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ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN
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Dan's Blog
Advent - which begins this Sunday - is the four weeks we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. It is also the start of the Church's liturgical year. The Advent Season is then, of course, followed by the Christmas Season on the Church calendar. As parents with children, you have a more difficult time in early December keeping focused on the meaning of the Advent Season instead of on the Christmas Season, what with Christmas displays having been in the stores since the day after Halloween, and Rudolph and the Grinch shown on TV in the coming weeks more than Shepherds and the Three Wise Men ever appear on the tube.
One way to try to keep the center of attention on Advent, and not so-much Christmas, is to have an Advent wreath and daily light an Advent candle (or two, or three, or four). During the two weeks we're in school in December, homeroom classes will begin each day with an Advent candle lighting and prayer, and an Advent candle lighting is also very simple for you to do daily at home to help your family center in on what these next four Sundays of December should be all about - preparing for Jesus to come into our lives. Here's a great resource for parents in how to have an Advent wreath in your home and make this a daily part of your family's routines starting this Sunday.
Another subtle way we help keep the focus on Advent is by calling this Saturday's annual event our "Saint Nicholas Breakfast" - and not "Santa Breakfast" as it's typically referred to in other locales. This fun event full of delicious food and arts and crafts will take place in the parish hall from 8-11AM. With a little less attention on the jolly, old man wearing the red cap, and a little more focus on the generous, old saint wearing the bishop's miter, we hope to be able to show the children that this time of year is about preparing our hearts to receive Jesus. Tomorrow at school, I'll be reading a story about the original Bishop Nicholas to the students over the intercom, and then I'll ask each student to leave his/her shoe outside the classroom door in hopes that Saint Nicholas will visit and surprise us with a treat - something he's been known to do for many years at our school. We are just a blessed place that jolly ol' Saint Nicholas always likes to surprise Saint Louise students. Ask you child tomorrow when you pick up him/her from carpool if Saint Nicholas visited school or not this year.
Now I need to be realistic and say that I know your own kids' toy shopping, Santa sightings, and Frosty the Snowman songs will also be a part of your December....and mine too. (Well, maybe not the Frosty songs; I prefer this classic song instead.) But if all our families took just a little bit of the commercialized Christmas activities away during the first few weeks of December and replaced them with meaningful Advent activities, we'd be taking a big step in helping our kids - and us adults - to focus on the right reason for the right season.
Please refer to the sheet in today's red Family Envelope which lists the various liturgies and Advent-related events taking place in St. Louise Parish in December. Take special note that the December 15th evening concert by the Maureen Still Band is led by our past award-winning "Distinguished Graduate," Maureen Still. And the next evening, many school families help with the Simbang Gabi celebration, so this could be a new tradition you start with your family of attending this Mass and "yummy" reception.
For more detailed information on the significance of Advent, and for a daily video you can receive that will help you personally to slow down and focus on what matters most during this busy season, go to this fantastic resource at Dynamic Catholic.
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Finally, I am sad to announce that Sue Richards will soon be leaving her role as St. Louise Auction Director. Having led two auctions in the past 12 months - one for Sacred Heart, and our most recent St. Louise "Our School House Rocks!" auction - Sue wants to take some time off to dedicate to her extended family, to other local causes she is passionate about, and to travel. If you've worked with Sue on the auction, you know she's a dynamo, and we're losing a super director. I'm posting a job opening for this Auction Director position, and you'll find it 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 in January, and the position begins in February. Please email me if you have questions about the position.
Thanks for reading,
p.s.
You can't consider yourself a bonafide St. Louiser unless you have attended the Saint Nicholas Breakfast & Bazaar. It's a legendary event, and your kids will love attending. Who knows? You might even find a craft to purchase to help you with your Christmas shopping. This year, the breakfast runs from 8-11, and St. Nick himself appears from about 9-11. It all takes place this Saturday in the parish hall!
I want to thank in advance Jonathan and Janelle Taasan for chairing the St. Nick Breakfast & Bazaar, and Jim Cameron and the Knights of Columbus for staffing the kitchen! The Knights know how to make delicious pancakes, so come hungry!
