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ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN
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Dan's Blog
In 2001, former St. Louise School parents John and Donna Luger approached our school with a plan that would help ensure in perpetuity that a Catholic education remains available and affordable to St. Louise families who would otherwise not be able to send their children to a Catholic school. The Lugers began an endowment fund in which the principal earns money for the school year after year, as the money is invested in a diversified portfolio under the guidance of our school's Finance Committee and the Archdiocese's Fulcrum Foundation. The income that is generated from the investments is automatically reinvested in the endowment. In this way, the endowment fund continues to repeatedly grow. Our endowment policy calls for a certain percent of the year-end balance of the principal of this endowment (typically 4-5%) to be used for tuition assistance each year. The interest generated from our endowment fund in those early years provided tuition assistance to approximately 5% of St. Louise students annually.
The Lugers named the endowment fund after Father Phil Wallace, our pastor at the time, and a champion for both Catholic education and assisting the disadvantaged. John and Donna contributed $50,000 to initiate The Father Phil Wallace Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund, and dozens of school parents added another $85,000 to the fund through the Fund-A-Need at the 2002 school auction.
Just four years later, by 2006, thanks to fruitful Fund-A-Needs to the endowment at successive auctions, along with repeated donations to the Endowment from parents and parishioners in annual donations at end-of-year giving times, The Father Phil Wallace Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund had grown to reach the impressive milestone of $1,000,000! No other Eastside-area elementary school in our Archdiocese had an endowment fund anywhere approaching this impressive figure. And throughout all of Western Washington, ours was one of the largest. But we weren't done yet!
Another ten years of donations followed, and this past February 2017, we reached the $2,000,000 mark for our fund's balance! Currently, St. Louise's Father Phil Wallace Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund has a balance of $2,200,000!
...I'm just going to pause now and let that sink in...
It is because of this remarkable number, which now generates the interest income necessary to provide tuition assistance to 10% of our students, and it is also because we want to focus on just one Fund-A-Need per auction evening, that this November we will NOT be having a "raise your bid card" for the endowment fund. We have decided that every-OTHER-year we will make the endowment fund the Fund-A-Need focus for the auction. This year, the Fund-A-Need will be a focus separate from the endowment, and there will be just the one Fund-A-Need ask during the live auction, not two as we've done at past auctions. The following November - a year from now in 2018 - expect to see the endowment fund return on auction evening.
So to repeat... next year you can expect to hear the auctioneer ask you to raise your bid card to give to The Father Phil Wallace Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund. However, this year, in just four weeks, the auctioneer will have only one Fund-A-Need, and it will NOT be the endowment fund.
So if we are not having the endowment fund be a part of the Fund-A-Need for this November's Auction, what WILL BE your chance to "raise your bid card" in the one and only group-style-bid during the live auction on November 11th in the ballroom of the Bellevue Marriott? Sorry...but you'll have to read Dan's Blog later this month to find out.
In the meantime, nothing is keeping you from giving to the endowment fund now or at any time, helping to support financial aid to needy families. Go here to donate year-round to the Fr. Phil Fund.
Of course, last week you received your invitation to THEE event of the year -
Our School House Rocks!
Auction - and I'm glad to see that the RSVPs are rolling in! Although the reservation deadline is November 2, we expect the spots to fill up, so tonight or this weekend would be a good time to reserve your dinner reservation
online.
If you wish to make a request to be seated with specific families at dinner, please list their names in the special accommodations field on the registration page. It's also fine to leave this section blank; the Auction committee will seat you next to families with similarly aged students, which is a great way to meet or get to know other families!
p.s.
School parent, Jim Wiesen (pictured below left), was in a bad auto accident on Highway 167 last week and could use your prayers. A wrong-way driver ran into him head-on, and firefighters needed the jaws-of-life to get Jim out of his demolished car to take him to Harborview, where they performed
emergency surgery on his broken femur. Jim is still at Harborview, where he awaits a second surgery. He won't be able to bear weight for
months. Fellow St. Louisers who live in the Renton-area near the Wiesens are going to help drive 7th grade daughter Jenelle to school for the coming months.
