The New International School of Thailand Parent-Teacher Association (NIPTA) Handbook. (Updated September 2014)

Transcription

1 The New International School of Thailand Parent-Teacher Association (NIPTA) Handbook (Updated September 2014) 1

2 INTRODUCTION The New International School of Thailand Parent Teacher Association (NIPTA or the Association) was registered as a legal association under Thai law on February 16, 1999 (Registration No. 2842/2542). The Association, which operates under its own by-laws, is regulated by the Thai Ministry of Interior, which provides general guidelines on how the Association should operate. (Please note that although the school has changed its name, NIPTA is legally registered with the above name. This can be changed at the AGM and subsequently registered with the Ministry.) This Handbook provides information and current operational guidelines for NIPTA s executive committee, subcommittees, and members. It is a working document and will change over time to reflect the changes in the Association s activities. MEMBERSHIP Membership of the Association is comprised of parents and guardians of NIST (the School) students and NIST teachers. All parents/guardians and teachers become members automatically upon enrollment/payment of school fees. An annual fee of 200 baht is assessed per family or per teacher (for those without children at the school) and is included in the tuition payment. The fees are transferred from the School to NIPTA at the beginning of each academic year. Additional fees collected from new families and teachers joining NIST during the academic year are collected by NIPTA during the academic year. NIPTA S MISSION To inspire, embrace and enrich NIST s diverse community in ways that further the mission of the school. NIPTA S VISION We seek to improve the social and educational experiences of our community and to promote a sense of commitment and pride in our school. NIPTA S STRUCTURE All work done on behalf of NIPTA is done on a voluntary basis. By agreeing to become a NIPTA committee member, Committee Head or Executive Committee member, individuals are agreeing to place themselves under the guidelines and responsibilities set forward by NIPTA and its by-laws. All NIPTA Committees operate under the guidance of the NIPTA President and Executive Committee. NIPTA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2

3 NIPTA is headed by an Executive Committee (Excom), which is comprised of a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 10 members. The Executive Committee seeks to include parents, guardians and teachers of Elementary and Secondary students as well as being representative of the many nationalities at NIST. Excom s core functions include: Establishing NIPTA s policies and guidelines, and ensuring that NIPTA subcommittees are working towards achieving NIPTA s objectives. Coordinating and providing support to all subcommittees to implement their activities. Building and strengthening good working relations with the school at all levels. Overseeing the management of NIPTA s funds. Executive Committee Positions NIPTA Excom consists of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sub- Committee Chairpersons, and Property Liaison. The President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary serve as the core Executive team (the Executive) and oversee all decisions, policies and the working of NIPTA as an Association. Excom s Executive meets at least once a month in advance of the Excom meeting to ensure that all business is planned and implemented in an appropriate manner. The Executive Committee is responsible for the registration of the Association with the government. Excom can utilize an external agency to assist with registration. (Contact the Head of School for advice on this matter.) President Working closely with the Vice-President and subcommittee heads, the President provides overall leadership of NIPTA. She/he chairs all Executive Meetings, represents the Association in all outside affiliation contacts, and oversees all administrative matters. According to NIPTA s by-laws, the position of President must be a parent only and not an employee of the school. Responsibilities: Chair all NIPTA Executive Meetings, AGM and/or special meetings. Organize all NIPTA Excom meetings, which includes disseminating the agenda and minutes for approval. Distribute approved minutes to Excom members and forward a copy to the Board Liaison. Work with the Excom on setting goals and planning activities to be achieved and implemented throughout the year. Oversee implementation of NIPTA projects and programs. Oversee all financial operations of NIPTA. Liaise with the FIE and the Board. Meet regularly with the school s Administration. Delegate responsibilities as required. Upon completion of their term, the President will work with the incoming President to transfer the registration with the government. The documents need to be submitted within one month after the AGM. 3

