PARENT BULLETIN
March 30, 2017
DAN'S BLOG  
 
Please join in the excitement as we unveil the theme and officially kick-off Auction 2017 at the Auction Kick-Off Event on Wednesday, April 12, from 8:30 - 9:45 a.m. in the faculty room. (That is the Wednesday we return from Spring Break.) Light breakfast and coffee will be served. Come meet our new auction director Sue Richards and find out how you can be involved in the biggest community building event and fund raiser of the year! If you aren't able to attend but want to know how you can get involved in the Auction, please email Sue Richards.
 
This morning Kick-Off Event is going to be fun, but it's just a warm-up to the fabulous evening Party! Please save the date of Saturday, April 29, at 6:00 p.m. Plan to join fellow school parents on the school deck for a fun-filled evening celebrating our St. Louise community as we hold our second annual Auction Deck Party!  The Auction Deck Party is a time to get everyone excited about volunteering for, procuring for, and looking ahead to the November 11th Auction at the Marriott. 
  • Drinks & light appetizers will be served;
  • There will be drawings to win thrilling giveaways!
  • You'll get a sneak peek at sensational items that will be up for bid at the November 11th Auction;
  • FREE DRESS coupons for your kids will be given to all parents who attend!
  • Mingle with teachers and fellow St. Louise parents at this festive, free event.
The Auction Deck Party is for adults only, and we need you to RSVP HERE so we have enough food and beverages...and free dress coupons to hand out.  Thanks!

Enjoy your spring break! If you're going away to some place warm, please bring back some sun! If you're staying home like me, good luck in getting your lawn mower started for the first time this year.

When we return on April 10, we enter Holy Week - something we are privileged to participate in with your children. And d on't forget you can participate as a family in various ways on the upcoming evenings and weekends - just check out the parish calendar of events. And also check out my "p.s." below.

Thanks for reading,
 
Mr. FITZ

p.s.
Led by our 8th graders, all the K-8 classrooms will walk the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday - April 14 - and parents and grandparents are invited to join us. It will take about 30 minutes' total to walk the Stations throughout the school and parish grounds, reflecting on the Passion of the Lord and stopping to say prayers. (Most Stations will be outdoors so students should dress accordingly.) Classes will begin walking at approximately the following times, so parents should wait outside the main school building under the second story deck 10 minutes prior to these times on Good Friday:
 
8:45- A;   8:50-6B;   8:55-4B & 1A first buddy group;   9:00-4B & 1A second buddy group;   9:05-2B;    9:10-7B;   9:15-5B;   9:20-KA;   9:25-KB;    10:40-4A;   10:45-3A;   10:50-3B;   10:55-5A & 2A first buddy group;   11:00-5A & 2A second buddy group;   11:05-7A;   11:10-1B;   11:15-8A & 8B.
 
Note that school dismisses at noon on Good Friday, and there is no afterschool Kids' Club that day. School resumes on Tuesday the 18th, as Easter Monday, April 17, is taken as a holiday.
 
School Calendar
        Please subscribe to the school calendar. You may also subscribe to receiving updates from a teacher's individual webpage by choosing your teacher here, and then clicking on the +Subscribe link.


TODAY & TOMORROW
 
Thursday, March 30
  • Grade 6-8 Reconciliation Service and Individual Confessions, 10:30AM (parents are invited to the first part of the service, but only students will be remaining beyond 11:00 and allowed to go to confessions, due to time constraints)
Friday, March 31
  • Opera performance in parish hall for grade K-6 at 1:05; paid for by Parents' Club enrichment grant; parents welcome to attend
     
NEXT WEEK
 
School Closed All Week for Spring Break; No Kids' Club
 

SAVE THE DATE

Monday, April 10
  • School resumes; Holy Week begins; grade PK-8 religion classes begin weeklong focus on the theme of "Death & Resurrection" (age appropriate), culminating in the celebration of Easter
Wednesday, April 12
  • Auction Kick-Off Event in the faculty room, 8:30-9:45AM - auction committee heads attending and all school parents invited 
Thursday, April 13
  • Holy Thursday Prayer Service, 9:00AM; parents invited
Friday, April 14
  • Good Friday Stations of the Cross (see Dan's Blog above for times; parents invited)
  • Noon Dismissal
  • No Afterschool Kids' Club
Saturday, April 15
Monday, April 17
  • No School; Easter Monday Holiday

Have You Been Logging in Your Volunteer Hours?

