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ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN
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It's hard to believe, but we are celebrating this month the 13th anniversary of our Charger Cards fund raiser. The success of Charger Cards since 2006 has been due to many things:
- The leadership and vision of founding co-chairpersons Mimi Wehner and Sue Richards, who originated this program;
- The hard-working chairpersons who followed Mimi and Sue - Ed and Beth Pereira, Jessica Loutsis, Susie Goett, Kathy Hueffed, Darlene Kraft, Megan Kirk - and now, Marsha Rampersad Zope;
- The consistent assistance of the "Charger Gals"- i.e. the team of parents who help by selling cards at the office window on Fridays and outside church on Sundays;
- The commitment of hundreds of you school parents who have "altered" your shopping habits so to make buying Charger Cards a natural, habitual part of your weekly or monthly tasks.
The beauty of Charger Cards has always been that we're not asking you to buy things you may not need (like chocolate bars, cookies, or popcorn), and we're not asking you for a one-time large donation. Instead, we're simply asking you to take one extra step before you do your regular shopping. Every family has to buy groceries and gas. There's no getting around it. So, before you pull into the Shell/Arco/Chevron station or before you grab a shopping cart at Safeway/Albertsons/Whole Foods/Walmart/QFC/Fred Meyer, we ask that you first pick up a gift card for those stores through our Charger Cards program.
→ Does this cost you anything? ...No.
→ Are we raising funds by making you buy something you really don't need? ...No.
→ Do you have to learn a new habit and take an extra step in getting a card before going shopping? ...Yes
With all these different ways to order cards - at the window; with a paper order form; online; via a standing order; after Sunday Mass - it's fairly difficult to have a reason to not have your minimum commitment done by now. After all, with the price of gas these days, you just have to fill up your car regularly using a gas Charger Card and you will hit the minimum requirement of generating $125 in rebates/profits to the St. Louise Parents' Club.|
It really comes down to merely taking that extra, preliminary step of buying a Charger Card before paying at the gas station, doing your grocery shopping, or getting cards to give as birthday, Christmas, and appreciation gifts.
(Speaking of appreciation gifts, you might want to look
here.)
In the past, you have noted on your Parent Contract each year how you will be participating in Charger Cards for the upcoming school year as well as how you wanted any additional contributions you earn beyond the $125 minimum. As you know, any additional profits you earn beyond the $125 that goes to Charger Cards/Parents' Club, can be set up to be:
- returned to you in cash;
- applied to the upcoming school year's tuition balance;
- given back to Parents' Club;
- designated as a gift to the Father Phil Wallace Tuition Assistance Endowment Fund.
This past winter, you may have noticed that you were not asked to note how you will be participating in Charger Cards. That's because
we are transitioning to have school families only note one time in their "school career at St. Louise" how they will be participating in Charger Cards and how they want any additional contributions to be applied. This one-time notification is in the form of completing a one-time "
Charger Cards Fundraiser Participation Form
." You can click on the link to find this form, or better yet - open up today's red family envelope to find the hard copy we're sending home to you.
We hope this one-time form during your career at St. Louise School will be easier for you. It certainly will be easier for our Charger Card team and bookkeeper.
Thank you for not putting this form aside to get to later, and then perhaps forgetting to return it to us. Instead, please complete it TONIGHT (it will take you 2 minutes) and then return it TOMORROW in your red envelope.
Please note that if you are a returning 2019-20 family but you forget to return this participation form this spring, we'll wait until we receive it before we mail out your report card in June. Sorry...but that's our best bet at getting a 100% return-rate!
If you have any questions about Charger Cards, you may read the information on the website, or you may email Marsha, our chairperson, at chargercards@stlouiseschool.org. Marsha will soon be sending out one final report to each family to remind you if you still have to reach your $125 minimum contribution level. We need this particular fund raising commitment completed by the last day of school, so please stop by the Charger Cards sales window on these final Friday mornings to purchase cards (8:15-9:00AM on May 17, 24, 31, June 7). You can buy gas cards for the summer road trips you'll be taking, grocery cards for all the summer barbecuing you'll be doing, and/or gift cards for end-of-year gifts to your child's teachers.
