Parent Volunteer FAQ
Please download our FAQs (PDF) or read below.
CMSLN Parent Co-Op Guide to Earning Volunteer Hours
The CMSLN Parent Co-Op Contract requires 20 hours annually
• 8 hours of service per family is to be submitted by December 1 of each school year.
• Remaining 12 hours of service submissions are due prior to May 1 of the same school year.
• Unmet hourly obligations will be billed to student accounts at a rate of $10 per hour.
NOTE: Hours earned during the summer sessions do not count towards the school year volunteer hour commitment. For these purposes, the volunteer hour commitment timeline for each school year is mid‐August (first day of Fall Session) until May (last day of Spring Session).
Family of the Week Volunteer Hours
Your child’s teacher will assign Family of the Week duties prior to the week of, and as needed. These weeks are listed by child’s last name and are generally posted on bulletin boards outside of the classrooms/after school room, and in electronic class communications. Afterschool Family of the Week also counts as only one volunteer hour per week.
Family of the Week are often asked to:
• Do a few loads of laundry
• Purchase a week’s worth of classroom snacks and flowers
• Gift other small needs during their service week (flowers, hand soap, tissues, wipes, etc.).
Regardless of how you contribute, volunteer hours are earned at a maximum rate of one (1) hour per unit of time, typically one school week. Time spent shopping, preparing snacks, washing/folding laundry does not increase this one‐hour volunteer hour earned. One hour represents accomplishing your Family’s service goal to your child’s community, not the actual time involved in the work or dollars spent to perform the duties.
Other Ways to Earn Volunteer Hours
Since your family could theoretically be Family of the Week only twice per school year if your child is in one of the larger classes, other ways to earn hours to meet the required 20 hours will include additional service or sharing. CMSLN graciously accepts the talents and blessings our families bring.
Examples include:
• Teachers often post notices outside of the classrooms of donation requests. Your contributions count. For each $10 in expenses, one hour of service is earned. These might include donating books, additional classroom materials, pet supplies, and random requests to enhance learning opportunities.
• Prior to school community events, teachers, class parents, and/or the Co‐Op will send out Sign‐Up Genius links as needed for the event to be successful. Hours are earned at a rate of 1 hour per $10 of expenses and 1 hour equal to 1 hour spent volunteering.
• Taking home a class pet earns one hour per day spent with your family. A typical two‐day weekend equals two volunteer hours. A three‐day weekend equals three hours. Longer breaks equal the number of days the pet is away from school, not including the day it leaves or returns.
• When you volunteer at an event, you earn one hour for each hour for each volunteer member present. If you and a family member each serve 2 hours during a Campus Beautification Day, your family earns 4 volunteer hours.
• If you or someone in your family has a special skill or service, there are a variety of ways to form collaboration. Please speak with your child’s teacher or submit suggestions via email to .
Claiming Volunteer Hours:
Once you have earned your family’s volunteer hours, please submit your record of service in one of two ways:
• Handwritten: Volunteer hour reports can be placed in the large white box in the rear corner of the lobby, under the Administration’s bulletin board. Please feel free to submit any relevant receipts here.
• Electronically, online: Please visit: Volunteer Hours submission link and complete the form. It is best to submit volunteer hours within 1‐2 days after completion. The password for the Parents Only section of the site changes periodically. Please check the weekly CMSLN email update for the latest password information.
Thank you for sharing your gifts with our community!
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