PARENTS REQUIREMENTS & COMMITMENTS
To create a thriving Catholic school educational environment requires the genuine, active partnership among parents, school and church. In our commitment to make Catholic education both accessible and exceptional we need the support of your time, faith, and financial support. The cost of each child’s education is not covered by tuition. It is only through fundraising, fees, donations and volunteer time that we make it happen.
Through different fundraising efforts and our Faith in the Future Annual Fund, the school strives to make the tuition and fees affordable to all our families. An assigned amount is set for both fundraising and service hours to be met by each family.
The following are four major areas of commitment that are required of each family to remain in good standing with the school.
VIRTUS TRAINING & FINGERPRINTING
All parents and volunteers in the school are required to attend a 2-3 hour training course regarding information on safeguarding our children. Certification for completion of this training MUST be presented to the Main Office. A copy of this certification will be held on record in our office and recorded with the Archdiocese. Fingerprinting will also be required. Please consult the office training dates and more specifics of how to complete this process.
YEARLY FUNDRAISING OBLIGATIONS
All families are required to help the school raise additional funds in support of student educational costs. The minimum amount is $750. This amount is reviewed annually and may be changed. Families who fail to meet their fundraising obligations will be billed for unfulfilled balance in May. Payments are due in June. Outstanding balances owed beyond June may result in loss of seat registration for the following school year.
To meet this requirement families are encouraged to participate in any of the following:
Jog-a-thon sponsorships – 100% credit per dollar
Gala Auction – varying amounts of credit for donation items, purchases, ad sponsorships, and direct payments
Family Fun Night – varying amounts of credit are given each year.
$1,000/month club ($100 per/family annual commitment for a chance to win the monthly raffle)
OPT OUT POLICY
Families may opt out of participating in the specific and other fundraising opportunities by either paying $850 by September 30 of the current school year or by setting up installment payments totaling $750 via FACTS. The FACTS set up should be completed by September 30 of the current school year and can be made via the Business Office.
FAMILY SERVICE HOURS
All families are required to donate a minimum of 30 service hours per year. This amount is reviewed annually and may be changed. Service hours must be completed between September and May unless special permission has been obtained from the principal for a project. Hours are logged in and approved by event chairs and the PTO volunteer coordinator.
If there is an outstanding balance a dollar amount per hour will be assessed for all time not completed. This amount will need to be paid on or before the last day of school. In special circumstances a written arrangement can be made with the principal to complete remaining Service Hours during the summer.
Excess hours cannot be carried over to the next school year.
In order to earn credit for any service performed, a service coupon must be submitted to the Main Office receptionist. All coupons must have the family first and last names and envelope numbers, and the signature of the person in charge of the event. Service coupons can be sent in to the office in the weekly parent envelope, or they can be deposited in the “service coupon” envelope located in the office. Total family service hours (by parish envelope #) can be tracked on our school website.
Volunteering to chair a major event, holding a PTO leadership position, serving as a head coach or working lunch duty once a week for the entire school year earns full service credit.
Fulfilling your service hours’ commitment gives each family an opportunity to be a part of their child’s Catholic education first-hand. It also allows us to strengthen our community environment by building relationships among families while working together towards a common goal. Our program ensures that all families are involved equitably in the responsibility of maintaining our school.
Some of the volunteer opportunities are listed below:
*TK and K centers *Help with specialist classes
*Lunch duty *Office assistance
* Major events: Silent Auction, Jog a thon, etc...
*Transportation/Chaperone for field trips or sporting events
*Other Service opportunities will be listed in the bulletin.
4. FAITH IN OUR FUTURE ANNUAL FUND
We ask every family to voluntarily contribute to our Annual Fund campaign named Faith in Our Future. These funds go specifically to 1) help provide “seed” money for new programs and initiatives (Spanish, Writing Workshop, Technology, etc.), 2) provide funding for capital facility improvements (gym floor, air conditioning, infrastructure needs), and 3) provide tuition financial assistance to those families demonstrating need. We ask that all families give prayerful thought to what they can donate to support our school and then participate with generosity of heart. A suggested amount per family (as a guide to close the gap in costs) is $750. However, we ask all families to give what they can – either higher or lower than this amount. We officially launch our yearly campaign in November with Commitment Card Tuesday.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What service is required of each family? Each family must make a commitment to one of the Fundraising or Service Events, and a total of 30 hours of service.
What happens if I don’t fulfill the service requirement? We believe that this commitment is achievable for all families. Those families not fulfilling their service obligation will be billed $25 per unfulfilled hour on June 1st. If you have a special circumstance that limits you from completing your service obligation, please schedule an appointment directly with the principal. If you have an idea for a new service you can provide for the school, please contact the PTO Volunteers Chairperson.
