Catholic Education is very important to us, and sending our three children to St. Rene School has sure been a wonderful experience. We currently have a 7th grader, 4th grader and one just graduated. The education they have obtained at St. Rene has been great; they have all made the Honor Roll and High Honor Roll since they have been there.
Currently my oldest daughter attends De La Salle High School, and she just made the "A" Honor Roll this first quarter. She received the highest grade in the whole freshman class in Religion.
All her accomplishments are a product of the quality education her teachers Mrs. Block, Mrs. Daugherty, Ms. Storino, Ms. Petersen, Ms. Bianchi, Ms. Grzenia, and Mrs. Nunchuck have taught her throughout her junior high the years at St. Rene. All these teachers have helped my two oldest children with different projects, science labs, reading resources, computer technology, religion, history and mathematics.
We believe the education and the values taught at St. Rene School, and other catholic schools are the greatest influence in our children's lives, and their academic accomplishments.
Mr. and Mrs. Zamudio
The Good Things That St. Rene Has Done For Our Children
St. Rene has been a good base of knowledge, tradition, and values for our children.
Our daughter who graduated last year was an excellent student; she was the number 1 girl in her class. St. Rene has helped shape her into the wonderful woman she is becoming. Within the past 3 years St. Rene has instituted many programs to help our children become more prepared for high school. One of these is the science lab, using the microscope and doing science labs. This has given my daughter an edge as the high school biology teacher commented that the majority of grammar school students have no lab experience at all. The accelerated math program had just begun and is helping her in her freshman algebra class. So far she has continued to be a straight A student in high school.
The other side of the coin is our sixth grade son who things do not come easily for. We must work with him every night. We're looking forward to him benefitting from a full 3 years of the accelerated math and reading programs. Our son will never be a straight A student, but we know that St. Rene will be there to help him when he needs it and provide a foundation for a strong catholic education.
St. Rene is a very good school for parents to send their children to.
Mr. and Mrs. Healy
Thank You Saint Rene
We are grateful for the educational foundation that our two high school students received from Saint Rene and also of the education our seventh grader continues to receive. Saint Rene has given our children an excellent foundation in not only basic skills, but also in the ability to apply critical thinking techniques that are established starting in the primary grades.
The teachers and staff offer high quality education in an atmosphere of Catholic values. In a day and age where there are many choices available, one must consider a school where the teachers cultivate a learning environment and take a personal interest in your child beyond the school walls. A core goal shared by the staff is for your child to grow to their fullest potential as a student as well as an individual. We have made the right choice in sending our children to Saint Rene.
Mr. and Mrs. Capparelli
We have had the pleasure of sending our daughter to St. Rene Goupil School. Unlike most other students, she was only to be there for one year, the 8th grade. We decided to move back into the city after living in Downers Grove for 12 years. Our son had begun high school at St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary, WI, and we wanted to make sure that our daughter would be prepared for a private high school as well. Unfortunately, the sale of our house took much longer than we expected and our daughter spent her first semester commuting to school from the suburbs; and, in retrospect it was worth it.
We chose St. Rene for several reasons: we wanted her to go to a school that would hold her to high expectations, we wanted a school that would be understanding of her initial confusion and shyness, we wanted a school that would appreciate her intelligence and her talents, we wanted a school that would be firm and fair and would prepare her for high school. Also, my sister the cantor, would disown us if she went any place else.
In the beginning, it wasn't easy. We were on the road every morning by 6:45 am in order to make it to school on time; and, there were many a morning when that wasn't early enough. Being the 'new girl' brings it own set of insecurities. We expected a lot of anxiety but surprisingly it was minimal. One of my daughter's first comments was that it was relatively easy to fit in when everyone dresses the same. Wearing a uniform allowed her to look like everyone else and avoid the anxiety of picking the wrong clothing label. Some of the rules about hair color and nail polish seemed strange to her and there were days that we discussed the pros and cons at great length.
At school, our daughter had to gauge how much or little to say. Should she raise her hand every time she knew an answer or wait until the teacher decided to call on her? She did a little bit of both and Mrs. Block encouraged her to express herself. Mrs. Block was her primary teacher and guardian angel at school. Mrs. Block knew she was smart and she pushed our daughter to stretch herself. Ms. DeSantis keeps watch over everyone at St. Rene and called her down to her office several times for a chat about her progress at school. Ms. Bianchi listened whenever she had an opinion to share and offered her advice as to the correct Christian approach for dealing with people who disagree. These were her teachers and her role models. They made it a point to get involved in our daughter's life. They cared about her opinions and bolstered her confidence.
