Parent Bulletin
August 27, 2020

MR. FITZ'S BLOG
Welcome to our first Parent Bulletin of the new school year! I publish these every Thursday, and you can expect one in your inbox weekly during the school year. (Please note at the bottom of the email/bulletin, you can forward this to your spouse or another family member/friend, and they can subscribe. You may also unsubscribe your email at the bottom of this bulletin.)

If I told you this was the craziest, most hectic summer St. Louise School has had in my 32 years here, I wouldn't be doing the description justice! I want to thank you for hanging in there with us! The teachers, staff, and I are certainly trying to provide the best education and school program possible given the restraints and conditions. We are confident moving into the new school year that St. Louise will continue to follow these 5 "C"s as we move forward in our COVID-times:

  • C-ATHOLICITY - God is always present at St. Louise, divinely guiding our school faculty, students, and school parents.
  • C-OMMUNITY - We are a school family who supports each other.
  • C-ARING - Students are known by and loved by their teachers.
  • C-ALM – St. Louise is a peaceful place that can help children with anxiety or unsettled concerns.
  • C-ONTINUITY – Even when our building is mandated to be closed, the teaching and learning will continue.

St. Louise School has been providing an excellent education with a Catholic foundation since 1961, and even a pandemic can’t stop us from our mission!

The faculty and I know that you parents are also trying your hardest to support us and the students, given your restraints and conditions, too! I'm not sure if this was taking place when my children were elementary-school-age if my wife and I would have been able to "survive" as all of you are! You are to be commended!

Later today, I will email each school family the Class Rosters, confirming in which homerooms your children will be for 2020-21. In that same email later today, I also will remind you to go to our unique SignUpGenius site, where you will be able to choose the best time on September 8 for you and your child to come to school to meet your child's new homeroom teacher and pick-up the necessary books and materials to begin online-learning. (For grade PreK families, on September 8 you will bring in your school supplies.) Please be watching for this important email from school later today, and immediately when you learn whom your child's homeroom teacher is, please sign-up for your September 8th Passport-Day-Appointment-Time(s).

Then tomorrow at 7:00AM, Mr. Fuerte and I will host a virtual parents' meeting on Teams, being available to answer your questions about our upcoming year of online-learning, or looking ahead, to answer any questions you have about in-person teaching, when that will eventually get started. Please refer to your 8-21 email from me on the log-in information for tomorrow morning's meeting.

Next week, the teachers, staff, and I have three straight days of intense meetings for our annual Faculty Inservice week. We'll be going over our usual discussions of policies and procedures, but this year we will spend the majority of time on our new online-learning plan and further training on using Microsoft Teams effectively. We appreciate your family saying a prayer for the St. Louise faculty next week!

Blessings on your day,
MR. FITZ

p.s.
We are holding our opening week "Curriculum Night" meetings for parents over Microsoft Teams this year. Your grade level teacher will inform you next week of the specific sign-in link on Teams, with the following dates and times to virtually meet for curriculum and back-to-school-info meetings:
  • Kindergarten - September 8, 7:00PM
  • Grades 7 & 8 - September 8, 6:30PM
  • Pre-K - September 9, choose from 9:00AM or 7:00PM
  • Grades 1-6 - September 10, 6:00PM AND 7:30PM

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Tomorrow
  • Optional Parents' Meeting with Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte to answer your questions on our upcoming Online-Learning Plan and the future of In-Person Learning; 7:00AM on Microsoft Teams; log-in information was sent in Mr. Fitz's 8-21 parent email

Saturday, August 29
  • Safe Environment/Called to Protect class for newly-enrolled parents, 8:30-10:30AM on Microsoft Teams; contact Mike Fuerte to sign-up

Monday, August 31
  • Optional, live webinar on Microsoft Teams with Mr. Fuerte and Mr. Kirby to instruct the following specific grade level parents on how their children will utilize Teams this fall. If you are new to Microsoft Teams and would like a 30-minute webinar, please join your optional meeting using the link Mr. Fuerte will email you:
  • Gr. K-1 parents: 6:00PM
  • Gr. 2-3 parents: 7:00PM

