Parent Bulletin
September 10, 2020
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I hope that by meeting your child's teacher on Passport Day, having the tech trainings via webinars and handouts, and helping your child log-in yesterday on Teams for the first time, that your family is as ready as can be for the new school year! The teachers and I realize you and your kids have be given a lot to learn and adjust to, and we deeply appreciate your efforts and partnership!
One of the reasons St. Louise School is such a wonderful place is our teachers and parents communicate well and often. You parents are your children’s primary educators, and the St. Louise teachers “take over” during each school day as your children’s other educators. It’s obvious parents and teachers need to communicate effectively with each other since they both need information from the other party in order to maximize their teaching. For example, the teacher needs to know from you if your child is having problems at home that is affecting learning, and you need to know from the teacher if your child is struggling with learning a concept or correctly completing assignments.
One common communication method between parent and teacher is emailing, with the realization that emails might not be read or responded to by the teacher for 24 hours, so they aren’t to be used for emergencies. A phone call to the school office is your best route for an urgent message to the teacher.
Another drawback with e-mails is they can leave a lot of room for misunderstanding. Without hearing each other's tone of voice, misinterpretations and misunderstandings can take place. For this reason, issues can often be resolved more effectively with a phone call or face-to-face visit (even if the face-to-face is online over Teams).
The grade K-8 teachers have set up virtual office hours during this period of online-learning, and at these office hour times the teachers are privately working at their desks, available to immediately answer emails, phone calls, or Teams messages. To assure the teacher can set aside time just for you, you may set up a phone call or virtual Teams conference for a specific time by asking the teacher the day prior. However you set it up, it’s great when a parent and a teacher personally conference as a means of communication because it’s evidence of the two working together as partners in the education of the child.
Even in the best situations, problems or complaints can arise. And although complaining to a fellow parent about your child's class/teacher/curriculum might make you feel better for a bit, it won't change anything. Change comes about due to direct communication between the two parties. So, thank you for directly talking to your child's teacher should you have a problem or complaint. If after direct communication with the teacher you don't feel that things resolved, please then come to Mr. Fuerte or me to share your concerns. We'll get involved at that point to mediate or help solve the issue.
Finally, please note that on September 25 we expect to send every grade K-8 parent a survey to evaluate how online-learning is working for you and your child after the first 13 days of remote lessons over Teams. We wanted you and your kids to get two full weeks of classes under your belts before we then asked for your input on what seems to be working well with our online-learning plan and what needs adjusting, adding, or deleting. Based on your feedback, we then can tweak how, when, what, and how often the teachers teach online.
Thanks for your cooperation in consistent and positive communication with your children’s teachers this year, as you continue the tradition of marvelous home-school communication for which St. Louise is renowned – even during COVID-times.
Blessings on your day,
MR. FITZ
p.s.
Tonight are Curriculum Night virtual meetings for all parents in grades 1-6. Your child's teacher should have sent you the Teams links for both a 6:00 and 7:30 meeting. You pick the one time that works best for your schedule. The teacher will discuss the same agenda at both times. Most meetings will average 30 minutes, and there will be time for Q&A.
For all parents in K-8, I hope you've seen the special video our specialist teachers made for you that explains their unique curricula in the subjects of art, music, p.e., library, and computers. These specialists won't be holding Teams meetings this week like the homeroom teachers are, so if you haven't viewed this informative video yet, please take a look HERE. Your kids are fortunate to have a fantastic well-rounded education taught by such talented specialist teachers!
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Today
- Grade K-8 online classes being today with the regular, full day schedules:
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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.
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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.
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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; the teachers have sent 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.
Tomorrow
- 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 here.
