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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ST. EDMOND CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Q: I am interested in what St. Edmond has to offer my child. Who do I contact?
A: We understand that choosing a school for your child can be a long and thoughtful process. We encourage any parent to come and visit our school, take a tour and ask questions. We would be happy to get you in contact with the person that best can answer your questions, whether it be one of our principals, administrator, another parent, counselor, or teacher. We are confident that we have a great school at St. Edmond and are anxious to show you what we have to offer you and your child.

Q: I would like to enroll my child at St. Edmond. What do I do first?
A: If you are interested in tuition assistance and the amount of the assistance determines your decision to enroll your child, you should first contact the school about how to go about filing for tuition assistance. We will help you get in contact of the outside company (PSAS) to begin your application. When the amount is determined we will give you a call and let you know that amount of the award. At that point you can determine which way you will want to proceed as far as enrollment.
Next you will have to fill out a Registration Form found under the admissions tab on our website. Click on Registration and fill out all of the forms listed there.
Call The St. Edmond Business Office at 515-955-6077 and make an appointment with our business manager.
He would be able to answer any further questions about tuition at that time. After making the decision to enroll your child, a tuition agreement with payment options will have to be signed.

Q: I am of another faith. Do we have to be Catholic to be able to attend St. Edmond?
A: At St. Edmond, 18% of our families are of another faith other than Catholic. We welcome any student of any faith at our school.

Q: Does St. Edmond Have a Before and After School Program?
A: Realizing there was a need for our parents for an alternative to daycare we began our After School Program in November 2012. It has been very successful with numbers increasing each year. The program director is Ginny Chezik, a long-time educator. Assisting Ginny are several teachers and qualified volunteers. It is a great assistance to our parents as the children have fun yet have some time to get their homework done during their time at the After School Program. Hours are after school until 5:40 p.m. or in the case of scheduled early dismissal days shortly after the bell rings. For further information or to register, contact the Administrative Office at 576-5182.

FINANCIAL QUESTIONS

Q: I would like for my child to attend St. Edmond but I am not sure if we can afford the tuition.
A: St. Edmond might be more affordable than you think. We have a great tuition assistance program. Many of our St. Edmond families take advantage of this great program. Of our St. Edmond students, 56% received assistance of some amount. The total amount of tuition assistance for the 2015-2016 school year was $530,000.

Q: We are a new family and would like to apply for tuition assistance. What do I have to do?
A: There is money available for tuition assistance for new families. Stop into the SE Business Office at 2220 4th Ave. N and pick up an application for assistance. Fill out the form and drop it back to our business manager.. She will notify you of your award amount.

Q: Am I committed to send my child to St. Edmond if I fill out this tuition application? Tuition still might not be affordable even with tuition assistance.
A: We urge anyone that might be interested in St. Edmond to apply for aid. If it still is not affordable you are not committed to enroll your child.

Q: What is the most I would receive from tuition assistance if I qualify?
A: The largest award of assistance to any family would be 70% of your families tuition costs. We require that each family would be responsible for 30% of their tuition.

Q: Is there anything that I can do to lower that 30% that I will have to pay?
A: In the last 5-6 years we have started a SCRIP program. Credit you earn from this program will go toward the amount of tuition that you owe. This is a great way to lower your portion. Please go to our website at www.st-edmond.com under the parents tab at the top of our home page. There is a drop down with SCRIP under that tab. It will explain the program further.

Q: Do I have to pay all of my tuition at once?
A: We have many forms of payment. Some choose to pay all at once, others take advantage of monthly payments or monthly payments by ACH (automatically taken out of your account each month). If you would like to make payments quarterly or semi-annually that could also be arrange. Our business manager will help you to make the best possible arrangements for your payment.

Q: Where do these funds come from?
A: St. Edmond offers a Tuition Assistance program that involves 3 different sources

Monsignor Lafferty Tuition Foundation - MLTF provides tuition grant funds to eligible K-12 students. This is administered by The Diocese of Sioux City
Birzle Scholarship Fund - is also a source of assistance for our K-12 students. This fund is also managed by the Sioux City Diocese
St. Edmond In-House Assistance Funds - These funds are pulled from investments made by the St. Edmond Catholic School and are distributed to our families on a qualifying basis.

Q: How do you arrive at what we will have to pay for tuition?
A: It costs $6,747.00 (average) to educate a child at St. Edmond. 34% of that cost is provided by Holy Trinity Parish, thus making it the largest mission of the Catholic church in Fort Dodge. 13% is funded by the Development office through fundraising events such as the St. Edmond Ball and the Partners in the Spirit Campaign. The remainder of 53% is our parents contribution to their child's education.

Q: Have I missed the deadline for the tuition assistance application?
A: New families can apply at any time for tuition assistance. We reserve a portion of our tuition assistance funding just for that purpose. The deadline only applies to our existing families because we use an outside company to determine what they will qualify for. If you decide to enroll your child in St. Edmond, that deadline will apply to you also the following year since you will be an existing family.

