Parent Bulletin
April 2, 2020

 MR. FITZ'S BLOG
One thing we miss when we do distance learning is our Monday morning, all-school announcement. Every school week on Mondays as soon as the 8:30AM tardy bell rings, our junior high students lead the entire school over the intercom in morning prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the joke of the week. I would like to explore the idea of having students of any grade level (with parents' help and permission) send me a link to a video of them broadcasting from home one, two, or all three of these actions. Then I'll chose one, two, or three links to post each Thursday in this Parent Bulletin, and your kids can be "celebrity newscasters" for the week! I'll do this if I get enough submissions, so please consider emailing me a video of your child reciting a prayer (from memory or reading it), and/or a video of your child reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (in front of a flag would be terrific), and/or a video of your child telling a joke (the cornier the better, but appropriate for ages 4-14).

In addition, I will continue making a Monday-Morning-Video-Announcement and emailing it to you every Monday morning, so your kids can start off their week of "virtual school" with their usual greeting from their principal. If you missed this past Monday's announcement from me, it's HERE .

* * * *

One week when I will NOT be emailing a Monday-Morning-Video-Announcement will be Easter-week: April 13-17. That week was supposed to be Easter Vacation for all of us - students/parents/teachers/principals. Even though we can't take those trips to Mexico, Hawaii, or Canada many of us had planned, we can still take a vacation from work, whether it's virtual-work or not. So, April 13-17 will be a week free from any teachers' assignments, student home-supported assignments, and principal's videos. However, if your child has found himself/herself fallen behind the rest of the class in completing assignments up to that point in the calendar, he/she must use Easter-vacation week to catch up! The teachers and I have been concerned with some students not doing their school work, and at this point in time we have some children who are failing their classes. Yikes!


* * * *

It's so easy during the times we find ourselves in, to focus on the negative. But try to turn things around in your mind, and recognize that although we may not understand how a loving God could "allow" an illness to kill so many people in King County, China, and Italy, one day we may catch a glimpse of God’s divine plan. If we didn't have faith, illness would be difficult to endure and our anxiety level would never stop rising. The good news for Christians is that Jesus Christ is the Divine Physician , and while He desires the health of our body, most of all He desires the health of our soul .  With this in mind, if a believer in Christ gets sick, he or she is able to accept the cross Jesus gives to us and ask God what He wants us to learn from this or how He wants us to grow in faith because of this.

Saint Augustine said the real death to fear is not the death of the body when the soul leaves it, but the death of the soul when God leaves it. Augustine has been attributed with the quote:

"Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow."

How did you take care of yourself yesterday? Did you eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast for the probiotics and antioxidants? Did you jog a couple of miles to keep your heart in shape? Did you get eight hours of sleep? Maybe you did all of those things (or similar healthy-living actions) to take care of your body. Good for you! That was smart!

But how did you take care of your soul yesterday?

Many of us forget to even think about that part of us. After all, our bodies cry out visibly and audibly when they need us, such as by growling stomachs and drooping eyelids. Our bodies demand attention. But the soul remains silent and hidden. It doesn’t broadcast a problem by registering 101 on a thermometer. It doesn't tell us we need to stretch it more by having us feel tight muscles. Too many of us neglect the soul because it is not in our face and outwardly demanding attention.

Yes, during this coronavirus outbreak we want to take care of our physical health, but at all times - whether it's during outbreaks, daybreaks, lunchbreaks, or heartbreaks - we must not neglect our spiritual health, our soul. It is more important in the grand scheme of things.


Enjoy God's blessings today,

MR. FITZ

p.s.
Thanks for venturing out and coming to school the other week to pickup/dropoff assignments and supplies. We plan to do this again ONE WEEK FROM TODAY - THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 8AM-5PM. Besides hard-copy assignments to be dropped-off and/or picked-up, all grade K-8 report cards will be left on individual students' desks for you to pick up next Thursday.




LENTEN RESOLUTION: GIVE UP WORRYING

" When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all."
~ Psalm 34:17-19

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday, April 3, 12:00PM
  • Father Carlos is live-streaming a Mass especially for our school; students are to put aside any online-learning during the noon-hour to watch this Mass live; the Mass can be found at the parish website HERE.

