Parent Bulletin
March 25, 2021
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Our Auction Director, Julianne Read, has investigated thoroughly, and planned intelligently in order to bring this year's special springtime Auction back to how Auctions belong - that is, in-person! When beginning planning for our delayed 2020 Auction (which will now be in 2021 this April 17), the basic premise that guided Julianne was that "if restaurants can bring back in-person dining, why can't we set up our Auction to function like a restaurant?!"
So if you sign-up to attend our April 17th Auction - Skyball: Chargers Are Forever - it will have a similar feel of when you have sat down in a restaurant with no more than 6 people, at physically distanced tables, with the protocol of wearing masks when not eating or drinking. One big difference between your restaurant dates these days and our Auction dinner and fund raiser is that our "individual restaurants" are our 18 classrooms. You will be dining with fellow parents at a table for 6 in "Mrs. Berlin's Bistro," or in "Mr. Gallant's Bar & Grill," or perhaps in "Dr. Cruickshank's Cafe." You may not get to choose which classroom (i.e. "restaurant") you'll be seated in on Auction night, but you can choose who sits with you. When you register, you can note the names of fellow parents you'd like to dine with, or you can merely note you would like to be seated with parents of a certain grade level.
Another big difference is at a typical restaurant you don't have a big screen TV in front of you with an auctioneer shouting out about the next item up for bid and with you hurriedly pulling out your phone so you can electronically bid on items, trips, gifts, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. That's what is going to make our Auction night much more exciting than a typical night-on-the-town these days! You will eat, drink, converse....and bid!
I am asking all school parents to participate in our special springtime Auction in one of three fundamental ways:
1) The most fun way is to register to attend the in-person event at St. Louise School on Saturday the 17th. Dinner and cocktails will be served in individual classrooms, and you'll watch the Livestream on the room's flat panel screen with fellow parents, school faculty, and school supporters.
2) If you want to enjoy dinner and wine like those attending the Auction in-person, but would rather not come to school on April 17, you may register to attend the remote event. After you go here to register and pay, you'll be asked to note if you will be staying at home to view the livestream. The same delicious catered dinner and cocktails that will be served at school that Saturday night will be provided to you to enjoy at home.
3) A third way to support the Auction is to simply watch and bid during the livestream on the 17th without registering. No meal is included, so there will be no need to register ahead-of-time. You just log in on Auction-night to start your bidding...and order out a pizza or raid your refrigerator.
Please choose now which of three fundamental ways you'll be supporting the Auction. Then when that decision is done, we kindly ask you to consider going above-and-beyond by choosing a few additional ways to support St. Louise School beyond the fundamental attending-and/or-bidding on April 17. How many of these are you able to help with?
____ Purchase "Charger Hope" the newest glassybaby in the St. Louise series; go here to buy this beautiful dove-design candle holder, or you can buy it in-person on Friday mornings outside the Charger Cards sales-window.
____ Donate a bottle of Premium Wine so your class can win a root beer float party; bring your $30+ bottles to the office marked with your child's name and classroom or hand them to an auction volunteer at afternoon carpool today or tomorrow; the contest ends tomorrow!
____ Donate or underwrite a dessert for "Dessert Dash"; please contact Angela King if you'd like to donate cash or an actual dessert.
____ Sign up for your "Black & White Photo" by returning the photo-request form by tomorrow's deadline or by contacting Rebecca Ort by tomorrow.
____ Volunteer to set up or clean up on auction day! Visit our signupgenius for details!
Please help us make St. Louise the first Archdiocesan school to hold such an ingenious in-person/virtual event over the past 13 months! We will be the envy of all other schools' fund raisers, as we St. Louisers pave the way for bringing things back to normal!
Blessings on your day!
MR. FITZ
p.s.
I wanted to share this letter from Mr. Braeden Neal and Mrs. Lauren Neal, our kindergarten teacher and math specialist teacher:
Dear St. Louise Families,
As you may know, we will be having our first child this upcoming August. Words cannot describe the level of excitement and joy this news has filled us with, and we are so excited to start our family. Unfortunately, we had to strongly consider the best situation for our family following this school year. After a lot of prayer and discernment regarding our plan for next year, we have decided to move back to Thurston County to be closer to family. Because of this, we won't be returning to St. Louise for the 2021-2022 school year. We have been so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to work at St. Louise and be a part of this amazing community. We truly could not have asked for a better place to start our careers, as new teachers. We are thrilled to begin this new chapter in our lives, but sad to have to say goodbye to such a wonderful school. Thank you, to everyone, for making us feel so welcomed into this community. Please keep our family in your prayers as we enter into a new phase in life! Go Chargers!
