Parent Bulletin
May 6, 2021
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I’m turning 60 years old next month. That means I was a kid who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. Growing up in those decades, a child’s daily life outside of school looked nothing like how kids utilize their free time these days.
Two generations ago, a boy’s life after school hours and on weekends consisted of riding bikes around the neighborhood or shooting hoops at the local playground. Playing outside was not only the norm, but we would be outside blocks (or miles) away from home until it got dark and we realized we should head home. There wasn’t a cell phone in our pocket for mom or dad to text us. Besides no cell phones, we had to internet, computers, or video games. In fact, kids in my day had only two electronic devices nearby - the AM radio and the lone family TV (which was the only “screen” in the entire home).
I realize many of our school parents are in the generation after me – growing up as kids in the 80’s or 90’s. Your generation also played outside a lot, but not as “freestyle” play as my generation, as your decades saw the beginning of “select” sports programs and technology to play at home, such as the Oregon Trail computer game. Your TV shows and song lyrics were certainly racier and more adult, but still “tame” based on what is out there today. And even for you younger parents, when you were a child you didn't carry around computers in your pockets like kids do today.
Computers in pockets? I’m talking about cell phones, and how children growing up in the 2010’s and 2020’s – your kids and my students – seem to be spending most of their free time in front of screens and communicating digitally, instead of cycling around the neighborhood or getting a pickup basketball game started down the street.
Not only is the concern that this current generation of children is not getting the outdoor play time that leads to healthier bodies and necessary Vitamin D, but that this generation is replacing that type of play with screen time, social media fixation, and limited face-to-face social-skills-building.
With 10-years-old being the nationwide average age of children being given their first smart phone, it’s like giving a 10-year-old an X-rated video to watch. When a child is given a smart phone with no firm, constant parental controls, a parent is actually giving the child access to a computer that is seconds away from seeing the most offensive and indecent images, and images that can never be erased from the child's memory. The average age of a child's first exposure to pornography is now 11 years old, thanks to cell phones and computers. What is out there on the internet for today’s 21st Century generation is not just easier for kids to find - be it by accident or on purpose – but it is ten times as disordered as the pornography that was out there – but not as easily accessible – in the 20th Century.
I am writing you not to reminisce about the “good ol’ days” but to assure you that you will not be considered the “meanest parent” if you don’t give your child a smart phone in elementary school or middle school.
You will not be considered an “overly strict parent” if you have your child’s phone and electronic devices outfitted with strong parental control apps that strictly limit what your kids can access and at what times of the day.
Actually, if you do these things, I will nominate you for “loving parent of the year!”
The overuse of cell phones and technology is damaging the generation of kids growing up in the 2010s and 2020s. Besides exposing them to adult material, crude songs, and obscene videos, and besides keeping them from playing outside to help their bodies, too much screen time and cell phone use is creating a generation of children who don’t know how to socially interact properly face-to-face. Teens and preteens these days are learning about “sexting;” whereas, my generation took ballroom dancing lessons. Today’s kids text abbreviated, coded messages to one or more friends at a time; whereas, your generation picked up the telephone to talk in complete sentences.
There is a fantastic video for Mom & Dad to watch online together (available for free to Amazon Prime members; $2 to rent) that addresses how differently today’s kids are being raised, and why the internet/smart phones/social media that make up way too many hours of most children’s daily lives is damaging them. I hope you will take time in the coming days to watch this video, Childhood 2.0 - not just to be educated but (if I can be frank) to be scared-straight.
It’s the informed and cautious parent who is prompted to act, and I implore all parents with children who have access to smart phones and devices to act! If you haven’t yet set up strict family rules for screen time and devices, I know you will after watching Childhood 2.0.
After watching the video, check out the following sites and articles which are worth learning from on the whens, whys, and hows of giving your child access to smart phones, iPads, and/or video games:
Sorry for upsetting anyone with this somber look at what is becoming an alarming concern. Next week in my blog I’ll go more light-hearted. Perhaps I’ll write about what’s still on my bucket-list as I approach 60-years-old. No… taking my second round of ballroom dancing lessons is not on my list... nor is skydiving.
Blessings on your day,
MR. FITZ
p.s.
Thanks for your efforts these past two weeks at helping your children contact friends and family in gathering Walk-a-Thon donations! Tomorrow is the final day for donation collecting! Tomorrow is also when we hold the Walk-a-Thon event itself!
Please make sure your child wears his/her Walk-a-Thon t-shirt and dresses in grade level colors. It's a fun-dress day, but it's also important that all students wear good socks and athletic shoes, as we expect lots of sweaty kids walking or even running for up to an hour straight! We hold the event rain or shine, so please be prepared with lightweight jackets, ball caps, sunscreen, etc.
Thanks for remembering that we're only having a small crew of volunteer parents on the playground course tomorrow. I appreciate the leadership of our Walk-a-Thon chair, Jim Britt, his volunteers, you and others who are donating, and of course, your kids!
I know the students will have fun raising funds for St. Louise while also raising their heart rates!
