Frequently Asked Questions

As you know, students may have a variety of food allergies. Teachers will be made aware of allergies and may request that certain allergens not be brought into classrooms. Homeroom parents will also make parents aware of allergies and safe snacks for holiday parties to ensure all students can safely enjoy the party. If your child has food allergies, please contact Nurse April Maxwell. 

A common question is whether peanut butter can be packed in lunches.  Yes, you can include products containing peanuts/peanut butter in the school lunch.  The cafeteria has a designated space for those who have nut allergies to ensure everyone is safe. 

Carline directions will be sent by Miss Britt at the start of the school year. Please pay attention to the various lanes for pick up (K-8) as this is how students are dismissed (ex: older kids pick up lines are at the top lot and they are dismissed before younger grades to allow carline to flow at pick up). There may be some half days when your bus does not offer pick up so please save the carline directions in case you are an occasional car line pick up. PreK pick up will have directions from teachers for pulling into the circle in front of Pre-K.

All volunteers must have active clearances completed and on file with the main office. Check out the website under "school info - volunteer opportunities" to find detailed information regarding clearances and steps to take to secure them. Even if you only plan to attend field trips or an occasional guest reader or volunteer position, clearances must be on file and active.

Saint Helena is proud to offer many activities throughout the year with opportunities for parent involvement! We recommend looking through the SHS calendar to check out events specific to your child's grade level to plan any necessary days off. We know it can be challenging to make time in your schedule to be present for everything - here are some of the bigger events that you might want to be present for:

• Back to School Night - this is your chance to meet with your teacher and all of the parents in the class.  The evening lasts about an hour and at least one parent must attend.  Also, if you have a student in the upper school (6-8th) there are multiple teachers you may want to meet and three “periods” to do so.  So if you want to meet all of the subject teachers, you may want to have more than one parent attend.

• Walkathon - we always need extra volunteers for this event, but not all parents attend.  Each grade will ask for volunteers to walk with their group, and HSA requests volunteers to assist with keeping the group safe, helping with refreshments, and more.  The event is usually wrapped by 11am.

• Donuts with Dad - this a fun before-school event and most students attend with Dad or a male adult that is important to them.  If you cannot make it work with your schedule, ask someone else in a grandfather, uncle, etc. to attend!

• Santa Shop - as we get closer to the date, you’ll find out when your student will have the opportunity to “shop” with their class. If you have a little one in PreK or K you will want to attend or find someone in your family/friend group who can shop with your student.  It’s definitely a favorite for our students, so you’ll enjoy it too.  If you cannot attend, we do have volunteers that can assist your little shopper.

• Catholic Schools Week (CSW) - there will be a number of events throughout CSW, but the one event to note is that there will be an “Open House” event for each grade.  Please try to attend or find someone who can step in for you.  Students partner with their grown up to complete an activity of the teacher’s choice.  This may be a STREAM project or trivia game - each grade is different.  The Kindergarten play also takes place during CSW.  If you’re a Kindergarten parent, you’ll want to attend (and invite other family members!) - it’s adorable and something you’ll remember for years to come.  The school does video the performance if you’re not able to attend. 

• Mornings with Mom - this is in the Spring and is very similar to Donuts with Dad—except we invite moms (or women who can step in for mom) to come and enjoy a sweet treat with their students.  

• Mayfair - this is easily one of the biggest events of the year for our school.  Our grounds are transformed into a fair with games, face painting, moon bounces, inflatable obstacle courses, a dunk tank… it’s awesome! We need a lot of parent volunteers to make this a success.  If you can set this morning (or day) aside to volunteer, it would be a huge help to our school, and you’ll enjoy the day with your child. If you have a young student in PreK or K, you’ll want to plan to attend with them, or find another member of your family/friend group to attend with them.

• PreK and K Graduation - these will be held in the gym on the last day of school for PreK and K. Friends and family are welcome to attend. Children will perform and then be dismissed from there for the summer.

In addition to what is on the calendar, homeroom moms will send out sign-ups for helping with Art Express (art classes for K-8). The time slots will depend on when your child's class is scheduled for those specials. Younger grades also do things like guest reader and occasionally have parents come in to help with specific events like the Kindergarten Retreat or Career Day.  You’ll need your clearances to help with any of these events.

There will also be added opportunities to see your student during the school day including school-wide Masses (check the calendar & grades that are attending the Mass).

More information will be sent out about Parent-Teacher Conferences in October (there will be daytime options, as well—teachers will send out a sign-up).  We have additional evening events, including Homecoming, a Father-Daughter Dance, Simple Supper, the Christmas Show, St. Patrick's Day Bingo, a May Procession, and Arts Fest.

We recommend you regularly check the calendar for updates to days/times and added events. You can also subscribe to calendar updates.

The Fall is a busy time of year! You'll be hearing from homeroom parents, teachers and HSA early in the year for some of our favorite events that happen in September and early October. Fall costs may include homeroom dues (money paid to the homeroom parents for gifts for the teacher throughout the year), individual school pictures & Walk-a-Thon (fundraiser). 

All classes take field trips, and you may want to chaperone. Teachers will send information specific to your class once field trips are scheduled. Any field trip dues should be paid by cash or check; they will no longer be collected through FACTS.  You must have clearances to chaperone.

Saint Helena is pleased to offer (optional) hot lunch options to students. The full schedule for that will come out at the beginning of each school year and will include costs. At this time, the payment for the lunches is in cash. A parent tip is to keep cash on hand (and envelopes) to send exact change in for school lunch. PreK also participates in hot lunch options!

Lunch for K-8 also has a snack counter with drinks, chips, and frozen desserts available. All items are cash only, as well. Change can be made for students with the snack bar, whereas we ask for exact change with hot lunch orders. 

Philly Pretzel Factory soft pretzels are offered as an option at snack time for K-8 and are $0.75 each (cash). Students give pretzel and lunch money to their teacher at the start of the day. Younger grade teachers will have procedures for how you'll send in the quarters for pretzels and cash for lunches.

Saint Helena has two scheduled picture days - an individual picture day in September and a group picture day in May. Individual pictures are based on your preference for uniform vs. out of uniform, and you have the opportunity to order a package or individual photos. These pictures will be in the yearbook on a page for each class. The spring group picture is taken in uniform and is a separate cost to order. The class pictures are not in the yearbook and include the teacher. Yearbooks are a separate cost. They are ordered around January of the school year and arrive the last week of school. Eighth graders receive a yearbook included in their dues, but all other grades may order them at a cost.