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ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN
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Dan's Blog
Thank you for you and your children's participation in the Walk-A-Thon! Last Friday's event was so much fun! Take a look at the pictures in the article below. Our devoted chairs Erika, Michelle, Jolla, and Laura will be sharing information later this month about the fund raiser's total revenue and the prizes students earned.
The Walk-A-Thon day was evidence that parents need education of what our uniform policy & guidelines are ...or that our principal needs a lesson in better planning and communication. For the weeks leading up to the Walk-A-Thon, I stated in this Parent Bulletin that our "regular free dress policy" was in effect for the Walk-A-Thon. What I didn't do was go into specifics about what our regular free dress policy spells out. In part, it says:
"... at these free dress/non-uniform days and events, clothing must exhibit "good taste," which includes ... no tight-fitting pants/shorts (typically defined as constructed of a high percentage of stretch material). Therefore, some of the clothing not allowed includes, but is not limited to ... yoga-style pants, jegging-style pants, and other revealing clothing ..."
But come Walk-A-Thon morning, girls came pouring out of their cars at 8:20AM wearing jeggings, leggings, lululemon yoga pants, and similar pants that are not allowed according to our uniform policy & guidelines.
Parents, if you only have boys in your family,
here is where you skip ahead a couple of paragraphs. :-)
I apologize for any confusion I caused leading up to the Walk-A-Thon with how I explained what to wear this year. Perhaps I need to explain better next year? Perhaps I need to waive the regular free dress rules for the Walk-A-Thon next year? ....or perhaps we need a change in our free dress policy?
It just so happens that today had already been planned to be the day parents were going to be able to offer input on any changes we might want to make to our school's uniform policy & guidelines. There are questions in our annual 1st trimester Parent Survey that ask for your opinion on the various sections of our current uniform policy - including what you believe should or shouldn't be allowed to be worn on free dress days. Please take time to respond.
That Parent Survey, which you'll be receiving via a separate email from me today, also needs your vital response to which day and time you prefer for your required Parent-Teacher Conference in November. The survey is only going to be open for a week (it closes after the night of Oct. 12), so please when you receive my email/survey today, try to respond ASAP so you don't forget.
Finally, with the Walk-A-Thon completed, we turn our attention to what is billed as THEE fundraiser of the year as well as THEE social event of the year - the school Auction.
The 2017 School Auction takes place on November 11, at the Bellevue Marriott, and today is when invitations are coming home to you, and you are asked to make your online reservations. That is why today's red Family Envelope seems to radiate a kind of glow and specialness. ....And you thought it was because it contained tickets to the upcoming Bob Seger rock concert at Key Arena, also being held on November 11. No. Better!
Our school Auction has as its theme this year -
Our School House Rocks! - and it's going to make the night a really exciting evening! No offense to Bob Seger and his iconic song, "Old Time Rock and Roll," but the man is 72 years old! I would bet that you would have a much more enjoyable evening on November 11, with fellow (and younger) school parents at the Bellevue Marriott (than at Key Arena), enjoying a delicious dinner and drinks, all the while raising funds for your children's school.
The deadline to register and assure a seat is November 2. But with the hectic rushing around during those last days in October to get your children's Halloween costumes created, it would seem like a good idea to not procrastinate and to complete your RSVP and make your online payment to the Auction during these early days of October.
If you are new to St. Louise School, don't know much about how Auctions work, and are hesitant to commit to attending, let me assure you how easy it all is. You simply sign up online now, show up on November 11th at the Bellevue Marriott, and hand me your credit card. Seriously, the Auction is a special event that of course has as its main purpose the raising of necessary funds for our school, but it also serves the secondary purpose of providing a fun, social night for parents.
