Parent Bulletin
February 11, 2021
MR. FITZ'S BLOG
The season of Lent arrives this coming Wednesday (the day we return from our upcoming 4-day George Washington birthday-weekend, and we'll be observing Ash Wednesday as a school community on February 17.

We will focus on the three pillars of Lent – prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The “prayer” component of Lent includes having all grade levels attend an Ash Wednesday liturgy. But due to the limited seating in church, we’ll have different levels attending services at different times of the day. Here is which grade levels are attending which liturgies on Ash Wednesday:
  • 11:00 - PK, Kdg., 1st, 2nd, 3rd
  • 2:00 - 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th

There are limited seats available for parents, so please RSVP immediately. If you miss out on a space, or if you'd rather attend a Mass or liturgy that St. Louise Parish will be holding earlier Wednesday morning or later that evening, you may sign up on the parish website.

For the “fasting” component of Lent, we are asking each individual student (family) to provide their own simple, bare-bones meal for lunch on Ash Wednesday. Eating a smaller than normal, simple lunch helps us develop self-discipline, reminds us that Jesus fasted for 40 days before beginning his public ministry, and makes us feel the hunger for just a few hours that the less fortunate feel every day. As an example of a simple, fasting-type lunch, let’s say on the average day you pack your child a school lunch consisting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, a bag of chips, a fruit rollup, and a juice box. Perhaps on Ash Wednesday, you help your child pack a fasting-styled lunch of only half a sandwich or of only an apple and juice box.
 
That brings us to the third pillar of Lent - “almsgiving.” We suggest on Ash Wednesday that each child bring a cash donation to school that is equivalent to the amount of money “saved” by eating a simpler than typical lunch. For example, the money that it would have cost to add chips, fruit rollup, and juice (round it up to $5) to your filling lunch is brought to school in the form of cash. This cash donation will be given to The New Bethlehem Project, a Kirkland day center that St. Louise Parish and School have a history of assisting, such as this past Thanksgiving-time when our school families helped in this big way. Donating this money to The New Bethlehem Project develops in us the love that Jesus asks of His followers.
 
We hope you will enthusiastically support and praise their children for participating in the PRAYING, FASTING, and ALMSGIVING pillars of the Lenten Season when Ash Wednesday arrives in less than a week. It's a great family-togetherness time, so parents might choose to model these same pillars that day. When your kids come home with growling stomachs the afternoon of February 17, families can continue their discussions of how their children feel and what was learned by participating.

Lest your children think the praying, fasting, and almsgiving are just for one day, it's important that they and you (and I) participate the entire season of Lent in these three pillars. For the approximately 39 days that follow Ash Wednesday, all the way up until when the Sacred Triduum begins on Holy Week, we each should set up a Lenten plan that includes praying, fasting, and almsgiving. Here are some ideas you can discuss as a family:

Prayer Ideas:
  • Read a little each day from a biography of a Saint.
  • Commit to praying one to five decades of the Rosary every day.
  • Begin each day praying a "Morning Offering" and/or end each night praying a "Daily Examen."
  • Read a brief section of the Bible each day and contemplate what God is saying to you; THIS is one type of daily plan.
  • Attend a Stations of the Cross each Friday - in-person at your parish or virtually online.
  • Join the Lenten Video Series on "Formed," as explained in an article below.

Fasting Ideas:
  • Fast from the car radio and from talking in the car the first 5 minutes of each day; instead, sit in silence for this brief moment once a day to hear God's guidance for your life.
  • Fast from social media - either for all of Lent or at least for a specific amount of time each day, such as from dinner to bedtime.
  • You can fast from one major food all of Lent (such as desserts) or you can fast in a small, daily sacrifice, such as: drink water instead of soda; drink black coffee with no cream or sugar; don't salt your food.
  • Fast from meat on Fridays, as explained in an article below.

Almsgiving Ideas:
  • Clean out the house as a family, and have everyone donate excess clothes and toys to a charity that helps the less fortunate, such as St. Vincent de Paul.
  • Buy baby items such as diapers, and donate them to a place helping new moms such as the Eastside Baby Corner or Catholic Community Services.
  • Call a family member or friend who is "a shut-in" and could use some company.
  • Catch up on your donations to your Parish, making sure your stewardship commitment is on-pace.


Enjoy these opportunities to make the most of your Lenten season!

Blessings on your day!

