Parent Guide

Holy Family is proud to offer an in-house lunch program directed by Chef Al Carlson. Students will have access to full-service morning, lunch, and after-school offerings. 

Lunch Menu and Funds 

Our lunch program is very reasonable as long as students are responsible with their purchases. The daily chef special includes a main dish and side dish for $4.50-$6.50. Students can quickly go through their lunch funds when they start buying many of the a la carte items. Your family may want to create a plan for how frequently and when your child should be eating at school vs. packing food items. We recommend discussing expectations with your child in advance. 

Four water bottle filling stations are located throughout the building. We encourage students to bring a refillable water bottle.

How Blackbaud (the Student Information System) is used:

• Scheduling of classes
• Managing family contact information (email, address, phone numbers, etc.)
• Updating and completing annual back-to-school forms by parents
• Checking final grades, report cards, progress reports, and attendance
• Accessing the Parent/Student Directory and Resource Board
• Weekly communications and periodical newsletters

• The Blackbaud Resource Board contains many quick links to important parent resources.

Blackbaud Login

How Schoology (the Learning Management System) is used:

• This is an interactive faculty/student-focused program.
• Faculty manage their classes through this system.
• Students use this system to access assignments, quizzes, projects, upcoming work, rubrics, and more.
• Parents use Schoology for progress grades and upcoming work. 

Schoology Parent Login with Google

Schoology Parent Login without Google

How Google Workspace for Education is used:

• All work will be completed using the Google Suite (docs, sheets, slides, forms, school email, etc.).

In Play is Holy Family's official uniform and spiritwear provider. The online uniform store is open multiple times throughout the year. The online spiritwear shop is available all year.

Uniform/Spirit Shop

A frequent question pertains to uniform bottoms. You do not need to purchase your uniform pants from Game One. Also, "joggers" are allowed, as long as they are the stretch woven material similar to golf pant/travel pants, not the cotton sweatpant material. Skirts and shorts are not allowed. Please refer to the Parent/Student Handbook in your Blackbaud resource board for Holy Family's current uniform policy.

We end the week with "spirit wear" days. Students may wear HF t-shirts, sweatshirts, and "Fire Attire" with uniform bottoms. There will be other dress-down days throughout the year for special events. Those who participate in co-op sports may wear that spirit wear on spirit wear days.

Daily Schedule (M, T, TH, F)

Classes start at 8:00 a.m. and are dismissed at 2:45 p.m. Schedules may vary for Mass, Wednesday Late Starts, or FireWay meeting days. The weekly school email will remind students and parents of the next week's Wednesday schedule. Find more details on the resource board in Blackbaud and the online school calendar.  

Wednesdays Late Starts - Every Wednesday

Classes begin at 8:50 a.m. every Wednesday. Bus schedules do not change. The building opens at 7:00 a.m. for students arriving by bus or drop-off.

Specific Wednesdays are reserved for students to receive extra help. Please reference the calendar found in Blackbaud for dates.

Students may be asked to meet with teachers before school for extra academic support, and all students may come in for help but should talk to their teachers first.

Wednesday Late Starts also provide dedicated collaboration and development time for faculty.

We value students building relationships with each other, their teachers, and other adults in the building. The use of cell phones gets in the way of building relationships, increases opportunities for cheating and plagiarism, and contributes to the loss of focus in the classroom. Therefore, during the school day, cell phones are not allowed. For details regarding this policy, please see the Parent and Student Handbook located on the parent and student resource boards in Blackbaud. 

Concerns regarding a specific class or grade should be approached in the following manner:

Step 1: Discuss the class with your student. Make sure assignments are completed in a distraction-free environment.

Step 2: Have your child talk to the teacher and take advantage of opportunities for extra one-on-one help during office hours after school or during One Lunch.

Step 3: Contact the teacher. See if there are things you can do at home to help your child in that class.

Step 4: Contact your child's counselor and have them meet with your child to determine the reason for their struggles. Then follow the counselor's advice. If you think there is a learning issue or your son/daughter is struggling in multiple classes, feel free to contact his/her counselor to discuss options.

Visit our Counseling page for contact information and other resources. 

We ask that families help us by not excusing their son/daughter's tardiness and allowing them to be late (at least letting the consequence stick), not allowing them to miss school and school-sponsored activities, and not calling them out for Mass, for retreats, for speakers, for the FIRE Way, etc. Consequences for tardiness will result once a student reaches 8 tardies, whether they are excused or unexcused. 

When a family trip cannot be scheduled without interfering with a student’s attendance or education, the school should be contacted at least one week in advance. See Parent/Student Handbook for more details.

Participation in activities is an integral part of the Holy Family experience, and an area where a great deal of passion and energy is invested and expended. Our activities department is staffed with coaches who are caring adults who want to see your child grow and experience success.

In the interest of maintaining a healthy culture around activities at Holy Family, please follow these steps if your child has questions or concerns:

1. First the player talks to the coach.
2. If still unresolved, parents then contact the coach.
3. If still unresolved, parents or coaches will involve Activities Director Rory Oster.
4. If still unresolved, parents or coaches will involve Principal John Dols.

First, contact the teacher, then the Assistant Principal for Student Life Matt Thuli, then Principal John Dols.

Learn more about Holy Family leadership.

Billing, lunch account, and tuition assistance questions can be directed to Director of Finance Erin Hesse or Accountant Jodi Smith.

Learn more about Holy Family leadership.

Traditions create bonds at home and school. Holy Family has many special traditions centered around our faith, community, and of course, student experiences. From all-school Masses to Thanksgiving dinner to meeting on the hill or in the performance center to cheer on our students, being present for the traditions of Holy Family creates lifetime memories. Leaving early on a holiday weekend may mean missing some of our favorite traditions. 

Holy Family is a Catholic, Lasallian school. We believe Mass, prayer, reconciliation, and theology classes are the essential elements of our mission, and we ask you not to schedule any appointments during these sacred times.

You might not be as familiar with what it means to be Lasallian. We are affiliated with the Christian Brothers, and our teaching methodology is based on the vision and spirituality of St. John Baptist de La Salle. We believe learning evolves from establishing positive relationships with students in order to understand how each student learns best.

St. John Baptist de La Salle gave away his fortune to start an order of teachers dedicated to educating the poor. Today, the Lasallian charism is still concerned about the poor and vulnerable. At Holy Family, we are committed to serving others and do so with a spirit of hospitality. 

We pray together daily. Convocation includes student-led prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, regular announcements, and special announcements. It is where we share important information and remind ourselves that we are a community of fiath0filled learners. Senior campus ministry students lead convocation, and it is an important part of who we are and what we do.

Before we end the day, we will pray once again during the end of day announcements.

Our School Chaplain not only offers regular all-school Mass, but also offers reconciliation and morning Mass in the chapel. All are welcome to attend. 

We are a family! We care about your son/daughter for who they are and where they are in the development process, and that means we care too much about them to let them stay put. High School is about growth and development! We are here to help them along the journey in partnership with their parents.