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Please note that one week from today - on Thursday the 23rd - we'll be holding our Science Showcase. Parents are invited to come down to the parish hall between 9AM-12PM or 1-3PM to view students' exhibits of science projects they've been working on this year in science class. You'll see everything in the parish hall from the 7th graders' bottle rockets they've built (and will soon thereafter shoot off on our soccer field) to the 5th graders' display boards showing "traditional" science-fair-type projects which use the scientific method to prove or disprove a hypothesis (such as the example above).
Pax et bonum,
"Mental Health First Aid" is an 8-hour training course designed to give adults skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Just as CPR training helps a layperson without medical training assist an individual experiencing a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid training helps a layperson assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis. There is a Mental Health First Aid course aimed toward those who work with children and teens, and our school teachers and staff will be taking this one-day course in August. Taught by St. Louise Parish counselor Cathy Callans, the course will be addressing mental health challenges common among youth, including: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, ADHD, disruptive behavioral disorders, and substance use disorders. This site explains more about the course.
If you are a CYO coach, a substitute teacher or substitute instructional assistant, a parish youth group volunteer, or in some other way are around kids a lot or around a child with has a mental health challenge, and would like to learn more about mental health support for youth, please contact me. We have room for about a dozen of you to take this course with our faculty, for free. The class will be from 8AM-5PM on August 28, here at St. Louise. You can email me if you would like to get on a registration waitlist for this course that I'll be compiling. I will contact you soon, when I've confirmed there is space for you in the August 28th class.
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Upcoming Calendar of Events
Today
- Sixth Graders return this afternoon from their week away at environmental education camp; sixth grade does not have school tomorrow-Friday
- Bake Sale at lunchtime to benefit junior high activities and 8th grade graduation events; most items sell for 50 cents to $1.
Friday, May 17 and Friday, May 24
- Fee-Free Fridays! No credit card fee is you use your credit card to buy Charger Cards - 8:15-9:00AM at the Charger Cards sales window
Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19
- Bake Sales to support junior high activities and 8th grade graduation events - before and after every weekend Mass outside the front entrance of the church
- Auction-purchased Mother/Daughter Tea on the second-floor deck at 1:00
Monday, May 20
- Tryouts for 2020 school musical in St. Louise Room at 2:00; call-backs on Wednesday; contact Terry LaRussa Banton for more information
Wednesday, May 22
- All-School May Crowning Liturgy, 2:15; parents encouraged to attend; please meet your children outside the main entrance to school at 2:00
Thursday, May 23
- Second grader David Munson is the "Principal for the Day" (as purchased at the Auction); expect some special treats that the "boss" of the school has the power to give out to students today; Principal Munson has already made one administrative decision - he has declared today, May 23, a free dress day for all!
- Science Showcase in the parish hall from 9-12 and 1-3; parents encouraged to attend and view the science projects from the various grade levels
Monday, May 27 -
NO SCHOOL DAY
- God Bless our brave Americans on this Memorial Day; find a family event to attend so to help teach your children about this important day - try Issaquah's Lower Hillside Cemetery, Bellevue's Sunset Hills Cemetery, or Renton's Veterans Memorial Park, which all annually hold Memorial Day ceremonies
Thursday, May 30
- 8th Graders vs. Faculty Volleyball Game in gym at 1:45
- Auction's Science/Ice Cream Party in parish hall at 3:00
Saturday, June 1
- Final Saturday Spruce-Up of the year - 8AM-12PM
- CYO Track Championship Meet
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Thanks for Your Walk-A-Thon Donations
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We want to wholeheartedly thank you - each and every one of you - for your support of the St. Louise School 2019 Walk-A-Thon! This event was a tremendous success, and more importantly, a celebration of our amazing St. Louise community!!