Sunday, April 5 - PALM SUNDAY
  • Take an opportunity for faith development and faith education at the same time by watching a streaming-videoed Mass from St. Louise or another church, and as you pray along, feel free to freeze the video and explain to your children why the priest does certain things or why we say certain prayers. You can find some help here and here.
  • Start today as a family to watch the 1st hour of the 1977 classic, Jesus of Nazareth. Then watch another hour of this 6-hour film each day through Good Friday. (See the article below for more information.)

Thursday, April 9
  • Parents and students are asked come to school during this date from 8AM-5PM - to pick up teacher's assignments (if applicable), to drop-off completed assignments (if applicable), and to pick up gr. K-8 report cards; please leave on your child's desk the manila envelope containing the report card (so we can reuse it in June) and the report card itself is yours to keep

Friday, April 10 - GOOD FRIDAY
  • Mr. Fitz will be emailing all families this morning a link to view a virtual Stations of the Cross; students - and parents - are asked to please take time today to watch and to meditate on Jesus's Passion; with no online-learning classes being run at 12:00 today, the noon-hour would be a perfect time to view and pray, with it being meaningful realizing all your fellow school families are doing a virtual Stations of the Cross at the same time!
  • You can still buy discounted tickets for our November 2020 Auction, SKYBALL - Chargers Are Forever, by today's deadline by clicking here. (See the article below for more information.)

Sunday, April 12 - HAPPY EASTER! ALLELUIA! THE LORD IS RISEN!
  • Have the entire family dress in their Sunday-best and sit together watching a live-streamed Easter Mass - a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Monday, April 13 through Friday, April 17 - EASTER-WEEK VACATION
  • No new online-learning lessons will be sent out this week by teachers.

Wednesday, April 15
  • The IRS may have delayed the deadline to pay your taxes by 90 days, but our deadline today to complete your 2020-21 application for tuition assistance remains. By no later than April 15, please complete the application to receive a financial aid scholarship, which includes uploading your 2019 tax documents. Please go HERE for more information.

Monday, April 27
  • Tentative date to restart school.


CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE SCHOOL CALENDAR HERE
Olivia, Kate, Alex, and Ben doing distance-learning assignments.

(Send Cindy Wagner photos of your kids working-from-home for him to insert in future Bulletins and/or on our Facebook page. We will not use your child's last name.)
School Open One Week from Today for Parents to Come In
The school will be accessible NEXT THURSDAY, April 9, from 8AM-5PM, with the front doors of the main building unlocked and all the classroom doors propped open. We’ll also have the PreK classroom unlocked. This will allow teachers to leave for their students any hard-copy assignments coming up in the second-half of April. In addition, many students have hard-copy, completed assignments to turn in.

We’ll follow the same process as last time, with teachers leaving any items to pick-up on each student’s individual desk, and parents with any completed children’s assignments to leave them on their child’s individual desk. It would probably be best if only parents came to school Thursday, but students are allowed if they stay close by parents and refrain from touching anything other than their own desk/locker.

  • In addition to assignments, we have the grade K-8 second trimester report cards completed, and the teachers will have each student’s report card in a manila envelope left on each student’s individual desk. We ask parents to pick up the report card and take it home, but to please leave on your child's desk the manila envelope, so we can reuse it in June.

  • Also, Mrs. Walker is asking all grade 4-8 students to turn in their Yearbook Cover Designs for the design contest. She will have a box outside the Art Room on the 2nd floor, so please place your entry there on Thursday. Please make sure your name is on the back of your design as the contest directions indicated.

  • Furthermore, we still have lots of your kids’ clothing in the Lost and Found bin outside the 5th grade classrooms. Please pick up your child’s lost sweater, jacket, etc.

