Alumni & Friends Outreach Committee

(8-10 people approximately)

At a glance:
Ongoing throughout the year • Mix of remote and in-person work • Writing, communications, event support, and community engagement • More active around Alumni Sing and Grandparents & GrandFriends Day

This committee creates communications and helps organize events for Westland alumni and their families, former staff members, and the extended Westland community. The committee supports the Alumni eBulletin, which is published approximately two to three times a year and as needed to share community events.

The committee typically helps organize the Alumni Sing in January and supports Grandparents & GrandFriends Day in the spring. In line with the school’s goals, this committee seeks members interested in growing Westland’s engagement with alumni of all ages. This may include meeting, interviewing, and writing about community members from the past, learning about the history of Westland, and celebrating alumni and their families. The work is both task-oriented, tending to yearly traditions, and generative, creating new ways of engaging Westland’s extended community.

Buildings & Grounds Committee

(3-6 people approximately)

At a glance:
Ongoing throughout the year • Mostly in person • Campus projects, organizing, repairs, landscaping, and hands-on support • On-campus availability is important, especially before events and seasonal campus projects

This committee works with the staff liaison to help identify and complete projects that support the care and upkeep of Westland’s campus. Committee members may shop for supplies, organize materials, and assist with campus projects as needed during the school year. General knowledge of household repairs, carpentry, plants, or landscaping can be useful for this committee.

Committee work may become more active before parent workdays, certain Sings, summer preparation, graduation, and other campus events. The committee may also support occasional preparedness-related projects, including work related to the emergency shed, under the school’s guidance.

Equity & Inclusion Committee

(5–8 people approximately)

At a glance:
Ongoing throughout the year • Mix of in-person and remote participation • Community-building, parent/guardian education, affinity groups, heritage month bulletin support, and event support • Monthly gatherings with some flexible/asynchronous support.

This committee supports Westland’s commitment to creating an inclusive and welcoming parent/guardian community. Committee members help promote and host opportunities for parents and guardians to connect and learn through gatherings, education sessions, affinity groups, and events such as Multicultural Family Story Night. The committee also provides monthly heritage month bulletin support.

Working in partnership with the school, this committee helps create thoughtful opportunities for parents and guardians to participate in the life of the Westland community.

Fair Committee

(15–17 people approximately)

At a glance:
Spring-focused • Mostly in person • Significant event planning, hands-on campus work, food, games, logistics, and community-building • Includes fall planning meetings and several spring weekend workdays

The Fair Committee plans and organizes Westland’s Spring Fair, a beloved annual tradition that transforms Westland’s campus and welcomes the broader community. The committee coordinates many aspects of the Fair, including food, games, activities, prizes, performances, decorations, marketing, and more.

Committee involvement includes a wide range of collaborative, hands-on event-planning work, such as arts and crafts, building games, shopping, organizing supplies, and helping prepare the campus for the event. While the work is joyful and community-centered, the Fair requires significant planning, including a few fall meetings and several on-campus weekend workdays in the spring. The busiest period begins after Spring Break and continues through the Fair itself.

Friday Morning Coffee

(4–5 people approximately)

At a glance:
Ongoing throughout the year • Weekly, mostly in person • Friday morning setup, coffee/tea service, and cleanup • Early Friday morning availability is important

This committee prepares and serves coffee and tea for parents and guardians before weekly Friday Sings and other community events. Committee members may help with setup, service, restocking supplies, and cleanup.

This committee is best suited for parents and guardians who are regularly available before school on Friday mornings to prepare coffee and welcome families as they arrive.

Fundraising Events & Auction Committee

(10–12 people approximately)

At a glance:
Most active in fall and winter, with some spring support • Mostly in person, with some flexible planning tasks • Event planning, logistics, fundraising/solicitation, auction support, and event-day participation • Availability is important around major event days

This committee supports several important fundraising efforts throughout the year, including the Annual Giving Dinner in October, the Winter Fundraiser in March, and Day of Giving in the spring. Committee members help with event planning details such as decor, rentals, food and drink, invitations, RSVPs, and event logistics.

The committee also supports auction-related work, including the public online auction through CharityBuzz and the auction component of the Winter Fundraiser through the online auction platform. Committee members may be asked to solicit donations and provide organizational support for fundraising events and auctions. The work of this committee directly supports Westland’s operating budget and raises a significant portion of fundraising dollars for the school.