From the Spirit Week festivities to the post Walk-A-Thon tailgate party, from the teacher's "Titans" dance at the assembly to DJ Sean spinning tunes while our kids walked soooo many laps, it's events like this that contribute to a true sense of school spirit, but also contribute to enrichment activities for our kids throughout the school year! As your Walk-A-Thon chairpersons, it has been an honor to serve the school community, and we're so very thankful to all of you who have contributed to the success of the Walk-A-Thon!
Special thanks to
Elaina & Paul
Herber
of Ascend Bellevue & Famous Dave's BBQ for donating the yummy BBQ at the tailgate! Also, Sublime Kettle Corn and Snow Cones donated a portion of their sales to St. Louise.
Thank you to all of our volunteers who contributed to helping organize and set up the W-A-T, as well as helping on the day of the event and the after party! We appreciated the help of: Arlene Isaksen, Anne Gooding, Berry Wilhelm, Kristin Bautista, Kristin Jamer, Monica Mora, Anna Jung, John Jung, Jon Sharp, Peter Zevenbergen, Maria Juarez, Aila Olayao, JonJon Olayao, Nate Wong, Rachel Wong, Diane Sloss, Teresita O'Beirne, Claudia Scrimshaw, David VanNoy, Ryan Reed, John Perrault, Marsha Zope, Tiziana Bergamaschi, Diana Smith, Cheryl Sutton, Bob Currie, Darcie Currie, Rebecca Chu, Annabelle Gegus, Krissy Ledesma, Suzanne Sollars, Rocio Garcia, Alexandra Banderas, Valentine Banderas, Sarah Pierce, Kathy Sulaiman, Maggie Samson, Carmen Castillo, Jessica Lambert.
We'd like to announce our top prize winners:
- Most Laps Completed: Andrew Gooding - 142 Laps; Andrew wins a $100 gift card and free dress day coupon;
- Most Contributions Collected: Nick Sharp - $1,135.00; Nick wins a $100 gift card and free dress day coupon;
- Class with the Most Laps: 5A with 1,516 Laps; Mrs. Jaster's class wins their own pizza party;
- Class with the Most Money Collected: 6A with $4,294.33; Mr. Glaser's class wins their own pizza party/
There will be yet another pizza party and free dress day for all the kids who earned the Golden Charger level - raising $250 or more. These students will be notified via email by this weekend,
confirming their placement and their privilege of wearing free dress and getting a pizza lunch one day next week.
There were 10 students who walked/ran the most laps in their respective PK-8 grade levels. And there were 10 grade PK-8 students who collected the most donations in their respective grade levels. These 20 students will be contacted via email this weekend, and they too receive a free dress day coupon (valid on Friday, May 31). Plus, they will be choosing a prize from the prize pack.
The 2019 Walk-A-Thon was an AMAZING success! We've raised over $63,000 so far. We expect to have additional contributions going in through corporate matching, so please check to see if your company would match your family's contribution. Again - thank you all so much for supporting this super successful event!
If your family hasn't yet reached the minimum expected contribution of $85 ($170 for 2-children family; $235 for 3-children family), you'll be contacted by Jen Sharp as to when we can expect payment.
From your Walk-A-Thon Chairs,
Marinell Zevenbergen, Jen Sharp & Julianne Read
Charger Pride with Every Stride!
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Thank You, Parents and Students of the Class of 2019
The parents of the Class of 2019 purchased a gift for the school in their children's names - the installation of a powerful statement running under the bridge in the main lobby. This statement will now be the first thing people see when they enter our school's front doors:
"Be it known to all who enter here that Christ is the reason for this school."
(See a
video of the unveiling of this message in the lobby.)
