Parents Alliance

The 2010-11 Tampa Prep Parents Alliance Board

6^th Grade Reps.    Nancy Lorenzen, Valerie Siegman; Asst. Rep. Shannon Danielson, Naomi Yavneh

7^th Grade Reps.    Rachel Fletcher, Kim Liggett; Asst. Rep. Katherine Burdge, Maureen Gigliotti, Jill Lynn

8^th Grade Reps.    Melissa Buda, Kathy Collins; Asst. Rep. Toni Marie Klavin, Chris Marshall, Naomi Yavneh

9^th Grade Rep.     Reva Lerner, Janet Valesares; Asst. Rep. Beth Ransom, Joanne Takemoto, Rosemary Watts, Betsy Zollinger, Jill Lynn, Jill Neuman

10^th Grade Reps.  Grace Kelly, Melissa Parry; Asst. Reps. Pam Blustein, Gael Carter, Cathy Suglia, Allison Richardson, Jeanne Walters

11^th Grade Reps.  Pamela Iannacio, Fran Prockop; Asst. Reps. Lisa Alexander, Carol Savel, Margit Williams

12^th Grade Reps.  Barbara Mayer, Bevan Rogel, Sharon Muley; Asst. Reps. Cristina Almeida, Nancy Dalence, Roxanne Schneider, Joanne Tamayo, Cathy Suglia

Tampa Prep Parents Alliance (TPPA) officers, committee chairs, grade level representatives and assistant representatives meet on the second Wednesday of each month at school from 1:30-3:30 pm. Any other parent who is interested in attending should contact TPPA at parentsalliance@tampaprep.org. 

General Meetings
All Tampa Prep parents are invited to attend TPPA General meetings. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the starting time listed below so parents can socialize and enjoy light refreshments. The program part of each meeting will start at the time listed below, and will generally last about one hour, but please don’t hesitate to come a little late or leave a little early if that is all your schedule will allow. Look for updates on this web page and in weekly newsletters for any changes to the dates and times listed below and for the topic of each meeting. Unless otherwise noted, all General Meetings will take place in the 3^rd floor Student Commons.

• Wednesday, September 15th, 8am

Meet and greet with senior admin and the TPPA board.

How to Contact TPPA

You can reach a TPPA Board member via our email address: parentsalliance@tampaprep.org.

Upcoming Grade Level Events

Upper School students in each grade will enjoy a special lunch and a treat once per semester during the regular lunch hour, courtesy of TPPA. ALL upper school parents from that grade will be invited to participate in organizing these events.

Middle School students will enjoy a lunch and a treat each semester during the regular lunch hour, courtesy of TPPA. TPPA volunteers also organize dances and other events for middle school students.  ALL middle school parents will be invited to participate.

Parents at each grade level will gather monthly for lunch or coffee at a convenient location near school for a social get-together. 

6th grade parents will meet for coffee on Thursday, September 23rd after 8am drop-off at the Lorenzen home.

Parent Education Committee

The Parent Education Committee (PEC) is comprised of parents, faculty and administrators from Tampa Prep.  The mission of the PEC is to provide a variety of educational presentations and resources to Tampa Prep parents that address the issues of raising children in today's society.  All Prep families are welcome to become involved and to offer suggestions throughout the year on topics and/or book selections.

PEC has a mobile book cart, which resides in the Library and is usually wheeled in to meetings and presentations. All Tampa Prep parents are welcome to borrow books from the PEC cart.  View the current list of titles.

Upcoming PEC events:

ALL Tampa Prep parents are welcome to attend PEC presentations, and you are always encouraged to invite friends with children in other schools.

Each year PEC aims to provide a variety of educational presentations to Tampa Prep parents that address the issues of raising children in today’s society. This year, PEC will focus on, among other topics, the current, pressing societal issue of teen drug and alcohol use, as well as other risky behaviors. We are pleased to have an opportunity to bring to Tampa Prep a variety of professionals from the legal, judicial and mental health fields.  Parents are welcome to attend the whole series or as many sessions as they are able.

Our first presentation this year will be:

Wednesday, September 29th, 7-8.30PM

The presenter will be Gina Firth, Associate Dean of Students, University of Tampa.

All parents are encouraged to attend this interactive, informative event.

Special Interest Groups
Parents Alliance sponsors and facilitates several informal special interest groups for Prep parents. Participation in each group is fluid, and new members are always welcome. You may come to all or only some of the meetings as your schedule allows. For more information on any of the groups listed below, to indicate you’d like to participate in a group, and/or to get on that group's email list, please contact parentsalliance@tampaprep.org.

Book Club

Tampa Prep Book Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month during the school year at 1:30 in the large conference room at school. We like to read a wide variety of books and are open to new and exciting suggestions. Our discussions are always animated, particularly when we disagree about the merits of a book! And, as always, people are welcome to come even if they haven't read the book. Our next meeting will be October 6th.  We'll be discussing The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. 

Terrapin Dads

It’s great to be a Tampa Prep Terrapin Dad!  Why let Terrapin Moms have all the fun?  Here’s your opportunity to meet other TP dads for socializing (not fund-raising) in casual, informal, no-strings-attached gatherings.   Mark your calendars for the first meeting of the year on October 19th, time and place to be announced.

The Needlers
Since knitting and crocheting is now a booming business, we can come out of the closet and admit that we do it and enjoy it. For those that don't know how, there are easy, affordable classes to learn. Please join us to have a cup of coffee, chat, and work on a current project. You're invited even if you don't knit or crochet, and you are welcome to bring any needlework project.   We meet on the third Tuesday of the month from 1-3PM at Knit 'n Knibble's new location: 4027 S. Dale Mabry Highway in the Southdale Shopping Plaza.

Outings Group

The Outings Group gathers monthly for a trip to a museum, special event, or a kayaking, bicycling or rock climbing adventure, etc. We usually meet on the third Thursday of the month, and follow our activity with lunch. This is a great way to meet other Prep parents while also enjoying the cultural treasures, natural beauty and fine food available in the Tampa area. Mostly, it’s a lot of fun!  Our first outing of the year will be Thursday, September 16th at 8am.  We'll meet at school and enjoy a neighborhood walk to explore the Tampa Prep community.

The Terrapin and the Hare

Do you want to become more active?  Need a fun, energetic group to keep you motivated?  The Terrapin and the Hare is a casual walking and running group that gathers to exercise and socialize.  Meet other "Terrapins" to walk or jog along Tampa's beautiful Bayshore Blvd - weather permitting.  Meet at the corner of Bay to Bay and Bayshore  Blvd in the parking lot, just after drop-off on school days.  Let's get walking/running together!  New members are always welcome.