Saturday, September 19
- Saturday Spruce-Up of the parish and school grounds is today from 8-11AM; please arrive at the north wing of the original school will work gloves, rakes, weed digging tools, and other gardening 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
Friday, September 25
- Expect a Parent Survey this date regarding parents' evaluation of our online-learning plan and daily Teams lessons, after two full weeks of remote instruction
Wednesday, September 30
- Pre-order your School Yearbook by today's deadline to receive 10% off the price; see the article below for more information
Thursday, October 1
- Today is the deadline to opt-out of participating in Charger Cards by paying the reduced opt-out fee of $100; after today, the opt-out fee increases to $150; see the article below for more information
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
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Join Us for a "Streaming" Mass |
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Traditionally, the first Mass of a new school year for a Catholic school is the "Mass of the Holy Spirit," when the Catholic school community prays for God's guidance, wisdom, and grace for the coming months of schooling. Because of the current situation with limited numbers of people allowed in churches and with online-learning, we will not be able to have an a traditional, all-school Mass of the Holy Spirit this year that the classes will attend in-person. However, we still have a special liturgy planned.
On Friday, September 25, at 9:00AM, Father Gary and Father Carlos will concelebrate Mass from the St. Louise Church, and we would encourage all school families to be watching live at home over their screens. The Mass streaming link can be found that morning at https://www.stlouise.org/livestream-mass. There will be special prayer intentions for our school students, parents, and teachers. There will also be some familiar faces involved in the liturgy.
To accommodate the desire for all in the school community to "attend" this streaming Mass, on the 25th grades K-5 will adjust their online-learning schedule of live classes on Teams:
- Grades K-2 will not log in to their homeroom until 2nd period at 10:00AM.
- Grades 3-5 will log in to their homeroom as usual at 8:10 for 1st period. Gr. 3-5 teachers will then cancel 2nd and 3rd periods, so students can stream the Mass starting at 9:00. Students will then resume logging into regular classes starting with 4th period at 10:45.
- Grades 6-8 begin the day as usual at 10:00, logging in to their homeroom immediately after the 9:00 Mass ends.
- PreK will not be viewing this Mass.
Prior to Friday, September 25, it would be helpful for parents to watch this video with their children. This was a special message from Father Carlos (pictured above) on how to get the most out of watching a Mass online. |
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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. (New school families, if you haven't yet done so, please email Cindy Wagner with a family photo and your bio.)
Shown above, the Sackmann Family tells us about themselves:
"Our family lives in Sammamish and joining St. Louise from St. Joseph School in Issaquah. Schafer (our oldest) is in grade 4 at St. Louise, and Marie is in kindergarten. We, Shane and Kristin, are parishioners of Mary, Queen of Peace."
Shown below, the Dollie/Kosnik Family tell their story:
"We, Krystel and Brice, are excited to be a part of St Louise! We're a family of five, living in Bellevue. Our three kids - Amarah, Emma, and Brayden - love spending time outdoors! Brayden is the one joining St. Louise School; he's in kindergarten. Our newest family favorite is biking together - at least until the weather changes! We speak Mandarin and English at home and love trying out foods from different countries. When we're indoors you'll probably find us baking and having fun with science experiments. We're excited to have our son join the kindergarten class and look forward to a great year!"
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Shown below, the Pokorny Family tell their story:
"Hello, St. Louise School community! We are the Pokorny family - mom Meredith and dad Michael - and we've been members of St. Louise for several years. Our children John, Drew and Brooke all received their First Communion at St. Louise. We're originally from Washington, DC (where the picture was taken on a return trip a couple years ago) before moving here almost 8 years ago. This fall, we're excited to also join the St. Louise School community, with Drew in 5th grade and Brooke in 3rd grade. Looking forward to meeting all of you!"
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Shown below, the Kaukl Family introduce themselves:
"We're the Kaukls! Chris, Beth, Ramona, and Jane (in order of age, descending). The old guy photo-bombing the picture is Beth's dad, Papa Bill. Ramona is entering 7th grade and Jane 4th grade. We live in Sammamish and formerly attended St. Joseph's in Issaquah, so we're all excited to see what it's like driving west instead of south to get to school. As a family, we all like reading and crafts--but all different. We also like outdoor activities, but the preferred locations and activities are also all different. Despite that, we get along fairly well for people who live together all day, and look forward to getting along well with all the people we're going to meet when we're eventually allowed to leave the house."
