St. Michaels Academy- Grades K thru 8 Fernandina Beach Florida

St. Michael Academy

228 North Fourth Street

Fernandina Beach, Fl 32034

904- 321-2102

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

2008 – 2009 PTA (PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION) OFFICERS

President Lori Branigan

Vice President Sherri Braeger

Secretary Linda Gooch

Treasurer Kim Sheppard

School Liaison Lorie Bukovskey

2008-2009 PTA MEETINGS

An active PTA is vital to the life of any school. The parent organization should be concerned with providing the administration and faculty of the school with support, encouragement and gratitude for assuming the task of formalized education. In the left column are all areas pertaining to PTA Goals, Meetings, hours and much more.

SERVICE HOURS
Each family of St. Michael Academy with a child/children in our school is required to give a minimum of 24 hours of service to the school and PTA. Our school program has been successful because so many of our parents are very loyal and dedicated to St. Michael's Academy and serve in many capacities.

An accurate record will be kept of service hours.
Hours can be made up in the following ways:

SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS - SIGN IN
When assisting in school, for security reasons, please enter the main entrance and sign in at the office before going to any classroom. Likewise, volunteers not regularly assigned to assist the teacher (lunch duty, library, hot lunch program, etc.) should report to the office before reporting to the teacher they are working with for the day. Volunteers should make arrangements with the teacher ahead of time.
A notebook is available at the front office in which you will sign in and sign out.
**All school volunteers who are new to the school must have a fingerprint card on file. Therefore, fingerprinting is required.

ROOM PARENTS
Every class has two or more "Room Parents", volunteers who serve as coordinators for that particular grade level, and assist in a variety of school activities. They may help organize a class party or field trip, assist in providing refreshments or transportation, or help in contacting other families of students in that grade when necessary information must be circulated quickly.

TEACHERS' AIDES
Our volunteer teachers' aide program is a very important part of St. Michael's Academy. Our teachers depend on their aides coming faithfully each week. The students also look forward to your coming. If for some reason you are unable to come (i.e., sickness or going out of town), please call the school so that the teacher can be informed of your absence for that day. Since you are working as an aide, we ask that you dress appropriately. The students do look up to you as authority and, therefore, you should dress accordingly. Some of the jobs you will be doing are:

FIELD TRIPS
Field trips are educational and will be arranged by the faculty throughout the year. Written permission to participate in the field trip will always be requested from parents before a child will be allowed to go with the group. A nominal charge may be assessed for each field trip. No parents should take students any place other than the designated place (e.g., for ice cream).
Drivers' licenses and insurance cards for volunteer drivers must be on file.
Parents may not be a volunteer driver when accompanied by younger siblings in the family. You may drive separately and meet your child's class at the destination. This is for security of the school children being watched by chaperones.

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)

The PTA exists:

The PTA is also concerned with providing parents with mutual support and encouragement in their God-given parenting role. The Association should be viewed as an organization dedicated to promoting home and school experience that complements, reinforces and supports one another so that every child is given the best possible witness and preparation for life's experiences. Meetings will be held regularly throughout the school year, and a minimal membership fee of $10.00 per family is required at the beginning of each year. This fee is used for speaker's fees, etc. during the school year. We are asking for your support in attending meetings and in helping with PTA sponsored activities. During the course of the year the PTA will be actively involved in the activities and meetings listed above. The Parent Teacher Association will begin in September. All guidelines for setting up a Parent Teacher Association will be taken from the National Catholic Education Association manual for Parent Teacher Associations.

MISSION STATEMENT

Build Faith . . .
St. Michael Academy strives to pass on and deepen faith in our children in
a Christ-centered educational environment.

Build Hearts . . .
St. Michael Academy nurtures love and mutual respect
among students, teachers, parents, and all who support our school
family, in order to spread the message of Jesus Christ in our homes,
our community, and our world.

Build Minds . . .
St. Michael Academy seeks to cultivate the intellectual development of
the minds of our students in accordance with Catholic values and to
create motivated, lifelong learners.

Build Bodies . . .
St. Michael Academy works to promote healthy lifestyle choices and fitness
through health and physical education and to provide opportunities for
physical development through curricular and extra-curricular
physical activities.

GOALS

To develop within the school a religious education program based on theology, scripture and liturgical experience that will help us guide each child in the growth and development of a Christian way of life.
To facilitate the intellectual, physical, emotional and social development of each child according to individual potentialities and the need for a positive self image.
To guide each child to emerge as a self-disciplined, self-reliant, socially conscious witness of Jesus.
To provide appropriate aspects of divergent instructional strategies such as flexible grouping, departmentalized classes and other opportunities for creativity, inquiry and discovery in learning.
To promote an awareness and appreciation of the important role each individual plays as a member of the global community.

PHILOSOPHY OF ST. MICHAEL ACADEMY

We believe that each child, created by God, is both alike and unique from every other human being. This uniqueness affects each child's acceptance and responsibility toward the school community, and it especially influences each one's learning styles.

In the light of similarities and differences among students, we strive to meet the academic needs, to satisfy the interests, and to develop the abilities of each child.

Further and foremost, our school teaches what it means to be a Catholic, to model one's life on Jesus Christ with the duties and responsibilities involved in living out His message, and with the joy and peace that flows from such fidelity.

We believe that the distinctive purpose of St. Michael Academy is to create a Christian Educational Community where human culture and knowledge, enlightened and enlivened by faith, is shared among teachers, students, families and others who are in our global community