(The Wiesens transferred to St. Louise from their public middle school this fall. Jim is the athletic director/PE teacher at the Jewish Day School up the street from St. Louise on NE 4th Street.)
Thank you for praying for Jim's recovery, and for also keeping in your prayers ongoing support for his wife Farah (pictured at right) and Jenelle.
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Upcoming Calendar of Events
Today
- All-School Mass and Devotion to Our Guardian Angels, 9:00AM; parents are encouraged to attend (please meet your children outside their classrooms at 8:45)
- Bake Sale
- Parents' Club Meeting, 6:30PM in the Faculty Room
- Parent Survey closes today! Please complete the survey that Mr. Fitz emailed you on Oct. 5th in order to assure yourself a November parent-teacher conference date.
Friday the 13th
- Used Uniform Sale, 2:30-4:00PM in the Central Wing
- CROWD Social for Gr. 6-8, 7:00-9:00PM
Saturday the 14th
- Fall Fix-Up, 8:00AM; meet outside the North Wing
- Emergency Prep work day, 3:00PM; meet at the cargo container north of the gym
- Gr. 8 Math Team Competes at Seattle Prep
Sunday the 15th
Tuesday the 17th
- Earthquake Drill, 10:35AM (weather permitting); all-school drill for the students to practice duck-cover-hold and proper evacuation procedures and the staff to practice their roles after evacuating (see article below)
Wednesday the 18th
- Altar Server Training, 3:00-4:30 for Grades 5+ (see article below)
Thursday the 19th
- Alumni Wine Event, 6:30PM in the school lobby; all alumni and parents of alumni invited; please RSVP
Friday the 20th
- Wine Donations due to the Auction for the Premium Wine Contest; win your child's class a donut party! (see the article below)
- Deadline to reserve a room at the Bellevue Marriott on Auction Night at the special rate (see article below)
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Thank You for Your Walk-A-Thon Participation!
Tomorrow is the final day to collect pledges to meet your family's minimum required contribution to the Parents' Club:
For a 1-child school family, $85;
For a 2-children family, $170;
For a 3+ children family, $200.
Please go here online and finish up with your donations/pledges to the Walk-A-Thon.
The rewards assembly for the students will be on October 27. For more information, contact the chairpersons at
Walkathon@stlouiseschool.org.
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Time to Sign-Up Your 4th-8th Grader for CYO Basketball
It is basketball sign-up time. Time to register your child to be a part of St. Louise's 2017-18 CYO Basketball season!
St. Louise CYO basketball is for children in grades 4-8, and for children of all skill levels - from beginners to experienced. All children on the St. Louise teams will get playing time in all the games that the children attend.
All registration is done online HERE.
Regular Registration closes on Friday, October 20. The
Registration Fees are as follows:
- $95 for the first child registered within a family;
- $65 for the second child registered within the same family;
- $45 for the third child registered within the same family.
Late
registration is between October 21, to November 13, and a late registration fee of $15 is added.
All regular season CYO basketball games are held on weekends, either Saturday or Sunday, with the first games beginning the weekend of November 18-19, and the regular season ending the weekend of January 27-28. (FYI: There are no regular season games scheduled over Thanksgiving and Christmas weekends.) Teams typically play 7 or 8 regular season games.
If you have any questions, please contact St. Louise Basketball Coordinator, Rodney Thomas.
Go, Chargers!
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| Auction News
Mr. Fuerte Thinks This Live Auction Item ROCKS!!
We can't wait to share all the items that you will have a chance to bid on in the live auction! To give you a sneak peek, we asked a few members of our St. Louise Staff to look over our exciting Live Auction lineup and tell us which one they think ROCKS.
This week Mr. Fuerte picked:
Authentic Filipino Dinner with Mr. Fuerte for 12
Enjoy an authentic catered Filipino dinner with friends and special guest, our beloved vice principal, Mike Fuerte. The delicious and memorable dinner will be held at the winning bidder's home. It's sure to be a night to remember!
