In order to support the mission and success of Pineapple Cove Classical Academy, each family is asked to donate 10 hours of volunteer time to the school each school year. Volunteer hours will be tracked through membership toolkit by logging your hours.
IV. PARENTS & THE COMMUNITY
A. PARENT TEACHERORGANIZATION (“PTO”) Pineapple Cove Classical Academy’s BOD establishes the PTO to support the school’s mission. PTO teams and activities will be designed to help the school flourish in and beyond the classroom. Largely, the PTO consists in a series of task-oriented teams whose purpose is to marshal parent volunteer is min achieving defined goals that improve the life of the school. All parents, adult family members, teachers, staff, and community members are encouraged to volunteer on a team and attend regular meetings. PTO meetings are an excellent opportunity to obtain information and engage in discussions about the school. The PTO may serve as a fundraising arm of the BOD, but it will not be a stand-alone, tax exempt, non-profit organization. Pineapple Cove Classical Academy is itself a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status. The BOD reserves the right to create, remove, or dissolve PTO teams and leadership in accordance with immediate priorities and the long-term flourishing of the school. All volunteers will be required to complete the Volunteer Waiver& Release form (see the following section of this policy).
B. REQUIREMENTS FOR VOLUNTEERS The administration will maintain accurate records to confirm that the following requirements are met. Pineapple Cove Classical Academy is participating in the district-wide Volunteer and Visitor check in system to add additional security to our campuses. The system, called Raptor, scans licenses and state issued ID cards. The program provides several advantages: a low cost volunteer screening fee and a current security screening. There is one level of volunteer, Registered Volunteer. All Volunteers receive a sexual predator screening each time that they check. Registered Volunteers also undergo a criminal background check. This allows Volunteers who have passed the security screening to chaperone field trips and assist in the classroom or one-on-one with students.
C. GENERAL RULES FOR VOLUNTEERS Volunteers often inadvertently have access to sensitive information. Any information about students, grades, faculty, etc. is to remain confidential. Volunteers may observe situations of a sensitive nature. These are also to remain confidential. Volunteers should not grade papers, copy assessments, etc. Volunteers may work in the classrooms when directly supporting students. If a volunteer has a concern involving something that is witnessed, observed, or overheard, he or she should address the concern with a faculty member, the Assistant Principal, the Principal, or a member of the BOD, in that order. If a volunteer disregards this policy, the privilege of volunteering may be revoked. 44 Any grievance or concern a volunteer has with a classroom or a teacher will be handled by the procedures defined in the following section of this handbook. Exception situations involving imminent danger, volunteers will not confront a teacher about a disagreement issue when students are present.
D. PARENT COMMUNICATIONS WITH PRINCIPALS, FACULTY & STAFF Pineapple Cove Classical Academy values the conversation that takes place between parents and teachers about the education of children. Nonetheless, this conversation should follow certain guidelines in order to be fruitful and to allow teachers to devote themselves to their classes during the day. Parents may use any of the following ways to contact or communicate with Administration, Faculty, and Staff of Pineapple Cove Classical Academy: Email Message left with the school secretary Voicemail Face-to-face meeting (this must be scheduled in advance using one of the means above) Pineapple Cove Classical Academy employees will not use social media to communicate with parents or students about an individual child’s needs. During the school day and both immediately before and afterschool teachers have their minds on teaching or impending meetings and extracurricular activities. Parents should schedule in advance a phone call or meeting with a teacher rather than try to communicate through an impromptu “five-minute” chat. Parents who are in the building for another reason should not use their access to faculty in order to circumvent the normal means of contacting a teacher unless that teacher clearly invites such a conversation. This policy applies to parents who are themselves teachers or other employees at the school. PCCA teachers and administrators will respond to parents as quickly possible. In general, parents should expect to hear from a teacher or principal within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of contacting the school, barring weekends and holidays. While a teacher’s schedule may not permit an actual meeting within that time, the teacher will attempt to make contact in some way.
E. EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENTS We believe parents own the fundamental responsibility for their children’s education and that the school’s role should be viewed as a supportive one. The school expects parents to:
Model good character and insist that their children cultivate good habits and virtues;
Help their children develop effective study skills;
Read to their children, especially those in the early grades;
Oversee regular reading and writing and mathematics skill development;
Stimulate discussion and exploration of ideas and events with students;
Follow school virtues in car loop and when interacting with staff and scholars;
Support the school goals through familiarity with the Handbook and parts of the website devoted to the mission and philosophy of the school, homework review, getting children to school on time, and holding high expectations and aspirations that contribute positively to the student’s success.