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Shown below, the Osorio Family tell their story:
"We are the Osorio family - Jesus, Rem and daughters. We moved to Bellevue in 2015 from Ewa Beach, Hi. We now live in Bothell with our daughters, Olivia - who is in St. Louise kindergarten - and Emma. We are excited for Olivia to start her education and faith journey with St. Louise."
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Adjustments to Volunteer Hours and Charger Cards Requirements |
As Mr. Fitzpatrick noted in a prior email to parents, some of our requirements/commitments from St. Louise School families will be adjusted, due to the fact we have a stalled-return to in-person and traditional procedures and programs this fall.
The volunteer hours St. Louise parents give to the school are legendary, and it’s been strange to not have parents in the building much in the past weeks. Even when we do return to in-person teaching, we’ll most likely limit our adults in the building to “essential” volunteers. With extra-curricular programs and sports being curtailed, and with parents not able to come in to the classrooms as often (and not at all while we do online-learning), a school family logging in the minimally required 40 hours of volunteering from now through June, 2021, will be extremely difficult. In addition, you are asked to do so much at home this fall with supporting your child’s distance learning, so in a way you’re putting in “volunteer hours” each virtual school day when you assist the teacher in presenting online instruction.
Thus, we have changed our 40-hour volunteer “requirement” to a 40-hour “target,” with a minimum of 20 hours expected per family. Until the time when students return to school and parents follow on their heels with more volunteering, most volunteering for now can only be done remotely, such as attending Parents’ Club and School Commission virtual meetings, or assisting Julianne Read with Auction tasks from home. We’d like school families to target 40 hours as a goal to reach by June, but the only expectation will be for each family to log in 20 volunteer hours during the school year.
We are also adjusting our requirement that parents participate in the Charger Cards fund raiser as explained on the Charger Cards participation form you previously completed. You either marked on that form that your family:
- Will participate by purchasing enough gift cards through June 2021, that will generate a minimum contribution to the school of $125 in Charger Card rebates
- Will not participate but instead will send in a $250 check (or $200 if paid by October 1).
The adjustment we are making for this school year is that families will have their cash amounts reduced in the one choice they make:
- Will participate by purchasing enough gift cards through June 2021, that will generate a minimum contribution to the school of
$125 $100 in Charger Card rebates
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Will not participate but instead will send in a
$250 $150 check (or $200 $100 if paid by October 1).
Our Charger Cards program chairperson, Marsha Rampersad Zope, is still working with parents on making physical gift cards available for you to pick up on a weekly basis from the school, as well as to help you purchase digital gift cards and reload current cards! (Thanks, Marsha!) Again, if you're opting out of Charger Cards, please send in your check for $100 by October 1. (Sorry, Charger Cards does not take credit cards for this opt-out fee.)
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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. Now that we're in September, we ask for all newly enrolled school families at this time to turn in their minimum donations. Your donations can be one of two ways:
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 - from both returning school families and new families - 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
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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 at this time. If you have any questions, please contact Jane.
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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. |
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We appreciate all those who helped sell at the Used Uniform / Charger Gear / Charger Cards Sale in August:
Aila Olayao, Rochelle Lagunero, Kristina Yumul-Abueg, Veronique Tano, Krissy Ledesma, Victor Phan, Angela Fernandez, alumanae Olivia & Emily D’Costa, Kelly & Glenn Kenn, Marsha Rampersad Zope.
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If you are looking for ways to volunteer, please go to our school's SIgnUpGenius page and scroll along the top tabs to find the volunteer job(s) that fits your schedule and interests. If you have questions, please contact the Parents' Club's Volunteer Coordinator, Kelly Miller. |
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Exciting News about CYO Cross Country |
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Even though there will not be an "in-person" Cross Country season, CYO has come up with a “virtual" Cross Country season that sounds really exciting for your grade K-8 child to join! Please read the following letter from the St. Louise CYO Cross Country Coordinator, Amy Wilken...