MR. FITZ

p.s.
Families who re-enroll for admissions for the 21-22 school year by February 23rd and also have a St. Louise decal on the back of their car (either the new version we sent home two weeks ago or a prior year's version), will be honored with a Free Dress Day! The free dress date is TBA.

On February 25th and 26th, we will have volunteers in the parking lot collecting names of families with car-window decals, and we'll send a list out to confirm before the free dress day is awarded.

Thanks for sharing your Charger Spirit when you drive around the greater Eastside!
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Today
  • Parents' Club meeting on Zoom at 7PM; email Karen Reed for the Zoom link to join in

Monday and Tuesday, February 15 & 16 - NO-SCHOOL DAYS
  • All classes canceled and no Kids' Club
  • Celebrate George Washington's Birthday on Monday ...and the rest of the Presidents on Tuesday :-)

Wednesday, February 17 - Lent Begins
  • Ash Wednesday Liturgies throughout the day for classes to attend; adults must please RSVP to attend a Mass; specific Mass times and an RSVP link are in Dan's Blog above
  • Students and staff all participating in Fasting & Almsgiving; please pack a simple lunch and bring your cash donation to the New Bethlehem Project; see Dan's Blog above for more information

Thursday, February 18
  • Virtual Open House; please have your friends and neighbors with upcoming 4-to-14-year-olds sign up HERE to receive the link for this evening's virtual, live presentation

Monday, February 22
  • Addy and Dylan Ellis will be "Principals for the Day" - a benefit their parents purchased for them at last year's Auction; expect some fun surprises today with St. Louise's new bosses!

Monday, March 8 - NOON DISMISSAL *new addition to the calendar

Thursday and Friday, March 11 & 12 - NO-SCHOOL DAYS *revision to the calendar


CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
Re-Enrollment Going on Now
The re-enrollment process for you current school parents and the new application process for those families desiring to newly enroll in St. Louise School for 2021-22 has begun. Last Thursday, all school families with grade PK-7 children received in a hard copy of the instructions for re-enrolling for 2021-22 as well as an emailed electronic-signature tuition contract. We ask you to please sign and submit the new school year contract by no later than February 23.

To go along with your contract, there is an annual re-enrollment/application fee. Please pay your non-refundable application fee online at a reduced price (only for the next few weeks) of $95 at osvonlinegiving.com/1369.

Also last Thursday, all grade PK-7 families received a second email - this one explaining how to electronically re-enroll on Skyward by February 23.

It will be important for two reasons to remember the February 23rd deadline for you to please complete these above steps for re-enrolling. The first reason you won't want to procrastinate is current families who re-enroll by the 23rd save $125 in the fee. The second reason to make sure you re-enroll by the 23rd is that we have so many prospective new families wanting to transfer out of the public school system and apply with us, that we will definitely have waiting lists in most grade levels for the fall. You get priority to guarantee roster spots for your kids - but only if you don't procrastinate.

If any current school family wishes to newly enroll a child for next school year who is not currently attending St. Louise (such as a new PreK or Kdg. student), please contact Mindy and Tracy in the school office now. Besides additional steps in enrollment, we'd ask all kindergarten applicants to sign up now for a March-date readiness assessment.


Re-Enrollment Checklist:
 
__ 2021-22 Parent Contract
This form was emailed to each family individually. There are two options for tuition payment: Pay in one lump sum by August, or make direct, monthly tuition payments from your checking or savings account – via electronic funds transfer (EFT). The EFT information needed for this process is completed within the contract. Please complete, sign, and submit the Parent Contract.
 
__ Application Fee
Please pay your non-refundable application fee at a special reduced price of $95. After February 23, the fee increases to $220.
 
__ 2021-22 Skyward Student Re-Enrollment
Complete the Student Re-enrollment form through the Skyward student management system. You must confirm that the student and family information we have in Skyward remains accurate heading into the new school year – such as your family’s address, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. To do this, please:
1) Go to Skyward and log-in as usual.
2) Once you log in, click on “Re-Enrollment for 2021-22,” and follow the steps to completion.
3) If you forgot your log-in ID and/or password, there is a link you can click to have it sent to you (or you may contact Mindy Morgan or Tracy Brown in the school office).
4) If you will be newly enrolling a child who has never attended St. Louise School, please click on the “New Student Online Enrollment” link on the left-side after you log into Skyward.
It's George's Day
As recently as your children's grandparents' generation, one event was popularly observed and celebrated in the United States each February – George Washington’s Birthday. This day was not just celebrated by closing banks on the observed Monday, but with civic celebrations, as America celebrated the Father of our Country. Now in the 21st Century, most children have no idea there was (actually still is!) a “George Washington Birthday” holiday.
 
