Log In to the Parent Participation Portal here
There are many ways to be involved with your STA community. This includes donating your time, talent and treasure. Being involved allows you to:
- Get to know other parents
- Understand how the school operates
- Reduces your parent participation fee
Please read the weekly school newsletter, STA-At-A Glance and visit the parent portal on a regular basis to learn about all parent participation opportunities throughout the year.
Parent Participation Fees
As a member of the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese (CISVA), St. Thomas Aquinas follows the policies outlined by CISVA. Under the CISVA guidelines parents pay a participation fee toward operational costs of the school. The STA Parent Participation Program was developed to provide volunteer opportunities for parents to reduce this fee or earn full credit by engaging in various school events and activities to help offset operational costs.
Credit for Parent Participation
| Number of Students | Parent Participation Full Fee | Volunteer Hours Credit |
| One student at STA | $650 | 60 hours = full credit 6 hours per month = 1 month credit |
| Two or more students | $1,000 | 90 hours = full credit 9 hours per month = 1 month credit |
How It Works
- Members of the Regional Education Committee (REC) manage the program and identify the volunteer activities that qualify for credits on an annual basis
- A Parent Participation fee is collected at the start of the academic year either in full or as monthly preauthorized debit or credit card payment. Credit card payment incurs a transaction fee. Parents can also pay via monthly cheques.
- Full-time positions and part-time opportunities are available throughout the school year.
- Full-time positions earn full credit, but these are limited in number.
- Credits for part time or seasonal positions depend on the type of event and nature of engagement.
- Parents create an account through the Parent Participation Portal
- You can sign up to volunteer for activities/events
- Volunteer credits are managed through this portal
- Credit hours for part time opportunities are applied after the task has been completed and hours have been logged in.
- Contact event/position coordinator to understand if the hours will be automatically registered at the end of the task, or if you must submit hours for “Ad hoc” events.
- “How-to” video tutorials can be found on the Parent Participation Portal.
- Email [email protected]
Volunteer Activities
There are a variety of ways to be involved at STA. These include but are not limited to: baking, bartending, event planning/execution, grant writing, landscaping, photography, trades and more. If you would like to donate your time through a skill, please contact us at [email protected]. Some of the major opportunities are listed below.
1. Cafeteria
- The cafeteria is operated by STA – a paid kitchen manager looks after the day-to-day operations and determines what daily tasks are required by our volunteers. Volunteers must be able to commit to the regular hours, as outlined on the application form. Duties include assisting with food preparation, serving and clean-up. This position operates from September to June on days when the cafeteria is open to students. A lead Cafeteria Coordinator provides a schedule for all participants.
2. School Maintenance
- Maintenance jobs generally involve grounds keeping: grass cutting, leaf collection and weeding. Due to the nature of the work and because the grounds are divided into sections, participation credits are awarded based on the completion of assigned tasks, rather than on an hourly basis. Much of the work is weather dependent, so some assignments need to be completed during the summer months with much less work required in January and February. The lead Maintenance Coordinator provides each participant with a schedule of assigned tasks.
3. Traffic Supervision
- Participants monitor and supervise the front and back crosswalk areas of the school during drop-off and pick-up times. A lead Traffic Coordinator provides a schedule for all participants.
4. Seasonal / Part-time
- There are several events which take place during the school year where parents can earn participation credits. Examples include Annual Fund Walkathon, International Night and more. Full credit is awarded to selected Chairs for some of these events. The Chair positions require previous event specific experience and are awarded at the discretion of the Regional Education Committee and/or the Parent Participation Coordinators