About Us

Our History

Located on the southwest side of Milwaukee, St. Matthias Catholic parish has been a nurturing community for a long time – just about 150 years. From its humble beginnings as a rural parish serving Germans immigrants to the present day, that old-fashioned sense of family, community and a work-ethic rooted in a strong spirituality have made our parish and school a home for intellectual and spiritual growth in an ever-changing world.

10 years before the Civil War, the first St. Matthias parish was dedicated. Our parish was made up of rural farmers, mostly German immigrants. Back in those days, parish was community, and the demands of the community called for a school. Within the first ten years of the young parish, space was set aside for schooling. Our first school building, erected in 1866, housed only 26 pupils. At it’s largest St. Matthias served as many as 1,200 students. Along the way, St. Matthias has, and for that matter, still is committed to a strong academic growth with emphasis on religion, reading, math, science, social studies, language arts, and computer technology.

Who We Are

Today St. Matthias is serving the educational and religious needs of its community, just as the very first parish school. But as in everything nowadays, in high speed.  The school is staffed with 30 teaching professionals, all certified with BA, BS or MA degrees and WI licensed. They teach students in 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten through 8th grade. Presently, the enrollment is over 520 students.

Our basic curriculum still honors the fundamental subjects of religion, reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies. However, we now augment them with computer technology, art, music, physical education, as well as our guidance counseling and foreign language.  Our classrooms are equipped with internet-ready computers and wall-mounted 32 inch cable-serviced TVs.

Enhancing academics is not only done by adding subjects to the curriculum.  The faculty and staff work tirelessly and selflessly to be available for the children day after day. They are more than educators challenging students intellectually; they are conduits for God modeling the Christian message. They touch the hearts of so many of our children in ways that can never be measured.

What We Do

Students learn a great deal from such instructional concepts as Six-Trait Writing, Rocket Math, Differentiation, Rubrics, Brain-Based Learning, Cooperative Learning, and Multiple Intelligence. Teachers focus a great deal on aligning (state and national) standards to our curriculum as well as mapping our curriculum. Additionally, the use of WebGrader (a web-based concept for tracking and reporting grades) provides timely feedback and reports for students and their parents on assignments, projects, and tests.

Many opportunities are offered to integrate content, expand knowledge, engage the learner and become more aware of the world around us. In fourth grade, our students visit Camp Vista for a two-day study of our environment in the natural setting of the Kettle Morraine Forest.  Our eighth grade students have the opportunity to participate in our annual trip to Washington, D.C.

6th, 7th, and 8th grade students participate in the Science and Academic Fair. Additionally, we have the annual Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, Faith-a-Thon, and Quiz Bowl. Teams of students participate in local high school-sponsored math and other academic competitions. St. Matthias teams have consistently done well at these events.

Mass servers, a children’s choir, bell choir and church musicians, safety cadets, student tutors, and our St. Matthias Student Council provide many opportunities for our students to be of service to others.

Guest speakers have presented programs in all areas of our curriculum especially fine arts and cultural awareness. Students at all grade levels take field trips throughout the school year to enhance the curricular material being taught.

We provide a hot lunch program, before and after-school daycare and are served by local daycare vans.

Outside Of School

Besides academic, St. Matthias offers several extra-curricular opportunities. Basketball, volleyball, soccer, track, football, and softball provide athletic activities to teach the important skills of teamwork and sportsmanship. Most sports have boys and girls teams and compete in the Parkland Parochial School Conference. Our teams do well, too. Check out the trophy case inside the concessionaire in the gym.

Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 can participate in Forensics. Studies prove that one of the biggest fears among adults is speaking in public. Forensics is a fun learning experience that has equipped many of our students with the necessary tools to speak in front of a group. Along the way, the teams have won many tournaments including a state championship. And individual students have won many, many individual trophies and ribbons.

Another opportunity includes a complete scouting program for both boys and girls.

Where We Are Going

One thing we have learned in our long history is that life changes. Being ready for the future means planning for it now.  In the last few years we have added a state-of-the-art science lab and renovated our gymnasium.  Our computer lab features 32 networked computer stations that are connected to the world wide web.  St. Matthias is really traveling at high speed.

What does the future look like at St. Matthias? Plans are already being implemented for an addition to the school that includes a new computer lab, art room, music and band room, Spanish lab, Resource and Reading Center, Guidance Office, and an expansion to our library.  Curriculum committees are continuously visioning for the future to meet the ever-changing demands of a dynamic world.

Our Community

There is a great deal of talk today about value-based education. Well, Catholic schools have been doing just that for many, many years. You see, Christian values are the basis for how we teach, learn and act. Religion is not only a subject, it is a way of life. Treating others with respect, pupil to teacher, teacher to pupil; valuing every person’s gifts, the big ones and the little ones; caring for our neighbors, those close to us and those far away; it’s a way of life at St. Matthias.

Just like that little school 150 years ago, we still emphasize the most important part of education, our students.

Effectively serving our parish children, serving our parish future. Effectively serving our local community and the broader world.

Together in God we become a rainbow of excellence. 

That’s St. Matthias School.