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
Today
- Teachers-for-the-Day: students whose parents purchased this privilege at our fall Auction get to teach a class today, enjoy morning cocoa and pizza lunch in the teachers' lounge, and dress as a teacher
Friday, May 7 - WALK-A-THON DAY!
- Wear your Walk-a-Thon T-Shirt and wear fun dress, making sure you dress as much in your grade level colors as possible
- Prepare for the weather - sunscreen or jacket?
- Wear athletic shoes and good socks
- LAST DAY TO COLLECT WALK-A-THON PLEDGES!
Sunday, May 9 - HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!
Thursday, May 13
- May Crowning and Rosary all-school liturgy at 2:05; grades 2-5 will attend in-person and other grades will watch livestream
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
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Inspiration & Insights from Father Gary |
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Our pastor, Father Gary Zender, is writing a series of articles for our Parent Bulletins that help to explain to ALL St. Louise parents - Catholic and non-Catholic - the who / what / why / how of Catholicism. We urge all St. Louise parents to read Father's article this week...and next week...and the weeks after... as he will be giving us great information and wonderful insights to ponder this spring!
Dear St. Louise School Families,
Last week I explored with you the Catholic understanding of the Bible as the inspired word of God and how the Sacred Tradition of the Church helps to interpret the meaning of the Scriptures. We believe Jesus Christ is the fullness of God’s revelation who manifests to us the physical presence of God though the incarnation. Because physical proximity is important for us relational beings, Jesus continues to manifest God’s physical presence after His ascension through what we call Sacraments.
Sacraments are physical signs of grace instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church. Thus, by actively participating in the sacraments throughout our lives alongside personal prayer, we are in constant contact and relationship with Christ and his Church.
How are the Sacraments God’s presence?
Well, Jesus himself is the Sacrament of God. That is to say, God is spirit and is far beyond us and Jesus was born as one of us. He is the physical presence of God, making visible the invisible. As I said in my first column, Jesus changes everything, including our bodies. This is true because He came with his divinity in our human flesh so that our human flesh could share in His divinity.
Jesus did not abandon us when He completed his mission on earth and ascended to the Father. Rather, He sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost which we consider to be the event that gave birth to the Church. The Church then, is the Sacrament of Jesus, the physical presence of Christ. For this reason we refer to the Church as a person, “she” is the bride of Christ and our mother!
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With this analogy, we can think of the sacraments as the spiritual life given to us by the Church. The Church gives birth to the adopted sons and daughters of God through baptism, the first of seven sacraments, through which we become members of his mystical Body, the Church. Think of the significance: to be the Church means we, her members, are what makes God visible, we are Christ’s hands, feet, eyes ears, and voice in the world.
That is why we hold that belonging to the Church is important. We often hear the phrase, “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” Being spiritual is good and it is not our place to judge another person’s experience of their spiritual life. At the same time, when we look more in depth of who Jesus is and who He calls us to be in relationship with Him, He desires such an intimate friendship with Him as His disciples, that He wants us to share in His divinity as He shared in our humanity.
As we continue to grow in our knowledge and appreciation of the sacraments, think of them this way: they are the means through which Jesus shares life with us through the Church. That is what makes our Sacramental theology in the Catholic faith unique.
I invite you to go deeper.
For those who are baptized, spend time reflecting what it means for you to be a Christian and what the Church means to you and share that with your children. For a recap of how the Church understands the Christ and the Church as sacraments, read here.
Blessings to all!
Fr. Gary Zender
p.s.
Next week's article will discuss in more detail the Seven Sacraments.
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Are you new to the Catholic Church or interested in learning more about how to become Catholic? St. Louise Catholic Church is here to help!
RCIA is an acronym we use to describe the process of becoming Catholic. RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. It is a journey through which seekers of faith are initiated into the Catholic Church through a process of investigation, prayer, conversion and ritual. Who is RCIA for?
- Non-Catholics who want to find out more about the Catholic faith;
- Those who have not been baptized and want to become Catholic;
- Those who were baptized in a protestant church and wish to become Catholic;
- Those who were baptized Catholics as infants but did not complete formation and the sacraments of Confirmation or First Eucharist.
If you have questions, we would love to walk with you. Please reach out to Katie O’Neill in the parish office at katie@stlouise.org or 425-214-5477.
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Tomorrow Is the Day - Walk, Run, and Gather Final Donations! |
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The Walk-a-Thon is tomorrow, Friday, and tomorrow is also the final day of the donation-collection phase of this required fund raiser.
Per your Parent Contract, we are expecting (and we deeply appreciate) each school family to procure minimum donations in the amounts of:
· $95 for 1-student families;
· $190 for 2-or-more-students families.
If you go this linkn now, you'll see how much money you have helped raise so far, and there is also a ranking of the current top-donation-colleting students. Wow! We have some generous supporters and super students!
The Walk-a-Thon has a goal of raising $38,000, which the Parents' Club uses to pay for student enrichment assemblies and curriculum additions, to provide Christmas gifts to the teachers, as well as to sponsor parent education classes and family social events (that will be resurrected next school year!). We can only make this goal if every school family contacts friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers and asks if they will donate in the student's name.
