St. Wenceslaus Catholic School
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

K-8 Hours are 7:30-2:30. Students should arrive by 7:25 AM by car. Busses arrive slightly earlier. Car pick-up and bus departure begins at 2:30 PM.

Tardy bell rings at 7:45 AM.

Half-day sessions: 9:00- 12:00 noon
Full-day sessions: 9:00-3:00

Offerings
4/5-year-old PreK sessions
MWF  Three half-days
M-F  Five half-days
MWF  Three full-days
M-F Five full-days

3/4-year-old preschool sessions
T/Th Two half-days
T/Th Two full-days

Extended care is offered daily 7:00-9:00 AM and 3:00-5:00 PM

The average class size is at SWS is 16-18.

Club House is an extended care program offered to all students in kindergarten through grade 8. The program is open after the regular school day. The Club House program is also open full time on some workshop, conference, and non-school days if there is enough interest from currently enrolled students. Club House is open in the summer if enrollment is desired by 6 or more full-time students.

Preschool Extended Care is offered daily in the preschool rooms on school days. 7:00-9:00 AM and 3:00-5:30 PM.

Yes, Club House is open on non-school days as long as 4 or more students are registered.

K-8 students arriving and being picked up by car should be brought to the back church parking lot where there is staff supervision. Morning drop off will take place from 7:15-7:25. Afterschool pick up should take place from 2:30-2:40.

Preschool students are to be dropped off and picked up by the preschool entrance on Columbus Avenue. In the morning, parents must walk their child into the building where they will greet their teachers. At pick up time, parents may park on Columbus Avenue and wait by their cars. Teachers will bring the child directly to the car when the session is dismissed.

Busing is available for all K-8 studetns who live within the New Prague School District boundary through New Prague Public Schools. Parents may register for bussing on the school district website under transportation.  For those who live out of the school district, busing might be available if the student can be dropped off at a regular bus stop.

There is no busing available for preschool aged students.

All Kindergarten students and new students to the school are assigned a bus buddy. This is another student who rides the same bus as your child. The bus buddy will help your child onto the correct bus to be taken home at the end of the school day.

SWS students board 3 buses at the end of the school day and are taken to New Prague Middle School where all busses are loaded for school day departure.

No need to worry! – Most kids get the hang of all of this after the first few days of school.

St. Wenceslaus welcomes students of all faiths and religious affiliations. The only requirement that we ask is that all students be allowed to participate in prayer, study, and faith-based activities that take place during school hours. Non-Catholic students are required to attend the weekly Catholic Mass that takes place, however, adjustments will be allowed to comply with faith practices of the students’ family. Each teacher will assist the non-Catholic students in their classrooms so that they are secure and comfortable with all religious practices that take place.  There are many non-Catholic students enrolled in the school each year.

Students attend a Catholic Mass each week as a school community. Non-Catholic students will participate is all aspects of the Mass, however when it comes time for communion the student will receive a blessing from the minister instead of the blessed host. Students walk forward with their classmates and teacher to receive the blessing or the host. They simply cross their arms across their chest as a sign of their faith and to indicate to the minister if they will receive a host or get the blessing. Catholic students under the age of 3rd grade and those not wishing to receive communion may do this at any Mass.

SWS Saints Teams consist of the following:

Fall Girls Volleyball – Grades 4-8
Winter Girls Basketball – Graded 5-8
Winter Boys Basketball – grades 5-8

All SWS students can participate in New Prague Community Sports hosted at the middle school when they are in grades 6-8. Students take the afterschool bus to the middle school for their practices. Some of the sports offered are as follows: football, soccer, tennis, baseball, volleyball, softball, lacrosse, track, cross country, weight lifting, swim and dive, golf, basketball, dance, and cheerleading. There are also private organizations within the community for gymnastics, hockey, and dance.

There are no official programs offered by St. Wenceslaus School but the parish does offer summer Vacation Bible School in coordination with other parishes in the New Prague community.

Please call the school office if your child will be absent, tardy or needs to be dismissed early for any reason 952-758-3133.  Calls must be made by 8:30 AM at the latest. You may leave a voicemail if your call is not answered personally, or email info@swsaints.org.

If your child is sick the evening before school or in the morning, please keep them home. Chances are they will not feel good and they will likely spread gems to other students. Please call the school office by 8:30 AM to let us know that your child is ill. 758-3133.
We have a 24 hour rule. If your child has a fever (even a mild one), vomits, or has diarrhea, they must stay home for a full 24 hours after the last incident of illness.