Tuesday, September 1
  • Optional, live webinar on Microsoft Teams with Mr. Fuerte and Mr. Kirby to instruct the following specific grade level parents on how their children will utilize Teams this fall. If you are new to Microsoft Teams and would like a 30-minute webinar, please join your optional meeting using the link Mr. Fuerte will email you:
  • Gr. 4-6 parents: 6:00PM
  • Gr. 7-8 parents: 7:00PM

Tuesday, September 8
  • School Begins! Passport Day!
  • Families arrive directly to homerooms based on the time you reserved via SignUpGenius
  • Thanks for wearing masks, as required per the state
  • Please bring your empty backpack as well as tote bags or boxes to be able to hold all the books the teachers will be sending home
  • Curriculum Night for Gr. 7 & 8 parents begins at 6:30PM on Microsoft Teams; the teachers will send you log-in information; expect to meet until as late at 8:30.
  • Curriculum Night for Kindergarten parents begins at 7:00PM on Microsoft Teams; your teacher will send you log-in information; the meeting lasts about an hour.

Wednesday, September 9
  • Online classes run today from 8:30-10:00AM only for gr. K-8 students whose last name begins with A-L
  • Online classes run today from 12:00-1:30PM only for gr. K-8 students whose last name begins with M-Z
  • Curriculum Meeting for PreK parents is today; Mrs. Blank will send you information on your choice of two meeting times (choose 9AM in-person or 7PM virtual); meetings are for parents only; no children please.

Thursday, September 10
  • Grade K-8 online classes being today with the regular, full day schedules:
  • Grades K-2 will begin each day at 9:10; Grades K-2 will end the day with a 1:30-2:30 homework hour, with students working independently; Teachers’ virtual office hours will most often be from 2:30-3:30.
  • Grades 3-5 will begin each day at 8:10; Grades 3-5 will end the day with a 1:30-2:30 homework hour, with students working independently; Teachers’ virtual office hours will most often be from 12:30-1:30.
  • Grades 6-8 will begin each day at 10:00; Grades 6-8 will end the day with a 3:30-4:30 homework hour, with students working independently; Teachers’ virtual office hours will most often be from 9:00-10:00.
  • Curriculum Meetings for gr. 1-6 parents will be held virtually on Teams tonight; choose your time to log-in to your child's teacher - 6:00PM or 7:30PM (the sessions are repeated; each session lasts no more than an hour); the teachers will send you log-in information.
  • Pre-Kindergarten students whose last name begins with A-H have class in-person with Mrs. Blank and Mrs. Zambrano from 8:15-11:45.

Friday, September 11
  • Pre-Kindergarten students whose last name begins with I-Z have class in-person with Mrs. Blank and Mrs. Zambrano from 8:15-11:45.

Thursday, September 17
  • School Commission and Parents' Club hold their first meetings of the year; on Teams at 7:00PM; all parents are welcome to join in. Log-in information will be announced prior to the meeting.

Saturday, September 19
  • Saturday Spruce-Up of the parish and school grounds is today from 8AM-12PM; please arrive at the north wing of the original school will work gloves, rakes, weed digging tools, and other equipment you may have.
  • School is open and accessible from 8AM-3PM only for parents whose children's teachers have asked them to drop-off and/or pick-up students' assignments on each child's desk


CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
Passport Day on September 8th Begins Our 59th Year!
School begins for all grade PK-8 students on Tuesday, September 8, with our special Passport Day. This historically has been a morning for every St. Louise student and at least one of his/her parents to meet in the parish hall to pick up a “passport” from Mr. Fitz, and then to tour the school, meeting new teachers, learning where all the classrooms are, and dropping off all the school supplies in the student’s desk. But there are major changes this year!

We ask each school family to go to our SignUpGenius site now and choose a specific appointment time on September 8, when you and your child(ren) will come directly to your child's homeroom teacher.

