Events & Programs
Volunteers are always appreciated for these events! If you would like to support any PTA events or programs as a sponsor or volunteer, please email the PTA President at pta_president@pta.tas.tw.
Events
FALL FAIR
The annual Taipei American School PTA Fall Fair is a treasured time on campus where students, parents, and employees bond over a shared love of all things TAS. We often also use this unique event as a way to celebrate the autumnal season through Halloween-related activities, student performances, and international food offerings. The fall fair has changed much over the last few years (especially during the global pandemic), but TAS is proud to continue this event in-person.
Teacher & Support Staff Appreciation Luncheons
How does one adequately express gratitude to faculty and staff that enrich the lives of our children every day? In many of our cultures, giving a gift is a way of saying thank you!
The two annual PTA-sponsored luncheons are our gifts - opportunities to say thank you to the TAS faculty and staff for their hard work throughout the year.
The support staff luncheon offers donated gifts for a raffle for all the staff. The excitement and pleasure on their faces as they receive the prizes is a sight to behold! If you are interested in donating, please contact: pta_hospitality@tas.edu.tw.”
Spring Fair
The annual Taipei American School PTA Spring Fair has become known to many as the "premier spring shopping experience in Taipei." Held each year in April, the fair transforms the school into a shopper's paradise. The selection is vast and surprising, showcasing the talent of over 100 local vendors. It is the perfect place for one-stop shopping, whether you're looking for beautiful clothing, elegant jewelry, children's toys, unique peasant paintings, and much more.
Beyond shopping, the Spring Fair caters to the entire family. Kids can participate in children's activities and games organized by TAS student clubs. Golf lovers in the family will be able to experience a 3D indoor golf simulator that has been uniquely designed to allow you to drive off the tee, hit fairway shots, pitch, chip and putt the ball into the hole.
US Graduation
Graduation Day is the culmination of many years of hard work and play for our students, their teachers, and parents. And it is a day when everyone can sit back and remember with pride our achievements throughout the school year. The PTA works together with the Upper School Administration to plan the graduation day. Parents play a key role in this, forming a decoration committee, which comes up with a theme for the year.
Graduation day celebrations are organized by Grades 9-11 parents. Come help us make this a memorable day for all our graduating students and parents.
- Grade 9 parents - Lobby decoration and photo booth
- Grade 10 parents - Hallway decoration and MS Gym entrance
- Grade 11 parents - Cafeteria decoration
Programs
New Family Connection
The New Family Connection program was started at TAS to give new families the opportunity to connect with current TAS families and feel welcomed into the school community. The PTA wants the transition into the TAS community to be as smooth and short as possible for our new families.
The goals of the New Family Connection Program are:
- To make new families feel welcome in the TAS community.
- To give TAS families an opportunity to share and learn from different families, languages, and cultures.
The New Family Connection program matches New Families with Ambassador Families (current TAS families). When matching Ambassador Families with New Families, we strive to match families that share things like language, home country, student's grade, or residence area. The Ambassador Families will be matched to New Families as they become available. The role of the Ambassador Families will be to email New Families with a welcome message, answer questions about TAS, and generally be a friend as they become part of the TAS community.
Ambassador families and new families usually connect near the beginning of the new semester through email. The program aims to help new families settle into their new environment. This is especially helpful to families moving from abroad and are new to living in Taiwan. Families will often exchange a flurry of emails about the ins and outs of moving to a new country. The focus is on helping newcomers to TAS transition to this new environment and extend the warmth that was once shown to us when we were new.
People interested in being an Ambassador Family can sign up online, and New Families will be offered the opportunity to sign up when they register for TAS. Being an ambassador family is a great way to share your experiences, meet new friends, and give back to our community.
If you are willing to be one of the friendly faces to help a new family adjust to TAS, please join us by signing up.
The PTA also helps new families connect with other families through other programs including the grade level PTA connections, who manage the grade level parents LINE chat groups. The PTA parent LINE groups are a great place to ask grade level specific questions for new parents. For the new families who would just like to join the PTA LINE group for their child(ren)'s grade level please email us at pta_newfamily@pta.tas.tw.
Author Visit
This is very much how the students of TAS feel when they get to meet, in person, an author whose books they have been enjoying and whose writings they have been learning about. The PTA Author Visit Program began in 1999, and since then has invited many award-winning children's books authors. Working with these authors in workshops, class discussions, and book readings, helps TAS students understand that writing takes discipline and practice. They learn that there is "no good writing, only good rewriting." Deciding which author to invite is the most important step in this program. The lower school administration, along with the literacy coordinator, teachers, librarian, and PTA Author Visit Liaison, vets and invites authors that fit well with the curriculum and educational priorities of the school.
Special Grants
The PTA Special Grants program is designed to support our teachers in their effort to unlock the creativity of our children, within and outside the classroom. Each year the PTA approves nearly a dozen proposals from teachers and parents for a variety of projects, ranging from digital cameras used to document classroom experiments, iPads for Lower School instruction, specialized equipment and visits by international experts for dance, drama, art and science workshops, and many more. Parents can also submit proposals for grants.
The proposals are reviewed by a committee of school administrators and the PTA Executive Board. Proposals must demonstrate how they will bring direct benefit to the maximum number of students. They must also include an event for the TAS community, such as a seminar or a performance.
Find The Grant Application HereThe 2024-25 applications are due on Friday, April 29, 2024!
Parent Seminars
From time to time, the PTA sponsors informational seminars for parents. These might be organized by the school divisions and sponsored by the PTA or organized by the PTA. For example, in years past, experts such as child psychologists, health and wellness professionals from local universities, yoga instructors, school counselors and others have been invited to present at the PTA Parent Seminars.
Summer Activities Seminar
More and more, colleges are looking for well-rounded students who have had a wide variety of experiences, and summers are a great time to take advantage of unique opportunities. During this seminar, experienced faculty, parents, and students talk about summer programs that are available in Taiwan and abroad and how to select the best one for your children and your family. A variety of topics covering a range of different activities are presented - sports, arts, science, nature camps, volunteering, etc.
Tech Talk
In collaboration with the TAS IT Team, the PTA presents the Tech Talk Seminar for parents. IT experts provide insights into resources that are helpful in staying connected with TAS, as well as discussing concepts that will allow us to better understand and be a part of our children's digital experience.
BOOSTER CLUB
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
These are the words that inspire the TAS Booster Club volunteers as they drum up support for our students' activities outside the classroom, including sports, music, dance, and drama.
Go Tigers!
The moms and dads that are at school every Friday evening, cheering on our young athletes, encourage not just their own children but promote a sense of shared pride in our students’ achievements. And supporting them are the PTA Booster Club Connections.
The Athletics Booster Club Connections help develop materials and programs in coordination with coaches and the athletics’ director to support athletes, raise awareness of school athletics events, and assist in organizing team events. A key responsibility is organizing hospitality during IASAS events hosted at TAS.
The Cultural Booster Club Connections coordinate activities with US Music and Activities Directors to support TAS cultural events. An important part of this is to help organize hospitality for IASAS drama, honor band, Model United Nations (MUN), and cultural conventions.
Book Fairs
Twice a year, we sponsor a week-long book fair selling new books. While the majority of these books are targeted towards Lower School students, a limited number of Young Adult, upper school, and adult titles are also available. Proceeds from both events are used to pay for a PTA-sponsored visiting author each year.