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Upcoming Calendar of Events
- SAINT NICHOLAS BREAKFAST & BAZAAR 8:00-11:00AM
Sunday, December 3
Monday, December 4
- 6th-8th Graders who served at St. Nick Breakfast rewarded with Free Dress
Tuesday, December 5
- "Tuesday Tours" begin - let your friends, co-workers, neighbors with upcoming 4-14 year-olds know they can set up appointments for Tuesday mornings to observe a class, tour the school, and meet with Mr. Fitz & Mr. Fuerte
- 8th Graders serve a dinner at the Salvation Army
Wednesday, December 6
- Parent Meeting for parents of cast/crew members in the school musical - Honk Jr. - 5PM in the parish hall
Friday, December 8
- All-School Mass at 9AM - the Feast of the Immaculate Conception; parents are invited and may meet their children at their classrooms at 8:45
- Flavorful Friday Treats for sale today - $1 for ice cream treats; proceeds benefit the 5th graders' sponsorship of two orphans at the Nuestros Pequenous Hermanos orphanages.
Saturday, December 9
- Speech Team at Bishop Blanchet Tournament
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Parish Stewardship Letter from the Pastor
Please read Father Gary's letter below, directed toward you school parents who are also St. Louise Parish parishioners. Now is the time to begin a new stewardship commitment. Thank you for completing
THIS required task by no later than December 31. If you are paying our "in-parish/contributing-parishioner tuition rate," then you must renew your stewardship commitment annually.
When you fulfill your annual stewardship pledge by the end of each calendar year, and begin a new stewardship commitment with the start of a new calendar year, you are not only helping St. Louise Parish, but you are helping St. Louise School. And since your contribution to the Parish is tax-deductible, it's a win-win-win situation:
1. You make a tax-deductible, charitable contribution with your stewardship;
2. The Parish increases its revenue, and in turn is able to financially support the School;
3. You receive a lesser (parishioner) tuition rate.
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Dear Parish Family,
I write to you today with a profound sense of gratitude for the many wonderful blessings that you have shared with St. Louise this past year.
I have seen your open-handed stewardship of time (truly hours and hours) and talent (amazing gifts). I've witnessed or been a part of so many beautiful, Spirit-filled liturgical celebrations and communal prayer experiences, so much service to those in need and to the parish community in all of our many ministries, countless meetings, planning and celebrating parish wide events like the recent picnic, the Christ Renews His Parish spiritual renewal process and Financial Peace University, just to name a few - all of which are made possible thanks to your time and talent. I'm also humbled by all the time and talent you put into the prayer and preparations that have led us to begin the exciting journey from Maintenance to Mission for our parish. We've taken the foundational steps of crafting our new parish mission statement - our mission is to "Ignite Faith and Witness God's Love" - and implementing a new parish organizational structure. Not one of these things could happen without you parishioners' generous stewardship of your time and talent. I thank you all.
And as you know, stewardship is not just about time or talent. It also includes our treasure, our financial sharing with the Church and other charities. I am deeply grateful for the financial generosity that our parishioners have shared with St. Louise. Through your financial commitment, we have been able to address the many needs of our parish. This includes maintenance and repair of our aging Church building, original school buildings, Parish Hall and Parish Center office building. We were able to complete the build-out of the remaining four classrooms on the second floor of our School and Faith Formation Center. We have been able to keep up with operating expenses and make some special expenditures, like helping start up the New Bethlehem Day Center and offering Christ Renews His Parish. Great things are happening through God's providence and the faithful contributions of so many parishioners. I thank you all.
Together with these wonderful endeavors, we see the Holy Spirit leading us to expand our work (and our staff) in the areas of family life, youth, young adults, evangelization, and outreach ministries. We look to start building a healthy reserve to be able to fund the next phase of our campus master plan for our facilities. To live our mission, usher in the growth that we seek and properly sustain the good works that we hope to continue, we need to move forward with a concerted effort to increase our Sunday offertory collection.
I would ask that you reflect on your generous financial commitment to the parish and, for those of you who are able, if you could add a few dollars more each week to your contribution. If everyone who can, does, the burden on each household will be small and the benefits to our amazing parish will be great.