As we did last time, if you are feeling ill or for another reason aren’t able to make it to school on Thursday, please find a fellow school family to pick up/drop off your child’s assignments, and to pick up the report card.
We know that except for these unique instances of needing to help make online-learning possible, and for fundamental life routines such as grocery shopping, all of us should stay home during this time. St. Louise School is not taking the Governor’s “ Stay Home – Stay Healthy ” proclamation lightly; we are following it since it notes:

“…All people in Washington State are immediately prohibited from leaving their home or place of residence except to conduct or participate in essential activities…Essential activities permitted under this Proclamation are limited to the following…Obtaining necessary supplies and services for family...such as...supplies and equipment needed to work from home... All non-essential businesses in Washington State shall cease operations except for performing basic minimum operations…For purposes of this Proclamation, minimum basic operations are the minimum activities necessary to...facilitate employees of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences...Essential workforces who are exempt from staying home include…workers supporting...K-12 schools, colleges, and universities for purposes of distance learning...”

Additionally, according to the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction , whereas schools are prohibited from providing in-person educational or recreational programs during this mandatory closure time, schools are not prevented from “providing instruction through online learning models or from using their facilities to provide…professional development, staff meetings, direct services to individual students, or other activities deemed appropriate by the district administration. Any gatherings within school facilities should comply with applicable social distancing directives and health and safety recommendations.”

Thus, our teachers and staff have been able to come to school during these closure days to perform basic operations, such as teachers needing to leave any new assignments prior to next Thursday, and then to come back to school the next day to pick up the finished assignments you dropped off.
Thanks for your support and for making every effort to come to school next Thursday from 8AM-5PM, or for finding a fellow parent who will do this for you.
Home-Supported Learning Tip for Parents
Here's a tip for parents as your children are watching a show, cartoon, or movie on your TV. No matter what you’re watching, turn on the closed captioning and tell your kids to watch the words. Without really knowing it, your children will start to pick up on vocabulary, improve their spelling, and learn new sight words.
Kids Cooped Up this April So Send Them Out this August
St. Louise's own summer camp -  Chargers' Adventure  - will be held right here on the St. Louise campus for four weeks this August. Camp is open to students entering grades K-5 in the fall (that is, current PreK through 4th graders). Parents can sign up their child for one, two, three, or all four weeks in August.

Here are a few of the testimonials we received from our campers and their parents after last summer's Chargers' Adventure Camp:

  • “Gavin and Nora had a great time at wacky water week last summer! They came home happy, hungry, and exhausted from a fun day and couldn't wait to go back the next morning! Gavin said, "water limbo was my favorite!".
  • “Philip had a great experience at the Chargers’ Adventure Summer Camp. He met new wonderful people and made new friends that he’s excited to see on campus. Thank you, Mrs. Zambrano and team for providing this opportunity. We feel very good about sending Philip to a caring and fun-filled camp. We’re looking forward to another great summer camp!”.
  • "Our son had an amazing time at Chargers' Adventures Summer Camps last year and is very much looking forward to attending again this year. He loved the variety of activities and it was so very well organized and run".
  • "The girls loved the mad scientist summer camp! They had so many different and engaging activities in a safe environment! And it prepared them to switch from summer days to school days. Thank you for the dedication and care into this great summer camp!"

Please go here for more information on camp, and if you have questions, please talk to our camp director, Maria Zambrano .


Please note: if Camp has to be canceled due to coronavirus, all registration fees will be refunded in full; but you should register now because openings are limited.
SKYBALL - CHARGERS ARE FOREVER
Good morning St. Louise Families!

My continued prayers are with you and your families as we navigate these new waters of being under quarantine. As I watch social media, so many people have been amazingly creative with how they are handling homeschooling! I look around my house and think to myself, "a herd of bison have been here." :)
 
Anyhow, I know you are preparing for Holy Week and Easter at your own homes, and so the auction isn't necessarily at the top of your mind, but I did want to let you know that you can still buy discounted tickets for SKYBALL - Chargers Are Forever through next Friday, April 10, by clicking here.

Remember, this coming November's Auction will have a casino event, as we replace some of our silent auction with roulette, craps, and blackjack! After all, the Auction's theme is James Bond-based. You'll be able to buy chips, and play on Auction night at the Bellevue Westin. If you are one of the big winners (and remember, this is a fundraiser, so you won't win actual money back!), you'll be entered into a drawing for a trip to Hawaii!
 
