South Boston Catholic Academy

Minutes from Home and School Association Meeting – 1.10.12

The first  meeting of Home and School Association in 2012 was held on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 6:30.  Mrs. Carr was unable to attend, but Michelle Hynes, the President, outlined what was on Mrs. Carr’s agenda.  Summary is:

Catholic  School Week:  January 30^th  – February 3rd  

                Activities planned:

                1/31 – School Open House 9:30 – 11:00 and  4:00 – 6:00:   Volunteers are needed – 3-4 for the early childhood classes plus an additional 3 volunteers, for each session.  

                1/31 – Book Fair to begin – Patty Donovan will be heading this up once again and will send out reminders and a volunteer sign  up sheet as the time approaches

                2/1 – Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day – Maureen Murray will be heading the committee for the teacher’s and staff’s breakfast.    Volunteers will be needed to help with both preparation of the breakfast as well as standing in the classrooms while the teachers enjoy their break

                2/2 – Student Appreciation Day – There will be a basketball game between the faculty and students

                2/3 – Students will be going to Mass ; Last day of the Book Fair

More information about Catholic School Week and volunteer sign up sheets will be distributed as the time approaches.

Verizon Grant – SBCA is anticipating the Verizon Grant again this year “Thinkfinity”. News to follow

Fitness Program – in the process of initiating a before school fitness program called BOKs which is sponsored by Reebok to begin early spring.    More news to follow. 

Junior Achievement –  Members of the board of Junior Achievement would like to volunteer at South Boston Catholic Academy for a second JA in a Day event.  Emily Neil, JA President was very impressed with the school and the feedback received from State Street has been stellar.  This will be a new JA experience and the program they would like to implement is JA More than Money specifically designed for students in grades 3-5.   . This program teaches students about earning, spending, sharing, saving money, and businesses they can start or jobs they can perform to earn money.  There will be a total of 6 lessons.    (State St. visited Gr. 1-6 before Christmas)

Parking -   To help defray school costs, there are preliminary plans being made to offer paid, permit, overnight parking in the school yard. News to follow.

Other – Mrs. Carr has been working w/Archdiocese to identify dates to begin parent info evenings on Academic topics

Financial Update. Balance as of 1.9.2012 is $17,355.   $4,200 of this money is for the community “spirit” fund.  This money is set aside to pay for community building activities throughout the year.   The HSA has made its  1^st installment to Fr. Casey  in the amount $10K.  Additional Fundraising Updates 

• 5k Road Race and Kids fun run – raised $7,800 – CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHELLE & BRYAN!!!!    This is an increase of  over 40% from what was raised at last year’s road race.   This figure also does not include the money that was also made from the sale of raffle tickets for the Christmas Baskets for the teachers’ bonuses!!!
• Fun was had by all at Pizza with Santa.    A very big Thank You to Kat  Hogan for coordinating the event ,  Stacey Tirabassi for taking the pictures, Santa,  and all the volunteers that made the event such a great day.  

Other Fundraising Activities:

Coupon Books – ($25) will be available for sale in the office throughout the school year.  They make for a great gift.   Christmas is now over, but Valentine’s Day is right around the corner!!!!!   The coupons are good through December, 2012.      Stop by the office to have a look.  The school will make 50% of the profit sold. 

$1000 Club Tickets – If the Home and School Association sells all the club tickets, it will raise $13,000 for the school.  Tickets cost $60.  This is another great idea for a gift. If you are interested in purchasing a $1000 club ticket, contact Michelle Hynes*.

Community Building Programs:    

1. FAMILY BINGO -  Friday, January 13^th, 6:30 – 8:00 – $5.00 fee  (prizes) (Pizza and water will be available)  – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
2. SAVE THE DATE:   Family Fitness  –  Friday, February 10, 2012 at 6:30

Parents’ Community Building: –   Plans are in the works for a parents get together in early March just for fun –  Preliminary plans for the meeting place will be Amrhein’s (they have shuttle service) and the tentative date is either  March 1^st or March 8^th.  

