Parent Council

The Arts Festival is a celebratory evening of students performing and displaying their artwork. The Arts Festival is an opportunity for students to reveal their works not only to their fellow students but to the broader community of faculty, staff, parents, and friends. Mediums on display include drawings, paintings, and sculptures, with live musical performances and poetry readings.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Hang artwork throughout the showcase areas the week before the event, help the arts staff with pre-production needs and assist in wrapping up artwork post-show.

A fun date night for Moms (or any other special person) and their little guys! Create a memorable evening one-one-one with your special boy and bring him for a night of games, music, and sweet treats! Participation is for students in Nursery through 4th grade.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Provide homemade refreshments and baked goods for the event.
• Help set up and clean up the day of the event.

The Book Fair is one of the most anticipated events of the year. The Book Fair kicks off with Family Reading Night when we invite lower school families to bring their children to shop the Book Fair as well as participate in crafts, book readings, and a treat of milk and cookies. Pajamas are encouraged. The Book Fair continues the rest of the week when students from every class come and shop the book selection with the support of their parents, teachers, and the library staff. All proceeds from the Book Fair directly benefit our library to enhance its collection and refresh its resources.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Assist in set-up, help children make book selections, provide cash register support, and assist with the famous bake sale that takes place during Book Fair hours.

One of RCDS’s most important volunteer positions is that of Class Parent. Class Parents are selected by the Executive Parent Council to serve as a liaison between the teacher and parents in coordinating special events within the classroom. The Primary (Early Childhood), Lower, and Upper Schools have individual class parents per homeroom. The Eighth Grade has three collective Class Parents.

Roles and responsibilities of a Class/Grade Parent includes your help and leadership in the following areas:
• Welcome our new families. We’d like your help in guiding our new families in each class throughout the year. It could be as simple as explaining what an event is, attending an event with a new family in your class, or just helping them understand all the ‘lingo in the school’.
• In the primary and lower school, you will coordinate with your teacher to discuss the role he or she would like you to play throughout the school year. Assist teachers with class trips, class plays, parties, projects or special activities during the year. Coordinate with others in your class who’d like to manage/help with these events based on your teacher’s wants and needs.
• In the upper school, you may coordinate with the division head, the faculty member leading a grade trip, or the administration to serve the needs of the grade.
• Support and attend parent council programs and events throughout the year.
• Coordinate with the other class parents and/or your designees in your assigned grade with the implementation of grade-wide coffees and school activities for parents.

Meetings and Time Requirements:
• Depending on the grade, you will need to help coordinate activities for inclass parties or class play preparation and/or class trip snacks.
• Based on your grade we’ll have you work with the primary, lower, and upper school liaison in Executive Parent Council to organize grade-wide coffees and student community-building activities.

The Community Outreach committee ( formerly Shop Dine Local) is a campaign within RCDS to support locally owned restaurants, stores, and other businesses within our community. This outreach is designed to create strong ties with our community whole providing RCDS parents with unique events and opportuniites with local establishments who have signed up. A portion of the proceeds during these events will be gifted to RCDS to support our school.

All little sweethearts and their significant others are invited for a magical evening of music, games, and photo booth fun! Dance the night away with your darling while enjoying light bites and treats made by our parent volunteers. Girls may be escorted by their father, Grandpa, Uncle/Aunt, or any other special role model in their life. Participation is for students in Nursery through 4th grade.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Provide refreshments and baked goods for the event.
• Help set up and clean up the day of the event.

The Faculty and Staff Appreciation Fund was created a few years ago by the Executive Parent Council as a way for parents to collectively thank the entire Faculty and Staff of RCDS. While your child spends much of their time with their grade-level teachers, they also interact with the kind and caring larger community of school. Whether it be the Janitorial Staff, specialty teachers in Art, Music, Woodshop, Gym, or the Security Staff and Dining Hall team, your child is positively impacted by this larger community daily. The Faculty and Staff Appreciation Fund is an opportunity to say thank you to all of them. The Faculty and Staff Appreciation Fund is distributed throughout the year by EPC and the Teacher and Staff Appreciation Committee. With the funds donated, we are also able to periodically restock the faculty lounge.

The funds collected through The Faculty and Staff Appreciation Fund are equally distributed to all faculty and staff as follows:
• In December, Parent Council provides a Holiday Brunch for all Faculty and Staff where contributions raised to that date are distributed.
• Remaining raised funds after the first distribution are distributed at a special Faculty and Staff luncheon held in May during Teacher Appreciation week. You can make donations online via the button below or drop a check in the Parent Council mailbox in the front office. All contributions to the The Faculty and Staff Appreciation Fund are greatly appreciated by all! 