Around 150 years ago, George Washington’s birthday (February 22) was recognized as a federal holiday. Then 50 years ago, as a “convenient move” as was done with other holidays, the Washington holiday was moved annually to the 3rd Monday of February. Around this same time, there was a push to change the name of the holiday to “Presidents’ Day” since another great President, Lincoln, has his birthday the same month. But what is not known by many is that the change of the name to “Presidents’ Day” was never officially made, and in federal law this federal holiday on the 3rd Monday of February is still called “George Washington’s Birthday.” 

It makes sense to continue to single out our first and perhaps greatest president with his own “George Washington Day” this February 15th, especially when you think of another groundbreaking American, Martin Luther King, Jr. We celebrate his holiday as “Martin Luther King’s Birthday.” We don’t lump him in with everyone else and call the annual January holiday, “Civil Rights Leaders’ Day.”

So, this Monday, when we take off a day from school (and also tack on Tuesday for extra fun), remember that we do this because it’s “George Washington’s Birthday” and a time to commemorate his legacy. It's not "Presidents' Day." It's not "Mid-Winter Break." It's George's day!

Perhaps as a family you can sit down and watch this brief but informative video on Washington this Monday.
Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte Agree To Be Silly-Stringed If You Support the Annual Fund by March 15th!
St. Louise School’s tuition rate is possible in large part because of our four major fund raisers: the Walk-a-Thon, the Auction, Charger Cards, and the Annual Fund (formerly called the Annual School Gift Campaign). These fund raisers, along with parish support connected to your Sunday stewardship and the many generous parents who help "Fill the Gap" with extra tuition payments each month, make up the difference of approximately $2,500 per child between tuition and the actual cost of educating your child.
 
The fund raiser in the spotlight at this time of year is our Annual Fund. Last week in the red family envelope, you received the Annual Fund appeal information inside the Annual Report that all school families, past donors, and St. Louise parishioners also received.
 
We ask you at this time to thoughtfully consider how much you can give to the 2021 Annual Fund, which all school families commit to support each year, and respond by March 15th - which will be designated as "Annual Fund Giving Day."

And, here's the fun part.....

Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Fuerte have generously (crazily?) offered to be silly-stringed by any grade levels that reach 100% in pledges committed, or donations made, by March 15, Annual Fund Giving Day! For example, if KA&B and 3A&B have in 100% of their families pledges or donations by 3/15, each student in those grade levels will receive a can of silly string to spray on Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte on a school assembly on the following day.

This event will be livestreamed on Facebook! Imagine Mr. Fitz or Mr. Fuerte sitting in that circle like the photo above, getting covered head-to-toe in silly-string! It will be a super fun event ----- if we can just get grade levels to all respond to the Annual Fund between now and our Annual Fund Giving Day on March 15!

If it helps to spread out your gift to the Annual Fund instead of making one payment, we offer the option of having a portion donated each month. For example, instead of paying $750 in one lump sum now, you could pay $75 over the next 10 months. And to make donating at a higher giving level even that much better for your family budget, you also have the option of charging your Annual Fund donation on your credit card. So not only will you receive the benefit of giving a tax-deductible donation, but you may have the added benefit of earning mileage or points. Please click here to donate.
        
Remember, your donation to the Annual Fund isn’t just a “bonus” gift. It supports 6% of the school's annual budget, providing enrichment programs and supporting teacher salaries. And unlike other charitable donations you may make where you never quite know how the money is used, you know your child will get the direct benefit of your donation.
        
Please respond to your Annual Fund appeal packet that was inserted in last week's Annual Report. If you have questions about the Fund or the Report, please contact Julianne Read in our Development Office. Thanks in advance for your investment in your children’s education, and for your financial support of St. Louise School.
Have you read the entertaining and informative Annual Report yet?! It was sent home last week. Did you find your family's name inside? Click HERE to read a virtual edition of our 2020 Annual Report.
Note Our Revised Absence Policy
Parents are asked to please familiarize themselves with the REVISED "Absence and Tardiness" policy, found in our online policy handbook. The revised absence policy was recently created with the help of the school teachers and the School Commission's policy committee (comprised of fellow parents)

The main changes are clarifications include the following section on families who choose to take a family trip on school days:


"...Family trips should be planned during school vacation time. If this is not possible, early written notification to the teacher about the planned absence is helpful.

