Welcome to your new school and city! We are committed to helping you with your transition. We hope that you'll attend our Newcomers' Coffees on August 25 and January 22, as well as other social events. These are great opportunities to meet new people and learn more about school at AIS and life in Vienna.

Please do not hesitate to contact our Newcomers Committee especially for new families, with any questions or support requests you might have. We can't wait to meet you!

Check out our newcomers resources below, prepared to assist you with living in Vienna:

Our Newcomers Committee hosts a couple of welcoming events for all newcomers as well as smaller interest group gatherings. We organize:

• Newcomers Coffee
• Local Café exchange - you are invited to have coffee & pastries with long-time residents of Vienna and experienced members of our AIS community for some extra support and for us to check in with you to see how you have adjusted so far;
• Tour of the Auhofcenter Mall and walk you through a Merkur grocery shopping experience in your host city;
• Traditional Austrian Tafelspitz Lunch at Gasthaus Prilisauer, one of the oldest, traditional, family-run, Austrian restaurants in Vienna.

Please contact us at PTF_Newcomers@ais.at with any questions you might have. We can't wait to meet you!

The PTF Newcomers Committee

PTF Board Vacancies

We do not currently have any Board member vacancies, but you are welcome to send expressions of interest to the PTF Board.

PTF Volunteer Opportunities

Join now! There is something for everyone!

To volunteer for any committee position or to help run an event or fundraiser, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator - Alexandra Zharnikova.

Our PTF Country Coordinators are parent volunteers who serve as a point of contact for families to other families from their own countries or regions of the world or related through a common language. These Country Coordinators serve to:

• ease the transition phase for new families.
• create national /regional community connections within the AIS community.
• engage members to actively participate cultural exchange activities and events for our AIS Community, such as host breakfast meetings, support and represent at UN Day, represent and celebrate other cultures at our IFF (Int. Food Festival).

Meet Your
Country Coordinator

For further details, please contact our Country Coordinators Coordinator - Judit Kottasz.

A great way to be a part of your child’s school experience is to serve as a Grade Level or Room Parent. Our Grade Level and Room Parents work to improve and facilitate communication between (1) parents and (2) classroom teachers, school administrators, and the PTF. They also are a great resource for new AIS families. Their aim is to foster a sense of community among the parents within a class or grade.

Grade Level Parents support Grades 6 through 12, with at least 3-4 parent volunteers per grade. They work with the grade level teacher teams, the MS or HS Counselors, and the MS or HS principals. Grade Level Parents not only communicate grade-specific information and volunteer opportunities to parents, but also organize fun events and treats for the students.

Room Parents support the ES classroom teachers, with at least 1-2 parent volunteers per class. Room Parents work with the teacher to plan and organize class parties, events, or student treats, enlist field trip chaperones, and carry out teacher initiatives.

Grade Level and Room Parents are supported by the PTF Grade and Room Level (GRL) Parent Coordinators, with one Coordinator designated for each school division. The GRL Parent Coordinators strive to make the job of a Grade Level or Room Parent easier by providing helpful resources, maintaining open communication, and passing along information relevant to the parents. In addition, they connect with the divisional Principals, the PTF Board, teachers, and other administrators to ensure that Grade Level and Room Parents are aware of upcoming school and PTF events, activities, or initiatives.

If you are interested in volunteering as a Grade Level or Room Parent, please contact our Grade / Room Level Parent Coordinators. They also can connect you to the Grade Level or Room Parent team for your grade or class so that you can be added to any e-mail or WhatsApp group communications and receive information about your child’s grade or class (please click here to provide your contact information so that you can be added to the various groups).

For current Grade Level and Room Parents, please click below to access the GRLP Toolkit – Resources for Grade Level and Room Parents.

Support our future entrepreneurs with value-added effort, practical knowledge & expertise. We rely on parent volunteers from all parts of the school, not only HS, and their networks to complement events such as the Career Fair 2020 and the upcoming Explorations 2021 Workshop Fair. We appreciate any input and participation that enhances the experience for our junior entrepreneurs.

To volunteer, share ideas or offer your professional experience or expertise in any number of areas, please e-mail our HS Parent Committee.

FAB is a group of parent volunteers who support the AIS Fine Arts Program, including art exhibits, theater performances, band and choral concerts.

Their main fund boosting activity is providing (through contributions) and serving home baked goods and coffee to attendees of Fine Arts events in exchange for donations.

To volunteer, please contact our Fine Arts Booster Coordinator - Ahu Hasoglu.

Connect with AIS parents based on your common interests. Please note: these groups are not sponsored by the school.

PTF Out & About Monthly Cultural Events & Tours

Looking to get acquainted with your new /old host city and its surrounding areas? Why do so alone? Join others like you to make new friends or meet up with old ones. Come fall in love with your new host country as you encounter the culturally rich venues and historical locations Vienna has to offer.