SAFETY

Q: What types of safety measures does St. Edmond have in place?
A: In this day and age we have to go above and beyond to protect our students. We have implemented the policy of locking down all of our doors after 8:30 a.m. After that time you may enter at the main entrance – the doors at 2321 6th Avenue North. We have buzzers and intercom in place at the door along with cameras so visitors will have to identify themselves upon entering our school. After entering, all visitors will have to sign in at the Administrative office inside the entrance. Nothing is more important to us than protecting those children that have been entrusted to us.

We also have a diocesan program all volunteers must take before they can help with anything within the school. Virtus, “Protecting God’s Children” is an awareness program consisting of video presentations and discussions facilitated by trained volunteers and Diocesan staff. All employees of the Diocese, parishes or schools, as well as volunteers who have regular contact with children, are required to participate in and comply with all aspects of the Safe Environment Program. Sessions are scheduled throughout the year for those who wish to help. That information will be sent out as sessions are scheduled.

ACADEMIC

Q: My child is very talented academically. What is your process for accelerated students?
A: We do not have a TAG program and have found that by finding out what areas our students are the most gifted, we place them in the level they are best suited (i.e. if your child is in 5th grade but is capable of doing 8th grade math, we will adjust their schedule to be able to take 8th grade math). We work very hard at making sure that we challenge our students.

Beginning in 2014, your high school student will be able to choose from several diploma options.

Honors Program – For those students beginning their junior year who wish to take the most rigorous core courses at St. Edmond. Successful completion of the requirements which is GPA of 3.75 or greater will result in a special designation on the SE diploma at graduation and on their transcript.
Scholar of Designation – This might be the option if your child shows strength in an area of studies. Scholars will complete a specific number of credits and courses within a subject area. Those that meet the requirements will result in a special designation on their diploma and on their transcript.

Q: Will my child have a opportunity to take college course while a student at St. Edmond?
A: Our students have the opportunity to take college courses at Iowa Central Community College, on our St. Edmond Campus within the classroom or online. Forty-nine students out of a class of 55 from the class of 2016, (89%) earning 836 college credits while in high school. Thirty-five percent of the class has taken 20 or more college credits.

Q: My child struggles in school, what opportunities are available for those students?
A: Every child has different academic needs. We want all of our children to succeed no matter what their level of learning is. For elementary students we have the services of Title 1 Reading. We also have the services of a Special Needs teacher on staff as well as a resource room in the high school. The lower student/teacher ratio assures that teachers have more time to devote to each student and the discipline that has been taught to our students lends itself to high levels of respect for all students and teachers. We encourage our parents and teachers to have an open line of communication so as to help students succeed.

Q: What scholarship opportunities are there for St. Edmond graduates?
A: We have a full-time academic counselor on staff to help students receive scholarships for universities of their choice. This last year, 91% have reported being offered a scholarship. The class of 2016 was offered over 2 million dollars in scholarship money, accepting over $575,000.

Q: What is the Gael Service Letter & Gael Service Cord Award?
A: The graduating class of 2014 was the first class to be able to participate in this program. Service is another huge piece of the education at St. Edmond. Students who choose to participate will have to meet guidelines for service in many areas. If they achieve the goals they will be recognized at graduation by wearing a special service cord at the ceremony as well as being recognized on their diploma. The Class of 2016 earned over 420 hours of service for their service cord. For further information, logon to our website: www.st-edmond.com and click on the students tab at the top of our home page. More detailed information is listed there.

Q: How do St. Edmond students compare academically to other students throughout Iowa?
A: Each year, St. Edmond Catholic School students 3-11 complete the Iowa Assessments as a part of our accreditation process with the State of Iowa. All of our students 3-11 exceeded all state goals in 2015. Elementary students 3-5 exceeded the national average on 99% of all domains tested, middle school students 98.5% and high school 100%. Nine high school students scored at the 99 percentile, which is the highest score possible. Grades 4-11 all improved their overall scores from last year.

Q: What about the uniforms?
A: Uniforms in the elementary school (K-5) are as follows:

Khaki pants
White polo (long and short sleeved) - can be purchased from any store as long as there is no brand logo on the shirt.
Evergreen polo shirt (long or short sleeved)- can be purchased from Land's End and must have the SE logo on the shirt.
Khaki shorts or capri's can be worn from April 1st until November 1st. Long pants must be worn in between that time.
Gray or Forest Green Sweat Shirts from Lands End must have the SE logo
Classic Navy/Evergreen Plaid jumpers, skorts or skirts from Lands End may be worn.

Uniforms for Middle School (6-8) are as follows:

The same as the elementary uniform but they may wear shorts or capris all year long if they desire.

Uniforms for High School (9-12) are as follows:

The same as the elementary and middle school with the addition of Black polo shirts purchased from Lands End with the SE logo on the shirt.
High school may also wear short and capris all year long.

A more detailed dress code is available in our handbook on page 26 and can be found under the Students or Parents tab on the SE home page.

We hope we have covered some of the questions that you might have. We would be happy to visit with you if you have any additional questions or concerns. Please call us at 515-955-6077 and we would be happy to assist you.

St. Edmond Catholic School

Interested Families FAQs

St. Edmond Catholic School