Talk about "bitter-sweet!" We are so happy Lauren is pregnant and that she and Braeden are starting a family! We are so sad we only had them on our faculty for one year! We have posted job openings here for a new kindergarten teacher and new math specialist. Please spread the word to those teachers you know who want to work at an outstanding Catholic school.
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Today
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Parents' Club Meeting - 7PM on Teams; email Karen Reed for a link to the meeting
- 5th and 6th graders go to the Sacrament of Confession
- Free Dress day ONLY for those who participated in the window-sticker/re-enroll contest; see names below
- Report Cards sent home with all gr. K-8 students
Tomorrow
- Principal-for-the-Day is 3rd grader Elena Catorcini; Elena has announced that her first act of power is to declare this day - March 26 - as a "Free Dress Day" for all students and staff (regular free dress guidelines apply)
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Please return report card envelopes to teachers
- Deadlines today:
- Bring in your premium bottle of wine donation
- Reserve your child's opportunity for a Black & White photo
Saturday, March 27
- Saturday Spruce-Up, 8-11AM
Thursday, April 1
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Holy Thursday Prayer Service, 9AM; attended by grades PK-3; others may watch streaming liturgy here
Friday, April 2 - NOON DISMISSAL
- All classes dismiss at 12:00; no afterschool Kids' Club
- Good Friday - all classes will be walking the outdoor Stations of the Cross in the morning; parents who want to walk with their children should see their children's teachers' messages as to when they will be walking
- Today is the registration deadline for CYO Soccer (registration deadline for CYO Kickball is April 9) - see article below
Sunday, April 4 - ALLELUIA!
- Easter Sunday
- Easter vacation runs through April 11
Monday, April 12
- School resumes in-person (grades 6-8 continue usual hybrid schedule)
- Auction preview week begins!
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Monday is the last chance to purchase Auction tickets and dinner/drinks for either in-person or at-home attendees
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Tuesday begins Mobile Bidding for all
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Friday opens up Live Bidding; at-home attendees pick up dinner/drinks this day
Saturday, April 17
- Auction!
- Charger VIPs arrive starting at 6:00
- Other in-person attendees arrive starting at 6:20
- Livestream begins for those at home at 6:30
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
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Three Weeks Until Auction Night! Deadlines Approaching! |
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It is with great excitement that we announce this spring's* auction will be held via livestream AND IN-PERSON here at St. Louise School! Please mark your calendar for Saturday, April 17th to join in on the fun!
There are just 3 short weeks until the BIG event, and we ask you to please register now to get in on the fun! There are several different registration packages this year, please be sure you choose the one that fits the experience you want to have: in-person or at home.
We expect the in-person event to sell out, as we are limited in the number of people we can seat at school for this event. Please register right away so you don't miss out!
Some other ways to help out and get involved include the following:
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Charger Hope glassybabys are on sale now! The Dove design represents hope for the coming year, and was created by our very own, Mika Walker, using a line draw technique. Pre-order yours now to own the third in our St. Louise series. Missed out on the first 2? Charger Spirit and Charger Blessings are also available in limited quantities! Click here to find out more!
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Black & White photos, a St. Louise tradition, must be requested by tomorrow's deadline! These beautiful 11 x 14 professional photographs commemorate your children's time here at St. Louise year after year! Please see today's Red Envelope for more info on requesting a photo!
- The Premium Wine contest ends tomorrow! See today's Red Envelope for more details on this fun class contest (a Root Beer Float party is at stake!) and donate a bottle of wine valued at $30 or more in support of our wine packages.
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Are you an amazing baker or candy creator? Or is there a bakery you know and love? The Dessert Dash team is looking for you! Please reach out to Angela King, if you want to donate a dessert for our delicious Dessert Dash!
For any auction-related questions, please reach out to the auction team or visit the SKYBALL page on our website!
We are always so grateful for the support of our generous and awesome families. We look forward to celebrating with you on April 17th!
*For new families, please know we usually only have one auction and it's in November. Our one and only 2021-22 school year auction will be this coming November.
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The Easter Triduum at St. Louise |
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Next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday represent the Sacred Triduum in the Catholic Church's calendar, and at St. Louise School we begin with a Holy Thursday Prayer Service at 9AM. This will be attended in-person at the church by grades PK-3. The other grade levels will watch a live-stream of the liturgy here If any parents wish to attend this Holy Thursday liturgy, they may sign-up at the front of church by 8:45.