I realize that this is not easy for everyone, but it is appropriate to present it to all. This opportunity to give reminds us that God is the source and owner of all things, and that we are not owners but simply the stewards of everything we have. We willingly give of our time, talent and treasure back to God, not as an afterthought but as a first priority. If we have an "attitude of gratitude" to God for all that He has so abundantly given us, then how can we not give back to God a generous portion of our first fruits? "Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be" (Matthew 6:21).
A Stewardship of Treasure Commitment Card can be completed electronically at the parish website. There I ask you to please indicate your financial pledge for 2018. We've included a table showing sample giving levels you may wish to consider. Having a specific pledge amount from everyone is very important - it helps us predict the income side of our parish budget.
The parish/school staff and I are extremely appreciative of everyone's past generosity to the parish. I thank you in advance for your support, understanding, and kindness. We wish you and your family a most blessed and beautiful Advent.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Gary Zender
P.S.
If you haven't done so, we encourage you to set up your regular contributions electronically, using our secure and convenient
online giving system. Please don't hesitate to contact Barbara at 425 214-5471 or JT at 425 214-5473 if you need help setting up your Online Giving account.
You can also download the
Online Giving app by
Our Sunday Visitor, to create and manage your Online Giving account using your mobile device. When registering for the first time, our St. Louise Parish ID# is 1368 or by zip code 98007.
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Auction News
Please Apply for Corporate
Matching
If you work for a company that offers matching funds, please apply for matching funds to go with your auction donations. Please also apply for matching funds for Volunteer Hours for those who volunteered for the auction in any capacity. Kindly email
Sue Richards to let her know you're doing matching funds, so she can track the funds. We love doubling our dollars for St. Louise!
Photos of Your Kids Available
If you'd like to purchase either Black & White or Memento Photos now is your last chance! To order online simply:
1. Go to
https://stlphotos.smugmug.com/Auction-2017 to view all the photos and select which you'd like to purchase.
2. Click
HERE to purchase online.
a. Enter Quantity and type of photo you wish to purchase
b. On the following screen enter image number for black and white photos, enter family last name for memento photos.
Black & White Photos - $100 per printed 11x14"
These photos will be available online for ordering until December 4th only! Please contact the
Black & White Team with any questions.
Memento/Sibling Photos - $25 per jpeg
For $25 the photo that was taken of your student(s) on Passport Day can be yours (includes both black & white and color jpg of the photo). These photos are great for using in Christmas Cards!
If you missed seeing it, here is the rockin' video that kicked off our Auction night! Thanks to Jen & Jon Sharp for producing it! Our School House ROCKS!
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Spread the Word!
You 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/Lola directly to ask to set up a Tuesday-Tour date. On Tuesday mornings in January and February, 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.
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We Love Our Volunteers
Thanks to our helpers on Thanksgiving Basket Collection Drive day:
Amy Wilken and
Veronique Tano; and alumni parents
Allen & Marcel Ballinger, Linda Hardman, Maggie Samson, Antoinette Folino, Karen Marcjan, and Gina Haines.
We appreciate the parents who served at or baked for our November Open House:
Jennifer Magnusen, Taryn Reed, Elisa Engel, Doreen Green, Jennifer Kosiara, Annette Russell and Edna Hewett.
Hospitality co-chairs Shawna Shaules and Liz DeBord helped oversee a group of parents who cooked up and served a delicious supper to the teachers on Parent-Teacher Conference Day...and the teachers were oh, so appreciative! Thanks to:
Renee Craddock, Anna Jung, Carolyn McHugh, Darci Currie, Elisa Engel, Joanne Tang, Kim Geiger, Anne Dominic, Jennifer Kosiara, Gail Cunneely, Diane Smith, Lee Macatangay, Tarun Ratnam, Sharon Victor, Sandra D'Costa, Krissy Ledesma, Rebecca Nightingale and Clara Larco.
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Final Day to Pre-Order School Yearbook at a Discount
Purchase your full-color, hardback St. Louise School Yearbook from TreeRing by today - November 30, and you'll save 5% 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 customizable pages. 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 this June.