  • Grade K-8 students won't have any school supplies to drop off at this time, but we do need you to bring your empty backpack along with some tote bags or boxes, so you'll be able to carry all your textbooks the teachers will be sending home
  • Grade 6-8 students will drop off their summer learning reading assignments to Mrs. Patterson or Mr. Gallant. After meeting your child's new homework teacher, you'll be given all the textbooks, workbooks, and materials necessary to bring home to get started with online-learning.
  • In addition, our 7th and 8th graders are to pick-up their laptops, with their parents signing an agreement form. If you have a K-6 student who doesn't have a laptop at home, the school has a limited number of loaner laptops. You are asked to email both Mr. Kirby and Mr. Fuerte prior to the 8th to request your loaner.
  • We ask students to please wear their school uniform on Passport Day. (It's always smart to make a good first impression when you meet your new teacher!) And per the state requirement, thanks for all family members wearing face coverings.
  • Grade PreK families are to bring in their school supplies on the 8th.


Then continuing into the rest of the days that first week of school...


The second day of school, Wednesday, September 9, sees our K-8 students beginning online-lessons, but with an abbreviated schedule. This is a day for the teacher to meet online in small groups with only half of his/her students at a time, to go over the do’s & don’ts and the how’s & why’s of connecting on Teams and holding daily classes online. Therefore, expect your child to be at (online) school for 60-90 minutes that second day, starting at these times based on the first letter of your child’s last name:

  • Students with last names beginning with A-L – you will connect online with your homeroom teacher at 8:30AM.

  • Students with last names beginning with M-Z – you will connect online with your homeroom teacher at 12:00PM.


On Thursday, September 10, school will begin running the regular, full-day schedule for all K-8 students. Regarding the school schedule, there will be a staggered start and stop time for different grade levels, which is necessary in order to make all the teachers’ interconnected class schedules work. Starting on September 10, we will use these school times:

  • Grades K-2 will begin each day at 9:10 and end each day at 1:30 (for classes) and 2:30/3:30 (for independent work time/teachers' office hours).

  • Grades 3-5 will begin each day at 8:10 and end each day at 12:30 (for classes) and 1:30/2:30 (for independent work time/teachers' office hours).

  • Grades 6-8 will begin each day at 10:00 and end each day at 3:30 (for classes) and 4:30 (for independent work time).



PreK students and parents have different times and events taking place from September 9-11. Please refer to the information Mrs. Blank is sending you.
Time to Sign Up for Your Volunteer Jobs for the New Year
We are excited to announce a new way for school families to sign up for the volunteer jobs they would like to commit to for the 2020-21 school year!

Thanks to the Parents’ Club purchasing a school-wide account to the SignUpGenius app, we can now use this familiar SignUpGenius process to list the dozens of school programs and events needing parent volunteers from anytime from this August to next June.

Please go to our new St. Louise SignUpGenius site - http://www.stlouiseschool.org/signup - and scroll through all the opportunities to be involved this school year with your child’s school and to support the teachers, staff, and program chairpersons who would love your assistance.

We realize some programs might not take place this year due to COVID--precautions, and volunteering during the school day for tasks such as playground supervisor or traffic director are on hold until we being in-person instruction. Nevertheless, it would be good to get an idea now for which parents are interested in which volunteer jobs, so please sign up with the understanding that volunteering will be in flux until we can get the kids back in school and the health concerns minimized.

If you have any questions about signing up or about volunteer requirements, you may contact Kelly Miller of the Parents’ Club or Mr. Fuerte or Mr. Fitzpatrick.

We will continue as the new school year proceeds in the fall and winter to also list new volunteer opportunities in the Thursday Bulletin and via individual teachers’ newsletters. So the jobs listed on SignUpGenius will not be your only opportunities to volunteer in 2020-21.

The process for recording your volunteer hours throughout the school year will continue as always. When you are ready to log your hours as you start your volunteer position, you do this at the “submit hours” link at http://web2.stlouiseschool.org/volunteer. Our target is for each family to volunteer at least 40 hours from now through next June, 2021, but due to the limitations put on us by COVID-precautions, 20 hours is the minimum requirement for this school year.

Thanks in advance for the time and energy you give in a myriad of ways to St. Louise Parish and School!
St. Louise School welcomes a number of newly enrolled school families this year! Thank you, veteran school parents, for making the newest parents in our St. Louise community welcome by reaching out to say hello.