Click here to contribute to the Faculty and Staff Appreciation.

While we are thankful for our Faculty and Staff every day of the year, we love to show them just how special they are throughout the school year. Teacher giveaways, raffles, and scrumptious meals are just a few ways we try to show our appreciation.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Help set up the day before the event, the day of the event, and with cleanup.

Come and visit our School Store located off the Patio and Riker Hall! The store offers various school supplies, Gator gear, and assorted gift items. The inventory is constantly changing and so it is one of the most beloved spots in the school where you will find the children before the morning bell. All proceeds benefit Parent Council.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Staff the school store when open (a rotating staff schedule will be created, and it is a great way to see your kids in action!) as well as help with pop-up sales and various events.

Gator Bash is an annual RCDS tradition that focuses not only on fundraising but “friendraising” as well. This year, Parent Council will host the Gator Bash on Saturday, May 17, 2025 with dinner, dancing, a silent auction, and many more surprises. It’s an evening not to be missed!

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Head/help with various committees including ticket sales, auction, décor, favors, and general event logistics.

Gator Cup is an annual sports outing and a favorite “fun day” for the RCDS Parent Community. Dust off your golf clubs, grab your tennis, paddle, or pickleball racquets, and enjoy a day full of friendly outdoor activity with your fellow RCDS parents! Whether you are playing for the first time, or a seasoned vet, all play levels are welcome! After a morning of playing in your chosen sport, you will have a blast at the Awards Luncheon with live music and lots of other surprise entertainment.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Help with planning, event décor, ticket sales, and general event logistics.

Gator Spirit is a yearlong initiative to foster and create comradery and support within our school community for RCDS Sports. Gator Spirit is something we strive to bring every single day to school, so what better way to bring it than with homemade treats, home team support and most importantly, Gator cheer! During selected Upper School home games, and at various school-wide events, many memories are made being part of a sport’s team, but even more memories are made when there is school spirit and support behind them!

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Spearheading bake sales for our games after school.
• Organizing pep rallies and asking classes to create posters to support our various teams.
• Encouraging others to join us on the field during game time

The Gently Worn Uniform Store (GWUS) is a wonderful way to provide uniforms for our children at a fraction of the price. As children grow out of sizes, parents donate items to the Gently Worn Uniform Store, which are then sold to our greater school community. The GWUS has designated sale days throughout the year, but parents can also visit the GWUS by contacting our parent volunteers at gwus@rcds.org to set up an appointment. Parents are also welcome to drop-off any of their own gently worn uniforms to the vestibule outside the Front Office at any time. In addition, the GWUS team hosts Corey & Co. skirt fittings by appointment throughout the year for your convenience.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Donate gently worn uniforms to the store.
• Help set up, organize clothing, and staff the days of the sale.

Parent Council takes Halloween to a new Spooktacular level with its annual Halloween Party for children in Nursery through 4th grade. Blake Gymnasium is completely transformed over three days to become a kid-friendly Halloween scene. In the evening we invite our Upper School pre-teens to a Halloween Spooktacular dance!

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Decorate the gym, set up games, serve refreshments, and logistics.
• Help with turn-around time between the Lower School party and the Upper School dance later that evening.

This is a team of hardworking individuals that support our Four Pillars and help spearhead in finding opportunities to incorporate service learning into the everyday lives of our children.

Parent Volunteers are needed to:
• Help with one single project or with the umbrella of projects that the Kindness Committee heads, which includes Coat Drives, Food Drives, the Giving Tree, Thanksgiving Meal deliveries and other community service initiatives. Many hands make light work!

Speaker Series is a series of in-person presentations that Parent Council funds and initiates to share informative and inspirational dialogue with our parents and students. Parent council invites speakers such as authors, athletes, and industry experts to share their thoughts and experience pertaining to an array of current affairs and topics.

A springtime tradition that spans generations, RCDS will host its annual Rummage Sale – popularly known as “Whale of a Sale” on April 4-6, 2025. The Whale of a Sale is RCDS’s longest-running community service project and one of our oldest traditions. The sale is open to the public. Each year, the entire parent body and many of the students, faculty, administration, staff, alumni, and friends work together to collect, sort, and display a collection of items – from unique treasures to household and family necessities, in the Blake Gymnasium. Rummage is truly a special time in the RCDS calendar when the entire school community comes together and roll up its collective sleeves and get down to work to make this tremendous undertaking a success for everyone it touches. All proceeds go to support the RCDS financial aid program and additional donations go to local charities. Hundreds of local neighbors depend on this affordable shopping opportunity each year.