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ST. LOUISE SCHOOL PARENT BULLETIN
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You will be receiving a separate email from me tonight which discusses the status of our decision on the future class numbers and tuition rates for St. Louise. Please be watching your inbox for this.
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On behalf of our teachers, school staff, and parish custodians, we want to thank the Parents' Club for gifting each of us with Charger Card gift cards as our "Christmas bonuses!" We are so grateful for your generous show of appreciation for our work!
By the way, the Parents' Club is actually ALL OF YOU parents, represented by a board of members (Pam Munar, Kelly Miller, Jen Sharp, Paige Brown, Colleen Nowak, Johanna Posada, Karen Reed). Through parents' fund raising efforts in Charger Card sales, the St. Nick Breakfast, and the Walk-a-Thon, the Parents' Club raises revenue to be able to give out these Christmas gifts to the faculty. Other uses of Parents' Club fundraiser revenue includes: "Enrichment Grants" for special student assemblies, emergency preparedness supplies, lunches for teachers, hospitality for evening events, and the cost of parent education speakers. The faculty and I love our parents and our Parents' Club!
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I trust the teachers have been able to team with you during this Advent Season to help your children focus on the "reason for the season." Be it through some religion classes learning about the Jesse Tree, through homerooms lighting Advent candles each morning, or through our first graders and second graders performing Christmas songs for all, there has been an obvious distinction between December at St. Louise School and December at brand X neighborhood school.
We proudly mention at this time of year that we will be thinking of Jesus, not Frosty the Snowman, and we all announce that tomorrow afternoon begins our Christmas vacation, not our "holiday break." Furthermore, the brand X school's principal can only say to his students as they leave tomorrow for two weeks, "Have a Happy New Year!" Whereas I can say, "Merry Christmas!" And to you parents, I can share this Irish prayer:
In the light of the Christmas star,
God bless you.
In your travels, both near and far,
God bless you.
As you celebrate Jesus' birth,
God bless you.
And as you pray for peace on earth,
God bless you.
Enjoy God's blessings today,
Mr. Fitz
p.s.
Please save the date and spread the news to your children's Grandparents that Friday, January 10 - the week we return from vacation - they are our special guests at St. Louise. That morning at 9:00, students' Grandparents are invited to our all-school Mass, to sit with their grandkids and to receive special prayers of thanks for all they do. Immediately after Mass, a reception will be held at the school building, at which the students can "show off" their classroom to their Grandparents. If you want your child's Grandparent (or grandparent-substitute, such as an Aunt/Uncle) to be a part of this, please invite them, and make sure you arrive by 8:45, as the church will be crowded that Friday. For more information, please contact Cindy Wagner.
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Upcoming Calendar of Events
Today
- Charger Cards is open for a special sales day - this morning from 8:15-9:00 at the sales window in the original school!
Tomorrow
-
NOON DISMISSAL
- Charger Cards is open for your final chance to purchase gift cards for Christmas gifts - 8:15-9:00 in the original school
- The School Band performs Christmas music from 8:00-8:20 outside the original school; drive by at morning carpool drop-off with your windows rolled down
- Hot Cocoa Sale from 8:00-8:20 outside the PreK classrooms in the north wing; cups of cocoa sold for $1 each; proceeds benefit Hopelink and Red Cross - some of our 8th grade students' service projects; all students will be allowed to bring these drinks into school to enjoy during 1st period
- School dismisses at 12:00
- No afternoon Kids' Club
- School office closes
- School closed for vacation through January 5
- Grades PK-6 resume on January 6
- Grades 7-8 resume on January 7
Monday, January 6
- School resumes today for grades PK-6
- School resumes on Tuesday the 7th for grades 7-8; teachers are spending Monday completing 8th graders' high school applications
Friday, January 10
- Mass for Grandparents, 9AM; please arrive by 8:45 to meet your child's/grandchild's class outside the school and walk with them to church
- Grandparents' Reception follows in the school from 10-10:30
Tuesday, January 14
- "Tuesday Tour" morning - prospective school parents, interested in enrolling their children for 2020-21, have an opportunity to be toured through campus by an 8th grader, to sit in on a class in session, and to meet with Mr. Fitz; if you know of a neighbor, co-worker, or friend with upcoming 4-14 year-olds, please have them email Lola and Mindy in the school office to set up a tour for this Tuesday (or for January 28)
Thursday, January 16
- Bake Sale - proceeds benefit J.H. activities
- School Commission meeting at 6:30PM in the faculty room; all school parents are invited to attend
Friday, January 17
- Auction Lunch Day - for those students whose parents purchased this through the Auction; contact Julianne Read for more information
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Speech Team Wins Tournament!
