The Saint Ursula Academy Parent Club is a volunteer organization dedicated to enhancing the student experience, supporting school traditions, and fostering connections among SUA families. Parent Club members volunteer for one major event and two smaller events each year, helping create memorable experiences for students while building a strong, engaged school community.
Being a member is a 3-year commitment for your daughter’s sophomore, junior, and senior years. All parents and guardians are welcome to participate. Parent Club members meet on the third Tuesday of each month to receive updates, coordinate upcoming events, and connect with fellow volunteers.
Interested in getting involved?
Parent Club Events at a Glance
Senior Canoe Trip: Organizes the annual senior canoe outing before the start of school, including registration, logistics, and a picnic lunch.
College Application Kickoff: Supports the senior college application workday by coordinating food and refreshments for students and visiting college admissions representatives.
Dawg Day: Welcomes prospective students and families, introduces Parent Club, and supports Admissions during this preview event for 8th-grade girls.
Fall Into Fashion (Previously known as Flourish): Parent Club's signature annual fundraiser featuring boutique vendors, a raffle, dinner, and a mother-daughter fashion show in partnership with UC DAAP
Open House: Assists with guest check-in, hospitality, directions, student ambassador support, and refreshments.
Graduation Dress Sale: Provides graduating seniors access to gently used white graduation dresses at reduced prices.
Parlor Decorations: Decorates the school parlors for the holiday season and manages setup, takedown, and storage.
Employee Appreciation Lunch: Hosts an annual luncheon and coordinates gifts to recognize and thank SUA faculty and staff.
Senior Spring Lunch: Plans and hosts a special luncheon celebrating the senior class.
Declaration Day: Coordinates the Senior Flag Parade and celebration recognizing seniors' post-graduation plans, including college, career, military, and service commitments.
Senior Tea: A beloved SUA tradition that transforms the gym into an elegant tearoom for seniors and their guests, serving hundreds of attendees each year.
Graduation: Supports commencement activities, including senior check-in, staging, program distribution, and family assistance.
Counseling Support Team: Assists with college-focused programming, Senior Signing Day, and provides support resources for the Counseling Department.
Through these events, the Parent Club helps preserve SUA's traditions, supports students and staff, and creates opportunities for families to become actively involved in the school community.
Parent Club Commitment
Attend Monthly Meetings
This Parent Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. during the school year to organize and chair activities and events to enhance our daughter's high school experience.
- It’s important that all members attend the in-person meetings, if possible, to receive updates on events and allow committees to touch base. We understand that with certain work schedules, morning meetings are not possible for some of our members. We send out meeting notes after every meeting and can keep you informed if attendance is not feasible.
Event committees can meet in between those meetings to plan their events, when necessary.
Volunteer on Assigned Events
Parent Club events are assigned to committee members annually. We ask that each member honor the commitment to serve on the assigned event or find a substitute if a conflict is predicted.
Parent Club Structure
Every member serves on one large committee (the Fall into Fashion event or the Senior Tea) and a few small event committees each year. Most Parent Club members serve a three-year term, which provides continuity and helps strengthen our community. If a three-year commitment isn't the right fit for your family, we'd still love to find a way for you to be involved that works with your schedule.
The structure is as follows:
- The Freshman/Sophomore parents/guardians volunteer as committee members on their assigned events (which are assigned annually at the final meeting of the year). This allows them to learn how the events work for future years.
- The Junior parents/guardians, with experience in their specific events, serve as committee chairs and co-chairs for their assigned events.
- The Senior parents/guardians serve as advisors to the Junior event chairs and answer questions, offer advice, and assist the Junior moms and committee members in leading the event. Senior moms also volunteer on various assigned events.
After your first three years, if you have younger daughters, you may stay on the Parent Club as an At-Large Member. At-large members continue as part of the Parent Club and volunteer for the events of their choosing, usually one large and a few small events each year.
Leave Notes for Future Parent Club Event Organizers
This intentional structure ensures event success by maintaining continuity in Parent Club event staffing year over year. Each committee leaves detailed notes for the volunteers that follow. These events are a lot of fun and a great way to meet other SUA parents and make some new friends! It’s also a great way to get a sneak peek into the student experience at SUA.
Many of the events are time-honored traditions and could not happen without the help of the Parent Club. That is why the commitment portion is so important as we plan for each year!
If a 3-year commitment isn’t something you are able to make, please consider volunteering in other areas by signing up through The Parent Volunteer Network online in the fall to help serve SUA with requests for hands-on helpers for events requiring a short-term commitment. There are many opportunities throughout the year, and we welcome your involvement.