Value: $1,800
Many thanks to the generous donors: Rochelle & Reynald Lagunero, Lee Mark & Mary Ann Macatangay, Paul & Ina Canimo, Luis & Eric Orejana, and Mike Fuerte.
Registration for the Auction Is Open Online
You should have received your auction invitation in last week's red envelope - online registration is now open! Please be sure to
RSVP
as soon as possible before the November 2 deadline. If you're not able to attend the auction, please consider sponsoring a teacher. Did you know that you can bid on Live Auction Items even if you're not able to attend? Email
auction director
Sue Richards
for details about proxy bidding!
Reserve a Room Auction Night at the Marriott
We have a block of rooms available at the hotel for the special rate of $139/night for the night of November 11. To qualify for this special rate, you must make your reservation on or before October 20 - this is a new, extended deadline! Make it an overnight event by reserving a room online today
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Sign-Up Opportunities Online NOW - One Party Sold Out Already!
If you haven't already, please be sure to check out the exciting Sign-Up Opportunities that are available to
purchase online
now! Please don't delay - one of the parties has already sold out, and we expect many of them to sell out well ahead of the auction.
Whether you can attend the auction or not - EVERY family is able to take part in Sign-Up Opportunities! From a week of free dress for your students, to parties for grownups and kids - you don't want to miss out!
Premium Wine Contest Going On NOW!
Bring in a bottle of wine to donate to the auction any time before October 20 to win your child's class a donut party! Read all the details below...
Thank You to Our Volunteers!
Thank you so much to all who are helping make this year's auction a reality! Special thanks goes to Peter Newton--Graphic Artist, Megan Kirk--Data Entry and Inventory, Rebecca Nightingale and Wendy Blank--Teacher Experiences, and Catalog Writer--Taryn Reed.
Need Volunteer Hours? Want to Be Part of the Excitement? Volunteers Needed!
We are in need of volunteers to help with various auction preparation tasks - whether you have a small bit of time to help out or more - we need your help in these final weeks leading up to the big event! Please consider giving an hour or two - or more! - to help with preparation for this year's auction. Email
Sue
for details! Thank you in advance!
Black & White Photo Requests Due Tomorrow
If you would like to guarantee that your students are included in this year's beautiful keepsake Black & White Photos, please email your request to Rebecca Ort
- the deadline has been extended to tomorrow, Friday, October 13! Please email today to take part in this St. Louise tradition. There is no obligation to purchase. Professional quality photos will be available to buy at preview week, online or at the auction for $100 each. Below is a photo from Jenny Lisk's home. Do you think Jenny has purchased a few Black & White Photos at the past few Auctions?
Please contact me if you have questions or want to know how you can help.
Thank you for all your support! Our School House ROCKS!
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Did You Sign Up for a Teacher Conference?
Today is the deadline to sign up for a November Parent-Teacher Conference. Last Thursday, Mr. Fitzpatrick emailed every school family, asking all parents to please complete his attached survey by no later than today - Thursday the 12th. This survey is particularly vital to complete, as it allows you to tell us your preferred day and time for scheduling your mandatory Parent-Teacher Conference on November 20 or 21.
If you are not going to be in town on November 20-21, please be responsible to email your child's teacher and suggest a day in November or December to conference before school (7:30AM) or after school (3:15PM). The teacher is a professional similar to a doctor or attorney, and he/she fills up his/her calendar, so the sooner you contact the teacher, the more assured you will be of scheduling a convenient 20-30 minute conference date for sometime during the next two months.
Meanwhile, for those parents who completed the Parent Survey and will be in town on November 20 or 21, the teachers will be using your survey preferences to schedule your conferences in succession (for those of you with more than one child/teacher), and you will be notified of your November Parent-Teacher Conference appointments by the end of this month. Thank you for your cooperation!
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We Could Use Your Help this Saturday Morning
This Saturday, October 14 - we'll be holding our second
Fall Fix-Up Saturday. Parents who come from 8AM-12PM can earn 4 volunteer hours helping our head volunteer landscaper, Jeffrey Hummer, beautify the parish and school grounds. We'll be weeding, pruning, and planting. If you have tools, wheelbarrows, and of course, work gloves, bring them!