4 Vice-President Coordinates the AGM in conjunction with the Executive Committee. The Vice-President assists the President in the management of the Association, undertakes tasks assigned by the President, and acts for and on behalf of the President in her/his absence. Secretary Responsibilities: Preparing Excom meeting minutes (including AGM & EGM) and any minutes that go to the Administration, to the President for review within 5 days of the meeting/s. Maintain NIPTA records (i.e., minutes, handbook, and portal). Upload approved monthly minutes and AGM minutes to the NIPTA portal. Monitor NIPTA correspondence and forward to appropriate parties. Publicize information about NIPTA and its events and activities to the NIST community through the weekly NIST News, the NIPTA portal, magazine, the school bulletin boards, NIPTA bulletin board, Veracross Calendar and the school yearbook. The NIPTA secretary will forward a copy of the AGM Annual Report and Annual Financial report to the Board Liaison for submission to the Board. Treasurer The Treasurer oversees all financial aspects of NIPTA accounts. Responsibilities: Prepare all financial statements/reports and present these to the Excom every month. Present the NIPTA financial statement at the AGM. Maintain files of all bank statements. Record all income and expenses. Arrange auditing of accounts and taxation. Any other duties assigned by the President. Board Liaison The Board Liaison is designated by the Board, and approved by NIPTA, and is NIPTA s primary point of contact with the Board and FIE. All requests and communication from the Board and FIE to NIPTA will go through the Board Liaison directly to the President and copied to nipta.nist@gmail.com. Neither the Board Liaison, members of the Board or FIE will make requests or inquiries directly to NIPTA s Committees. Likewise, all NIPTA requests or inquiries from Committees or Committee Heads will be made through the President. The Executive will meet regularly with the Board Liaison. The liaison is not a member of the Executive Committee but may attend NIPTA Excom monthly meetings at the invitation of NIPTA s President. 4

5 The NIPTA president or secretary will forward a copy of the AGM Annual Report and Annual Financial report to the Board Liaison to submit to the Board. Property Liaison Coordinates all NIPTA activities with the School s Property department, catering department and Café Gallery. Starry Nights Coordinator Works with a committee and the school to plan and host the annual Starry Nights event. COUNTRY GROUPS Country groups at NIST are not under NIPTA s mandate, but the NIPTA Excom works closely with the school country groups as appropriate. NIPTA may appoint a Country Group Liaison to help coordinate activities with the various country groups. Country Group Liaison Liaises between the various country groups and NIPTA. Liaises between the country groups and the Starry Night committee. Assists the country groups in their requests to the school to host on-campus cultural events. Assists groups in booking rooms and advertising their events. Maintains a contact list of country groups and oversees the set-up. During the school year, forwards the contact information of new parents to their respective country representative. NIPTA SUBCOMMITTEES Under the leadership of their Chairpersons, the subcommittees focus on specific areas of interest that contribute to the development of the school community. The general direction of each subcommittee s activities is in support of NIPTA s overall goals and is to be presented to, and approved by, the Excom. Committees are currently formed around the following core areas of operation and interest and may include, but are not limited to, the following: Elementary Class Parent (ECP) Program The ECP program welcomes and supports families new to NIST and acts as a conduit for NIPTA-related information. (See Appendix 1 for more details.) Secondary Parent Volunteer (SPV) Program The SPV program encourages secondary parents to participate in and support school activities; welcome families new to NIST; and act as a conduit for NIPTA-related information. (See Appendix 1 for more details.) Community Activities 5