Survey Updates: 

• Curriculum Night Survey:  A survey was posted on SBCA facebook page and a link was included in the weekly email communication to parent looking for feedback on what type of information they would like to learn about and in what format they’d like to receive this information – e.g  meetings at the school, online presentations, etc.   The top 4 topics in order of interest:
  • Goals/Standards for each grade level and student assessment
  • Core Curriculum
  • Advanced Placement/Enrichment Programs
  • Preparation for post 6^th grade (ISEE)

Email and the web site are preferred vehicles for receiving communications.

At this time, discussions are ongoing to formulate a presentation  on the above subjects, and to determine what date and times would work best  to give the presentation to the parents.      

Facebook – There were discussions on whether or not we should use Facebook as another means for communication between the parents in the format as a “Blog”.     It was decided that a “Blog” will be created.  The posts to the blog are to be monitored. 

Volunteer Leads Needed:  Many of the wonderful parents of South Boston Catholic Academy who have been taken lead on planning some of our major fundraisers for the past few years will be stepping down in these roles at the end of the school year.    The HSA board is looking for volunteers to take on these positions.  Descriptions of each of the vacant roles and will sent home in the school information packet.    Here are some of the positions that will be vacant.

• Pizza With Santa – Katherine Hogan has done a wonderful job managing this community building event over the past few years.   If anyone is interested in taking lead on this event, please contact one of the HSA board members. 
• Golf Tournament   -
• Room Rep Leader – Patty Donovan will be finishing up her role as Room Rep leader at the end of school year.  She has done a fantastic job!   She is responsible for the  teachers breakfast, the scholastic book fair week, and organizes the Christmas baskets for the teachers bonus.  
• Home and School Association Board – looking for volunteers to fill positions.  These positions are 2 year commitments.

*Michelle Hynes,  minniehynes@comcast.net; Amy Burkart, amyharmanburkart@gmail.com; Alissa Long,  alissa_long@hotmail.com; Donna Potember, donna.potember@db.com; Tricia Harnan,  t.harnan@verizon.net

Next Meeting:   February 6, 2012 at 8:30.

Minutes from Home and School Association Meeting –12.3.2011

1)      Financial Update:  Balance as of 11.30.2011 is $15,500.   $3500 of this money is for the community “spirit” fund.  This money is set aside to pay for community building activities throughout the year.   The HSA will make its 1^st installment to SBCA in the amount $10K.  Additional Fundraising Updates 

• Yankee Candle Sale – $10K
• Autumn Affair – $15K
• 5k Road Race and Kids fun run – estimated to raise $6K

2)     Fundraising Activities:

SBCA Road Race;   The Road Race was a huge success with over 400 runners coming out to participate in the races.   

Coupon Books – ($25) will be available for sale in the office throughout the school year.  They make for a great gift.    Stop by the office to have a look.  The school will make 50% of the profit sold. 

$1000 Club Tickets – If the Home and School Association sells all the club tickets, it will raise $13,000 for the school.  Tickets cost $60.  This is another great idea for a gift. If you are interested in purchasing a $1000 club ticket, contact Michelle Hynes*.

3)      Community Building Programs:    Save the Date:   Family Bingo – January 13, 2012

4)      Surveys Update: 

• Fundraising Survey    The HSA sent home a survey to parents in the information packet to get feedback on whether parents wanted fundraising activities to defray the cost of tuition, or to do away with fundraising and increase tuition.  There was an overwhelming response to continue with the fundraising activities.     Moving forward all parents will be required to participate in 1 of the 4 major fundraisers run by the HSA.  The HSA board with assistance from Mrs. Carr will be looking at ways to monitor participation in fundraising activities.

• Curriculum Night Survey:  A survey was posted on SBCA facebook page and a link was included in the weekly email communication to parent looking for feedback on what type of information they would like to learn about and in what format they’d like to receive this information – e.g  meetings at the school, online presentations, etc.   The top 4 topics in order of interest:
  • Goals/Standards for each grade level and student assessment
  • Core Curriculum
  • Advanced Placement/Enrichment Programs
  • Preparation for post 6^th grade (ISEE)
  • Email and the web site are preferred vehicles for receiving communications.   

Next Steps:  Scheduling a couple of meetings to inform parents on the top 4 topics of interest beginning in January, 2012.