Immediately above, we introduce you to the Cotillo Family, who tell us about themselves:
"Hello, St. Louise Community! We are the Cotillo family, and we are so excited to join the community. We are from Lima, Peru and moved to Massachusetts back in 2012 and then moved all the way to the West Coast in 2018. Oriana (2nd grade) and Zoe (Kinder) can’t wait to start school. We hope to get to know all of you! One of our hobbies is cooking, so if anyone is interested in Peruvian cuisine, let me know! We can share our recipes! See you all soon! Stay safe, stay well, and God bless you all!"

Below are introductions of some more of our new school families...

Top photo below: Ellestad Family
"Hello, St. Louise Friends! We are the Ellestad family and are very excited to be a part of this special community. Theodore will be entering Kindergarten at St. Louise in September. We also have baby Charlie who is 10 months old. We both grew up on Mercer Island but didn't meet until after college. Michael went to St. Monica's and Seattle Prep and I went to public school. We can't wait to meet our St. Louise friends!"

Middle photo below: Belford Family
"We are John, Petra, Christoph, Stefani, and Colton. Mom is from Austria, where the pic was taken a couple of years ago, and Dad is a local guy from Mukilteo. Married over 25 years ago, our family resides in Sammamish, where we were members of Mary, Queen of Peace, prior to St. Louise. Colton is entering 5th grade with St. Louise this fall, and we are very excited. Hobbies include international travel, fishing (John), and the outdoors."

Bottom photo below: Kierlin family
"We are originally from Minnesota by way of Los Angeles and Portland. Todd works as a math item writer for standardized tests. (He would like the kids to know the answer is "B.") Lara is a sleep doctor. Max is 5 and entering our kindergarten class. He has loved attending St. Louise Summer camp this August."
Congratulations to our Honor Roll Students
Congratulations to the following students who in June earned placement on the grade 7-8 Honor Roll, due to their consistent high grades in all subject areas for the 3rd trimester:

Charlotte Aitken, Grace Andrade, Bella Barros, Grace Barrows, Angie Baumann, Anna Buysse, Tyler Chu, Simone Cimprich, Melissa D’Costa, Anna DeBord, Carmen Denny, Nate Eala, Briggs Ellis, Eliana Estrada, Amele Fawcett, Angeline Fernandez, Lucy Flaat, Veronica Gallardo, Cristian Garland, Ben Goett, Lucia Grisaffi, Trey Hale, Caitlyn Hoffman, Elise Hueffed, Brayden Jensen, Jack Kehoe, Ridley Kippen, Santiago Lozada, Ryan Mah, Andrea Maney, Andrew Matthews, Ellie McHugh, Sean McMenamin, Kate Perreault, Sophie Pierce, Ray Piercy, Gaea Ponte, Debu Ratnam, Ethan Read, Braden Russell, Daniel Sandino, Jack Sharp, Courtney Stockwell, Ann Sullivan, Lauren Teders, Brandon Thomas, Kimberly Tovar-Moreno, Justine Utz, Ella Utz, Fiona Wallis, Bridget Weber, Annie Wilken, Noah Wong, Joseph Yuen 
Auction News
Although our Auction this school year is being postponed from November to April, we still will need to have all school families secure their MINIMUM auction donations/procurements at this time. In June, all returning school families were asked to commit to their minimum donations for SKYBALL. By September, we ask for all newly enrolled school families to turn in their minimum donations. Your donations can be one of two ways:

1.      Make a Cash Donation by clicking here.
2.      Commit to donating an item, certificate, wish list or gift list by filling out your procurement form here.
 
The minimum donation required is $225, and if you'd like your kiddos to receive the coveted benefit of Free Dress for a date TBD, you'll want to donate $400 in cash or item value.
 
Physical items and gift certificates are due to the auction office by September 18. For more information about our event - which will now be held on April 17, 2021 - please visit our website! You'll find info on gift registries, sponsorships, etc.
 
Please contact me if you have questions about donating to the Auction.Thank you so much for your incredibly generous support!