         With just one trimester remaining in this school year, school families who have yet to volunteer the required minimum 40 volunteer hours have about 11 weeks remaining to volunteer around the school/parish and log in those hours HERE. Our volunteer coordinator, Marinell Zevenbergen, is available to help school parents who need help understanding the logging-in process or finding jobs to do.
          If you know you are not going to be able to make your 40 hour commitment before the end of June, you may pay an $18.00 per hour fee in lieu of the volunteering. Please send in the check payable to "St. Louise School Volunteer Hours" to the attention of Dan Fitzpatrick. If there is a health-related and/or financial hardship affecting your ability to complete your commitment or pay a fee this school year, please discuss this directly with Dan.

          The students and staff greatly appreciate the time and talent all St. Louise parents give through your awesome volunteering! It's a hallmark of our school!

 
School Musical Tickets On Sale Now

          Our school musical - Seussical, Jr. - stars many of our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, who have been working on it since November. They will be performing at the Bellevue High School Theater on May 3 and 4. Ticket order forms are available at the school office, and with no tickets sold at the door, and the best seats in the house filled on a first come-first served basis, you'll want to get in your ticket order now! For more information, contact the show's producer/director, Terry LaRussa Banton.


Way to Go, Honor Roll Recipients!
     Congratulations to these 7th and 8th graders who earned placement on the 2nd trimester Honor Roll for earning 90% or higher in all subjects:   
 
