At the beginning of each school year each class teacher asks for a class rep to come forward for the school year to ensure a good connection between the parents and the teacher. 

This “election” is an uncomfortable moment for most parents as they want to volunteer but are worried about having enough time take on board this responsibility and do it justice. Thankfully this role is becoming easier and less time consuming – thanks in many ways to technology – whatsapp groups, forward buttons in whatsapp and tikkies. Many parents are taken by surprise and are not sure what is involved in being a class rep? Hence this article.

What are class rep responsibilities?

1. Create a whatsapp group with all the parents of kids in the class.
2. Transfer messages (forward from whatsapp or email) from class teacher to parents (teacher normally uses the SMS email system – so whatsapp is just a reminder).
3. Ask for input early enough from parents 4 times per year for the class reps meeting – if topic is personal about their child – then encourage them to speak directly with the teacher.
4. Participate in Class Rep meeting 4 times per year (about 90 min, online) where parent feedback is discussed with the PAC vice president for primary or secondary as well as with the School Deputy Director of the primary or secondary cycle.
5. Transfer general parent feedback to the section rep (NL,ENG,FR) – who takes this to the educational council meetings (PEC primary or SEC secondary) prep meetings
6. Transfer messages from the Parents Association Committee (forward from whatsapp group – PA comms group) to parents regarding events, minutes of PEC/SEC meetings and monthly newsletter content.
7. Collect the class money yearly contribution from parents - for presents for the class and birthday present for teacher.
8. Arrange present for the class teacher for birthday and end of year.

Why become a class rep?

Quotes from parents who are or were class reps:

"I somewhat reluctantly put my hand up when the class teacher asked for volunteers and I’m very happy now that I did so.  I shared the duties with another parent and not only was it a nice way to get some insight into the class dynamics and get to know some of the other parents but it wasn’t onerous at all.’" (Guy - parent at primary)

"Being a parent class rep allows me to actively engage with the school community, and promote effective communication between parents and the school. I very much appreciate the collaborative relationship with the school because it's essential for our children’s success." (Camille - parent at secondary)

I appreciate very much being a class rep because I enjoy helping other parents, welcoming new families and also creating links between the class and the school life in general. The role of class rep is certainly a key one within our school community. Gathering ideas, questions, suggestions from the class parents and bringing them to the meetings participates to productive discussions and often new project development for the benefit of our students. (Liz - parent at secondary)

So don’t be afraid – being a class rep is not what it appears – it is fun, and the workload is very manageable especially with technology solutions at our disposal.