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Congratulations to Our Honor Roll Students
The following 7th and 8th grade students earned placement on the St. Louise Honor Roll for the recently completed First Trimester:
Lydia Aiello, Evie Aitken, Katrina Baradi, Jacob Blank, Daniel Bomberger, Rogan Bruce, Pia Canimo, Daniela Castillo, Elizabeth Charles, Liam Curran, Emily D'Costa, Mason Flaat, Joaquin Galindo-Navarro, Christopher Golden, Andrew Gooding, Dyllan Hoffman, Elsa Kammereck, Hayden Kosiara, Sarah Jo Kujath, Raizel Lagunero, Katherine Leach, Lauren Lester, Angelina Maney, Julius Moricz, Ian Orejana, Heide Orleth, Lexi Phan, Ellie Pierce, Ellie Read, Alexander Rotar, Ashley Ruiz-Santiago, T.J. Russell, Jonathan Silva, Mary Ta, Ryan Tang, Ryan Tiotuico, Erin Tylutki, Alice Vimal, Owen Weber, Riley Westby, Jenna Wilken, Sophie Yuen.
The criteria to be listed on the Honor Roll is for a 7th or 8th grader to have earned an end-of-trimester grade of 90% or above in each of the five subjects of religion, language arts, math, science, and social studies. In addition, the student must have earned only "3" or "4" marks in the elective class and in all subcategories of each of the specialist subjects. Furthermore, Honor Roll students must have earned only "3" or "4" marks in every subject's report card subcategory of "Demonstrates responsible behavior, positive participation, and completion of assignments." Honor Roll recipients receive special ribbons with their report cards, have their names posted on the school office bulletin board, and are highlighted on the school's Facebook page.
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Consider Being a School Commission
or Parents' Club Board Member
We are so appreciative of our Parents' Club Board and our School Commission members. The parents who commit to a three-year term to serve on these two parent leadership groups help in two distinct ways.
The Parents' Club Board is responsible for promoting parent involvement in the school along with providing parent education, family fellowship, classroom enrichment opportunities, and teacher appreciation. Currently serving on the Parents' Club are
Jennifer Sharp, Kelly Miller, Rosamund Wu, Pam Munar, Julianne Read, Colleen Nowak, and Marinell Zevenbergen.
The School Commission are advisors to the principal in the areas of school policy, future development, and finances. The Commission members this year are
Nancy Tribolet, Chris Read, Dave Charles, Megan Kirk, Lee Macatangay, Abigail Eala, and Nikki Craig.
The three-year terms of a select few members of both the Parents' Club Board and the School Commission come to an end each spring, so both groups start seeking out prospective new members each year at this time. Now is the time for interested school parents to attend a PC or SC meeting to see what it would be like to serve in this leadership group. You can ask questions of the current group's membership of the time commitment ...it's really not much). You may also find more information
HERE.
If you might have an interest in putting some of your volunteer commitment toward serving on the Parents' Club Board or School Commission, please contact
Dan Fitzpatrick,
Jennifer Sharp, and/or
Nancy Tribolet. You may also simply attend the next meeting of either group. The Parents' Club's next meetings are December 14 and January 11. The School Commission's next meetings are January 4 and March 8. All meetings begin at 6:30PM in the faculty room and are open to all school parents. They typically run about 90 minutes.
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Speech Team Gears Up for Blanchet Tourney
The St. Louise Speech Team participated in its first tournament of the season on Saturday, November 18, here at St. Louise. The tournament served as a "warm up" for the three other tournaments students will compete in this year at Bishop Blanchet, Seattle Prep, and Archbishop Murphy High Schools.
Thirty-three 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students competed in seven different events in front of parent and alumni judges. Many thanks goes to
Anais Fawcett for all her hard work coordinating this tournament.
Stasia Kehoe assisted with hospitality, and
Shannon Wallis wrote the Impromptu topics. Thanks also to the following people who helped judge at the St. Louise Speech Tournament:
Regina Aiello, Molly Akers, Aris Andrade, Frank Buysse, Alessandro Catorcini, Kristy Charles, Gail Cunneely, Andreas Kammereck, Kevin & Stasia Kehoe, Tami Kowal, Esther Stapleton, Kim Stockwell, Joe Wallis. Also serving at judges were some alumni students:
Mary Akers, Ella & Lily Buysse, Olivia D'Costa, Anjah Fawcett, Melody Kerstetter, Keaton Kowal, and Savannah Wallis.
