FINANCIAL & SERVICE OBLIGATIONS
Tuition
Tuition rates are reviewed by the School Council and set each December for the following school year. Tuition agreements are based on 9, 10, 11 or 12-month payment plans.
It is the policy of St. Peter’s Prince of Apostles School to manage tuition accounts in a fair, just and timely manner in order to ensure the financial well being of the school.
· Payment is due the 1st of each month beginning in June, July, August or September through May
· Payment may be mailed or brought to a school office by a parent/guardian
· Use blue or black ink when paying by check. A NSF fee of $35 is charged when required. After three (3) NSF charges for any financial transaction with the school within a fiscal year (July 1-June 30) a family will be required to make all payments with a money order or cashiers check
· VISA, MasterCard and Discover is accepted for tuition payments. Credit cards are presented in person and are not subject to refunds
· For your convenience, your checking or savings account can be debited each month. See the Account Manager for easy set up procedures
· When tuition is not into the School Accounts Office by the end of the school day on the 5th day of the month, a $35 late fee is added and invoiced to the home address. (If the 5th day falls on a weekend, the next business day applies.) When necessary, a second invoice with an additional late fee of $35 is mailed to the home address
· Access to RenWeb, Report Cards and Records is removed when financial obligations are not met
· Student(s) are withdrawn from St. Peter’s School on the first day of the second month that tuition is not paid or if a written payment agreement has not been made; re-enrollment charges will apply in addition to late fees
· Diplomas, grades, transcripts, and report cards are released only after all payments are made
· When a family experiences unusual or unforeseen circumstance it is appropriate to call the Accounts Manager before the 3rd of the month; generally tuition assistance or special arrangements can be made
· Both the Archdiocese of San Antonio and St. Peter’s School do have limited funds for tuition assistance to families in need or to families who experience a crisis situation. In addition, the Parish grants one full tuition scholarship to a Middle School applicant each school year through the Msgr. Pugh Scholarship fund.
The following criteria are necessary to qualify and maintain Parish (discounted) Tuition Rates:
v Registration and active participation as a member of St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Parish for at least 3 or more months
v Stewardship participation is at least $50 monthly, payable to St. Peter’s Church. Check, church envelopes (marked with account number), bank draft or credit cards are accepted
v If regular contributions cease, Parish Tuition payment will revert back to St. Peter’s School Regular Tuition Rate. (Membership in the Parish is not affected.)
v When a discount for “Parish Tuition Rates” is selected, no other discounts apply (e.g. BrainPower discount).
After the eligibility requirements set by the Parish have been met, application for Parish Tuition Rate must be made through the School Accounts Manager. It is the sole responsibility of the family to make this application (no retroactive refunds will be granted). Furthermore, the Parish Tuition Rate will become effective on the first of the month following the school’s receipt of the required information:
1.) A new completed “Parish Tuition” agreement form.
2.) Written approval from the Parish that your family has established eligibility.
A family is notified by the School Accounts Manager when the Parish Tuition Rate has been approved.
After School Care
St. Peter's School offers an After School Program on school days from dismissal of school until 6:00 P.M. St. Peter's School Council is the governing (policy-making) body. The Principal is in charge of the After School Program. A director or co-directors are appointed by the Principal to oversee the operation of the facility, collect payments, and coordinate the program in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth. The Principal and the director hire other staff.
Students registered to attend regularly are provided with a snack and are supervised for activities and some homework/study time. The ASC staff enforces the same standards of conduct required of students during the normal school day. Students are removed from the After School Care program on a temporary or permanent basis for misconduct, failure to follow rules, or disruptive behavior.
All students must be registered for After School Care to cover the potential need for care in an emergency. Registration forms are available at the orientation meetings in August or retrieved from our website at www.stpeterprince.org. Policies, rules, payments etc. are available with registration forms.
Monthly payment is expected on the first day of each month. When payment is not received by the 5th of the month, a $35 late fee is automatically assessed with a statement mailed to the home address. Children may not participate in After School Care until payment is made. All payments may be made with credit cards: VISA, MasterCard or Discover in either office from 7:45 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. or submitted by check with tuition.
