ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN

January 4, 2018
Dan's Blog
Current school parents are our best marketers of St. Louise, and we would appreciate you spreading the word to your neighbors, co-workers, and extended-family-members living in the greater-Eastside who have upcoming 4-14 year-olds, that St. Louise has started their Admissions season!
 
Interested prospective school parents for the 2018-19 school year should contact the school office at 425-746-4220 or email our secretaries Mindy and Lola  directly to ask to set up a Tuesday-Tour date.  On Tuesday mornings this month and next, we give tours of the school by our 8th grade student ambassadors, and well as opportunities for prospective school parents to sit in on a class in session and watch our fabulous teachers in action.
 
Thanks for spreading the word NOW - whether it be through your Instagram and Facebook  posts, or through good old-fashioned, face-to-face announcements - so prospective school parents may set up their visits to check us out!
 
BONUS!
You can get a tuition reduction - valued around $600! - for referring a new family to St. Louise School! If a new family enrolls in our school next fall and listed your name in their admissions paperwork as having referred them to St. Louise, you get one month's free tuition next school year (at the 1-child rate). This  Referral Award Program is in place to show our gratitude for your help in recruiting new families to our school.

Another simple way you can promote our school is by applying a St. Louise School decal to the back window of your car! If you don't already have a decal (i.e. window cling), you can get a free decal sent home with your child if you simply send a request to Laura Leach in our development office: laural@stlouiseschool.org . Or the next time you're at school in the coming weeks, stop by the office and ask Mindy Morgan or Lola Bazan at the front desk for a free decal.
 
To show our appreciation for your support, we will be handing out "Free Dress" coupons at morning and afternoon carpool on January 17 and 18, to all the students in any car displaying the St. Louise decal/cling. These coupons may be cashed in by your kids on Monday, January 22 - a day of free dress reserved only for them! If you have a decal/cling in your car window, but will not be driving to school during these Wednesday, January 17th or Thursday, January 18th carpool dates, please email to Laura  a photo of the decal on your car by no later than January 18, and let Laura know how many students ride in your carpool. She will then send home in the school mail your January 22nd free dress coupons. Thanks for helping to market St. Louise School!
 
It pays to have one of these clings on your car window


I trust you had a joyful Christmas and have begun your Happy New Year! I know one of our teachers had the most joyous Christmas ever! Check out Victoria Kroon's news below.

Thanks for reading, 
Mr. Fitz
p.s.
We're hearing from applicants for our open Auction Director position, but there is still time to apply. (See the article below.) This position would be a super opportunity for a parent looking for a part time job that:
  1. Has some flexibility in the hours/days you work;
  2. Gives the person a chance to make new friends with so many parents;
  3. Gives the person an opportunity to help their children's school in a dramatic way.
By the way, we will consider making the Auction Director position a job-share if there are two parents interested who would work less hours as they divide some of the job responsibilities.
  
Upcoming Calendar of Events  
 
Today
  • School Commission meeting at 6:30PM in the faculty room; all parents are welcome to attend Commission meetings

Tomorrow   
  • Grades 7 & 8 have NO SCHOOL this day; their teachers will be working on high school application paperwork for the 8th grade students all day; teachers will continue through Saturday working on these applications
     
Monday, January 8
  • Kids' Club re-registration for current Kids' Club students begins today; deadline for current Kids' Club families to assure their space for 2018-19 ends January 15

Wednesday, January 10      
  • All-School Mass Celebrating the Feast of the Lord's Epiphany at 9:00AM (all parents invited; please arrive outside child's homeroom by 8:45) 

Thursday, January 11
  • Parents' Club Meeting at 6:30 PM (in the faculty room; all parents invited to attend)
  • Bake Sale at lunchtime (proceeds benefit Junior High Activities and Events)

Saturday, January 13      
  • Speech Team at Seattle Prep Tourney
  • St. Louise marketing our school at the Eastside Preschool Fair from 9:30-12:30 at the South Bellevue Community Center (14509 SE Newport Way)

Saturday, February 3
  • Father/Daughter Dance - save the date for this 6:30-8:30PM event; this year's theme is a luau; sign-up form will be sent home in the January 11th red envelope

St. Louise School Has a Job Opening
         
 
St. Louise School has a job opening for the position of Auction Director. You'll find details of this new opening on our website and also at the Archdiocesan website.
 
If you are looking to join the St. Louise staff, or know someone looking for a job, and you/they have the qualifications listed in the job opening listing, please apply. Interviews for the new Auction Director will take place later this month, and the position begins in February. Please email Dan Fitzpatrick or Sue if you have questions about the position.
May God Bless the Couple with a Long and Happy Life Together
          
        
Congratulations to our 2nd grade teacher, Victoria Kroon, on her wedding over Christmas vacation at Holy Rosary Church in Edmonds. Victoria will now be formally called "Mrs. Ryan McAllister" - or to her students, "Mrs. McAllister."
Is There Something You Should Tell Us?
          
