Community Service Hours

Our Catholic Tradition

Community involvement has always been at the core of the culture of Catholic schools. Catholic schools reach out to the community through school and class projects, and often as a component of Religious Education courses. While students are required to complete 40 hours of community involvement to obtain their OSSD, the requirement complements what has always been our tradition and is viewed as a minimum expectation of a student in a Catholic school.

Facts about the Community Involvement Requirement

Examples of Catholic Community Involvement

Within the Community

Within the School

Examples of Ineligible Activities

Some ineligible activities include:

Parent Involvement

Parents should provide assistance to their child when selecting one or more community involvement activities. Selection of activities should take into account the age, maturity, and ability of the student, the location and environment of the proposed activity, and the need for any special training, equipment, and preparation. The safety of the student is paramount.

Parents should communicate with the community sponsor and the school principal if they have any questions or concerns.

Sponsor Involvement

Persons and organizations within the community may be asked by the student to sponsor a community involvement activity. Any training, equipment, or special preparation that is required for the activity should be provided by the person or organization. Students must be able to fulfil their community involvement requirement in a safe environment. Our School Board expects community sponsors to ensure that student volunteers are provided with safety instructions, and are trained and supervised to ensure a safe and mutually beneficial volunteer experience.

The person overseeing the student's activity must verify the date(s) and the number of hours completed on the "Completion of Community Involvement Activities" form.

Because the program is mandated by the Ministry of Education, our School Board's liability insurance will protect the students and the community sponsors. However, our School Board's insurance does not cover lawsuits that occur from injury in the workplace arising from sponsor negligence. Though not required, it is recommended that students involved in the program purchase Student Accident Insurance.

For additional information on community involvement, you can read the Ontario Ministry of Education's Ontario Secondary School Diploma Requirement: Community Involvement Activities in English-Language Schools (April 27, 1999).