Families are charged either a 5pm or 6pm pick-up rate. When a child is picked up after 5 pm on three or more occasions, the student is moved from the 5 pm to the 6 pm rate. When a student is not picked up by 6:00 pm, a charge of $35 per every 10 minute period that day is added. Drop-ins or late pick-up fees are paid on the day they are incurred. When payments are accrued and not paid within a week, a late fee of $35 is assessed. For drop-ins, there is a $10.00 fee per hour or any part of an hour per child. A $35 fee is added for checks returned from the bank for Non-Sufficient-Funds (NSF). Chronic disregard for financial or other After School Care policies requires a conference with the Administration.
Once enrolled in the ASC program, parents have until the 5th of the month to decide on the monthly rate or drop-in rate. Changes must be submitted in writing to the director no later than the 5th of the month; a non-notification fee of $35 is assessed when warranted. When a family using the drop-in rates changes to the monthly rate, the amount already paid is credited to the monthly amount. When a family changes from monthly to drop-in rate or chooses to sit out the entire month, the unused balance is carried forward to the next month. Only one change is permitted each month. Report cards are held at the end of any nine weeks for any unpaid After School Care fees.
Periodically children are dismissed at 12:30. Students (K3-8th) who remain on the campus after 12:40 are sent to the After School Care Program. An early release package is available.
Cafeteria
The priority for our school lunch program is to offer a nutritious re-fueling opportunity for students in a location away from their classroom. All lunches, whether purchased or brought from home or by an adult, are to conform to the national nutritional standards set for school aged children. Eating in the cafeteria is a privilege for all students who can abide by the lunchroom rules. The cafeteria offers hot, nutritious meals from a catering contract negotiated by the school. Prices for these meals are very reasonable; menus are sent home with the students for the next month and pre-ordered and pre-paid to keep the prices low. (See the Cafeteria Monitor for arrangements when an extended illness could warrant application of fees to the next month). Milk is provided for purchase for all students. Soft drinks are prohibited in the lunch room. Students need to eat lunch every day to stay healthy and alert; please notify the Administration if there is a special circumstance warranting exemption. Students are expected to follow noise level instructions and use their “restaurant manners” in the cafeteria. Students are expected to limit their volume to “Partner Voice” as monitors must be able to hear students in distress (e.g. choking or having an allergic reaction to a food item). Fastfood meals are discouraged; healthy options only please.
Change of Mailing or Email Addresses
It is imperative the school be informed of any change of mailing address, phone number(s) and emails. Current emergency information in the case your child is ill or injured is critical.
Custody of Children
St. Peter’s School abides by the provisions of the Buckley Amendment regarding the rights of the non-custodial parents. All court orders are to be on file in the student’s permanent record. In the absence of a court order to the contrary, the school provides a non-custodial parent with access to the academic records and to other school related information regarding the child. A non-custodial parent must give a 24-hour notice of a request. It is the responsibility of the custodial parent to provide the school with an official copy of the court order when a court order specifies no information is to be given to the non-custodial parent or the non-custodial parent may not pick up the child or see the child. All divorced parents are encouraged to provide the school with a copy of the custody section of the divorce decree. Unless otherwise noted only individuals listed on the child’s registration forms are allowed to remove the child from the campus.
Family Service Hours
St. Peter’s PTC administers our Family Service Hours program. This program allows parents of our school children to stay active in their child(ren)’s school life and encourages participation in activities associated with school (CYO, Scouting, fundraising activities such as the Halloween Carnival, and the parish and school-sponsored Dinner/Dance). Parents are needed to serve as homeroom parents, a volunteer for a day to help with classroom or teacher needs, or even to serve as a cafeteria monitor. Parent involvement helps keep school tuition and fees low and it makes for happier and better disciplined students. This program also helps keep parents aware of their child’s academic life and school happenings, and lends to camaraderie between parents and the staff.