Vacations can be a wonderful learning experience for students. The school accepts that families can benefit by going on vacation when school is in session. Parents are expected to help their student collect and make up all work that is missed after the vacation is complete. Parents should not expect that teachers will have work prepared ahead of time for the student who will be absent.

All school doors are locked during the school day. Visitors must enter through the front (Main Street) entrance. Office personnel monitor this door. Visitors must ring the bell to enter and sign in at the school office.

Preschool doors are open for 10 minutes at the start of each session and are monitored by the preschool staff. Preschool students may enter through this door located on Columbus Avenue. Late arrivals must go to the Main Street door.

Lunch is served on all school days. Students have a choice of the main dish or a salad bar offering. Cost is $2.75 per day for students. A second lunch is allowed for hungry students for an additional fee of $1.50. Students who choose to bring a bag lunch from home may purchase a carton of milk for $.45.

Adults are welcome to join the students for lunch. A ticket can be purchased in the school office when you come to sign in. The cost for each adult lunch is $4.00. Adults having lunch with the students must be compliant with the Virtus Essential 3 – training, background check, and code of contact order.

Preschool students: Uniforms not required. Special preschool shirts are available for sale and are encouraged.

Kindergarten through Grade 6 students: Uniforms are required (see detailed uniform policy)

Grades 7 – 8: No uniforms are required but students must adhere to the dress code policies. Uniforms style clothing is required during special Archdiocesan events (parents will be notified of these events in advance).

K-8 Families
$150 per student for the Marathon for Non-public education
$300 for the Winter Sweepstakes
10 tickets to the Fish Fry Dinner ($12 per ticket – subject to change)

Preschool Families
$50 per student for the Marathon for Non-public education
$50 for the Winter Sweepstakes
5 tickets to the Fish Fry Dinner ($12 per ticket – subject to change)

The school uses a discipline approach called DWP (Discipline with Purpose) in combination with the tenets of STEM called Growth Mind Set. Students are taught to be self disciplined learners who grow in this area to have a mature moral code and strong values. All policies are in the parent handbook.

September: School Marathon

October: Archdiocesan Mass, STEM Fair, Halloween Monster Mash, 8th grade trio to Washington DC, Handmade Market

December: School Christmas Concert

January: Catholic Schools Week Celebration, Snowman Celebration, Gr.5/6 trip to Long Lake Environmental Camp

February: 7/8th grade Musical

March: Starry Night Auction

May: Special Guest Day, Spring Concert

SWS is on semesters for grading periods. Report cards will be sent out one week after the end of each semester.

Conferences take place twice each year. Teachers and parents will set up a small time during the months of October/November and then again in March/April . A signup form is sent out prior to the conference to allow parents to choose a time during the designated conference sessions.

Teacher are more than willing to have additional conferences as needed throughout the school year by arrangement.

Tuition assistance is available to families who qualify. Families apply for assistance through TADS (Tuition Aid Data Services) which is an outside agency that reviews family financial information. All school financial information is held strictly confidential between the family and the school principal. The principal will interact with the TADS data and assign the financial assistance to each qualifying student. No other staff person or board have access to this data. Go to TADS.com to apply. www.tads.com

Each family is expected to volunteer at the school. We expect that most parents will be willing to join in for many activities but we have a minimum requirement as well. K-8 families must volunteer for 2 shifts of work at one of the following fundraising event and preschool families must volunteer for 1 shift:

Fish Fry Dinner
Starry Night Auction
Golf Tournament

You may also join one of the following committees to meet this requirement: Home and School Association or the planning committee for the Ice fishing Contest, Fish Fry dinner, or the Starry night Auction.

We have a $150 per event opt out fee for families who choose to opt out of volunteering.

Is the school accountable to the Catholic Church?

St. Wenceslaus Catholic School is accountable to the Catholic Church and to the Catholic Identity Standards of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The pastor and the school principal oversee the incorporation of all religious standards within the school. The school is under review of these standards every seven years.

Is the school state accredited?

St. Wenceslaus Catholic School is accredited by MNSAA (Minnesota Non-Public School Accrediting Association) which is an approved agency by the State of Minnesota Department of Education. The school participates in a self-study and review process every seven years.

Are teachers certified? 

All classroom homeroom teachers and professional staff members hold degrees in education and hold valid teaching licenses. Teaching specialists and all other staff members are appropriately certified for the positions they hold within the school. More than 60% of the teaching staff hold teaching certifications with Masters Degrees in education.