6 The Community Activities subcommittee coordinates and offers support for NIST community-related activities and special events. These may include, but are not limited to, NIPTA Parent Coffee Mornings, Bangkok tours, health & wellness seminars and other special NIPTA events. Friends of the Creative Arts This subcommittee promotes and supports NIST s Creative Arts Program through sponsorship and participation in their various events and productions. Sports The Committee aims to promote NIST sports and after school activities and to encourage support for school teams. Subcommittee Chairpersons Subcommittee Chairpersons are selected either by the Executive or by subcommittee. The Subcommittee Chairpersons, or a designated representative, are responsible for attending NIPTA Excom meetings. They work closely with their designated administration and/or coordinator. Subcommittee Chairpersons, together with members of their respective committees, set annual committee goals in alignment with the overall NIPTA goals, communicate and liaise with the Excom and other subcommittees as needed, and, when relevant, submit monthly reports in a timely manner. On matters requiring action to be taken up with the Administration or teachers, the Chairpersons must inform the President and the Vice- President prior to any meeting or correspondence. Subcommittees are responsible for preparing updated reports of meetings held. The report will sent to the President and Vice-President and copied to nipta.nist@gmail.com within five working days after the subcommittees meeting and prior to the monthly Excom meeting. Should a Subcommittee Chairperson decide to resign from her/his position, notification of resignation should be submitted to the President and copied to nipta.nist@gmail.com. Subcommittee Members Subcommittee members work together with the Subcommittee Chairperson(s) in drawing up a meeting and activity schedule. Members should regularly attend the Committee meetings and if unable to do so, they should inform the Chairperson accordingly. Subcommittee members shall not individually address any NIPTA issues directly with the Administration or the School. All such matters should be discussed and agreed to by the Chairperson(s) and members of the subcommittee before they are passed on to the President and/or Vice-President for endorsement/action. Please note: These procedures are relevant for NIPTA-related matters only. For personal issues, each member has the right to address his or her concerns directly with the Administration without consulting with NIPTA s Excom. 6

7 Ideally, individual members should not join more than two subcommittees and one person shall not hold more than one chairperson position. COMMUNICATION PROCEDURES The following procedures are to ensure that the relevant people are informed of meetings, decisions and activities related to NIPTA s operations. 1. Communications at the Subcommittee Level and with Excom: a. Subcommittee Reports. Subcommittee chairpersons are to circulate reports to all subcommittee members, NIPTA President, Vice-President and copy to nipta.nist@gmail.com within five working days of their meeting. 2. Communication between NIPTA and School Administrators: a. NIPTA subcommittee with designated school representatives. If the representative is the subcommittee s direct counterpart, subcommittee chairpersons may communicate directly with him/her on all relevant matters. When subcommittee chairpersons communicate with their designated representatives, they are required to copy s to the NIPTA President and nipta.nist@gmail.com. Any communications with administration officials outside of their designated representatives must go through the President. b. NIPTA consultations with Administration. When approaching the School administration on key issues or on school policy-related matters, the sub-committee heads must consult with the President first and copy all s to nipta.nist@gmail.com. In meetings with the administration, the President and/or Vice-President must attend in order to help reduce or eliminate duplication of actions and prevent any miscommunication or misunderstanding. 3. Communication from NIPTA to NIST Community: Most communication from NIPTA to the community takes place through the NIST News, school blogs, school TV monitors and the class parent networks. Committee heads should contact the Secretary to have their notices advertised in these venues. The Secretary will be the NIPTA and Veracross calendar contact person. If a committee would like to know whether or not they can organize a meeting or event on a particular day, they should consult with the President and check school calendars. NIPTA regularly sends announcements of NIPTA events through the Class Parent network. It is NIPTA's policy to only send out announcements and advertisements of NIPTA sponsored events. This policy prevents us from having to screen for the appropriateness or relevance of non-nipta events and prevents any conflicts of interest that may arise. We direct school staff to use the mail-out system that is already in place for them and direct the students, parents and external organizations to advertise in the NIST News. 4. Outgoing Communication and Correspondence: 7

