Parent Service and Fundraising Requirements
Parent-School/Community Involvement
Parents/guardians have the primary responsibility for the education of their children (Gravissimum educationis, §9). It is the role of the school to support and complement this parental function. The school’s primary expectation of the parents/guardians is an active and ongoing support of the religious formation, which the school seeks to develop in the children. Parents/guardians may do this through family prayer, attending Sunday Mass together, performing acts of charity or service and being knowledgeable about the Catholic faith.
Additional Expectations
The school has additional practical expectations of the parents/guardians. Tuition and fees do not cover the cost of education at Visitation School. Tuition and fees do not completely cover the expense of operating Visitation School. The difference between the income from tuition and fees and the expense for operating the school is considerable and is made up through fundraising efforts of the school. Proceeds from these events help to keep tuition affordable. Parents/guardians are expected to further assist the school by volunteering and supporting the events planned by Parish, School and PTO, and fulfilling the required service hours agreement and fundraising obligations. See Service Hours Requirement/Buy-Out Option.
Minimum Responsibilities
The minimum responsibilities of parents/guardians include: (1) paying tuition regularly, (2) fulfilling a minimum of 30 service hours, (15 hours for new families) (3) helping fundraise to build a strong school community, (4) keeping lines of communication open by using the school’s chain of command system, and (5) supporting the educational programs of the school by fostering good study habits at home and at school. Failure to fulfill the minimum parent obligations may result in the family being asked to withdraw.
Room Parents
Room Parents for each individual class support the teacher(s) with special classroom activities and events that are scheduled by the school. In addition to classroom support, the Room Parents assist the school administration with other areas of student interest and safety. The Room Parents need to get approval from the teacher for all activities, dates, and times of events.
Service Hours Requirement/Buy-Out Option
Returning parents are required to contribute 30 hours of service to the school each school year. New parents are asked to contribute a minimum of 15 hours during their initial year. Various opportunities for service to the school are communicated regularly. Parents unable to complete their service hours requirement will be assessed a $25.00 hour fee for any hours not served. Parents also have the option to buy-out their hours for the full fee of $750.00 at the beginning of the school year. Others may choose to participate in the buy-out option of $25.00/hour instead of contributing hours of service. Parents will be notified in the spring of any outstanding hours and will be billed at $25.00/hour via FACTS.
Fundraising Goal Requirement
Tuition alone does not cover the operational expenses of the school. Therefore, each family is assessed a fundraising goal to cover the difference. The goal is set in the spring for the following year. The money raised to meet the fundraising requirement covers, in part, programs such as Art, Spanish, Guidance Counseling, and other co-curricular programs. The fundraising requirement is set at $600.00.
Parental Involvement
In order for the school to operate effectively, it is essential that there be a spirit of cooperation, trust and support between the school and the parents. It is for this reason that families are asked to become familiar with the philosophy, policies, and procedures developed and enforced by Visitation School. Under normal circumstances, a child would not be deprived of a Catholic education on grounds relating to the attitude of parents/guardians. Nevertheless, it is recognized that a situation could arise in which the uncooperative or destructive attitude of parents/guardians might so diminish the effectiveness of the school that continuation of the child in the school would not serve the school community. Should a manifested lack of agreement reach the point where the school deems that the necessary and appropriate respectful relationship no longer exists, the family will be asked to withdraw the student from the school.
