ABOUT THE PARTICIPATION PROGRAM

The Participation Program (PP) is an important dimension of the operation at Our Lady of the Assumption School (OLA). The purpose of the program is to promote a spirit of community and pride amongst our families, and provide tangible economic benefits to our parish and school.

Assumption School has a very active Participation program. This program has two main goals:

1. to build community by having parents work together towards a common goal.
2. to raise funds for the school, reduce expenses and provide service to our school and parish.

Core Categories

The Participation Program offers families a variety of Core Categories in which families can assist with their time and talents. The participation program tries to provide sufficient flexibility to allow most families to be able to take part. Parents indicate on their initial registration form their preference for participation duties. Families are assigned to a Core Category based on the family’s availability, interests and skills and matching them to the needs of the school.

The following Core Categories are given priority as they are an integral part of the day-to-day operation of the school and parish:

Hours Required

Upon acceptance parents are expected to make themselves available for twelve months of that school year, that is July 1st to June 30th. The minimum number of Participation Program hours required each year is 50. Some categories, however, will require more than 50-hours. Some positions will also require participants to attend mandatory meetings. These are generally scheduled, and notification given to parents, at the beginning of the year.

Upon acceptance a participating family is required to commit a minimum of 50-hours of participation each year. The participation year runs a full 12 months from July 1 to June 30.

Using the Noon Hour Supervision model as a baseline most workers are required to work 1 hour a week, 40 times a year, totalling 40 hours per year. Any additional required hours that cannot be completed within the assigned category will be completed in the Worker Bee Category.

In order to achieve the goals of the program, we need the full commitment of all participants. In other words, you are either fully in the Participation Program or you are fully out of the program—there is no in between.

Responsibility

If you choose to be a part of the Participation Program, it is expected that you will look upon this responsibility with the same seriousness as you would a paid job (as a member of the program you will receive a Participation tuition rate). It is expected that you will show up on time for your assigned shifts, carry out your tasks responsibly, and not leave until your shift if over.

Those committed to the Participation Program are considered a member, not a “volunteer”. As a member of the Participation Program your family receives a participation tuition rate for your time.

Families that are interested in applying for the Participation Program must indicate this on the registration form.  Specialized skills that are identified will help the Participation Coordinator to fill positions as they become available.  Parents are required to attend a mandatory meeting in the spring (date to be announced each year). The purpose of this meeting is to outline the Participation Program and the requirements of the program.

The Education Committee requires from all Participating parents a set of twelve undated cheques. Ten cheques will be in the amount of $25.00 each and will be cashed when a participation shift is missed at the rate of $25.00 per hour for each hour missed. Two cheques will be in the amount of $250.00 and will be applied towards any outstanding participation hours at the end of the school year based on the rate of $25.00 per hour for each hour not completed of your 50-hour requirement.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

All participating families are responsible to read and review the School Policy Manual regarding the Participation Program (Section – 510.5 Parent Participation Program Information). Some important highlights to remember:

1.     Timesheets

• All families working in the Participation Program must submit a Timesheet.
• Timesheets are the official reference if questions arise regarding discrepancies in hours.
• Many Participation Program roles require parents to work independently, and their work is not directly supervised. However, they are still obliged to fully document their hours and submit them for approval once a month. Hours that are not entered on a Timesheet and approved by the Team Leader or Category Manager will not be credited.

2.     *** 15 hours required by December 31st ***

• Parents are required to complete a minimum of 15 hours of Participation by December 31st. Exceptions to this can only be approved by School Administration and PEC Participation Coordinator.
• If you are below 15 hours (actual hours worked + billed hours accumulated) by this date, you will be billed accordingly and immediately for the balance of the hours needed. If your category schedules/shift will not be able to cover 15 hours, you are expected to top up your hours by joining other categories such as Maintenance and Fundraising.
• Please watch for announcements of these opportunities in school newsletters.

3.     MINIMUM 50-Hour Commitment

• A minimum of 50-hours participation per year is required. For this school year, participation hours are to be completed on or before June 30th, of a school year.
• Additional hours are available in other participation categories only if the category that you are assigned to does not meet the 50-hour minimum requirement for the year.

4.     Regular Shifts

• If you are assigned to a participation category with regular schedule/shift such as Library, Noon Hour Supervision, and you miss your regularly scheduled shift and do not have a person replace you, you will be billed for the hours missed; even if you have already reached your yearly total of 50-hours but still have a regular shift/commitment.

5.     Substitutes/Replacements

• Participants who cannot meet a commitment are responsible to arrange for a qualified replacement.
• No minors may substitute for their parents.
• When a replacement has been found, the Participation Coordinator must be notified. If a replacement is not found or does not fulfill this job then the original participant can expect to be billed for hours missed.

BLANK TIMESHEET

Timesheets can be found in the school photocopy room. You may also download your PDF, blank Timesheet here, which you can easily print off instead of picking one up at the school.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The following are a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that can be found on the school website: http://assumptionschool.com/faqs/

CONTACT THE PARTICIPATION COORDINATOR

Please contact the Participation Coordinator with any participation questions, comments, or concerns: parentparticipation@olapoco.ca