Frequently Asked Questions for New Parents
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Frequently Asked Questions For New Parents
Q. Who provides lunch for the students and how do I pay for it?
A. L & L Catering provides hot lunches. Please click on Lunch program for more info.
Q. Where should I pick up my child from after care?
A. At the school office. The cost for after care is not included in tuition.
Q. Why should I check the school website?
A. The school website is the best way to stay informed regarding school events. You will find news about each teacher and classroom, special notices from the principal, copies of the school and parish newsletters, and much more.
Q. How many volunteer/service hours do I need?
A. Twenty hours per family. Please note: You must take the Ethics & Integrity Ministry (EIM) Basic Workshop to be eligible to volunteer at the school. For more information visit: www.austindiocese.org. You must take an EIM workshop every three years (either the basic course or the refresher).
Q. Is there a complete list of all volunteer opportunities?
A. Yes, this is the most comprehensive list available:
· Participating in class yard clean up
· Transporting students for class field trips
· Assisting in the classroom at a teacher’s request- classroom party volunteers/chaperones
· Homeroom Parent
· PTO – board member, attend meetings
· Bobcat Booster Club (BBC) – officer, work volleyball/basketball games/concessions, sales
· Write, edit, and publish Illuminations newsletter
· Stuffing Wednesday envelopes (takes about an hour)
Mardi Gras Committee
· Bobcat Fun Run Committee
· Fall Fest – committee member, booth volunteer
· Halloween Carnival – booth volunteer, set up, cleanup
· Field Day Committee – help with the games, setup, chaperone
· Catholic Schools Week Open House Committee
· Staff appreciation week – volunteer in the classrooms while teachers are at lunch
· School Advisory Board
· Sr. Kenneth’s Garden of Hope – maintain during the summer
· Uniform exchange – collect uniform donations, sell/exchange uniforms
· Book Fair – set up, cash register, clean up
· Fine Arts Committee/Talent show
· PSIA – coach, sponsor
· Middle School Dances – chaperone
· Alumni Committee
Technology Team
Cheerleading, Pep Squad – sponsor/volunteer
PALS committee
Grant Writing/Development Committee
· Vacation Bible School
These are established and well-recognized school activities, however, there are always additional ways to volunteer and earn service hours. Inquire at the school office, ask your parent buddy (if you have one), consult your child’s teacher, and check our school email newsletter Bobcat Tracks for additional opportunities.
Q. How do I keep track of my service hours?
A. Log your service hours on RenWeb. This is where the school administration tracks the number of service hours of each family and reports them to the parish.
Q. What is RenWeb?
A. RenWeb is the online database that provides data sharing school-wide. It automates school administration, classroom management, and communication between our school and your family. RenWeb contains information regarding your child’s classes, current grades, lesson plans, upcoming events, and contact information for teachers, administrators, and other families.
Q. How do I log my service hours in RenWeb?
A. After you log onto RenWeb, click the Family Information button on the left side of the page (under the School Information and Student Information buttons).
On the right side of the page, your family's information will appear in a My Profiles box, i.e., your name, your spouse's name, and your child's name.
Click on your name to highlight it. Your info will appear in the box just to the right of your names and will offer three tabs:
- Contact Info
- Service Hours
- Preferences
Click on the Service Hours tab, click the Add Service Hours option, and add your hours. You can only add one event at a time (admittedly, a cumbersome process), but once you're up-to-date, it will become easier to manage and enter your service hours.
Q. What is yard clean up?
A. At the beginning of the school year, each class is assigned a specific Saturday morning of the month to clean up the school grounds. Families pick up trash, leaves, etc. and participating students are rewarded with a one-day out of uniform pass. Please consult Bobcat Tracks or your homeroom parent for your scheduled Saturday.
Q. What do students wear on Mass day?
A. All-School Mass is every Friday at 8:15 am in the church (unless we observe a Holy Day of Obligation earlier in the week). For all Mass days, girl students are required to wear white uniform shirts and uniform skirt or jumper. Boy students are required to wear white uniform shirts and long navy uniform pants. Shorts are not allowed. If Friday is a school holiday, Mass will either be rescheduled or cancelled for the week.
Q. What is a Mass Buddy?
A. Each student in Pre-K3 through 1st Grade is assigned a corresponding student in the 5th - 8th Grade who sits alongside them at Friday All-School 8:15am Mass. The older students serve as mentors, both demonstrating and advising on proper Mass behavior. It is customary (though not required) for Mass buddies to exchange small gifts at Christmas and at year’s end. Parents and other family members are welcome (and strongly encouraged) to attend all-school Masses as students are allowed to sit with their parents/families.
