and registration in the theater lobby anytime between 8:15 and 9:15.
The Opening Program begins promptly at 9:30. That program will last until about 10:15. At that point you have several options for the next hour. You may choose to attend one of several presentations described in the attached schedule or you may simply wish to relax with a cup of coffee in the theater lobby. If you have older children to visit, this is the time when their teachers will be expecting you for a classroom visit.
The children in the afternoon half day class will be escorted by parent volunteers to meet you for lunch in the gym. They will arrive about 12 noon. While lunch is complimentary for our visitors, all students should bring their lunch as usual. If your half day child has an older sibling, then the older child should join you in the gym for lunch at his/her normal lunch time.
If you have multiple children to visit, please look at the suggestions below and make a plan with the family concerning when to visit other classes and how to meet for lunch. Parent volunteers will be available at lunch to help.
After lunch, you will accompany the children to class and visit their classroom in the 1341 building. At 1:30, following the classroom visit, you may walk or take a shuttle back to your transportation.
Tips for families with more than one child
If your visitor will be trying to see more than one child, it is wise to make plans to coordinate lunches and classroom visits. Generally, start with a visit to the youngest child’s class, then visit older children. Volunteers will be available to help visitors find the classroom.
The key to the plan is remembering to get back to the youngest child’s class before their lunchtime begins. See the lunch information below. It would probably be helpful to provide these times in writing to your child's guest. Most elementary teachers are flexible about excusing students early to allow a family to eat together. Junior high and high school schedules are less flexible. You may choose to start lunch with your younger students and ask the older students to join you in the gym during their scheduled lunchtime.
After making a plan, many grandparents appreciate getting notes in writing on timing and where to go.
How does lunch work?
Lunch will be provided for all Grandparents and Special Friends. All students must bring their own lunches. Please remember that there will be Pi Bites Express that day. So if you have already ordered lunch, then your child will be able to pick up his/her food and meet their guest in the gym. Depending on the age of the child you are visiting, lunch begins between 11:30 and 12:30. Generally, your student will escort you to lunch. Please note that we have a severe space shortage and parents are not invited to join the lunch. We want to save our limited seats for our special visitors.
Elementary students will eat lunch at their normal times, but are usually flexible if you are trying to coordinate times with siblings. For younger children, you will need to pick them up in their classroom. Students in the upper elementary classes listed below can meet you at lunch if you wish. A good meeting point is near the serpentine wall behind the 1509 Building.
For your planning purposes, here are the lunch times for most classes:
Elementary - (Note that these times may be flexible but you should get the children you plan to lunch with by the time listed below. If you are later, the children may be confused about whether to eat with their classes.)
- 11:30 - Jose & Tisha; Judy & JoLynn
- 11:40 - Missy & Ken; Martha & Elisa; Cecelia & Diana
- 11:45 - Kelly, Tony & Heidi
- 12:00 - Jonathan & Emily
- 12:15 - Peter & Daniel; Martha & Patrick; Jonny, Brian & Andy; Lina & Elisa
- 12:20 - David & Becca
Morning Half Day - 11:30. Parent volunteers will bring the children to meet you at the gym.
Afternoon Half Day - 12:05. Parent volunteers will bring the children to meet you at the gym.
Junior High
12:40 - All classes
High School
12:30 - All classes
Where can I park?
You may park at one of three on-campus parking lots or after 8:30 you may park on South Ponce de Leon Ave in front of the school. All visitors who RSVP will receive a map in the mail prior to the event. Shuttle buses will run from the parking lots to the school throughout the day.