8 NIPTA communications with persons or organizations outside the school: all outgoing correspondence on behalf of NIPTA (e.g., requests for sponsorship in support of NIPTA events) must be cleared by the President and copied to 5. Incoming Communication and Correspondence: Incoming communication to NIPTA account: the NIPTA Secretary will monitor all correspondence addressed to the account. The Secretary will forward messages to the appropriate NIPTA executives and subcommittee chairpersons. All replies to such s should be copied to It is NIPTA s policy not to forward advertisements, notices or solicitations from external sources to the parent community. This includes businesses owned or operated by members of the NIST community. FINANCIAL PROCEDURES According to NIPTA s by-laws, the Association receives an annual financial allocation from the School from a fee that is levied per family and per teacher. The contribution amounts are revised and agreed upon by the School Board of Directors, Administration and NIPTA Excom. This fund is to help strengthen the NIST community by providing support to school activities and NIPTA initiated activities. NIPTA will consult with and seek advice from the school administration and departments to assess the school s needs in order to provide appropriate support. All financial requests from the school, teachers, and NIPTA sub-committees are considered at NIPTA Excom meetings. The Association's check is valid only when it is jointly signed by the President or her/his representative and Treasurer or Secretary, and stamped with the Association's seal. The Treasurer may at any time hold up to 20,000 baht (twenty thousand baht) of the Association s cash. Any excess amount must be deposited in the Association s bank account as soon as possible. (According to the registered bylaws.) The president, in full discussion with the Treasurer, may authorize payment of up to 10,000 baht at a time, totaling 20,000 baht per month, according the registered bylaws. Details of any money paid or pledged will be submitted to the Excom at the next monthly meeting. The Executive Committee must approve payment in excess of such amount. The amount of the payment or approval must not exceed the amount of income produced by the committee during their office term. The Treasurer must properly maintain the accounts showing incomes and expenditures and prepare the balance sheet according to accounting principles. Each receipt and payment must be made on a voucher, jointly signed by the President and the Treasurer, or their representatives, and affixed with the Association s seal. A certified auditor who is not a committee member or an officer of the Association must audit NIPTA s accounts. The auditor shall be authorized to request financial statements and 8

9 records of properties from the Committee and question committee members and/or Officers about the accounts and records of properties of the Association. The committee must comply with such requests made by the auditor. Requests for NIPTA support Any request for NIPTA assistance must be initiated by completing the NIPTA Financial Request Form. The form can be obtained by contacting The form should be completed and submitted to the Treasurer via NIPTA or in person. The form should be submitted to the Treasurer at least 10 days in advance of the event. Once a Financial Request Form is received, the following procedures apply: If the request is less than 3,000 baht, the Treasurer, Secretary, Vice-President and President will review the application and respond within five working days. If the request is 3,000 baht and above it will be submitted to the NIPTA Excom for consideration during the monthly Excom meeting or by vote when necessary. Approval of such funds is made on a case-by-case basis. Once the request is approved, the Treasurer will follow up on all processes until completed. This involves attending to all the paperwork required as well as followups (if needed) after the event. In case of an urgent request, the applicant should direct the case in writing to the President as soon as possible for urgent review and approval. Committee requests for advance funds for events need to be made to the Treasurer at least 10 days in advance. FUNDRAISING PROCEDURES NIPTA s fundraising is usually part of providing support to the school such as selling refreshments at sports events or drama productions. On some occasions, NIPTA will hold its own event to raise funds for the Association. Fundraising procedures are as follows: 1. Seek approval from the Excom at least four weeks in advance of the event. In the case of urgent requests, the person who is responsible should direct the case in writing to the President and the Treasurer as soon as possible for urgent review and approval. 2. After approval is granted, the following needs to occur: The President will write to the Administration (cc. nipta.nist@gmail.com) for approval/endorsement. Requests for financial advances should be submitted to the Treasurer at least10 days in advance. All receipts must be sent to the Treasurer within thirty days of the event. The person who is in charge must work with the Treasurer to ensure that all records of the event are documented. 9

10 Income from any fundraising event needs to be taxed. The Treasurer will work with the auditor to assess the tax amount at the end of the school year. All funds raised by NIPTA Committees go back to the NIPTA account. Decisions on the use of all funds need to be approved by the Excom according to the financial procedures. REGISTRATION PROCEDURES Requirements for the Registration of a Newly Elected Set of Executive Officers or a Change to the Association s Executive Committee. Minutes (Thai translation) of the meeting of the Association to appoint new committee members. Within three weeks after the AGM, the new set of committee members must be submitted to the district office along with a Thai translation of the following: minutes of the AGM approving the committee, a report of NIPTA s activities for the year and the audit report. The auditor will submit the required tax form to the revenue department when submitting the audit report to NIPTA. Registrar shall prepare 3 copies of the following documents: Application to register newly elected members of the Committee of the Association in the Thai language. Form: Sor. Khor. 3. Note: Form is available at Wattana District. Copy of the Certificate Showing the Registration of NIPTA: Form: Sor. Khor. 4. Copy of the Latest Certificate Showing the Registration of the New Set of the Association s Committee Appointment or the Change of the Association s Committee: Form: Sor. Khor. 6. List of names of the old set of the Association s committee. List of names of the new set of the Association s committee. NIPTA By-laws in the Thai language. The Annual General Meeting Minutes. Minutes of the meeting of the Association to appoint new committee members. Authorization for the Registrar to be in charge of the Registration Process including signing papers relevant to the Registration, on behalf of the President. Registrar shall collect the following documents from the incoming member of an Association as follows: Thai newly elected member: 3 original forms of Record of Statement of Status and Personal Record of an Incoming member of an Association. Thai Identification, front and back page. Thai House Registration, house information page, and the page with the name of the newly elected member on it. All of the above documents require the original signature of the newly elected member. Non-Thai: 10