How do I sign up for service? Sign -ups for fundraising and service events are in late May or during back to school night. Each family may choose their event, as long as it is not full by the time they sign up. Those families who do not sign up will be assigned to the Gala Auction and Family Fun Night and will be expected to fulfill their service hours on these committees.
How does this work? You must give service hours towards your fundraising or service event. For each hour that is completed, you will fill out a service coupon and have it signed by your service chairperson. You can then place the coupon in your weekly parent envelope, or drop it off in the “service coupon” envelope located in the office. Service coupons will be sent home to the parents in September. They can also be obtained in the office.
What if I don’t have enough service hours? You must commit to completing hours on your fundraising or service event. Any additional hours needed, you can come for other approved opportunities. Service opportunities will be listed in the weekly bulletin. You may also speak with your room parent regarding opportunities within the classroom. It is each family’s responsibility to make sure that they complete the 30 hours by the end of the school year.
Fundraising and Service Events: *Parents must commit to at least one of the following:
Gala Auction Annual Giving Campaign Team
Family Fun Night/Annual Drawing Book Fair
Office Help Hospitality
Parish Help Parent Teacher Organization
Sports Boosters Weekly Kindergarten Centers
Religious Education Weekly Lunch Service/Yard Duty
Yearbook Spiritual Room Parents
Room Parent (one per grade)
Parent / Guardian Right of Visitation
For safety reasons, ALL visitors, INCLUDING PARENTS who are working in the school, are to obtain a Parent Volunteer/Visitor badge and sign the Volunteer/Visitor Log in the school office UPON ARRIVING AND WHEN LEAVING the school EACH VISIT. Parents and other visitors are NOT permitted to visit the classrooms and/or student bathrooms at any time unless arrangements have been made with the teacher and/or principal, they have registered in the office and have obtained a parent volunteer/visitor badge. No one is to interrupt a classroom without prior permission.
Parents may not bring non-students on field trips or when volunteering on campus. We ask that parents/visitors turn off their cell phones and refrain from eating and/or drinking in the classrooms.
Before any guest is invited to give students a presentation, approval must be secured from the principal and he/she must be notified. Classroom disruptions must be kept to a minimum and learning time to a maximum.
Parents/legal guardians and visitors are expected to confer with teachers after school or at other scheduled times. Appointments are recommended. Classroom instruction should not be interrupted nor delayed. Younger siblings must not be left unattended, and may not be left with a school-age family member during school hours.
CODE OF CHRISTIAN CONDUCT (Covering Students and Parents or Guardians)
The Archdiocese deeply appreciates the choice parents and students make to enroll in its parochial elementary and secondary schools. Truly, this is a commitment for life and many families make considerable sacrifices of time and treasure to support their students while they are in school. Often, families and students continue this support even after graduation because Catholic education makes a difference. Indeed, Catholic schools are different.
All schools in the Archdiocese are intended to be environments that educate, nurture and support students according to the basic Christian principles of charity and love of neighbor. Everyone involved in the development of children and youth – teachers, administrators, parents, family and friends – is required to behave in accordance with these principles, and the students’ interest in receiving a quality, morally based education can be served if students, parents, and school officials work together.
Our Christian principles provide that:
· Parents or guardians are expected to work courteously and cooperatively with the school to assist the student in meeting the school’s academic, moral and behavioral expectations.
· Students and parents or guardians may respectfully express their concerns about the school operation and its personnel. However, they may not do so in a manner that is discourteous, scandalous, rumor driven, disruptive, threatening, hostile or divisive.
· Parents, guardians or other responsible adults who insult or abuse school personnel in the presence of other school personnel, students or parents on or adjacent to school premises or at some other place where school personnel are required to be in connection with their assigned school activities, may be asked to withdraw their student from the school.
· Conduct that materially disrupts classwork or extracurricular activities or that involves substantial disorder will not be tolerated.
· These expectations for students, parents, guardians or other responsible adults include, but are not limited to, all school-sponsored programs and events (e.g. extended care, athletics, field trips, etc.).
· The school reserves the right to determine, in its discretion, when conduct is of such a severe nature as to warrant immediate action without warning. The action may include removal of a family and its students from the school.
Parents Volunteering on Campus or Attending Campus Events
While on campus or at a school related event, parents may not take pictures or video of any students with the written permission of the parents or guardian of that student. Parents are not authorized to discipline any student. Instead, a school employee should be found and the behavior reported to them.
