Frequently Asked Questions
CLASS SIZE REGISTRATION & TUITION IN-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES TECHNOLOGY BIRTHDAYS COMMUNICATIONS
FACULTY FIELD TRIPS AFTER-SCHOOL CARE LUNCHES PARENT INVOLVEMENT
CLASS SIZE
What is the average student /teacher ratio?
Currently the ratio of student to teacher is 15:1
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What is the average class size at Holy Spirit Catholic School?
Class sizes range from 12 to 22.
REGISTRATION & TUITION
When is registration?
Re-registration for current families occurs in January of each year. Registration for new families begins at our Open House during Catholic Schools Week, the last week in January and is on-going until classes are filled.
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What is the registration fee?
$100 - due at the time of registration
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Does Holy Spirit Catholic School accept non-Catholic students or students who are outside of our parish boundaries??
Holy Spirit Catholic School does welcome diverse students to apply to our school at no additional charge.
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What are our current tuition rates??
Please visit our Tuition page to view our current tuition rates.
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IN-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
What is the Buddy Program?
The Buddy Program is a formal system through which older and younger students are paired up for a variety of special activities such as reading, attending Mass, and service projects. It allows the students to make special bonds and build relationships with the entire student body. Our students absolutely love seeing their buddies, even it is only by passing in the hallway.
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If my child is a Big Buddy, what is expected of them?
As a "Big Buddy" our older students are expected to act as good role models. They are expected to be helpful and caring, while having fun at the same time.
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What are Holy Spirit Catholic School's service projects? When are they? Who benefits?
Holy Spirit Catholic School participates in service projects each month. Each class selects a service project to promote to the whole school. These projects require active participation by the students. In the past, students have collected items for St. Patrick's Center, sent cards and visited nursing homes, and raised money for various organizations such as ALS and Down Syndrome.
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When and how often do children attend Mass?
The classes alternate on Thursdays. Kindergarten through Grade 4 will attend Mass on a Thursday and grades 5 through 8 will attend the next Thursday. The whole student body attends Mass every Friday. Students also attend Mass with their families on Saturday or Sunday.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
How do I find out about Holy Spirit School Athletics?
The Holy Spirit School organizes the sports for our school children, which includes volleyball, soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, etc. The teams are composed of children from the school, parish, and our community. For more information, please go to http://hsaastl.org.
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What extracurricular activities are available for full time students at Holy Spirit Catholic School?
Extracurricular activities include, but are not limited to: Chess Club, Band, Mile Club, Speech, STUCO, Kiwanis, and Baseball/Softball Club, offered in the Spring.
TECHNOLOGY
How is technology applied in school?
Computer and Library classes are cross-curricular classes, which means all lessons are designed with assistance of their homeroom teacher and tie directly to curriculum from the students' core subjects. The Internet, Online Safety and a variety of software applications including Google Drive, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are taught during the year. In addition to our computer lab, 22 Google Chromebooks are available for students to utilize in classroom settings. All homeroom classrooms are equipped with interactive SMART Boards to help teachers incorporate technology into their daily lessons.
BIRTHDAYS
What is the school policy regarding birthdays?
As a special birthday treat, students will be allowed to dress out of uniform on the day of their birthday. If a student's birthday falls on a weekend of during a break, they may dress out the day before or after. Students with summer birthday may dress out on their half-birthdays. Students should follow out of uniform guidelines for appropriate dress.
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Parents may send in store bought birthday treats; however, because of peanut/tree nut allergies, we encourage parents to take advantage of our offer to purchase cupcakes, brownies, or cookies through our cafeteria. Miss Jane makes up a nice birthday package with the treats for $1.00 per student.
COMMUNICATIONS
What is the Monthly News & Notes?
In an effort to be "green," the school uses an electronic monthly News & Notes. Once a month the principal writes a newsletter highlighting school and student accomplishments, upcoming events, social and scholastic recommendations, etc. All approved forms and flyers for upcoming activities and fundraisers are also included. The Monthly News & Notes is emailed to all parents and posted on our school website.
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How do Holy Spirit Catholic School and its teachers communicate with parents?
In addition to the Monthly News & Notes, FastDirect Communications and email are used. FastDirect allows you to communicate with teachers, check grades, order lunch, check lunch balance, check teacher bulletin boards, and much more. Each teacher also has an individual email address; however, FastDirect is recommended.
FIELD TRIPS
How do I participate in field trips as a parent?
Field trips are planned by the classroom teachers, and requests will go out for parents drivers and/or chaperones. All parents participating in field trips or any activities with the children must comply with the Archdiocese Safe Environment requirements. Parents driving for field trips must also provide proof of adequate car insurance and a copy of their current driver's license. For more information, contact the school office.
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What/where are the field trips for each grade?
Typical field trips are:
Kindergarten: Florissant Civic Center live performances, Butterfly House First Grade: Florissant Civic Center live performances Second Grade: Florissant Civic Center live performances & Poor Clares Third Grade: Faust Park Farm Steading at Thornhill, Florissant Civic Center live performances Fourth Grade: Faust Park Farm Steading at Thornhill Fifth Grade: Washington University live performance, Holy Childhood Child Association Mass at Holy Infant Sixth Grade: Week-long overnight Camp, Focus 11 at Chaminade College Prep School, Challenger Learning Center Seventh Grade: Challenger Learning Center & St. Louis University Pig Dissection Eighth Grade: Region 3 Liturgy, Jefferson City
AFTER-SCHOOL CARE
Is there after school care availability? What is the contact information?
The after school care program, Spirit Zone is offered 3:00-6:00 p.m. every day school is in session. Any combination of days is available. The contact person is Mrs. Ann Griffin, who is also the Fifth Grade teacher at Holy Spirit School.
LUNCHES
Is there a hot lunch program available?
Yes, an optional hot lunch program is offered daily. We have a wonderful cafeteria manager who enjoys having special lunches such as green eggs and ham on Dr. Suess’s Birthday, hot dogs and popcorn on the opening day for the Cardinals, and a special Thanksgiving feast for the whole school!
PARENT INVOLVEMENT
What are the volunteer opportunities and requirements?
The Home and School is the primary vehicle for many of the school's volunteering opportunities - although there are several outside of the Home & School such as School Board, Marketing and Athletic Association. The Home & School has developed a point program to secure the need of assistance for the many activities hosted throughout the year. This information is made available to all school families in August. All parent volunteers are required to comply with the Archdiocese Safe Environment requirements.
What are mandatory work requirements for parents?
Parents are asked to earn fifteen points volunteering and earn a set amount through purchasing SCRIP (gift cards).
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM
What are the age requirements for the Early Childhood Program?
Preschool: Students must be age three by August 1 and no longer wearing pull ups in order to be eligible for the Preschool program.
Prekindergarten: Students must be age four by August 1 in order to be eligible for the Prekindergarten program.
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For more information, visit our Early Childhood Program page!
MIDDLE SCHOOL
How are the Middle School classes structured?
Students in the Middle School switch classes throughout the day. This enables them to work with teachers who specialize in the subject area being taught.
What is the high school acceptance rate for the middle school?
All 8th grade students are accepted at a high school of their choice.
RESOURCES
What additional resources are available if my child is struggling in school?
Holy Spirit School has a Learning Resource teacher who works with students and is the liaison for the Special School District.