Congratulations to the St. Louise Speech Team (pictured above) who won 1st place at last week's Bishop Blanchet Speech Tournament, competing against 26 other schools! Special recognition goes to the
following 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who placed high in their respective categories:
- Fiona Wallis - 1st Place in Open Humorous and receives a scholarship to Bishop Blanchet High School
- Jack Kehoe - 2nd Place in Open Impromptu and 3rd Place in Open Humorous
- Jane Clinton - 2nd Place in Novice Impromptu
- Alaina Harris - 2nd Place in Novice Expository
- Lauren Teders - Finalist in Open Oratory
- Bella Barros - Finalist in Novice Expository
- Ellie Nightingale - Finalist in Novice Expository
- Brooke Nowak - Finalist in Novice Editorial Commentary
Many thanks to the parents who served as coaches so far this fall, as well as Shannon Wallis for her Speech Team leadership and Trina Legnon, Paula Patterson, and Alex Gallant for their assistance. Also, we appreciate Theresa Estrada for coordinating the snacks and to the following people who judged at the tournament: George Baumann, Frank Buysse, Kristy Charles, John D'Costa, Theresa Estrada, Susie Goett, Sangeetha Kanicka Dass, Stasia Kehoe, Leroy Munar, Rebecca Nightingale,and Shannon Wallis.
The Speech Team will next compete at the Seattle Prep Speech Tournament on January 25th.
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Tomorrow Enjoy Christmas Tunes and Hot Cocoa
Friday morning from 8:00-8:20, make sure you check out the school band playing Christmas tunes outside the north wing of the original school. Roll your windows down when driving through carpool-drop-off!
Also tomorrow from 8:00-8:20, eighth graders will be selling cups of hot chocolate for $1, as they raise funds for
Hopelink and Red Cross - some of our 8th grade students' service projects. You'll find them selling outside the PreK classroom in the north wing of the original school. All students will be allowed to bring these drinks into school to enjoy during 1st period.
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Thank You for Your Volunteering
Last Thursday, all school families should have received one of three emails. Your email either said:
a) Thank you for logging in 40 volunteer hours already!
b) Thank you for your volunteer hours, and please keep logging in your hours until you reach 40.
c) We have no record of you logging in any volunteer hours yet!
The teachers, staff, and your children deeply appreciate all the volunteering our school parents give to St. Louise! If you have any questions about volunteer hours, please go HERE or contact Jen Sharp, the Parents' Club's volunteer coordinator.
Special shout-out to Krissy Ledesma, who answered our call for a new Room Parent Coordinator for '20-21. Thank you, Krissy!
We still our searching for parents to step up and answer the call for the Adopt-a-Garden Coordinator position and the Walk-a-Thon co/tri-chairs positions. Please contact Dan Fitzpatrick or Parents' Club President Karen Reed if you are interested.
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St. Louise students Annalise, Matilda, and Elise
are all performing in the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker this month.
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Admissions Season Has Begun; Please Send a Prospective New School Parent Our Way
On many Tuesdays in January and February, St. Louise hosts "Tuesday Tours" - a morning when prospective new school parents get to tour the school with an 8th grade ambassador, sit in on a class in session to observe a teacher, and get their questions answered in a meeting with Mr. Fitzpatrick.
Thanks for helping to spread the word about our awesome school, and the opportunity for those with upcoming 4-to-14 year-olds to tour our school and take in all the great things that happen at St. Louise during a typical school day.
