Dear Mater Christi Families,
Winter Break is nearly upon us and not a moment too soon! After so many overcast days, temperature swings, a snow event or two, bouts of flu, and just a few cases of whooping cough, I think all of us are ready for a little rest and relaxation during these dark days of winter. As we prepare to begin our winter break at the end of this week, I wanted to provide you with a few important updates about Mater Christi School.
Whooping Cough
If you didn’t read in this week’s Monday messages, it was announced that we have now surpassed 20 days since the last confirmed case of pertussis. Our school appears to be in the clear and pertussis free. Yippee!!! Please know how grateful we are for your diligence in monitoring your child’s health and for your patience as our school worked through this illness. I want to especially thank Mrs. Ellen Ammirato for her professional and diligent approach when working with the Vermont Department of Health, CDC, and those families who were impacted by this pesky illness!
Budget
I’ve had a few questions from parents about how our school is doing financially this year. I’m pleased to share with you that our school is running in the black as we maintain our budgeted enrollment, carefully manage our expenses to stay within our approved budget, and actively seek to raise funds for our school. It is worth noting that tuition only covers approximately 68% of our operating costs. This means that our school is very dependent on successful fundraising to ensure a balanced budget by the end of the fiscal year which ends on June 30, 2017. Our total fundraising goal for the year is nearly $275,000. We have made progress in working toward this goal, but we still need to raise additional funds to ensure a balance budget by June 30, 2017.
Annual Fund
Our annual fund is a significant portion of our fundraising for the fiscal year. I am pleased to report that our first appeal prior to Christmas raised nearly $127,000 through the generosity of members of our community: past, present, and future. This amount is nearly $35,000 more than we raised throughout the entire past fiscal year, but is shy of this year’s goal of $200,000. To date, we are grateful that 19% of our current families (35 out of 181 families) have made a tax deductible contribution to our annual fund, but we need more families to participate in this very important fundraiser. In order to reach and hopefully surpass our annual fund goal, I ask that you prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Mater Christi. Following winter break, we will be launching a second appeal for our annual fund, and we are hopeful that you will respond generously to our call for financial support.
Spring Benefit
Another important component of our annual fundraising is our Spring Benefit. I am pleased to announce that our Spring Benefit will once again be held at the Homewood Suites in South Burlington on the evening of Saturday, May 6. Following winter break, our planning committee will be sharing information with you about sponsorships, donations, and ticket sales. Our Spring Benefit is a wonderful opportunity to bring together people from inside and outside of our school community for an event that celebrates our school and that ultimately benefits our amazing students. Last year’s Spring Benefit drew a crowd of over 175 people. We would love to increase that number greatly this May so that we can reach our goal of raising $50,000 at this year’s event. Stay tuned for more details.
Priority Registration for 2017-18
I also want to remind you that our priority registration for the upcoming school year goes through Friday, March 24, 2017. Returning families will receive a discounted registration by registering by this date. We hope that you intend to have your child(ren) return to Mater Christi for the upcoming school year. We also encourage you to talk up our school with your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Please spread the good news about Mater Christi School; a special place where all are welcome! And don’t forget, those families who assist in referring new families to our school will receive tuition credits for next year. Please refer to our school website for more details.
In closing, I want to remind you that our school office will be closed from Monday, February 27 through Tuesday, March 7, although we will be running childcare for those families who have signed up. Many of our staff, including myself, will be headed to warmer weather to get a little rest and relaxation before we return for the final few months of school. I wish your family an enjoyable, relaxing, and safe winter break. We look forward to seeing you back here on Wednesday, March 8!
Sincerely,
Patrick A Lofton, EdS
President/Head of School