5)      Next HSA Meeting Scheduled for January 10th. 6:30PM: Discuss 2012 Volunteer Positions

Volunteer Leads Needed Many of the wonderful parents of South Boston Catholic Academy who have been taken lead on planning some of our major fundraisers for the past few years will be stepping down in these roles at the end of the school year.    The HSA board is looking for volunteers to take on these positions.  Descriptions for each of the vacant roles and will sent home in the school information packet and will be at the HSA meeting.  If you are interested in volunteering, please join us at the meeting on January 10^th.     Below is a list of vacant positions.

• Home and School Association Board – looking for volunteers to fill positions.  These positions are 2 year commitments.  President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
• Volunteer Lead for Pizza With Santa – Katherine Hogan has done a wonderful job managing this community building event over the past few years.   If anyone is interested in taking lead on this event, please contact one of the HSA board members. 
• Volunteer Lead for Golf Tournament   - John Knight and Maureen Murray are currently managing this fundraising.
• Volunteer for Room Rep Leader – Patty Donovan will be finishing up her role as Room Rep leader at the end of school year.  She has done a fantastic job!   She is responsible for the teachers breakfast and organizes the Christmas baskets for the teachers’ bonus.    And, coordinating with the room reps for each grade. She will continue helping out with the Scholastic book fair.

*Michelle Hynes,  minniehynes@comcast.net; Amy Burkart, amyharmanburkart@gmail.com; Alissa Long,  alissa_long@hotmail.com; Donna Potember, donna.potember@db.com; Tricia Harnan,  t.harnan@verizon.net

The 2011 Autumn Affair will take place on Thursday November 3rd. The event will take place at Florian Hall from 7:  pm-11:00p.m.

Ticket Information:

Tickets to the Autumn Affair are $25.00 each and can be purchased online by clicking the Buy Now button below.

Autumn Affair Ad Book Order Form, Silent Auction &Giving Tree Donation Form

Admission and Raffle Ticket Orders

Minutes from Home and School Association Meeting – July, 2011

Communication Update:    South Boston Catholic Home and School has started a Facebook account.  So, if you are on Facebook “Like Us’.   The Home and School Association will use this as another way to communicate with family and friends of South Boston Catholic Academy.

2010-2011 Fundraising Update  - The Home and School Association is proud to report that the fundraising goal of 40K goal was achieved.  Thank you to all who helped us reach the goal!  The final 2 major fundraisers of the year were;

• The Walkathon, which was held in May, raised $9K
• Golf Tournament , which was held on June 9^th, raised $17K

 2011-2012 Fundraising Update:   The Home and School Association has been given the goal of raising $70K in the coming school year. 

Given the past success with the 4 major fundraisers, we have decided to continue them in 2011/12. Mark your calendars!

• Yankee Candle Sale –September, 2011
• 5k Road Race and Kids fun run – December 3, 2011
• Walkathon – May, 2012
• Golf Tournament – May 2012

Other Fundraising Activities 

Save the Date:  Autumn Affair/Reunion 2011 will be held on Thursday, November 3^rd. 7pm-10pm.  Spread the word….  this is a night to bring together alumni from St Brigid’s School and Gate Heaven School along with family and friends of South Boston Catholic Academy.  Entertainment will be provided by The Thomas Park Band.    There will be a silent auction, along with a 50/50 cash raffle – selling 200 tickets for $100 and winner will take home $10,000.  Anyone interested in getting involved in planning this event,  please contact any of the HSA Board members*.

Coupon Books – ($25) will be available for sale in the office throughout the school year.  They make for a great gift.    Stop by the office to have a look.  The school will make 50% of the profit sold. 

$1000 Club Tickets – If the Home and School Association sells all the club tickets, it will raise $13,000 for the school.  Tickets cost $60.  This is another great idea for a gift. If you are interested in purchasing a $1000 club ticket, contact Michelle Hynes*.

Back to School Update; Save the Dates

• September 7^th – Pre-k – K1 open house
• September 13^th – K2-Grade 6 open house
• September 15^th – ice cream social – 2:30 – 5:30pm
• December 7^th – Christmas Concert

Community Building Programs Given the success of the kids programs in 2010/2011, we will continue to offer programs throughout the school year.  These programs are designed to bring our school community together for some fun.  Below is a preliminary schedule of what’s planned.

