Partners for Excellence

The St. James PTA is the backbone of St. James School, offering family events, fundraising opportunities, and a whole slew of ways to spend more time with your children and enrich their school experiences. Our Partners for Excellence Program affords you many opportunities to share in various aspects of your child’s education.

Here's how it works: Decide where you want to volunteer, call the person in charge of that area, and receive a warm welcome from the PTA Committee or Event Chair! It’s that easy. And the rewards are endless.

The Partners for Excellence Program has been developed to offer families flexibility in meeting their PTA requirements and to make volunteer opportunities available to non-working AND working parents. The total number of credits needed to meet the PTA requirement is 16 credits per family. The 16 credits are equated to about 35 to 40 volunteer hours per year. Conversely, the Partners for Excellence activity fee, for the families for whom volunteering is just not possible, is $400. But, we really don’t want your money —we want your ideas and your guidance and your presence! Your services to us are invaluable. With all of the activities planned throughout the year, you’d be surprised how quickly you can earn your 16 credits.

Here’s a quick snapshot at some of the credit-earning activities available:

Regular In-School Commitments

AM Monitors: Help maintain order outside school (indoors in bad weather) as children arrive each morning.

Half year 8 credits

Full year 16 credits

Nurse’s Office Assistants: Help in nurse’s office once a week (early morning, mid morning, or lunchtime) for about 1 1/2 hours.

Half year 8 credits

Full year 16 credits

Kindergarten Lunch Monitors: Monitor a kindergarten class (your own child’s if you like) during lunch in the classroom and recess in the kindergarten play yard. Lunchtime (11:45 am to 12:35 pm) one day per week. Please do not bring younger children.

Half year 8 credits

Full year 16 credits

Library Aides (Full Year Only): During school you can assist with cataloging, checking out books, etc. Work the same day each week for about one hour. After school the library will be open for students' use one or two days a week from 2:15 pm to 3:00 pm. Aides needed to supervise students, check out books, etc. Work the same day each week.

Full year 16 credits

Lunch Room Monitors: Help maintain order and assist young children in cafeteria during lunch periods one day per week, approximately 11:50 am to 1:00 pm.

Half year 8 credits

Full year 16 credits

Playground Monitors: Help supervise outdoor recess (in classrooms in bad weather), one day per week, approximately 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm. Volunteers may bring their preschool children.

Half year 8 credits

Full year 16 credits

Primary Aides: Work approximately 1 1/2 to 1 hour per week, assisting in lower grades (not in your child’s class).

Half year 8 credits

Full year 16 credits

Printing/Collating Aides: Assist with printing, collating, and clerical projects for school staff and PTA.

Half year 8 credits

Full year 16 credits

Events and Fundraisers

Assistance of various kinds is needed for events and fund raisers throughout the year. You can earn on credit for each one to two hours of volunteer time. Here’s a look at the many activities happening during the year:

Fall Fundraiser: Help process orders during school days in October/November.

50/50s: Sell 50/50 tickets at PTA evening events.

Harvest Family Social: Help set-up, host, and clean up at the event.

Book Fairs: Help with sales to children during the school day and parents during conferences in Fall and Spring.

St. James School Supplies Sales: Help organize and work at used uniform, sweatsuit and school supplies sales in late summer, fall, and spring.

Walk-a-thon: Help supervise children during walk-a-thon, held during a school day in late spring.

Career Day: Participate in informal panel discussions, with other parents in similar fields, presented to grades 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th in February.

Father/Daughter Dinner Dance: Assist with theme, location, organization of dance held in early May.

Mother/Son Outing: Assist in planning of outing held in May.

Grandparents' Tea: Help set-up, clean-up, serve refreshments, give school tours and other activities on a Sunday afternoon in November.

Family Fun Night: Help organized family event on a Friday evening in early February.

Gate/Concession Stand: Help staff/sell snacks at various home basketball games on a Saturday or Sunday in November-March.

Catholic Schools Week: Assist in planning of school events during this week at the end of January/early February.

Seasonal and Occasional Projects

      Please note that 1 - 2 hours of volunteer time is equal to 1 Partners for Excellence credit.

After-School Activities: Moderate or assist with one of the after-school activities offered to grades 3-8, that meet once a week after school for 6 weeks during February/ March. Ideas and plans for clubs are available (art, crafts, first aid, baby-sitting, debate, chess, etc.), or you can design your own.

Class Parents/Phone Committee: Three class parents will be appointed for each home room to plan class parties, events, and for emergency school telephone calls. Since some of the work involved is telephone work, one or both of the assistants can be a working parent. Please note that all parents will be expected to take turns supplying refreshments for parties, and (subject to limitations set by the teachers) all parents who wish to do so may take turns chaperoning parties/trips. No credits are given for party supplies or for chaperoning.

Foyer and Showcase Decorating Committee: Plan, install, remove, and put away seasonal decorations in school foyer and showcase.

Health Screening Assistants: Assist school nurse on student health-screening days (height/weight, blood pressure, vision, hearing, etc.) scheduled at various times during the year. Relevant experience is useful.

Hospitality Committee: Help plan, decorate, set up, host, and clean up at PTA-sponsored social functions.

Bake Committee: Provide baked goods for events held throughout the year. Notices will be sent home as needed.

Royals Club: The Royals Club is made up of students' fathers, or other adult male relatives, who plan and organize various family recreational events (movie night, golf outing), and assist with “do-it-yourself” type projects around the school, church, and convent, on an as-needed basis (usually evenings or weekends). Credits are given for help with projects, but not for attendance at Royals Club monthly meetings.

Spirituality/Community Service: Assist with events like the new family mentoring program, autumn crop walk, advent wreath sale, Catholic School's week and the annual mothers' retreat in the spring.

Join us!

If you are interested in becoming more active, spend the next several weeks exploring the different activities of the PTA. Call the person in charge of a particular committee or event. Call a Board Member or Officer. Find out the responsibilities and rewards. Attend as many events as you can or, better yet, volunteer at as many events as possible. You may find the perfect fit for your schedule and interests, and reap the benefits of becoming involved in your child's school!