Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The Catholic school in Big Bend was on the brink of closing earlier this year, but St. Joe's is offering free tuition for new families and hopes a second open house this month will help improve their outlook.
It's been about three months since St. Joe's Parish School announced a radical offer to help boost enrollment in the face of financial troubles that at first had the school closing. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor "who feels called to ensure that Catholic education is accessible for all area children," St. Joe’s offered free tuition for new families. The response to the offer has been slow, with some families responding or at least expressing interest, but parent organizers said that they had expected that. "This isn’t a decision that someone would rush into, so hopefully with this event and the postcard mailing that we did, we will get a little more buzz created," parent Shelly Wohler explained. " Overall, I think it’s …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The Catholic school in Big Bend has an angel and new hope to turn things around to stay open and thrive in the years to come.
A donor has offered one year of free tuition for new students at St. Joseph's School in Big Bend as parents and parish members rally to save the school. The free tuition offer applies to any family with children in 5K through seventh grade who previously have not been enrolled in the school, and anyone interested will receive one free year with a two-year commitment. Parish families learned in January the school would be closed at the end of this year, but the news only spurred them to action. "During an organizational meeting, a parishioner simply asked us how many new students we could handle, and we joked, 'All of them!'" said school parent and marketing committee member Shelly Wohler. "However he was serious, and talked with the …
Monday, January 28, 2013
St. Joe's Big Bend almost didn't have an open house this past weekend, as church officials said they would have to close the school; parents, however had other ideas, and will organize to make sure there is a next year, and beyond.
There was a little more to this year's open house at St. Joe's Big Bend open house for its school on Sunday: determination. Less than a week earlier, students and parents learned from Pastor Dick Robinson that a decision had been made to close the school at the end of the current year. However, parents rallied to ask the church to reconsider, with the goal of working together to keep the school afloat. Principal Sue Shawver said the news was in many ways was galvanizing for parents who had come to expect there to always be a next year. "It's like when you're about to lose someone close to you, you really appreciate them, and do what you can to make sure they stick around," she said. Parent Shelley Wohler agreed, saying, "Sometimes it's …
Muskego school kids don't all attend public schools, and this weekend was an opportunity for parents to look at the option of private education
A kickoff to Catholic Schools Week, both St. Leonard's in Muskego and St. Joe's in Big Bend offered a look inside their classrooms during open houses on Sunday. Students, staff and administration were on hand to answer questions about curriculum, student life and of course tuition. If you happened to miss either event, here are some details to catch you up: St. Leonard's Catholic School, W173 S7777 Westwood Drive, Muskego Principal - Sue Watkinson Approximate enrollment - 200 Classes 4K-8 Website: http://school.stleonards.org/ E-Mail: school@stleonards.org 262-679-0451 St. Joseph Catholic Faith Community, W227 S8930 St. Joseph Drive, Big Bend Principal - Sue Shawver Approximate enrollment - 130 (abut 40% of students live in Muskego…
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Open houses invite families to learn more about the 'other schools' options available in and around Muskego
While the registrations have been announced for the various public schools in Muskego, the private schools themselves have events planned to invite parents and students to explore another option in education. Sunday, January 29 seems to be 'ground zero' for open houses at St. Leonard's in Muskego, St. Joe's in Big Bend, and St. Paul's Lutheran in Muskego. While parochial schools tend to post higher test scores than their public counter parts, the difference is often in the dollars for many families struggling under a tough economy. Tuitions for K5 and up generally range from $2,100 per year and up (often discounts on additional children are offered), which administrators admit is often the only thing people look at. "We want people who …