The next day is Good Friday, and we will continue the St. Louise tradition of having our 8th graders lead all classes in walking the Stations of the Cross outdoors. Each homeroom has a specific time they will walk the Stations on April 2, beginning outside the front entrance of the school. If any parents/grandparents wish to join their children, your children's teachers will let you know at what time you should be waiting outside (near the flagpole. No need to come inside for a nametag.)
(Please remember - we dismiss school at 12:00 on Friday, April 2, and begin Easter Vacation.)
At St. Louise Parish, there are a variety of opportunities to come to church for prayer and liturgies during Holy Week. Look here for information, as well as to find Mass times for Easter. |
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Last Call to Sign Up for Spring Soccer or Kickball |
The St. Louise Parish Athletic Board is pleased to announce opportunities for CYO Spring Sports. These sports will all take place in the coming weeks and months:
- Soccer for grades K-4
- Track for grades 4-8
- Kickball for grades 4-8
Our Athletic Board will need parent volunteers for coaching as well as to act as social-distancing coordinators. CYO has put social-distancing requirements in place and asks for masks to be worn at all times by participants and spectators.
In addition, another requirement is that one parent for each child will be required to take a virtual workshop - "Parent Like a Champion." If a parent has already completed the "Play Like a Champion" workshop for coaches, then it will not be necessary to complete the parent workshop. Registration for this workshop is done here: https://www.stlouise.org/cyo-sports
Soccer for Grades K-3
- $85 per student and will include new shirt that student will keep; registration deadline is April 2.
- Practices will be at the discretion of the coaches and field availability.
- Games will begin April 17, and will run every Saturday through June 5th (excluding Memorial Day weekend).
Kickball for Grades 4-8
- $25 per student; registration deadline is April 9.
- Practices will be at the discretion of the coaches and field availability.
- League Games will be April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23.
- Divisions will be:
- 4th-6th Grade – National League
- 7th/8th Grade – American League
Track for Grades 4-8
- $55 per student and will include new shirt that student will keep; registration deadline is May 6.
- Track practices will begin on April 29th, and will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00-6:30pm at Highland Middle School in Bellevue through June 3.
- The CYO track season is virtual this year, so there will be no large track meets with other schools; instead, we will be having our own St. Louise track meet on Thursdays during our practice time.
- All races will be timed and field events will be measured and turned into CYO, who will post results from all schools on Athletic.net.
- The exception is the 8th Grade Pentathlon, which will be held in-person at West Seattle Stadium on Sunday, May 23rd
- St. Louise track meets at Highland Middle School will be:
- Qualifying Meet 1: Thursday, May 6th.
- Qualifying Meet 2: Thursday, May 13th.
- Qualifying Meet 3: Thursday, May 20th.
- Championship Meet: Thursday, June 3rd
We will need coaches for the soccer and kickball teams, and we will need many volunteers to help with track practices and meets! To sign up you child for a sport or two, and to offer your volunteer help, please visit: https://www.stlouise.org/cyo-sports.
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Our Decal-Bearers Get Free Dress Today |
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Thank you to all who participated in our Car Decal Day, and also re-enrolled by the early deadline! Your kiddos are eligible for the Free Dress Day today - Thursday. The families who have qualified are listed below. Please note they are listed by student last name. If you have any questions, please contact Julianne Read.