St. Louise Parent & Auction Director
Remember to Update Your Child's Immunizations

For parents of all incoming 7th graders, a reminder that the state is requiring a booster Tdap. This is a change this year. Last year it was required entering 6th grade, so if your child received it last year when entering 6th grade, you are up-to-date. Please forward Jane the date your child received this booster by no later than the end of August.

The Archdiocese of Seattle updated its immunizations policies recently, and while Washington State allows exemptions for immunizations, the Archdiocese, following the Catholic Church’s support of immunization for the good of all, no longer accepts religious, personal, or philosophical exemptions in our Catholic schools. Medical exemptions are still allowed with a Washington State form on file. The Archdiocese honors all five types of health care providers who can sign a medical exemption form - a qualified MD, ND, DO, ARNP, or PA licensed in Washington State. Students in the Seattle Archdiocese – which includes St. Louise School - must show evidence of vaccination by September. If you have any questions, please contact Jane.
Subscribe to Our Always-Updating Calendar & Check Out our Updated Policies
With COVID-precautions and government mandates causing us to cancel or postpone many school events or programs, it's important that school parents have the virtual version of the school calendar downloaded to your computer/smartphone. In this way, you'll get real-time notice of changes in the school calendar.

Simply click on the “Subscribe” link found on our website’s Events/Calendar page: http://www.stlouiseschool.org/apps/events/.

The school's Policies and Guidelines document for 2020-21 has been updated and is able to be viewed HERE. Please note that any temporary alterations or pauses of certain policies or procedures due to the current COVID-precaution period and online-learning situation in which we find ourselves, supersede those policies and procedures stated in this document for the time being, based on school administration announcements.
Thanks for Setting Up Your Child's Home Computer and Technology Needs
Parents were sent two important emails with attachments from Mr. Fuerte this week on August 25 and 26. He and Mr. Kirby are heading-up the technology component of our online-learning plan, and the emails are to help parents of K-8 students set up their child's technology at home, log-into Microsoft Teams, download vital programs on their child's home computer, and make sure their child will be able to fully participate in online-learning beginning the week of September 8.

Every student has been assigned to a Microsoft Teams account. These accounts in grades K-4 are for the parents to use as they help to collaborate with the teacher for live lessons. Whereas, grades 5-8 students should be able to independently use the Teams account.

Mr. Fuerte and Mr. Kirby have the following schedule for live webinars on Teams to instruct specific grade level parents on how their children will utilize Teams this fall. If you are new to Microsoft Teams and would like a 30-minute webinar, please join your optional meeting using the link Mr. Fuerte will email you:
  • Monday, August 31 for gr. K-1 parents: 6:00PM
  • Monday, August 31 for gr. 2-3 parents: 7:00PM
  • Tuesday, September 1 for gr. 4-6 parents: 6:00PM
  • Tuesday, September 1 for gr. 7-8 parents: 7:00PM

If you have questions about the webinars or what is expected technology-wise in each K-8 home, please email MikeF@stlouiseschool.org and DanK@stlouiseschool.org.
Opt-In Now to Receive Emergency Texts from School
St. Louise School uses a messaging-app as a notification system for emergency messages or important announcements. This system allows the school to send a text message and/or email message to the contact information the parent has on file with the school. You will not find St. Louise’s notifications regarding closures or late-starts on TV or radio stations; parents will only be notified via our group texting service through BrightArrow.com and/or through a group email from school. School parents must opt-in to our emergency texting service by texting the word YES to 87569. Only then, will parents be sure to receive texts from St. Louise during emergencies.
Continuing with introducing our newly enrolled St. Louise School families, please welcome the following new parents and students to St. Louise!

Top photo below: Doran Family
"Hello! We’re the Doran Family: Andrew, Heather, and Scarlett. We are excited to be joining the St. Louise School community, particularly during these unprecedented times! Scarlett (age 6) will be going into 1st grade and is looking forward to making new friends. She enjoys swimming and playing harp. We have lived in the Bellevue/Redmond area for the past 9 years and love living in the Northwest after relocating from Las Vegas almost a decade ago. Andrew works for Keurig Dr. Pepper and Heather works for Microsoft. We look forward to meeting new families and immersing ourselves in this warm and welcoming community!"
 