Please note that our next Open House will be on January 30. Please encourage your neighbors, friends, and coworkers to come see for themselves why they would be smart to enroll their children in St. Louise for next fall. At an open house, they can meet all our teachers, explore our classrooms, and learn about after-school programs (mock trial, Girls Who Code, speech team, robotics, choirs, band, debate, etc.) and our cross-country, soccer, basketball, track and volleyball sports offerings.
Thanks for all you can do
to spread the word regarding St. Louise School and our Open Houses! Don't forget to use your social media accounts. Please share our Facebook page and Instagram page.
*REMEMBER*
As a thank you for your help, we do have a referral bonus program:
ONE FREE MONTH OF TUITION for one child for any current school family who refers a newly-enrolling family!
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We're Dismissing at Noon Tomorrow
Tomorrow, Friday, is a 12:00 dismissal for all students, as we all get a head start on our Christmas vacations.
Kids' Club will be closed tomorrow afternoon, and the office will lock up soon after dismissal. School resumes on Monday, January 6, for grades PK-6. Grades 7-8 resume on January 7th, as the 6th is a day off for only these students so the junior high teachers can finish the high school admissions paperwork for our 8th graders.
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Charger Cards sales window open
from 8:15-9:00!
Charger Cards for Christmas!
Charger Cards has in stock a wide variety of brands with low denominations and higher rebates. Cards are also available with high denominations, perfect for your Christmas shopping. Here are some examples:
- Amazon: $10, $25, $100 -at a- 4.25% rebate
- Taco Time: $25 -at a- 20% rebate
- Red Robin: $25 -at a- 11% rebate
- Jamba Juice: $10 -at a- 9% rebate
- Target: $10, $25 -at a- 3.5% rebate
- Walmart: $10, $25, $50, $100 -at a- 2.5% rebate
- QFC: $15, $20, $25,$50, $100 -at a- 5% rebate
- Safeway: $10, $25, $50, $100 -at a- 6% rebate
Starbucks Cards Available at Bonus Rebate Rate of 10.75%!
Starbucks cards will help you meet your family minimum rebate and support our school even more quickly than their usual 7% rebate. This limited time with a 10.75% rebate is a great time to stock up on cards for gifts or for you.
We have $5, $10, $25 and $50 cards, and other
amounts may be available by special order.
This bonus rebate also applies to ScripNow and reloads orders on your Starbucks cards purchased through
ShopWithScrip.com
or MyScripWallet.com. Get your bonus today!
Many school families choose to purchase Charger Cards to give as Christmas gifts to the teachers and school staff. You'll find the "
WISH LIST
" of the teachers and school staff on the Charger Cards webpage. Thanks in advance to families who so generously give to the faculty and purchase Charger Cards to do so!
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year 2020
from the Charger Cards team.
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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Bingo Night Returns to St. Louise!
Save the date for the 2nd annual St. Louise Family Bingo
Night on Saturday, January 25, 2020
in the Parish Hall. Doors open at 6PM (following the 5PM Masss)
. For just $2 per card buy-in, the whole family can have fun winning prizes. There will also be raffles, food, and drinks for purchase.
Proceeds benefit
Advocacy and Caring for Children
(ACC), a volunteer organization that provides caring, funding, and advocacy for Western Washington children and families in need. Family Bingo Night is brought to you by current and alumni St. Louise moms of ACC St. Therese Circle.
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Time to Sign-Up for CYO Volleyball
CYO volleyball registration is now open to all St. Louise School students and parish children in grades 4-8. To sign-up, please go HERE.
Registration will close on January 17th. The registration fee is $75. Note that late registrations may be accepted depending on the size of existing rosters, but at the increased cost of $110. For more information, contact St. Louise volleyball coordinator,
Joni Hoffman
.
Go, Chargers!
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Cooper and Illika got into the spirit while serving on Safety Patrol. |
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S
AINT OF THE
W
EEK
please read this with your kids
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St. Louise Students Are Active Christians
Student Learning Expectations - SLEs - are expectations that our students should know, understand, value, and be able to do by the time they graduate from St. Louise School. These 12 SLEs comprise four categories important to the development of a well-rounded student: an active Christian; a life-long learner; a well-balanced individual; and a community member. Each month, one or two different SLEs are focused on school-wide until the 12 expectations are covered by the end of the school year.