Dear K-8 Parents,
Our St. Louise team has been CYO Cross Country Champions these past 5 years, and there is no reason why we can’t try to be the "virtual" CYO Cross Country Champions this year!
Because this is virtual, there will be no in-person practices or meets. The participation in the program will rely heavily on members of each household (parents, responsible family members) to support our young athletes to run distances on their own, and send their run times to their coaches. Our cross country coaches will post all the times on Athletic.net each week and coaches from all the other schools will be doing the same. Here is a video from the Director or CYO Sports, Scott Bailey, encouraging families to sign-up for Cross Country.
You may sign-up your grade K-8 child HERE. Registration is free!
If you would like a CYO Cross Country t-shirt, there is a $15 charge. (Note: These t-shirts are different than last year's red St. Louise team t-shirts. These new shirts will be designed by CYO Athletics and will be the same for all CYO Seattle schools.)
The CYO Cross Country season will have four virtual meets:
- Meet 1 – September 15 – September 20
- Meet 2 – September 22 – September 27
- Meet 3 – September 29 – October 4
- Meet 4 – October 6 – October 11
Each Meet will be set-up as its own virtual event in Athletic.net with the following events per grade:
- Kindergarten - 0.25 mile
- Grade 1 - 0.25 mile
- Grade 2 - 0.5 mile
- Grade 3 - 0.5 mile
- Grade 4 – 1 mile
- Grade 5 – 1 mile
- Grade 6 – 1.5 miles
- Grade 7 – 1.5 miles
- Grade 8 – 1.5 miles
- There will be a 2.0 Mile Category open to all grades, with runners choosing to compete in the 2-mile race if they would like that added challenge.
There will be no distinction in Athletic.net using last year's different race locations (Woodland Park, Lake Sammamish State Park, Mt. Tahoma) and different league configurations, since in this virtual format, our varied geographic distances will no longer separate us from competing with all the schools in the greater Puget Sound area.
Course maps we have used at Woodland Park and Lake Sammamish State Park are already available on the CYO website. When you register, I will send your family more information. I also will send warm-up ideas, dynamic stretching, and different course options (Blueberry Farm, Robinswood, Lake Sammamish).
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Amy Wilken
Cross Country Coordinator
St. Louise School
214-793-0242
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Charger Cards Welcomes You to a New Year |
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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.
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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.
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An updated Inventory-on-hand list can be found in the school office, and over 750 brands are available on www.shopwithscrip.com.
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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)
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.
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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!
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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:
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.
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The School Yearbook for 2020-21 Can Use Your Photos |
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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:
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If you don't already have a TreeRing account, click HERE to create one (and see the purchase information below).
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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.
- You must have a Treering account in order to contribute photos.
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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
Pre-Order Your Yearbook by September 30th to Get 10% Off
To purchase & customize your school yearbook:
2) Enter St Louise passcode: 101439484318388
The yearbook will be published and distributed in June, 2021.
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Volunteers Wanted Next Saturday Morning |
We hold occasional "Saturday Spruce-Up" mornings, when parents come to the St. Louise campus from 8-11AM to work on various yardwork needs - from weeding to raking, from pruning to planting. This is a great way to earn volunteer hours while also helping beautify the school and parish grounds.
Our first Saturday Spruce-Up is next Saturday, September 19. We will gather at 8AM in the parking lot outside the north wing of the original school, and we ask that you please bring gardening gloves and yard tools, such as weed-digging tools, rakes, and wheelbarrows.
If you have some teenagers who need to gather their own service hours (or just need to get out of the house), please bring them to help. If you have questions, please email Mr. Fitz.
Looking ahead, please note other Saturday Spruce-Ups will be held this fall on October 10 and 24.
Come to one...come to all!
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Thursday's Theology: Hierarchy of Angels |
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