Middle photo below: Kenn Family
"Grant has lived in the Eastgate neighborhood his entire life and Kelly grew up in Burien and graduated from Kennedy High School. Our son David will be going into 7th grade and likes to play baseball and soccer and hang out with his friends. He is into building huge ships with Legos and wants to design ships for the Navy when he grows up. As a family, we love to travel with our favorite place being Maui and our biggest adventure being a safari in South Africa."
 
Bottom photo below: Ameen Family
"We are the Ameen family, Dennis, Colleen, David and Thomas. We live in Sammamish and have been members at Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church for the past several years. Dennis works in the IT industry and Colleen is a nurse in a local hospital. David will be starting 2nd grade and Thomas will be in Kindergarten. We are excited to be part of the St Louise School community!"
Parents New to St. Louise, Don't Forget Your Required Training
A required task each school parent must complete is the online Background Check process. This process helps confirm the safety of our students when parents are helping at school, coaching a team, supervising an after-school program, or even driving on a fieldtrip. (By the way, all of our employees undergo this same background check process.) Background checks are run through the Seattle Archdiocese’s “Safe Environment” office and their “VIRTUS” program. If you haven’t yet done so, to begin this background check process please click on the “Required Background Check” link on the right-hand side of this web page: http://web2.stlouiseschool.org/volunteer.

Each parent in the family must go online and register separately with VIRTUS. Besides answering questions, both mom and dad will also be asked to read Archdiocesan policies on safety, and then to each register for an initial 2-hour training session – called “Protecting God’s Children for Adults.” Please sign up for this training class at a King County parish that works with your schedule - but that takes place no later than September. Due to COVID, these required training sessions all new school parents are being held online this year. Please sign up for your class now: https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/. Please contact vice-principal Mike Fuerte if you have questions about the class, and please contact Tracy and Mindy in the school office if you have questions about the background check process.
CYO Soccer and Cross Country Postponed for 2020
The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) athletic program typically offers various sports opportunities – with two sports programs in the fall, one in the winter, and three in the spring. Unfortunately, the Seattle Archdiocese this week made the decision that here will be no CYO fall sports for 2020 due to COVID-precautions. Sadly, our soccer and cross country teams will have to wait until 2021 to compete. A decision about our winter sport - grades 4-8 basketball - won't be made until later.

Our St. Louise CYO program is looking for someone to fill the vacant "uniform coordinator" position. This is a volunteer job which can be done on your own time and the hours put in are typically concentrated to just a few unique periods during the school year. For more information on this volunteer job, please contact J.C. Fawcett.
Summer Learning for Your Children Is Either Recommended or Required
As you know, the teachers expected that their students did this “homework” over the summer, to keep out of a "summer slump" in math, reading, and keyboarding.

Moreover, students entering grades 6-8 were required to do summer reading of specific novels and complete specific written assignments. These assignments are due to Mrs. Patterson or Mr. Gallant on Tuesday, September 8 - Passport Day. Please bring your completed reading assignments to 6B or 7A on the 8th.
A reminder to parents that since students are going to be seen in-person on Teams for online-learning, there are some hairstyles which are not allowed during the school year. Above is an example of a "fade" cut that is not allowed. There are also restrictions on hair colors, so now is the time to make sure your child's coloring returns to the color God gave him/her and that the hairstyle not be a distraction, as explained in our Uniform Policy.

You may read the entire policy here.

Please have your child come to Passport Day in his/her complete school uniform. When online-classes begin on September 9, K-8 students are to be wearing at least their uniform tops (polo shirt; sweater is optional) when working online with their teachers. Thanks for your support, parents!
Questions about Tuition, Volunteering, or Fundraising?
School families may pay tuition either by making one total payment for the entire year’s cost by September 1st (in which case no July and August late fees will be assessed) or by having automatic, direct payments made via your bank account. Most school parents use the latter method and have already authorized direct payments when they registered for the new school year and completed the Parent Contract. Monthly payments are automatically withdrawn from a family's bank account on the 20th day of each month through next June. Please contact our bookkeeper, Angie Ogilvy, if you have questions about your direct payments - AngieO@stlouiseschool.org.