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Acosta Gutierrez
Aitken
Akers
Ameen
Andrade
Antezana Garvizu
Avalos
Banic
Barros
Black
Blank
Brennan
Brown (Mia &
Maggie)
Bumatay
Cam
Carolan
Caso
Castillo
Cermak
Chan
Charles
Chason
Chu
Colby
Condit
Coronado Barbeyto
Cotillo
Craig
Cuevas
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D'Ambrosio
Dautricourt
D'Costa
DeBord
Delgado
Dickinson
Dogra
Doran
Doria-La
Eala
Ellestad
Ellis
Engel
Enke
Estrada
Flaat
Flores
Foot
Giltus
Goett
Gonzalez
Gonzalez-Diaz
Green
Hairston
Hale
Harris
Herber
Hewett
Hsi
Isaksen
Ivannikov
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Jaster
Kehdy
Kenn
Kierlin
Kirsch
Kujath
Lacouture
Lagunero
Lau (Robin)
Lau (Germaine,
Serene, Renee)
Ledesma
Lewis
Lizotte
Lozada
Magnotti
Magnusen
Maloney
McCulloch
Mendes
Michael
Miller
Miller
Minotte
Mora
Muller
Munar
Nesbit
Neuman
Newton
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Nguyen
Nieuwenhuis
Nightingale
Nowak
Ogilvy
O'Loughlin-Britt
O'Rourke
Osorio
Pacheco
Perez
Perreault
Podaca
Pokorny
Ponte
Rabon
Read
Reed (Benjamin)
Reed (Beckett &
Griffin)
Rivera
Roberts
Roets
Russell (Blake &
Lauren)
Russell (Vivian)
Sackmann
Salmon
Sequeira
Sharp
Shanthanu
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Shaw
Solares
Soto
St. Pierre
Sturgill
Sulaiman
Sullivan
Sweeney
Taasan
Tano
Towse
VanNoy
Veloz
Victor
Vimal
Walker
Wang (Winnie)
Wang (May)
Weber
Widodo
Wilhelm
Wilken
Wilkins
Wiseman-Scott
Wong
Wu
Zayas Collazo
Zevenbergen
Zope
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Spring Is Arriving; Time for a Spring Spruce-Up |
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This Saturday, March 27, Saturday Spruce-Ups return to our campus! We will be gathering with volunteers at 8:00AM to work on raking, weeding, and pruning the grounds of the school and parish. If you can give us 3 hours of labor, we'd really appreciate it! Hard-working kids are welcome to come with their parents. Please bring your own work gloves, weeding tools, and a rake. If you have a wheelbarrow, please bring it too.
We gather outside the north wing of the original school at 8, and we'll cleanup by 11. Thanks in advance for those who can volunteer in this gardening ministry!
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Yuen Lui & Yearbook Photos |
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Images from original picture day are online now and are password protected. Yuen Lui has sent an email with a direct link to your photos, if you do not have one, please email them at customerservice@yuenluischools.com. Find all your school information by going to Yuen Lui Photography.
The School Yearbook will be published in June, and includes all individual photos as well as hundreds of candid photos from throughout the school year. If you haven't ordered your Yearbook yet, time is running out!
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Students Silly-String the Administrators Thanks to Parents' Donations to the Annual Fund! |
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100% of St. Louise families donated to the Annual Fund by March 15th, so students were rewarded with a "Silly String Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte" event!
Colorful silly string sprayed through the air as students giggled and laughed throughout the morning last Tuesday. Mr. Fitz and Mr. Fuerte were great sports and had fun too! Thanks to our awesome volunteers: Kelly D'Ambrosio, Joanna Towse, Leslie Banic, Elaina Herber, Amy Wilken, and Annie Nesbit!
Thank you so much for your support of the Annual Fund! To learn more about how your contribution makes a difference, please click here.
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Please Read This if You Are Traveling during Easter Vacation |
St. Louise School does not have a requirement about self-quarantining for precautionary measures for students or school staff who travel and return to school.
In all instances, there is no requirement for self-quarantine when returning to either Washington State (from another state) or returning to the U.S. (from another country). Any type of self-quarantine or COVID-testing once people have returned from travel are voluntary actions as part of guidance/recommendations, and not mandated actions. Thus, if St. Louise students and/or staff members travel out of state or out of country this spring, including during Easter Vacation, they are welcome to return to school immediately upon return – provided they have followed our regular, daily protocol:
- Verify every morning before leaving for school that there are no symptoms of COVID-19 or the flu.
- If a student or staff member exhibits any one of the following symptoms, he/she must remain home:
• Fever (100.4 or higher) • Chills • New loss of taste or smell
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • Cough • Fatigue • Headache • Muscle pain/body aches • Sore throat • Runny nose or congestion • Nausea or vomiting • Diarrhea
However, if a student or staff member is showing only one of these short-term symptoms for COVID that begins and resolves in less than a 24-hour period, and that person has not been in close-contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID, he/she may return to school the next day and without the need for a COVID test, provided the short-term symptom has resolved. The symptoms identified as short-term are:
• Fatigue • Headache • Muscle pain/body aches • Sore throat
• Runny nose or congestion • Nausea or vomiting • Diarrhea
It’s possible that some St. Louise families will choose to keep their child home from school upon return from a trip, simply out of precaution. In this case, the parents are asked to please inform the school office (office@stlouiseschool.org) and the child’s teacher(s) as soon as that decision has been made. Since it is not always possible for a teacher to revert immediately to remote-teaching via Microsoft Teams for a student who suddenly announces he/she is staying home for a few days, there may be a delay in getting online-learning initiated for the first day home.
