Meet Our Staff

I have been a life-long member of the Basilica of St. Josaphat. My uncles and cousins were Franciscans so of course I grew up on the south side of Milwaukee because if the Basilica is your spiritual home you can’t live too far away. St. Josaphat School was home to 3 generations of our family. I am so happy that my mother lived long enough to take my son to the same school that 2 other generations before him attended. Our Catholic education was very important to our family. I was proud to be a “Mercy High Gal” and my son loved the Jesuits and was a Marquette High – Marquette U grad. I have served in many roles at the Basilica including children’s choir, Home and School President, Christian Women President, Eucharistic Minister and typing the church bulletin to name a few. I spent 38 years as an employee of Milwaukee Public Schools – Department of Human Resources . I was then offered a position as the Administrative Assistant at Wauwatosa Catholic School – a job that I truly feel blessed to have. My favorite past time is attending athletic events at Catholic Memorial High School, watching my 2 grandchildren. While we all have experienced some rough times this past year, I have never doubted my faith nor was I ever in doubt about how blessed I am to be part of Wauwatosa Catholic School. I am very grateful to Fr. Paul, Fr. Phillip and Fr. Will for all their support and also to our Principal, Lori Suarez for the phenomenal job she does and the faith that she truly lives on a daily basis.

Hello! I earned my degree from UW- Eau Claire in Education Grades 1-8. My minor is Language Arts. I grew up in Kaukauna Wisconsin, a small town close to Appleton. My dad was an elementary teacher for almost 40 years. I have 5 siblings who are spread out all over the country!

I moved to Oak Creek in 2005 to teach kindergarten and then 2nd grade. I coached the girls basketball team including being an assistant on the 2008 state qualifier team.  

I married my husband Dan in 2007. He is currently the Community Director at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee and the Head Boys Basketball coach.

We have three daughters, Emily, Maggie and Audrey. They all attend Wauwatosa Catholic School. We love the warm inviting community. I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of this staff.

Hello!  I am looking forward to teaching your child at Wauwatosa Catholic School.  I attended UW-Milwaukee where I earned my Early Childhood Education Degree.  I have been a teacher for ten years and have taught grades K4, K5 and 3rd.  I was born and raised in Milwaukee, attended St. Pius X grade school, and Dominican High School.  I am married and have three sons who attend Wauwatosa Catholic School. 

Teaching has been a passion of mine since I was in high school.  In my classroom, I show my students that I care about them by getting to know them and listening to what they have to say.  I provide a routine and consistent learning environment for them.  We will have a lot of fun with hands-on activities, learning about our IB Units, learning from each other, and going on field trips. I look forward to getting to know my students and their families.

Hi!  My name is Penny Steinke and I am so excited to be a part of Wauwatosa Catholic!  

I grew up in Waukesha and attended St. Mary’s for grade school and St. Joseph’s for middle school. I have about 18 years of teaching experience mostly in 5K.  I earned National Board Certification in 2006 and re-certified in 2017. 

My Mission Statement:

• I want my students to become life-long learners.
• I am committed to providing a safe, positive and supportive learning environment for my students where they will learn and become successful members of society.
• I believe education is successful through collaboration, teamwork and communication.
• Reading is very important in my life and I try to instill my love and passion for reading in my students.
• I want my students to enjoy coming to school every day. 

I am a cat mom to Nala & Ducky.  My favorite hobby is playing horseshoes.  I travel with my dad and many friends across the United States to compete in tournaments year-round.  Other hobbies include writing, crafting, reading, watching Wisconsin sports and watching movies.  

My favorite part of the school day is teaching young people about God.  I thank God that He brought me to this school and community.  I am very blessed! 

Please visit our class website!

Hello! My name is Sarah Norgord and I am the first-grade teacher at Wauwatosa Catholic School. As an educator, it is my job to encourage students to work hard and  try their best, make learning relevant to their personal lives, and create a safe environment where all students can succeed. Students will become independent and critical thinkers if they are given the opportunity to take charge of their learning, collaborate with their peers, and think outside of the box. These characteristics will allow students to reach their full potential and develop a love for learning at a young age. 

I belong to Saint Mary’s Parish in Waukesha. I attended Waukesha Catholic from grades K4-8th grade and after that, attended Catholic Memorial High School. I then graduated from Carroll University with a dual licensure in Elementary Education/Special Education and a minor in Early Childhood Education. 

I am a dedicated, caring and flexible teacher.  I am certified to teach preschool through eighth grade but my passion is working with three, four and five year olds.  I am also a devoted mother of two.

Personal Goal: I deeply value my own Catholic education and wish to impart my knowledge and love of God and family to my students.  My goal is to instill a love of learning in a faith centered classroom.  I foster positive self-concepts and a positive self-worth.

After 16 year in education, I still see myself as identifying most with the reflective IB attribute. I continually look at how I can improve how I present materials to students to create an engaging learning environment that meets each student at their ability level. I want each student to feel success and be the best version of themselves.

My name is Beth McAleer. I have spent the last few years as a teacher’s aide and was given the opportunity to return to the classroom as a 5th grade teacher after taking time off to raise my children. I am thrilled to be teaching at Wauwatosa Catholic School. We belong to St. Bernard Parish and look forward to including the Catholic Faith in my classroom. I have three children, Emma who is in 6th grade, Claire, who is in 3rd grade, and Brady who is in K4. I love to read and hope to instill my passion for reading into your children. In my spare time I enjoy knitting and gardening.

