Thursday, February 15, 2007

Thursday Note Home

Dear Visitation Families,

This is an extremely busy time of year for Catholic School Administrators. During this month we must determine a budget for next year so we look at increases in expenses, trends in past budgets, and most importantly, what our enrollment numbers will be next year.

I am blessed with a good finance committee on our School Commission and the School Commission itself which gives input and advice. However, I particularly need help from you to give me the data I need to accurately determine revenue next year.

Enclosed in this week's note home are your Returning Family Applications and Registration worksheets for the 2007 - 2008 school year. Please fill out the re-enrollment form and paperwork as quickly as possible and get it back to the school by the deadline, Monday, March 5th. This will help me, more than anything, to have an accurate picture of revenue needs next year.

You will also find the Catholic Schools Department Tuition Assistant Grant Application in this note home should your family need tuition assistance.

Please have the completed tuition assistance application, with the appropriate documentation attached, to the school office no later than Monday,March 5, 2007. Please make sure to attach all documentation requested, that all appropriate boxesare filled in and that all information in legible.

RETURNING FAMILIES: If you have a new child coming to Visitation Catholic School next year,please sign up below and we will send you a new student application. We need some additionalinformation on new students, so we do not include them on the returning application.

ATTENTION PRE-K FAMILIES: Those of you with children in our Pre-Kindergarten program looking to enroll your children in kindergarten next year, you will be asked to complete a New Family Application and Registration Worksheet. Please don't be alarmed that you do not have a returning application in your family envelope. Please sign up below and we will send you one in the next
few weeks.

TUITION INCREASE: It is a reality of budgets that expenses go up each year and school budgetsare certainly no exception. This year the School Commission and I have determined that a 5% increase will help us stay abreast of the increases while not placing an undo burden on our parents. This 5% takes into account that the cost of living has risen about 5% in the past year. In addition, employee benefits are increasing by about 6% and we are trying to increase the salaries of our teachers as proposed in our Long-Range Plan.

Along with the 5% increase, we also needed to align our out-of-parish rates to make them both more equitable with in-parish rates and to bring them more into line with out-of-parish rates charged by the other Catholic schools in the area. In-parish rates make the assumption that families who are part of a parish are tithing each week through their time, treasure and talent. The parish, in turn, gives financial support to the school.

In monetary terms, the expectation of support is roughly $1000 a year. More children often means that parents are even more involved in the life of the parish. With those facts in mind, the increase in the out of parish rate for one child is $1000 more than the in-parish rate for one child. To bring the 2nd child out-of-parish rate into line, we added $2000 increase to the one child out-of-parish rate. Finally, we added $2500 to the one child out-of-parish rate for the 3rd or more child. Please understand that we took a number of factors into account and uppermost in our minds was to meet expenses without placing an unacceptable burden on our parents. Also, please keep in mind that tuition assistance is available for both in and out of parish families.

DON'T FORGET: Friday, February 16th is a regular school day. There will be no band, beginning or advanced, on Friday, February 16th. Mr. Anderson is at a music conference in Oregon on Friday.

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY: a brochure for the Pierce County Master Gardeners program for children is available if you would like one. This is a great program to involve youth in fun gardening activities. This is perfect as Spring approaches! Please sign up below and we will be happy to send you one... or stop by the office to pick one up.

GOODIES: The Women's Club at Visitation Parish is hosting Coffee, Donuts, and a Bake Sale on Sunday, Feb. 18th in the Lower Hall after the Sunday masses.

A DAY OF REFLECTION: Take some time out from you busy life! The Holy Name Society is offering a "Day of Reflection" Saturday, Feb. 17th at the Collier Center. Mass begins at 9:00AM followed by a presentation from Deacon Mike Teskey from 9:30 to 1:00.

CONGRATULATIONS: To Brendan, who received his First Reconciliation at St. Rita's Church last Saturday. We join in prayer for his First Communion coming up on April 15th!

Peace and Blessing,

Sheila Harrison

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