When you attend the Auction, you get to know your fellow parents better, as you can note when you make your reservation, for example, that you'd like to be seated at the dinner portion of the evening with - for example - all kindergarten parents, or all 3rd grade parents, or all administrators. (Don't know how much fun you'd have at that last table, though.) You will have a chance before dinner to mingle and hobnob in the Marriott lobby and silent auction rooms with the school teachers, and you'll soon realize how much fun they are at parties. For example, did you know that Mr. Glaser can add up all the silent auction bids in his head and doesn't need a calculator? Or that Miss Etter can recite the Pledge of Allegiance backward? And did you know that every year without fail, Mr. Fuerte buys a drink for the first parent who goes up to him and can name both the year Mr. Fuerte graduated from St. Louise School and the names of his St. Louise 8th grade teachers?
Besides the amazing attendees you'll mingle with on Auction night, what's also special about our Auction is, that by placing it in November, we've created a perfect opportunity for you to get your Christmas shopping done. You can buy gifts for your kids, bid on family vacations to take over spring or summer vacation, and find something special for your spouse. And instead of the money you spend profiting the big companies and corporations were you to buy these same things at the Mall, you are providing revenue for your children's school. So it's a win-win-win situation:
* You have a fun social event (win!);
* You get to shop (win!);
* You help the school raise money (win!).
In the meantime, after you've signed up online in the coming days, please spread the word to your fellow school parents, friends, and extended family members about the enjoyable and worthy reasons for attending our Auction. See if you can fill up a complete table of ten. I promise you, you'll have a fabulous time!
Our School House
indeed
Rocks! and on November 11, we'll make the Marriott rock ...something like
THIS.
Thanks for reading,
p.s.
The week after the RSVP deadline of the 2nd, Auction catalogs will be sent home to those of you who have made reservations, and you'll be able to start marking on the catalog pages all the great items that will be up for bid. They'll be both silent bidding and live bidding - some items you can "win" for $50-$100, and some items that you need to add one or two more zeros to the right of those figures if you hope to walk home with them. In future Parent Bulletins, we'll give you sneak peeks at some of these items. In fact, check out the Auction article below for one of the Auction items that I think is a great one worth bidding on.
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Upcoming Calendar of Events
Thursday the 5th
- All-School PHOTO DAY - all students in all grades must come to school in full school uniform (red sweater or fleece); please order your school photos here.
Friday the 6th
- NO SCHOOL - Teacher Retreat Day
Sunday the 9th
- CYO Cross Country Championship at Lake Sammamish State Park, 2PM
Monday the 9th
- NO SCHOOL - optional Parent/Teacher Conference Day; teachers will contact parents with whom they would like to conference; if you would like to set up a conference with the teacher, please contact the teacher now
Thursday the 12th
- 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. Please complete your survey (Mr. Fitz is emailing you the link on 10/5) 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
- Gr. 8 Math Team Competes at Seattle Prep
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Thank You for Your Walk-A-Thon Participation!
Last Friday might have had some rain fall and ominous clouds at times, but that didn't damper the enthusiasm from the kids and the volunteer parents and cheering crowd, as the annual Walk-A-Thon turned out to be a fun time for all!
Although the deadline to collect pledges for winning prizes has passed, you still have one more week 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 by no later than next Friday, October 13!
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Our hard-working Walk-A-Thon chairs (Erika Mervin, Michele Baker, Jolla Sumido, Laura Dark) are tallying all the miles walked and dollars earned, and on Friday, October 27, we'll have a Rewards Assembly where they will announce the top students in all categories.
Thanks to these parents for volunteering on the Walk-A-Thon:
Rigoberto Armenta, Maria Aviles-Baquero, Darci Currie, Robert Currie, Kelly D'Ambrosio, Elisa Engel, Theresa Estrada Loreen Fontanilla, Jeff Fontanilla, Annabelle Gegus, Susie Goett, Meghan Green, Tyler Green, Edith Hall, Maria Juarez, Anna Jung, Yodit Kebreab, Grace Kirchner, Michelle Kujath, Jing Leng, Luis Martinez, Mari McMenamin, Carolyn McHugh, Victor Phan, Sarah Pierce, Johanna Posada, Cesar Santiago, Suzanne Sollars, Veronique Tano, Anu Vincent, Allison Weber, Rachael Rivera-Wong, Nathan Wong, Marian Zappala, Marinell Zevenbergen.
