Letter to Parents
Dear St. Leo’s Families,
Welcome everyone to the 2009-2010 school year! When you arrive at Open House on August 28, 2009, you’ll find some wonderful changes have occurred over the summer months. Some of the changes you will be able to see right away, while some will be seen as the school year moves on.
As Mr. DiPippa mentioned in his letter, the Art Room has a new look. The PTO is very proud to have been able to help with the make-over by funding the new sink and counter. Also make sure you “bask in the glow” – literally – of our new lighted sign! Many thanks to past PTO presidents Joanne DeMarco for getting the ball rolling and Mary Beth Crosson for completing the project. Great work, ladies!
We will be continuing the “Parent Participation Program”, which involves encouraged volunteer hours for all school families. Currently about half of the 37 schools within the Arlington Diocese have required volunteer hours plans in place. Here at Saint Leo’s, the number of parents willing to assist as volunteers during the school day, afterschool and even on weekends has dwindled greatly. While we realize that demands on parents both at home and work have increased, the need for volunteers is still very great. Spreading the volunteer duties among all families will reduce the stress put upon those who, out of necessity, are called upon to volunteer frequently.
We have looked at all positions and tasks within school that require volunteers, and have tried to determine how many total volunteer hours our school needs. The total number was then divided by the number of school families to come up with 20 volunteer hours required per family for the year. Those in single parent situations are required to provide 10 hours of volunteer service for the year. The attached “Parent Participation Policy” provides information on the sign-up process and other aspects of the program.
There are numerous volunteer positions that will fulfill a family’s obligation for the school year. Please see the list of volunteer opportunities in the pages that follow. Please complete the Volunteer Sign-up Form and bring it with you to Open House.
It is important that all volunteers are in compliance with the Arlington Diocese policy on protection of our children, Virtus – Protecting God’s Children. This program was started in June 2004 with the focus being protection of our children. Please see the page describing the Virtus program in this packet.
The on-line program we used to register for volunteer opportunities last year did not work out well. We will be going back to paper tracking for now until we can implement a better system.
The PTO has a busy calendar of events planned for this year. Family Fun Night and Quiz Bowl are returning favorites, and we’re planning the return of the Family Fun Run. We also are looking into starting up some new events: a Sock Hop in September, a Casino Night in January and a Family Carnival this Spring. See the Calendar of Events below and watch for announcements for PTO Events throughout the year.
The PTO is also sponsoring Cultural Events for our students again this year. A large part of the PTO budget supports these additional learning opportunities for our kids. This year’s event schedule includes the Virginia Opera, a hip hop performance, a "Science Show", Math Magic and a Marine quartet. See the School Calendar at the St. Leo’s web site (www.saintleothegreatschool.org under “Calendars”) for the dates for each event.
The forms included in this packet will also be available at Open House on August 28. There will also be interest sheets for extra-curricular activities available to our students. For those activities that have limited space available, students will have the opportunity to sign-up during the first weeks of school and will not need to be at Open House.
Finally, I want to encourage you to get involved. The PTO By-Laws state:
The purpose of the PTO is to promote the advancement of Catholic education and the welfare of the children of St. Leo School. It will enhance the roles of parents and teachers in the education of the child by increasing their knowledge of education and its processes; by increasing their mutual understanding of children; and by providing an opportunity for parents and teachers to work together for the good of the children and the school.
The PTO is also a sounding board for your ideas and concerns:
The PTO shall serve as a forum for the discussion of issues related to St. Leo School that are of interest to the membership of the PTO. The PTO will function as a vehicle for the organized expression of opinions and recommendations related to St. Leo School that the membership wishes to convey to the appropriate authority.
So bring it on. You can only get out of the PTO what you put into it. While “Garbage In, Garbage Out” may be a truism, its converse – “Gold In, Gold Out” – is also something we can count on. Send your suggestions or concerns to the email address below and they’ll go on the agenda for our next PTO Board meeting.
Here’s to a great school year for you and your families, filled with learning, fun and fellowship!
Sincerely,
Larry McGrail, PTO President
saintleopto@saintleothegreatschool.org