The gospel of Jesus Christ and His very person are to inspire and guide a Catholic school in every dimension of its life and activity - its philosophy of education, its curriculum, its community life, its selection of teachers, and even its physical environment. Christ is indeed THE Teacher in St. Louise Parish School. Christ is not just "fitted in" to our school; rather, He is our school's vital principle. He is with our students, staff, and parents in our journey through life as the one genuine "Master Teacher."
Thanks to the Class of 2019 for this wonderful gift that will remind us about this fundamental message every time we enter the school, be it in 2019 or in 2029.
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Be a SuperMentor
With this school year almost finished, you surely can remember back when you were newly enrolling in our school and needed to learn about and transition to this wonderful community. With it came many questions - from "How do I buy uniforms?" to "How do I maneuver morning drop-off?"
We'd love for you current parents to become a SuperMentor, to mentor and support new families with reassurance and basic information. You can be that familiar face and easy-to-turn-to online-support to assist as needed during their integration from this spring through next fall.
Mentor hours count towards your volunteer commitment (for this school year or next), and being a mentor is a great way to make new friends.
Here are the incoming new families who need mentoring:
- 2 entering PreK girl families
- 3 entering PreK boy families
- 5 entering Kindergarten girl families
- 1 entering Kindergarten boy family
- 1 entering Gr. 2 boy family
- 2 entering Gr. 3 boy families
- 1 entering Gr. 4 girl family
- 1 entering Gr. 4 boy family
- 2 entering Gr. 6 girl families
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1 entering Gr. 8 boy family
- 1 entering family who will have a Gr. 3 girl & Gr. 4 girl & Gr. 7 boy
- 1 entering family who will have a Gr. 7 girl & Gr. 8 boy
For more information on how you can mentor a family - preferably one who has a child in the same grade level as your own - please reach out to one of our Mentor Coordinators right away: Daisy Mendes or Laura Bonner.
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Volunteers Needed to Help with Field Day
Our annual Field Day is coming up on Friday, June 7. On this day, grade K-5 students participate in competitive, fun outdoor games. (Note that grade PreK and grade 6 classes run their own unique programs this day, and don't participate in Field Day.) Our 7th grade students will be helping Mr. Evans run the Field Day games, but they need parent volunteers, too!
Parents help with directing kids to their next rotation of games and supervising to make sure all are safe and having fun. (Seventh grade students do much of the work!)
If you can help for either a morning session ( 9:30-11:45), the afternoon session (12:15-2:30), or preferably the entire day (9:30-2:30 with a lunch break), please contact Mr. Evans or 425-214-5409.
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Fee-Free Fridays Are Here
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Both tomorrow and next Friday, May 24, Charger Cards is offering window sales with no credit card convenience fee - on orders of $100 or more. This is a great time to buy Charger Cards and:
- Complete your auction procurement;
- Stock up for summer travel plans;
- Complete your Charger Card requirement (minimum of $125 earned rebate).
Stock up for Memorial Day Weekend and/or begin planning your summer trips! Order the cards you will need for your travels:
- Hotels - Clarion Hotels, Comfort Inn, Econo Lodge, Quality Inn, Fairmont, Sleep Innl
- Rental Cars - Avis, Budget;
- Air - Delta, Southwest;
- Travel - Disney, Princess Cruise;
- Gas & Auto - Chevron, Shell, 76, Arco, Safeway, Jiffy Lube.
Plan ahead and buy cards for summer plans.
Take advantage of the convenience fee waived if you use your credit card.
Charger Cards Can
Ful
fill Your
Auction Procurement Requirement
Buy Charger Cards before you make your purchases on the Auction Wish Lists, and thus, increase your support for St. Louise! You may also purchase and then
donate Charger Cards directly to Auction! Auction requests the following gift cards in a limited supply (with the
rebate amounts listed):
- Amazon (3%)
- Disney (3%)
- Pottery Barn (8%)
- Nordstrom (4%)
- Bai Tong (20%)
- Daniel Broiler (20%)
- Purple (20%)
- Tom Douglas (20%)
Make Plans Now to Complete your Charger Card
Requirement!