Reserve one morning a month to enjoy exploring Vienna and surroundings through a variety of tours and at times even tailor-made, private discovery visits to place even locals or long time expats have not had the pleasure of experiencing. We also book trips based on popular demand and at times with a private tour guide for more historical or background knowledge we would otherwise miss. It is a great way to soak up content for when family and friends visit you from abroad and you can become their knowledgeable tourist guide.

For further details or for special requests, please contact the PTF Out & About Coordinators.

Further Fun Group or Individual Activities

Please note: the following groups are not AIS sponsored or affiliated, but PTF facilitated and attended, or in some cases organized and run by AIS parents or former parents.

If there is something you are interested in joining that is not already here or if you are interested in creating a group activity yourself, please express your interest or a description of your group activity on offer by posting this on our Parents of AIS Vienna Facebook Group and see if others would like to join. This is how some of the activities below were created.

Newcomers Coffees - August 25, 2020, 8:30-10:00 & January 22, 2021, 9:00-10:30
These informal informational get-togethers for new parents are organized twice a year in the AIS Theater: once in the fall for new parents and again after winter break for parents whose children join us mid-term. It is a great place to meet the school administrators and other new parents and ask questions about life at AIS and in Vienna.

For further details or to volunteer, please contact the PTF Newcomers Committee.

UN Day - October 16, 2020, All day
This Elementary School hosted event, organized by the PTF with all school volunteers, that takes place in the AIS Gyms, provides our AIS students insight into the United Nations and their Sustainable Development Goals and into the many nations that make up our AIS Community. The day begins in the Mike Malloy Gym where we are joined by UN and Embassy representatives for a morning assembly and a culturally diverse concert performance by our ES children. This is followed by ES and MS children “travelling” to AIS represented country stands in the Lower Gym, hosted by our PTF Country Coordinators and national volunteers. Children travel and collect stamps in their “UN Day Passports” as they participate in fun, country / region specific quizzes or learning games.

To volunteer, please contact our UN Day Coordinators - Susan Cole and Victoria Mallinson.

ES and MS Halloween Party - October 31, 2020, 18:30-21:00 (Tentative)
Both Halloween celebrations are about fun & games and creative costumes and way too much candy. Our school grounds provide a safe and secure location for this type of celebration that would otherwise take place on the streets. The celebration for ES students, parents and teachers takes place in the AIS Sports Hall. Groups of Junior HS students support PTF volunteers in the Sports Hall at game stations and use this as one platform for their many Junior fundraising efforts.

There is a separate celebration for MS students and teachers in the Lower Gym.

Our beloved “Trunk O’ Treat” takes place at the upper parking lot behind the Sports Hall.

• ES Trunk O’ Treat 18:30-19:15
• MS Trunk O’ Treat 19:15-20:00

After 20:00, everyone usually gathers with their families in the Sports Hall and we begin clean up at 21:00 where we also hope for volunteers.

To volunteer, please contact our Event Coordinators Coordinator - Tini Carmine.

Seasonal Crafting - November and December 2019
All talented crafters are invited to join the group working in the PTF Penthouse in the Villa Annex. You can also support this important fundraiser by ordering your Advent or Door Wreath.

To order or to volunteer as a crafter, please contact Doris Kaltenbrunner.

(Virtual) Bingo Night - February 13, 2021
This year we will attempt our very first VIRTUAL Bingo Night with special Bonus Prizes!

Please register early; we have limited capacity and our Bingo Nights are usually a quick sell-out!

Under normal circumstances, Bingo Night: a slice of pizza or burger or a serving of pasta and a winning Bingo card make for a great Saturday night out with your family. This is made even sweeter with the Bingo Bonus Candy Round!

The Junior class may bake and offer desserts & baked goods as a junior year fundraiser.

To volunteer, please contact our Bingo Night Coordinator - Rupa Bhattasali.

HS Career Fair – TBD
Come talk to our teens about your career!

At this time in their lives, many of our HS students have no idea yet, which career paths they might best be suited for. There is limited knowledge around them about the variety of career fields available and the requirements for those fields can change from year to year. Yet, already from 9th Grade, our teens must select classes that will determine their Higher Level IB choices, which in turn, will determine the university programs they will be qualified to enter. Our HS Parent Committee fills a gap, supports our school and students and organizes such events as our Career Talks, Career Fairs and Entrepreneurial Club.

Please contact the HS Parent Committee.

HS Career Explorations Workshops - March 17, 2021, 12:30-15:15
Share your professional experience to support our High School students!

Which HS courses to take, CAS Project to initiate, university program to prepare for, and possible future-career to dream of? Students entering HS are already asking themselves these questions. “Career Explorations” will help our students build the skills needed to explore their choices!

Workshop for 9th Grade – Who Am I, What Will I Be?
Group activities will help students self-reflect on how interests and values can shape future fields of study and careers.

Workshop for 10th Grade – Me, Myself, and I
Presentations and group activities help students connect fields of study and career interests to their IB course selection at AIS, and they will explore how interests and activities connect to university applications and studies.

Workshop for 11th Grade – Future University CV & Interview
Juniors (and interested Seniors) participate in a one-to-one mock interview during which details of their CVs will be used to help them practice expressing their interests, abilities, and experiences as they would for university, internships, or even employment applications and interviews.