11 Passport: 3 copies each of the front the page showing the expiration date and also the page with the valid Visa stamp. Working Permit Paper if available. Letter from the embassy of the newly elected member providing the following information: - Full Legal name (as in Passport) - Nationality - Date / Place of Birth - Local Address - Employment Name and Address - Date of Entering Thailand The embassy letter needs to be translated into Thai for Immigration purposes. After the documents are prepared, the registrar shall submit them to the Wattana District. Whether or not pictures are required, needs to be checked with the Wattana District in the year of registration. Each year, the Committee shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) during May. (NIPTA Bylaws- Chapter 4) Note: Application form should be submitted within 14 days after the day of appointing new committee members. This information was notified by the Wattana District as of the February BY-LAW AMENDMENT PROCEDURES Any by-law amendments need to be presented at the NIPTA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in writing and voted on by the general membership. By-law amendments need to be included in the AGM minutes. Any by-law amendments need to be submitted when applying for registration. The Registration of Articles of Association Amendment Registrar shall prepare 3 copies of the following documents: Application to register an amendment to the Bylaws of the association in Thai language. Form: Sor. Khor. 2. Note: Form is available at Wattana District. NIPTA Bylaws in the Thai language. Copy of the Certificate Showing the Registration of NIPTA: Form: Sor. Khor. 4. The General Meeting Minutes. Minutes of the meeting of the Association to propose the Amendment of NIPTA Bylaws. Authorizing the Registrar to be in charge of the Registration Process including signing papers relevant to the Registration only, on behalf of the President. The Comparison table of Proposed Amendment of NIPTA Bylaws showing the Existing Bylaws and Proposed Changes. After the documents are prepared, the registrar shall submit them to the Wattana District. The Application form should be submitted within 14 days after the voting date to propose Amendment of NIPTA Bylaws. 11

12 This information was received from the Wattana District as of the February 2008 and refers to Chapter 6: Amendment of provisions here of By-laws of NIPTA. 12

13 Appendix 1 Elementary Class Parent (ECP) Program Guidelines The responsibilities of the Elementary Class Parent representatives are outside the classroom and include organizing informal gatherings such as coffee mornings for parents of children in the same class or year level, forwarding informational s to parents, welcoming families that are new to NIST, supporting the teachers' end of year activities and coordinating end of the year teacher gifts. Class Parent (CP) representatives operate under the direction of the NIPTA Class Parent Coordinators, who in turn follow the guidance of the NIPTA Executive Committee and the direction of the school administration. By agreeing to be Class Parents, individuals are agreeing to place themselves under the guidelines and responsibilities set forward by NIPTA and the school. Roles and Responsibilities: To provide support to the school, parents and students by: Supporting the teacher and the mission of the school. Organizing, in conjunction with the CP Coordinators & other CPs, a year level coffee morning in the first semester. (Reserving of rooms, coffee etc. needs to be done through the Class Parent Coordinators.) Organizing, in conjunction with the CP Coordinators & other CPs, a year level coffee morning in the second semester. CPs may, if they wish, host additional on or off campus coffee mornings for parents of their specific class. This is optional. There is no obligation for CPs to organize off campus outings or activities for their class, but if they choose to do so they must inform their Class Parent Coordinator and fellow year level CPs. Using the Webmail, not personal , and the assigned NIST address for all CP communication with their class*. Copying (cc) their teacher on communication when relevant. Sending new parents a welcome . Attending Class Parent meetings for overall coordination. Taking the time to introduce themselves to their teacher. *For further instruction on how to access NIPTA webmail please contact the Elementary Class Parent Coordinator. Things that are Not Class Parent Responsibilities Acting as a go-between between parents and teachers regarding a student s education. Collecting information regarding personal concerns that parents may have regarding their child s education. If parents request the above, they should be directed to the classroom teacher or the relevant school administrator. Please note that we only organize a teacher gift at the end of the school year, not at the December (Christmas) break. 13

