The Friends of BISS
Jenny Hermelin is a project manager and communications specialist who works for the family investment company, runs a network for female business owners in Danderyd and teaches yoga – and is on her second year as Chair of the Friends of BISS (FoB). She chose BISS for her three kids (in years 3, 7 and 9) because of the individual based approach to learning, the excellent teachers and staff, the great sense of community at the school, and the philosophy of not only focusing on academic skills, but also wider knowledge, personal growth and being a good friend and citizen.
What is the Friends of BISS?
The Friends of BISS (former PTA) is a non-profit organization by and for all the parents and carers at BISS as well as the staff. If your kids are at BISS, or you work here, you are automatically a member. If you didn’t know this already, an extra warm welcome According to our Constitution, the objectives of the Friends of BISS (FoB) are to promote community, friendships and positive communication by arranging events for families and students and welcoming new families. We are also tasked with helping the school obtain resources that benefit the students and help support the School’s chosen charities.
How do we do this?
To fulfill the objectives, we arrange family events such as Welcome Coffee Mornings, the Back 2 School Party, International Day and soon the first ever (?) Oktoberfest for parents. We also decorate the school for Halloween, Christmas and Easter (and one special extra holiday per year), arrange traditional events such as pumpkin patches and dress-up days, get Santa to come visit, give Christmas gifts to all the staff and arrange staff appreciation breakfasts, arrange book sales that help fund new books for the libraries, fund class parties for all the classes and much more.
Who are the FoB people?
The FoB is run by an Executive Committee with three members of staff and a group of parents. This year’s Committee was elected last Friday and is presented below. Except the staff members none of us are getting paid for what we do, all the subscription fees and proceeds from events (if any) go straight to things that benefit the experience of life at BISS. Besides the examples listed above, this includes contributions suggested by the school, such as the Yondr pouches that were implemented last year to save the Ekeby students from smartphone distractions during the school days.
The 2024/25 FoB Executive Committee:
Chair: Jenny Hermelin
Treasurer: Karin Asplund
Secretary: Natalie Patricot
Ekeby Class Parent Coordinators: Brad Agnew, Li Yang, Jasmine Trinh
Altorp Class Parent Coordinators: Sunny Moon, Amber Kneen
Staff Representatives: Ciaran Harrington, Caroline Bennett, Jill Shaw
How do we do all this?
The answer is simple – we need your help! All the events are totally reliant on volunteers helping out before, during and after. To get information out to the classes (and get class parties arranged) we need Class Parents. And to be able to buy things like decorations, food, drinks and treats, craft materials etcetera we need money. So if you want to do your part, you can choose a level of participation:
The bare minimum: Pay your subscription fee, and get on Classlist (our communications platform) to see what’s going on.
Pick and choose: Help out at one or more events with something you enjoy – crafting or decorating, entertaining, serving, you choose!
Help those closest to you: Become a Class Parent and get to know your kids’ friends, their parents and teacher better.
Do your own thing: Take on one of our events and do it your way, recruiting your own team and carrying everything out – with our support of course.
Go all in: Apply to the Executive Committee and get to know the school, the staff and the students while being an integral part of the BISS ecosystem!
Why should you find time for this in your busy schedule?
Because it is FUN! You get to know and work with amazing people, out of which many are important to your kids’ lives. You get to do fun stuff, and get to be in your kids’ environment, see the joy in their eyes and know you are making their days happier and more enjoyable. It does take time (a lot more than I thought when I volunteered ) but it’s totally worth it!
If you are curious about the FoB, don’t hesitate to reach out to friendsofbiss@gmail.com!
