My daughter will be going to preschool next fall. Has anyone heard anything good/bad about St. Helens in Bucktown? My very limited interaction with the school has been good so far. Thanks in advance!
Hi J.,
My friend's four year old daughter goes to St. Helens and they really like it. Let me know if you want more info. ... I'll ask my friend.
Diana
I'm not too familiar with St. Helens but I am very familiar with St. Mary of the Angels on Hermitage. The school and the church are wonderful! The principal is do dedicated and very approachable. My child transferred there 2 years ago and he was having problems with reading and math. They have a wonderful tutoring program to help the children. If the child is discovered to need help its all free. And the summer program for tutoring is free also. They do have a web site but I'm not sure exactly what it is. I just google it.
It was rated as one of the best non-public school in Chicago by Chicago Magazine. I beleive it was in the October '06 issue.
i live in bucktown also but havent heard anything bad about st.helens good luck
RE: the Chicago Magazine article - it should be taken with a grain of salt for there was much controversy b/c it left off many other great schools.
I live near St. Helens and I do know that they are trying to make improvements at the school in their programming. It is still very neighborhoody unlike St. Alphonsis, St. Josephat or Francis Xavier Warde. I also think that St. Helens is less expensive so it doesn't have as many resources as some other schools that are more expensive. I have toured about 7 preschools/schools and there is a difference between the schools.
J.,
Believe it or not, I was offered a fifth grade teaching position there last year. I declined due to the commute. I really liked the principal. I was told it had a student population that was made out of kids from all over Chicago and the suburbs. I really liked everything I heard during the interview. I am coming from teaching in Wilmette, Northfield and Evanston. St. Helen's certainly is a strong contender in my book. Catholic school parents are very committed to their schools and they can be competitive, so be open minded. Do your own research and follow your instincts.