To join our panel of professional parent volunteers, please contact the HS Parent Committee.

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day - March 25, 2021 (Tentative)

A special day, when we celebrate our AIS Heroes, our Teachers and Staff, and all that they do for our children. We show our appreciation by cooking our typical local or national dishes and bringing them to the AIS Faculty Lounge for an Appreciation Potluck Luncheon. This is their favorite celebration!

To volunteer, please contact our Appreciation Day Coordinator- Doris Kaltenbrunner.

PTF Flea Market - TBD, 10:00-15:00 (Tentative)
Trash-N-Treasure: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Helping set people free from clutter while blessing others.

Sort through your clutter and set up a stand at the PTF Flea Market, or come visit to discover new cultural treasures or items from home that you cannot find here. Typical items may include books, CDs, clothing for all ages, sports & camping equipment, electrical appliances, furniture, decorations, you name it!

The Junior class will be offering food and drinks for their fundraising projects.

We also have a donation bin on-site for anything you don’t sell and would be willing to donate to charity as your good deed for blessing others with your treasures.

Sellers: rent your 3x3 meter booth for €30 (€35 for non-AIS families).

Booth reservations start after Spring Break.

Buyers: doors open from 10:00 - 14:00.

To sell or volunteer, please contact our Flea Market Coordinator - Doris Kaltenbrunner

International Food Festival - May 8, 2021, 18:00-22:00
Our most fabulous event; please pardon our bragging, but even our Alumni agree! Our annual IFF combines the best of international cuisine, drinks and culture that money can buy as you travel through national /regional stands, tasting your way through the culinary world for a good cause. We complete this delicacy filled evening with a silent auction for the adults and a special basket raffle for our younger ones.

The Junior class work as service staff alongside the MA48 (Government Office for Waste Disposal) sustainability projects for their fundraising projects. Our IFF is a green and sustainable project that facilitates all glassware and cutlery use, the Juniors distribute and collect them while the MA48 set up a dish washing station outside the Sports Hall.

To volunteer for the IFF, please contact our Event Coordinators Coordinator - Tini Carmine.

To volunteer for a stand, please contact our Country Coordinators Coordinator - Judit Kottasz.

To volunteer as a Junior student, please contact the Grade 11 Advisor - Socorro Scharrer.

Event Coordination

We would like to thank all of the Events Office and Maintenance Staff (“Werkstatt”) and the Tech Department for their continued support in the background of all our onsite events, as well as JT for his online support and photography / videography services!

Financially supporting our AIS Community project ideas through the funds we all raise together as volunteers at our various events, we are able to reinvest an average €30,000 per year into our school’s non-funded projects. Roughly half of the funds directly benefit our AIS students and their own project initiatives while the remainder may support parent or teacher initiatives for students and their school community. The distribution of these funds is determined by the community voting on the projects of their choice and usually ends up benefitting projects throughout the school, ES, MS and HS, and at times all three.

2020-2021 Special Projects Fund

The submission deadline for PTF Special Projects Funding is February 16, 2021.

Students, parents, faculty, staff, and administrators are all encouraged to submit project proposals to be implemented in the 2020-2021 academic year. The Special Projects process opens January 1, 2021 and closes February 16, 2021. For more information about the Special Projects process, click here.

If you have a great idea that would benefit the AIS student community, please fill out and submit the Special Projects Fund Request Form found below.

For support, please contact our PTF Special Projects Fund Coordinator - Elizabeth Iino.

PTF Special Projects Fund Request Form

Elizabeth Iino
PTF Special Projects Fund Coordinator

We look forward to supporting you. Please feel free to send us an email.

Position or Event	Name
PTF Chair	Claudia Siffert
PTF Vice Chair	Emma Conklin
PTF Vice Chair	Esra Gunerman
PTF Communications Coordinator	Charlene Adams
PTF Treasurer	Michael Katz
PTF Governance & Training / Social Media Coordinator	Renee Carmine-Jones
PTF Newcomers Committee	PTF Newcomers Team
PTF Grade Level / Room Parent Coordinator	Charlene Adams
PTF HS Parent Committee	PTF HS Parent Team
PTF Country Coordinators Coordinator	Judit Kottasz
PTF Volunteer Coordinator	Alexandra Zharnikova
PTF Special Projects Fund Coordinator	Elizabeth Iino
PTF Event Coordinators Coordinator	Tini Carmine
PTF Fine Arts Boosters (FAB)	Ahu Hasoglu
PTF Out & About Coordinators	Humera Ahmed & Silvia Viarengo
PTF Supplies Coordinator	Katya Balashova

We have many other wonderful and committed volunteers among us to support you.

You can find more PTF contacts by logging onto the AIS Parent Portal to access the Online Telephone Directory. Please check that you have activated your AIS Directory preferences from hidden to visible (and adjust your preferences) to ensure that you and your children are included in the AIS Directory. This process is no longer automatic in compliance with data protection regulations (GDPR).

AIS staff contact information can be found here.