We need to put this into perspective. You are a private organization that provides a service (for a fee or not is not material) that involves educating children in whatever activity you determine. You create the educational material, the delivery process and want a captive audience provided by the school (only one school in your entire area??). You further want the school to transport the children to you (field trip - and a cost) so you may deliver your material.

You state you are a non profit but you do not tell us what type, there are many different types of Non Profit organizations - I think this is an essential piece of information.

I will assume from your comments that the principal knows more about your organization then we do at this point.

With all that said - I think the principal is acting with the best interest of the children in mind. As Mom stated with the number of such organizations out there today trying to get to the teachers to sell their products it is not un common to find a bar to doing so.

I also agree with Mom to make a flyer or whatever fully explaining what it is you are offering in detail and ask the principal to review it as something they may or may not wish to plan for the future.

Once you have done this you will have a model to follow to use with other schools where you will probably walk into the same stumbling block! If what you have to offer will enhance the education of the children I am sure the schools will contact you to set up a field trip.

I must say I agree with Mom & Dad. Our teachers have so much going on in the classroom and requirements they have to meet out of the classroom that I don't know when they have time to breath! Trying to fit meeting with various organizations into their schedule would be nearly impossible. If you feel you would like to communicate with the teachers about your program, perhaps you could make a pamphlet detailing your organizations goals and what you have to offer and approcah the principal about distributing them to the teachers. Most importantly, you should contact the parent organization at the school and let them know about your group. If the parents want your involvment in their children's education they can make it happen. Maybe your group needs to find ways to offer educational activities outside of school such as weekend tours of the pond area with people from your group to tell about the different wild life. This would give the parents who are interested a chance to expand their childrens' horizons without the school having to be involved.

In a word-no. Our principal is a very supportive member of our board. She never tries to dictate or manipulate. We are extremely fortunate to have her.

However, I have a question for you. Why do you have specialty groups working apart from the PTO? Wouldn't you guys all be stronger working together as one organization? I am the PTO President at my youngest child's school, but I am also a teacher in a neighboring district. Speaking as the teacher now, I don't have time to continue meeting with multiple parent run special interest groups. That's one of the beauties of PTO for me, it's a vehicle to represent parents and to facilitate staff/parent communication and effort. It's also hard as a teacher to support one parent group over another. I would feel torn and frustrated. I'm sure the objectives of all your parent groups are admirable and worthy of support, but I agree with your principal. As a teacher, I want to work with only one group at a time AND the parents of my students.

Having said that, I'm a huge proponent of hands-on science inside and outside the classroom and I applaud your work in that area. Our PTO is doing much of the same work you are and it has been extremely beneficial to our children. We sponsor the annual Science Fair, a Math & Science Hands-On Night for families, Astronomy Night, we have built a nature trail, a weather station, take-home and classroom science kits, strawberry gardens and now we're working on a senses garden.

Hi all: I am a new member and am trying to help out our school by initiating a science program. Our group, Loma Educational Enrichment Program for Science (LEePS) has tried for the past seven years to initiate more science in the school. Our program grew out of our Home & School Club and is now a separate non-profit. We have built nature trails at both a pond and redwood forest, purchased science equipment and tried to get teachers interested in doing more hands on outdoor science with the students. The problem is our principal/superintendent. She will not allow us any communication with the teachers! She tells them not to respond to parents other than the ones in their classrooms, and will not allow us to go to the teacher meetings. We have come a long ways but it seems almost hopeless. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to deal with her? We have gone to the School Board but most of the time she controls them as we are constantly getting new board members. We live in a small community and I think politics plays a big part. We also have a separate art committee that seems to have a teacher committee and is doing well? ~Just Frustrated!