Parent Service & Participation

Within the Wingra community, partnerships and relationships are fostered through shared experiences among our students and their families. We want to know the important people in children’s lives and invite active participation in our school community for parents, extended family, and caregivers. We encourage active engagement in children’s education to help ground them and help them flourish. Through school-wide and classroom volunteer opportunities, our parent organization, and special events, there is a way for everyone to be involved.

At Wingra School, we have always depended on parent volunteers to help with school events and activities. Working on the premise that many hands make light work, we ask all parents to sign up for specific roles, activities, and events of interest. Early each summer, parents are asked to share their preferred service opportunities for the coming year through a Parent Service Form. In the fall, we let parents know how they can help the school, based on their expressed preferences.

The WFA brings together parents and caregivers to create opportunities to connect and learn from each other, build relationships, and support Wingra’s events and programs to strengthen our community.

Community Conversations • Family Game Night • Family Poetry Night • Clothing & Book Resales Sales • Teacher Appreciation • And More!

There are many ways to participate in the WFA with varying levels of commitment.

Parents have many opportunities to volunteer in their child’s classroom. That could include being a guest speaker or sharing an area of expertise, driving for a class field trip, providing classroom snacks as assigned, supporting teachers and students in the classroom, or tasks at home.

Community Connections

Preservice Teachers

Wingra School was founded as a private institution for the public good. One way we continue to realize this commitment is by hosting student and practicum teachers from local universities and colleges into our classrooms. We are fortunate to work with many educators, early in their careers, each semester.

Wingra Service Learning (WSL)

Wingra pursues service projects to connect with and support organizations within Madison. Service-Learning is an educational strategy that combines academic and social goals to meet community needs. Collaboration occurs through a compelling sense of purpose, engagement, and reciprocity among all partners.

Visiting Tours

A visitor to our school has much to learn about our intentional educational community. We host tours for current and future educators, university professors, and others interested in seeing firsthand how we cultivate an atmosphere of activity, learning, and freedom. One can feel it the moment the door is opened! We also strive to be a model for healthy ecological practices and invite neighbors and businesses to tour our building and witness how we give care to the environment.

New Morning Nursery School

New Morning Nursery School has much in common with Wingra School in its nurturing, child-centered approach. The school was formed as a non-profit cooperative by parents in 1972 and is located on a second floor wing at Wingra.