Partners in Education

Partners in Education (PiE) is a non-profit foundation run by parent volunteers. PiE's exclusive mission is to raise money throughout the school district to fund staff and programs that help PAUSD bridge the gap between the type of education that we parents want for our children and what public financing is able to provide. PiE asks that every family contributes to help keep our schools strong.

How PiE Benefits Barron Park

On an average school year, generous donations from parents and community members have allowed PiE to provide over $125,000 to Barron Park School.

• How Barron Park School uses PiE funds
• The difference between PiE funds and PTA funds
• Why giving to both PiE and PTA is so important for Barron Park School

Programs Funded by PiE

Junior Museum

Barron Park School’s successful science program, for all grades kinder-through-fifth, is offered through the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, a popular, hands-on supplemental science program with 120+ sessions scheduled during the school year. This program includes field trips to the Palo Alto Bay Lands to learn about habitats, dissection units, weights/measures, rocks and soil, and encounters with live animals, natural artifacts, and the proper use of science tools and materials.

Classroom Aides

PiE funds more than 3/4 of the general classroom aide time, helping provide seven hours of vital classroom aide time weekly to every classroom. Aides are an important part of the classroom experience at Barron Park because they let teachers work with small groups or individuals, helping to differentiate instruction that benefits all our children. PiE funds our caring counselor who helps our staff maximize social and emotional learning for all students at Barron Park.

 

Art

Our Spectra Art teachers are Erna Metzger and Charlene Temple, whose work allows all students to grow in creativity and confidence from regular art instruction.

 

Enrichment

A variety of performing arts programs bring our social studies curriculum to life, promoting student engagement and helping our learners find valuable meaning in the content nd skills they acquire through culturally rich activities. These are all tied to social studies in every grade, including historical simulations and theater.