Old St. Mary’s School Service Hours Commitment

VOLUNTEER HOURS

Old St. Mary’s School needs more than tuition dollars to operate efficiently and effectively — family involvement is essential for our school’s success. Parent participation helps to hold down tuition costs, helps create a community-building atmosphere, and is a great way to meet other parents.

We have had outstanding volunteer support starting the day Old St. Mary’s School opened. Parents, extended family and friends have all pitched in to help make daily activities and special events successful, safe, and fun. As Old St. Mary’s School expands and we welcome more students, we also increase our need for volunteer support. More activities and more children in activities will require the community of Old St. Mary’s to not only continue its current generous level of volunteer support, but to also look to where the community can increase that involvement for the benefit of everyone.

Service is an integral part of our Catholic community. In an effort to ensure that all families share in this responsibility, each family must pledge to fulfill a commitment to annual service hours or make a $400 donation to the Parent’s Association.

Our Old St. Mary’s School Service Hours Commitment is as follows:

· For the 2010/2011 school year, each family is asked to commit to a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer service.

· We understand that the most significant barrier to volunteerism is finding the time. In lieu of making a commitment to service hours, families may elect to support Old St. Mary’s School with a financial contribution of $400. Financial contributions will help offset expenses incurred when the school must expend financial resources because volunteer services could not be provided.

· The Service Commitment is per family, not per student, and can be achieved through the efforts of multiple family members (parents, 18+ years of age older siblings, grandparents, family friends, etc.).

· For the 2010/2011 school year, service hours can be completed beginning now through the month of May.

· Volunteers will be asked to keep their own records of their hours, but offer periodic reports on their volunteer time. Paper forms will be provided at the beginning of the school year (with an online reporting option available mid-year).

· Both individual families and Old St. Mary’s School reserve the right to request a modification to service commitments (from volunteer service to financial support) if families are unable to volunteer 20 hours per year. We will work with families to find equitable solutions to service commitment challenges.

All Volunteers need to complete the SAFE ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS before participating in any activity involving students.  (See Safe Environment Requirements in the Handbook).