South Side Catholic Schools Gear Up For Catholic Schools Week

CHICAGO — South Side Catholic schools will be celebrating 50 years of excellence in Catholic education during Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 28 through Feb. 3.

Each year, the last week of January is set aside where Catholic schools observe the week with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners, and community members. Families can register current and new students for the 2024-2025 school year. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2025 is “Unity in Faith and Community.”

Students in Archdiocese of Chicago schools achieve higher than national average scores on standardized tests like the ACT and ACT Aspire. Seniors are purported to graduate at a rate of 98 percent, with 95 percent going on to college. The Chicago Archdiocese also boasts more U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award schools than any other school system – public or private – in the nation.

Financial aid is also available to help children grades K-12 from low-income homes attend an archdiocesan Catholic school through the Illinois Invest in Kids Act, Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Donors fund the scholarship and in return receive a 75% credit on their donation when filing their Illinois state income taxes.

Families can apply for Tax Credit Scholarships through a scholarship granting organization, which distributes the scholarships. The Archdiocese of Chicago works with two SGOs: Empower Illinois and Big Shoulders Fund.

Catholic schools in Beverly, Mount Greenwood and Morgan Park will be holding special Masses and open hours on Sunday, Jan. 28, unless otherwise noted. If you're looking for a Catholic school experience for your kiddos, take a look at what they have to offer. Most schools offer private school tours by appointment if you can't make the open house.

All open houses take place on Sunday, Jan. 28:

Christ the King School, 9240 S. Hoyne Ave., Chicago, 773-779-3329

Christ the King will celebrate the start of Catholic Schools Week with a 9 a.m. family Mass for current and prospective families followed by an open house and Bookies Book Fair from 10 a.m. to noon. A Blue Ribbon Award winning school, Christ the King boasts 87 years of academic excellence. Major renovations have taken place, including a STEM Lab.
The school offers:

• Newly renovated art and music rooms, media center, and kindergarten and preschool rooms.
• Elevator for wheelchair access and special needs
• 1:1 iPads, grades K-3
• 1:1 Chromebooks, grades 4-8
• Viewsonic boards, grades K-8
• Guidance counselor offering 1:1 and group sessions
• 17:1 student-teacher ratio
• Football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, golf and running
• Specials, including PE, visual arts, music
• Spanish grades 4-8

St. Barnabas, 10121 S. Longwood Drive, Chicago, 773-445-7711

St. Barnabas School will kick off Catholic Schools Week with a 10 a.m. Mass, followed by school tours from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Home of the Buckeyes, St. Barnabas weaves technology in educational experiences that foster success, promote unity, and respect the individuality of each student.
Through a variety of programs and services, St. Barnabas successfully prepares students for the endless challenges that lie ahead. Rooted in faith, tradition, and friendship, St Barnabas empowers students to develop their unique capabilities to live, lead, and serve in an ever-changing global society.

• 3 & 4 year-old full & half-day preschool options
• Full-day Kindergarten
• Before & After Care
• Growing number of 21st Century Classrooms with flexible seating
• Service Learning focus including All-School Service Days and grade-level service projects
• Project MATCH program, offering differentiated curriculum in Math & ELA (Reading)
• "Buckeye Block" during which students learn about rotating topics such as Executive Functioning, School Counseling Topics, Service, etc.
• Spanish, Music, Art, Physical Education and Technology Instruction for all students from preschool through 8th grade
• 1:1 iPad program for junior high, interactive white boards and media center with technology-driven instruction
• Diverse offerings in our After School Enrichment program, including yoga, STEM engineering, chess, young entrepreneurs and more
• Robust after school athletics and theater programs

St. Cajetan School, 2447 W. 112th St., Chicago, 2447 W. 112th St., 773-474-7820

St. Cajetan School marks the beginning of Catholic Schools Week with an 11 a.m. Mass featuring the children’s choir, followed by an open house from noon to 1:30 p.m. The school serves students in preschool through eighth grade, offering:

• Preschool programs: 3- or 5-days full-day, and 3- or 5-day half-days;
• Full-day kindergarten;
• Faith-based learning every day
• Before and after school care
• Weekly social/emotional learning classes
• Art, music, gym and technology classes
• State-of-the-art technology and STEM labs used by all students
• Technology used daily within all classrooms
• All rooms equipment with interactive viewsonic boards
• Resource teachers
• Spanish
• Daily skill development centers
• Leveled literacy
• 1:1 Chromebooks for grades 2-8
• 1:1 iPads for grades K-1
• Fully air-conditioned building
• Sensory Exploration Station
• Spring 2024 outdoor learning center

St. Christina School, 11005 S. Homan Ave., Chicago, 773-445-2969

New and prospective families are invited to a 10:30 a.m. family Mass, with an open house following until 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28.

New family registration begins at 8 a.m. For yours and registration, enter at the main entrance at 100th Street.

Home of the Cardinals, St. Christina is a community of faith, achievement, and service. (Learn more about registration.) St. Christina strives to promote the spiritual, academic, physical and social development of each child in a safe and positive environment, offering:

• Faith Formation
• Academic Excellence
• ASPIRE Score Above National Norm
• Dedicated Staff
• Supportive Community
• Strong Alumni Population
• Individualized Attention
• Steady Enrollment
• PreK3 and PreK full and half day options
• Weekly Mass
• SMART Boards in all Rooms
• FOSS Hands-on Science Program
• Library, Computer, Music, Art and PE Programs
• Junior High Spanish Program
• Athletics Program K-8
• Before and After School Care
• Extracurricular Activities
• After School Enrichment
• Support Staff: Nurse, Counselor, Resource Person

St. John Fisher, 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave., Chicago, 773-445-4737

St. John Fisher will host an open house from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., culminating in an 11 a.m. family Mass, Sunday, Jan. 28. The curriculum at St. John Fisher is comprehensive and centered on providing a rigorous program that meets individual learning styles and prepares the St John Fisher graduate to do well in high school, college and beyond.

In addition to the regular course of study, the school provides an excellent educational technology program, fine arts program, and an extensive athletic program that involves more than four hundred children in intramural and extramural activities.

St. Walter-St. Benedict School, 11741 S. Western Ave., Chicago, and 2324 New Street, Blue Island, 708-385-2016.

St. Walter-St. Benedict School will be holding two open houses on Saturday, Jan. 27, at its Chicago campus, starting with a 4 p.m. family Mass, followed by an open house for PreK through fourth grades; PreK and grades 5-8 will take place on the Blue Island campus, starting with a 9:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Jan. 28, with an open house to follow.

Both campuses strive to educate the whole child academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally through an environment of faith, compassion and academic rigor, including:

• Open enrollment for all grades
• Meet the teachers and principals
• Scholarships available
• PreK for all (Blue Island campus)

Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 W. 103rd St., Evergreen Park, 708-422-1540

Queen of Martyrs marks Catholic Schools week with a 10:30 a.m. Mass, followed by an open house until 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29. Celebrating 70 years of academic excellence, Queen of Martyrs offers:

• Education 3-year-old preschool through eighth grade
• New Science/STEM Lab and curriculum
• Enhanced learning with Chromebooks and iPads
• iReady differentiated instruction for grades K-8
• Catholic-based education
• Service opportunities throughout the year
• Educating the whole child mentally, physically and spiritually
• Dedicated faculty and staff
• Offering technology, Spanish, music, band, physical education, school counselor, resource teacher, speech services
• After school enrichment, including art class, school choir, church choir, film lab, chess class, theater club, silly STEM and more.