As a former student, There are good and bad things about…read morethe school and parish. Pros: School and parish have lots of fun activities, examples being: carnival, sports, theater, Vacation Bible Camp, fish fry There are devout Catholics, with school Masses prayed each week and many more Catholic devotions. Most of the teachers will want to inspire your student to be a better version of themselves. The teachers usually listen to parent complaints and try to stop bullies, The teachers usually get along with the students, except for the ones who act up. Mostly accessible. The church has a ramp going in and out of its doors and they also have an elevator. Most people will help others. Cons Some of the students aren't the nicest, but that should be expected of any school. Not all pros and cons listed, just the ones I thought of off the top of my head

I'm writing this for both the school and the church because they really are a single institution…read more The school is K through 8. The staff is good overall but I know they have a difficult time finding and keeping talented teachers. Most of the really good teachers gravitate to public schools with higher pay. The biggest problem is that some of the math teachers are terrible. It will be interesting to see if any changes are made to personnel in the future. The school has a high enrollment. With this high enrollment comes problems though. The school has some cliques. I know this is a problem at many schools also. There are some families that have taken over all of the parent groups. Whether its the Family Board, the School Board, the Athlete Board, Carnival Board, Facilities Board, the same people are holding power and doing favors for each other. It's nauseating. I suppose if you are in the right clique then everything will be fine. If you are not in the right clique then your children will be treated as second class citizens. I've seen alumni of the school get blackballed because they did not play nice with the power families. Maybe I'm getting carried away but it can be unnerving. The church is nice. It's not the fanciest church in the area but it is clean and inviting. The pastor is always asking for more money but name me a church that isn't asking for money. You can get married, baptized, and have funerals here. There is a big parking lot and they installed a playground which looks really nice. So here are your choices: Send your kids to public school, St Catherine, St Linus, St Gerald, and St Germaine. The good thing is that there are many choices in the Oak Lawn area for elementary education. You will do good with any of them.

Every year I'm surprised HMPK isn't maxed out and turning families away by the dozens. This year I…read morelooked online and realized we (the Hello parents) have done a terrible job of keeping current with reviews! And yes, Jennifer's tone is what it is. It's a family business, so that isn't going to change. But that feels like such a tiny part of my Hello experience- maybe a half dozen emails a year? The teachers do a great job communicating with parents but it isn't primarily on email. It's in person at pick up or drop off, it's notes home (sometimes handwritten!), it's three detailed parent-teacher conferences each year, and it's the option to visit on "take your family to school" days. If you are online desperately trying to read between the lines to figure out what will work for your family (I've been there!), set up a tour and meet Ms. Natalee. You won't regret it.

I truly love this school and Ms. Amanda and Natalie. I'm originally from Michigan and my support…read moresystem with my kids is ver little, both of these teachers stepped in and help me with my son. They would open the school early and stay late to help me with my work schedule. My son started this school when he was only 4 and after 3months of attending Hello, he knew his colors, letters and number. When he graduated from kindergarten, he knew his letters numbers, shapes, continents ,sight words, and could read. My daughter will be attending the school this Winter when she turns 3 and I can't wait to be back with Hello. I truly recommend this school.

I've been very impressed with Edison and the Hammond School System. The teachers are very…read moreaccesible and willing to help your child with whatever he or she needs to excel. I always look forward to the Open House and meeting the people that affect my child's life on a day to day basis. It brings back great memories of the great teachers I had growing up. I have yet to find someone there that reminds me of some of the not-so-great teachers I've had in my past. I love that they call when your child is late/tardy, or missed paying for a lunch. They don't get uptight about it, they just call and tell you to correct it with a note. I'm glad my child is going there and I hope to continue the excellent relationship we have with the school.

The school has been absolutely amazing for the development of both of my children. When my oldest…read morestarted, he needed speech therapy. After he graduated from the program, we felt completely comfortable not continuing with therapy because of the level of care, support, and dedication he received from his teachers. They have helped him grow and learn everything he needed, and he has since developed a strong interest in math and all things science that the school offers. My youngest has been in the classroom for less than a year, and watching her development flourish has been incredible. The communication between parents and teachers is exceptional and has created such a strong relationship with the school. They stay in constant communication with us throughout the school day and even after school. I highly, highly, highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a place for their child--from infancy through 6 years old.

We're thankful for the leadership of Pastor Clayton and all he's done for our children. Words…read morecannot express how much we appreciate his influence in their lives.

My experience with this CCS was deeply disappointing. As a parent, my child was treated unfairly by…read moreMrs. Culver who appeared to show bias and failed to acknowledge my child's efforts and progress. My attempts to address my concerns through the appropriate channels, I was dismissed rather than supported, and the situation escalated instead of being resolved constructively. What was most troubling was that, while advocating for my child, law enforcement was called on me by Wayne Morosco rather than the school working collaboratively to address the concerns I raised. As a parent, I expected open communication, fairness, and a genuine commitment to the well-being of students. CCS should reflect values such as compassion, integrity, respect, and justice. Unfortunately, my experience did not reflect those principles. I hope the school takes steps to improve how it handles parent concerns, student advocacy, and allegations of unfair treatment so that other families do not have a similar experience

The school is run by a principal who lives in the neighborhood and who has children at the school,…read moreteachers that live in the neighborhood and have children at the school. The children who attend the school are from people who never left the neighborhood. If your child or you yourself are not from the neighborhood and do not drink the kool-aid you and your children will be treated poorly and graded poorly. The school does not encourage diversity, the staff is not diversified. The staff is comprised of mostly people from the area. Many parents are entitled police and fireman with the gangsta in a uniform mentality, which in turn the children mimic. This in turn makes the school environment hostile for children, who are learning intolerance for people different than them. Instead of being sensitive and aware of the problem, the leadership is more concerned about their hyper inflated ego and the fact responses are to conflict are threatening to you and your child's education. The best one I heard was "I am responsible for the largest school in the Archdiocese" and I personally, and I..I..I. No addressing situations that cause concern for your child. Just I..I..I. There are a few great teachers who do not deserve this review. There are others that I question their mental fitness to work with our youth. In one instance I questioned a grade for my child who loves school, and my child was torn down, made accusations against, and our family was torn down with my child. All for noticing a grading discrepancy. Don't expect anything less than South Side drama here.

Unbelievable school lead by competent staff and teachers. If you put in the effort and work hard…read moreyou will be rewarded. Highly recommended this great school.

The summer camp is really nice. The counselors there are all kind and genuinely care about the…read morecampers. I don't know about the school though.

I found staff very helpful. I do need to respond to the kids cleaning the school comment. I don't…read moreknow under what circumstances this occured. When I attended catholic school years ago, cleaning was a punishment for bad behavior. If you made a mess; you always had to clean that too. Only complaint; I recently wrote a check to St Gerald School for mass intentions & had to return with another check to St Gerald. Since it IS a donation Church or School should be acceptable. I'm checking other area churches to see if I can give to their schools. I have more masses to request.

The high school has a large layout that is easily accessible. They host many community events-…read morecraft fairs, art shows, scouting events, etc. During the weekday it is not accessible- school is in session!