In addition, please remember if you are paying the “contributing parishioner” tuition rate that you continue your regular church contributions on at least a monthly basis, using the parish's offering-envelopes or online-giving system. Only those families who remain active in their parish by attending Mass and fulfilling their Stewardship pledge through consistent tithing will be allowed to pay at the "contributing parishioner" tuition rate. Please refer to the copy of your Parent Contract for specific information on tuition rates, payment options, and volunteer and fundraiser requirements.

And note that - due to COVID-disruptions - these volunteer and fundraiser requirements will be reduced to a minimum expectation of 20 volunteer hours (but please aim for the typical 40 if able) and to a minimum expectation of generating $100 in Charger Card rebates (from the typical $125). If you will be opting out of participating in Charger Cards this school year, the opt-out payment is reduced from $250 to $150 (but only $100 if you send in your check by October 1).
Student Supply List Updated
The Student Supply List which was first sent to parents in early June has since been updated. Please go HERE to see what items your child should purchase.

Even though in-person schooling will not resume the first part of September, many of these supplies will be needed at home as your children participate in online-learning. Furthermore, when we get word school can resume in-person, we may only have a few days of preparation before we welcome your kids back, and there may not be time then for you to go shopping. Thus, we think it’s a good idea to go ahead and purchase as many of these supplies in the coming days as you’re able. The updates from the list that was sent out in June include the following:

  • Supplies are to be kept at home until in-person school resumes. Grade K-8 students will NOT be bringing these to school on Passport Day, Sept. 8. (PreK students should bring supplies on Sept. 8.)
  • Parents of students are to bring to the homeroom teacher on Passport Day (Sept. 8) a letter of reassurance to their child with a family photo. The letter and photo are to be sealed in a business size envelope with the child’s name and room listed on the outside. These are stored in our earthquake preparedness container, only opened in an emergency if students must spend the night at school.
  • Please TRY to find disinfecting surface wipe containers, as noted for your grade level, but we understand these may be impossible to purchase at this time, due to a shortage. Every once in a while a store will stock a new supply, so maybe you’ll get lucky if you keep looking in the coming weeks.
  • Please label your child’s name on each item (as possible); however, Kleenex & wipes do not need names on them.
  • No need to bring P.E. shoes on Passport Day; please have them ready to bring to school when in-person school resumes.
Charger Cards Welcomes You to a New Year
With school being taught online to begin the new school year, Charger Cards will not be opening up our regular Friday morning sales window for now. However, the Charger Cards office - in the central wing hallway of the original school - will be accessible two days during each school week for in-person sales or pickups. Parents who wish to drop by for purchasing cards are asked to email Marsha at Chargercards@stlouiseschool.org, and she will confirm the time on a Monday or Thursday when you can stop by the Charger Cards office for your transaction.

Volunteers who wish to earn volunteer hours by processing Charger Cards orders on Thursdays every week, or every-other week, may email Marsha. The number of volunteers in the office would be limited to two, and masks would be required.



CHARGER CARDS HAS A NEW ORDER PROCESS
Orders for cards may continue to be placed through ShopWithScrip.com, or by using the Drop-Off forms or Scrip-to-Go forms.
  • Drop-off forms and Scrip-to-Go forms are found in the school office.
  • Drop off forms are also found on https://www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards.
  • All drop off forms and payment (check or cash) should be left in the school office.
  • An updated Inventory-on-hand list can be found in the school office, and over 750 brands are available on www.shopwithscrip.com.
  • Families may also email chargercards@stlouiseschool.org with their order.

We order a new inventory of cards on Mondays, so to ensure we have your cards in stock, your orders must be placed online or dropped at the school office by 9AM Monday mornings; filled orders will be delivered to the school office for families to pick up that Thursday afternoon or all-day Friday.



STANDING ORDERS CAN SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
Families who wish to place standing orders for the school year can fill out a Standing Order form and drop off both forms and checks at the school office. Forms are available in the school office or can be found on https://www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards.



