08 Oct A Venue for PTA, Home and School and School Council Parents in Bedford

PTA and School Council Meeting Venue in Bedford (Not the Gym)

The formal School Advisory Council meeting happens at the school. It has an agenda, minutes and a principal. We are not trying to replace that.

Everything around it, though, happens somewhere else. The fundraiser planning night. The grad committee that meets every second Tuesday from January to June. The volunteer thank-you. The night the Home and School executive finally sits down to sort out the spring fair. That is what we host.

We are a craft beer, wine, cocktail and whisky bar in West Bedford, Nova Scotia, and a lot of the parents from Bedford, Hammonds Plains and Sackville schools already know the room. This is how it works for a school group.

A reserved table or section, no fee

Tell us the night, the time and how many people. We hold a table for a small committee, or a section of the room for a larger parent group, while the venue stays open around you. No rental fee, no minimum spend, nothing to sign. Groups under 30 do not need a card on file.

If your committee meets on a schedule, we can hold the same table on the same night every month.

A room where a meeting can actually happen

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday early evenings are calm here. Tables that seat ten, booths for a smaller group, a microphone if the group is large enough to need one, and televisions that can show a spreadsheet or a slide by arrangement. Bring a laptop. The room has corners where a committee can hear itself think.

Monday is trivia night, so plan the working meetings for another evening and come back Monday for the fun.

Food that does not need a sign-up sheet

We do not run a kitchen, and for a parent group that is the easy part.

• Order in through our QR system from more than twenty nearby restaurants. Everyone orders their own.
• Bring it. Pizza is the traditional choice, and there are a lot of good pizza places nearby. We handle the cleanup.

Fundraisers that raise real money

This is where a school group and a bar are a genuinely good fit.

We host community fundraisers regularly, often several a month, and trivia fundraisers and music bingo fundraisers are the formats that consistently do well. A Thursday evening trivia night with a ticket price, a 50/50 and a few donated prizes can fund a playground project in one evening. We help with the format and the host, and the school keeps the proceeds.

Fundraiser nights usually run on Thursday evenings. Tuesday and Sunday evenings and weekend afternoons are sometimes possible. Tell us your goal and your date and we will tell you what fits.

Volunteer and teacher appreciation

The people who run a school’s parent groups do it for free, after work, for years. A thank-you night here costs the group very little and it is appreciated.

We have hosted free end-of-year pizza parties for teachers and school staff, with hundreds attending from schools across the area, and we intend to keep doing it. A parent-run version for volunteers works the same way: a reserved section, a hosted first round, pizza brought in, and an hour that is not about a fundraiser.

The practical things parents care about

• Free parking right outside. Nobody has to look for a spot after a long day.
• Adults only. We are 19+ throughout. For a parents’ night, that is the feature, not the restriction. The meeting is for the grown-ups and the room is too.
• Central. West Bedford is a short drive from most of Bedford, Hammonds Plains and Sackville, and the parents who commute from Halifax get here without a downtown parking plan.
• Reasonable hours. Everyone can be home by nine on a school night.
• Non-alcoholic options that are genuinely good, one of the largest selections in Atlantic Canada, for the parent who is driving the carpool.
• Wheelchair accessible.

For the people who want the official version

If you are new to how parent involvement works in Nova Scotia schools, the Halifax Regional Centre for Education explains School Advisory Councils here, and the province publishes a School Advisory Council handbook. Home and School associations and parent volunteer groups vary by school. Ask at the office.

Also on the journal: Restaurant or bar for a group event? What changes when you book a taphouse · Venue fell through? Last-minute event space in Bedford and Halifax

Frequently asked questions

Can we hold a school parent meeting at a bar? Yes, for the parents. The official School Advisory Council meeting generally happens at the school, but committee work, planning nights, fundraisers and volunteer appreciation events are all a good fit here.

Is there a fee to reserve a table or section? No. No rental fee and no minimum spend.

Can you host a school fundraiser? Yes. Trivia and music bingo fundraisers are the formats that work best. They usually run on Thursday evenings.

Can we bring food? Yes. Bring it or order in from more than twenty nearby restaurants.

Is the venue 19+? Yes. Adults only, all evening.

Is there parking? Free parking right outside.

Book a night

Call 902-404-6778 or email thevillagetaphouse@gmail.com with the night, the time, your headcount and what the group is planning.

The Village Taphouse 11 Bloom Lane, Unit 107, West Bedford, Nova Scotia 902-404-6778 19+ only