Anne Marie Blank, Katie Bruce, Lily Buysse, Julio Canimo, Grace Courter, Macee Cruz, Joaquin Galindo-Navarro, Christopher Golden, Ella Gratzer, Katherine Gooding, Clara Halling, Dyllan Hoffman, Hayden Kosiara, Olivia Manning, Katie Miller, Natalie Nowak, Lexi Phan, Ellie Pierce, Grace Rausch, Ellie Read, Jack Richards, Lexi Rorie, Alexander Rotar, Sarah Sandino, Andrew Scukas, Taneesha Sinha, Paul Snyder, Sara Storniolo, Trevor Tang, Erin Tylutki, Savannah Wallis, Kaitlyn Westby, Kate Wilken.
Join the CYO Track & Field Team
          Registration is open for the  4th through 8th grade St. Louise Track & Field team here: CYO Track Registration . Practices will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 5:00 to 6:30 at Odle Middle School, starting April 25.  Track meets will be held on Saturdays in May, and on June 3.
           The Seattle University Track & Field team is once again offering a free day of Track & Field coaching on the SU campus. This fun event on April 2, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm, is an opportunity for St Louise athletes to receive training for track & field.  To sign up for this free event, email CYO coordinator  Joe Hueffed for further details.   
Do You Know of an Extraordinary Volunteer?
             Every year St. Louise Parish School honors up to three school parents with our "Volunteer Extraordinaire" awards. This is recognition to parents who have given years of volunteer service above and beyond the fabulous volunteering most St. Louise parents are famous for. Past recipients include: Tom Brennan, Joni Hoffman, Sue Richards, Ingrid Flaat, Sarah Fleming, Andrew Miller, and Lori VanderZanden.  If you know of a St. Louise parent you would like to recommend be considered for this award, please email Dan Fitzpatrick with a brief listing of the various ways this parent has done extraordinary volunteering over the years.
St. Louise Students "Expected" to Be Well-Balanced Individuals   
          Student Learning Expectations - SLEs - are expectations that our students should know, understand, value, and be able to do by the time they graduate from St. Louise School. Each month, one or two different SLEs are focused on school-wide. Mr. Fitzpatrick announces to all the students the "SLE(s) of the Month" on a Monday intercom announcement at the beginning of each month. The students and their teachers then discuss the meaning of the SLE and come up with examples of how this expectation could be practiced, observed, and realized. They then work all month on improving their knowledge and understanding of this learning expectation, and some grade levels are even able to achieve it later that month or later in the year. Other grade levels will need more years of practice before they can confidently confirm they can satisfy this objective. At the end of the month, each class informs Mr. Fitz what their class did that demonstrated the SLE(s) was accomplished, or is being initially worked on and hopefully will be achieved in the future. 
          Throughout the month of March, school wide we have focused on these two Student Learning Expectations:
  • SLE #3.1 - "A St. Louise student is a well-balanced individual who practices positive social skills by taking responsibility for one's own actions and showing respect."
  • SLE #3.2 - "A St. Louise student is a well-balanced individual who develops mind, body, and spirit by experiencing the arts and participating in physical activity."
          A few of these classrooms' reports to Mr. Fitz are highlighted below.
          Regarding SLE #3.1, in Miss Casey's 2nd grade classroom, the students created a chart about all the ways they can be responsible at school, at home, to themselves, and to their environment. (See chart at right.) They each picked two ways from this chart that they will be more responsible in their daily lives.
          Meanwhile next door in Miss Kroon's 2 d grade room, the students also demonstrated how they are maturing into taking responsibility and accountability for their actions. After reading a story called, "But It's Not My Fault!" - about a child who always makes an excuse for his behavior - the students worked on how to change an "excuse" into a "responsible statement." For example, instead of making an excuse of, "I don't have my math homework because my brother made me play video game with him for too long last night," one 2nd grader wrote that a responsible person would take accountability and say, "I'm sorry that I don't have my math homework. I chose to play video games. I will do my homework tonight."
          In Mrs. Regalia's third grade reading class, her students refer to the "Godly Character Building Posters" on the classroom wall." Students observe and acknowledge one's own actions and those of classmates, both inside and outside the classroom.  Periodically, the students will put their own name or a classmate's name on a sticky-note and place it on a specific characteristic listed on the poster that has been observed and demonstrated over time. It's a great way to practice positive social skills and show respect for others. 
           One way that our 8th graders developed their minds and spirits by experiencing the arts this month was through their field trip to the Seattle Art Museum. They viewed the Jacob Lawrence "The Migration Series," which connected the artistic elements
they've been learning in Mrs. Walker's art classes to topics discussed in Mr. O'Connor's social studies lessons and Mrs. Herridge's religion lessons.   Furthermore, our 8th grade students enhanced their understanding of Shakespearean language and The Taming of the Shrew while watching the 1967 video version of The Taming of the Shrew. As their language arts teacher, Mr. Gallant says, "Shakespeare is meant for the stage, or in this case the screen, which is certainly an experience of the arts."
          Of course, we know experiencing the arts through music is something expected of all St. Louise students, and Mrs. LaRussa Banton reminds us that just in the month of March alone, the following events took place:
  • Pre-K students performed a "Baby Beluga" concert for their parents;
  • Grade 5 and 6 students performed two "Dreamcatcher" concerts - for the student body and for their parents;
  • The beginning and advanced Band performed two concerts - for the student body and for their parents;
  • Cast members of the school musical, Seussical Jr., performed a sneak preview for the school;
  • The school choir - Chorale - led the congregation in liturgical music at two school Masses.
          And on the final day of March tomorrow, the Northwest Opera in Schools will be performing "Tales of Hoffman" for grades K-6, introducing students to a portion of an opera performance. 