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We have 34 new school families joining our St. Louise School community this fall, and below are a few of the new parents. As you see these newest St. Louisers around school, and see the other new parents whose portraits we've been showing you in past editions of the Bulletin, please reach out to welcome them!
Marsha Rampersad & Satish Zope
(new kindergartener)
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Jim & Farah Wiesen
(new 7th grader)
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Julius & Kristine Bautista
(new kindergartener)
Jose & Carmen Cayon Castillo
(new 4th grader & 8th grader)
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Volunteer Hours Opportunity This Saturday Afternoon
The school's Emergency Preparedness Committee could use the help of parents this Saturday, October 7, 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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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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Financial Peace University
Especially Attractive for Parents Who Drop Off their Gr. 6-8 Child at Friday Night Crowd
Financial Peace University (FPU) classes begin this week. Registration is open to
Sign-up here
. It's first come, first serve on sign-ups; classes are limited to 20 people. You may choose from three different class time offerings - Wednesday evenings, or Friday evenings, or Sunday late afternoons before the 6 PM Mass. For parents of middle school students attending CROWD, why not sign-up for Friday night while you wait to pick up your child?
So you may wonder, 'why is St. Louise offering FPU classes?' The answer is really quite straight forward.
God has a plan for us, even our relationship with money. This 9-week course helps couples better understand that plan and how to build it into your method of handling finances. There are lots of statistics about Americans' level of debt and the trouble people have in making wise decisions about how to save and spend their money. This course teaches biblically sound principles and provides very clear steps on how to reach your goals of financial freedom. Like any material, you have to practice, to understand and apply it. FPU connects to our parish's strategic plan through our application of the 'treasure' part of the stewardship triad (Time, Talent & Treasure).
One of our recent graduates is on track to be debt free by the 2018. That's quite an accomplishment for a 9-week course. It shows that when we work with God's plan, nothing is impossible. Please join us. More information may be found here on the parish website.
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Invitations Are in Today's Red Envelope!
Today's red Family Envelope contains your invitation to THEE EVENT of the year - Our School House Rocks Auction! RSVP online - don't delay! Reservation deadline is November 2, and we expect the spots to fill up fast.
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; we will seat you next to families with similarly aged students, which is a great way to meet or get to know other families!
Mr. Fitz 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. Fitz picked:
Dinner for 8 at Canlis Restaurant
Since 1950, Canlis has lived up to its reputation as the swankiest, dressiest restaurant in Seattle. You can experience this Seattle icon with seven of your dearest friends. Enjoy a four-course menu created by Executive Chef Brady Williams, along with wine from the depths of the James Beard Award-winning Canlis cellar, featuring more than 22,000 bottles! Enjoy the sweeping views of the Cascade Mountains over Lake Union - truly a night to remember. When making your reservation, request your private tour of the kitchen and the newly renovated wine cellar. Value: $2,500.
(Many thanks to the generous donors: The Dark, Kuester, Peters, Tribolet, and Yarnell families; Canlis Restaurant; St. Louise Underwriters.)
Reserve a Room Auction Night at the Seattle Marriott Bellevue
We have a block of rooms available at the hotel for the special rate of $139/night for the evening of November 11. To qualify for this special rate, you must make your reservation on or before October 17. Make it a fun, overnight event by reserving a room online by no later than the 17th.
Sign-Up Parties - Now Available to Purchase Online!
We have so many fun and exciting Sign-Up Parties this year - please see the details in the flyer below, and the hard copy of the flyer coming home in today's red envelope! You can purchase your spots in any of the parties online TODAY. But you'd better move fast - many of these parties sell out in advance of the auction, and you don't want to miss out!