I am thrilled to be joining the middle school team at Wauwatosa Catholic!  Originally from Glenview, Illinois, I moved to Milwaukee after high school to attend Marquette University.  I graduated from there with degrees in Broadfield Social Sciences and Elementary Education.  I also have a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University.

I spent the first ten years of my career teaching social studies and language arts at a middle school in the Milwaukee Public Schools. After taking seven years off to spend time at home with my children, I returned to the classroom five years ago to teach Title 1A reading to grades K-6th.   I feel incredibly blessed to now have the opportunity to work with the wonderful middle school students at Wauwatosa Catholic in a faith based setting.

In my free time, I love to spend time with my husband and three daughters, all of whom attend Wauwatosa Catholic. 

 have a Bachelor's Degree in Education with dual minors in science and mathematics.  My greatest assets are my positive attitude and calm nature.  I have found that if I remain positive and calm; I can always find a solution. It works for behavioral concerns, and when collaborating with parents, co-workers, and employers.  When I take a moment to consider their needs and motivations, we can problem solve for answers.  In fact, I haven’t found a situation in my personal or professional life where keeping calm hasn’t served me well.

I grew up in the Milwaukee area and attended school at St. Ann’s and St. Hyacinth grade schools.  I attended Pius XI High School.  I am thankful for my catholic upbringing and I feel it has helped make me the caring person I am today.  I have been married for ten+ years and my husband and I have an amazing son.  We live in Glendale. Family is very important to me without my families strength and support I would not have been able to achieve all I have.

My name is Mary Jo Wales and I was born in Milwaukee WI. I am 1 of 4 children adopted into a very loving Catholic family. I  began college at UW-Whitewater but ended up moving to Florida where I graduated from the University of Florida. I have three children who are all adults now, living their own wonderful lives. My two miniature dachshunds ((Lily and Chester) are my walking pals. I’ve known since 7th grade that I wanted to teach Physical Education. GYM is WHERE I teach, I teach Physical Education!  I’ve been a Catholic School educator for a LONG time and love it more every year.

I grew up just two blocks away from Wauwatosa Catholic School never knowing that someday I'd grow up to be an art teacher there. After many years of PR and education elsewhere, I am happy to use my BA in Communicative Arts from Wisconsin Lutheran College with the K3-8th graders here. When I'm not teaching, you could find me spending time with my husband and two kids, hiking the Ice Age Trail, camping, baking, reading or swimming. I look forward to exploring fine arts and making masterpieces with my students. 

Fr. Phillip Bogacki is the Pastor of Saint Bernard and Christ King Parishes. From Milwaukee, he has benefitted from Catholic education his whole life. He has an accounting degree from Marquette University. Ordained a priest in 2008, he has served in several parishes and Archdiocesan roles, but most of all enjoys serving as a pastor at Saint Bernard and Christ King and being connected to two parish schools.

Father Michael first felt an inclination to the priesthood after his First Communion. He knelt down after receiving the Holy Eucharist and thought to himself, “I want to do that”. During middle school, Lawinger began to question what God wanted, and what purpose He had for him. On one evening of questioning God, Lawinger experienced an awareness of what he now regards as his call to the priesthood, and the complete peace that followed it. Since then, he has been actively pursuing the call.

Father Michael entered college seminary at Loyola University Seminary in Chicago right after high school in the fall of 2013. He graduated from Loyola in 2017 and entered St. Francis de Sales Seminary in the fall of 2017.

Hello! Faith is an important part of my daily life. I feel that the combination of attending public and private schools helped me become a well-rounded person. As a graduate of DSHA I was able to continue my passion for athletics and spent 4 years on the Varsity swim team. Today I remain active with yoga which helps create and maintain balance in my mind, body, and spirit. I also developed lifelong relationships with a core group of wonderful women throughout my time there whom I remain friends with today. As I branched out into my adult life and later graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a B.S. in Education coupled with a certificate in Cultures and Communities, I began to understand the direction of my life by recognizing the people and things I placed value in.

Family is important to me. Giving is essential to personal growth. And recognizing the goodness in life is an artform that most definitely becomes hard to recognize at times when difficulties in our life show up unannounced. It is at those times that we must cling to our faith. Looking back at my lifelong journey thus far, I recognize that it has had its challenges (I was just brought to tears while writing this) but yet who would I be without the strength I’ve gained every time I didn’t lose faith? God never leaves us. In the times when we are afraid and think we are alone, we are being cradled, and eventually carried to our next destination of personal growth that almost, always leads to remarkable levels of gratitude.

I had always hoped for tons of siblings and a huge family of my own! Neither happened of course. And looking back I figure that is why I had been called to work with children. God knew, and has always known, what I have needed long before I ever did. I enjoy hearing children laugh! I love the funny things they say out of pure innocence! I have had an affiliation with St. Pius X for 15+ years and I have been a part of the WCS community since its inception in 2011. That is why I take such great pride when students return to visit and say hello. That’s the best feeling and the biggest compliment! That tells me, I did my job. I left a mark. Thank you for taking the time to read a glimpse into my life. Vaya con Dios…