Our daughter worked hard at school and excelled academically, spiritually and emotionally. From the very beginning she was valued. Our daughter loved being able
to talk about God and religion at school. At the suburban public school she attended, such discussions were discouraged in order to promote a non-religious sameness. At St. Rene, believing in God and the Catholic Church is a religious sameness that is celebrated. Because of this kind of nurturing, our daughter developed a deeper personal understanding of God in her life.
Our daughter made incredible friends at St. Rene. They accepted her in to their classroom family and made her feel welcome and important. It's hard to share the limelight when you have worked hard for a very long time. The majority of the students in her 8th grade class worked hard throughout their school life at St. Rene and had to share the limelight with Charlie. They did so without complaint.
The year passed quickly and there were many milestones of learning, growth and maturity. Together the class of 2004 participated in high school testing, Confirmation, May Crowning and finally graduation. Our daughter was accepted at Queen of Peace High School along with her best friends.
Our daughter is excelling at Queen of Peace High School. She's on the "A" honor roll and continues to work hard and use her many talents. We never doubt for a moment the influence that the teachers of St. Rene School have had on her. We never doubt that the experiences she shared with her friends at St. Rene helped shape who she is. St. Rene Goupil School is more than a typical place of academic learning. It is a place of total development. It is a place of teaching and nurturing. It is a place where teachers become involved. It is a place of expectations. It is a place that embraces and celebrates God and the Catholic Church in a community environment. It is a great place to send your children to learn and grow.
We are very pleased to have our daughter be a part of the St. Rene Community. We feel her Early Childhood Education has been excellent at St. Rene. We believe these early years are the most crucial in a child's academic life. Her process of learning to read has been a delight to observe and listen to. Not only is she using the skills she has been taught, she has a developed a love for Reading and Literature. One of which, we hope for and expect of her as a life long learner. She has been exposed to so many variations of Literature; which have been finely integrated with in all the academic areas of study. Recently, to her liking in the area of Fine Arts, she participated in a performance of Little Red Riding Hood. It was an exciting production put on by the children and staff and celebrated by the entire Parish Community. This is what I love about St. Rene! The community takes part in the education of our children. St. Rene is not only important to the parents but to all those who call St. Rene Parish their family.
The families of St. Rene are close. They care about each other's families. Parents wish to get know each other and form a bond that is lasting. As an alumnus of St. Rene, I have fond memories of the families. Most of which, I am still close to this day. Our daughter has been fortunate to be second generation at St. Rene. Some of her classmate's parents are those that I or my siblings grew up with. I enjoy watching Mariana participate in the traditional events that feel like happened only yesterday in my life.
Her religious education has been exactly what we wanted for her. In wishing for children, it was our promise; if we were blessed, we would raise her knowing and the greatness of the Lord. We have been blessed, as so has she. At St. Rene, she is receiving the lessons of life through the eyes of God. She learns most importantly to make good choices and respect others.
As educators, my husband and I understand the hard work that goes into the love of teaching and what makes a good schoolwork. Educators often have to reflect on what works and doesn't work in a school. It was been demonstrated to us that St. Rene Staff go above a beyond their call of duty. They strive to keep the school vibrant and alive. They are diligent in making the schoolwork. We congratulate and thank the St. Rene Staff for keeping with the traditions and striving for Excellence.
Mrs. Guerrrero
1st Grade Parent
St. Rene and Our Family
Our family first came to St. Rene 4 years ago, the transition for our children was difficult. St. Rene made us feel welcomed and quickly embraced us into their community.
St. Rene is a wonderful school. Teachers staff, students, and parents, are all an example of what a Catholic community should be. Aside from a great catholic education St. Rene offers many extra curriculum activities and programs. They always make sure that as a parent you are involved and participate in the education of your children. We are glad we are part of the St. Rene family.
The Jarquin-Ocampo Family
There are a number of reasons that St. Rene is the school of choice for our three girls. The first thing that comes to mind is the dedication that the teachers have to every student.