The Speech Team (pictured below) compete in their first tournament against other Catholic elementary schools next Saturday, December 9, at Bishop Blanchet High School.
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Saint Nicholas Arrives Saturday
Come join us for our annual St. Nicholas Breakfast and Bazaar this Saturday, December 2, from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. in the St. Louise Parish Hall.
Start a new family tradition as we welcome the season of Advent! Enjoy a delicious breakfast and take care of some Christmas shopping at our booths that offer unique gifts and treats. Breakfast is $5/kid and $10/adult. From 9-11 a.m., Saint Nicholas himself will be in the Hall to greet the children and will be available for taking pictures with your family!
A select few volunteer positions are still available either tomorrow (Friday) or Saturday. Please see the various ways you can help and
sign-up here.
Earn your volunteer hours in fun & festive atmosphere! Thank you!
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Welcome a New Family
Say hello to the Paul and Nicholle Mineiro family when you see them at school. They have newly enrolled their 4th grade daughter at St. Louise, transferring from the Bellevue Public Schools. Welcome, Mineiros!
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Charger Cards
We have big news - Safeway cards are back! $25 and $100 Safeway cards will be back in stock this week. These cards are even reloadable! Place your order online, drop off your order in the School Office, or stop by the window on Friday morning. If you have any questions about using reloadable cards, just let us know.
More big news - Starbucks cards are available at a bonus rebate rate of 9%! Through December 8 only, Starbucks cards will help you meet your family minimum rebate and support our school even more quickly than their usual 7% rebate. This is a great time to stock up on cards for gifts or for yourself. We have $5, $10, and $25 cards, and other
amounts may be available by special order. This bonus rebate also applies to ScripNow and reload orders on your Starbucks cards purchased through
ShopWithScrip.com. Get your bonus today!
Finally, Christmas is coming! Would you like to support St. Louise School (and make some great progress on your family rebate accumulation) through your usual spending this Christmas season? We offer Charger Cards for hundreds of retailers you are sure to be shopping with. Why not buy your gifts with Charger Cards and provide a gift to St. Louise School with every gift you give?
Snowflake Lane and Bellevue Botanical Garden d'lights has started! Plan a family evening to include dinner downtown and the Holiday Festivities! We have stocked up on some special cards that will help you to dine out for a good cause.
* Maggiano's (11%)
* Red Robin (20%)
* PF Chang (8%)
* Cheesecake Factory (5%)
* California Pizza Kitchen (8%)
* Ruth Chris (10%)
* McCormick & Schmick's (9%)
* Daniel's Broiler (37%)
* Wild Ginger (20%)
* Purple Café (20%)
* Palomino (20%)
* Seastar (20%)
Charger Cards are also great gifts for school faculty and staff. See today's red Family Envelope to find the "Faculty Wish List." Thanks in advance to families who generously gift the faculty and purchase Charger Cards to do so!
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Live Every Day with Passion & Purpose
Do you want to thrive rather than just survive? Do you want more energy? How about a deeper sense of purpose?
Please join your fellow St. Louise parishioners and any other interested friends and neighbors on the greater-Eastside for Living Every Day with Passion & Purpose, presented by internationally acclaimed speaker Matthew Kelly. This exclusive event will be here this spring, April 13, right here in the St. Louise Church. ...But it's not your typical church event.
Matthew Kelly has dedicated his life to helping people and organizations become the-best-version-of-themselves!
Born in Australia, Matthew began speaking and writing in his late teens while he was attending business school. Since that time, four million people have attended
his seminars and presentations in more than fifty countries.
His books have been published in more than twenty-five languages, have appeared
on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-seller lists, and have sold more than 14 million copies. He is also the founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute,
a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization. Since 2010, over 150,000 people in nearly every state
have experienced Matthew Living Every Day with Passion & Purpose event.
Tickets to attend this April 13th event, to be held in our church from 6:30-9:30 p.m, are first come, first served, as it is expected to sell-out. The cost is just $39 each, and can be purchased at
www.DynamicCatholic.com/Bellevue
or by calling 859-980-7900. Please g
o HERE for more information.
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See what's happening on our St. Louise Facebook page
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