For the months of November and December combined, we have had two Student Learning Expectations focused on throughout the school. One has been,
"A St. Louise student is an active Christian who knows Roman Catholic teachings and traditions and have a working knowledge of the Bible"
(SLE #1.2). And the other SLE of the Month has been,
"A St. Louise student is an active Christian who actively participates in the service for which God calls us"
(SLE #1.3).
Below are highlights from some of the classrooms on how they have been working during November - and/or all yearlong - on achieving these SLEs.
Our 3rd and 2nd graders
demonstrated they know Catholic teachings and traditions and have a working knowledge of the Bible through their Jesse Tree projects. Every student created a symbol for each classroom's Jesse tree, and each told the Bible story that went with his/her symbol. Pictured below are two of the Jesse Trees.
December in the Pre-K classroom was all about learning and knowing Roman Catholic teachings and traditions. Mrs. Blank's pre-kindergarteners attended the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass, their first all-school Mass. They learned not about the Immaculate Conception, but also about Advent, as they created an Advent wreath and learned an Advent song that they sing as they light the classroom Advent candles. Next month, the Pre-K kids will experience real frankincense, myrrh, and gold when they learn about Epiphany.
To show they know Roman Catholic teachings and traditions, 5th grade students brought in pictures and items from their own baptism and presented them to the class. Here, Chima is showing his baptismal gown and a photo of his baptism.
Evidence of our 4th graders being active Christians who actively participate in the service for which God calls us, they helped the
New Bethlehem Project
.
First, Mrs. Danforth's and Mrs. Scruggs' students learned about families in need and how the New Bethlehem Project reaches out to those in need. This included taking a tour of the New Bethlehem Day Shelter. Then in November, they collected diaper wipes and diapers for families who come to the shelter. Now in January, the 4th graders are collecting socks and mittens to donate, and will continue to support New Bethlehem as more needs are made known. Closer to home, both 4th grade classes also created the Christmas tags that went on the parish's Giving Tree in our church narthex.
Our kindergarteners wrote and drew about a special Catholic teaching and about how they participate in service. Below are Alex's and Joie's reports.
Focusing on one of the Corporal Works of Mercy - feed the hungry - Mr. Evans' P.E. classes participated in November and December in his fourth annual "If you can, bring a can" food drive. Students were asked to bring in non-perishable food items. This is not a required activity, nor even advertised to parents. Instead, Mr. Evans wanted his students to take ownership of this Student Learning Expectation of participating in the service for which God calls us. Each year, the P.E. classes try to break the previous year's collection record. Last year's record was 249 cans of food donated. This year, the K-8 students are shattering that record, as 475 cans had been donated by the beginning of this week, and the goal of 500 cans might be met by tomorrow! This can food drive highlights just how kind, thoughtful, motivated, and committed our students are to being active Christians. All cans this year are being donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Society.
To demonstrate they actively participate in the service for which God calls us, our 8th graders regularly engage in opportunities to assist others. Eighth graders serve a meal at the Salvation Army every month, as shown below. Their families contribute food and money which in turn benefits the participants in an evening dinner. In addition to the meal, students interact with the guests and learn more about the human condition. This is all organized by Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Herridge.
Most recently, many 8th graders prepared handmade or homecooked items to sell at vendor tables they set up at the St. Nicholas Breakfast. Below is one of their tables. Proceeds were donated to charities selected by the students.
When we return in January, school-wide we'll be focusing on two new Student Learning Expectations:
- "A St. Louise student is a community member who honors the gifts of others and values the dignity of each person" (SLE #1.2);
- "A St. Louise student is a community member who accepts leadership roles and collaborates with others" (SLE #1.3).
Parents can assist their children in understanding and achieving these expectations by talking about how their family members honor siblings' and parents' gifts, and how collaboration and leadership is needed for a family to run well and love much.
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Thank you for patronizing the following businesses and thanking these families who, through their generous sponsorship, help underwrite the costs of St. Louise School's Auction, Walk-A-Thon, and other events...
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See what's happening on our St. Louise Facebook and Instagram pages
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