Whether you can attend the auction or not, EVERY family is able to purchase spots at our fun and exciting Sign-Up Parties!
Enter the Premium Wine Contest
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 in today's flyer you'll find in the Family Envelope.
Black & White Photo Requests Due This Tuesday
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
-or- turn in the form being sent home in today's red Family Envelope by this coming Tuesday. There is no obligation to purchase. Professional quality photos will be available to buy at preview week, online, or the night of the auction for $100 each.
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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We Love Our Volunteers
Dan Kirby is leading an effort to upgrade the WIFI in the school and throughout the entire St. Louise parish campus, and the following parents are helping him with the physical effort to install the WIFI equipment this fall: Frank Vanris, Brian Hale, Luis Martinez, Jacob Brennan, Alphonse Giltus, Henry Cyril, Pablo Guzman.
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All-School Mass Next Thursday
The next all-school Mass is Thursday, October 12, and the theme is "Devotion to our Guardian Angels."
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their (guardian angels') watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."
In a special Guardian Angel Mass in October of 2011, Pope Benedict said:
"Dear friends, the Lord is ever close and active in humanity's history and accompanies us with the unique presence of his Angels, whom today the Church venerates as 'Guardian Angels,' that is, ministers of the divine care for every human being. From the beginning until the hour of death, human life is surrounded by their constant protection."
Our kindergarteners learn this prayer each year and recite it often with Mrs. Samson, Mrs. Blank, and Mrs. Alleman:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.
We invite parents to join us for this 9:00AM Mass, and it's best that you meet your children outside their classrooms at 8:45 if you'd like to sit with your child's class.
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Plan(t) Ahead for Volunteer Hours Next Saturday Morning
Next 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 on the 14th. Thanks in advance for your sweat equity!
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Championship Meet this Sunday
Please come join the fun and cheer on the St. Louise runners as they compete in the CYO Cross Country Championship this Sunday, Oct. 8, at Lake Sammamish State Park. The grade levels run at the following times:
- 2:00 - Kindergarten Boys
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8th grade runners Hayden, Joaquin, Colin, Brandon, and Sebastian are excited for their championship meet this Sunday |
- 2:05 - Kindergarten Girls
- 2:10 - 1st Grade Boys
- 2:15 - 1st Grade Girls
- 2:20 - 2nd Grade Boys
- 2:25 - 2nd Grade Girls
- 2:30 - 3rd Grade Boys
- 2:35 - 3rd Grade Girls
- 2:40 - 4th Grade Boys
- 2:46 - 4th Grade Girls
- 2:52 - 5th Grade Boys
- 2:58 - 5th Grade Girls
- 3:04 - 6th Grade Boys
- 3:12 - 6th Grade Girls
- 3:20 - 7th & 8th Grade Boys
- 3:30 - 7th & 8th Grade Girls
We want to thank Amy Wilken for coordinating the Cross Country program and thank these coaches:
Kindergarten & 1st Grade - Shawna Shaules, Marinell Zevenbergen & Diane Sloss
2nd & 3rd Grade - Sarah Darboe, Andrea Matt & Dan Kirchner
4th through 8th Grade - Amy Wilken, Lauren Samson & Sarah Pierce
Go, Chargers!
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Alumni Wine Event Just Two Weeks Away
Last week's Bulletin showed photos of the Alumni Photo Boards, which are in the east end of the school hallway outside the 1st grade classrooms. They show the individual photos of each St. Louise School graduate from the Class of 2017 all the way back to our first graduating class - the Class of 1964. A question was posed last week - If St. Louise School began in September, 1961, why was the first graduating class not until 1964? Shouldn't the first graduating class on our Alumni Photo Board be June, 1962?
The first parent who correctly answered this question was to win a prize. The correct answer was - the school began in September, 1961, with grades 1-6. So it wasn't until June, 1964, that St. Louise had its first 8th grade graduating class - that initial 6th grade class who made its way up to be 8th graders a couple of school years later.
