Tuition and fees are set annually by the Principal and Pastor in consultation with the School Commission. In recognition of the relationship with the Grays Harbor Catholic Faith Community, tuition rates are different for Catholic Parish Households and Other Households.

To qualify for the Catholic Parish Household Rate, both of the following criteria must be met:

* Registered in a Grays Harbor Catholic Faith Community or Saint John Mission, Montesano, or Saint Joseph Parish, Elma.
* Participating in the sacramental life of the parishes as reflected in annual completion of Sacrificial Giving Pledge.

Tuition Payments

St. Mary School contracts with its faculty and staff and incurs other financial obligations for the entire school year. In order for the school to meet its financial obligations, the parent/guardian contracts to pay promptly and in full all tuition and fees.

NOTE: The obligation to pay the full year’s tuition is for the full year. Removal of a student from the school does not lessen expenses or obligations incurred by the school for that year. Therefore, no amount of tuition paid is refundable. An exception may be possible for only one of the following reasons:

• The family must move from the area as a condition of employment or finances.
• There is a substantial change in the family financial situation due to extended liability, illness or unemployment of a wage earner.
• The uninsured death of a wage earner of the family or of the student.
• The student is asked to leave by the school administration.
• Other cases will be considered by the administration on a case-by-case basis.

The school reserves the right to take action it deems necessary and appropriate (e.g. denial of report cards, records transfer, graduation and next year’s registration) in the event an account exceeds 30 days in arrears. Accounts which are over 30 days in arrears may be turned over for collection at the discretion of the Principal and/or Pastor.

It is strongly suggested tuition is paid through the FACTS tuition management company. Tuition paid in full by annually published date in August receives a 3% discount.

Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance is given based on financial need and the amount of funding available in the financial assistance sources. Assistance is given without regards to race, ethnicity, or religion.

There are currently two sources of tuition assistance available at St. Mary School. Forms for these sources must be picked up in January of the year tuition assistance will be applied for and completed by the stated deadline. Incomplete or late applications may result in delay or denial of tuition assistance.

The sources for financial assistance are:

• Seattle Archdiocese Tuition Assistance program
• The Mary Drake Scholarship Fund
  

The Mary Drake Tuition Assistance Fund

This fund was established at the live auction on April 24, 1999 in honor of Mary Drake who retired after 31 years of service to St. Mary School. While funds are collected at our bi-annual Auction, donations are accepted to the fund throughout the year. Available funds are dispersed every September of each academic year.

Fund Raising and Volunteer Commitment

In recognition of the difference between the tuition and the actual cost of education, families will complete volunteer hours and participate in fundraising. The success of our fundraisers is VITAL TO THE LIFE OF OUR SCHOOL; therefore, families are required to take an active role in them. Tuition does not cover all revenue needs. In fact the greatest revenue is achieved through a combination of direct contributions, local parish subsidies and fundraisers. Currently there are three major fundraisers which require participation, Oktoberfest (including raffle), Scrip and the S.P.I.R.I.T. Auction. Families may also opt out of volunteer hours and fundraising for a payment made at the time of registration. The amount of opt out fee is listed on the registration form. While this is an option, families are encouraged to participate as much as possible in school life, as it is a benefit not only to the school but also to the student and his/her family. For more information on any of the fundraisers, please contact the school office.

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is held in early October. Families are required to sell 60 raffle tickets per student (a maximum of 120 per household) and provide two baked goods and one crafts/art project. In addition each family must work at least one 4 hour shift during the Oktoberfest event and bring children in for class performances.

S.P.I.R.I.T. Auction

The S.P.I.R.I.T. Auction, held in the spring of every other year, requires parents/guardians to procure or donate one or more auction items valued at $50.00 or more, volunteer in organization or operations of the event, and lend support to class projects.

SCRIP

SCRIP is a program in which gift certificates are issued by individual stores or companies and sold to the school, via the non-profit National SCRIP center or local merchants, at a discount of anywhere from 1% to 20% of their face value. Parents/guardians purchase the gift certificates at face value and use them to shop as you would normally shop, by using the gift certificates instead of your usual cash or check.

Since St. Mary School was able to secure the SCRIP in bulk through the National SCRIP Center, the school gets to keep 5% of your check or $10 that month of the $200 you normally spend on groceries anyway! In one year you could secure $120 for St. Mary School just by using SCRIP for your normal grocery shopping and it wouldn’t cost one penny extra. It’s that simple!

With our wide variety of SCRIP available, all families are expected to purchase monthly. Order forms will go home in newsletters. The school will be flexible in how SCRIP is delivered to families in order to encourage families to purchase it. Our goal in increasing SCRIP usage is to be able to decrease the amount of fundraisers we have.
Book Fair

Books are offered for sale to St. Mary School students, families and friends through a mobile book fair during Spring conferences. Proceeds are used to purchase new library books.
Other Fundraisers

Other fundraisers may occur during the year. These provide many of the “extras” which the school cannot afford to include in its budget. All families are expected to participate in these extra fundraisers. All fundraisers must be approved by the school Principal.

Volunteer Hour Commitment

Families of students in grades K through 8 are required to perform a minimum of 40 hours per household (20 hours for single parent and preschool/pre-kindergarten households) of volunteer work. Such work is to be completed by June 30 of the school year and includes four hours of volunteer commitment for Oktoberfest and five hours for the Auction during years the auction is held; the rest of the hours may be given in the area(s) of your choice. Any hours not completed by June 30th of the school year, will be billed to the family at the rate stated at the time of registration.

Commitment hours may be given in a variety of areas, 80% of which must be school related. Twenty percent of the hours may be in the family’s faith community. Each family must complete a volunteer hours report each month in order to help the school organize volunteerism. Forms are sent home regularly in the family envelope for this purpose. A form is also included in the appendix of the handbook.

The Principal is responsible for approving any volunteer hours not specifically listed. In addition, the Principal may waive certain hours on a case by base basis. Saint Mary School recognizes busy family schedules and working parents and strives to find “at home” hours for partial completion of volunteer commitment. Also, all adult family members will be recognized in fulfilling the commitment. If grandmothers, grandfathers, etc., wish to help, they are welcome.

Failure to fulfill volunteer or fundraising commitments and/or payment of the fee in lieu thereof is subject to the same penalties as specified for failure to pay tuition or related fees.