Volunteer Opportunities

The following information provides a brief description for you as a Parent Volunteer. Most positions do not require parents to be at the school during the day. Please contact Executive Coordinator Wes Bolton at 604-267-4998 if you are interested in further information about any position, or email: wbolton@vc.bc.ca. Each event/activity has its own convenor and group of volunteer leaders.

Administration
Fundraising Activities
Daytime School Activities
General Activities
Specialized Skills
Social Events
Athletics

Administration 

Parent Association Executive
There are 13 positions on the executive. The executive represents parents, maintains liaison with school administration and manages the fundraising aspects of the Parent Association.  Positions on the PA Executive include: President; Vice President, Parent Participation Program, Treasurer, Secretary, Communications, Acquisitions (2 positions); Mayfair Coordinator; Finnegan Ball Coordinator; Newsletter; Social Coordinator. Parents will receive one Participation hour for attending any VC General Meeting.  Executive positions are a 3-year commitment.

PPP Contact
One person is required to coordinate a team of 10 other parents who record hours worked and maintain contact with an assigned group of parents throughout the school year. Duties include calling all assigned parents; recording and submitting hours monthly on an Excel spreadsheet and attending monthly meetings.

Fundraising Activities

Mayfair
This is the largest fundraising event of the school year. Mayfair includes concession stands, merchandise tents, silent auction, plants and flowers, midway and games.  There are 40-50 events each requiring one head convener and a total of 350 volunteers.  Organizing starts in September and regular meetings start in January continuing until the first week of May. Please go to the Mayfair section of this web site for more details.

Finnegan Ball – Dinner Dance Auction
This evening of live and silent auctions provides significant support to many projects funded by the Parents’ Association.  Approximately 75-100 volunteers are required to organize the event.  Volunteer opportunities include conveners for activities such as decorations, raffle, cash desk, silent and live auctions, set up, security, and acquisitions.  The FB committee meets monthly from March to June and again in August and September.  In October and November, meetings are weekly.

Mothers’ Christmas Tea
This VC tradition is held in early December in the Brothers Residence and is an opportunity to purchase merchandise, baked goods, flowers, craft items as well as participate in the silent auction.  Parents are needed to work with the event convener to set up, host, and clean up. 

Acquisitions Committee
Working with the convener of acquisitions, parents are needed to solicit goods or services that can be auctioned, sold or raffled at the Finnegan Ball, Mayfair, and Mothers’ Christmas Tea

School Capital Campaign
Opportunities include: researching and assembling contact information; soliciting donations; and managing a team of donation canvassers.  Contact the Advancement Office (Ronith Cogswell) for more information.

Daytime School Activities

Classroom Assistance
Teachers in the elementary and middle schools require assistance with tasks such as bulletin boards, lab assistance (middle school), field trip driving and supervision, organizing resource materials, and art assistance.

Library Assistance
There are jobs in both the elementary and senior school libraries.  Duties include: checking books in and out, shelving, indexing, filing, laminating and tidying up.  Assistance is also needed for the elementary book fair that occurs in late September.  Maximum of 10 hours per family.

Phone tree Communications
Two parents per class are required to communicate information monthly or as needed to parents.  Information can be communicated either by phone or email.

Office Help
This work includes copying, stuffing envelopes, and providing lunchtime relief for the switchboard operator.

Late Arrival Phoning
Parents of those students who are not at school and have not called in must be phoned to determine if their son is safe.  Five parents are needed to do this job every day.  Phoning is done from home and a fax is required to do this job.

Parent Parking Patrol
For the safety of the children parents are needed from 8:00am to 8:30am and from 2:40pm to 3:15pm daily (on early dismissal days the afternoon time is 1:40 to 2:15pm). Each elementary family is asked to take responsibility for one hour per year (on 38th Avenue).

