"Community" is Our Middle Name
When our school was founded in 1991, the name “Parkside Community School” was chosen to highlight the intention of founders Joe and Claire Bruno to create a true community that would become a source of joy and support to school families, friends, and the greater community beyond our gates. We manifest this intention in a number of ways:
Events
We are a community that truly likes to gather and be together, so we invite families to join us on campus as often as possible. Through regular events like our weekly Simple Gifts sing-along and parent education and volunteer opportunities, as well as annual events like community picnics and campfires, classroom performances and celebrations, Fall Fest, and Gates of Life, we love to open our doors to all. We welcome your whole family to be part of Parkside because we know that it makes the experience richer for your child and all those who support them.
Volunteering
All families enrolled at Parkside agree to an annual volunteer commitment – either 20 volunteer hours or the financial equivalent. We offer a variety of opportunities to ensure that families can participate in the way that works best for them. These include classroom help, campus improvements, and event planning and volunteering. In addition, parents can earn hours attending parent education events or completing classroom take-home projects.
Community Service
Service to community is part of the Montessori curriculum, and the children take great pride in caring for their classmates and classroom environments. They also learn about their individual place in the global community and their responsibility to their fellow citizens, so building community - here on campus and beyond our gates - is a primary focus at Parkside. Through donations, drives, and volunteering, our families regularly support other non-profit organizations such as:
Austin Pets Alive!;
Central Texas Food Bank;
CareBOX Program;
Dell Children's Blood and Cancer Center;
Partners in Parenting;
Moyo Foundation;
SAFE; St. Baldrick's Foundation;
and
We Are Blood.
We encourage all families to participate in these events, which make Parkside the living, loving community it is.
“Your vision was beautiful. Your implementation was even better. We are so grateful for what you created.”
- Maria and Brett Bickerton