At noon, Mr. Fitz will provide lunch! Junior high and high school children are welcome to assist and earn their own hours for their school's community service requirements.
Please RSVP to
Jeffrey so he knows the size of the work crew, which helps him determine which yard projects the Fix-Up crew will tackle this Saturday. Thanks in advance for your sweat equity!
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...And We Could Use Your Help this Saturday Afternoon
The school's Emergency Preparedness Committee could use the help of parents this Saturday, October 14, from 3-6PM. No experience is necessary; just the motivation to want to help the school be more prepared in the event of an emergency at school, such as an earthquake. We will be inventorying the water, tents, first aid, and other supplies located in the cargo container, located directly north of the gym. Please let
Claudia Tejada know if you will be able to help this Saturday.
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Last Sunday, our St. Louise Cross Country team won the CYO Championship at Lake Sammamish State Park for the third year in a row, beating out 10 other teams!
The Chargers also brought home trophies for the overall team winners in these grade levels: 5th Grade Boys, 5th Grade Girls, 6th Grade Girls, 7th Grade Boys, 8th Grade Boys, and 8th Grade Girls.
Thanks to the coaches and parents for their support. Congratulations to the student-athletes for their training, dedication, and persistence which paid off!
Following are the St. Louise top 10 finishers for grades 4-8 along with their times:
4th Grade Boys (1 Mile)
6th Place - Michael Charles (6:16)
4th Grade Girls (1 Mile)
2nd Place - Jane Clinton (6:21)
5th Grade Boys (1 Mile)
1st Place - Ben Shaules (5:39.9)
2nd Place - David Riffe (5:40.5)
6th Place - Nick Sharp (5:52.1)
8th Place - Ben Sharp (6:00.9)
10th Place - Justin Shaw (6:19)
5th Grade Girls (1 Mile)
1st Place - Annie Wilken (5:46.6)
2nd Place - Eliana Estrada (6:14)
3rd Place - Sophie Pierce (6:32.1)
4th Place - Elie Hueffed (6:37.5)
6th Place - Simone Cimprich (6:40.1)
9th Place - Melissa D'Costa (6:55.3)
6th Grade Boys (1.2 Miles)
5th Place - Jack Kehoe (7:17.1)
6th Grade Girls (1.2 Miles)
1st Place - Justine Utz (7:14.6)
2nd Place - Allison Kussy (7:14.6)
4th Place - Finley Gillespie (7:27.5)
7th Place - Ella Utz (8:14.8)
10th Place - Lauren Magnusen (8:53.1)
7th Grade Boys (1.7 Miles)
1st Place - Modesto Estrada (10:14.3)
2nd Place - Andrew Gooding (10:37.7)
3rd Place - TJ Russell (10:54.9)
10th Place - Cole Allemand (11:41)
7th Grade Girls (1.7 Miles)
2nd Place - Jenna Wilken (10:19.1)
6th Place - Ellie Charles (12:26)
8th Grade Boys (1.7 Miles)
1st Place - Joaquin Galindo-Navarro (9:58.1)
2nd Place - Colin Shaules (10:01)
9th Place - Brandon Gegus (11:15.3)
8th Grade Girls (1.7 Miles)
2nd Place - Ellie Pierce (10:43.3)
3rd Place - Madeline Clinton (11:57.7)
4th Place - Ellie Read (12:00.8)
8th Place - Heide Orleth (14:21.1)
pictured below are the championship 5th grade girls', and 8th grade boys' and girls' teams
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New Altar Servers Trained Next Week
Altar Serving is not just a service but a prayerful celebration of Jesus Christ! Parish youth in grades 5 or older are welcome to join the altar server ministry team. Training is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, October 18, from 3:00-4:30 in the Church. Parents are not required to stay for the training, but are asked to return by 4:15 for crucial scheduling information. The next training will not be scheduled until next spring, so if your child is interested in serving but cannot attend this Wednesday's training, please contact Mary Anne Baradi or Mary Herridge.