Lunch Supervision
Elementary assistance is required in the playground and the cafeteria.  Timing: daily from 11:00 to 11:30 in the cafeteria and 11:30am to 12:00pm outside or inside on rainy days. Brief instructions and guidelines are provided to parents.

Hallway Supervision
Five parents are needed daily between 11:50am and 1:50pm to supervise hallways during the middle and high school lunchtime.  Brief instructions and guidelines are provided to parents.

Casual Day
Parents are needed for monthly casual dress days to sort and, for clothing, price donated items.  The day begins at 8:30 and usually ends in the early afternoon.

Walkathon
A maximum of 30 parents may sign up with the convener to participate in the walkathon.  Activities include working at checkpoints, serving lunch, and supervising crosswalks.  A maximum of 5 hours per family may be allocated to the walkathon only for the 30 families who sign up to participate.

General Activities

Fundraising Baking
Homemade baking is needed for Mayfair and Mothers’ Christmas Tea).  Hours credited: one hour per cake; one hour for 2 dozen cookies, brownies or squares.  Credit will not be given for purchased merchandise.

Youth for life (If applicable)
Assistance is needed to organize the Youth for Life including food preparation, serving and set up. Maximum of 10 hours per family; this includes a maximum of 2 hours for home baking.

Pro-Life (If applicable)
Help is needed to organize the student pro-life conference in the Spring when VC hosts the event every second year.  Activities include organizing door prizes, organizing event set up and serving food. Maximum of 2 hours for home baking.

Open House
The Open House is one evening in February. Parents are needed on the night of the event to conduct tours, serve refreshments and hand out information.

Receipts
Parents are needed to complete official tax receipts for donations received for fundraising (Walkathon, Finnegan Ball, Mayfair, Mothers’ Christmas Tea)

School Maintenance
There is an opportunity for parents to help out with yard work and maintenance at the school.  Assistance includes: yard work; end of the year cleaning; and leaf raking.

Host Family
On occasion parents are needed to host visiting students for academic or athletic exchanges.  Parents receive 25 hours for hosting a student..

Specialized Skills

(participating parents in the following categories are for the entire school year)

Craft Making
Parents with a flare for arts and crafts are needed to make crafts for Finnegan Ball, Mothers’ Christmas Tea, and Mayfair. The craft group meets every Thursday during the year.

Parents’ Newsletter – The Finnegan File
The Newsletter is published approximately 4 times each year.  Parents are needed to write the articles, publish the newsletter (desktop publishing) and copy/mail.

Web Page and eCommunication
This is a new field of endeavour for parents.  Individuals skilled in website development and maintenance, and email communication are required to assist in communication to the parents.

Leadership roles
If you are interested in taking an active role in the Parents Association or are able to Convene one of our events. Please send an email to wbolton@vc.bc.ca 

Social Events

Grade 2 First Communion
Preparation begins in February or March to organize a reception to commemorate this special occasion.  Functions include: convening the event; decorating; set up, clean up and baking.

Kindergarten, Grade 1 Parent Social Evenings
Grade 1 parents host an introductory social evening for new Kindergarten and Grade 1 parents. These are held in September or October and activities include preparing food or baking; set up and clean up.

Grade 8 Social Evening
Grade 8 parents host a social for new parents to the high school. These are held in September or October and activities include preparing food or baking; set up and clean up. Concerts to set up and clean up.

Grad Ceremony
Grade 11 parents host the Grade 12 graduation reception and decorate the cafeteria for the grad breakfast.  The reception is an evening function held in June.  Parents are needed to organize, phone, decorate, set up, serve and clean up.

Athletics

Sports Program
Parents with boys on athletic teams are responsible for providing assistance to the teams.  Team activities that are eligible for Parent Participation credits include: team driving; game admissions; tournament organization and other activities requested by the athletic director.

Concession
Parents are needed to work in the concession stand during sports events, and special events. For example, football concessions at varsity games.  Duties include: shopping; set up, clean up; running the barbeque or cash.