St. Mary’s Preparatory has long been built on the strength of its students and on the families that support them. Many of the activities throughout the year are designed to strengthen the bond between student, family, and school. Each year, St. Mary’s hosts multiple family encompassing events (i.e. Mother/Son Dance; Father/Son Luncheon). Parents participate in everything from the Polish Country Fair, the Annual Auction, Athletic Booster Club, Canteen, Unpaid Coaching, Ring Day, and finally Graduation. These events ultimately bring parents and their sons closer to each other and to St. Mary’s. By far, the single most effective force for involving parents in the education of their sons is the Moms and Dads Club.

The Moms and Dads Club of St. Mary’s has long been an integral part of the successful fund-raising activities and the various award and achievement ceremonies at the school. Parents participate in a wide variety of activities, including the Polish Country Fair (America’s largest High School Fair), the Annual Auction, Canteen, and Athletic Booster Club. These activities are vital to the continued success of St. Mary’s.

Because of the importance of these events and the need for active participation from all members of our community, St. Mary’s requires the parents of all current students to be members of the Moms and Dads Club. To assure that all parents participate, the school requires each family to donate 40 hours of service each year through such activities listed above. The group serves as a great way to get the whole family involved in a St. Mary’s education. Upon enrollment, anyone interested in participating in the club’s activities is encouraged to contact the Presidents to let them know of that interest.

Each family is required to donate 40 hours of service each year (Single-parent households may petition the Moms and Dads Club to work 20 hours), at least 20 hours of which (or 10 hours for single-parent households) must be toward the Polish Country Fair and at least 10 hours of which (or 5 hours for single-parent households) must be toward the Annual Auction. The remaining 10 hours (or 5 hours for single-parent households) may be completed thru various volunteer opportunities throughout the year (typically communicated via email or major event notification). Participating family members must be non-students, 18 years or older. All students (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) must work 10 hours at the Polish Country Fair. The fee for any uncompleted student hours is $25 per hour. The fee for any uncompleted parent hours is $50 per hour. The penalty for a missed, scheduled shift without prior communication will be $100 per hour for parents or $50 per hour for students. Since this program is a requirement, parents will be asked to sign the attached Parent Involvement Program contract at the beginning of each school year. At that time, families will be required to purchase $250.00 in Polish Country Fair raffle tickets, which may then be kept or sold by the family. The payment deadline is printed on the contract. Please make check payable to the St. Mary’s Moms and Dads Club. St. Mary’s will withhold the final report card and transcript of any student who does not meet the club requirements for a given year. In the case of extenuating circumstances, a family may petition the Moms and Dads Club for an adjustment of the requirements.