GET STARTED BY COMPLETING THIS CHECKLIST
1)
Create an online family account. See Online Registration Instructions on https://www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards. You will need an enrollment code, so if you email our Charger Cards chairperson, Marsha, at chargercards@stlouiseschool.org, she will send you this private, unique code.

2)
Register for Presto Pay or pay by credit card. PrestoPay is our online vendor’s version of PayPal. Registering for PrestoPay allows you to pay online so you can get “instant” printable/phone usable e-gift cards. See these Online Registration Instructions for Presto Pay.

3)
Add the Raise Right app. This is an optional way to manage your gift cards. This enables you to purchase from your phone while shopping and pay from your phone. The mobile site also tracks/stores your scrip so you know what you have available to use!

4)
Set up online payments by linking your bank account. You may set up your account in a matter of minutes and create a unique PIN to keep your account safe. There is a $0.15 fee on each transaction
To get set up:
  • Log in and select Dashboard > Payment Types on ShopWithScrip.com
  • Or Log in and select Menu > Payment Types on RaiseRight.com and follow the instructions.

5)
You may also choose to pay with your credit card - Discover, Mastercard, or Visa. You can choose to save the card to your account for future purchases. There is a 2.6% fee on each transaction.


 
 
EARN UNLIMITED FREE $5 OR $10 GIFT CARDS
In the comings days, when you buy ScripNow and RELOAD Charger Cards online, you will get a free $5 Starbucks card for every $50 in rebates you earn, and a $10 Krispy Kreme gift card for every $100 in rebates!

 

For more information on Charger Cards, please contact Marsha Rampersad-Zope, our Charger Card chairperson, and visit the www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards webpage.
The School Yearbook for 2020-21 Can Use Your Photos
St. Louise's School Yearbook looks different this year! Like every other part of school, this year we've thrown out the rule book for the yearbook. We're going to work in monthly themes and ask you to upload your photos. 

First up, the 1st week of school. We've got this, parents! Please upload photos of your children in their at-home workstation, whatever that means at your house. For example, show us that your children are in their uniform polo shirts (and perhaps wearing shorts and slippers out of the computer video's view). Always feel free to get creative and go beyond our suggestions. Please upload by Friday, September 25. Here is how to upload:
  1. If you don't already have a TreeRing account, click HERE to create one (and see the purchase information below).
  2. Load them into the Shared Photos section of Treering. Select Shared Photo Folders. All folders are there for the year. We encourage everyone to load throughout the year.
  3. You must have a Treering account in order to contribute photos.
  4. TreeRing has made it even easier for users to submit photos through their mobile phone! Check out the capabilities here: Capabilities on Mobile Devices (Android, iOS/Apple, Mobile Browsers)

As a heads-up, here is the list of themes of photos we'd love to receive from you (subject to change). Don't let this structure prevent you from uploading any pictures about anything at any time. These themes are a guide of what we plan to include in the 2020-21 St. Louise School Yearbook.
  • September - Starting School Safely (1st week of school) - due Sept. 25
  • October – Happy Haunted Halloween
  • November – Terrific Thanksgiving Traditions
  • December – Colorful Christmas Children
  • January – Winter or Wet Wonderland?
  • February - Very Very Valentine
  • March - Practically Prefect (Saint) Patrick
  • April – Spinning Skyball in the Spring
  • May - Fantastic Flipping Flowers
  • All year – Other Remote Learning


Purchase Your Yearbook by September 30th to Get 10% Off

To purchase & customize your school yearbook:

Returning users who do not remember the email/password used last year for their TreeRing account can request a password reset here: https://tr5.treering.com/forgot-password

2) Enter St Louise passcode: 101439484318388

Regular price if purchased after September 30 is $25.00 (not including sales tax)

The yearbook will be published and distributed in June, 2021.

If you have questions, please contact our School Yearbook Co-Editors, Janey Rabon and Penny Williams.
The Book of [1st Graders'] Proverbs

The following is what you get when you give a 1st grader the first half of a famous proverb and then ask the child to come up with the second half. This is a real response from a 1st grader:

“BETTER BE SAFE THAN..." "...PUNCH A 5th GRADER.”

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