If you've run out of ideas for having your kids at home, I follow Elizabeth Clare and as a recently new Catholic who home-schools her four kids, she has some great ideas for Holy Week and Easter! Click here for some great ways to continue our faith traditions even though we can't be at church.
 
Take care and I look forward to seeing everyone when we are back on campus!

Sincerely,

p.s. Click the auction logo to watch our Auction Launch Party video.
The Charger Cards sales-office will temporarily be closed due to the impact of COVID-19. We will not be packaging physical cards for pickup at this time. We will reevaluate the situation in the coming weeks and keep you informed on when cards can be picked up at the school office. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to reopen soon. Online payments for ScripNow ecards and Reloads are still available. Below are instructions in how to setup if you have not done so.



Sign Up for Online Payments, Earn Rebates, and Continue to Support our School Fundraiser Even Now

Immediately get your eGift cards, instantly add funds to your reloadable gift cards, and shop wherever, whenever on your phone —all with the on-demand convenience of online payments. They’re secure and simple to set up, so you can grow your earnings. In fact, families who pay online earn 45% more than families who don’t.



Every Family Needs to Register Online; Here’s Why & How

  • See the Online Registration Directions page for step by step info to register online and get started! You will need the enrollment code, so please email the Charger Cards chairpersons for this: chargercards@stlouiseschool.org.
  • Online registration provides each family with ability to track their family rebates and see their order history.
  • Online registration enhances record keeping for St. Louise so we have easier, more accurate information.
  • Ordering online provides access to full amount of gift cards available (hundreds of additional choices)!
  • Rebate bonuses are available for online purchases.
  • Order ScripNow/printable gift cards, reloadable gift cards
  • See this video that shows you how to use MyScripWallet.com – the NEW mobile website to purchase, use and track Charger Card scrip on your phone:
 


Setup Online Payments

Link your bank account so you can pay online:
  • Set up your account in a matter of minutes
  • Create a unique PIN to keep your account safe
  • $0.15 fee on each transaction
  • To get set up, log in and select Dashboard > Payment Types on ShopWithScrip.com or Menu > Payment Types on MyScripWallet.com and follow the instructions.

Or pay with your credit card:
  • Discover, Mastercard, and Visa are accepted
  • You can choose to save the card to your account for future purchases
  • 2.6% fee on each transaction


SECURELY PAY ONLINE - START SHOPPING AT SHOPWITHSCRIP.COM (desktop) OR MYSCRIPWALLET.COM (mobile)
You may always purchase Charger Cards 24/7 at
www.shopwithscrip.com  or myscripwallet.com .               

Charger Cards...It's simple, it's thoughtful and it's truly the gift that  keeps on giving! For more information on Charger Cards and online ordering, please visit  www.stlouiseschool.org/chargercards  or email chairpersons Marsha and Katherine at
Don’t Let Your Spiritual Lives Suffer During this Time of Isolation

Next week is Holy Week, and if school were in session physically, as opposed to virtually, your children would be participating in many activities at St. Louise - from a Holy Thursday liturgy to a Good Friday stations of the cross, from learning about the topics of death and resurrection to reading the Gospel Passion story.

Parents can make it a family activity next week to pray the stations of the cross, such as by using a prayer book like THIS ONE.

You can explain the significance of why Jesus washed the feet of his Apostles at the Last Supper by watching THIS and then discussing it with your kids.

Finally, there is no better way to learn about Jesus's Passion than to read the Bible, but watching the 1977 movie JESUS OF NAZARETH is a good second choice. You can find this movie to stream on Roku, Amazon Prime, or sometimes free online such as HERE . It's six hours long, so a good idea is to watch one hour a day as a family, starting this Palm Sunday the 5th, and ending on Good Friday the 10th.

D on't forget to bookmark the parish website , where you'll find news on liturgical events and cancellations, and to join the parish Flocknote group, where you'll get texts from Father Gary and other parish staff regarding time-sensitive news.
Saint of the Week
please read this with your kids

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