Community Service Hours (40 Hours)

·         The completion of forty hours of community service is a requirement for graduation as per the policy of the Ministry of Education of Ontario.  Students are encouraged to complete their forty hours as soon as possible.  Leaving community hours until Grade 12 may jeopardize graduation.

·         At Father Michael Goetz Secondary School, community hours must be done for a non-profit/charitable organization.  A non-profit/charitable organization exists to help others; it does not exist for financial profit.  Examples include the following:  publicly funded school, hospital, church, library, food bank, service organization, cultural organization.  The requirement that students complete their hours for a non-profit/charity is in line with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board position that the community service project is a Christian call to serving others. 

·         Community hours cannot be done for a commercial business.  Any activity which would normally be performed for wages in the workplace is ineligible.

·         Community hours cannot be done for an individual (e.g. parent, relative, neighbour, friend).  For example, babysitting free of charge for a neighbour does not qualify for community service.

·         Students must volunteer their time and cannot be paid for community hours.

·         Community hours cannot be done during the school day (unless they are done on lunch or spare).  They cannot be done during instructional time or as part of a class/course requirement.

·         It is important for students to get clearance from their guidance counsellors before starting their community service hours.  Guidance counsellors will know what constitutes a non-profit/charitable organization.  Pre-approval will avoid situations of finding out afterwards that the community service hours are not acceptable.

·         Each student should have a Community Hours Passport.  There is also a Passport Companion, which is a Parent Resource Manual.  If there are any questions, please consult your guidance counsellor. 

·         If you have a Passport, make sure that it is completely and legibly filled out.   Make sure that your name is on it, and make sure that the Service Supervisor’s name and phone number are printed clearly.  Make sure that the actual number of community hours completed is included.  As of September 2010, for the 2010-2011 cohort and any students joining the Goetz community thereafter, any entries in the Passport must be stamped with an official organization stamp to verify that the hours have been completed. 

·         If, for whatever reason, you don’t have a Passport, a letter submitted on the official letterhead of the organization is also acceptable.  Again, your name and the Service Supervisor’s name and phone number must be included, as well as the actual number of hours completed.

·         Get proof of your hours soon after they are done.  Do not wait until your graduating year and then go back and say, “I did some community hours for you four years ago!”

·         As soon as you get documentation for your community hours, submit the documentation to your guidance counsellor.  This should be done on an ongoing basis until all forty hours have been completed, documented and submitted.

·         You are welcome to do more than 40 hours if you wish, but submit the documentation for the first 40 hours as soon as any of these hours are done.  Any other documentation can be submitted later.

·         For graduating students, the deadline for submitting community hours is the last Friday in March of the graduating year.  Given that Grade 12 is a very busy and demanding year, it is strongly recommended that students complete the community service requirement prior to the end of Grade 11.

·         Again, consult your guidance counsellor prior to beginning your community hours.