Thanks for all your work at geting donations completed over these final 24 hours!
Students should wear sturdy socks and athletic shoes tomorrow along with their official Walk-a-Thon t-shirts. The fun-dress day theme is "Grade-Level-Colors," so make sure your kids represent their grade-level well! The colors are:
- PreK wears light blue
- Kdg wears purple
- Gr. 1 wears red
- Gr. 2 wears green
- Gr. 3 wears yellow
- Gr. 4 wears white
- Gr. 5 wears blue
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Gr. 6 wears tie dye
- Gr. 7 wears orange
- Gr. 8 wears black
(Regular "Free Dress Rules" apply when students are out-of-uniform, which means students are not to dye their hair, can't wear revealing clothing, can't wear flip-flops, etc. More information may be found here on pages 52-53.)
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Deadline: May 10th
Order & Customize Your Yearbook Today!
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You will definitely want a record of this year for your kids! Customize your 2 free pages with your own pictures. And, right now, teachers are polling students on their least favorite chore, a superpower they would want to have, and more! Don't miss out on the answers to these questions!
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We appreciate all the school families and parents who showed up last Saturday for the Saturday Spruce-Up! It looks so beautiful on campus when we get weeds picked, leaves raked, and bark spread.
Our next Saturday Spruce-Up is on June 5 at the same 8-11AM timeframe. Save the date!
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Check Out the Newest Charger Gear Offerings |
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Now that ALL our kids are back at school fulltime, shouldn't they be decked out in the newest Charger Gear for Friday-Wear days? We also have new Charger Gear cinch bags for p.e. shoes and backpacks.
JUST CLICK HERE TO ORDER.
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We are so excited that CYO Athletics are back!
Here are the spring schedules:
Grades 4-8 have Track meets at Highland Middle School from 5:00 - 7:00PM on these Thursdays: May 13, May 20, May 27, June 3.
Kickball games are played right here on the St. Louise soccer field for grades 4/5 (at 2:30PM) and grades 6/7/8 (at 4:00PM) on these Sundays: May 9, May 16.
Our grade K-1 Soccer teams have a schedule of Saturday games you can view HERE.
Our grade 3 Girls' Soccer Saturday games may be found HERE:
Our grade 2 & 3 Boy's Soccer schedules for Saturdays are HERE:
Go, Chargers!
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Annual May Crowning and Rosary Liturgy Next Thursday |
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Thursday, May 13 at 2:05 is our next all-school liturgy. This will be the annual May Crowning, with our 2nd graders participating in the tradition of crowning Mary. The crown placed on the statue of Mary in the church is made of beautiful blossoms representing Mary’s beauty and virtue. It’s also a reminder to the faithful to strive to imitate our Blessed Mother’s virtue in our own lives.
Along with this ceremony and prayer service, we will pray one decade of the Rosary. Praying the Rosary is often thought of during the month of May, as the Church designates this as the month of Mary. Popes have strongly promoted the Rosary as a means of deepening one’s faith and combating social evils. Pope John Paul II called the Rosary "Mary’s prayer in which she herself prays with us.”
If your child or family has Rosary beads, please allow your child to bring them to school on Thursday. Grades 2-5 will be in church for the liturgy, and grades K-1 and 6-8 will be watching a livestream in their classroom. Everyone will be joining together in praying one decade of the Rosary to begin the liturgy, so parents may join in prayer virtually by watching the livestream. Limited spaces in the church are available for parents who wish to join their children, and Mr. Fuerte will be emailing grade 2-5 parents the RSVP link to sign-up.
To understand the what, why, and how of praying the Rosary - which can be done without Rosary beads - HERE is a helpful site. You can also refer to the following step-by-step instructions...
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Only One Month Left to Purchase Charger Cards In-Person
Believe it or not, there are just SIX more Fridays when school is in session and the sales-window will be open for in-person sales of Charger Cards.
In-person sales are 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.
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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Volunteer Opportunities Are Available |
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Do you still need to complete your family's Volunteer Hours for this school year? If you recall from Mr. Fitzpatrick's message earlier this fall, the typical 40-hour minimum requirement for volunteering was dropped to 20 hours this school year, due to the usual amount of opportunities and events cut or curtailed for COVID-precautions. If families are not able to volunteer at least 20 hours by June, there is a $20.50-per-hour fee that is to be paid.
Some available volunteer positions for the final two months of the school year include:
- Saturday Spruce Up - June 5 from 8-11AM, volunteers are needed to week and spread bark; please contact J.T. Taasan with any questions
- Our Auction Team is looking for some fun people to breathe some new life into our procurement planning. Please reach out to Julianne Read to jump on board!
- New Family Mentor - we would love current school families to greet and mentor newly enrolled 2021-22 families on the ins & outs of being a St. Louise parent; please let Mindy Morgan and Tracy Brown know if you can be a mentor - a volunteer job that you can mostly do on your own time from home
- Field Day - this annual event will take place on June 15, and Mr. Evans will need lots of help all day
Please log in your 20+ volunteer hours HERE by June. Thanks for the time you give to support St. Louise! |
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Thursday's Theology: Praying the Rosary |
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