A Community of Parents

More than 60 years ago, VMS was founded by a group of parents who came together to create a school in a fledgling mountain town. To this day, parent support and volunteer efforts are at the core of who we are, and we welcome your participation and partnership in your child’s educational journey. Our parents’ commitment to each other and our school is essential to the VMS community.

We are thankful for our parents!

Parent Partners

The VMS Parent Association, Parent Partners, is committed to building community within Vail Mountain School in alignment with the VMS mission. Parent Partners provides meaningful volunteer opportunities and gatherings for families to partner with the school in support of our children.

All of the events and activities described below welcome VMS parents to participate as committee chairs, team members and supporters in whatever capacity fits each family. Parent Partners’ goal is to make it easy for families to engage with VMS—join us!
 

Volunteer Opportunities at VMS

Hullabaloo
A free, all-school event that is great for the entire family to attend. Kick off the year and see what a cross-age community means at VMS!
Volunteer Needs: Event planning and day of volunteers.

Gala & Auction
Our school’s largest fundraising event and will exceed your expectations of what a gala can be! With a new theme each year, parents, friends, and faculty come together for a night of good food, dancing, and high-energy bidding on auction items—all in support of our students.
Volunteer Needs: Leadership and planning, auction item acquisition, data management, volunteer coordination, decor design and day of tasks.

Homebase Parents / Welcome Family Teams and Event Hosts
At the heart of each grade is a team of two parents who help teachers coordinate grade-level activities and plan class gatherings that promote community within the grade.  To ensure our new families feel welcome these parents also coordinate social gatherings for new families to meet the grade and they help answer questions throughout the school year.
Volunteer Needs: Share your enthusiasm for the school by welcoming new VMS families and building grade level family relationships. Each spring, current Homebase Parents will ask for new volunteers for the following school year.  At any time of year, even if you are not an official Homebase Parent, we welcome help with events and sharing of ideas for community building!

BINGO! Night
This long-standing signature Parent Partners event brings our community together in the name of number games like you have not seen before!  Parents and students always enjoy a raucous evening of BINGO, pizza and a mid-game dance party in the school lunchroom. 
Volunteer Needs: Night of event assistance with setup and clean up, IT help with game and music, pizza order and pick up, and collection and dissemination of winnings.

Parent Partner Funding 
Parent Partners incurs moderate expenses in our efforts to build community and support VMS.  Our main source of revenue comes from the sale of our popular VMS logo wear.
Volunteer Needs: Help sell logo wear at school events throughout the year and brainstorm new revenue ideas. 

Lower School Town Meetings
Lower School parents are encouraged to socialize in the Common before and after Town Meetings. 
Volunteer Needs: We are always looking for parents to help brew and set out coffee to encourage parents to linger.

Book Fair & Holiday Market
For one week in December, the Common is filled with books for all ages and holiday gifts from local artists and businesses. A portion of all proceeds go back to VMS!
Volunteer Needs:  Working in partnership with The Bookworm of Edwards, parents set up, take down and staff the event (helping students pick the perfect book is always a highlight). Parents may also choose to participate as a vendor.

Teacher Appreciation
Teacher Appreciation takes place throughout the year in many different ways. From monthly creative celebrations to the large breakfasts in the fall and spring. The culminating event is Teacher Appreciation Week in the spring where we shower our teachers with love for an entire week.
Volunteer Needs: We need many volunteers year round to make Teacher Appreciation a success. Opportunities include baking, setting up, organizing a monthly event, etc. Watch your emails for sign up opportunities that are offered each month.

Share Professional Expertise with Students
We invite parents to share their professional expertise with our students, offering a valuable opportunity to inspire and educate the next generation.
Volunteer Needs: As a volunteer, you can engage with students through guest lectures, workshops, or as an advisor for student projects. 

Just for Fun!
Gatherings such as ski days, hikes, bikes, volunteering opportunities on and off campus, and coffees help our parents build relationships beyond their grade-level community.
Volunteer Needs: Show up, meet someone new or connect with old friends and enjoy being together with the VMS family.