Welcome
St. Petronille School is one way the parish fulfills its mission to provide a Catholic education for its youth. As a parish school, it offers an outstanding program from kindergarten through eighth grade. This program is available under the auspices of the Diocese of Joliet, which guarantees that no student shall be denied admission solely on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin. Further, it is the policy of St. Petronille School that no school child shall be denied a Catholic education because of inability to pay. Confidential financial assistance is available.
Catholic education has as its primary purpose religious formation in a Christian environment which integrates religious truths and values with every aspect of human life. This integration begins in the home and is further developed in school. As parents of students admitted to St. Petronille School, we subscribe to this concept and demonstrate our commitment in several ways. As registered parishioners, we devote Time, Talent, and Treasure to the support of the parish through the annual stewardship drive.
Parental involvement, something Catholic education has relied on for years, has recently been documented as a primary factor in school success. Through the many committees of volunteer services coordinated by the Parent Organization and School Board, we offer our Time and Talent. This stewardship of Time and Talent is accompanied by considerable financial support individually through tuition payments and communally through a pledge of Treasure as a registered parishioner.
Admissions Policy
These are the requirements and procedures for admission and registration at St. Petronille School:
1. Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible for admission at St. Petronille School, a family must be registered and active parishioners. The registered and active requirements must be met each year by families of children currently enrolled in the school, families new to the school, and families included on the admission waiting list.
"Registered" means that a written record must be created when a new family joins the parish. Examples include when children of parishioners assume adult responsibilities for their own families or when a family new to the parish notifies its former parish of its transfer of registration. Families living outside of parish boundaries must have written approval to transfer parish registration. In the case of a family newly moved into the parish, but which had previously been registered in the parish, the family must re-register. The "date of parish registration" for the family shall be the most recent date of parish registration.
"Active" describes a parishioner who supports the St. Petronille faith community through involvement in parish stewardship. Every year, St. Petronille registered parishioners are asked to pledge Time, Talent, and Treasure during the stewardship drive. An active parishioner demonstrates stewardship through involvement in parish ministries and through a good faith response to and consistent return of the offertory envelopes. The Pastor shall determine whether the active requirement has been met.
2. Admission Rules for an Upcoming School Year
A. Grades 1 through 8
Children of families meeting the registered and active requirements described above will be admitted to grades 1-8 at St. Petronille School in the following order of priority:
(1) children currently enrolled in grades K-7;
(2) siblings of currently enrolled students in grades K-8 (except as provided in 3.B.) and of St.Petronille graduates, by date of parish registration; and
(3) children of families new to the school, by date of parish registration
B. Kindergarten
Children of families meeting the registered and active requirements described above will be admitted to kindergarten at St. Petronille School in the following order of priority:
(1) siblings of currently enrolled students in grades K-8 (except as provided in 3.B.) and of St. Petronille graduates, by date of parish registration; and
(2) children of families new to the school, by date of parish registration.
C. Effect of the Active Requirement
In exceptional cases, the Pastor may consider a family's commitment of Time and Talent in addition to the date of parish registration in making admission decisions.
D. Waiting List
If there are fewer openings than there are qualified applicants, then a waiting list for each grade level will be established. Openings subsequently arising shall be filled from the waiting list based on the application of the above priority rules at that time.
3. Admission Rules for a School Year Already in Progress
A. It is the policy of St. Petronille School that children will not be admitted at any time during the school year unless these children have moved into the parish with their families from out of state or from another part of the state or these children were on the waiting list. However, individual circumstances may mitigate this policy, and children may be admitted at the discretion of the Principal and Pastor.
B. The active requirement in 1. above shall be waived in cases involving children of families new to the parish who seek admission during a school year already in progress. However, if a child (or children) of such a family is admitted to the school, and another child of that family is placed on the waiting list or subsequently seeks admission to the school, then such other child will only receive priority status as a sibling of a currently enrolled student six months after the family's date of parish registration.
4. Dates for Application and Registration Procedures for an Upcoming School Year
A. Families with Children Currently Enrolled in or Already Graduated from the School
Families with children currently enrolled in the school or with children who have had siblings graduate from the school must pre-register for grades K-8 by February 15.
B. Families New to the School
(1) Applications for openings in kindergarten must be received from families new to the school by February 15. Acceptance letters will be sent out after March 15. Applications received after February 15 will be considered for the waiting list or for admission as space permits.
(2) From February 15 through the end of the current school year, applications for openings in grades 1-8 will be accepted from families new to the school. Acceptance letters will be sent out periodically after February 15. Applicants for grades 5-8 must forward copies of their school records for review before final acceptance.
C. Upon admission and pre-registration, a $130.00 non-refundable fee for each child must be submitted to the school office. All required official student records must be provided to the school upon admission.
5. Sibling Waitlist Policy
If there are multiple siblings on a waitlist for a grade, siblings will be ranked in order of the date first placed on the waitlist. (i.e. not date of parish registration)
6. Interpretation of Policies
Discretion in the interpretation of admission and registration policies rests with the Principal and Pastor.
Adopted: 1983
Revised: 1985, 87, 89, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 01, 02, 05