Spotlight On the Board

In our final spotlight, we get to know Deanna, Comm Chair extraordinaire and next year’s PTA Treasurer, and Denise, fab Financial Secretary who’ll be writing your checks again next year!

Deanna R., 2017-18 Communications Chair, 2018-19 Treasurer and Parent of Cool Canary Amaya and Sparkly Diamond Zoe

Please tell us a little about yourself. What is your professional background? What are your interests?
I am a Bay Area native, born and raised in San Jose. I have lived in the Bay Area my whole life, moving only an hour from home to attend college at Berkeley, and later commuting to Davis for grad school before finally landing in Campbell. I worked as a full-time software engineer until my older daughter was 5, when I decided to pursue a better balance between work and family. I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to continue my engineering job part-time for the past few years.

My favorite way to relax is through yoga. While I like most types of yoga, my favorite is aerial, and I try to get to the yoga studio for aerial classes as often as I can. I also enjoy camping, hiking, reading, crochet, coloring, listening to podcasts, and spending time with my family.

Tell us a little bit about your family. What are some things you and your family like to do for fun?
My husband, Jason, and I are high school sweethearts. We started dating when we were 16, survived 4 years of long distance through college, and got married a couple years after we graduated. We have two daughters – a kindergartener and a third-grader. Our family has always enjoyed camping (my third grader was 8 months old on her first camping trip), and we recently bought a trailer so we could go more often and for longer trips. Even though our family is pretty busy with the kids’ sports and other activities, we have managed to squeeze in little weekend trips every month this year, and are looking forward to a longer road trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton this summer.

How many years has your family been at Village School?
This is our fourth year at Village (wow, time really flies!). We started when my older daughter was in kindergarten.

What originally attracted you to Village, and what keeps you excited about being here?
So many things attracted us to Village! I loved whole-child philosophy, with the emphasis on social/emotional learning alongside academics. We were excited by the hands-on, project-based approach to academics. The opportunities for parent involvement and parent education also appealed to me. I was terrified of yard duty, and, though I was really looking forward to it, even the idea of helping in the classroom was a bit intimidating at first. It was nice to know that training classes would be provided.

What keeps us at Village? While all the things that originally brought us here have exceeded our expectations, it’s the people that really make Village a special place. We have amazing teachers and staff. I am continually impressed by the creative ways they implement hands-on, multi-subject projects, with learning often supplemented by relevant field trips. And they do all that while also supporting our kids’ social/emotional growth.

I am so grateful for our community. It is wonderful to know that so many people, both adults and other kids, are supporting my children at school so they can learn and grow in a safe, caring environment. And my kids are not the only ones learning at Village! I have also grown right alongside them, helping in the classroom and centers, taking Parent Ed classes, learning from teachers, and just being around the many great parenting role models in our community.

What are some of your favorite and most rewarding moments on campus?
I absolutely love how our community comes together for events on campus that support the kids, as well as how the kids support each other. However, I think the most rewarding moments for me have actually been little things: a kid’s huge smile at recess when she recognized me from her center, the excitement on a kid’s face after he solved a multi-step math problem with a little guidance, the sweet fuzzy gram I received from a first grader. The connections we make with the kids are really special.

How does your Board job (and those who report to you) work to serve the school community?
The Communications team aims to keep our community well-informed in a way that is concise, but also fosters connection and builds community. Announce, the class mailing lists, the Village Hub, the Weekly Bulletin, and the online school calendar all provide vital school information, while the Shutterfly sites and the VillageCommunity list provide spaces for community sharing. The Village Voice gives us a more in-depth look at some of the wonderful happenings at school, and the Buzz Book helps us stay connected outside of school. We also evaluate and implement tools and technology to streamline other processes for our community. For example, our membership packet, which used to be on paper, is now fully online via SchoolSpeak. We are always on the lookout for new tools and technology that can benefit our community. Have an idea? We’d love to hear it! Shoot the team an email anytime at communications [at] villagehub.org.

Village school has an active, vibrant community. How can moms, dads, grandparents, and helpers roll up their sleeves to support Village School in the classroom and on campus?
Share your traditions, talents, and passions with the kids! This can take many forms, from leading a center to doing a short, one-time activity with your child’s class.

The spring issue of the Village Voice included an informal survey of languages spoken by Village students. We are a diverse community! Sharing your culture and traditions with the kids is a great way to get involved and have a positive impact.
 
 

Denise H., Financial Secretary and Parent of Aloha Pineapple Jake and Upstanding Unicorn Jack

Please tell us a little about yourself. What is your professional background? What are your interests?
I went to San Jose State and majored in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. I’ve worked in auto/mortgage lending, as an office manager at a startup, and in Escrow. After I had kids, they became my full time job!!! I am interested in all things crafty — I sew, make jewelry, and crochet.

Tell us a little bit about your family. What are some things you and your family like to do for fun?
Jake is 9 and in Mrs. Aisling’s 3rd grade class and Jack is 7 and in Gina and Talia’s 1st grade class. They are both on a year round swim team and practice Jujitsu. My husband Brian and I have been married for 10.5 years. We also have a 3 year old English bulldog named Hazelnut and a 3 year old calico cat named Coconut. We enjoy keeping busy by hanging out with friends, spending the day in the city or the beach, skiing/snowboarding, and we love Maui!!!

How many years has your family been at Village School?
We have been at Village School since Jake was in kindergarten, so 4 years.

What originally attracted you to Village, and what keeps you excited about being here?
We liked that the school was not only highly rated but that is was a parent participation school. The boys went to parent participation preschool, so it was an easy transition.

What are some of your favorite and most rewarding moments on campus?
I enjoy watching my kids interact in the day-to-day. I love that I get to work with their teachers, all of whom I also consider my friends! I also get to know and interact with the kids in their classes as well as with other parents. I don’t think parents that aren’t in a parent participation school get to form these kinds of bonds within their school community.

How does your Board job (and those who report to you) work to serve the school community?
My Board job is Financial Secretary, I write the checks!!! I take all those check requests and reimbursements and code them to the correct budget account, write the checks and disburse them. My job has no one reporting to me.

Village school has an active, vibrant community. How can moms, dads, grandparents, and helpers roll up their sleeves to support Village School in the classroom and on campus?
I think that what makes our school so special is what the parents bring to the table. Take your talent and find a way to share it, whether it be in the classroom, your school job, in centers, Lunch League, or the Board. Volunteer when you can, make yourself available.