1.    Why is a middle school being considered?

• Bishop Morlino has given his permission for 13 consecrated women of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, to live and work in the Sauk City area. Ten of the thirteen women are trained and experienced school teachers.
• At one time, St. Aloysius school continued through 8th grade and provided a Catholic school education for middle school students.
• Currently there are four classrooms in the rectory basement that are unused. Given the situation, it makes sense to consider beginning a middle school.

• As consecrated women in a religious society (order), they have taken a vow of poverty. As education is a main focus of the Society, teaching is an integral part of their vocation, part of how they live their lives in the service of God.
• The women are currently supported entirely by their religious society. This support will continue once the women relocate to the Diocese. The responsibility for their financial support will not fall upon the parishes where the women live and/or serve.

• This has yet to be determined. Currently, several options are being considered including using either or both of the rectories at St. Barnabas and St. Norbert (both of which are currently unoccupied), as well as the possibility of renting or purchasing a house.
• The procedure as outlined by the Diocesan Building Commission will be followed as discussions about possible renovations and/or purchases ensue. According to this process, a final plan must be approved by the Diocesan Building Commission.

• All current teachers and staff at St. Aloysius Parish & School will remain in their positions.
• If vacancies occur in the future, they will be filled by following the established procedure that is currently used. Vacancies would be announced, posted through the Diocese and qualified candidates would be selected and interviewed according to current policy so that the parish & school obtain the best qualified teachers and staff.

• Ten of the thirteen women have earned bachelors degrees and have several years of teaching experience.
• Three of the thirteen women are currently taking classes toward their degrees.
• Since none of the women have been teaching in Wisconsin, they do not hold Wisconsin teaching licenses. However, they would begin taking courses immediately to earn these licenses. This is in compliance with Diocesan policy and the policies of the Wisconsin Religious and Independent School Accreditation (WRISA) which currently accredits St. Aloysius School.

• The curriculum will be reviewed by the Office of Catholic Schools to ensure alignment with Diocesan curriculum standards.
• The curriculum will meet not only the current standards, but it will also maintain the strong reputation for academic excellence that has been established and long maintained at St. Aloysius.

• The tuition at the middle school will be the same amount as the tuition at the elementary school, dependent upon parishioner status, possible need of tuition assistance, and multiple-child discount.

• Tuition revenue will be used to defray expenses such as supplies, textbooks, teaching materials, building maintenance and possibly living expense.

• Our discussions regarding the middle school are still in their initial phases.  One of the next steps is to gauge community interest in a middle school.  However, given the fact that we will not have the expense of teacher salaries, nor the expense of purchasing a building, or adding on to the existing school for more classroom space, it may be financially feasible to operate the school with only a few students.

• They would seek other employment and/or volunteer positions. This may include:

• working in some capacity at other parishes in the cluster.
• working with students in after school programs.
• obtaining secular jobs outside of the schools and cluster parishes.

• Catholic schools have a long history of single-gender education. Doing so eliminates the natural distractions that occur as children approach and enter adolescence (this separation will not apply in the elementary school). Single-gender classes allow students to better focus and learn without these distractions.
• Research has documented that boys and girls brains function differently. Since boys and girls learn differently, single gender classes allow boys and girls to be taught in different ways. Boys can be taught using methods that best suit their learning styles while girls can be taught differently to match their learning style.
• Dr. Leonard Sax, and others have studied single-gender education in both public and Catholic schools. The findings indicate that single-gender classes can

• improve test scores
• improve self-confidence
• improve overall academic performance

• Given the research, many public schools throughout the nation now embrace single-gender classes. Currently there are five public middle schools and three public high schools in Wisconsin that offer single-gender classes. The middle schools are:

• Marshall Middle School - Janesville (since fall 2007)
• Tomah Middle School (fall 2006)
• John Long Middle School - Grafton (fall 2006)
• Kennedy Middle School - Germantown (fall 2001- boys only)
• Osceola Middle School (fall 2008)

• The earliest start date would be September, 2009.
• The alternate start date would be September of 2010.
• Many details have yet to be determined. It remains to be seen whether all the necessary preparations can be completed between now and September. The start date will depend on whether or not all of the preparations can be completed and on the approval of the school by Bishop Morlino.