          We know there are current school families who have children who aren't attending St. Louise School this year, but are going to apply for admissions for the 2018-19 year.  Please contact Mindy and Lola  in the school office if you have:
  1. An upcoming 4-year-old interested in our Pre-K for next year;
  2. An upcoming Kindergartener who will be 5 before September and currently is in preschool elsewhere;
  3. A child in the other grade levels who would like to transfer to St. Louise for 2018-19.

For current school parents with children who will be new to St. Louise School next year, we need this information now. You will receive paperwork to enroll them starting February 1. We will be excited to have new siblings joining us in September!

Hey, Dads! Save the Date!
          
          Please save the date for the annual Father/Daughter dance, which will be in the Parish Hall on Saturday, February 3rd. The theme this year is "luau." Registration details will be coming come in next Thursday's Family Envelopes. If you are interested in helping for this event, please contact Teresa Brosche or Rebecca Ort. They could use some extra planners for upcoming events! 
If Snow Starts Falling...
       
          If you wake up and suspect that snowfall (of other acts of God) may affect if school will begin on time or open at all, keep your cell phone and computer nearby. St. Louise School uses TEXTING and EMAILING as our emergency notification procedure to parents in the event of snowfall closing the school or delaying our start.
          Emergency texting/emailing will also be used if an emergency occurs during school hours (heavy snow during the day, a lockdown, power outage during the cold/dark months, etc.) and you will either need an update or need to be informed to come get your children.
          Since the St. Louise School population lives in a large area over many cities and various elevations, during snowfall the Lake Hills neighborhood may be very drivable but your neighborhood may be dangerously slick. Please make your own choice, based on your geographical location, about whether or not to attempt to drive to school in the morning or to come to school during the school day to pick up your kids early.
         Note: St. Louise School does NOT call TV and radio stations to broadcast our school's closure/delayed-start information. You will only be notified via our group texting service through BrightArrow.com and/or through a group email from school. To learn more about our emergency texting procedure through BrightArrow.com, please refer to the "Resources" section on our website.
 
Team captain Richard (at right), prior to one of the matches against the other teams in the tournament - Britain, Belgium, France, Germany.
Richard Shines in Belgium

        Our own 6th grader, Richard Conces, was one of 170 soccer players from five different countries who took part last month in a tournament in Belgium inspired by the story of the First World War Christmas Truce. The competition was set up by the Premier League as an annual soccer tournament, and aims to teach young people about the First World War. It's called "a weekend that is half soccer, half education."
        Richard is a member of the Seattle Sounders FC Academy program, playing on their U12 team. If you click on the video in this article , you'll see Richard at the 3:10 mark talk about this experience playing in Belgium.
 

Charger Cards

The Charger Cards sale office in the central wing of the original school is open on school-Fridays from 8:15-8:45AM. For questions or more information on Charger Cards, please email chargercards@stlouiseschool.org or visit www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards.
Consider Stepping-Up to Help

          Do you love fresh air? Do you want an opportunity to see our happy St. Louise students at the end of the day? Do you want to earn volunteer hours in a practical way, by volunteering when you're already planning on being at school? Then, becoming a carpool traffic director is the right volunteer opportunity for you!
          Mr. Fuerte is asking for additional parent volunteers to help out during afternoon carpool. He will be losing a couple of parent volunteers this month, and he needs your help. Being a carpool traffic director is a great opportunity for you as a parent to earn those needed volunteer hours and help out in making sure that carpool runs safely and smoothly. No previous experience is necessary, as Mr. Fuerte will help train you during your first week. Your child(ren) simply wait on the carpool sidewalk talking to their friends while you complete your 2:50-3:20 job one day a week.
 
      
          If you are interested in volunteering for one afternoon a week, please contact Vice Principal, Mike Fuerte . Thank you very much for stepping-up!

Time to Sign-Up for CYO Volleyball

          CYO Volleyball Registration is now open to all St. Louise students in grades 4 through 8.  To sign up please go to: https://reg.sportspilot.com/106300/leagues.  The registration fee is $95. Registration will close on January 19th. (Late registrations may be accepted depending the size of existing rosters.) For more information, please contact St. Louise volleyball coordinator, Joni Hoffman.
 
 
Way to Go, Casey!
          
         A graduate of the St. Louise Class of 2010, Casey Schoenlein was recently honored as the Pac-12 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Casey is a senior at Washington State University, majoring in Communication/Journalism and Media Production. She has a 3.94 cumulative grade point average and will complete her Bachelor of Arts degree this May. Casey is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic First Team selection and a three-year WSU Athletics All-Academic team member. Casey also is a two-year co-captain for the WSU volleyball team and is in the top 25 in WSU career records for block assists and total blocks. (You may read more about Casey and her college career HERE.)
         We are so proud of Casey, and so is Washington State University, as shown by their quote about her:
"Through her academics, athletics, and volunteer work, Schoenlein has taken on leadership roles and has been a model for integrity, cultivating teamwork while demonstrating an impeccable work ethic, and fostering compassion in all she does. She is admired by her peers in the classroom, her fellow student-athletes, coaches and athletics staff."
.
        

See what's happening on our St. Louise Facebook page