Relocation to Stevens Point area (Madison, La Crosse: school district, college, live in)

[ekjohns]

Our family-with 2 kids entering junior high-are relocating from the La Crosse area to the Stevens Point area this summer. The kids have been attending a small private school and I would like to keep them in a smaller school district-either private school in Stevens Point or one of the smaller districts in the surrounding communities. Does anyone have any info about Amherst and the Tomorrow River district? Or any big plusses or minuses about the Catholic schools in Stevens Point?

[maryclare]

Good questions. We moved to Madison last summer. Four children left a small catholic school and entered the public schools there and did fabulously well. We are moving to Stevens Point area this summer and have been looking at schools as well. I'll be interested to see what replies you get. Good luck!

[calivia811]

Hello! Found your posts quite by accident...felt compelled to post a reply so I signed up to do just that! I welcome both your families to the Stevens Point area. It is a wonderful place to grow up as well as raise a family. I had the good fortune of growing up here and attending the Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools. Then I moved away, attending UW-Madison. After graduating I ended up back in Stevens Point, first as a 7th grade English teacher at St Pete's (the parochial middle school) and of late working for a small local publishing company. Having grown up in the SPACS schools system I was thrilled to be coming back to teach in the same district right out of college. I wouldn't have wanted to teach anyplace else. The staff to student ratio is wonderful, the halls are filled with fantastic learning opportunities in all the schools, and the parents, staff and children are all like extended family. Although I no longer teach in the Catholic schools I am a strong supporter...our own children now have the same opportunity that we had. We have children at both St Stan's (K-2) and St Steve's (3-5). When we went looking for schools to have our children attend we walked into St Stan's and we both said it was like coming home...very welcoming and warm and so filled with positive learning opportunities. We live in the Plover area, so our children would naturally go to St Bron's, but we felt so strongly about Steve's and Stan's that we made the commitment to drive them to school each day (plus we both work in Point). I am sure that no matter where you decide to enroll your children you will find that we have great schools in this area. Although I can't really speak for the Tomorrow River schools, I have a niece who graduated from there, and my husband went there through 4th grade. It is rather small, but I am sure that it is good. But the Stevens Point Aread Catholic schools have made all the difference in our children's lives and we wouldn't dream of them learning anyplace else. If you are looking for a small, caring and nurturing environment I can think of no better place than the SPACS system. I hope you will still consider it even at this late date! And I wish you well with your respective moves!