There are less than four weeks remaining in the school year, and your last day to purchase cards in-person is the morning of June 10th! Don't delay!
Please contact us if you would like help with ordering or understanding the program and how to make a plan that will fit your family's budget and habits.
Thank You, Volunteers!
Marsha wants to thank her hardworking, dedicated volunteers! Thank you,
Michelle Ameen, Chika Anyichie, Ahn Blaha, Kat Caso, Gaby Gonzalez, Sharon Kussy, Gabby Schmidt and
Berry Wilhelm! Thank you also to Dan Kirby for his support with website information!
The Charger Cards sale office in the central wing of the original school is open on school-Fridays from 8:15-9:00AM.
Charger Cards...It's simple, it's thoughtful and it's truly the gift that
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Earn Some Hours; Beautify the Campus
Our final Spruce-Up of the spring will be on Saturday, June 1, from 8AM-12PM. Come earn four hours by pruning and planting, and be treated to lunch at noon when we're all done. If you plan to volunteer, please email
Jeffrey Hummer, so he has an idea of the size of his work crew.
We want to thank the following volunteers for their work last Saturday at our first Spruce-Up of the spring:
Justin Craddock and Maddie Hummer (alumni);
Brian Nartates; Natalie Remedios; Hector & Cristina Sandino; John Yuen; Arturo & Imelda Diaz; Barb Keefe; Milton & Sabitha Milton Seema Lukose & Shyam Prakash.
We also greatly appreciate
Jeffrey Hummer
for volunteering as the school's and parish's landscape foreman.
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Sign Up Your Kids to Go to Summer Camp at St. Louise
We are excited about our St. Louise Summer camps! And your children will too, if they watch this.
You can find information on our four weeks of summer camps here, and you can also email our camp director, Maria Zambrano, if you have questions.
Limited spaces are available, so don't miss out on a spot for your child. You many sign up for 1, 2, 3, or all 4 weeks.
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WE ARE ONE Auction News
Thank you so much for your continued support in purchasing, procuring and donating items for
We Are One ! We appreciate all of the great items that are coming in!
Next week's contest is
Charger Cards ! When you donate the needed Charger Cards from the list below, your kiddos will receive a sweet surprise next Friday afternoon! Also, this Friday and next Friday are Credit Card Fee-Free Fridays in Charger Cards!
Here's what type of Charger Cards we need donated:
- Disney
- Hyatt
- Nordstrom
- Amazon
- Pottery Barn
- Bai Tong
- Gene Juarez
- Tom Douglas
- Red Robin
- Purple
Remember to stop by the Auction Table outside of Charger Cards tomorrow - Friday between 8:15-9:00AM - and purchase a Tuition Raffle ticket (or two!). Just $100 each could win you half-a-year's-tuition for the 2019-2020 school year! And, if we sell all 100 tickets, the prize jumps to a FULL-YEAR'S-TUITION!
Last day for every family to submit your procurement form is Monday, June 10. The required donation amount is $225, or $350 if you would like your kiddos to have Free Dress on June 11.
Thank you so much for all you do!
~Julianne Read
St. Louise Parent & Auction Director
auction@stlouiseschool.org or 425-214-5441
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PRAYER INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK
"
The best gift anyone can give to a friend is to pray for him."
~
Father Benedict
Groeschel
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The St. Louise Chess Club (pictured at top) has finished its program for the year, and we want to thank the volunteers, Chika Anyichie, Diane Sloss, and Laura Bonner. We also are grateful for Oscar Antezana and Karen Garvizu again being the Chess Club coordinators. Our coaches this year were John Graves, Sloan Setiadikurnia, and Stanley Wong. Last month, Chess Club students Lorenzo, Jethro, and Dane (pictured directly above) participated in the Washington State Chess Tournament in Tacoma. This was an invitational, with the boys qualifying due to their previous chess tournaments. Congrats, boys! |
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See what's happening on our St. Louise Facebook page
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