During our seven years here at St. Rene, each and every teacher has made a tremendous impact on my girls. The ongoing positive attention that my girls and my family have received is extraordinary. The care and the love that seems to be there in every classroom, in every subject, is a very good way to get the students to learn. The subjects also seem to be interesting to my daughters. I am very pleased with the Accelerated Math Program that has been implemented and is over seen by our principal. Also, the communication through Mrs. Bianchi's Accelerated Reading Program is wonderful.
There is a lot that St. Rene has done for my family that we would not receive anywhere else. That is why the choice was easy to send my kids to St. Rene rather than any other school in our community
Mrs. Roney
My husband and I have been raised at St. Rene parish. We both were baptized here and made all our sacraments here. We have many pleasant memories including being married in the old church, which is now the basement for the school. Miy husband attended St. Rene School, and I attended CCD here at St. Rene. We remember the days of Father Flannery, and Sister Dorothy along with many other special priests and teachers. I believe the way we were raised and taught is why we have felt it so important to send our three children here to St. Rene. It has been a priority in our lives to make sure our children were raised knowing what is truly important. We wanted to have our children be able to pray in school, to be able to sing "Christmas" carols, and not just holiday songs, we wanted our children to learn about Jesus. Our two oldest children have graduated from St. Rene. Our oldest daughter went on to Mt. Assisi and now is in her second year of college. Our son is at Brother Rice with a ranking of 55 among 500 some sophomores. He has plans on going on to college and becoming a lawyer. Our youngest daughter is in second grade and has been touched by each of the three teachers she has had. They are giving her the foundation needed to go on towards whatever goals she may choose in life. One of the things that have been special here at St. Rene is feeling that the children are the most important thing to the staff. I believe we have been blessed by the Lord, having the opportunity of sending our children here to St. Rene.
Mrs. Czopkiewicz
When I think of St. Rene I'm reminded of the Martina McBride Song, "I Have Been Blessed". I feel we have been blessed in many ways since we moved into this parish. When we purchased our home prior to starting our family, it was to be a starter home so we didn't give much thought to the schools we were near. We became members of St. Rene parish in 1993. When our children were born, we knew we wanted to send them to a Catholic school because we were products of Catholic school and we wanted the best for our kids. We became members of the St. Rene School in 1999 when our eldest son entered kindergarten and our second son entered a student at St. Rene's first preschool class. We now have four children all of them are currently enrolled in St. Rene School. They are happy and well-educated. We Have Been Blessed. I have met such great friends through St. Rene. This school is more than just another Catholic school to us it is a second family. People we care about.
St. Rene has enriched our lives and the lives of our children in so many ways. We feel so blessed to be a part of a community like this. St. Rene has small class sizes so all the children get extra attention and can't slip thru the cracks like at other larger schools. Everyone at St. Rene knows each other it not by name at least by face. I know other parents are looking out for my kids.
St Rene has awesome teachers who truly care about their students. When you teach in a Catholic school, it is definitely not for financial gains. When you are a teacher in a Catholic school, I feel it is a calling from God. Because of St. Rene, We Have Been Blessed.
Mrs. Murphy
It was a very hard decision for me when it came time to send my son to 1st Grade. We were living in the suburbs and the school he had gone to since he was 1 was family owned and operated and they treated every child there as if they were their own. Small class sizes, loving teachers, state of the art learning tools, and a friendly and loving environment is what my son had been used to. Where would I find that in a grade school? I went to another Catholic School in the neighborhood growing up and I remember how lost I felt as a child in such a large school. I could not do that to my son. The first time I called for information I was treated warmly and welcomed immediately. My mind was made up when I got to sit in Mrs. Toomey's first grade class! Since then I have made many wonderful friends and I am so grateful to the school, parish and St. Rene Community for all of their hard work, dedication and determination. The small cl ass sizes and dedicated teachers have made my son excited about school! St. Rene truly is the best! Thank you for all you have done for us!
Mrs. Bobick
We are very pleased with the curriculum that St. Rene offers. The academics, teachers, sports, extracurricular activities, and the 'family atmosphere' are some of the reasons we send Audra to St. Rene. There are always events going on if you choose to get involved, and parents and students are always willing to lend a helping hand if you need one. The church and the school work together as one to maintain a structured yet friendly environment for the children to learn and build self-esteem.
Catholic Education is very important to us, and sending our three children to St. Rene School has sure been a wonderful experience. We currently have a 7th grader, 4th grader and one just graduated. The education they have obtained at St. Rene has been great; they have all made the Honor Roll and High Honor Roll since they have been there.