Q. What is Spirit Wear Monday?
A. On Mondays, students, faculty, and staff may wear blue jeans (pants only, no shorts) with a St. Ignatius school sanctioned t-shirt. Examples include BBC spirit gear and team wear, PTO school seal shirt, Bobcat Fun Run or Fall Fest shirts. Students may also wear the t-shirt with uniform shorts or skirt. There is no spirit wear day if a holiday falls on Monday. The BBC, PTO, and Fall Fest will all offer T-shirts for sale during orientation.
Q. What is PTO?
A. The St. Ignatius Parent-Teacher Organization meets bi-monthly on a Tuesday evening. Dinner is available to purchase beginning at 6pm followed by the 6:30 pm meeting. Each class is assigned to host a PTO meeting and your homeroom parents will request volunteers to help serve the meal. The PTO provides the main course. In addition to serving the meal, the host class is responsible for providing desserts, soda, and water.
Q. What is the BBC?
A. The Bobcat Booster Club is the school’s official athletic organization representing the Bobcat Nation. Through spirit gear sales (t-shirts, school seal sweatshirts, St. I baseball caps and window decals) team practice gear sales, volleyball & basketball game concession sales, and Friday lunch time St. Ice Cream sales, the BBC raises funds to outfit our varsity athletic teams with professional uniforms and equipment like the scorer’s table, electronic scoreboard, and volleyball net system. The BBC also hosts an annual Academic/Athletic Awards Banquet. If your child participates in varsity athletics (5 th-8 th grade), you are already a member of the BBC. However, you are not required to have a son or daughter in varsity athletics to volunteer. The BBC welcomes all parents (with children in any grade) who want to volunteer. Contact BBC president Stephanie Hernandez for details.
Q. What is the St. I Academic/Athletic Awards Ceremony?
A. Hosted by the BBC, this annual spring ceremony is held in the Family Center (gym) to recognize 4 th -8 th grade scholars and all varsity athletes. Honored students receive an invitation to the ceremony, while parents and family members must purchase a ticket. The event features two 8 th grade student speakers and a distinguished alumni guest speaker.
Q. What is Fall Fest?
A. An annual outdoor carnival held each fall in the parish parking lot, Fall Fest features game booths, bingo, a raffle, pony rides, live music, barbeque dinner, and other delights. It is also the primary fundraiser for our parish. As a ministry of the church, our school takes a leading role in Fall Fest. Each class staffs a game booth and all school families are encouraged to volunteer, sell raffle tickets, buy Fall Fest t-shirts, and enjoy a great day with our whole St. Ignatius parish community.
Q. What is the Halloween Carnival?
A. Held in the Family Center, the Halloween Carnival is an exciting fundraiser for the PTO and 8 th grade. Each grade is assigned a game booth and is responsible for building and equipping it, assembling it prior to the carnival, staffing it during the carnival, and disassembling the booth after the carnival. The PTO awards prizes for the best booths.
Q. What are Box Tops for education?
A. Specific brands of food (for example, General Mills) have a Box Top on the package that can be turned in for money. Each box top coupon is worth 10 cents for our school. So please start saving them today. For more information, visit www.boxtops4education.com/
Q. How much money is each family required to fundraise for the school and how do I do it?
A. Each family is contractually obligated to raise $300. You can do it by collecting pledges for the Bobcat Fun Run, securing sponsorships for the Mardi Gras Gala, donating to the Annual Fund, or writing a check to the school.
Q. What is the Mardi Gras Gala?
This is how we kick off the Lenten season in Feb or March at St. I! Mardi Gras Masquerade is a fundraising, semi-formal masquerade ball in the grand tradition of Bourbon Street festivities. Held late February or early March in an elegant hotel banquet room, the Masquerade brings New Orleans-style cuisine, spirits, live & silent auctions, and down home live R&B music to the parents of St. Ignatius School. You’ll want to buy a table and bring your friends. Laissez les bon temps roule!
Q. What is the Bobcat Fun Run?
A. In the school’s fundraising triad, the Bobcat Fun Run is the granddaddy of them all! Over the past years, this annual fundraiser has raised over $70,000 each year. Beginning in January (or earlier if so desired) each student, armed with a pledge sheet, requests donations from friends, family, or neighbors to sponsor their run. Rather than asking for pledges per lap, we ask students to simply secure a set donation. The day of the race, our campus transforms into a running track, and this event becomes one of the biggest highlights of an exciting school year! Awards are given to top fundraisers, runners, and more. You will receive more information about this year’s Bobcat Fun Run in January.
Q. What is Field Day?
A. This is not a fundraiser, just a delightful Junior Olympics-style competition for all students. Held in late May and hosted by the athletic department, Field Day is the exclamation point to a fun-filled school year. PreK3, PreK4, and Kindergarten class events are held on one day and the 1 st-8 th Grades compete the next day. Your child is assigned a team and a team color. On their field day, please send them to school in comfortable athletic wear bearing the team’s color. In the spring, you will receive more information regarding events and requirements for Field Day.