• Halloween Party – October 21, 2011
• Pizza with Santa – December  2011
• Family Bingo – January, 2012
• Family Fitness Night – February, 2012
• Family Bingo – March, 2012

*Michelle Hynes,  minniehynes@comcast.net; Amy Burkart, amyharmanburkart@gmail.com; Alissa Long,  alissa_long@hotmail.com; Donna Potember, donna.potember@db.com; Tricia Harnan,  t.harnan@verizon.net

South Boston Catholic Academy Home and School Association Meeting – 5.11.11

Michelle Hynes, President of the Home and School Association opened the meeting by reviewing the agenda items for discussion.  There were 9 parents that attended this month’s meeting including Meghan Brown, VP, Alisa Long, Treasurer, Donna Potember, Co-Secretary and Tricia Harnan, Co-Secretary.

Finance Update: Alisa Long, Treasurer, gave an update of the current financial status of HSA.  There is $12k in the account.  The HAS will make a 2^nd contribution in the amount of $6k to South Boston Catholic Academy.

No Cost FundraisingThe Box top contest is going on right now.   This will be the last one for the school year.   An announcement went home in the children’s information packet on Wednesday, May 11^th.  The contest ends of May 31^st.

Walk-a-thon   - May 26^th 5pm  Raffle tickets will be sold at the Spring Concert on May 18^th and they were also sold during Grandparents day.   The winner of the raffles will be announced at the Walkathon.  The goal for this year’s Walkathon is $11K.

• Volunteers: Thank you to all who have signed up to volunteer – the count is at 32 volunteers.  Great response!!
• Registration begins at 5pm on the 26^th of May and the walk will begin promptly at 6pm.
• An  Ipad or  a monetary gift will be given to the student who raises the most $ for the walk!

Golf Tournament:   Thursday, June 9^th at George Wright Golf Course in West Roxbury.   

• Win a Car with a Hole in One
• Raffle items are coming in from local merchants
• Water bottles have been donated for the golfers gift bag

Planning for 2011-2012   The school has requested that the HSA increase the amount of $ raised for 2011/12 school year to $70K.   Several ideas were put forth for fundraising activities in addition to the 4 major fundraisers the HSA runs.   New Ideas – Coupon Books, Carnival and Autumn Affair like event.  The committee is going to research the ideas and determine which ones would be best to pursue.

Already planned fundraisers for 2011/12 school year are:

• Yankee Candle– Goal to Raise $9k
• Road Race – Goal $5K
• Walkathon – $11K
• Golf Tournament – $12K

VP of Home and School Association – Position available.    A note will go out via email and in the children’s communication folder, announcing the recruitment for a new VP.  If anyone is interested, please contact Michelle Hynes.

Meeting Concluded: 

We will reconvene meetings in September, 2011.

 Pre-School to Grade 6

Did You Know?

• We are fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
• We offer Before and After School Programs
• We have a high acceptance rate to prestigious private and public exam schools
• We offer Full and Half Day pre-school options beginning at age 3
• All classrooms Grades 1 through 8 are equipped with interactive white boards
• We offer Physical Education, Art, Technology, Spanish and Music class
• We offer a Hot Lunch program
• We offer Choir, Computer, Drama, Dance, Homework Help and Student Council along with other enrichment clubs
• We are part of the South Shore Parochial School Basketball League – Boys and Girls

866 East Broadway • South Boston, MA 02127

Call us Today at 617-268-2326 to schedule a visit!

Gym Usage Policy Letter

Gym Key Request Form 

Gym_Rental_Contract

2010-2011 Student Handbook

We have added the student handbook for the 2010-2011 school year.  Students and parents are welcome to download it now on our web site.

Please know we also appreciate and encourage your ideas for growing our school’s offerings and infrastructure. This year’s survey found that a number of you hope to see South Boston Catholic Academy grow our technology and roll out new enrichment programs and clubs. These requests will be folded into our summer planning. We will work throughout the summer to deliver on these items in the fall.

Many of our faculty are participating in professional development workshops this summer. These workshops are concentrating on improving the writing ability of all our students and enhancing our math and science curriculum.
The 2010-2011 school year begins on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. Be sure to check our websitehttp://www.sbcatholicacademy.org for updates over the summer. Our summer office hours are Monday-Thursday, 8-12 noon. I encourage you to call or email me with any questions or concerns over the summer months. Enclosed is a copy of the South Boston Catholic Academy uniform policy.