The Family Service Hours program is an extension of the Tiger Spirit program. Tiger Spirit is a school-based program designed to encourage the development and recognition of moral excellence within our student body. One of the most effective ways of achieving this is through role-modeling. The more parents our students observe participating at school, the greater our ability to support the goals of TIGER Spirit: Tolerance, Integrity, Generosity, Empathy, and Responsibility. These two programs go hand-in-hand to reinforce our philosophy of a school community where all are welcome and share in our goals of academic excellence, religious respect, and a reverence for life.
Each St. Peter’s family is required to provide a minimum of 20 service hours. The hours can be served by a parent, grandparent, or a family member who is 18 years of age or older. (The Service hours cannot be earned by St. Peter’s students as the program is specifically designed to encourage a family’s participation in a child’s school activities. St. Peter’s students in grades 4-8 are responsible for their own service hour program). A family’s service hours should be submitted within 30 days of the event, and all hours should be completed by May 1st. Service hour sheets are available from homeroom parents or on our web site at www.stpeterprince.org.
Families who do not complete their service hours are charged a fee of $500. When service hours are not completed and/or the fee is not paid by the first week in June, the family loses its reserved space for the following school year and is not issued report cards or diplomas. In cases of extreme hardship, in which a family feels it cannot fulfill the required service hours, the reason for deferment is submitted to the administration in writing. No grievance or requests for deferment is heard without written submission. All grievances or deferments are decided on a case-by-case basis. All deferments are reviewed again each April 15th to determine continuation or cancellation for the next school year. When the Principal is not able to make a determination, the Pastor is asked to do so.
All sign-up sheets are turned into the St. Peter’s PTC to be logged in or logged in on RenWeb by the family. Parents can pick up these sheets in the school offices or download them from our website. When hours worked are in dispute, the PTC board evaluates any request when submitted in writing. If a decision cannot be reached, the Principal decides the matter.
Each family is notified in early January of their accumulated service hours to facilitate verification. Families are notified again in April if they have not completed their hours. Families who have completed their hours receive no notice. Those families who have not met their requirement of 20 service hours by April 15th are given a list of possible activities to help them complete their hours. Families who have earned “extra hours” cannot ‘roll over’ these hours for the next school year or transfer to another SPS family; donations of items are not accepted in lieu of service. If a parent(s) accepts a payment for any service, they can not use those hours as any part of their family service obligation.
The following commitments are included in the minimum required hours for each family:
•Attendance at a general PTC Meeting (1 hr.)
•All committee, sub-committee and planning meetings (1 hr.) *approved committees only (see list below)
•Volunteer for work in a Halloween Carnival or Dayosa booth, set-up and clean-up (1 hr. per actual hour worked)
*Please note that attending a class party or contributing food for a party does not count as service hours.
• Dinner/Dance Auction (Gala)
•CYO
•Grant Writing Committee, Hospitality Committee, Lunch-services Committee
•Religious Education – volunteer teacher for preparation for the Sacraments
•St. Peter’s School Committees for Special Projects, School Council, PTC
•School Athletics
•Scouting Activities – Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts
Service on the following committees requires a great deal of participation and involvement on behalf of parents. Those serving are required to attend school events and participate in the decisions made to enhance the St. Peter’s school environment. Service hours for active participation on these boards are as follows:
· Officers in good standing (per President’s decision) - 20 hrs.
· Board member on committees – 20 hrs.
· Non-active members (per President’s decision) – 10 hrs.
•Board member in good standing (per president’s decision) – 20 hrs.
•Coach – 20 hrs.
•Asst. Coach – 10 hrs.
•Team Mom – 5 hrs.
Fund Raisers
Tuition is unable to cover the total cost of the quality education offered at St. Peter’s School. The parish and school sponsor fund-raisers to raise money for specific projects. St. Peter's Parish and St. Peter's School partner in fund-raisers to limit the number of fundraisers held. The PTC also coordinates a limited number of school fundraisers. It continues to be important for St. Peter’s School parents to support the fund raising efforts of the school so we can ensure quality programs and services for students. The only fall fundraiser is the Halloween Carnival and each family is required to sell at least $100 in raffle tickets; participation in the spring fundraiser, Denim and Diamonds is greatly appreciated.