If the parent requests assignments and school work which will be missed during this absence be given to the student before leaving for the trip, each teacher will determine if this is feasible.

Similarly, if the parent requests the student on vacation be able to log into Microsoft Teams and learn remotely while on their family vacation, each teacher will determine if this is feasible. This is often not realistic due to the difficulty of being intently engaged in online-learning for seven straight hours while on vacation, as well as being prepared with a personal workspace with required school books and supplies.

If the teacher does indeed provide work to the student prior to the one-day or two-day planned absence, it is expected that the work will be completed and returned the day the student returns to school. The usual late homework policies will apply if the student neglects to submit completed, pre-assigned work on the day he/she returns to school.

If the teacher does not provide work to the student prior to the one-day or two-day planned absence, the student returning from an absence is to initiate the procedure for finding out from the teacher(s) the work he/she will need to make up and when it is due. Normally, the student has as many days to make up missed work as the number of days he/she was absent..." 


Please read through the ENTIRE section on "Absences and Tardiness" in our policy handbook so you can properly partner with us regarding this important aspect of school protocol. If you have questions, please email Dan Fitzpatrick.
Tax Letters Emailed Last Week
School families and supporters should have received their tax letters for their 2020 donations via email last week. If you don’t have our bookkeeper, Angie Ogilvy, saved in your contacts, the emailed letter may have gone to your junk folder so please check for it there. Also, new this year, you will receive a single letter for donations to St. Louise School which will include any cash donations made at or toward the Auction. You’ll receive a second letter with your Auction purchases, which will include your paid-over-value information. Please reach out to Linda Bowers, Angie Ogilvy, or Julianne Read if you have any questions. Thanks for your 2020 donations!
Thank You for Keeping Your Child Home When Not Feeling Well
We ask all parents to please pay special attention to our document which details the PROCEDURES FOR HOW TO HANDLE ILLNESSES AND ABSENCES during this time of COVID-precautions. Please err on the side of caution, and keep your child home if he/she is showing any one of these symptoms:
 
• Fever (100.4 or higher) • Chills • Headache
• Cough • Sore throat • Runny nose or congestion
• Fatigue • Muscle pain or body aches
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • New loss of taste or smell
• Diarrhea • Nausea or vomiting
 
We ask you to pay particular attention to the “scenarios” presented on pages 3-4 of our document, as there are times when a symptom is considered “short term” and thus, possibly only needing one day of staying home. On the other hand, there are scenarios when symptoms are obviously more than just chronic allergies or a brief headache, and in these times there may be a need for longer self-quarantine and/or COVID-testing.
 
We understand the stressful nature of having sick children during this time and appreciate you partnering with us to ensure the safety of all St. Louise students and staff. Yes, it's a hassle to have to follow strict procedures, but if we are going to keep St. Louise open, we need to be more cautious than typical. Thanks for your cooperation, which allows us to continue to keep open our school for in-person schooling and have peace-of-mind.

If you have questions, please call or email Mindy or Tracy in the office (425-746-4220), or email Jane Reynolds, school nurse. 
Charger Cards Are Perfect for Valentine’s Day

This year our own "Valentine" needs that extra attention, love, and care - due to online learning, work from home, busy full house! Charger Cards has great cards in stock for Valentine's Day activities! Stop by the Charger Cards sales window this morning to pick up restaurant, spa, or shopping gift cards for that special someone!
 
Great gift card suggestions for February 14th include:

·      Amazon.com - $25 or $100
·      Maggianos $25 or 450
·      Crate and Barrel - $25 or $100
·      El Gaucho $100
·      Gene Juarez - $25, $50 or $100
·      iTunes $15 or $25
·      Jo Ann Fabrics or Michaels - $25
·      Macy’s - $25 or $100
·      Nordstrom - $25 or $100
·      Pottery Barn - $25 or $100
·      REI $25
·      See’s Candies - $25
·      Sephora - $20
·      Starbucks - $10, $20, $25 or $
·      Trophy Cupcakes $25
·      Wild Ginger $50

You can also create a Valentine Package such as:

  • From Dad and the Kids to Mom ($50): $25 Gene Juarez & $25 Amazon
  • The Day Out package ($100): $50 Gene Juarez, $25 Macy's, $25 Starbucks
  • The Spoil Valentine ($150): $100 Nordstrom, $50 Wild Ginger
  • The Couples package ($200): $100 Gene Juarez, $100 El Gaucho.
  • Dinner and a movie at home ($75): $50 Maggiano's, $25 Starbucks
  • Shopping and Dinner at Bellevue Square ($75): $25 Lincoln Cinema, $50 Maggiano’s
  • Evening of Coffee and Books ($50): $25 Starbucks, $25 Barnes and Noble
 
Or get creative and make your own package. We'd be happy to customize any package! Nothing says “I love you” more than buying a gift that also helps your kids’ school! Take that extra step to show your Valentine that you care!