Congratulations to Darlene Kraft, who was the first parent to email Mr. Fitz with the correct answer last week and won the $10 Charger Card. It pays to read the Parent Bulletin!
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School Photo Day Today
Student photos are scheduled for today, Thursday. Throughout the day, every grade PK-8 student will have his/her individual photo taken in a complete school uniform, along with a class photo. Regardless if your child will be purchasing an individual photo, the photos need to be taken for the School Yearbook.
The preferred method to pre-order school photos is to go online now to
www.mylifetouch.com
and use St. Louise School's code: LS117096Q0.
When ordering online, the student's first and last name needs to match the name in our Skyward database. A second option for ordering photos is to complete and return a paper-form which was sent home in a previous Family Envelope. You must submit a check if you don't pay online.
All grade PK-8 students are to COME TO SCHOOL TODAY in their complete uniforms, wearing the traditional red sweaters or red fleece (no hoodies, track jackets, or polo shirts not covered by the red sweaters/fleece). If you have any questions concerning school photos, please contact
Cindy Wagner
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We Have a Dozen Expectations for Your Kids
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. These
12
SLEs comprise four categories important to the development of a well-rounded student: an active Christian; a life-long learner; a well-balanced individual; and a community member. Each month, one or two different SLEs are focused on school-wide until the 12 expectations are covered by the end of the school year.
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 the 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 are able to 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. A few of these classrooms' reports to Mr. Fitz are announced over the intercom to the entire school and in the Family Bulletin to parents.
September's Student Learning Expectation focused on throughout the school was,
"A St. Louise student is a well-balanced individual who sets goals and implements steps to achieve them."
Following are highlights from some of the classrooms on how they have been working on achieving this SLE.
Our 5th grade students have been setting goals and defining steps to achieve them, and documenting this on their "SLE Wall." At the beginning of the year, Mrs. Talevich's and Mrs. Cervantes' students set goals and wrote them in the middle of paper stars, and on the points of the stars wrote the steps to achieve the goals, or other related actions that would support the goal. Because Mrs. T's class was also helping to lead the Mass of the Holy Spirit,
the 5A students additionally chose a gift of the Holy Spirit that they thought would best support their goals (see photo). Mrs. Cervantes' class wrote attitude goals which they posted on their door. They discussed how to be their best selves, which is reflected in these attitude goals.
The 6th graders achieved September's SLE in Mrs. Patterson's language arts classes when they were planning their independent reading for the 1st trimester. Since it is a short trimester, they made goals about how often they needed to finish a book and complete a book report in order to finish three reports and read 600 pages by the end of October. Without setting goals and steps, they might not be able to accomplish all this reading.
In 7th grade math classes with Mrs. Bannick, students took a pre-test and with the results, were able to list the concepts they need to practice. These concepts will be noted and referred to throughout the trimester and now become their math skills goals throughout the fall. Mrs. Bannick will guide the students to practice these skills outside of math class to strengthen these concepts.
Finally, setting goals and implementing steps to achieve them is not something only done in academic classes. During the first month of school, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Mr. Evan's physical education classes participated in fitness testing to establish baseline fitness measurement for each individual. At the bottom of each student's fitness "scoresheet," the student self-evaluated where he or she is currently in relation to muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. Then each student set personal fitness goals for each of the three categories. In P.E. class, Mr. Evans will help the middle school students develop strategies and implement the steps that will help them achieve their fitness goals. He will have the students re-test half way through the school year, as well as at the end of the school year, so students can measure their progress and evaluate if their fitness goals have been met.
Now that we're in October, school-wide we'll be focusing on new Student Learning Expectations. Our new SLEs of the Months are:
- A St. Louise student is a life-long learner who exhibits enthusiasm for learning, including the ability to connect learning with life experiences. (#2.3);
- A St. Louise student is a community member who shows awareness of local, national, and international events. (#4.2).
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See what's happening on our St. Louise Facebook page
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