Finally, unlike when school resumed following Christmas Vacation and the entire school was conducted remotely for the first week back, when school resumes this April 12, after Easter Vacation, the entire school will be conducted per usual – with the school building open for in-person teaching. (Grade 6-8 classes will continue with their hybrid schedule.)
As we begin the spring season with more outdoor-time and assuming less illnesses, we still need to continue diligence in daily checking children’s conditions, in not sending students to school if they exhibit any symptoms above, and in following our protocol as explained here.*
*NOTE: THIS PROTOCOL HAS BEEN RECENTLY UPDATED!
Thank you, St. Louise parents, for your outstanding cooperation with all of this!
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March Madness Ends on Wednesday
Tomorrow is the final Friday-Sales-Day of March Madness. Through Wednesday, March 31, if you use your credit or debit card for purchases, there is no ‘fee’ for transactions in excess of $100.
Think spring and plan ahead! Do you have any travel plans for Easter break in two weeks? If so, buy Charger Cards for your plans now, pay with your credit card (no fee!), earn your frequent flier points AND support St. Louise at the same time! See how much of your usual purchases can be funneled through Charger Cards first!
Here’s an example of a few ways you could use Charger Cards for events and earn points to help out our school.
Easter
- Fred Meyer - groceries, decorations, easter eggs - $100 x 4% = $4 rebate earned
- Papa Murphy’s - easy family dinner - $20 x 8% = $1.60
- Friday Dinner Dining- Daniel's Broiler, Wild Fin - $100 x 20% = $20
- Easter Basket – See’s Candies - $50 x 11% = $5.50
Auction Night
- Gene Juarez - Hair/Makeup - $200 x 10% = $20 rebate earned
- Nordstrom - new clothes - $200 x 4% = $8
- Pizza Hut - pizza for the kids staying home - $30 x 8% = $2.40
- Starbucks - morning after - $50 x 7% = $3.50
Total Rebate earned = $66.00
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Buy Cards for Your Business and Pay by Company Credit Card
Several families purchase gift cards from the Charger Card program for their company! This month when you pay by credit card, there are no extra credit card fees! Contact the Charger Card program if you need a large quantity of gift cards for a promotion or employee program. In the past, we’ve had families order:
- 300 x $25 Amazon
- 250 x $10 Subway
- 200 x $25 QFC
- 80 x $10 Starbucks
We can provide an invoice for easy check request or expense purposes! Contact us with any questions!
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20% Rebate Sale
Do you need to catch up on rebates to make the minimum requirement for each St. Louise family? Are you working towards tuition credit for next year? Charger Cards has a number of cards available at 20% rebate! These cards are limited while supplies last, so get yours now!
Bai Tong
Daniel's Broiler
Tom Douglas
Wild Fin
Wild Ginger
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Congratulations to the Colby family for winning the February Scrip Now/Reload promotion of a $25 Gift card! Thank you to all families who participated by shopping online for Charger Cards!
Look out for out next promotion coming soon.
In-person sales every school-Friday from 8:15-9:00AM in the central hallway of the original school building. Orders made online or drop-off forms received at the school office by 9am Monday will be delivered Friday of that week.
Attention Standing Order Families:
Please note the payment and delivery date for April Standing orders. Due to Easter Break, standing orders will be sent home on March 31.
For more information on brands/cards available for purchase 24/7 please go to shopwithscrip.com.
Please return Charger Card plastic envelopes to the main school office once you have received your Charger Card order.
Thank you for supporting St. Louise Charger Cards!
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Will You Need Before-School or After-School Childcare This Coming Fall? |
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Registration for our Kids’ Club childcare program for the 2021-22 school year is open now.
Kids’ Club is our before and/or after-school onsite program for students in grades K-8 attending St. Louise School. At Kids’ Club, our goal is to ensure a smooth transition between the school day and the before-school and after-school program. Activities are designed to spark academic interests, recreation, physical fitness and nurture social-emotional growth. We also provide the time, the place, and the assistance to ensure your children have enough time to complete their homework.
There are so many advantages to being part of an after-school program such as Kids' Club. A report by the U.S. Department of Education shows that students in after-school programs have fewer behavioral problems, more self-confidence, and can handle conflicts better than students who are not involved with after-school programs. Our Kids' Club family is strong and engaged, and we welcome the opportunity to share it with you!
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Thursday's Theology:
- Holy Week Begins This Sunday - with Palm Sunday
- The Sacred Triduum Begins in One Week - on Holy Thursday - and Ends on Holy Saturday
- Next Friday - Good Friday - Is a Day of Fasting
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