Welcome to the
SJA Parent Volunteer Community! 

You and your family are valued members of our St. Jeromy community, and we are thrilled to have you join us. You are invited to volunteer. There are many opportunities and projects available for you.

St. Jerome Academy's vision of education as a partnership with families is realized through your active participation. The exceptional learning experience at SJA is a product of parents and sibling volunteers who lend a hand in the classroom, at events, and in numerous other ways every year.

So, let's roll up our sleeves and work side by side to bring this community together and accomplish our mission!

Please sign up in advance to volunteer. When you arrive, sign in to begin your shift. Before leaving, sign out. Additionally, wear a visitor's badge from the SJA office and a name tag from the PVC.

SIGN UP using the SignUpGenius link in The Vox, or by responding to direct emails from class parents, teachers, or others organizing projects. 
 

SIGN IN on the volunteer clipboard at events and activities held outside school hours OR at the reception desk for events and activities occurring during the school day.

Any activity where volunteers have substantial direct contact with children, such as chaperoning a field trip, requires additional training and a background check. 

The Archdiocese of Washington requires adult volunteers who will have direct contact with children to complete a training course. Protecting God’s Children is offered regularly at parishes throughout the Archdiocese. See this link for current course offerings. It is also periodically offered in Spanish.

In addition, parents must complete a background check and have their fingerprints taken.
Please get in touch with Ms. Ritz to learn more and make arrangements. 

We love babies at SJA, and we know that many of our families have younger kids at home. Please check the SignUpGenius or check with your child’s room parent about whether it’s possible to bring younger children with you to volunteer assignments. 

The Primary Montessori families assist in the classrooms by bringing snacks and flowers weekly. Each family is responsible for these tasks for two to three weeks throughout the year. These jobs count together as two volunteer hours per semester. Once school starts, your room parent will distribute sign-up sheets for snacks and flowers. You’ll be asked to volunteer six more hours to the school community.

Please note that this applies even if you have older children in the school. So if your children are in MP1, 2nd, and 5th grades, you’ll receive credit for four hours to MP1, plus earn an additional six hours through other opportunities.

Classroom Activities

Parents and families are often invited to attend performances or presentations. These do not earn volunteer credit. However, volunteer credit is earned if parents set up, serve, and/or clean up for a Feast Day celebration. In addition, some ongoing responsibilities may be available. For example, the nuns from the Servadoras need rides home during the school year, and parents can volunteer for this task. Look for these opportunities through your child’s room parent and occasionally through The Vox.  

Field Trips

All Grades K through 8 classes will periodically go on field trips for curriculum-appropriate experiences. Parents are invited to serve as chaperones. Credit is given for the number of hours spent chaperoning. 

Montessori

If your family has a child in a Montessori class, snacks and flowers typically earn your first four hours per semester. The remaining six hours serve the larger school community. Snacks and flowers are coordinated through your child’s room parent. Any of the other opportunities can satisfy the remaining six hours. 

Room Parents

Each class has a room parent. Room parents automatically earn full credit for the year. 

Event Management & Cooking

Most events involve preparing and serving food. Some are fundraisers; others are to build community. But they all take lots of hands! Look for opportunities via SignUpGenius forms in The Vox. Many volunteer activities fall into this category. 

Bake Sales

SJA is grateful for the generosity of our families during bake sales. However, baking does not earn volunteer credit. 

Double Hours for Events

One of our biggest needs is staffing our two major fundraising events to invite the community to SJA. That might mean selling raffle tickets, staffing a booth, or serving food during the Carpe Noctem Holiday Market (December) or the Carnival (June). These events earn double hours of credit during the events themselves. (Set-up shifts are credited normally.) 

Extracurricular Activities

Clubs & Activities

At times, parents may assist with various after-school clubs and activities. Look for these opportunities via The Vox, or from the coordinators of Clubs and activities in which your children participate.

CYO

Parents who serve as team coaches or assistant coaches earn semester credit. In addition, staffing the CYO snack bar qualifies for credit. Please get in touch with the CYO director, Joe Sego, or your child’s coach for more information. Parents may sign up for snack bar shifts via the SignUpGenius in The Vox. Note that your child does not have to participate in CYO sports for you to volunteer at the snack bar. 

Scouting

Unit leaders earn credit per semester for their work with the St. Jerome organizations:

Please get in touch with local troop coordinators for more information.

Special Projects & Work Days

Periodically, we have specific needs at the school that call for special projects or work days. These are typically advertised in the Vox with a SignUpGenius link.

PVC Committee Chairs

Almost every SJA event has a committee chair. Their responsibilities vary based on the activity but generally involve gathering supplies, setting up, staffing the event, cleaning up afterward, and directing other volunteers during the event. If you’re interested in getting involved, please get in touch with the PVC president. Committee chairs automatically earn full credit for the year. 

• Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts Troop 224 and

• American Heritage Girls Troop MD 0714

HOW MANY HOURS CAN OR MUST EVERY FAMILY VOLUNTEER?

There's no cap on how much you can give! Many families become so passionate about volunteering that they go above and beyond the minimum commitment of at least ten hours per semester, for twenty hours over the academic year. 

If your family has a child in a Montessori Primary class, snacks and flowers typically earn your first four hours per semester. The remaining six hours serve the larger school community. Snacks and flowers are coordinated through your child’s room parent. Any of the other opportunities can satisfy the remaining six hours. 

HOW DO I KNOW HOW MANY SERVICE HOURS MY FAMILY HAS LEFT TO COMPLETE?

Ms. Rhea in the business office can help check if you're on track during the semester. It can take the data entry process several days to catch up with recent events. Please email her if you have any questions or concerns.

WHAT IS THE PARENT VOLUNTEER CORPS (PVC)? HOW DO I JOIN?

The good news is that you are already a member! While all parents are members of the PVC, the executive committee and working groups take an active role in guiding the volunteer efforts for the school year. Our school's principal invites candidates to serve on the executive committee and working groups. Parents who accept these leadership roles fulfill their annual volunteer requirements through their committee and group service.

DO EXCESS SERVICE HOURS ROLL OVER FROM ONE SEMESTER TO ANOTHER?

In most cases, service hour credits don't roll over from semester to semester. For example, if your family volunteered twelve service hours in the fall, your family still needs to complete ten service hours in the spring.

HELP! THE SEMESTER IS ALMOST OVER, AND I HAVE MUCH CATCHING UP TO DO. WHAT CAN I DO?

Service opportunities connected to significant community events and fundraisers earn double service credit hours. However, families are best served, not to wait until the last minute to fulfill their volunteer service requirements. 

WHO CAN VOLUNTEER?

Parents and guardians typically perform most volunteer hours; grandparents, adult siblings, and other family members are warmly welcome. Volunteers under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian and be approved by the SJA administration. 

DO I NEED TO COMPLETE ANY TRAINING BEFORE I VOLUNTEER? WHAT ABOUT BACKGROUND CHECKS?