14 Confidentiality of Information All information regarding parents and students must be kept confidential. If a CP becomes privy to information regarding other parent s children they must be sensitive and respect the child s and family s privacy. Class Parent Coordinators Administrative Procedures Class Parent Coordinators organize coffee mornings or similar events for parents to get to know one another as well as to discuss topics related to the program. Class Parent Coordinators will send to all Class Parents samples of letters that can be personalized and sent to parents (letter of introduction, request for donation for teacher gift etc.). Coordinators will be the liaison between the Administration, teacher year level coordinator and the Class Parents representatives. Organizing Class Celebrations The Elementary Administrative team, along with the Class Parent Coordinators, has created the following guidelines to ensure that class celebrations are equitable for all students, are manageable for teachers and parents and the process is sustainable. These guidelines are to be observed in planning all class celebrations and replace any and all previous guidelines. Guidelines The Elementary Class Parents will present their suggestions for celebrations to the Elementary Class Parent Coordinator for review and approval. The ECP Coordinator will then liaise with the homeroom coordinator. All class celebrations will be scheduled within the last 5 schools days of a semester. The celebration will be limited to one period (80 minutes). The staging of the celebration will be organised with the teacher year level coordinator to ensure that children are not attending more than one celebration in a day, for example homeroom and World Language, and to ensure that there is consistency across the year level. The class parents from across the year level will coordinate their planning to ensure there is equity for all students. Although the celebrations for a year level may be separate, there will be consistency in what the students experience. The cost of the celebration will not exceed 200 baht per student. This includes items that have been donated. The event will be managed to limit disruption beyond the year level. For example, consideration will be given to the use of school facilities and resources. Consideration will be given to the environmental impact of the celebration and wherever possible plastics and other non-biodegradable products will not be used. All facilities and resources will be booked in advance through the teacher year level coordinator. Secondary Parent Volunteers 14

15 Secondary Parent Volunteers (SPV) operate under the direction of the NIPTA Secondary Coordinator, who in turn follows the guidance of the NIPTA Executive Committee and the direction of the school administration. By agreeing to be SPVs, individuals are agreeing to place themselves under the guidelines and responsibilities set forward by NIPTA and the school administration. Secondary Parent Representatives are responsible for: Sending out an introductory , provided by the Coordinator, to the parents in their year level at the start of the school year. Sending a welcome introducing themselves to any new parents in their year level who join NIST throughout the school year. Attending meetings called by the Coordinator. Volunteering their time, when available, for secondary events that the school or coordinator requests support with. Will not, in their capacity as representative, contact the school staff or administration directly but send all requests or communications to the Coordinator who will work on their behalf. Will keep confidential any information regarding parents and students that they might encounter in their role as representative. The coordinator: Will, along with the NIPTA President and with the final approval of the secondary administration, assemble a committee of secondary parents with one parent representative for each year level. Will attend monthly NIPTA EXCOM meetings and report on the progress and events of the Secondary Year Level program. Will submit minutes of any meeting of their committee to nipta.nist@gmail.com for distribution to the EXCOM as well as send a copy to their secondary committee after the meeting. Will, along with the Year 11 parent rep, and in consultation with the NIPTA President & Treasurer, coordinate and purchase the gift for the year 11 student completion. Will, along with the Year 13 parent rep, and in consultation with the NIPTA President & Treasurer, coordinate and purchase the gift for the year 13 student graduation. Will keep a list of Secondary Parent General Volunteers to call upon for secondary events that require volunteers. Send the contact information of any new secondary parents to their corresponding year representative so that a welcome letter can be sent. 15

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