Hospitality Committee

(10–12 people approximately)

At a glance:
Fall-focused, with event-based support throughout the year • Mix of in-person and remote coordination • Hospitality, food, baking, setup, hosting, and cleanup • On-campus availability is especially important for admission campus tours and Staff Appreciation events

The Hospitality Committee helps welcome and care for the Westland community through food, hosting, and event support. Committee members may help prepare or purchase food, bake, set up, host, clean up, and coordinate supplies for new family events, admission campus tours, Staff Appreciation events, and other school gatherings throughout the year. The committee is especially active in October, November, and December. Members do not need to attend every admission campus tour, but should be able to attend several, and all members should plan to support Staff Appreciation.

Kitchen Committee

(2-3 people approximately)

At a glance:
Winter and spring, with regular check-ins throughout the year • Mostly in person, with flexible daytime support • Organizing, restocking, compostables, and kitchen supplies • Heavier work usually happens a few times a year, often before breaks

This small committee helps organize, maintain, and restock supplies for the Kitchen. Committee members check in regularly to make sure supplies are available and everything is in its place. The committee monitors and organizes compostables, helps keep both the kitchen and the basement well stocked, and creates lists of needed supplies. Reorganization and heavier supply work typically happen before breaks and at several points throughout the school year.

Library Committee

(10–12 people approximately)

At a glance:
Ongoing throughout the year • Mix of in-person and remote coordination, with regular on-campus tasks • Weekly shelving, library stewardship, book fairs, meetings, and reading support • Regular on-campus availability is important

The Library Committee is a group of Westland parents, guardians, and staff who work to support a love of reading throughout the community. Each member is assigned a section of the Library to maintain throughout the school year, including weekly shelving and two major cleaning days each year. The committee also organizes two book fairs: one for parents and guardians in the fall and one for children, usually in the spring. Regular on-campus availability is important for this committee, along with several meetings a year and support during active periods such as fall Book Fair preparation and early spring planning.

Merchandise Committee

(3–5 people approximately)

At a glance:
Varies year to year • Often includes in-person morning sales • Merchandise sales, community-facing support, organizing, and inventory/logistics • Typically includes several sales mornings during the school year

This committee works with school staff to support Westland merchandise and school-related items for current families and the extended community. Committee members may help with merchandise sales, organizing inventory, community-facing sales opportunities, and coordination with school staff. The shape of this committee may vary from year to year depending on school needs, available merchandise, and whether online store or fulfillment projects are active.

Videography & Storytelling Support

(2–4 people approximately)

At a glance:
New committee • Ongoing throughout the year • Flexible/asynchronous, with some in-person event opportunities • Short video capture, parent/guardian reflections, light editing, and occasional photography in support of school storytelling

This new committee will help capture short video clips, parent/guardian reflections, and occasional images that help tell the story of school life and community at Westland, especially for prospective families learning about the school. Committee members may attend select school events and community gatherings to notice and capture simple moments of connection, creativity, play, conversation, and campus life.

In partnership with the school, committee members may also help gather, organize, and edit short testimonials or reflections from parents, guardians, alumni families, docents, or other community members who are willing to share their Westland experience. The focus of this committee is video-based storytelling: helping preserve the voices, experiences, and everyday moments that reflect the life of the school. Occasional photography may be included when helpful and aligned with school communication needs. All filming and photography will follow school guidelines around permissions, privacy, and appropriate use.

Winter Breakfast Committee

(5–6 people approximately)

At a glance:
Fall-focused, especially in the weeks before Winter Sing • Mostly in person • Event planning, hospitality, food, shopping, setup, hosting, and cleanup • Availability is especially important the afternoon before and morning of Winter Breakfast

Each year, Westland hosts a community-wide breakfast on the day of the Winter Sing, the last day of school before winter break. This committee organizes and hosts the Winter Breakfast, including planning, shopping, food and drink, setup, hosting, and cleanup. Proceeds from the Winter Breakfast support a mission-aligned, program-related organization. Committee work becomes more active in the weeks leading up to Winter Sing, with especially important support needed the afternoon before and morning of the event.

Yearbook Committee

(3–5 people approximately)

At a glance:
Ongoing throughout the year, with the most active period between Winter Break and mid-May • Mix of in-person and remote work • Photography, photo gathering, organizing, design/layout, proofing, and production • Photography experience and access to a camera are especially helpful

Members of this small committee gather, compile, and curate photos for Westland’s annual yearbook. This may include class photos, photos of partnerships at school, such as puzzle partners, reading partners, and writing partners, as well as candid images from throughout the year. Committee members help organize photos, format pages, proof materials, and creatively prepare the annual yearbook for publishing. The work becomes more active between Winter Break and mid-May, especially between Spring Break and early May when the yearbook needs to be finalized and sent to print. Photographers are also needed throughout the year to help document school life.