Parent Information

Parent Participation Program Information and Guidelines 2006 - 2007
Dear Gloria Dei Family,

One of the outstanding features of Gloria Dei Lutheran School is that we place a high priority on Parent/Family Participation. We believe that having families on campus working with and for students creates a richer environment for the entire Gloria Dei Community. Experience shows that your participation and presence make a tremendous difference in your child's education. With your commitment, students learn a strong sense of value for their education. For this reason it is essential that everyone has a clear understanding of the program requirements and the help that is available to you as parents. Our goal is to make every family aware of the multitude of varied opportunities for involvement, the deadlines to be met, and my willingness to help you get it done! You can now communicate with us by email, please remember to include your email address on your form.

Required Parent Participation Hours
Two-parent family - 40 hours per year (May 2, 2006 - May 1, 2007) Single-parent family - 20 hours per year (May 2, 2006 - May 1, 2007)

Your annual status as a single- or two-parent household is determined by your household status at the time of registration (or on May 2nd for continuing families). Please consult page seven (7) of your Parent~Student Handbook to determine your qualification status. The intent of this policy is to provide single parents with a certain amount of relief from time constraints that they would otherwise share.
The qualifying "year" for earned hours is May 2nd of one year to May 1st of the following year. Although this seems unusual to new school families, it provides valuable opportunities toward the end of the year and throughout summer to meet the requirements in a full calendar year rather than limiting families to the 9-month school year. May 1st is the final day to complete parent hours for the current school year. All parent hour forms are due at this time but will not be accepted after May 5th. Accounts not credited with the required hours by this deadline will be billed at $10 per hour for unfinished hours (for example: If a two-parent family completes only 35 of the required 40 hours, they would be billed $50 for the remaining 5 hours). Balance of billed hours must be paid no later than last day of school.

Who May Contribute?
Parents, guardians, grandparents and older siblings are the primary source of completing parent hours for your family. If you have relatives or friends who do not also have children at Gloria Dei, they are eligible to complete parent hours for your family. It is never permissible to transfer hours from one school family to another, related or not.

Opportunities "Opportunities" for participation will always be announced on the bulletin board outside the school office, in the monthly newsletter, and in special mailings or announcements sent home with your child. As this is a contractual agreement, you are ultimately responsible for the completion of hours and being aware of what opportunities are available. I do not "assign" jobs - you will need to find jobs to complete your hours. Please call me any time if you have questions about your hours! The enclosed Parent Participation Hours Guidelines form gives a list of some opportunities to participate and suggestions to keep the process simple. Keep it posted as a reminder! Parents are encouraged to call me in the office for ideas or more information!

The Forms

A Parent Participation Hours form is available in the office. You may take several blanks to keep at home. Please post your hours to this form! There is a Parent Participation Hours box in the school office or you may fax completed forms to the school office at (916) 428-2766. There is an "after hours" mail slot in the back door of the school office. Always put your name on the forms and make a copy before turning them in to the office! Teachers are not responsible for lost or misdirected forms and we do not make copies when you turn them in. The Parent Participation Hours Guidelines form includes an "interest" sheet on the back that gives me information to add to our database so interested volunteers can be contacted for events. I've discovered that our school is blessed with many talented parents/families! Feel free to hand write any special skills or talents that may not be listed! Please fill out the form, keep a copy, and return the original to me right away.
Always feel free to call or e-mail me with any questions/concerns, or leave a message on my voice mail at school. (916) 428-1127 ext. 225 or slittle@gloriadeilutheranschool.org.