Parent Portal » Holy Spirit Parent Portal

Holy Spirit Parent Portal

Welcome Parents!
 
For your convenience, we have located some frequently requested links and documents right here in one place!  We hope it is helpful!
ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL
 
If your child will be absent, please include their name, grade and section.
Please include ALL symptoms with the reason for their absence.
Click below to report the absence.
PLEASE NOTE: Children can return to school 24 hours after their fever is gone WITHOUT the use of medicine that lowers fever. To reduce the spread of the flu, keep your sick child at home until at least 24 hours after the fever is gone, except to get medical care.
 
EXTENDED CARE PHONE NUMBER
To reach Jade Rivero, our extended director, please email [email protected] or call 408.268.7367
UNIFORM GUIDELINES ARE FOUND IN THE STUDENT & PARENT HANDBOOK.
 
UNIFORM EXCHANGE:
For gently used uniforms, please contact one of our exchange parents:
 
Chimalukem Akali [email protected]
Manjula Kollipara [email protected]
Delila Bracamontes [email protected]
Natalie Gfroerer [email protected]
Rhea San Diego-Chin [email protected]
Rochelle Eng [email protected]
Meghan O'Sullivan [email protected]
 
 
You may visit MERRY MART WEBSITE for jumpers, skirts, shorts, pants and polos.
 
 
 

At Holy Spirit School, the education of each child is a cooperative effort involving administrators, teachers, staff, parents and parishioners. We firmly believe that positive interaction with caring adults significantly improves our students’ achievement and models the behavior of serving others. We require parental involvement because we are committed to giving every one of our students this advantage for life.

 

We require that every Holy Spirit family volunteer a minimum of 40 hours throughout the year (May through April.) Although it is always preferable that families complete required volunteer hours, we recognize that sometimes this is not possible.  Hardships need to be discussed with the Administration and will be addressed on an individual basis.  If families are unable to complete the required 40 volunteer hours by April 30th of the school year, they will be invoiced $10 for each incomplete hour.

 

Before volunteering, any family member (18 and over) needs to complete the following steps:

  1. Fingerprinting (instruction attached below)
  2. Complete the online Virtus Safe Environment Training (instructions attached below) and submit the completion certificate to the front office
  3. Complete an Adult Volunteer Waiver and submit it to the front office
  4. **Additional immunizations are required for Pre-K volunteers**
As part of their registration, parents generously commit to a $250 / per family fundraising requirement for each school year.  The deadline to meet this commitment is April 30 of each school year. Families can meet this requirement through any of the following:
 
  • RaiseRight
  • Spring Fundraiser
  • Fundraising Requirement Designated Donation - please clearly designate these donations as "fundraising requirement" donations.
    (and Corporate Matching Gifts associated with these donations)
 
Please note - donations tied to specific campaigns do not apply to the fundraising requirement.
 
Through RaiseRight, regular shopping trips can benefit our students and programs and help you meet your fundraising commitment. A portion of every gift card purchase made through the RaiseRight is returned directly to Holy Spirit School. Establishing an account requires minimal effort and delivers significant returns. To open an account for RaiseRight, please click HERE
 
Our Fall and Spring Fundraisers take place before the Christmas holiday and before Easter respectively. These two programs provide a significant return to the school.
 
OTHER FUNDRAISING EFFORTS
 

The funds from these efforts aim to enrich our current programs, invest in new resources or provide improvements to our campus, as needed. The scope of these funds extends beyond the day-to-day school operations.

  • The Legacy Fund – A restricted funds account that was established by our school’s founding pastor with the goal of providing tuition assistance to families who strongly desire a Catholic education but need financial assistance to make it possible. We continue to grow this fund each year and are committed to its long-term sustainability.
  • Special Events - Holy Spirit School hosts three annual fundraising events. You can support these events in any of the following ways: be a cash sponsor / underwrite an area of the event, donate a live or silent auction item, buy a ticket and attend the event, or volunteer your time. We encourage families to participate in these events, as they not only raise funds for the school but also build a sense of community.
    • Golf Tournament The Golf Tournament is an adult-only event hosted annually and benefits both the school and church communities. This event is a sell-out and brings the community together for a fun day of golfing and community building.
    • Auction This annual adult-only fundraiser is a time for fun, food, fellowship and a live auction featuring one-of-a-kind items made by each class as well as other exciting trips and luxury items. 
    • Walk-A-ThonThis event engages the students, as they are actively involved in requesting pledges from family members, friends and neighbors for the number of laps they complete. This is a fun event for the entire community.
 
CORPORATE MATCHING
Corporate Matching Gift programs are an easy way to double or triple your donation. In some cases, even volunteer hours for the benefit of Holy Spirit School can turn into cash donations from several employers. Please inquire with your Human Resources Department to determine if a Gift Matching Program is available, and to obtain the documentation necessary to initiate the match.
 
 
 
School events can be found on the website calendar in a format that can be saved directly to your personal electronic calendars.
 
 

The majority of our communication is done electronically, through our Student Information System (Educate), the system interface (ParentSquare), email, and a variety of programs used at various grade levels. Tuition and fees, some fundraising programs, hot lunch & school supply purchases, etc., are all handled via websites and online ordering systems. It’s easy, efficient, and exciting to be able to offer all of this to our students and parents!

 

The Educate and ParentSquare systems are based on student attendance. This means families can only access the systems during the school year. Summer communication will come to you via email. An invitation to register with ParentSquare and Educate passwords (for NEW families/students) will come home within the first few weeks of school.