           First graders had a chance to make connections to this month's SLE by learning about a fun artist named Keith Haring.  Haring painted figures in motion with bright colors.  As a class in art class, 1st graders practiced posing their bodies in action poses, then got to work transforming their "stick people" drawings into figure silhouettes.  At left is Finn showing off his cutout figures before they were added to his art project. The figure on the left is his rendition of Mrs. Walker, who Finn calls the "Queen of Art" - complete with a crown and dress. The figure on the right is Mrs. Walker's husband, who obviously must do a lot of body building.
          The expectation that a St. Louise student will be a well-balanced individual doesn't end in March, but our spotlight on this particular SLE will end for now. Instead, with a new month approaching will be a new focus. Throughout the month of April, school wide we will highlight Student Learning Expectation #1.1:   "A St. Louise student is an active Christian who seeks to develop a personal relationship with God as demonstrated by living out Gospel values and participating in liturgies, sacraments, and daily prayer." 
 

March Madness Ends Tomorrow at 9AM

If you use your credit or debit card for purchases through tomorrow at 9:00AM, there is no 'fee' for transactions in excess of $100.   Buy your gas, groceries and all other spending through Charger Cards first and pay with your credit card. Get your frequent flier points AND support St. Louise at the same time!

 

Earn Free Dress With Charger Cards

Starting next week (consider it parent homework over Spring Break), place an order online and earn a free dress day for all the kids in your family! Here's how it works: 
> Place an online order of Charger Cards any time between April 1-28. (Promotion ends at 9:00am on April 28.)
> Simply one online order earns free dress for all the children in your family.
The free dress day will be Thursday, May 4.
> Any size order qualifies.
Place an order as small as one $10 Charger Card for any number of stores.
> Pay for your order online via Presto Pay, or pay by check.
An online payment is NOT required.

Here is the link to the Charger Card information page including Online Registration Directions: www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards


Attention Standing Order Families

Please note the payment and delivery date for April Standing orders. Due to Spring Break, Standing orders will be sent home tomorrow. 



Charger Card Office hours:
  • Fridays from 8:15-8:45am - Last day for March Madness is tomorrow at 9AM.
  • School and Charger Card office will be closed Friday, April 7, for Spring Break.
Thank You, Volunteers
          Thank you to these parents who assisted school nurse Jane Reynolds in screening students earlier this month in annual vision and hearing screenings: Allison Weber, Jennifer Kosiara, Emilena Heinitz, Pamela and Le Roy Munar, Lilibeth Tiotuico, Seema Lukose, Kristy Rorie, Maria Juarez Veloz, Maureen Schoen, Edith Rodriguez, Alice Shaw, Stasia Kehoe, Aila Olayao. If your child's screening brought up any hearing or vision concerns, Jane would have contacted you by now.
          Last Saturday's first Spring Spruce-Up was a successful morning of helping to beautify the grounds! We are grateful for the leadership of our head landscaper, Jeffrey Hummer, and these volunteers: Victor Phan & Lucy Moy, Lee & Karen Kranz, Joe Kosiara, Tom Doyle, Rob Thompson, Andrew Widodo & Miranda Karli, Esther & Michael Stapleton, Nicole Stapleton, Berry & Steve Wilhelm, Dick & Sheila Hess, Marena Hoyos, Kathleen Barth, Barb Keefe, Veronique Tano, Jerry Johnson, Christie Allemand, Karel Blaha, Chyam Prakar, Anneliese & Nanci Kertson, Rodrigo Huante, Kim & Ron Bruce,  Wendy Blank, Trina Legnon. and alum Jackson Allemand.
          If you would like to volunteer for our next Spring Spruce-Up, it will be on Saturday, April 22, from 8AM-12PM.

 
 
We had a visitor all the way from Marillac, France earlier this month.

Frenchwomen Louise visited her namesake church and school on the anniversary of her birth - or so it seemed - as kindergartener Ysa played Louise and spoke to the congregation during the all-school Mass on the Feast of St. Louise de Marillac.
 
 
If you have a photo of your kids in a school or community event and/or at a CYO game, send it to Dan Fitzpatrick for possible publishing in an upcoming Parent Bulletin and/or to Catherine Saffel for possible inclusion in the end-of-year School Yearbook.