Looking for a Catholic Grade School?
Sometimes this can be very overwhelming. Here are some guidelines to have in mind when you are looking for a great Catholic School.
First Step:
*Have a meeting with the Principal of the School if possible and ask the following questions:
(Get to know the Principal, this is very important. The Principal is in charge of all the teachers, the curriculum of the school and the overall staff decisions.)
- Principal’s Degree?
- Is the Principal Pro-Life?
- Does the Principal agree with all the teachings of the Catholic Church?
Example:
* Does he or she believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist?
*At this school will your child live his or her Catholic faith throughout the day?
Questions to Ask:
- Does the teaching staff take an Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church?
- Are all teachers required to be practicing Catholics?
- If not, are the religion teachers required to be practicing Catholics?
- What is your religion curriculum? Is it the same program for all grades?
- Do you teach sex education? What Grades? What program is used?
- How often do the students attend Mass?
- How often do the students attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
- Is the Rosary said at school?
- Are there prayers to start or end the day, and prayers before lunch?
- What is the uniform policy of the school? Is modesty required and taught?
- Does the school have parties or dances for the students? If so, what is the purpose? How do the students benefit from them?
- What kind of field trips do the students go on?
- What kind of fundraising is the student required to partake in?
- Have the books in the library and classrooms been screened for inappropriate material? Does anything contradict the Catholic teachings? Who screens the books?
Visiting the School:
When you visit the school and look in the classrooms observe the atmosphere. Is there a Crucifix in all the classrooms? Are there any Statues of Jesus, Mary or the Saints? Before you enter any classrooms could you tell if you are in a Public or Catholic School? Are there religious posters? Is any of the student’s work religious in nature? By looking at the school you should be able to tell right away if it looks truly Catholic.
If you have any suggestions of other questions to be asked when you are looking for a Catholic school, please contact us at: info@catholicparents.org
The Catholic Parents OnLine website has reviews of popular Catholic religion textbooks and “sex education” programs used by many of the Catholic schools. There is also a listing of Catholic schools in the Twin Cities and what programs they are using. See: Religious and “Sex” Education