RELOAD Month Runs thru March 8

To reload a card, simply purchase a plastic gift card from the Charger Card office and later add funds to that same card, reusing it over and over each month! If you reload any Charger Card from February 8th through March 8th, your name will be entered for a chance to win a $25 card of your choice! Will your prize be $25 Nordstrom? $25 at Safeway? $25 on Amazon?

Each Reload is a chance to win! Enter as many times as you like! Once you set it up, you’ll see how easy it is to reload!
 
We all buy groceries and gas and other basics each month! Here is an example of one family’s monthly purchase using reloadable cards!

Reloadable
Cards                Rebate    Rebate earned                 
Shell                    2%   x   $100 =  $2.00
Safeway              4%   x   $200 =  $8.00
Starbucks            7%   x   $25  =  $1.75
amazon               2.2% x   $10  =  $2.20 
Dominoes.           8%   x   $25  =   $2.00
Target                 2.5% x   $50  =  $1.25
                                                       
TOTAL: $17.15  in rebates earned in 1 month just for monthly basics...and you can reload and start over the following month.

For more information on brands/cards available for purchase 24/7 please go to shopwithscrip.com.

For more information on Charger Cards and online ordering, please visit www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards or email us at chargercards@stlouiseschool.org 

In-person sales every school-Friday from 8:15-9:00AM in the central hallway of the original school building.


Thank you for supporting St. Louise Charger Cards!
Which Spring Sports Would You Like Your Kids to Join?
Our St. Louise CYO Athletic Board is sharing the exciting news that the Seattle Archdiocesan CYO program will be offering some sporting options to interested parishes/schools. Beginning in the latter-half of April, there could be CYO teams created for grade K-3 Soccer, grade 4-8 Kickball, and grade 4-8 Track. In order for the St. Louise Athletic Board to gauge interest here from our own St. Louise Parish and School families, they ask you to please take a moment and fill out this brief survey.

The St. Louise Athletic Board will get back to St. Louise families soon with the results of the survey, letting you know if there is enough interest to start up these sports in April.
Any Volunteers Out There?
We want to see our students showcase their many talents, so we are hoping to host a Virtual Talent Show! But, we are in need of 2 or 3 people to co-chair this new event. Grab a couple of friends and email Karen Reed, Parents’ Club President, to let her know you’d love to do this!
Parents Encouraged to Join a Lenten Video Series
In order to enhance adults' experience of Lent, St. Louise Parish is offering the following enrichment opportunity that connects with the three pillars of Lent on which our students focus for the 40-day season. It's a six-week video series on the topic of the "Eucharist in Scripture," presented through the Formed.org website, and St. Louise provides all of parishioners and school parents with access to this paid platform for free. The videos can be viewed from your home computer or mobile device at your convenience.

To participate in this Lenten faith formation opportunity on the Eucharist, simply complete the following steps:

  1. Go to StLouiseParish.flocknote.com/lent2021.
  2. Log in to Flocknote, and join the “Lent 2021” group.
  3. If you don’t have a Flocknote profile, just create one after you visit the web page.
 
If you have not yet registered for your free account with Formed.org:
  1. Go to formed.org/signup
  2. Select your parish (St. Louise)
  3.  Register with your name and email address
  4. Check your email for a link to begin using Formed
 
Beginning on Ash Wednesday on February 17, you will receive an email with a link to the video on the Eucharist scheduled for that week, as well a link to connect you with stories about where your money and prayers go if you participate in almsgiving with the Rice Bowl program. This faith-formation opportunity can enhance your Lenten experience by deepening your personal understanding of and relationship with God in the Eucharist as well as your experience of almsgiving.
 
If you have questions, please contact Katie O'Neill in the parish office.
Thursday's Theology: We Are Called to Fast and Abstain
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