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Earthquake Drill on Tuesday and the Real Quake on....?
The entire school will practice an earthquake drill on the morning of Tuesday, October 17 (weather permitting). During this drill, students and staff will practice the drop-cover-hold technique under desks, chairs, and tables, knowing how important it is to keep our heads covered if there were to be shaking during a real earthquake.
Then the teachers will lead their students outside, practicing safe evacuation techniques, explaining about how in a real earthquake you would avoid walking under unsafe overhangs and watch out for fallen trees and power lines. Once outside, our school protocol is to line all the classes on the outdoor basketball court north of the gym, taking roll call and reporting attendance to Mr. Fitzpatrick and the administrative staff.
Next, as the teachers take roll, teachers and staff will prepare to go into their assigned duties as previously trained. Every employee has a job in an emergency - from first aid, to search & rescue, to student support, to parent reunification.
Regarding that last one - parent reunification - this is where we would like to remind you of our policy handbook. It reads:
The school staff and students regularly practice emergency evacuations in cases of fire, earthquake, and/or safety lockdowns. Should there be an actual earthquake or fire while school is in session, parents should not telephone school or attempt to enter a school building. Upon arriving at school, parents should enter at the 156th Avenue entrance and proceed to the Student Pick-up/Reunification Area in the south parking lot. The faculty member in charge of this area will direct parents to where they may pick up their children.
We know should there be a real earthquake when children are at school, that some parents could very well be in shock and not thinking rationally when they arrive at school. We would very much appreciate - after checking in at the south end with our Reunification Area, waiting for us to bring your children to you, and seeing that your children are safe and sound - that some parents (who are thinking rationally) would offer to stay and help us greet later arriving parents. You could be of great benefit to us to help calm these fellow parents when they arrive, asking them to wait, and allowing us to go through the process of checking in at the Reunification Area and waiting for us to bring their children to them in an orderly process. You can imagine how chaotic it would be if parents just went to the basketball court and took their children without checking in with us. We have to do this methodically so we have a count of where the students are and when and to whom they are properly dismissed. Thank you for understanding the emergency pick-up/reunification process!
By the way, the official website of the Department of Homeland Security has dozens of resources for you to prepare your family in the event of an earthquake. Please go to
https://www.ready.gov/earthquakes and spend time scrolling through all the links and information. ..because we know that the question isn't,
"Will an earthquake ever happen here in the Puget Sound area?
", but the question is,
"How soon will the next earthquake happen here in the Puget Sound area?"
Finally, if you haven't built a home emergency prep kit of supplies yet, make it a 2017 resolution to do so before the year runs out:
https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit. And besides having a big kit at home, store items in the trunk of each of your vehicles, and it's very likely you could be at work our out-and-about when the shaking starts.
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RSVP If You Will Be Joining Us Next Thursday Evening
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School Photos Delivered Next Month
Thanks to the volunteers who helped with last week's Photo Day: Victoria Bermel, Jolla Sumido, Lilibeth Tiotuico, Trinette Kuester.
Photos from Photo Day will arrive at the school in a few weeks and be sent home to you in the red Family Envelope. If a family did not order prints (whether online or via a paper order), they will receive a proof sheet with a personalized picture day code to view and order photos online. These images will be available for order up to nine months.
If your child(ren) were absent on Photo Day, be sure to note the School Photo Retake day is scheduled for Wednesday, November 15.
If you have any questions concerning school photos, please contact
Cindy Wagner
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Purchase your full-color, hardback St. Louise School Yearbook from TreeRing in October and you'll save 10% off the cost. You'll have plenty of time to add your own memories from throughout the year if you choose to customize with personal photos. Every student has the option of getting a one-of-a-kind copy containing two free pages to customize with personal photos. Your two free custom pages will be in your book only and are optional. (If you choose not to personalize you'll receive the same book, without the two extra pages.) Yearbooks will be distributed on the last day of the school year.
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See what's happening on our St. Louise Facebook page
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