Disclaimer & Terms of Use

 

The website for the Catholic School Parents' Association (CSPA) is maintained as a public service to our school community and all external web users in order to provide direct access to information about our organization. We reserve the right to change or modify its terms, conditions, and notices under which use of the website is offered. The materials and information provided on this website are for general information only. Our Board does not guarantee that the website is accurate or free from error and does not accept any liability for your use of the website. Any person who acts or refrains from acting because of information posted on this website does so at their own risk and in so acting, the person releases the CSPA from any resulting liability.

The CSPA respects the privacy of its web visitors through the use of privacy policies and procedures that work to protect the confidentiality of any personal identifiable information. All external links on this website are operated by outside organizations who manage their own content. The inclusion of these links does not imply endorsement or guarantee of any of the organizations’ information. The content on this website is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act and all applicable federal and provincial statutes. Any reproduction or commercial use of the content is strictly prohibited without written permission of the CSPA. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions or concerns.

PIC Grants

Each school council receives $500 to assist with parent communication and other parent engagement efforts. Schools with both an intermediate (Grades 7-8) and secondary (Grades 9-11) stream receives $500 for each, for a total of $1,000.

The Ministry provides this money to the school board, which in turn works with the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) to distribute the funds through budget allocations provided to each school administration. The School Council should collaboratively decide how the money is to be spent.  All funds are to be spent on activities that support or enhance parental involvement, parental engagement, in-person and virtually, or on improved communication between the school and home. 

Some ideas for spending this Parent Involvement funding include:

  • Guest speaker or parent workshops; pooling of funds from multiple schools is an option and encouraged. *Need ideas? Check out the CSPA Speaker List to get you started.*
  • Translation services or interpreters for parent resources, events and interviews.
  • Door prizes (ie: books, school swag and/or gift cards with a maximum value of $25 to stores such as Dollarama, Indigo or your local coffee shop) for contests to increase parent engagement (ie: survey participation).
  • Parent resource library (ie: books and electronic resources).
  • Creating a ‘Welcome Package’ for new families to the community.
  • Volunteer appreciation events and activities (ie: volunteer t-shirts, pinnies, safety vests or aprons for School Council events, volunteer lunch, volunteer recognition gifts, food and refreshments for School Council meetings or during volunteer activities).
  • Should you wish to use your funds for events and activities after the due date, we recommend discussing advance payments with your vendors.  Due to Accounting processes, extensions are no longer acceptable and PIC Grant funds will be removed from your school’s allocated budget by May 11, 2024.
These funds cannot be spent on the following:
  • Payment of OCSB Staff.
  • Computers, iPads, Chromebooks.
  • Textbooks for Students.
  • Purchases at LCBO, Beer Store and OLG Vendors, including gift cards, lottery tickets, alcohol, etc.
  • Donations and support for families that may require financial or monetary support (ie: gift baskets and gift cards).
  • Large-denomination gift cards for use at stores, restaurants, etc. to purchase refreshments and other supplies for events, fundraisers and initiatives. Gift cards are not for use as credit cards.