In the fall of 1982, a small group of ladies brought together by Cynthia Hall got together to form the Parent Teacher Association of the Taipei American School. Over the next few months, they started gathering ideas on how best to support the school and define the guiding principles for this new organization. That first year, two major fund-raising projects were launched - the International Food Fair and the Spring Fair. These were designed to draw together the many nationalities represented at Taipei American School. The PTA Calendar was also created to help keep the community informed and engaged in school events.
Today, both fairs have become unifying social events, both for our school and the local Taipei community. Over the years, the PTA calendar has become a valuable source of information for parents, teachers, and administrators, and has grown to include community events. Since the early days, the PTA’s fundraising efforts have grown to include the Bookstore and Scholastic Book Fairs. A variety of programs are organized and funded by the resources generated through these avenues.
The PTA includes Regular Members, who are parents of TAS students and members of the Faculty and Administration, along with Associate Members, who are parents of alumni and interested community members. The activities of the PTA are coordinated by an elected board. Only Regular Members may serve on the PTA board or vote on issues before the PTA. Each TAS family has one vote in the PTA, and every member can submit written suggestions to the PTA Board for discussion and/or action. The PTA is subject to detailed financial scrutiny and audit, and all major allocation of funds is decided by the Board with the intent that funds are used to bring direct benefit to the maximum number of students and teachers, and the TAS community.
Every year, good ideas and experiences shared by families from varied backgrounds and cultures help nurture the PTA. Our goal continues to be to build bridges of communication, friendship, and mutual understanding among all members of the TAS community.
As part of the PTA, we hope you will be active participants in life at the Taipei American School.
