Who We Are
Great schools, the beauty of nature, and a wonderful community spirit make Mountain Lakes one of the best places to live and to learn. The Mountain Lakes H&SA is an organization of parents, teachers, and community members who typify that community spirit through volunteerism and a dedication to service to our schools. We have more than 700 members and over 50 volunteers.The Board
The H&SA Board of Directors, a group of sixteen volunteers, plans, organizes and coordinates all the activities of the H&SA. Committees, created by the Board, focus on specific projects or events. Review the descriptions below to learn about the responsibilities of each Board position.President
The President serves as the leader and spokesperson of the H&SA. In consultation with the Board, s/he sets the tone, role and agenda for the Home & School Association’s school year. In the leadership role, the president presides at all Board meetings and the Annual Meeting. The president fills vacancies on the Board, appoints standing committee and special committee chairs, is a member of the Budget and Scholarship Committees and an ex-officio member of all other committees, except Nominating. S/he coordinates and leads the Board and Committee members in fulfilling their respective jobs in order to meet the mission and goals of the H&SA. As spokesperson, s/he is the key contact person and representative for the H&SA to the community, the Board of Education and the schools. S/he attends and speaks, if needed or requested, at the four H&SA general program meetings held during the school year and the Back-to-School nights. S/he meets with school principals, the BOE Superitendent and community leaders to discuss issues of mutual concern.Vice President of Programming
The H&SA sponsors, at a minimum, four general program meetings per school year. These meetings are informational, topical and geared to members of the community, generally to those with school-age children. It is the responsibility of the Vice President of Programming to select the topics for general meetings, arrange for speakers and/or panelists, and secure locales. The VP of Programming acts as president in the president’s absence. Association bylaws provide for the VP of Programming to supervise committees and positions as assigned by the Board.Vice President of Fundraising
In order to subsidize the numerous activities and programs that the H&SA sponsors for the benefit of the Mountain Lakes school system and its students, the H&SA conducts various fundraising events during the course of the school year; at both the district-wide (e.g. Election Day Bake Sale) and individual-school (e.g. School Book Fairs) level. The Vice President of Fundraising has oversight of all of these efforts; either to give advice and direction to chairs, or, in many cases, to roll up her sleeves and take a more hands-on role. The Board relies upon its VP of Fundraising to suggest new and innovative fundraising ideas, as well as to keep it abreast of any legal requirements that may impact on fundraising events.Treasurer
The Treasurer supervises and manages the funds of the Association, as well as maintains the financial records. S/he deposits and records receipts, prepares and makes disbursements as authorized. A financial report is given at each Board meeting. The treasurer is responsible for the filing of all tax and legal forms and maintaining the originals of all financial records. S/he serves as chair of the Budget Committee and prepares the proposed budget for approval at the Annual Meeting. This is a two-year position.Secretary
The Secretary takes minutes of the Board meetings and the Annual Meeting. Thereafter, the secretary is responsible for distributing the minutes to Board members. The secretary keeps the official copies of the minutes for the Association and is responsible for an up-to-date contact list for Board members.Wildwood Chair
The Wildwood Chair, in partnership with an Assistant Chair, solicits, appoints, coordinates and oversees each of the special committees and volunteers appointed to conduct the H&SA volunteer activities run for the benefit of the students and facility of Wildwood School; activities such as Popcorn Fridays, Book Festivals, Field Day, Bingo Night, Teacher Appreciation Week. Many volunteers are needed to run the numerous and fun-filled events and activities throughout the year, so the Wildwood chairs are busy and active. For more information about volunteering at Wildwood, click here.The Wildwood Chair also acts as a liaison between the H&SA and the administration at Wildwood School. The Chair may prepare and submit monthly articles for The Bulletin to keep parents and the community advised of the H&SA events and activities at Wildwood.
Wildwood Assistant Chair
The Wildwood Assistant Chair works with the Wildwood Chair to solicit, appoint, coordinate and oversee each of the special committees and volunteers who run the numerous H&SA activities and events for Wildwood students and facility. The Assistant Chair learns all about the position for this one-year term, as s/he will assume the role of Wildwood Chair the following year.Briarcliff Chair
The Briarcliff Chair, along with an Assistant Chair, solicits, appoints, coordinates and oversees each of the special committees and volunteers appointed to conduct the H&SA volunteer activities and events run for the benefit of the students of Briarcliff School; activities such as school dances, teacher appreciation luncheons, Book Festival, and Field Day. For more information about volunteering at Briarcliff, click here. In addition to coordinating the efforts of a large group of volunteers, s/he acts as a liaison between the H&SA and the administration at Briarcliff School. The Chair may prepares and submit monthly articles for The Bulletin to keep parents and the community apprised of the activities and upcoming H&SA events at Briarcliff.Briarcliff Assistant Chair
The Briarcliff Assistant Chair works with the Briarcliff Chair to solicit, appoint, coordinate and oversee each of the special committees and volunteers who run the numerous H&SA activities and events for Briarcliff students and facility. The Assistant Chair learns all about the position for this one-year term, as s/he will assume the role of Briarcliff Chair the following year.High School Chair
The High School Chair, aided by an Assistant Chair, helps recruit and thereafter oversees a large group of parent volunteers, from Class Parents and Room Parents, to servers and cooks at the Pasta Dinner. Assisting with Back-to-School night, hosting an annual Guidance Dinner, providing refreshments for events throughout the year and coordinating efforts for Teacher Appreciation Week all fall under the purview of the high school chairs. For more information about High School Volunteering, click here. In addition to coordinating the efforts of a large group of vounteers, the High School Chair acts as a liaison between the H&SA and the high school administration. As needed, s/he sends in notices to The Bulletin for upcoming events.High School Assistant Chair
The High School Assistant Chair works with the Chair to coordinate and organize the many volunteers at the high school level. S/he assists with many of the hands-on activities during the school year. In this one year position as Assistant Chair, s/he learns all about the chair role, and takes the Chair position the following year.Membership Chair
An active and large membership is the foundation of the H&SA. All of our programs, grants and publications are made possible by a combination of your membership dues and your generous contributions during our fundraisers. The Membership Chair organizes the annual H&SA membership drive and maintains an on-going effort to encourage new memberships throughout the year. This Chair also maintains the membership records.Bulletin Chair
With the aid of a committee, the Bulletin Chair sorts, acknowledges, proofs and corrects submissions to the H&SA monthly publication, The Bulletin. Articles and ads are submitted from the schools, the Board of Education, various H&SA committees and chairs, Borough departments and agencies, and community organizations. A professional publisher is used for layout and printing. Editing, proofing, invoicing, keeping statistics and mailings are all responsibilities of The Bulletin committee. These jobs may be broken down among various members of the committee. If you like publishing, writing, or simply love The Bulletin, you can volunteer to help.At the beginning of the school year, a Mountain Lakes Public Schools Handbook is published and distributed to parents of students in the Mountain Lakes schools. Over the summer, the Bulletin Chair compiles the information to be included in this publication.