Community service outreach is a large part of who we are as Catholics and Christians. Christ calls us to serve each other over and over again in the Bible and at Saint Gregory the Great we answer that call! Our middle school students in the 22-23 school year enthusiastically completed 3,534 hours of community service! We are so proud of our Saints! All middle school students at SGGS are required to complete 12 hours of community service per year. The 12 hours are broken down as 4 En Christe hours and 8 hours of community service outreach to either SGGS, the church, or to the community at large. To tie students’ community service to their learning, students will be required to complete a written reflection (which is a test grade) in Religion class in January (due on 1/10/24) and May (due on 5/6/24) about their service. Students must complete 2 En Christe hours between June 9, 2023 and January 1, 2024 AND 2 En Christe hours between January 7, 2024 and April 28, 2024, so students have Works of Mercy activities to write about for each semester’s essay. The remaining 8 hours of community service may be completed at any time during the school year. All hours must be completed and logged into the student’s FACTS profile before May 3, 2024. The first 2 En Christe hours must be completed and logged by January 1, 2024. The second 2 En Christe hours must be completed and logged by April 28, 2024. Why En Christe hours? In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Important things to remember when doing community service:
- Get your parents permission before you contact the organization.
- Contact the organization before you go there to make sure they have room for you and allow students your age to volunteer.
- Do your service at organizations that appeal to you. You should like doing the kinds of activities you have signed up for, service shouldn’t be “a chore”, you should enjoy it.
- Make sure to do whatever tasks you are assigned without complaining. Be positive. Make a good impression. You not only represent yourself, but you also represent your family and your school.
- Be organized and prepared for your service so when you arrive at the location you can begin right away.
- Don’t use electronic devices while you are at your service location. Be present in the moment while serving.
- Use your “free” time wisely so that you can fit doing service into your schedule. Remember you have homework, friends, family, and extracurricular activities also that require your time and attention.
- Don’t forget to log your hours in FACTS SIS as soon as you complete them.
- Remember you must complete 2 En Christe before January 1, 2024 AND 2 En Christe hours between January 7, 2024 and April 28, 2024.
If you would like to volunteer to work bingo concessions, please email Christine Opdyke at sggcbingo@gmail.com to check for availability.