| 1. How much does it cost to send a child to Catholic School?The Wichita Diocese is one of only two diocese in the nation that funds its schools directly from tithing. We do not charge tuition to attend our schools. Our schools are funded through the generosity of our Parish families. We do charge a registration fee to attend our school, but other than that, you pay nothing except what is due to the Lord already. 2. Do my children have to wear uniforms?The answer to this is yes. We do have uniforms at St. James Catholic School for children in grades K-6. The uniforms for the girls are plaid jumpers or navy pants with white polo shirts. Uniforms for the boys are navy pants with plaid or white shirts. Shoes are to be mainly black, brown, or white with no flashing lights or characters. 3. Will my children be able to take band, music, and PE?Once again, the answer is yes. We have a vocal music instructor and a PE instructor. Our 5th grade students have band class in our band/music room while the 6th grade attends band with the USD 402 middle school. The band instructor is provided by our public school system. We also have a part time librarian / technology instructor.
4. What special education services are available?
We are very blessed to have a great working relationship with USD 402 (Augusta). All special education services are available for our students and some are available on site.
5. How often do the students attend Mass?Kindergarten: Every Friday until Advent / Wednesday and Friday between Advent and Lent - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after Lent.1st - 6th Grade: Every Monday Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 6. How often will my child have religion class?Religion is taught everyday. We have a set curriculum for religion and the teachers are all encouraged to tie our Faith into every subject area. We are focusing on the virtue of “JUSTICE” this year. . 7. How does the curriculum compare to the public schools?It is always dangerous to compare one school against another because of all the different factors that go into the success of a school. I can report that our Reading, Math, and Writing scores are among teh highest in Butler County. We have achieved the Standard of Excellence for the past six years in Math at the 4th grade level. This is our fifth year in a row that the Diocese of Wichita recognized SJCS as a CATHOLIC SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE based on superior performance on the IOWA TEST of BASIC SKILLS. SJCS was also recognized as a SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE on the STEWARD ASSESSMENT. This is a Religion Test given to children in grades 3-5. SJCS 5th grade also received STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE in Writing and Reading during the 03-08 school years. The Diocese sets our curriculum and we follow it as closely as possible. Our curriculum is very challenging for some students, but for the most part, most of our students do extremely well. 8. How big are the classes?We will allow up to 25 students in the Kindergarten class and we can go up to 30 in the other classes. However, our average class size for the Preschool thru 6th grade is one teacher per 19 students. 9. How do the students get to school and back home?Bus students are provided transportation by the public school system. Other children may be dropped off starting at 7:40 a.m. We have a fantastic after school program called “Guardian Angels” provided for parents who need extra time to pick up their children after school. The program is provided until 5:30 p,m. with minimal charge. Students are engaged in activities and have a designated homework time. 10. What kind of technology is available?We have at least three computers in each classroom and a computer lab with 26 computers in it. Our computers are all networked and they all have access to the Internet. WE do have a filter on our Internet called Alegro Surf Filtering System to help us guard against our students getting on sites that are not appropriate. We have a part-time computer teacher that meets with each class every week. |
