Good chilly day to all of our SH families --
Thank you to a couple of parents who sent me an email asking a few questions regarding the Tuition/ Re-Registration/ Home and School Association Expectations for 2020-2021 and class sizes.
Tuition
-- There is a $15 per month / per student increase in tuition. This equates to a $150 for the academic year. I want to ensure our school tuition is always fair to the families and there is always understanding why there will be an increase. The increase is to pay the teachers their step increases and the rest of the staff a 2% increase in pay for the 2020-21 school year. I believe an increase of $15 a month is fair to all families AND the quality of our staff deserve to have this pay increase.
Fall 2020 Re-Registration
-- Paperwork was sent home last week along with report cards. I know this always creeps up on us and it just seems so early to be thinking about next academic year but the train is moving. Important Notes:
Current families PRIORITY Registration is until 31 January.
On February 1st I will start admitting students who are not current families. As our school grows it is becoming more and more important to get your Re-Registration paperwork in by 31 January.
Re-Registration Paperwork
-- ALL paperwork that needs to be signed for 2020-21 will be in the Re-Registration package. Some of you may wonder why you have to fill out forms each year -- Diocese Requirement. We have streamlined this to insure we only fill out forms that are absolutely needed.
There are two things required to be "registered" for 2020-2021 Academic Year: 1) A Registration Package filled out for each student 2) The $250 family annual Registration Fee.
Financial Aid
-- Please start applying. Our current families need to be complete by 1 March 2020 to receive aid.
Go to FACTS and get the wheels turning. Thank you!!!
Home and School Association 2020-2021 Expectations
-- We needed to put the expectations for all of our families in writing with a parent signature to hold all families accountable to these community requirements. The requirements listed are as follows:
1) Virtus Trained / Volunteer 30 hours (15 for single parent household).
There is NO change to this requirement for the 2020-12 school year BUT we still have some parents that do not take care of their Virtue training.
2) Home and School Association Dues -
- $55 per child (No Change) The majority of this goes to your students food/fun at class parties. Also includes the staff Christmas gift and $10 goes to creating a class basket for the Dinner Auction.
3) Fall Festival
a)
Sell 15 Raffle Tickets ($5 each -- $75 total) -- increase of $25 expected
b) Volunteer on Fall Festival day
-- we need all families to volunteer the day of the Fall Festival to make this event happen. (No Change)
4)
Dinner Auction
-- (New for 2020-21) provide a gift or donation ranging from $25 - $50. There are so many ways that a family can provide this donation. A few listed were : wine, gift card, auction items ect. The intent here is that all families have a stake in the game. There are families who 100% always get involved and do their part and there are families who need to understand the expectation so they can meet it. The intent is to get all families engaged and to participate in the Dinner Auction.
*Big Picture -- SHCS has two major fundraisers a year and we need 100% support from all of our families for both fund raisers. The total Home and School financial responsibility for a family is as follows:
+ $55 for Home and School Association Dues -- per student
+ $75 for Fall Festival tickets -- per family
+ $25 - $50 donation to Dinner Auction -- per family
Note: The total for Home and School dues and fundraising for one student is under $200. The real fundraising dollars at MOST are $125 per family. This number is VERY low for a Catholic school. I am very comfortable with this level of expectation and it is my goal, my intent, to hold all of our families responsible for this community expectation.
There are many of you who I applaud for always going above and beyond the call of duty here at SHCS. I know you give SOOO much more to our school community and our ENTIRE staff appreciates it.
If you have any questions regarding the expectations, please call the front office and schedule an appointment with me and I would be happy to discuss this approach even further.
Class sizes -- we have been very fortunate to grow by over 105 students in the past three years. As we grow, naturally, the class sizes will increase. There is always thought that a smaller class is a "better" educational environment. There are many factors in this of course BUT the number one factor is the classroom teacher. We have some top notch committed teachers here at SHCS that I absolutely trust 100% to ensure all students do indeed shine. We also have an all-star Student Success Center to support classroom teachers and students. We also ensure Para-professionals are placed in classrooms to "force multiply" the education happening in a classroom.
Class Size Goal -- It is my goal to have the Kinder - 8th grade with a max of 24 students (Kinder and 1st Diocese policy allows 25 and 1st - 8th Diocese policy allows 30). Please understand -- there are times when I need to add an additional student to a class based on the family situation. For example -- we have military families (and non-military) that come and go and I always want to ensure we can support them. Please know -- I will never add an extra student at the expense of the entire class. The Preschool classes I want to keep at 18 max per classroom (Diocese policy allows 20).
Also note:
We are called, by our Catholic faith, to be an inclusive school. We embrace inclusion from many, many different angles. We strive to give every family the opportunity to get a Catholic school education. I know -- God knows -- we have our limits to ensure the best possible education for every child in the classroom. I am VERY proud of the inclusive environment Sacred Heart Catholic School has become. I know -- we are doing God's will every day here at SH. Please pray for all of our students and staff each day to do God's will and ensure every child does shine.
Health
- There are reported cases of both Mono and Flu; please ensure you keep your child home until they are fever free for 24 hours. Also continue to check your students for lice/nits. This seems to be under control but we do want to continue to check our students at home. Please let me know if you identify a problem. Thank you!!!!
In His service,
Al Chromy
Principal
Sacred Heart Catholic School
