SHARING YOUR UNIQUE TALENTS THROUGH THE SCHOOL FAMILY ASSOCIATION
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hen parishioner Amanda Wiegert first got involved in the St. Peter School Family Association, or SFA, she never dreamed that she’d end up serving an extra year as President. At the time, she had young children and was simply looking for a way to get involved and meet people, while also giving back to her parish and school. “I think people are often shy about getting involved,” Amanda says. “I know I was when my husband and I first started. But it’s been so good for us both socially and spiritually. We look at it as our way to give back. And you feel so much more like a community when you get involved.” As SFA president, Amanda says it is her and her fellow board members’ job to become a kind of bridge between school families and staff. They serve as a sounding board for Sister Mary Michael, help generate funds for the school through fundraisers, and coordinate all school volunteer efforts. “Because we are a Catholic school, a lot of what we do relies on volunteers,” Amanda says. “So the SFA helps by organizing most of the volunteers for almost every activity that goes on at our school. This ranges from parents helping in the classrooms, helping with lunch duty, or assisting with the First Communion retreat. For parents who can’t volunteer during the day, there are also evening opportunities. Some teachers need help cutting or organizing, and you can take it home and do it on your own time.” The SFA also hosts monthly meets for all school parents, typically the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. These gatherings are designed to provide parents with important updates about the school while also displaying students’ successes. It’s designed to help build relationships amongst parents and strengthen the overall St. Peter community. “The more people come and get excited about being there, the more we can build up that school and parish
Third-grade students participate in a Living Rosary.
family,” Amanda says. “It’s just one of the pieces to the puzzle of making our school great.” Not only are these collective SFA efforts important to the continued success of the school, but they also enable parents to model a stewardship lifestyle for their children. For Amanda, this has been one of the greatest blessings of her involvement in the ministry. “I hope that it’s something that sticks down the road with my kids,” Amanda says. “I know they do all this with me now because it’s what their mom is doing, but I want to show them that it’s important to give of your time and give back to the parish. We always talk as a family about the importance of being good, kind people. This is kind of one of the ways that we live that out.” All St. Peter Catholic School parents are encouraged continued on back cover
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