I am the P.L.U.S. Chair for the 2024-2025 school year. P.L.U.S. stands for Parents Lending Useful Support and is our parent volunteer community that serves the school. We have a wide range of events and activities that we put on throughout the year.
Email me if you have questions or want to get involved!
Amanda Manfreda
P.L.U.S. Chair 2024-2025
Chairperson: The PLUS Chairperson is responsible for the administration of all PLUS activities and presides over the PLUS board meetings throughout the school year, including the annual May luncheon. Additionally, before the school year begins, some hours are spent for preparation of back-to-school events and planning for the upcoming school year. The Chairperson will attend the School Commission meetings as the representative from PLUS. In addition, the Chairperson will serve as Advisor and Nominating Chair for the following year.
Assistant Chairperson: The Assistant PLUS Chairperson assists the Chairperson in all PLUS events. In addition, the Assistant Chairperson is responsible for organizing Teacher Appreciation Week which takes place in May. The Assistant Chairperson will serve as Chairperson the following year.
Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary will attend the PLUS meeting to create meeting notes from the PLUS meetings that happen throughout the year.
Treasurer: The Treasurer is the bookkeeper for PLUS and all of its activities. The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining and monitoring budgets/expenditures for each committee and communicating all fiscal matters with the PLUS Chairperson and Assistant Chairperson. The Treasurer also communicates and works with the Parish Accountant / Bookkeeper. This position is a two-year commitment.
Advisor and Nominating Chair: This position is filled by the PLUS Chairperson from the previous year. The Advisor is available to advise the Chairperson as needed. In the Nominating role, the Advisor will help the PLUS Chairperson and the Assistant Chairperson work on nominating future Board positions along with a Nominating Committee comprised of three previous PLUS Board members.
PLUS COMMITTEES
Adopt A Family: SMCS participates in the Adopt a Family program presented every Christmas by our Church. The Adopt a Family committee acts as a liaison between the school and Church to manage the adoption of families in need, the assignment of grade-level coordinators to collect and deliver gifts, and the overall success of the program at the school level. The Adopt A Family committee will also help with planning of the school's annual SMCS Day of Giving Event where Christmas Gifts are presented to the Adopted Families.
Art-a-la-Carte: Art-a-la-Carte (AALC) is an art enrichment program presented to the students by AALC docents (volunteers). The AALC committee will need a class coordinator for each class or grade to assist with the scheduling. The AALC Chairperson and Assistant Chairperson work together to recruit and train docents to teach the pre-prepared curriculum to students in grades K through 4th Grade.
Care and Concerns: The mission of the Care and Concerns Committee is to care for and serve those people in our school who have special needs at any given time. These needs may include births, deaths, hospitalization, illness, or any other unforeseen situations where we may show our love for others. We offer this help to our school families as a loving extension of God and his care for us. The committee organizes assistance such as carpools, meals, playdates, and prayers. Please visit our Care and Concerns webpage here.
Docents: The Docents committee assists the school administration with the promotion of the school to prospective parents at the Open House event held in the Fall. Chairs will coordinate with SMCS administrative staff on the following: decorations, greeting guests, coordinating volunteers, and assisting with guided campus tours on the day of the Open House.
Halloween Carnival: The Halloween Carnival committee plans, promotes and executes the school-wide Halloween Carnival, typically held on a Friday in October close to Halloween. The Halloween Chairs work closely with the PLUS Chairperson and Assistant Chairperson to secure outside vendors, organize volunteer needs, purchase supplies and decor and identify activities for the Halloween Carnival. Please visit our Halloween Carnival webpage here.
Hospitality: The Hospitality committee coordinates the delivery, setup and takedown of refreshments for various events and activities during the school year. The events serviced by this committee typically include the PLUS Welcome Back Coffee, Open House, Grandparents'/Grandfriends' Day, New Family Check In Coffee, Teacher Appreciation Week, and New Family Coffee.
Tiger Buddies: This committee is responsible for the matching of new St. Michael families with a current, sponsor family to serve them throughout the year as a point of information and assistance. In addition, the committee will coordinate with Hospitality to host the New Family Coffee in the Fall and the Welcome Coffee during the Spring. This will include extending an invitation to our new and host families, décor and set-up/takedown after the event.
Room Parents: The primary role of this committee is to manage the selection of the Head Room Parent and Assistant Room Parents for each class. This committee will gather interested parents and place them in a classroom as a Room Parent for the school year. The Chair and Assistant Chair will make notebooks for each of the Head and Assistant Room Parents that include information regarding the organization of class socials, budget/reimbursements, faculty birthdays, and Read-A-Story. Room parent forms are due at a date specified each August, followed by a mandatory Room Parent meeting.
Social: This committee will plan a designated number of social events for the SMCS community throughout the year. These events are meant to provide an opportunity for school families to gather and build community. Typically, this will consist of one event in the Fall and one in the Spring; however, this may change on a yearly basis depending on the school calendar. The social committee will also provide support for the school-designated Community on Campus events and Steps for Students. The Chair and Assistant Chair are responsible for managing and marketing Tiger Track Give Back in the Fall, typically distributed in November.
Take a Chance Raffle: The Take a Chance Raffle is a student and teacher raffle held in the Fall, typically in conjunction with the Halloween Carnival. This is a wonderful fundraising event that allows parents/students to purchase tickets and enter those tickets to win themed fun-filled gift baskets. The Take a Chance committee is composed of a Baskets committee and a Tickets committee. The Baskets committee is responsible for coordinating volunteers to help purchase and assemble the student and teacher baskets. The Tickets committee manages online ticket sales and is responsible for the printing and distribution of the tickets via homerooms.
Uniform Closet: This committee assists the parents of St. Michael students by collecting and organizing outgrown uniforms to be re-used by those who need them. The committee will periodically collect and size usable uniform items which have been donated or remain unclaimed in the school’s lost and found. These uniforms are then stored in the PLUS storage closet in the workroom by the school office. The PLUS closet is always accessible during the school year. This committee will also help organize lost and found items to be on display for parents at a specified time during the school year.