 

A brief explanation of some of the communication vehicles used here at HSS and a list of some commonly used websites / phone numbers can be found on our Sites & Phone Numbers Contact Information page in the Parent Portal.

 

Hopefully this will help you locate what you need.

 
Our external communication systems - this website and our FaceBook page are available to the public. Please bookmark our webpage and follow our Facebook page to stay up to date with the happenings in our community.
WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL
 
Please submit the Consent to Walk Home form in order for your student to be dismissed to walk home from school each day.
All families will be paying tuition, extended care and any other fees (after school sports, spirit shirts, field trips, etc.) through TADS, our financial management company. TADS will provide notification via email (to the provided address) prior to any scheduled charges. Final tuition figures, adjusted for tuition assistance, etc. will be available online before July 1.
 
 
 
In the first few weeks of summer, new families are assigned a "welcome buddy" to help them navigate their first year. Check back here in mid-June to connect with the New Family Welcome Program liaisons!
Our campus gates are locked during the school day. Campus access is gained by ringing the bell outside the front office.
 
DROP-OFF & PICK-UP INSTRUCTIONS - School begins at 8:00 a.m. and drop off via car line starts at 7:50 a.m. 
Dismissal on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday is 3:00 p.m. Dismissal on Wednesday is 12:30 p.m. 
 

Drop-off and Pick-up Traffic Procedures

We expect that all of our families will follow these traffic procedures. A traffic consultant and our administration have devised these procedures to keep your children as safe as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Morning Drop-off Procedures:

Please give any last minute instructions, kisses and hugs when you get into the car at home.  You will see below that the driver cannot get out of the car when using a drop-off lane at school. Therefore, the student’s backpack should be in the car with the student who should be ready to “leap forth” when the car door opens at school.

  • Do not arrive on school grounds or park on the perimeter/neighboring streets prior to 7:50 am

  • If you wish to walk your child/ren onto the campus, you may park along the street or in the back parking lot. Please use the painted crosswalks when walking through the parking lot.

  • Multiple student families may drop off all students with a designated sibling.

  • DO NOT cross or allow your children to cross El Paseo Dr. except at the crosswalk and DO NOT cross Redmond Ave. at all. Infractions will result in a warning slip to the student.

  • For the safety of your child/ren, please do not drop off along the street sidewalk.

 

Afternoon Pick-up Procedures:

  • Do not arrive on school grounds or park on the perimeter/neighboring streets, more than 10 minutes prior to dismissal time.

  • Enter and exit the campus following the above procedures.

  • If you wait along the pick-up curbs at the end of the school day, you may not leave your car.

  • Grades TK-2 students must be picked up at the classroom at 2:45 or 12:15 on early dismissal days. Parents may park along the street or in the back parking lot. Please use the painted crosswalks when walking through the parking lot. 

  • Grades 3-5 will be dismissed to the front gate and should be picked up in front of the school. Middle school students will be dismissed at the back middle school gate.

  • Multiple student families should have all students go to pick up area with a designated sibling.

  • Students going to Extended Care (EC) will go immediately to the sign in area when dismissed.

    • Students not registered for EC and not picked up by 3:15pm will be signed into the office.

    • Parents must come to office to sign students out.

    • First late pick up; complimentary supervision.

    • Second late pick up; FACTS account charged at $5 per minute beyond 3:15pm.

    • Third late pick up; FACTS account charged monthly Extended Care rate.

 
LATE ARRIVAL: If your student arrives after the school gates have closed, please ring the bell at the front gates. Students will be buzzed in and should come into the office for an admit/tardy slip. If you would like a medical excuse for the absence or late arrival, please have your student bring in a note from their doctor. 
 
EARLY PICKUP: If, for any reason, your child needs to leave campus before the end of the day, please come to the front office and sign them out. It is helpful if you notify the teacher of the pickup, but we cannot call the child out of class until an authorized adult is in the office to pick them up. Please make sure that any adult (over age 18) that is picking up your child is on your list of authorized adults.
We are fortunate to live in San Jose where the weather permits our students to eat outdoors virtually every day! When weather does not permit, our students will eat in their classrooms.
 
PACK A LUNCH
Students are welcome to pack their lunches and keep them in their cubbies or lockers. We are unable to provide a place for students to keep their lunches cold or to heat them up. Please keep that in mind when sending a packed lunch with your child. 
 
HOT LUNCH
We are also fortunate to be able to provide a healthy hot lunch option for families who wish to purchase a meal for their student(s). Pasta Market is our hot lunch provider and offers lunches on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays when school is in session. The monthly lunch menu is available on the Pasta Market website https://pastamarket.boonli.com Minimum days, days when hot lunch will NOT be served, are on Wednesdays in the 2023-2024 school year.)
 
 
 
PIZZA LUNCH
On Fridays, students may participate in our Pizza Lunch fundraiser. Families wishing to participate must sign up for the entire year and will be billed through TADS. To sign up for Friday Pizza Lunch for the 2023-24 school year, please click HERE.
 
FORGOTTEN LUNCHES
If a student forgets his/her lunch at home, you may bring their lunch to the front office before their lunch period and we will deliver it to them. If they forget their lunch, and they do not have one delivered in time, we will send them to hot lunch and parents will be billed accordingly. Please note: we cannot accept fast food, Door Dash, or other food deliveries for students.
 
Thank you for supporting our Holy Spirit School family-owned businesses. Please email [email protected] with your student's name and homeroom to be added to this list.